Where the hell have I been?

What Now?

It seems like forever since I last posted, just over 2 weeks, but in the land of bloggers that is forever. The amazing thing is I picked up a few new followers during that dry spell. Maybe the blogging universe is telling me something...stop posting and more people will like it. The truth of the matter is I spent a week in Disneyland with the family and the second we returned home I have been busier than busy. Between my current job picking up, my new part time job, holiday madness, family birthdays, training for my next marathon and general family life this little blog has taken a back seat, way in the back...like nosebleed back.

So, what can I write about today. How about I start with a joke my now 8-year old told me the other day. She had received a book of holiday jokes from her teacher and wanted to try a couple out on me. She is a very good reader, but will occasionally read a little too fast and mix up words.

"K" - Dad, what is a snowman's favorite food?
Me - I don't know..what is it?
"K" - Cold cunts!
"Me" - (after a laugh outburst) Do you mean cold cuts?
"K" - Oh yeah, cold cuts...I don't get it?

What else, well the holiday season is in full swing here. My wife and I have finished the present buying and now just are counting down the days until the kids make like the Tazmanian Devil and tear into them. I struggled a little with what to buy my wife...year after year she wants some new kitchen tool. Come on, that's not helpful. If she wants something that helps her in the kitchen she should just buy it. I suggested maybe some new underwear. That suggestion was met with little enthusiasm.

Oh, we had a fantastic time at Disneyland (I can't believe I almost forgot to report on that). I think the thing both of my girls will remember most is getting a new little friend at the Build-A-Bear Workshop, which is not even in Disneyland for crying out loud...but whatcha gonna do? For me it was taking on the Tower Of Terror ride in California Adventure Park. I have this terrible fear of heights, so this ride was my Everest. Not only did I conquer it, but I actually enjoyed the ride as well.

Well, that's all I have for now. Sorry it took me so long, but better late than never they say. Until we meet again....

Peace out dads!

Going to the happiest place on earth

What Now?

This Sunday the long wait is over. My family will board the plane that takes us to the happiest place on earth...Disneyland. For those of you who read my blog on a regular basis you know of my love for all things Disney. I love their movies, their music, their cable network and most of all their "land". This will be my 6th trip to the magic kingdom and I could not be more excited. I can almost see the eyes rolling in most of your head right now, because I know there are some of you parents who think a trip to Disneyland is equal to a trip to hell. I guess it all depends on your own experience and perspective. For me Disneyland represents so many wonderful things.

First, it takes me back to some of my favorite childhood memories. I remember packing up the car for family road trips with Disneyland as the main attraction. We would make stops along the Oregon and California coast, and then sometimes Phoenix, Las Vegas and Salt Lake on the way back home (there were monster trips with lots of miles, but also lots of fun). There is just something about that place that kids can identify with in the greatest way. It was so magical, so special, so Disney. On my 3rd trip to Mickey's home I went with my wife, her first trip. Lucky for me she fell in love with the Disney magic just like I had several years before. We only spent one day there, but I could tell we would be back. When our first daughter turned 3 we decided she was old enough to enjoy DL. Our youngest was only 1 so she got to spend some quality time with her grandparents, something they both enjoyed a great deal. Taking your child to a place you loved so much when you were younger is so amazing, and at 3 years old it was all so real to her. She went on every ride she was tall enough for, and I swear she talked about it everyday for almost a full year after we returned. Our next trip came when our youngest turned 3, oldest was 5. This was our first full family vacation, and was a treat it was. Our oldest was an old pro now, almost acting as tour guide for the rest of us. We were lucky enough to go with good friends of ours and their kids. We stayed at the park and spent just about every waking moments between DL and California Adventure Park. To this day we look back fondly on that trip and bring out the pictures about once a month to remind us of the fun that was had.

Well, in just a couple of days we return and I have to say I have been so excited I can hardly stand it. Most of my excitement comes from the fact that this will be my first time at DL during the holiday season. Next to Disneyland, Christmas is one of my all time favorite things in the world. The combination of both is almost too good to be true. Oh, there go the eye rolls again. Well, I can understand why you might not appreciate my excitement, but for me there is a special connection I share with my kids when it comes to all things Disney. They will get their parents undivided attention and for at least one week, they will get a Dad who act more like a kid than a adult....and what kid wouldn't love that?

I'll be back after vacation, armed with some great stories I'm sure.

Peace out dads!

Welcome to the county fair, please don't feed the freaks

Happy Fatherhood Friday and the end of summer!

What Now?

Were I live you know Fall has officially arrived when the good old county fair comes to town. I love just about everything about the fair. I love the ginormous pumpkins people bring in for show, I love seeing all the farm animals, even with the smell, I love the overpriced games you play and have very little chance of winning, I really love the fair food even though you feel like it wants to claw it's way back out a few hours after eating it. I even love the carnival rides, even though I am not much of a fan of heights or fast moving objects that I am sitting in being held in place by a thin band of woven fabric being labeled as a seat belt. It is all good.

The one thing I really don't love about the county fair are the large number of freaks that I get to share my experience with. And I'm not just talking about the folks that work there. You would be amazed at some of the people that attend as well. I don't mean to sound elitist...but some of these people are only a bad choice away from starring in the next episode of COPS. But these same people must be doing better financially than I am because they have no problem dropping several hundred dollars at the fair. Of course that only gets you about 30 minuets of entertainment these days....it costs less to take your family to Disneyland I swear.

While my fear of this crowd caused me to use the kung-fu grip while holding my kids hands walking through this maze of freakness, they still don't hold a candle to the run of the mill carnie. That is a whole different kind of freak in my book. It didn't even faze me when my daughter said the tooth fairy must be keeping busy at the fair since some many of the people working there were missing their teeth. No shit. She would use her time better handing out toothbrushes I said to myself.

The best story of the night was the great ferris wheel ride my wife took with our youngest (little know fact courtesy of Wikipedia - The original Ferris wheel was designed by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., as a landmark for the 1893 World's Colombian Exposition in Chicago. The term Ferris wheel later came to be used generically for all such rides.) They got in line and waited their turn. Our youngest is not big on rides so the fact she was willing to ride anything was a big deal. I took our oldest to ride something else and grab some cotton candy. We came back to the ferris wheel about 20 minuets later and my the line had hardly moved. What the hell? It may cost more than Disneyland but the lines usually move faster. So I grabbed a seat and we waited. 20 minuets after that they finally get on. I didn't pay too much attention, but after my wife and daughter got off she had a look of total amazement on her face. "That was the most fucked up ferris wheel ride I have ever been on!" she said.

Instead of shuffling passengers on and off in a systematic fashion, their top notch ride engineer decided it was best to unload the whole wheel, load people on one at a time, give them one spin, and then unload the whole thing again. Kind of like sitting at a stop sign that only turns green for one car at a time until there are no more cars then it's green forever. All told they spent close to an hour in line and on the ride without going around more than once interrupted. At least they got their moneys worth.

ps. Thanks to those to heard my plea for more followers...I have 4 new fans so only 69 more and have my 100...keep 'em coming!

PEACE OUT DADS!

I love it!

What Now?

For me one of the greatest times of being a parent is discovering that your child shares the same love of certain things that you did when you were the same age. Now I will admit I have gone to great lengths to make sure my girls are exposed to lots of the things that I loved back then and for the most part still love today, but it is "mostly" their own personal choice on if they will like them as much as I did/do or not. So, for your reading pleasure I have compiled a list of some of those things...and they are:

1. Star Wars - For me the greatest movie ever made. Yes, the movies now have better special effects, better sound, and yes, even better writing, but...I have yet to see a movie that makes me feel the same way I did after watching Star Wars at the tender age of 6. My girls took to these movies instantly, and we watch all six of them together often. Now that Cartoon Network has introduced the Star Wars "The Clone Wars" TV series we can share brand new adventures from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

2. Legos - Legos were around a long time before I played with them and they will be around even longer after my girls have outgrown them. They are the perfect toy. You get to build a toy, play with the toy, take apart the toy, and repeat. That could be kid toy nirvana wrapped in cardboard. Now you can buy your legos in themes like....Star Wars. Are you kidding me? That is like sex and eating for adults!

3. School House Rock - Back in the day these great little cartoon shorts were wedged between your favorite Saturday morning programs to keep you from seeking fresh air and exercise. The good news was each episode was based on something educational, either history, math, gramme, money or science was cleverly disguised with catchy songs sung cool cartoon characters. The only way kids of today can see these classics is on VHS or DVD, which of course I have. The whole family has our favorites...mine is linked to the title. "Rockin' and a-rollin', splishin' and a-splashin', Over the horizon, what can it be"

4. The Banana Splits Show - I would run, fast...like cheetah fast, home from school in order to catch this show created by the fine folks at Hanna Barbera who also gave us such classics as The Flintstones, Jonny Quest and Hong Kong Phooey (God, was there anything better for kids television than Hanna Barbera? The answer would be NO!). Only because of the addition of Boomerang, the classic cartoon network, to the infinite list of cable channels can kids see this show (I don't even think it's on DVD...WHAT?). For some reason my wife thinks this show is mindless crap that is rotting our girls brains...so I make sure to pepper in a little School House Rock to even things out!

5. Disneyland - My family took lots of road trip vacations. I don't think I actually got to fly to a vacation destination until we took a trip to Hawaii my sophomore year in high school...and we only did it then for obvious reasons. Two of these trips were to the happiest place on earth, the magic kingdom...DISNEYLAND! As a parents we have already made that many trips ourselves and are planning another one this winter. I think you are either a Disneyland family or you are not and thank your Micky Mouse ears we are. If I had the same expressions tattooed on my face at that age that I see on my kids then I know how happy my parents were taking us there. What is great is riding on the same rides with my girls that I rode on with my parents and still feeling like I'm seven years old. Man I just love that place.

There are many, many others...but these are probably my top 5. Whenever you find connections like this with your children you build bonds that last a lifetime and at the same time relive your own childhood. Can it really get any better than that?

PEACE OUT DADS!