Sunday, October 31, 2010

Our neighborhood is AWESOME for trick or treating. The whole block is mobbed with groups of kids and most of the houses are participating.

There are very few kids on the street so I was a little worried that our area might be a ghost town (pun intended) tonight.

No way, it was awesome!

Fireplace

I wanna light a fire in our fireplace to celebrate Halloween.

It's almost trick or treat time





MST3K

I swear I didn't put this on the tube. My step daughter put this on without any prompting from me!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! I'm on call today so let's hope the damn phone doesn't ring.

If it rings during Methuen's designated trick or treat time I may have to go on a (verbal) killing spree. Just sayin'.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Mood

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH



Leaf

See this huge pile?



It's probably four feet deep.

See this pile?



It's probably five feet deep.

All of that stuff was in our front yard.



And here is the front yard that already looks like it needs to be raked.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Help Us!!

My step daughter has two friends over.

My step son has two friends over.

Jenny and I are completely outnumbered. Send in the national guard... Please?

I hope the neighbors understand that the screaming coming from our house is of the happy, excited variety.

They are Really Loud, and its Really Fun!



Question

What does an asshole's headlight look like?

It looks like this:


What does an asshole's headlight look like?

(well, it's reflection does at least)

Halloween is Almost Here

It's almost Halloween, the time of year where spooks and scary things come out to play. There will be some scary stuff happening at our house tonight. At least scary for the grown ups.

For the first time... ever, as far as I know... the kids are having friends over.

Be Afraid!

My step daughter has been to a couple of sleep overs recently. She let it be known that she wanted to have one of her own. Her little brother, obviously, wanted one too.

So we told them they could have one. Two friends each on the same night. We set the date. That date has come. Tonight.

The plans have changed significantly though. None of the invited kids were going to be allowed to stay over. That was not only understandable, but more or less expected. So the sleep over morphed into a mini-party. I keep trying to get the kids to tell me what they want to do, but they don't know. I think they are both planning on playing it by ear. I know my step son is very excited about bringing toys to the cellar and having his part of the party there. I don't know what my step daughter wants to do, but I am assuming it's upstairs. I sort of expect to see all six kids around the kitchen table playing games or something, but what do I know... I'm a grown up!

The Halloween festivities will continue tomorrow... I think. I just heard that the kids have been invited to a party tomorrow night that will include trick or treating. Not every town in the Merrimack Valley has their trick or treating on Halloween night. Haverhill, MA usually (I think) has it on the Saturday before.

Then on Sunday we'll test out our new neighborhood for it's trick or treating goodness. There aren't many kids on our street so I don't know if we'll have a lot of trick or treating luck. We'll have to see. I am on call Sunday night and I am really hoping my phone stays quiet for the whole day, but especially between 5-7pm when we're out hunting for candy.

***change of subject***

Is Fox still advertising that the World Series will be a pitchers duel? 11-7 in game one and 9-0 in game two? Did I hear correctly that Texas walked in two runners in the ninth inning yesterday? Yeah, that's great pitching right there. The Giants lead the series two games to none and the Rangers have on occasion looked like they are already beaten. If Nolan Ryan doesn't personally threaten to beat the entire roster into a bloody pulp soon I think this one might be a sweep. Hey Rangers, you have to win one game to get Cliff Lee back on the mound. Why don't we take care of that in game three, huh? Okay, thanks.

***change of subject again***

I didn't watch the first two hours of the World Series last night. I watched the Bruins. There was a time in my past when I would never even have considered watching the Bruins while the World Series was on, but... you know... Texas vs San Francisco? Naw, I'll take the Bruins and Maple Leafs.

My wife is a Phil Kessel fan so I have to tone it down a bit here... Did you see the game? Did you see how scared Phil the Thrill was looking while he was on the ice? It's not like he was a hitting machine when he played here, but still. He played like some one who was always hearing footsteps rushing up behind him. He just looked scared, I don't know how else to put it. I do know that it made me happy. That's what you get when you're a tween (practically) playing in the NHL and you tell your GM that you want to play for some one else. There was one shift (that NESN highlighted during the post game show) where I really thought Shawn Thornton was going to grab poor Phil and break him in half.

And when Seguin scored? What did the best sports fans in the universe do? They chanted, "Thank you, Kessel." That's what they did. Yes, Boston is the best place to be a sports fan. Thank you to all of those who were in the Garden last night. That was priceless.

As for the game? Boston wins 2-0. Tim Thomas is now 5-0 with two shutouts. Is the Vezina winning Tim Thomas back? Oh yes, the Vezina winning Tim Thomas was back. He was diving and flopping and flying around the crease last night like a man possessed. Like he did two years ago. Like he didn't last year. It was wonderful to see. Toronto played well too and that made me angry. I want them in the cellar again. I want them in the cellar now. Thomas is 5-0. Rask is 0-2. I think the secret to this Bruins season is pretty clear: Play Tim Thomas.

Go Bruins
Go Rangers
Happy Halloween (two days early)

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Time Travel?

Have you seen this yet? It's a clip from a Charlie Chaplain movie that apparently has some one talking on a cell phone... in 1928.

Did she travel through time? If so, who is she talking to and how. I don't imagine she brought a cell network back through time with her, and I don't think cell phone signals can travel through time.

Anyway...

Bruins Time


Watching the Bruins in our new living room.

Loving it.

The hockey and the living room.

Especially the living room.

State of Mind

This song represents where my head has been for the last couple of weeks. Musically, not lyrically. It's sort of like a representation of my moods lately.

And it's a chance to muss with HTML5 for no good reason.



Now if I could just remember which browsers support HTML5.

Two quick Unimportant Notes

I heard a commercial for Fox's coverage of the World Series. They referred to the series as a pitchers duel. Last night's game one final score was 11-7 Giants over Rangers.

Yeah... pitchers duel.

The second unimportant note is a kitty update. The cat has mastered the art of walking up and down the stairs. I accidentally left the cellar door open and she came down to join me. She went back upstairs on her own too.

She's getting to be a big girl.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Leaf Peeping

I suppose it's too late in the season to go leaf peeping. We've gone the last two years. It would be nice to take the new camera, but I think we'll have to wait until next year.

Or until Spring when the water falls are all roaring at their roaringest.

Come Back?

So not more than a couple of minutes after posting how pissed off I was about the Giants kicking the Rangers' asses in game one of the 2010 World Series, the Rangers turn around and get two runs back to make it 8-4. It's only the seventh inning. Do the Rangers have a come back in them? Will they regain a place in my happy thoughts?

Probably not.

But we can hope, right?

Thanks a Bunch, Texas Rangers

Cliff Lee and the Texas Rangers are losing 8-2?

Really?

Oh, isn't that just lovely.

They must know I picked them. Worse, the San Francisco Giants must know it too and they, being a team that was originally based in New York, hate me just as much as the Yankees hate me and are just trying to rub my nose in it.

I bet the Giants have my picking-the-Rangers post printed out and tacked on their club house bulletin board.

That fat red head in Boston picked Texas, huh? Let's channel our New Yorkerness and show him!

That's exactly what's happening, I know it.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

The Love of My Life


1 gig card 027
Originally uploaded by robj_1971
Just look at her... how could I not fall in love with her?

Just look at her!

Yeah, we were meant to be.

I love my wife like crazy. I love her madly, for ever and ever. She's my wife and she makes me happier than I've ever been in my entire life... ever.

I love you Jennifer.

Waste of a Good Autumn


100_0238
Originally uploaded by robj_1971
Wouldn't this October be better if part of it was taking place at Fenway Park?

Not Any More


100_7372
Originally uploaded by robj_1971
This used to be my favorite cat in the world. Her name was Cleo. She belonged to my friend Kelli. Cleo is no longer with us.

I said she used to be my favorite cat.

Now, Patches is my favorite cat. By far.

How to Pet a Kitty by The Oatmeal

So lately I've been getting most of my internet laughs from The Oatmeal.  A few days ago I linked an Oatmeal comic on my Facebook page.  The love of my life just clicked one of those links and nearly died laughing.

Now you can relive her experience by clicking this link.  This is one damn funny cartoon.

World Series

The 2010 World Series begins tomorrow.  The Texas Rangers who earned my eternal respect for beating the scum that is the New York Yankees, vs the San Francisco Giants who spoiled my World Series prediction by beating the Philadelphia Phillies.  Damn them.

So, who is going to win the World Series?  I haven't a clue, honestly.  I want to pick the Rangers because they made my playoffs by spanking the evil ones.  They've got Cliff Lee, so they should get 2-3 wins.  The Giants have the remaining ass kicking starting rotation, they should be able to beat anyone.

I really don't know.  On top of that... I really don't care about either of these teams.  I mean... big freakin' deal, the Rangers and the Giants.  I could give two shits about both teams.  So how do I pick my winner?

When I was a kid in little league the people who had an even number street address were put into the American League and those with odd number addresses were put in the national league.  So we'll follow that mentality to start with.

From there I take us to RANDOM.ORG.  Keeping the defaults of min=1 and max=100 I push the generate button which returns the value of 28.

28 is an even number, therefore I am picking the Rangers to win the world series.  Cliff Lee for World Series MVP.

Go Rangers.

My Mood

Stressin'

Yesterday felt like a crappy day almost from the minute I left the house right up until the moment I returned to it almost 12 hours later. Just a sad, painful, success-free kinda day.

Today has been better. A little bit better at least. It was a serious fight to get my fat butt out of bed this morning. I could have stayed under the covers all day and not given it a second thought. I've had a bit more of a positive that-worked kinda feeling today, but overall I just want to go home. Also, is it just me or is this the slowest day in recorded history? I feel like I slipped out of the normal space/time continuum into some weird parallel universe where one hour is 200 minutes long.

I still have three hours or so to go in the work day even though it feels like I've been here for at least 10 hours. I want to go home.

Monday, October 25, 2010

I love our living room


I love our living room
Originally uploaded by robj_1971
What do you think? The chair on the left has gotten some extra attention from the cat's claws. I was about to take another one from the point of view of the love seat, but my sister's family came over at that moment and I couldn't allow myself to be distracted from my amazing little nephew.

On a technical note, I wonder if I'm over doing Instagram. Could be. Probably.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Thrill to Another Cat Update!

We're having a number of people over for dinner tonight, including some of the toddler variety. Kitty has been behaving less than stellar today, what with the clawing the shit out of the brand new chair, so we decided to err on the side of caution and get Ms Patches out of the line of little person fire.

We took her downstairs to our finished basement. She instantly regressed back to hide under the couch and never ever come out mode. Poor little thing.

Her food, water, and bathroom are all down stairs too so she will want for nothing while the two legged folks eat delicious spaghetti in Jen's wonderful tomato/meat gravy. (is it meat gravy or tomato gravy? I can't remember the proper term for what we heathen Americans often call spaghetti sauce.)

Hopefully she doesn't eat any of the musical instruments while she's down here. Maybe the Gibson Guitars and Larry's electric piano should go upstairs for a while.

Have fun having the run of the cellar, Patches!

How Do You Spell Seance?

Seance... As in when you talk to the dead. As in Whoopie Goldberg and Patrick Swayze in Ghost... Did I spell that right?

I think three dead rock stars just tried to communicate with me through my iPod.

We are having a bunch of people over for dinner tonight and I put my 80 gig classic on random while Jen cooked and I cleaned.

The first song was "Bo Diddley was a Gunslinger" by Warren Zevon. One of our guests will be my brother in law, who posted a Zevon lyric on Facebook the other day. I think that was Warren Zevon telling us we are going to have a good night tonight.

The second song was "Power of Love" by RTZ, a band that included Brad Delp. Jen knew Brad, and I think he used my iPod to agree with Warren Zevon that we are going to have a good night.

The third song was "Long Live Rock and Roll" by Rainbow, with Ronnie Dio singing. I'm not sure what Ronnie's message was. It was probably long live rock and roll, but I know he was a big fan of cats so maybe he was telling us that our cat is awesome, or maybe he was talking directly to her and not to us at all.

The fourth song was "Then" by Yes. No one in that band has passed away yet. Unless something terrible happened since last I read the news.

I am a little worried about the health of Yes bass player Chris Squire though, as a short time later one of the songs from his solo album came on. I'm wondering if I should check the news.

Here's to us having a nice night with family and friends, and here's hoping that Chris Squire is feeling all right today.



Saturday, October 23, 2010

Denny's

I wonder if the owner of this truck said this on the way out the door this morning:

Honey, I'm going to Denny's and I'm taking the truck.





Nevins Library #2

Our library kicks your library's ass. Just sayin'.














Nevins Library in Methuen

Jen and I just went to the Nevins Memorial Library in Methuen to pick up a couple of books I reserved there last week. Now she understands why I couldn't wait to get the kids there last weekend. The place is like the royal palace of town libraries. It's beautiful inside and out. We honestly could have spent the whole day there.

If you live in Methuen, or in the area, visit this place. If for no other reason than to just have a look around.

Hoooraaaay!

The Yankees lost last night.

The Rangers win the pennant!
The Rangers win the pennant!
The Rangers win the pennant!

more importantly,
The Yankees did not win the pennant!
The Yankees did not win the pennant!
The Yankees did not win the pennant!

Friday, October 22, 2010

Friday

I want the weekend right NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW!

urgh

This week, I tells ya... this week. I'm glad it's coming to an end.

The cat got aggressive last night. Two major scratches, two bites, and one kid on antibiotics. I am not happy with Ms Kitty's behavior. Not happy at all.

We're finally going to meet Maria-the-drummer's baby tomorrow. He just celebrated his first birthday. I think it's about time. All of the core members of Prime Meridian will be there. I should bring my guitar.

I might have done something positive today, for a change. I'll let you know.

Jenny is still feeling ill. I want her to be all better.

I want the weekend to be here. I want to go home.

Please? Can I go home?

Five hours to go.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Bad Behavior

Ms Patches has not been the world's best behaved kitty tonight.




Moon Over Market Bucket

View #1: through the dirty windshield...




View #2: not through the dirty windshield...




Sad Lowell Lock Monsters News

http://www.lowellsun.com/ci_16385112?source=rss_viewed

The Lowell Sun is reporting that former Umass Lowell and Lockmonsters star Craig Charron passed away.

Happy trails to a hell of a hockey player.

Here is the story:


Lowell hockey star Craig Charron dies

The Lowell Sun
Updated: 10/20/2010 06:42:47 AM EDT

LOWELL -- Four days before he was scheduled to be honored as one of the Legends of Lowell Hockey at the Tsongas Center, former ULowell and Lowell Lock Monsters star Craig Charron lost his battle with stomach cancer.

Charron, 42, died in Rochester, N.Y., late Monday night.

Charron, a play-making center for ULowell from 1986-90 who helped the Chiefs reach the NCAA Division I Tournament for the first time in 1988, is the fourth-leading all-time scorer among Division I players at the school with 64 goals and 148 points in 142 career games. He is 13th overall on the school's all-time scoring list.

He was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 1989 but never played in the NHL. However, Charron was a long-time star in the American Hockey League and is a member of the Rochester Americans' Hall of Fame. He played 11 years in the pros from 1990-2002 and also played for Team USA in the World Hockey Championships in 1995.

Charron played two seasons for the Lock Monsters from 1998-2000, netting 22 goals and 61 points in 71 games in 1998-99.

Charron was to be honored by UMass Lowell on Friday night with Bob Kearin and Mike Murray as one of the Legends of Lowell Hockey. The UMass Lowell River Hawks will wear ULowell sweaters with Charron's number on the back during warmups before their home opener with Providence.

The sweaters will be auctioned during the game to raise money for his family. Charron is survived by his wife, Wendy, also a ULowell graduate, and four children.

Stuff from Last Night

I got home last night and the back-of-the-couch-table-thing that had been on the wall opposite the fireplace was in the dining room. WTF? Thinks I before saying, "What's with the table?" to my beloved wife.

"Oh nothing, I just thought it would be better here," says she.

I then walk into the living room and POW! There was new living room furniture! Our chair and love seat were delivered yesterday. Kick ass! I tried sitting on both of them and they are suitably comfortable.

Here is the latest cat news, I'll make it brief. We have come to a decision on the cat's name. None of us like the name Panache, but I think we could live with it. At the shelter they told us that the cat's name prior to coming to the shelter was Panic. We don't care for that name either, even though it's kind of a Rock name if you know what I mean. Jen suggested Patches due to the patches of white fur, and all of us have agreed that it is a good name. Soooo it looks like the cat's name will be Patches. Welcome to the family, Ms Patches.

While sitting on the comfy new chair, discussing the kitty's new name, I happened to check the score of the Rangers/Yankees game. The Yankees won again. Screw you, Yankees! I mentioned the other day that I was afraid they were just messing with me. I said they were down 2 games to 1 and would probably even go down 3-2 before revealing their evil plot to annoy me... and now they are down 3-2. Hey Rangers. WIN GAME SIX DAMN IT! Don't let them stick around any longer. Please!!

The Giants beat the Phillies again to go up 3-1. Hey Phillies... WTF??? You're making me look bad, ya jerks! Urgh. Freakin' National League.

The Bruins play the Mighty Capitals again tonight. Boy, a home and home sweep would sure look good right about now. It's October 21 and tonight is our home opener. Gee, thanks for the seemingly infinite wait.

Go Bruins, Go Phillies, Go Rangers, Screw you, Yankees!

Patches?

How about the name Patches?


Wednesday, October 20, 2010

One of Those Crappy Days

The Rangers beat the Yankees 10-3 last night. The Bruins beat the Capitals 3-1. Things are good on that front.

Everything else though? Ever have one of those mornings when you just cannot get your ass out of bed? If I listed off all of things things I want to do today, getting out of bed would rank dead last. Just behind being drawn and quartered, and eaten alive by zombie teddy bears.

I have a lot of things to do today, but I just have no energy. No "umph". I just want to go home and go back to bed. Jen isn't feeling well today so she is working from home. She doesn't call in sick, she calls in too-sick-to-drive-in-but-not-too-sick-to-work. She is amazing, isn't she?

We have the kids tonight. I am looking forward to seeing how the cat reacts to them. Hopefully they will be nice and gentle and the cat will be the same toward them as she is toward us. I hope so.

Okay then... time to continue my day's worth of not being home in bed. Urgh.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Sports on the Tube

We've got the Bruins vs Capitals game on the tube here at chez Jenny. (that's what I'm going to call our house from now on, chez Jenny) The Bruins are leading the Capitals 3-1. Tim Thomas is playing like the 2009 Tim Thomas, not the 2010 Tim Thomas. The offense is clicking and the Goalie is looking like he was hurt worse than we though all year last year.

The Yankees and the Rangers are tied at two in the fourth.

The Giants beat the Phillies to go up two games to one.

As I sit here typing this, Milan Lucic just picked a fight. Maybe we have the 2009 Lucic back too?

Jen is learning about Fitness Tests. It's not health, it's a programming tool for unit testing. It looks pretty cool to me. I just did something I haven't done since just before I graduated from College in 2004. I messed around with Java. It's been a long time and damn am I rusty.

The cat was curled up on the couch hanging out with us, but she just ran off. I think she might be getting a bite to eat, or maybe she's gone to claim our bed. If that's the case, I think we'll be joining her soon.

Go Bruins. Go Rangers. Screw you, Yankees.

The Yankees Lost Again

Those freakin' Yankees had better not be messing with me.

I didn't see the game last night. The Love of My Life wanted to watch Dancing with the Stars and due to my overflowing hatred of the Yankees I was more than happy to watch something other than them.

But now they are down two games to one. They are still very much in it, but the clear advantage goes to the Rangers. Unless of course the Yankees are just screwing with me. There is a very good chance that they know I hate them and that they enjoy messing with me. Sure, they'll go down 2-1. They might go down 3-2 as well. But then they'll just pour it on at the end and make me look bad. It has nothing to do with the Rangers, or the competitive spirit, or the price of tea in China. It has everything to do with how much I hate the Yankees, and how much they collectively hate me back.

The cat was much more social last night. (oh good, here is the fat guy's cat update.) She hung out in the living room with us. She climbed onto the back of the couch and tried to sit on our heads. She tried to eat our dinners (no way kitty!)

Most importantly, she ate. When Jen got home yesterday the cat was meowing a lot and looking up at her hopefully. Jen would bring her over to the food dish and she'd eat a bite but then she'd walk away. The food dish was still pretty full, and the cat was still pretty distressed. Jen, in a flash of utter brilliance that I have come to expect, opened up a different brand of cat food and our little Panache inhaled it. She tore through it like a fat man falling off the weight watchers wagon in a sweet shoppe in Disney World (and I have been there and done that, thank you, I know what it looks like from personal experience. I can still practically taste the huge bag of M&Ms).

This morning she did two things of note. First, I was outside taking out the trash and I happened to look toward our awesome living room window (our living room window. Not some land lord's, but ours) and there she was, looking out the window at me. We're at cute factor 8 captain!

The second thing was a little distressing. Just after Jen left for work, and just before I was going to leave for work, I was sitting at the dining room table working on something and she walked up next to me and started meowing. Now just before leaving Jen had put another serving of the kitty-approved cat food out for her and she had burned through a lot of it, so I figured she wanted attention. However, when I reached down to pet her she flinched like I was about to slug her. No way, kitty! I would never do that. This actually happened twice. I feel bad. I feel like the poor little thing is afraid of me. I would never hurt my new favorite kitty, ever!

Anyway, I am looking forward to tomorrow night when the kids come back. I hope they are gentle with her and don't scare her anymore than she already is. After taking out the trash and seeing her in the window this morning I went inside to grab my glasses and my phone so I could leave for work. I figured I'd say goodbye to her again, but she was hiding some where. I don't want her to feel she has to hide anymore.

You Turkeys





Monday, October 18, 2010

Moon Over Concord





Panache Update

Oh my dear readers, I fear you are all (both) going to get sick of the kitty updates very quickly.

But...

Here is a kitty update.

I said before that we let the cat out of the carrier in our bedroom and she darted under the bed and refused to come out. If we took turns lying on the floor being quiet and very patient she would come out for a few seconds, let us pet her, and then go back into hiding.

We gave up the neighborhood watch during dinner and she poked her head into the dining room a couple of times. During one visit Jen managed to pick her up and show her where the litter box and the food bowls were. She didn't seem to have much interest though and went back under the bed.

Just before 8:00 last night, Jen and my step son were in our room planning to sit on the bed and do a little reading before his bed time. While they were sitting there the cat jumped up on the bed and stayed with them. She seemed pretty hungry for attention but they were afraid of spooking her again so they were very quiet and gentle with her. My step daughter and I both got to quietly enter the room and visit with Ms Panache as well.

After both kids had gone to bed Jen and I stayed in our room under the pretense of a reading date, but really we were just spending quality bonding time with our new roomie. She was very quiet for the most part. When we went to sleep she stayed up on the bed between us, despite the danger of having me roll over on her. I didn't though, I was careful... and I didn't sleep much because of it.

On one occasion she stared head butting my hand, pretty much demanding me to pet her. I did for a minute or so and she was happy with that. On another occasion she started meowing pretty loud. She had actually left the bed and was standing by the bedroom door. I thought maybe she needed help finding the litter box again so I picked her up (awkwardly) and carried her to them. She wasn't interested, although she did take a little time to look around before going back to the bed.

This morning she let the kids shower her with more attention for a while and she did leave the bedroom again. Just before we left she had been in the living room with the kids and something spooked her. She regressed a little and ended up hiding under the couch. We tried to coax her out for a few minutes before leaving but she wanted nothing of it.

Now that she's home alone she has probably propped open the fridge and eaten all of our food, and climbed up the wall to the phone to make some long distance calls... ya know, that sort of thing.

We're trying to think of a name that is better than Panache. I told the kids we would all have to agree on a new name if we are going to change it. If you feel like giving us some ideas, please feel free.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Jack of Hearts Baybee

Playing Rummy Royal




And Robbie has the Jack of Hearts.




Gimme Money!!!

...And Then There Were Five

We own a cat.

Her name at the shelter was Panache. We might try to change that. She's black with white feet, much like Floyd was.

They told Jen to pick a room and let her out there. We chose our bedroom. She dove right under the bed and wouldn't come out. We took turns sitting with her. She'd poke her head out now and then. While we were eating dinner she came out to say hello.

Progress is being made.

Visits and Surprises

This morning we had a visit from my sister's family.  Lisa, Ken and my awesome two year old nephew.  They stopped in to check out the new house.  It was a very nice visit, especially watching my nephew tear around the place like the little whirling dervish that he is.  I love him and I am so happy I got to see him and his family today.

Just after they left the four of us went to the MSPCA in Methuen to look at cats.

We picked one.

We came home but Jen had to return with some paperwork.  When she comes back (shortly) we may have a new pet.  I haven't had a pet since I was... three years old or so?  So I asked my step kids to help me learn how to take care of it.

It's an adventure, this life of mine, and I am loving every second of it!

Panache




Is Panache the kitty for us?

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Rummy Royal

It's getting ugly!


Instagram

Half the fun of the Apple App Store is playing with camera apps.

Today's fun is with Instagram, which interfaces with Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and Tumblr.

Not Blogger though.












Not-Lowell Devils

I just found out that the Devils formerly known as Lowell Devils will be playing in Manchester, NH against the spawns of satan known as the Monarchs on Friday November 26, 2010.

Just saying.

Library Goodness

The kids and I just came back from the Nevins Library in Methuen. Each kid got two books.

One step closer to being full fledged townies.



It Begins

Today is one of those days. From 10:00am through 7:00pm I am on call.

Please, Mr iPhone, please don't ring until 7:00pm.

I hate being on call. It's going to happen a lot over the next month or so. I hate it.

Oh and the friggin Yankees won. The Bruins had best win tonight or I am going to be super-pro-sports-pissed.



Friday, October 15, 2010

I Hate the Yankees

I know it's still very early in game one, but let's hope we see more pictures like this one:

Happy Rangers make for happy Robbie.

Go Rangers.  I hate the Yankees.  Go Rangers.

(the image comes from mlb.com)

Prague is Far Away


001
Originally uploaded by robj_1971
Wanna know what sucks about the Bruins opening their season in Prague?

Apart from the fact that the Bruins actually started the season in Prague?

The season is over a week old and we've only played two games. Game three is tomorrow, but we're going to be busy and I might not get to watch/listen to any of it.

What's worse, I found out today I have to be on call tomorrow.

Suck-a-Doodle-Do.

Go Bruins

Closed

Hey Wayland, MA...

Screw you and your little road closure too!




Comments

I have been told that some people cannot post comments here. My "Who Can Comment" field is set to "Anyone - includes Anonymous Users" so I don't know what the problem is. This post is going to be a guinea pig for testing comments. I just made a few changes to the comment settings that hopefully will ease whatever is wrong.

If you read this, you should try commenting. I'm not just saying that because I like getting comments and almost never do... I'm saying that because I want to know why it's a problem for some people.

Enjoy!

Friday

It's Friday and the weather sucks right now. There are a lot of potential things to do this weekend and hopefully the weather won't interfere (I just checked and we may be rain free for the weekend with only high winds tomorrow to spoil anything).

Jen's folks are coming down tomorrow and there will be house work included in the visit. We are hoping we can run the cable for the cable TV under the floor from the entry point all the way across the room to the current position of the television. There is also a chance of looking for a small furry mammal to share our new home with us. We may also try to sneak over to the library in Methuen to put my new card to work. We can always use more bed time reading material for the kids. The library seems like a good way to provide that.

Jen was thinking that it might be fun to hit the Ren Fair on Sunday. I used to go to King Richard's Fair every year, but the frequency of trips has been drastically reduced recently. Jen and I went together at least once... or was it twice? Or did I go one year without her. I don't know. Suffice to say we haven't gone in a couple of years and we are trying to decide if the kids would like it or not. There are some things I know they'd like and others I'm not so sure of. I guess we'll have to wait and see what Sunday brings.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

What is Awesome?

Want to know something that is awesome? Something that Jen, the kids, and I all got to do tonight?

Holding a three day old baby. That is what is totally awesome.

We all went to the hospital tonight to visit Mary and John and the new baby.

I got to hold him again... For a really, really long time.

Awesome!



Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Baseball

I picked the Twins to win. Nope. I friggin hate the Yankees.
I picked the Braves to win. Nope, not so much.

I did pick the Rangers. Got that one.
I picked the Phillies too. Of course I picked them to win it all, so maybe I'm not as dumb as I thought it was.

Now Robbie officially becomes a Rangers fan. I pick the Rangers to beat the Yankees. Of course the Yankees are totally going to destroy them. I friggin hate the Yankees.

Over in the National League I am picking the Phillies again. The Giants are good, but not that good.

Please, please, please beat those friggin Yankees. I hate the friggin Yankees.

Traffic Bites

Last night coming home at 10:00pm I ran into this:



A nasty construction induced traffic jam. It was the result of this:



Yeah... I-95 was closed. Thanks a ton.

This morning the traffic was terrible again. Everywhere. It all started with this person who decided red lights don't apply to her, as I was pulling into the intersection with my green light:



Is it time to go home yet?

Good Morning!

Well... not really good morning.

I worked a sort of second shift thing today and Jen's company has a release tonight. I got home not long after she started. I'm waiting up for her because I love her and want to be able to kiss her goodnight without everyone on her conference call hearing.

So, I get my official October 13th post in a little early.

Oh, did I mention that after leaving work at 10:00 tonight I took the highway home. It was 10 freakin' PM of course, so why would I expect the kid of horrid traffic that makes me chose the back roads. It should be okay at 10:00, right? Even if there is highway construction... right?

Nope. Route 128 North was closed in Waltham. I spent 15 minutes in traffic trying to get through the detour. Bite me. Just. Bite. Me.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Wandering Around

I took my camera with me when I ran some errands this morning.

This is the back exit out of Methuen City Hall. Rather... vaultish, eh?
House and Around Town 013

I had never been to City Hall before. I went today to change the address on my voter registration at the City Clerk's office. The whole home owner thing will never get old.
House and Around Town 017

I also took a minute to check out the war memorials in the square (I missed the name, sorry) across the street.
House and Around Town 031

House and Around Town 025

This one should be larger. Much larger.
House and Around Town 022

House and Around Town 033

House and Around Town 041

House and Around Town 054

House and Around Town 065

House and Around Town 063

My next stop was the library.
House and Around Town 069

My goal was to get a library card for myself and to find out if my step kids could get cards too even though they are not full time residents of Methuen.
House and Around Town 068

Even if they can't get cards they can still borrow on my card and they can also use all of the facilities.
House and Around Town 072

And that, ladies and gents, sums up my morning.