A new record- yeah, you can figure out what for…  So, what to write about.  The show whose opening weekend I wrote about closed over a month ago with a record number of seats sold causing them to add a performance when no one objected to it.  How about how I am in between shows, and the question of whether or not to try out for the godless JC Superstar was answered for me when I couldn’t sing due to a cold audition weekend?  How my right arm hurts from all the shoveling, including some this morning to free the dryer vent so I can take care of some clothes?  There was the Tron movie I had a countdown to that I still haven’t seen- is it still in the theaters I wonder?  There was our 4th and 5th grade lock-in/retreat two weeks ago.  My team came in last place and I didn’t get sick this year.  There’s work- nah.  Nothing to talk about there.  I think one of the owners may still be snowed in.  The person who normally does her long driveway took one look at it Wednesday and drove away.  She lives in Antioch, an hour north of me.  Gaming and my new DSi XL?  Dunno.  Yes, there’s that first vacation I took in years, outside of the annual summer camp week- the now infamous injurious one for a fellow tangenteer.  It was great to get away.  Someone mentioned to me how he would just stretch out on a beach over there,but I’m just not that type of person.  I enjoy the activity offered at theme parks, talking with friends as we walk from ride to ride.  Of course, I still did not like the one extreme go-kart track at Old Town and am not so into activity that I will waste money on the extreme thrill rides there.  But what I did do was a nice break, and I did miss an extremely cold work day.  Unfortunately I didn’t get out of all those days- this Thursday was pretty bad, and next Tuesday also promises to be brutal.

One day at Universal, I decided I did not want to go on the water ride.  Instead, I sat with the two youngest and watched several people take photos at a photo-op spot.  Having recently seen the movie starring this certain dog, when Phyllis came back after one ride, I had her take this picture (slightly retouched):

Oh, about comics, I mentioned a particular comic strip while I was in Florida- here is a link to it.  It is about a lower middle-class suburban self-important family.  Read on by clicking this link. Now I will think about maybe breaking the two month record following this post… 😛

Before I publish my vacation diary, I would like to say a few words about some unexpected feelings I encountered upon returning home.  Ending a vacation is always a chore, and for an in-the-process-of-being-reformed-worrywart like me, it’s easy to get caught up in dreading the negatives that accompany getting back to normal life; ie, returning to a cold climate, laundry, unpacking, etc.  Thanks to my growing relationship with God, I’ve been learning to embrace positives more easily, and I could not be more grateful for the opportunity for such a wonderful vacation and for the fact that we made it there and back safely.

But when we did return home, the welcome committee seemed a bit small.  The greetings of family members left behind (read: pets) seemed to be missing something, and the house seemed more empty than I had remembered it.  Then it hit me:  this was the first homecoming we’ve had since our family dog passed away last year.

I had noticed it on vacation, and in Florida it was actually an unexpectedly freeing feeling to not worry about a loved one left behind.  Don’t get me wrong; I love the pets we still have, but no one will ever take Charity’s place.  I used to feel such a hole in my heart when we went on vacation and left her behind that it gave me an extra motivation to hurry home.  But this time, our homecoming celebration was short-lived: we greeted pets and they greeted us, and there was no one around to hold a grudge like Charity used to do when we left her behind.  No one was miffed about getting left behind, in fact, I wonder if the dogs even really noticed…

It’s been over a year since the last time I saw her, and I still miss her a lot.

Our kids had two snow days off school this week, so what better activity for a family full of animal lovers than to visit the pet store?  You can see where this is going…  we went looking for 1 baby rat, and we came home with 2 baby rats and a bunny.  One ridiculously cute bunny as yet without a name!  There have been a lot of contenders, but we just haven’t found any perfect ones yet.  The leading ones so far are Tigger, Snow Bunny, and Arcy.  Arcy is like a feminine version of R.C. which stands for Ridiculously Cute.  I really like Tigger even though we THINK she’s a girl bunny, but when I tried calling her Tigger it didn’t click.  Here’s a video, and more suggestions are welcome in the comment box below:

And the new rats:

Just moments ago, ace New York Yankee pitcher Andy Pettite announced his retirement from the team he has been with for 13 of his 16 year career. He will be sorely missed. Instrumental in many Bomber seasons, notably in 5 Championship seasons. Physically, he is ready if he was needed. Emotionally, it is time for him to move on.

Pitching has got to be the most taxing and demanding position on the diamond. So many injuries and surgeries reported that one may wonder how many are able to continue into their mid and even late 30’s. And now with only three starters returning (A.J. Burnett, Phil Hughes, aaaaand C.C. SABATHIA), it looks like the Yanks will once again be looking to strengthen its starting rotation.

Long-time catcher Jorge Posada has also been re-assigned to full time DH duty. Let’s hope that Cervelli is able to step up and assume the position full time.

Less than a month before Spring Training games begin in Tampa!

Yes, there was blowing and drifting snow. Yes the conditions for NW Ohio were miserable. The roads needed to be cleared, and people needed to be safe.

The local stores were picked bare by people in a panic. For one day worth of storm.

Yes, this storm could have been bigger. Other areas were hit harder. But unlike the last Big blizzard that still has people talking, we were well informed. The road crews were ready. Schools and businesses were prepared. And then we got the snow.

Not much, but enough to make life a bit troublesome when it was combined with high winds. Back in the woods, I wasn’t even cooped up for 24 hours. We would have been able to get out by noon today. Not that I would have wanted to, but we could have.

Back in 1978, people were house bound for days. I remember helping get food to people stranded in and around Defiance Ohio. People with Snowmobiles, 4WD vehicles, tractors and one guy with a dune-buggy VW helped get things and people where they needed to be. I’m sure that if this storm had packed the same punch, the reaction would have been the same.

Still waiting, and hopefully this will be a long wait, for the next big storm.

Well, I’ve been back in town from a glorious family vacation to Florida for a few days now, and realistically, I guess I could say that I’m getting back on  track.  But catching up is going so slowly, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and like I’ll never be done.  But you know what?  With 4 small children in the house, I NEVER feel caught up on the to-dos, even when I don’t leave town, so what does it matter if I took a week and a half off?  It was great!  Eventually I’ll get around to posting an in-depth trip diary – these have come in such handy when I go back to find the name of a restaurant we visited or certain info about the trip; it’s fun for reminiscence purposes too.  For now, I will just post a small run-down of the 20-hour drive from Florida to Ohio which illustrates the dramatic temperature decrease we endured between the south and the north.  There will be more to come later, I promise, so please don’t forget about me and my little blog.

Sat Jan 22:
Orlando FL = 58 degrees at noon
GA / FL state line = 48 degrees at 5:20pm
Atlanta GA = 34 degrees at 10:15pm

Sun Jan 23:
Chattanooga, TN = 24 degrees at 12:30am
TN/KY border = 18 degrees at 2:45am
Van Wert/Paulding County borders, nw Ohio = NEGATIVE 8 degrees at 7:45am

BRRRrrrrrr!!!!!

Well… got back a few days ago from a week in the sun (and just one day of rain) with some of the best friends ever!  Along with a couple of stragglers from Chi-town.  It was a ton of fun except for ONE thing… I did a number on my back.  There is speculation abound as to the cause: could it have been the extremely fun extreme go-cart track we adults check out; could it be the new shoes I bought just days before I flew out; or any of a myriad of scenarios.

I just know that by Tuesday, I needed to rent a wheelchair to be pushed around EPCOT and the Magic KIngdom on Wednesday.  It would have been a funny bit of payback since I had to push C around when he had his ingrown toenail.  However,  although I tried to keep a light heart about the situation I discovered that it was not very funny.

Thursday, I stayed behind and soaked in the giant tub then slept on the rollaway bed so I did not have to climb the stairs.

Friday, saw my return flight to Detroit ($117.00 roundtrip, still marveling at the price).  The three of us were greeted to a shower on the way to the airport.  I was given VIP service by a skyhop who pushed me to the front of the security check line and from there to my gate.  Would rather have not had to zip by, but hey it beat standing.

When I arrived in Detroit, I had to wait 3 hours for my brother and his significant other to pick me up.  On the way home, we stopped at Applebees just inside Toledo.  We were warned that the heater was broken and were shortly shown to our WINDOW booth.  This may be a bit of a coincidence, but half of the staff was out sick.  Welcome back to NWO… from 70º to single digits all in a few hours time.

Monday, I went to out hometown chiropractor who was recommended by my aunt who is enjoying Florida as we speak.  Dr. Scott was very personable and gave it to me straight.  At my age, the chances of a disc injury increase.  I am able to stand and do some menial tasks as well as the stretches I was given.  I know it will take time but for now I feel so useless.  I’m used to being up and around and here I am sitting on a bag filled with rice.  My first heating pad met with a grisly end.  Someone put it in the microwave for 1:45 and before the time was up…. BOOM!!! I did not see the aftermath but I could smell it.

I did have fun on my week off but I got a little more than I bargained for….

I’m usually very good at remembering dates. I don’t always remember to do something on the dates, but I do remember them. Kids’ birthdays, sure, and if I think about it I can remember the years. Siblings’ birthdays, yep all of them A few other birthdays yep. First crushes birthday, now why would I remember that? First serious girlfriend? Yep, got that. So I really have no trouble remember this date at all. But as there is one half of the interested party missing from the celebration, the day brings a touch of sadness with it now.

Today would have been 27 years of marital life. I have no doubt that those would have been 27 good years too. Today, I remember. Today, I may shed a tear or two. Today, I may smile at some inner thought. Today, i remember that it has been 7 years without her.

Without her, I would never have been the person I am. Our love changed who we were, but let us reach who we were supposed to be.

SJO 1962-2003 Always in my heart.

Back in the 1960’s a TV sensation swept the country. With “POWS”, “BAMs” and “SMASHES” Batman made it to television. Everything was bright, colorful and loud. In 1966 there was a spinoff from Batman called “The Green Hornet”. Adapted from a 1930’s radio program, this series (which lasted for 2 years) was a bit darker than Batman. The Hornet fought real crime, and of course Bruce Lee stole the show.

Now on to 2011, a new Green Hornet found his way to the big screen. This show is somewhere between the Campy fun of the 1960’s Batman and the darker 1960’s Green Hornet. Seth Rogen plays an inept jerk who wants to do good. He has one good idea and Kato (played by Jay Chou) is the master mechanic, martial arts expert with the knowledge to pull it off. The Vigilante, thought by all to be no better than the rest of the criminal underworld, Green Hornet is born.

If you go into this movie expecting it to be soul searching or a deep revelation into the mind of a vigilante hero, you are in the wrong show. There are some martial art fights, lots of things blowing up, a crime syndicate to wipe out, more things being shot at and blown up, some more fighting and more stuff blowing up. And there is comedy, yes there are things to laugh at in this film. 2 hours of mind numbing fun with lots of things being blown up and shot at.

I give it a must see again rating. I may even get the DVD when it hits the cheap shelves.

My son had his 30-month (2½ years for you laypeople) check-up at the doctor today.  All is well, though he wasn’t very cooperative for the student doctor in training when it came to getting his nose and ears checked.  And he had to get a shot, which of course was sad to witness.  Unlike his 3 brave older sisters, he did cry, but he got over it quickly and proudly  showed off his “owie” for the rest of the day.  The little dude weighs 29.2 lbs. and is 2 feet and 10.5 inches tall.