If any of you have been living in a cave you may not be aware that Alabama and Texas are scheduled to play in the College Football National Championship game in just a few short days. You can't hardly turn on the TV or read the newspaper without seeing or hearing something about how the two teams compare. I won't go into the specific strengths and weaknesses, but will just summarize it by saying that I think it is going to be a great game between two really good football teams. I hope the hype doesn't disappoint and I really, really, really, really hope that Alabama prevails. I don't care if it is a bad call, a trick play, a last second Hail Mary - just win the game boys!!!
We are trying to keep a lid on the excitement around our house, and haven't really discussed it much. Being planted in the middle of Texas, we have definitely had our media blitz from the Texas side, so it has been a little easier to tune out the hype because it is for the opposition. However, last night we got a glimpse into the life of a diehard Bama fan living in the frenzy of Bama country.
That glimpse came in the form of an email from my Dad, Bob. This is what the email said:
First I have to tell you I am getting really nervous about this whole Championship Game. This is not good for this old mans heart. With that said here is how my initial plan works out. I get up early, eat my typical bowl of mini wheat's followed by a banana. Wash that down with about 8 cups of coffee. Hit the treadmill for about an hour and hit the shower. I will get my game clothes on which is the exact shirt, pants, shoes and hat that I wore for the SEC Championship game. I know that will give the Tide an advantage.
The hoopla buildup for the game starts at 4 here locally. I think I'm going to skip most of this, again thinking of my heart. But at 4 I will take a half of one of my anxiety pills. This will probably not have too much affect on my anxiousness but every little bit helps.
The next step is a little tricky and I'm not sure if it will play out this way. I will set the TV's recorder to record the game. At 7 the game begins and I take the other half of my anxiety pill. I will then set about doing/watching anything except the game. This will be tough but great on my nerves. I will ask that no one call me during the game. I will ask that IF Alabama gets an insurmountable lead that I be notified by everyone and at that time I will start watching the game. After the victory celebration I will go back and watch the game from the beginning.
Of course all this might change but it keeps me kind of stable leading up to the game.
I wonder if this is weird to other people. To me, it seems perfectly normal and reasonable for a game this big. In our house you had better hope you are somewhere comfortable when your team does something good because you could be required to stay there for the rest of the game. On the off chance that you were maybe out in the garage, or heaven forbid standing on one leg trying to reach a paper airplane stuck up on the top of the curtain rod, you might have to hold that position until the end of the game. OR, until something bad happens and the good luck spell is broken. That is really the only way to keep the good luck going for your team. It seems weird to even write it down that where a person stands in their home in Texas has any impact on a game that is being played in California, but I am here to tell you it DOES!!!
So, Thursday will be a sacred night of tradition, superstition, and most hopefully a great football game by the Crimson Tide! If not, here is the response my oldest sent back to his Grandpa:
My game celebration will consist of nothing but tears of joy and on the small, small, small off chance that the Tide is outrolled I will be packing my things, getting on a train and heading to Mexico for the next thirty years of my life.
This is serious stuff!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
I'm ALONE
I am alone in my home for the first time in ages. It is gloriously quiet. Just the click clack of my hands on the keyboard. No TV, no yelling, no doors opening and closing, no one needs me to get them a drink, find the remote, referee an argument or clean up a mess.
I feel like laying down in the middle of the floor and just listening to the calm. But, then the stupid dog will come over and lick me and I will open my eyes and start to see all the cobwebs up in the corner of the vaulted ceiling and the peace will be ruined. I am just going to sit here and breath. Or maybe play fifteen or twenty games of Bejeweled Blitz. DON'T JUDGE - it is relaxing!!!
The calm won't last for long that is for sure! I have worked a long, long day today. Still have a sink full of dishes and I haven't even started cooking dinner. Tomorrow is a school day so it is baths and backpacks tonight! But also early bedtimes - LOVE THAT!!! I might get to hold the remote control tonight!!
Biggest Loser starts tomorrow! Set your DVRs! That is some quality television!
I feel like laying down in the middle of the floor and just listening to the calm. But, then the stupid dog will come over and lick me and I will open my eyes and start to see all the cobwebs up in the corner of the vaulted ceiling and the peace will be ruined. I am just going to sit here and breath. Or maybe play fifteen or twenty games of Bejeweled Blitz. DON'T JUDGE - it is relaxing!!!
The calm won't last for long that is for sure! I have worked a long, long day today. Still have a sink full of dishes and I haven't even started cooking dinner. Tomorrow is a school day so it is baths and backpacks tonight! But also early bedtimes - LOVE THAT!!! I might get to hold the remote control tonight!!
Biggest Loser starts tomorrow! Set your DVRs! That is some quality television!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Back to Reality
Is it possible that tomorrow is Monday morning of a regular work week? Say it isn't so. Please tell me it is not time to get back to work, the real kind where you earn a paycheck. I am not ready to plow through emails, process mods, pay invoices and am most definitely not ready to face the challenge of learning a new purchasing system my company is implementing in a few short weeks. It is going to be HARD! And then there is waking sleepy boys, packing lunches, nagging about homework, checking grades. The thought of a new chapter of 8th grade Algebra starting is really enough to send me under my desk to suck my thumb. Why is math so HARD?? Then there is football practice and basketball practice and games on weekends. I have a work trip I have to take in a couple of weeks - WWAAAHHHH!!! It is good to know I have such a positive attitude about these challenges that lay ahead, isn't it?
Actually, I am going to vent my frustration and anxiety here on this blog and then I am going to let it go. Whooooo, that is the bad air and stress escaping my lungs!
I actually do feel pretty good and refreshed after this holiday season. It has been memorable, busy, productive and relaxing. Seems contradictory, but when it last such a long while you get to experience it all.
I have mentally checked out of work for a while during this slow time, used the down time to complete some on-line training that as been hanging over me. I haven't tackled the real work, but I still feel pretty rejuvinated. My Christmas decorations are put away for another year, house is clean, my new calendar is filled out and waiting on my desk for the work week. I am relatively organized and calm. That is as good as it is going to get before Monday morning rolls around! Bring on 2010 and all of its challenges! I think I am ready.
Actually, I am going to vent my frustration and anxiety here on this blog and then I am going to let it go. Whooooo, that is the bad air and stress escaping my lungs!
I actually do feel pretty good and refreshed after this holiday season. It has been memorable, busy, productive and relaxing. Seems contradictory, but when it last such a long while you get to experience it all.
I have mentally checked out of work for a while during this slow time, used the down time to complete some on-line training that as been hanging over me. I haven't tackled the real work, but I still feel pretty rejuvinated. My Christmas decorations are put away for another year, house is clean, my new calendar is filled out and waiting on my desk for the work week. I am relatively organized and calm. That is as good as it is going to get before Monday morning rolls around! Bring on 2010 and all of its challenges! I think I am ready.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Bob Chronicles – The First in a Series
My Dad’s name is Bob. I can’t begin to even imagine what my life would have been like without him as my father. He has influenced me in more ways that I can count. He has never met a stranger, can engage a brick wall into a conversation and makes everyone around him feel like they are the most amazing person on the planet. He is a list writer, early riser, early arriver, creature of habit, sports lover, organizer, picture taker, story teller, meal planner, game player and world’s best grandpa. He is highly entertaining and funny with a capital “F”!
So in a little tribute to my Dad, I thought I would write a little series called the Bob Chronicles. This will be the first story in the series. Not sure how often these will run, but honestly the material is endless, just trying to figure out how to describe his antics in words so that you can fully appreciate Bob’s world will be the hard part.
This first story is about Bob and the photo processing machine at the local Walmart. Many of you have heard this story and I imagine are already chuckling to yourselves. Be a sport, keep reading and see if I can do it justice in writing.
Here we go…Bob can use a computer, but as with many of us, some of the new fangled technology is kind of tricky to figure out. At the time of this encounter with the photo processing machine Bob was a newcomer to the world of digital photography. He had recently retired and his wife and children all chipped in and bought him a brand new digital camera so he could document his travels and adventures. He took to that camera like a duck to water and was a picture taking fool! One day, he decided it was time to print out some of his digital images for some project or another. He copied the pictures he wanted to print onto a CD – a technical feat and small miracle in and of itself. He and my mother went up to the local Walmart where he had many times walked past the big yellow self service photo processing station. He had seen lots and lots of people using it – how hard could it be? Bob pulls out his CD and inserts it into the machine. Then he reads the instructions that tell him to touch the screen to get started. He touches it. The first thing that comes up is directions on how to insert your media into the machine. He has already inserted his, but there is no way to bypass this instruction page so he dutifully touches the CD icon on the screen. To his utter amazement and dismay, a CD drawer pops open. This is where he is supposed to put his CD. Too late, he realizes that he has crammed his CD into a crack in the machine. Dropped it down between two parts of the machine not a CD drawer. He cusses a little under his breath and my mother immediately realizes this is going to go very wrong, very quickly and makes her escape over to the purse department. She does not want to be around when Bob tries to explain this.
Most people would be mortified and would just act like their full intention upon arriving at the machine was to shove a CD in the crack, turn around, slink home, redo the CD and go to another Walmart and try again. Not Bob.
No, Bob goes up to the Photo Desk and tells them he has a problem. The exhausted, underpaid photo employee I am sure is rolling his eyes at another old person trying to work the self service machine. He follows Dad over to the machine to help him out. Dad points out the CD, which although deep in the crevice of the machine, can still be seen if you tilt your head just so. The kid tells Bob that he has never had that happen and he might have to call a manager. Bob tells him to call away. Nothing that Bob likes better than a Manager especially one that knows customer service. In fact, Bob’s dream job is to work the Customer Service desk at Lowe’s. He would take that job in a second if it didn’t involve working nights, weekends or lifting anything heavy.
Anyway, the Walmart manager comes and he is also perplexed. My mom is watching this go down from a safe distance away and just laughs when the manager gets a flashlight out to shine in the crack. They are using scissors and various long narrow items to try to work down in the crack and get the CD out. Doesn’t work. Bob notices some screws on the side of the machine and asks the manager if he as a screwdriver. Maybe if they loosen the screws they can get something down there to grab the CD. The manager doesn’t have a screwdriver, but hey, it is Walmart. He goes over to the hardware department and opens up a package of screwdrivers. They set to work unscrewing all the visible screws they can see that could allow the crack to be widen. As with any project like this, as it goes on, there are other tools needed. Maybe a wrench or something. I don’t know how many trips that poor manager made over to the hardware department, but it was more than one.
My mother reports from the purse department that there are tools and pieces of the photo machine all over the floor in electronics. Other people who have come to develop their pictures have long given up waiting in line and have moved on to their other shopping. After about thirty minutes of disassembling this machine, they are stuck. The manager has to give up. Not only does he have other work to tend to, but they have unscrewed everything they can and that crack is not widening. He tells my Dad that he will call the company rep for the machine and have them come out and try to get the CD out.
Bob shakes hands with all the new friends he has made in electronics and gives them his heartfelt thanks. In the end, he goes home empty handed, with a mortified wife and no pictures. Guess what he did then? He went home, made a new CD and went right back up to the very same Walmart and followed the instructions. Thank goodness, there is a high turn over in retail employees because these days the new guys don’t even know they should turn around and run when they see Bob coming!
Maybe you have someone like this in your family. I hope you do. If you don’t, come on back every once in a while and see what other trials and tribulations Bob has encountered and/or more likely caused. It is the stuff that family legends are made of!
So in a little tribute to my Dad, I thought I would write a little series called the Bob Chronicles. This will be the first story in the series. Not sure how often these will run, but honestly the material is endless, just trying to figure out how to describe his antics in words so that you can fully appreciate Bob’s world will be the hard part.
This first story is about Bob and the photo processing machine at the local Walmart. Many of you have heard this story and I imagine are already chuckling to yourselves. Be a sport, keep reading and see if I can do it justice in writing.
Here we go…Bob can use a computer, but as with many of us, some of the new fangled technology is kind of tricky to figure out. At the time of this encounter with the photo processing machine Bob was a newcomer to the world of digital photography. He had recently retired and his wife and children all chipped in and bought him a brand new digital camera so he could document his travels and adventures. He took to that camera like a duck to water and was a picture taking fool! One day, he decided it was time to print out some of his digital images for some project or another. He copied the pictures he wanted to print onto a CD – a technical feat and small miracle in and of itself. He and my mother went up to the local Walmart where he had many times walked past the big yellow self service photo processing station. He had seen lots and lots of people using it – how hard could it be? Bob pulls out his CD and inserts it into the machine. Then he reads the instructions that tell him to touch the screen to get started. He touches it. The first thing that comes up is directions on how to insert your media into the machine. He has already inserted his, but there is no way to bypass this instruction page so he dutifully touches the CD icon on the screen. To his utter amazement and dismay, a CD drawer pops open. This is where he is supposed to put his CD. Too late, he realizes that he has crammed his CD into a crack in the machine. Dropped it down between two parts of the machine not a CD drawer. He cusses a little under his breath and my mother immediately realizes this is going to go very wrong, very quickly and makes her escape over to the purse department. She does not want to be around when Bob tries to explain this.
Most people would be mortified and would just act like their full intention upon arriving at the machine was to shove a CD in the crack, turn around, slink home, redo the CD and go to another Walmart and try again. Not Bob.
No, Bob goes up to the Photo Desk and tells them he has a problem. The exhausted, underpaid photo employee I am sure is rolling his eyes at another old person trying to work the self service machine. He follows Dad over to the machine to help him out. Dad points out the CD, which although deep in the crevice of the machine, can still be seen if you tilt your head just so. The kid tells Bob that he has never had that happen and he might have to call a manager. Bob tells him to call away. Nothing that Bob likes better than a Manager especially one that knows customer service. In fact, Bob’s dream job is to work the Customer Service desk at Lowe’s. He would take that job in a second if it didn’t involve working nights, weekends or lifting anything heavy.
Anyway, the Walmart manager comes and he is also perplexed. My mom is watching this go down from a safe distance away and just laughs when the manager gets a flashlight out to shine in the crack. They are using scissors and various long narrow items to try to work down in the crack and get the CD out. Doesn’t work. Bob notices some screws on the side of the machine and asks the manager if he as a screwdriver. Maybe if they loosen the screws they can get something down there to grab the CD. The manager doesn’t have a screwdriver, but hey, it is Walmart. He goes over to the hardware department and opens up a package of screwdrivers. They set to work unscrewing all the visible screws they can see that could allow the crack to be widen. As with any project like this, as it goes on, there are other tools needed. Maybe a wrench or something. I don’t know how many trips that poor manager made over to the hardware department, but it was more than one.
My mother reports from the purse department that there are tools and pieces of the photo machine all over the floor in electronics. Other people who have come to develop their pictures have long given up waiting in line and have moved on to their other shopping. After about thirty minutes of disassembling this machine, they are stuck. The manager has to give up. Not only does he have other work to tend to, but they have unscrewed everything they can and that crack is not widening. He tells my Dad that he will call the company rep for the machine and have them come out and try to get the CD out.
Bob shakes hands with all the new friends he has made in electronics and gives them his heartfelt thanks. In the end, he goes home empty handed, with a mortified wife and no pictures. Guess what he did then? He went home, made a new CD and went right back up to the very same Walmart and followed the instructions. Thank goodness, there is a high turn over in retail employees because these days the new guys don’t even know they should turn around and run when they see Bob coming!
Maybe you have someone like this in your family. I hope you do. If you don’t, come on back every once in a while and see what other trials and tribulations Bob has encountered and/or more likely caused. It is the stuff that family legends are made of!
Friday, January 1, 2010
My Boys
To kick off the new year I took my trusty new camera out in the driveway and got these great pictures of my boys! These are the best five out of about four hundred! Thank goodness the camera is digital!!!
Now off to Beth's house for some Black Eyed Peas and Cabbage Casserole! Bring on the Good Luck 2010!
Happy New Year!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Houston, we have a problem....
The problem is that I got a new camera for Christmas and I am OBSESSED with it! I am afraid it is to the point that I am going to have to try to find a support group of some kind. I can't work, I can't clean my house, cook, shower (Kidding! But not really! Well sort of kidding! Let's just forget I said anything about showering!) Really, all that I want to do is look at the pictures I have taken with this camera. I am not a professional photographer, not even an amateur photographer really. I do however love pictures of my kids and probably take way more than most folks.
I make on-line KodakGallery photo albums of all of our family events to share with our family in Bama. It keeps them in touch with the boys and their activities. I will admit that sometimes it is a bit overkill. I sent out a KodakGallery photo album of a garage clean-up we did a few summers ago and caught some real flack for that. It was a serious overhaul of the garage and there were some great before and after pictures. I guess enough is enough.
My poor sister-in-law said it is embarrassing that she has more pictures of my boys than she does of her own two girls. What can I say, I like pictures. I haven't taken very good ones until now. Now, I just point and shoot this Nikon beauty and it is practically ART!!
Look....it is grass...up close, beautiful grass and I am just in awe of it.
These berries...are you kidding me??? Look how the bush behind it is all soft and out of focus. LOVE THAT!!! I didn't do it on purpose - wouldn't know how to do it again.
The grass from a distance. Look at that...I find it so amazing that the tree limbs in the forefront are soft and the background is sharp. How do you do that????
My husband's chin whiskers - taken from the passenger's seat of the van with a zoom lens. The man is a saint. If the roles had been reversed and he had pointed a zoom lens at my chin or chin(s), whatever the case may be, I would have left him on the side of the interstate. Probably hit him with the camera and then left him on the side of the interstate. Might have even run him over. Seriously DO NOT take an up close picture of my chin.
But look at the detail in this picture - you can see each individual whisker. So cool!!!
And this sunset picture just makes me happy. There is a "sunset setting" on the camera and you can point the camera directly at the setting sun and get a totally cool shot like this. Driving 70 miles an hour down a Texas interstate snapping shot after shot through a dirty windshield. I probably took 50 pictures by the time the sun actually set and I know for sure I was having a hard time seeing! Now it is hard to pick which picture is the best. I can't delete any of them! I particularly love this one though, with the car cresting the hill and the huge fireball of sun that looks like it is melting.
It is going to be hard to be in the same house with this camera and get anything done. I haven't had the heart to tell the dog that there is actually a "pet portrait" setting on the camera. I think in exchange for a piece of cheese, he may be my most willing subject!!!
So, let me issue a warning to anyone reading this that might be local. Don't be alarmed if you see me roaming the neighborhood with a zoom lens! I will try to stick to fascinating plants, animals, objects, children and not chins!! If I take a picture of your chin, you may hit me with the camera and run me over with your car!!!
I make on-line KodakGallery photo albums of all of our family events to share with our family in Bama. It keeps them in touch with the boys and their activities. I will admit that sometimes it is a bit overkill. I sent out a KodakGallery photo album of a garage clean-up we did a few summers ago and caught some real flack for that. It was a serious overhaul of the garage and there were some great before and after pictures. I guess enough is enough.
My poor sister-in-law said it is embarrassing that she has more pictures of my boys than she does of her own two girls. What can I say, I like pictures. I haven't taken very good ones until now. Now, I just point and shoot this Nikon beauty and it is practically ART!!
Look....it is grass...up close, beautiful grass and I am just in awe of it.
These berries...are you kidding me??? Look how the bush behind it is all soft and out of focus. LOVE THAT!!! I didn't do it on purpose - wouldn't know how to do it again.
The grass from a distance. Look at that...I find it so amazing that the tree limbs in the forefront are soft and the background is sharp. How do you do that????
My husband's chin whiskers - taken from the passenger's seat of the van with a zoom lens. The man is a saint. If the roles had been reversed and he had pointed a zoom lens at my chin or chin(s), whatever the case may be, I would have left him on the side of the interstate. Probably hit him with the camera and then left him on the side of the interstate. Might have even run him over. Seriously DO NOT take an up close picture of my chin.
But look at the detail in this picture - you can see each individual whisker. So cool!!!
And this sunset picture just makes me happy. There is a "sunset setting" on the camera and you can point the camera directly at the setting sun and get a totally cool shot like this. Driving 70 miles an hour down a Texas interstate snapping shot after shot through a dirty windshield. I probably took 50 pictures by the time the sun actually set and I know for sure I was having a hard time seeing! Now it is hard to pick which picture is the best. I can't delete any of them! I particularly love this one though, with the car cresting the hill and the huge fireball of sun that looks like it is melting.
It is going to be hard to be in the same house with this camera and get anything done. I haven't had the heart to tell the dog that there is actually a "pet portrait" setting on the camera. I think in exchange for a piece of cheese, he may be my most willing subject!!!
So, let me issue a warning to anyone reading this that might be local. Don't be alarmed if you see me roaming the neighborhood with a zoom lens! I will try to stick to fascinating plants, animals, objects, children and not chins!! If I take a picture of your chin, you may hit me with the camera and run me over with your car!!!
Monday, December 28, 2009
We've Been Horned
We went out of town for the holidays and returned home tonight after 10 days on the road and 13 hours of driving. We were road weary and exhausted. Where did we go you might ask? We went to God's country, more commonly referred to as Alabama. We have celebrated Christmas with our family and that definitely included the exchange of various football merchandise such as SEC t-shirts, Alabama jerseys, Crimson Tide hats, glasses, and autographed memorabilia. It was glorious to be out of Longhorn country for a while and walk among some other Bama faithful. We even watched a DVD of the SEC Championship Game today on our drive home. It was even more unbelievable watching it the second time. Who was that offensive machine that showed up in Alabama uniforms? We so hope they show up one more time for the big National Championship game on January 7th!
As we made our way back to Texas today, and the Longhorn logo started showing up on trucks and shirts, we whispered quietly about what kind of plans we can make for the game. We concluded that since we live smack dab in the middle of Longhorn country that we will just lay low and cheer and/or cry together as a family the day of the big game! It will be hard to be a Bama fan here whether they win or lose!
We pull into the driveway at dark - so happy to be home - crap falling out of the van as the doors opened. Everyone grabbing something to carry in and making their way into our dearly missed home. We turn on the kitchen light and what do we see, but this....
and this....
and this....
Our home had been defiled and defaced by the very good friends we had left our house key with. They were supposed to be taking care of the cat, but it looks like they had a little fun while they were here. We are finding Longhorn merchandise all over this house! A can opener in the utensil drawer, a mug in the cabinet, a bag of chips in the pantry, a pen on my desk, a picture frame with their children's picture! What we didn't notice until about six trips out to the car to unload was this exterior decoration on our house.
WHAT??? Oh no they didn't! And to top it all off - the damn cat was still alive!! Seriously!
We had some great laughs about this Longhorn welcome home and assume we will continue to find Longhorn surprises all over our house! For now though, we might have to reconsider who we leave our house key with....at least until football season is over!!!
ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)