A day on the trails

Melissa and I headed out on the sleds today, our plan was to go to her brothers house in Bridgton and back. Well we made it, and learned a few things along the way. We unloaded at the Casco Fire station and headed towards Naples. We stopped and took pictures along the way. We hit the trail at 8:30 and didn't see anyone else for the first hour. The trails were great having been the first ones on them. We got on long lake, coincidentally that lake is long! We then headed off into the woods towards Bridgton. Little did we know we took the scenic route, which was also the long way. we hooked up with about 10 others and rode with them for half an hour or so; and then split into different directions. We made it to her brothers on a slushy Highland lake. On the return trip we stopped for lunch at the Lake Region House of Pizza. We checked the map and headed to Greg and Jyselle's house via a much shorter route to home. We found two or three more routes along the way that would have sped up our trip, but we enjoyed the ride. Overall we went about 65 miles in eight hours. Stopping for lunch, breaks, and chatting. This was Mel's first "big" trip, her thumb was tired for the last 10 miles or so, but she's a trooper. She even Pee'd in the woods.
Mt Washington.Melissa

Just when you thought it couldn't get any easier

So we all have to go to work everyday to make a living. Some of us like our job, some hate it, and some have excepted the fact that it's work and they just have to go. Some people spend years trying to find their dream job, only to find that it doesn't make them happy. Others get stuck in a dead end job that eats away at them every day. How cool would it be to have the easiest job in the world. Something you enjoy, something brainless, something with benefits. I would love to be a movie critic. I would get paid to sit on my ass everyday, eating popcorn and snow-caps, doing one of the things I love the most; watching movies. I'm sure like everything else in the world it would have its downside, like having to watch Sweeny Todd. But would the good outweigh the bad? I think it would. So what would be the greatest job? How about traveling the US changing light bulbs for people. Yesterday at work I would have said that sounds like a sweet deal. That is until I saw them at work today on this.....

Yes that's right, that ladder goes about 50 feet straight up. It is leaning on a 2 inch roof tress at the top, and the bottom is on a rubber mat. You should have seen the bow in the ladder when the guy was climbing up and down. No friggin way. I'll stick to watching movies for fun on the weekends.

WWJD?

In life we are faced with challenges. Some of the choices are not crucial; go to the movies or to the beach. Some choices could be life altering; Buy a house or continue to rent. Then there are the unfortunate choices that we must face. These are often a surprise that rears it's ugly head when we would least expect it. Sometimes you need to sit and think about it, or discuss your options with your loved ones. Then there are times when you have seconds to decide your own fate, and then there are the lose-lose situations. Today I experienced one of those. Picture this....Its a cold February morning hovering at a balmy 12 degrees, It's pitch black outside. You have diarrhea, and your stomach just moaned in agony. Choice time. The Port-O-Potty just a mere 40 feet away; or a bathroom on the opposite side of a 10,000 square foot warehouse. I chose to brave the elements.

Yes I pee'd my crap.

I guess what I want, doesn't matter

Everyone has certain things that they like a certain way. Some people like crushed ice, some cubed. Mustard on a hot dog, or relish. The towels get folded lengthwise first or in half. Some of these things may seem trivial, while others have their meanings and reasons. It wouldn't make sense for me to come to your house and move all your plates to the top shelf cause I can reach them easier. Essentially making it harder for you. Today I once again experienced an ongoing issue I have. Melissa and I have a Pantry/cupboard in the basement. We tend to stock up on certain items when we get low. We also have a chest freezer that we keep extra things in. When grocery shopping we plan on what we want, need, and what to stock up on. In our fridge upstairs along with our cabinets we keep different items than downstairs. So when we load up the belt with our various treats we take the time to group things together, Fridge items, freezer items, stuff for downstairs; I'm guessing you get the idea. Then we have the pleasure of watching helplessly as the clerk picks and chooses through our groceries, to find their optimal goods for a bag. They will move something ten times before they finally decide it is worthy of the company of items being placed in the current bag. They will place, remove, and reinsert into a different bag. They will stretch way to the end of our food to grab the one elusive item they seek. I do not care that they keep their stuffing in the same cabinet as their green beans. WE DO NOT! Bag my damn shit the way I put in on the belt. Do not adventure on a quest to get all the red items in the same bag. Don't set out in search of all the round items. Leave the scavenger list of frozen goods at home. Don't check the buddy list for fruits and vegetables. And for the ten-thousandth time; I DON'T WANT MY MILK BAGGED!!!!!!

Finally!

Well after about 34 hours the power has finally come back on. We only managed to spend $700 during the outage. The generator did come in handy though. We were able to sit in the dark last night knowing that our frozen goods had been saved. It is weird to think of the things you never think about, usually in a time of need. I stood in the candlelit kitchen scrathing my head trying to think of where in the house we had a lamp. We don't. So the candles stayed out for another night. Kind of stupid right. An entire house with not one light source that plugs in. Oh well something to think about for next time. Here are a few more pics of the glorious day that was monday.

Out of my hands

I didn't miss a day by choice. Due to the wonderful joy of snow, We have no power. This is the first available time to get to a computer. Hours of shoveling, snowblowing, cursing, and laying in the snowbank are now over, at least for this storm. We went and bought a generater last night, only to get home and realize that we do not own a lamp that plugs in! But at least the fridge is cold.

Uncommon dislikes

While perusing the guide on TV tonight I once again got excited over the sight of Office Space playing on Cinemax. However I was quickly reminded that Melissa doesn't like it, and continued to search for an agreed upon show. How can anyone not like that movie! Then I realized that there are quite a few things that are common likes, that I myself refuse to partake in. Eggs for example. Everyone eats eggs, well except for me. I'm not grossed out by the fact it's a baby chicken, I just don't like the taste. Same goes for Watermelon, Peanut butter, Coffee, Melted Cheese, and Meatloaf. So many common day things that I dislike, that most people love. I'm not a fan of Nascar, Soccer, Smoking, Big Sunglasses, Cats, Skiing, or the Patriots. But Office space; really?

Size does matter!

So the old saying bigger is better doesn't apply to everything I guess. Clothing seems to be the exception to the rule. Bell bottoms were at one time the hip thing. Big pants on small legs. Okay, it had it time I guess. Jams were also popular. We all wore them. Once again they had their time. Even hats were at one time the thing to have larger than life. I never wanted my hat to cover my ears, but some people did. Even baggy pants and long flowing shirts were a fashion statement. BUT WHAT THE FUCK IS UP WITH THE SUNGLASSES! I consider myself a semi-observant guy, but when a passing set of bug goggles whips my head around nearly causing a collision, that's a problem. All else is forgotten and attention is solely focused on those damn sunglasses. I have not been shopping for a female companion in more than twelve years, but I am pretty sure that a "face mask" would not help me chose the perfect mate. If I wanted to meet someone, the ability to see their face might be a positive. I don't want to have to sift through the whole hive just to get to the queen bee.

Forgotten dreams

Growing up we all wanted to be something. Firemen, a doctor, a pilot, a writer. These dreams often were born from someone else's ideas or stories. Today at work my childhood dream came back to me from out of a random conversation. I wanted to be a BMX racer. My brothers and the kids in my neighborhood would build bikes from all the parts from our old bikes. We would trade tires, seats, forks, frames, handlebars, brakes, pedals, and pegs. Then we would paint them to our liking with whatever paint we could conjure up from various sheds, garages, and basements.We were the original east coast choppers! We often had the strangest looking bikes, and before the technical knowledge was really there, I remember taking quite a few "diggers" when one would spontaneously combust while riding. My dream came from continuously watching the movie "RAD". Which, if I had to say; was a really rad movie. A normal kid with a paper route, goes on to beat the pro racers and everyone cheers. How could you not want to race bikes! Everyone was gonna cheer for me! I used to take the smallest jump out in the road and I felt like I flew ten feet in the air. But unfortunately my coolest tricks consisted of the wheelie, bunny hop, endo, and the 10 second no hands. Pretty sure that my goals in life have changed since then. I think I have gotten wiser to the real world. However I think a big goal of mine now is to track down a copy of that movie.....That would be RAD!

Happiness

Well this weekend looks to be a good one.....
1: Melissa is going home to the rents.
2: Get to work on more wood projects at the C's
3: Dad is going to watch the dogs Sat night. Slumber party!
4: A day filled with Mai Tais (Happiness)
5: Sunday all alone to recover
6: Monday once again no work, and a whole day to do what I want.

I know your jealous, what can I say I'm living the good life at the moment. Now if I only had something meaningful to do. Like figure out what the hell is going on on Lost.

Broken Promises

Well it has been brought to my attention that I failed to follow through on posting some pics from our long weekend so here goes.....

Friday: Rustic Overtones

Saturday: Snowmobiling

Sunday: Cabinetry

Monday:

I would say that Sweeney Todd was the most disappointing of the four. Definitely didn't live up to the hype I had heard from a certain cabinet recipient. Oh well, now I never have to see it again. Now if I can just avoid any and all disappointing things from here on out, that would be perfect.

Cuddle up

There is nothing like cuddling up after a long cold day. The key ingredients are...
A comfy couch
A blanket
Someone to cuddle with
A good TV show

You may also mix in the following to enhance the experience....
A couple of lazy puppies
Cup of cocoa
Nice bowl of ice cream

I would recommend using this method at least three times a week. If it is over used it may become routine and complaisant. If possible I would also try to use the same partner. Once tendencies and preferences are recognized the experience becomes much more enjoyable.

Of course I guess it could be very enjoyable with different partners as well.

Jackpot!

Well the trip to Salvation Army was a success in more than one way. Mel and I were both able to pick up some stuff for the Metallica party. The kicker was they were the half off tag of the day, yea yellow! We were also witness to someone blatantly trying to shoplift. And by blatantly, I mean walking out with two giant bags full of stuff. She claimed that's he came in with them, too bad upon inspection they had tags on them. We saw the same lady at the grocery store later, I think she recognized us, she turned and went the opposite direction pretty fast. Always weird to be embarrassed around complete strangers. Of course I wouldn't know anything about being embarrassed. Friends or strangers.

So I don't miss a day

Just a quick note tonight, so I don't miss a day. Been a pretty busy weekend, with a whole day left tomorrow. Melis has it off as well, we may be going to the movies. I'll post up some pics from this weekends events tomorrow. We went to a concert Friday, Snowmobiling Saturday, I built the C's kitchen cabinet today, and got to hang with the nephews for dinner, as well as a little Balloon Fight action.

Ahh old video games make you feel like a kid all over again don't they.

The Grand Unveiling!

I have actual fliers for those of you I haven't seen yet. Don't forget to dress up! Mel and I will be heading to Goodwill/Salvation Army to pick up a few things this weekend. If anyone else is interested in coming, let us know.

Tired ZZZzzzzzzzzz

Wow what a long week. I feel like I am due for one of those 13 hour naps. But we all know that's not gonna happen. We are off to attempt a snowmobile trip tomorrow. Nothing major. Just a trip from Casco maybe up to Bridgton for lunch. Problem will be how much snow is actually left on the trails. We couldn't go before because we were waiting on a part for Mel's and now that is has finally arrived, it has been 40 all week and raining. I at least want to go out for a couple of hours and make sure everything else is working fine for my weekend trip with the boys in March. Nothing worse than waiting till the last minute and finding something else is wrong. Damn toys. I should sell them all on Ebay and retire on my spoils. Too bad I got most of my stuff on Ebay cause nobody else wanted them.

Plus then nobody could say I play with "dolls".

I don't think that really makes any sense. But it's excusable cause I'm tired.

Are you pissed as I am!

Well here's a funny story, strictly because it not in anyway funny. I received a text today from someone who will remain nameless. it said...

"There is an H3 in front of me with the licence plate Hummr and it has a coach brand sticker on it."

My response was..."Coach Brand? "

For those who don't know it's the oh so over priced bag store.

I was confused at the reason for this interruption in my day. And replied with... "So"?

Come to find out it was a text full of rage. Evidently the typer hates the H3 as its not even a real hummer and they also hate licence plates that state what the vehicle is. The sticker was the icing on the cake. My response was lacking in excitement or intrigue."And?"I later received a frantic call wanting to explain, and to get me as pissed as the caller. It is so funny to see/hear someone get worked up over something so small, especially when you don't share the cause. I can see taking someones side if there is something at risk. But the only thing at risk here was the mysterious callers reputation. Call me if something is on fire, you have a flat tire, need help moving, or your hurt, but you called to tell me the the licence plate says hummr on a H3.

News Flash Andrea...Your licence plate has your name on it. Hypocrite.

Actual funny side story. Andrea did have a flat tire today too.

Back to the grind

Well today was the second day back on the treadmill. Damn it sucks. Last year I was able to lose 25 lbs with a little exercise and diet. Then due to a great case of the lazys I gained it all back in the second half of the year. So here we are again feeling lazy and fat. Time to turn it around. It is so friggin hard to stay in shape with the entire world surrounding you in the laziest possible way to do everything. I'm pretty sure that most of the easy-nesses of the world were created for the fat to be able to get around, but instead they are just making the world fatter.

Escalator-so you don't have to walk
Elevator-so you don't have to walk
Moving walkway-so you don't have to walk
Motorized shopping carts-so you don't have to walk
Email-so you don't have to to walk (to the mailbox)
Valet parking-so you don't have to walk

You get my point. They even have gone so far as you don't have to turn your wrist to unlock the car. Or push any buttons to dial a phone. Is it really so hard? Man things must be tough if you need to have your toothbrush do all the work cause your to lazy to move your arm.

Glad to see someone is listening

Four posts and two comments! 50% not too bad. Hopefully that will pick up, but I guess I can only hope for so much. I realize that this isn't the coolest website in the world, with flashy pictures or cool games, But it is a simple way to get my thoughts out there. The world is way to complicated no a days. A simple outlet should help us to relax and take us back to a simpler time. No hybrid cars, HD TV, Global warming, and all that political war crap. A time when cartoons were violent, we stayed out after dark playing with the kids in the neighborhood, didn't have wear a helmet to ride a bike, Pluto was a planet, you did "good" on your test, and our parents wanted us to get the chicken pox. What the hell happened to the good old days?

I feel so old sometimes......

I don't know who half the bands on the radio are, and Alice in Chains is now "classic rock".

Kids don't know the names of the Thundercats, He-Man, GI Joe, or what the hell Pee-Wee's Playhouse is.

My pants are too tight, my hair is only one color, my shoes don't look like moonboots, and the muffler on my car is too quiet.

I mean c'mon we were never that weird.....were we?

Everybody hates Mondays

Well except for me I guess. I have Mondays off. It is 10 am and I have already completed the next phase on the March 29th surprise, played with the dogs. had breakfast, picked up Reilly's prescription, done the grocery shopping, and watched 2 episodes of Scrubs. Hhhmmm maybe a nap? The last few Mondays I have been able to bang out a whole season of Scrubs, I am you see trying to catch up. Somehow I missed the bandwagon when the show first aired. I am in season six now, seven is on my computer, and 8 is on the DVR. Damn DVR, I watch more shit now then I ever have before. I watch things I wasn't even interested in cause I can record it a watch it later. I have all the Fringe episodes on there in case there is actually nothing on. I don't see that happening. Here is just a taste....

Monday. Big Bang Theory, How I met Your Mother, Heroes.
Tuesday. 90210 (laugh all you want)
Wednesday. Lost
Thursday. Smallville
Friday. Try to squeeze in a movie
Saturday. Solitary
Sunday. Try to squeeze in a movie

And that's just whats on now. We also watch True Blood, Prison Break, Greek, Ghost Hunters, American Idol once the stupid tryouts are over. And this doesn't include the fifteen episodes of the dog whisperer, K-9 Cops, Mystery surgery, Survivor, Think you can dance, Open up the guy and show you his insides crap that Melissa tapes on there. We are at the point of almost fighting for the TV to see what to watch and what to tape and watch later. I will say that I am going to watch dancing with the stars this season. Steve-O is on. How can that possibly not be entertaining!

Day Two

Well it looks like I have won the Blog Battle! This kind of commitment has really put a strain on my personal life. The time that I have put into making it this far is immeasurable.

Anyways I guess the year is off to a booming start. I was able to see Metallica in Boston with Melissa, and my brother and sister in-law. Great show as always. Next up is a snowmobile trip for the weekend with the guys from work. Prob lots of drinking and tom foolery. Still want to try to snowboard behind a sled. Maybe this time? Then there is March 29th. Its still a surprise but more info is to come. Then I am headed to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Greg for the induction of Metallica. My fifth wedding anniversary is this year. I am trying to get a group together for Mets vs. Redsox end of May. Then off to Phish in June. Robstock will be August 22 this year, and once again I have reserved the day to be sunny. Hopefully winding the year down with the second leg of Metallicas tour at the Civic Center (I can dream right).

So as it stands this year is already as busy as ever. Just as long as no one gets married, I might actually have time to sit down this summer. Melis has given me permission to build/buy a wood shop this year. Great another thing to do!

Things I'm not worried about as I get older

I realized today while rushing home from lunch that I don't fear ever being constipated. I had a regular cheese burger and fries. Homemade not even the fast food kind. No jalapenos, no wasabi mayo, no spicy relish, just a burger and fries. It wanted out of me so bad! I do worry about having to wear adult diapers when the muscle control starts to go, but constipation....forget it

Good Morning

Well I bet this isn't what you were expecting to wake up to today. I've been toying with the idea of putting my life down so others can enjoy or make fun of it. So today I have decided to go for it. Whats the worst that could happen? So my goal is to at least once everyday put up something, a story, what I am thinking about, maybe a picture, anything on my mind, it is in fact MY blog.

I will try to offend everyone I know so that no one feels left out. Yes some people may be frequented in my posts more often, but that's your own fault so don't try to blame me. That actually reminds of of another reason i have been thinking of doing this. About a year ago Cortney tried a thought of the day on her Myspace page, it lasted ONE DAY. So as long as I can put something up tomorrow, I'm winning.

This is basically a passengers seat into my life. So if you want me to pull the car over and talk about something let me know. I'll try my best to give you my honest opinion. I have a few ideas for rants/topics already. I have and idea for the worlds best blank. Prob something I'll do on a boring/thoughtless day. I'll tell you what the worlds greatest "something" is in my opinion and why.