just another day…

When you come in on Monday and you’re not feeling real well, does anyone say to you, “Sounds like someone has a case of the Mondays?”

Shit, no man. I believe you’d get your ass kicked saying something like that, man.

OK, so it’s not Monday, but it certainly doesn’t feel like tomorrow a whole new year begins either. I think I’m still drained from the weekend because my ass has been draggin’ since yesterday. Gonna take a cold shower to try and wake up before the festivities tonight. Michelle & I will once again be at The Improv to see Frank Caliendo. Looking forward to his show as the first time we saw him we were blown away. I’m sure we’ll be motivated enough to swing more people out for his performance this weekend.

I posted some pictures from our Christmas getaway to Michigan. Lots more pics to be done and I’m doing my best to catch up.

Hope everyone has a fun & safe New Years!

Another round of Christmas

Well, this Christmas has been excellent so far. There was a last minute change of plans so Michelle & I spent the weekend with my parents and caught up with my sister Lesli & her friend Matt who were in town from Seattle. Lesli & Matt had to fly home today so we had an early celebration.

It was a relaxing weekend which left everyone stuffed from my mother?s AMAZING culinary skills. Highlights from the weekend included watching Dallas lose to Philadelphia (a third string quarterback no less and why aren’t they playing Emmitt more?) and we watched The Lord of The Rings “Fellowship of the Ring” on VHS with Spanish subtitles. Apparently Matt missed the VERY TINY print on the side of the box when he bought this gift for my folks.

It was great to see Lesli as Christmas is really the only planned get-together we have each year. My sister is now attending law school and I?m sure it?s just a matter of time before she dives head first into politics. Her band Ms. Led is also doing incredibly well having just released their third CD Afternoon In Central Park this month.

Michelle was anticipating her first White Christmas, but so far the weather has been mild. Fortunately, my parents live in the northern part of the state so we did get to see some beautiful country-side, but no snow angels, or snowball fights just yet. I took a bunch of pictures of black squirrels, doves and other wildlife all gathering behind my parent?s house. Will post the new photos when Michelle & I return home.

It was just too much of a hassle to change out our flight so Michelle & I are in town until Thursday. With the family weekend over, we decided to crash at Ron?s place and try and see our friends here in the metro area. Should be fun as we get to do another round of gift-giving.

Of course, we want to hurry home as there?s a madpony gift & two copies of Tony?s new book waiting for us.

Have a happy holiday!

Well, I’m off to pick up Michelle then we head straight to the airport. In a few hours we’ll be on a plane bound for Michigan to see my folks. This will be the first Christmas in a while that Michelle hasn’t been with her sister, but I’m sure she will enjoy her time up north. It is her first White Christmas after all.

Hope your holidays are enjoyed in the company of family & friends. If you’re agnostic then “Have a nice day!”

Happy Birthday Kristin!!!

I am not a morning person. Everyday our alarm goes off at 5am. A battle ensues shortly thereafter with the snooze bar, sometime it drags on for 30 minutes. Inevitably Michelle gets up and starts getting ready for her day. I pull the covers over my head in the hopes of catching another hour worth of sleep which ends the moment I drift off.

I rise and take care of the gatos who have taken turns watching me sleep and distracting Michelle while she puts on her makeup. Five bowls are set out and there’s a cat fiesta in the kitchen. While throwing together breakfast for Michelle we go through a checklist of items to be sure she’s not forgetting anything. I walk her out to her car and kiss her goodbye all the while trying to appear bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. She knows I’m actually sleep-walking which is why she bombards me with questions because it makes her laugh when I mumble so early in the morning.

Today she reminded me that it’s Kristin’s birthday. I fiddled with the camera and snapped off a picture (Beauty & The Beast). Go visit the mad pony girls and wish Kristin a “Happy Birthday!” too.

and we’re at work once again…

Hey everyone! It’s been CRAZY today and this is the first opportunity I’ve had to get on the `net. Michelle’s working some L-O-N-G hours, but she wanted me to give a quick “Thank You!” to all those that left a comment for her birthday yesterday.

As you can see from the picture, dessert at The Melting Pot was scrumptious! It was quite the whirlwind day, but Michelle was pretty happy with all the pampering. It’s a tough call, but I think our dinner last night edges out Fogo de Chao for the best meal in town.

Well, I’m off & running. It’s two days until we head out to Michigan. Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to make some big updates before we leave.

Happy Birthday Michelle!!!

December birthdays can be a drag especially when folks give you the combined “this is your birthday AND your Christmas gift” speech. But not today. My baby will be spoiled.

Michelle woke up this morning to find some birthday cards from her sister & myself along side a stuffed cow. (Michelle LOVES cows) I just dropped her off to get a manicure and after lunch I’ll take her to the spa for a stone massage. We’ll kick back this afternoon before heading out tonight for dinner at The Melting Pot an excellent fondue restaraunt. (Hmmm… chocolate covered strawberries)

My baby receives only the best. Heh, and it isn’t even Christmas yet… *snicker*

Time to stir things up a bit.

Dawn has made some comments recently about the issue of Pro-Choice. I thought I’d drop in my two cents as most people think I just party all the time and couldn’t care less about social issues. (You know who you are)

I think Pro-Choice hasn’t made an impact because most people feel “that would never happen to me”. Pro-Life currently has the advantage of strong political clout and extremists on the religious right who are more than happy to harass people who would dare venture into an abortion clinic (abortioncamsDOTcom). It’s easy to be Pro-Life and shake your finger at immoral sexual behavior. If a couple gets pregnant “they deserved it”, “they shouldn’t have been having sex to begin with”, or any number of God driven justifications. But the fact is accidents happen, women get raped, men get trapped and both sexes can be irresponsible when it comes to bedroom behavior.

I agree that Pro-Choice is not Pro-Abortion. I also believe that abortion shouldn’t be used as a means of birth control. I’m not sure what I think anymore of it being called “a woman’s right to choose”. I would rather see it as “a couple’s right to choose”. I know it’s idealistic, but just because it’s a woman’s body doesn’t mean she bares the sole burden. It’s a reality for many sure, but why enforce that behavior by isolating women even more? Any man is capable of providing emotional & spiritual strength during a pregnancy and should be encouraged to do so.

Most of the movies I’ve heard or read about on the topic involve a woman protagonist struggling on her own endowed with this heavy responsibility. Where are the movies that show men involved in the same crisis? If you’re attempting to sway public opinion and rally support wouldn’t you want to include all races & genders?

I think it’s “a woman’s right to choose” because there haven’t been any role models or stories that men can identify with. Personally, I know guys who’ve dated women that had abortions without telling them, who had partners that lied about birth control or STDs. These things don’t just happen to women. I also know guys who stood by their girlfriends/spouses/lovers when told about an unexpected pregnancy. And Chuck & Ken aren’t alone, there are plenty of single fathers out there doing the best they can.

On a personal note, just because I’m Pro-Choice doesn’t mean I’m a sexual deviant or completely without faith in God. But if someone else chooses to have an abortion, they have to live with the consequences not me and if it is a sin then shouldn’t God be the one to punish them? If you force people to have babies that don’t want them do you really think that child will grow up in a happy & healthy home environment? There are already enough children in foster care being railroaded by the system, why would you want to condemn more innocents to that?

If society educated men & women to be more responsible for themselves and share more as a couple then perhaps Pro-Choice wouldn’t be seen solely as a woman’s right to choose. And maybe one day society wouldn’t care about Pro-Choice vs. Pro-Life because people would be more responsible period.

HUMOR - Three Princes

Michelle got this in her e-mail tonight:

Once upon a time there lived a king. The king had a beautiful daughter, the princess. But there was a problem. Everything the princess touched would melt. No matter what; metal, wood, stone, anything she touched would melt.

Because of this, men were afraid of her. Nobody would dare marry her.

The king despaired.

What could he do to help his daughter?

He consulted his wizards and magicians. One wizard told the king, “If your daughter touches one thing that does not melt in her hands, she will be cured.”

The king was overjoyed and came up with a plan. The next day, he held a competition. Any man that could bring his daughter an object that would not melt would marry her and inherit the king’s wealth.

Three young princes took up the challenge.

The first prince brought a sword of the finest steel. But alas, once the princess touched it, it melted. The prince went away sadly.

The second prince brought diamonds. He thought diamonds are the hardest substance in the world and would not melt. But alas, once the princess touched them, they melted. He too was sent away disappointed.

The third prince approached. He told the princess, “Put your hand in my pocket and feel what is in there.” The princess did as she was told, though she turned red. She felt something hard. She held it in her hand. And it did not melt!!!

The king was overjoyed. Everybody in the kingdom was overjoyed. And the third prince married the princess and they both lived happily ever after.

Question:
What was in the prince’s pants?

(Scroll down for the answer)

M&M’s of course. They melt in your mouth, not in your hand.

Pablo Francisco at The Improv

Michelle & I made a trip to the Improv this evening to see Pablo Francisco. Wish you could have been there. It’s a rare event when all three comedians are dead on, but I almost passed out from lack of oxygen I laughed so hard.

The show opened with Dean Lewis, a local favorite at the Improv. Dean provided some humorous insights such as “You ever notice that people who need guns to protect their stuff own a bunch of crap?” or “Don’t you hate it when you flip off the driver next to you then you don’t make the green light?”. He was a terrific warm-up for the rest of the night.

The surprise of the evening was Michael Jr. Normally the featured act is mediocre at best, but Michael put on a fresh performance that had Michelle & I in stitches. Comedy requires good jokes, smooth delivery, comedic timing and the ability to develop a rapport with your audience. Michael delivered like a veteran performer. We look forward to catching him again soon.

The evening capped with our headliner Pablo! What a great show! Not only was the crowd good (I feel bad when any comedian gets stuck with a bad crowd), but it was great to see Pablo mix up his act. He’s one of the few comedians I’ve seen that has so much material that each show I go to seems like a new event. We snapped pictures after the show and Pablo gave Michelle a free CD. What’s great is he has a new CD coming out January 2003!

OK, must get sleep now.

And Your Here Because?

Sarah needs a new title. I need a new layout. Will it make that much of a difference to you? There aren’t many sites that I look at on the `net (I just don’t have the time), but the ones I do it’s strictly due to content. Whether it’s cool photos, great writing, good music or just new faces, I might have a comment about the design, but I certainly wouldn’t stop visiting a site because of it.

I know a lot of sites out there have excellent design, MUCH better than anything I do here. But then a lot of sites have nothing to say, but “WOW, look at the really kewl design I made” or “Brand new layout - Woot!” If that’s all a site has to offer my interest is lost pretty quick.

Sarah’s site reminds me of those yummy chocolate oranges my Mom has over the holidays. Who cares about the shiny foil wrapper? It’s all about the chocolate baby.

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