Family at play

It was cold and rainy in San Clemente,

Coaching my first born, my Kunta Kinte.

Would we play little league in this tsunami?

I did not know, I am no swami.

With our furry portie,

a cute dog named Cubbie,

by the lonely palm tree

peeing like a banshee.

There too, brother Fozzie,

also a wavy portie,

dreaming of life at sea

eating kibble and a cookie.

Lovely bride Stephie

chatting with the paparazzi,

supporting her family

sipping a cool chianti.

And my darling daughter Jilly,

playing by the rhododendron.

Who's making this weather so silly,

ocelot's with a magnutron?

Super Blah Sunday

Random thoughts:

Yesterday's rain cancelled today's ll practice. Yay.

Our company cancelled at last minute.

F'Brees stinkin' it up early.

Wife makes the best guacamole (said in an autotune voice).

Josh running around like a banshee.

Even the violin playing beaver can get a job.

Maybe it's because I actually wear pants.

Me want to go to the Bud Light Lost island.

How 'bout my wifey making jambalaya and beignets.

Beer here.

Jilly just fell off the couch. She's ok.  No, she wasn't drinking beer.

Watched the puppy bowl. Too cute. After the old man show, of course.

Punxsutawney Palamato (?). Hee hee.

C'mon Saints.

Arcade Fire. Nice

Who dat be singing.  The Who.  The Who be old. Cool laser show.

A conversation between Fozzie and Cubby

Characters:

Fozzie as Old Man Dog (OMD)

Cubby as Young Pup (YP)

Scene:

Living room, Fozzie on couch, Cubby in playpen

YP:  OK, the two-legged non-furry ones are gone.  Let's find the trash

OMD:  (Yawns) sounds like fun but you are surrounded by a metallic fence

YP:  Damn my lack of opposable thumbs
OMD:  Sucks to be you
YP:  Last I sniffed, you don't have thumbs either
OMD:  But I'm not stuck in a playpen
YP:  Despite all my rage, I am still just a dog in a cage
OMD:  It's "rat" and this is a family blog, no plagiarism
YP: (Sung, or more likely, howled) nobody knows the troubles I have seen
OMD:  Keep the whelping down you whippersnapper, trying to take a nap here
YP:  You're always napping
OMD:  I need a nap from my nap
YP:  Don't you want to go out and run, to chase imaginary rabbits, to dig, to get into the garbage, to romp like a banshee!

OMD:  And that's why you're in a cage
YP:  Don't you yearn to be free, to feel the wind in your fir, to sniff strangers' crotches
OMD: Freedom is overrated.  i'll take my daily square meals and this comfy couch, and the occasional crotch
YP:  That's it?  isn't there more to life than sleeping and eating dry kibble?
OMD:  Mmmmm, kibble.  Yeah, there's doggie treats too
YP:  I'm talking about the big picture - a supreme furry being
OMD:  You mean like Snoopy?
YP:  I was thinking more like Pluto
OMD: I don't believe in DOG
YP:  Huh?
OMD:  Sorry, I'm dyslectic agnostic
YP: But why are we here?  dammit man answer me!
OMD: First of all, don't call me "man".  I wouldn't want to be of the two-leggeds.
YP:  Why not?
OMD:  Well, you know how we lick ourselves?
YP:  Yeah, because we can!
OMD:  Exactly.  very few of the humans can do this.  and they work for cirque du soleil
YP:  Whatever that is
OMD: And B, we are here because we were bred
YP: Bread?  white or wheat?
OMD:  In your case, toast.
YP: Buttered?
OMD: Like your picky.  i've seen what you've scarfed out of the garbage
YP:  Mmmmm, garbage
OMD:  No, I mean bred, like, we were born to be pets for the tall folk
YP:  Like an animal in the zoo!
OMD:  Only with better benefits
YP:  But if we're no better than fish in a bowl, how do we know if we matter?
OMD:  Latro ergo sum
YP:  (Scratches behind his ear)
OMD:  I bark, therefore I am.  Does that answer your question?
YP:  Ahhh, that's the spot (still scratching)
OMD:  Fine, then don't ask me questions if you don't want the answers (yawns)

YP:  Fine.  How 'bout us dogs play some poker?

OMD:  zzzzzzzzz

A day in the life in SLO

Woke up.  Got out of bed.  Dragged a crapmeat omelet down my gullet.  Off to the wineries and a taste before noon.  Enjoyed a nice viognier.  Took the dogs to a dog beach in Pismo.  Cubby took to it like a water dog out of water, romping like a banshee or a whirling dervish.  The Fozz was showing his age.  Hot Tub.  Off to cocktails, sunset and dinner.  Thank you wifey.

Baseball been berry berry good to me

Spent the day watching other kids try out for little league.  Thousands of 9-11 year olds.  Well, not thousands, but for 5 hours.  It's exhausting.  I've agree to (i.e. suckered into) coaching Josh's team.  So, the kids tryout and next week me and 11 other SC dads will draft them.  I'm not drafting Josh.  No worries...he's automatic to my team.  And the bad news, 5 more hours tomorrow morning...starting at 8.  So much for reading the sunday papers and watching the old man CBS morning show.  It's enough to make me scream like a banshee.

Steph and the kids were much more fortunate today.  They got to spend the day at Laguna Beach.   And the Birdman was there too.  I wish I was the Birdman.

Hawk Skewers

Way to go Andre Dawson.  Not sure if you're the most qualified of HOF inductees, but you were sure fun to watch and played your heart out.  You made watching the Flubbies watchable and I'm sure neither of us miss the Expos (one of the most ridiculous ballparks I'd ever visited).


On an aside, Andre sure had the heart but other players had better stats and bigger impacts (McGuire, Sosa, et al).  Yeah, yeah, year...steroids.  A) they weren't illegal at the time, B) they were hitting off pitchers taking the roids, and C) don't tell me old time ball players weren't drinking, coking, taking greenies, etc.  Bonds is quite possibly the greatest ever, with or without the hormones.



My lovely bride, who happens to be a hospitality consultant, took me to Fogo de Chao today for lunch.  Fogo is a Brazillian  churracaria.  No, not a place that sells churros (although churros are a sweet treat), but an all you can eat steakhouse serving 15 types of meat on sticks.  I felt like a screaming banshee in a candy story.  We Chowed until we burst.  Bring on the meat sweats.


Today in the continuing saga of my search for employment:  as you recall, yesterday I mentioned I got an upcoming interview with a local Chase bank branch.  Today I got a corporate email saying that they received my resume and thanks....but no thanks!  I got that email....TWICE!!

Avatarrefic

Just got back from Pandora.  This flick is out of this world. Seriously.  The colors and detail, the flora and the fauna...it's impossible to tell what's CGI and what's not.  The colors rival those from an obscure movie I like, "What dreams may come".  The girl Na'vi was kind of hot.  When Jake rides the Banshees (sp?), it's a wild technocolor dream ride.  The battle scenes will blow my Call of Duty loving son's mind.  


Speaking of Call of Duty, I was playing campaign with Josh last night and got totally sucked in.  To the point of nausea.  Josh is addicted but it allows him to stay in contact with his AZ friends through xbox live.  Graphics are very cool, but it's totally violent.  The airport massacre scene....really?  Really?

Speaking of sick violence, I saw a preview for Piranha 3D today.  Looks wickedly sick.  And fishy.

On the job search front (to boldly seek employment where no me has been employed before -- hopefully, not a five year mission): have a lunch on Thursday re: becoming the OC developer for a dessert chain; also got called for an interview with Chase next week.

On a completely different point, it has come to my attention that KISS has been eligible for the Rock & Roll hall of Fame since 1999 and have not been selected.  Travesty and I'm not even a fan.  May not be the greatest band in any measurably musical way, but they certainly have had a major impact and influence.  I mean ZZ Top, but not Simmons/Stanley/et al.  I'm not ashamed to admit that I enjoy a saccharine Abba song now and again, but they belong in a Pop hall of fame, not the R&R.  Genesis, who also get in, is probably less deserving....but they happen to be one of my favorite bands.  You got to get in to get out....

A day at the beach

Today I renewed my job search with a higher sense of urgency (plus, the kids went back to school today -- freedom, at last).  I am a former stock options market maker, so basically, I am qualified at yelling and waving my arms like a banshee.  Actually, I have an mba, a varied career in commercial banking, trading, and most recently, a stint at helping people with their financial needs while working for Vanguard mutual funds.  Quite frankly, I'm a catch.

Despite this fact, I've already been rejected by the Apple store-after an interview, turned down for a Chik-fil-A franchise, and have not received a single response from PIMCO, a large southern California mutual fund company to which I have applied for multiple jobs.

My only promising lead remaining is at the local Wells Fargo branch, as a personal banker.  So today I sent apps to Chase and Citi.  I sent inquiries to a dessert franchise and to a chicken finger restaurant, which I was rejected from before my email was sent.  Chuck Schwab didn't like me either.

So to celebrate my prospects, I took my wife back to yesterday's beach for a picnic of cold fast food.  It's my new happy place.

And now, a short story by Jillian:  Once upon a time, there was an ugly barnacle.  The end.