on thursday chad and i went over to moms work to meet up with her for lunch. jill and the kids came too. at her work we all decided to cram into jills van- it was quite packed! we had a lot of fun chatting and playing with the kids.
like sardines
on thursday chad and i went over to moms work to meet up with her for lunch. jill and the kids came too. at her work we all decided to cram into jills van- it was quite packed! we had a lot of fun chatting and playing with the kids.
christmas
christmas day is always a challenge. as a family we open gifts before christmas day, so it often become a very boring day because almost everything is closed. this year we found a way to fix that! tim and jill invited us over to their place for brunch. we all went over, grandma as well, and enjoyed tims pancakes, french toast, sausages, etc. we had a lot of fun watching the kids play with their mountain of new toys. when we got home i decided to head out to the movie theater. i saw 'the assassination of jesse james...' on the way out of the theater that night i even got to see a couple old friends as they were coming in. it was fun to catch up with them again and hear how their christmas was going.
when i got home my mom and i played games together (my dad was a poor sport and didnt want to play. oh well...).
the sweetest gifts
some of the best things i got for christmas were gifts from the kids. they are getting old enough to want to participate themselves. they see their mom and dad giving gifts and wanted to be part of the fun. so, they made me a gift. i received a very special colored page of a rescue heroes coloring book, and a mouse hand puppet made from a paper bag. they are so adorable- i love them!
time to open prizes!
on christmas eve we got together as a family and opened our gifts. in years past we have sometimes gone to church at 6pm or 11pm, but it was just going to be the same service as on sunday, so we decided to just get together at my folks place instead. we also figured we would take the easy route for food and just ordered some pizza. after everyone was here and the food was eaten, we headed downstairs for the gifts. it was fun to do it down there this year, there was plenty of room for everyone, and places to sit too, which hasnt always been the case in years past...
soon the fun began! we took turns opening gifts, we started with the kids then worked our way up to mom and dad, and repeated as necessary. it was a blast, as usual! the kids loved their gifts, and we would often have to stop everything because one of them wanted the package open so they could play with it immediately (not that i can blame them). i was able to give out some fun gifts this year. my dad has always loved the godfather movies, so this year i got him a behind-the-scenes book about the film, as well as the box set of the movies. he loved it. mom got some willow tree stuff, chad got a cd and stuff, and tim and jill were happily surprised by the gift of a photo printer. the kids loved their toys too- i got jackson a transformer. i figured its never too early to teach a child what a good toy is. i got some great stuff too, including a couple wii games. awesome!by the time it was over the kids were exhausted (as were the rest of us), and each of us got some really fun stuff. but more importantly, we got to spend some great time together and show our love and appreciation.
two for the show
this break i have been catching up a bit on my movie watching. a lot. in fact, ive gone to see a movie almost every night so far, and i hope to continue this pace for the rest of break. ive written about most of them so far, and ill add on as i see more, but this is the list so far. click on them to skip on a title to the short reviews/thoughts about them i wrote in the movie part of the blog:let it snow
man, the weather was so crazy here sunday night! the snow and wind were out of control! over the course of the night we got 6-10 inches of snow, and the wind was blowing at 50 mph or more. we had to drive to a christmas party that night, and boy, it was some of the worst conditions ive seen in years. the roads were almost totally ice, and sight distance was really limited. we made it there and back safely, but i was worried more than once that i was going to need to get out and dig us out of a ditch.when i got home i shoveled the driveway. it was really easy because the snow was so fluffy and light. by morning it didnt matter that i shoveled because the wind and the continued snowfall erased any evidence of the work i had done.
moral of the story: dont shovel your driveway.
the gang's all here
sunday night we got together with my moms side of the family for christmas. i always look forward to this party. my uncles and aunts and cousins have always got along great, and so we always have a great time together. last year i was disappointed because i had to miss it. they had it on a thursday night and i still had to work on friday so i wasnt able to be up here for it. so, for some of my relatives it had been two years since i saw them last, and thats just too long.we, as an extended family, have moved on over the past few years. what i mean by this is that we have moved on to the next generation. enough of my cousins have been having kids that our party has moved on to them. no longer do i or my cousins get gifts, rather, all their kids do now. i actually enjoy that chance. it turns the focus on them and actually allows us to just sit back and talk to each other and catch up. i got to talk to a couple cousins, jason and jeremy, who i havent heard from in far too long. another fun thing was that my brother was there. its the first time in about 5 years hes been around for christmas because hes in the military, so it was cool to have him there.
ahh, i love my family...
a christmas tradition: verve pipe
for the past few years the band 'verve pipe' has been playing a show the saturday night before christmas at a the intersection in grand rapids. of course, i go every year. last year i ended up going by myself and for the life of me i cant remember why...this year jeffry lee, aaron, and bethany came along. we got there around 11pm and they soon got on stage. the room was totally packed and everyone was there to have a good time, the band included. right from the first note i could tell that this was going to be a good one. all the players were meshing well, and seemed almost giddy to be up there playing together. the banter was hilarious and the love they had for playing for the home crowd was obvious. they played their hits, some oldies, some obscure ones, and a few fun covers. one of the best parts of the live show is griff. hes not really a part of the band, but he always comes out and plays the harmonica along with them- and boy does he play! he works that thing with so much ferocious energy that you cant help but smile and cheer. they even had a back up brass section of four guys playing trumpets and trombones. there was even a wicked sweet clarinet solo. you may be asking yourself 'is that even possible?!?' well, let me tell you: yes, yes it is.
we all four had a great time. at the merch table i got a pleasant surprise: two new live bootleg recordings of brian vander ark, the lead singer, and a new recording by the verve pipe! granted, it was only four christmas songs, but who cares? its something new by one of my favorite bands!
after the show we were feeling a bit hungry, so we headed over to steak and shake. everyone was in a great mood and we had some hilarious conversations. after food i went back over to jeffs place. we sat and talked a bit, and before i knew it, it was 4am! sunday church was going to come way to early...grab your ear!
the last day before christmas break we always take the kids bowling, and this year was no exception. they always have a great time- weather its bowling, or spending all their money on candy from the vending machines, they all find something to keep them busy.a few of us adults also played a game or two. i just played one game, but i did fairly well. i think all that time spent playing wii bowling is paying off...
sing it, girl!
thursday night i went with a friend to a christmas party downtown chicago. it was at a really nice bar called rizas. it was a pretty fancy place, it even had a piano player in the bar area. they had a room reserved for the party, so we headed back. i didnt really know anyone, so i wasnt exactly sure what to expect.after we were seated they brought around some pitas and hummus, which was excellent, as was the rest of the meal. at first it was a bit of a dead party, but as the night continued, so did the liveliness.
by the end of the night, party members were belting out mo-town tunes from the karaoke machine! there was even a woman who did a hilarious spot-on impression of tina turner. finally, out of interest of having a bearable friday, we headed out.
its true what they say...
everything really is bigger in texas. last weekend i flew down to houston texas to go to a graduation. i rented a car (a cobalt, which really sucked, but at least it had gps, so that was cool) and headed over to the city of college station. i got there super late, but it seemed that the party had just begun. we ended up heading to bed around 4:00am, which was quite stupid considering we had a 6:30am wake up time. like a zombie i got ready and we headed to the indoor arena on the texas a&m campus. we got seats, then i proceeded to bob in and out of sleep for the next two hours.
of the 800 people who were graduating, the person i came to see was seventh to the last. of course. eventually it was done and we headed over to the graduation open house. it was fun to meet all the family. they were all super nice, especially their uncle john. he had a hilarious sense of humor, which was gloriously enhanced by his strong texas accent!next: nap time, thankfully! it didnt last long, because it was time to roll out and find a place to eat. we ate some really great texas food (i had a strange baked potato with brisket beef. it was easily twice the size of my head), then headed back to the house. just as i was comfortably settling in for the night and an early sleep, everyone decided it was time to head out for a night on the town. i was already exhausted, but as they say, 'when in texas...'
we stopped at a strange place called 'whataburger' on the way back. they have the weirdest restaurants in texas, i swear... then it was off to the sweat release of much deserved sleep. aaaah...sunday we got up and packed, after all, we still had a two hour drive back to houston to catch our flight! we met up with anna and pram for a tasty meal, then dropped by susans to say goodbye. finally we made it to the airport after dropping off the car. the flight back was very quick. for some reason it only felt like it took about twenty minutes. oh, maybe thats because i passed out for most of it. we returned to chicago with six inches of snow to greet us, 'welcome back, enjoy scrapping off your car sucker!' i finally made it home around 1:30am and knew that monday was going to be tough. oh, but it was so worth it!
ill be sure not to mess with it
next weekend i hop on a plane for the first time in quite a while. im heading down to texas, and im not entirely sure what to expect. ive heard it was about 80 degrees this weekend, so at least my feet will thaw out...
chily zoo
last night we headed to chicago to check out the holiday festivities that were happening at the brookfield zoo. it was really cold, but figured it might be worth checking out. it was pretty cool, down all the walkways there were different christmas trees decorated by assorted companies, schools, and kids activity groups. one i thought was pretty funny was a tree decorated by a highway maintenance company- it was covered in 'caution' yellow tape and orange ribbons! we walked through the different animal buildings. we checked out the elephants and hippos, which i felt bad for having to be in such small areas, but we figured it was better then being outside in the 30 degree weather! at one point there was a synchronized tree light show while they played a great old frank sinatra christmas tune. they also had a lazer light show that was kind of silly. the whole time i kept having this feeling like they should be playing pink floyd or something...
one of the coolest things there for the holiday event was a guy who made ice sculptures. when we first walked by he was starting to make a butterfly out of a three foot tall block of ice. the ones he had already made, a deer and a dragon, were amazing! we didnt quite freeze to death, but it was touch-and-go for a minute there...
even with the cold weather it was a fun time.
thanksgiving
this thanksgiving i headed home to be with the family, and had a great time. the night before thanksgiving i met up with jeffry lee, aaron and bethany, aarons bro, sis, step-sis, and all their respective other halfs. jeffry lee and i werent really up for going out too much, but we went anyway and headed to gardellas. the place was so packed we had to wait outside for about 15 minutes before they let us in. we ended up having a good enough time (well, when kevin wasnt forcing the juke box to play annoying death metal).thanksgiving morn we all got up bright and early and headed to my sister and brother-in-laws church. then we went over to their house and had a great thanksgiving breakfast (strange, i know, but it was fun). after that the guys headed out to go see beowulf in 3d. later that night i went and picked up a friend from the train station and we grabbed a bite to eat.
we bumped our thanksgiving dinner to friday this year, so on friday evening we all gathered in our basement (which was a strange change of scenery, but very accommodating considering the large number of people who would have had to fit around the dining room table). that night we met up with the guys and went to go see 'hitman' and hang out at fridays together. saturday evening was a great time. we hung out with my sister and brother-in-law. they got a babysitter, and we headed downtown for a fun night- with only adults! we went to bulls head tavern and had a great meal, and even better conversation. we eventually headed back to their place and played some cards. they taught us a new card game called 'pennies' which is kind of like phase 10, but with normal cards. we had a great time!
sunday, after church and dinner, we headed back home. i got home round 6:00, and hit the bed around 7:00! the holidays are a blast to be around friends and family, but they sure are exhausting!
springfield
a couple weeks ago i happened to find myself in springfield, illinois. now, this was not entirely an accident. i had been wanting to go to springfield for many many years. it is, after all, the birthplace of one of my favorite people in history: abraham lincoln!we took the opportunity to take in the sights, in all their lincolny glory. it was perfect timing for me to check out this stuff, i had just finished listening to 'assassination vacation' book on cd. it is all about presidential assassinations and had a large portion of the book devoted to all things lincoln. the books author had retold her experiences of visiting springfield herself.
we went, first, to his tomb. it was a rather strange feeling of knowing you are so close to what is left of such a great man. we drove around the cemetery for a little bit. it was very interesting to see all the old and new tombstones, some as old as the 1850s.
after rooting around town for a bit, we happened upon the house that lincoln had owned and lived in. we took the tour of the home and got to see the home in its restored state. the thing that surprised me the most, i think, was just how ugly it was! the wall paper and carpets were very bright and colorful. i hadnt really expected that. the walls were a white and red paisley pattern, and then the carpet was a strangely designed flower pattern with bars of green, blue and red running through it. by todays standards it was very tacky and totally clashed. the tour guide though, told us that that was the style of the day, 'harmony through variety' is what he called it. i just called it ugly and moved on.it was really cool to see all that stuff. it is always fun to get a chance to be super nerdy history geek guy every once in a while. now i really want to go back to gettysburg again.
normal
when we went down to st. louis we drove past a town called Normal, illinois. this is of special interest to me. one of my favorite bands of all time is a small group called 'the normals'. they got their name from this town- which is where they grew up! i had always thought it would be kind of fun (in that really strange obsessed way) to check out the town of normal.well, i got my change! the first time i ever saw the band i got a shirt from them. on the shirt it had a printed photo of a water tower that said 'normal' on it. i figured if i was in town, i should try and hunt down that water tower. im not sure if its the same one, they had about a dozen in the area, but we drove down to one of the water towers, i got out and took this picture.
truly, there is no end to my fanboy craziness...
gateway to the west
this past weekend i went with a friend to st. louis. i had never been there before (well, except for a layover flight, but that totally doesnt count) so i was up for the adventure.the first thing that surprised me was just how cool the arch really is. ive seen pictures of it all the time, but to actually look at the skyline and see a 600+ foot arch towering over every building in the city is quite breathtaking. we didnt get a change to go inside it, but i figured that just meant we would have to come back.
we got there on friday night and went out for dinner with a couple other friends. on saturday we headed out to the zoo. it was an amazingly unseasonable day- i think it got up to 60 degrees, and this was in the middle of november! we spent a lazy afternoon wandering around checking out everything from penguins, to zebras, to monkeys, to sea lions! later that night we went out to a very nice italian place and ended up at the union station, which is a converted old railroad station. now its a shopping area. it was amazing to see. there was a lounge on the second floor that opened up to a ceiling that was probably 100 foot tall. quite amazing!finally on sunday we went to a resturaunt that bottles its own root beer- it was extremely tasty! unfortunately it was then time to say farewell to ol' st lou!
i, for one, am looking forward to a return trip!
(more pics)
squash, and i dont mean the gourd
a few weeks ago i went with a friend to a rather strange event. it was a fundraiser for the chicago city squash youth league. i guess its a league that is offered free to children in the inner city of chicago. they can come on in and play squash.i know, i know, it was as weird as it sounds. and then to make things even stranger it was being held in the main lobby of the field's museum. they set up a temporary squash court and surrounded it with tables for us to eat at while we watch an exhibition game. so many things were strange that night. first of all, just trying to understand what squash is was hard enough (turns out its basically just racquetball with different racquets and different balls). second, the temporary court they had erected happened to be right next to the two elephant models and just across the way from a full set of t-rex bones. a unique sight to behold, that is for sure. everyone there was dressed up in an evening gown or a suit and tie. as we were milling about eating hor dourves there were people offering raffle tickets priced at 'only' one hundred dollars each. needless to say i felt quite fancy.
as the night progressed we were treated to some amazing salad and roast. as far as entertainment goes, they just so happened to have flown in the 1st and 8th ranked best squash players in the world. from egypt and from australia. you know, just to swat the ball around for our amusement.
as the night progressed we were treated to some amazing salad and roast. as far as entertainment goes, they just so happened to have flown in the 1st and 8th ranked best squash players in the world. from egypt and from australia. you know, just to swat the ball around for our amusement. more than a toothache
i had to go to the dentist to get a new crown put in. about a month ago i broke a tooth while at school (darn you tortilla chips!!!). i went in the next day to the dentist and he told me i should get a crown for the tooth. i figured he just wanted to buy a new tv at home with what it was going to cost me, but i went through with it anyway.ive never had to have a tooth pulled or crowned or anything before, so i wasnt quite sure what i was in for, but i knew to brace for the worst... he shot my mouth full of numbing stuff and went to work on drilling down my tooth into a nub! it wasnt too bad, i only almost choked to death twice. he then put a mold that had been made into my mouth and glued it in. i wasnt in too much pain at that point, but i knew it was coming. i got home and just as the numbness was wearing off, so did the replacement tooth! i had to actually go back to the dentist because it fell out of my mouth! he recast the mold and glued it in again. fortunately, this time it stayed in. but either way, i was in pain and out of commission for the rest of the day!
this past thursday i went in to have them take out the mold, and put in the fancy ceramic one they had sent away for. it didnt hurt too bad, and now i have a shiny new fake tooth! oh, and he told me i have three new cavities. looks like i get to buy him something else for his home...
a chair
i know this is completely random, but last time i was home i stopped by jeffry lees place, and he had this totally rad chair. i loved it because i recognized it as an old steelcase chair!
the reason that i could recognize the maker of the chair is because thats where my dad works. i thought it was so awesome that i took a look at the label underneath the chair and saw that it was actually made in 1974! which means, near as i can remember, this was the type of chair that the company was making around the time my dad first started working there.cool.
dinner together
last saturday the family went out to eat for my moms birthday. we went to a really cool resturant called boatwerks in holland michigan. it is right on the water of lake macatawa and had an amazing view! after getting ourselves lost on the way over, we found the place and sat down. there was a bit of seat shuffling, but then we were all set to enjoy the time together. and we did exactly that. we tried some crazy weird appitizers, and i even had to admit that maybe ive been wrong about how gross mushrooms are. after appitizers we thought it would be cool to step out on their patio and take some pictures by the lake.we went back in and finished our meals and had an over all really great time just sharing with each other. i think even chad would have to admit that it was a fun time!
bend it like jackson
last weekend i went back up to grand rapids. i went for a couple reasons, my brother was in town (which only happens about twice a year) and because it was my moms birthday! it was a really fun time.on saturday the family and i got to go watch my nephew jackson play soccer. it was really cute! hes only 5 and is still having some problems with understanding the rules of the game, but he has been getting better. he actually scored a goal, for his own team this time... i was told that a couple weeks ago he thought it wiser to kick the ball into their own goal. i cant fault him, he was definitely taking advantage of the element of surprise!
the cutest thing is that whenever there is a break in the game all the kids race back to their moms and take a drink from their water bottles- im guessing they always see the pros drinking from their water bottles, so they figure it must be part of the game...afterward we went to macdonald's for a victory meal (i dont actually know if his team won or not due to the fact that they dont keep score...).
reunion
tonight was wierd. i guess im really old now, because we just had our ten year high school reunion tonight.i was pretty sure only old people have those...
phone problems
my phone died on me earlier this week. i just got a replacement phone in the mail yesterday, but i seemed to have a bit of a problem: none of my phone numbers transfered over from the sim card. argh. and, of course, i didnt think ahead and write down any numbers i had on my phone (and i certainly dont know any of them by heart...).so, here is the thing: if i did have your number, i dont anymore. therefore, i must make this little request- please call me! because i cant call you.
a shout out
i dont normally do this, but this post is for one person in particular. so, if you are not my brother, then dont read this.hey bro, happy birthday! i love you, old man! sorry i didnt call, but it was kind of out of my control (see post below). ill see you soon, so ill make it up to you then. we cool?
no phone home
about a month ago i had some problems with my new phone. i went to check the time, opened it up, and was met with a screen of crazy color static (kind of like the black and white snow fuzz, but with colors). i was a bit confused, but let the phone battery die and then plugged it back in for a recharge. soon after it returned to its normal self. only a scare. well, last night it did it again! i tried the same technique, but this time to no avail. its truly dead. God rest its soul. i went to the phone place today to look into a replacement (its still under warranty), and called for a new one. it doesnt come until friday, so i guess im phoneless until then. i hate to admit it, but thats going to be tough on me!
catching up
wow, its been quite a busy couple of weeks! ive been too busy doing stuff to actually slow down and write about stuff! this is a bit of a new thing for me, but i dont think ill mind getting used to it...here is the strange thing though: ive gotten so used to writing about all the things i do on this blog thingy, that im actually forgetting what ive done since last i posted. creepy... for example: what did i do on labor day? i have no idea! but for some reason, the chicago department of transportation seems to think i was at the o'hare airport parking illegally. humm. i havent dropped anyone off at the airport in almost a year, but maybe i just drove down there to park in a no parking zone. i wouldnt put it past me, that crazy bugger.
me thinks i should look into this, no?
sick ward
yesterday i went to the hospital. not because i was hurt, rather, to visit a friend. last weekend she got bit by a spider or something on her let. didnt think anything of it, but by wednesday it had gotten pretty swollen. so, she went to a doctor and had it looked at. he cleaned it out and dressed it. friday she went back in to get it redressed, but instead was told that she needed to stay in the hospital because they thought it looked infected. yikes! she had to stay saturday night too, but its looking a lot better, so she hopes to be out today.i stopped in and visited her. i figured she was probably bored, so i brought a couple old issues of some magazines i had, and i brought the quiz cards from the game 'scene it'. shes just as into movie trivia as i am, so we had a good time trying to stump each other! we kind of forgot to keep score, but im quite certain that i won. though she is just as sure that she did. i figure that all the drugs they have her on are messing with her memory...
a summer past
i have successfully finished the first week of school. granted, it was a short one, but it still took some effort to get through. its always fun to start a new year, get to know the new homeroom, start over with all the lessons and stuff. its certainly one of the best parts of the school year (you know, aside from the summer part...).for some reason though, i not as excited as i was last year at this time. i think i know why. i think its because i had a really great summer! last summer was good, but i didnt really challenge myself, or grow last summer. this summer i did a lot of things i havent done in a while, and i really got to spend a lot of time working on relationships with friends and family. i spent a bunch of time in michigan, which i always enjoy. but, as strange as this may sound, the highlight of the summer was spending a lot of time with jeffry lee. its kind of cheesy, but its true. i havent been able to connect with a friend like that in far too many years. the thing is, he has a habit of challenging himself with big-picture questions and always thinking on a larger scale, and its been rubbing off on me. this summer we often talked about life, love, and God. sometimes i get caught up in my own life that i forget to ask questions and challenge myself.
i would have to say, this is the first summer in a while that i feel better at the end than i did at the beginning.
doomsday ahead
the start of the school year just keeps getting closer and closer. today i actually had to wake up on time! that sucks! and you know what? i have to tomorrow too! what is this crazy world coming to?!?today and tomorrow we are doing in-service type stuff (that means teacher meetings and planning sessions. not too exciting). the real school year starts on wednesday. but, thankfully, we only have a half day. and to make the transition even easier, we have a short day on friday (out at 1:45), and we have monday off! if this fun vacation is going to end, its nice to do it gently...
a night at the museum
friday i met up with a friend and we decided to head over to the art institute of chicago. it free on friday night, so it was a no-brainer... i hadnt been there in quite a few years, so it was really cool to be able to wander the halls once again. the institute has many works of art that are world famous, such as 'american gothic,' 'nighthawks', and 'sunday in the park.' there were some really cool works of art, including some great etchings of the 'gates to Paradise', and a really cool lincoln statue!
after the art lesson was over, we headed down to millennium park and checked out the new orleans jazz band that was playing in the outdoor theater there. it was some groovy music, and there were actually quite a few people dancing around and loving it.
of course, we had to stop at ginos east for pizza! that has to be one of the greatest restaurants in the world! two slices, and i was stuffed to the rafters!
decorations
the race is on for the new school year to begin. this is the last week of summer vacation for us. when ever the last week rolls around, i find myself in the same position every year: crap! ive got to get going on decorating my classroom! ive decided to decorate the room in cartoon characters this year. last year it was superheroes, and the year before that was video game characters. but im only doing characters that are sidekicks. (dont worry, it really does make sense. trust me). ive got a few finished already, but im mostly looking forward to my favorite of the bunch: launchpad mcquack! if you dont know who that is, then you are missing out on a lot! here are some more pictures of works in progress. ive still got a bunch to do yet. its going to be a busy weekend...
downtown
monday i went downtown chicago. it was rainy and icky, but for some reason we went anyway. i always enjoy going downtown and being a part of the crazy hustle and bustle of the city. we walked the magnificent mile (if you are not familiar with chicago, the magnificent mile is the main shopping part of downtown). one of the places i always like to visit is the 'virgin megastore'. they have two floors worth of movies and music. aaron always loves going there because of their great selection of techno vinyl records. well, we came to find out that the place closed! it just up and moved on us. i made sure to shake my fist at the empty space that used to house it. sadness. sadness.we ate at a cool place called 'rock bottom'. they had some great food. i think we picked a strange time to eat because we were literally the only ones in there when we arrived! as the meal went on the place filled up pretty good, but for about 15 minutes the whole join was empty! quite strange...
the drive home
on sunday i headed back to indiana. it was a great weekend being back in grand rapids. first i went out to sandy pines and had lunch with the whole family, gram even came out. the weather was a bit rainy, but not too bad.on the way home i was minding my own business and suddenly, out of nowhere, a dashboard light blinked on! but just for a second, trying to be sneaky as if i hadnt seen it. but i had. it turned on again a couple minutes later. i wasnt entirely sure what to do, not being a car guy and all. so, i did what anyone in my position would do: i called jeffry lee! he knows a bit about cars, so i figured i could relly on his knowledge to get me through.
it was a coolant light, so he said i had to let the engine cool and put some more coolant into the engine. well, getting the engine to cool takes about 45 minutes to an hour. so i got really familiar with that particular shell station... actually while i was waiting my brother called and we talked for about a half hour of it.
once the engine was cooled, i tried to pour in the coolant and it was not at all interested. it turns out that the engine was fine, no coolant needed. argh! still not quite sure what it was, but i figure it might just be the sensor is having issues, or from all the rain i was driving through getting it wet. oh well, i got home safe.
supergood
this afternoon i spent much of the day trying to figure out what version of the days plans were actually going to happen. i believe there were at least three sets of plans with different time lines that were it play at one point or another. after the coordination headache, we settled on our plans.rex and jeffry lee came over to my place and we chilled until show time. at 6:15 we headed over to the theater and met up with kooch and aaron to take in a showing of 'superbad' (which was really funny). after the show we went to fridays for some eats. with all the schedule changes that went on, unfortunately one person was accidentally left out: molly. she had been waiting at fridays since 8:00, our original meet up time, and was sitting there alone for almost an hour before we showed up. oops...
we had a great time talking and laughing and enjoying ourselves. once dinner was over we headed over to the local pool hall establishment. we shot some stick for a couple hours and had a great time. there was a lot going on, and it was fun to just sit back and take in all the strange nuances as they happened. im am a really crappy pool player, so i paid little attention to the games as we played. i think for the whole night i only shot in one ball. thankfully my partner, molly, was not too concerned so we didnt mind getting our butts kicked by everyone else.
post-billiards, jeff and rex hung out at my place for a bit. there was chatting and chilling. all was well.
IQ
i just took one of those dumb internet IQ tests, and it turns out, according to them, i have an IQ of 131.not bad considering there wasnt even a single movie trivia question on the whole test!
babysitting
tonight i babysat my nieces and nephew. my sis and bro-in-law werent able to make it to see 'borne ultimatum' when my dad and i saw it, so i figured id offer to babysit and allow them a chance to go out on a 'date night' and see the movie.it was me and the kids, and we had a lot of fun! we played with legos, rolled around on the ground, created hand motions for famous classical music compositions (to confusing to really explain...), watched a bible song sing-a-long dvd, and just plain had a good time! jackson once again wanted to try his hand at taking pictures with my phone (as seen here).
the kids went to bed great, and soon after jeffry lee stopped by to hang out. we chatted and ended up watching 'bad company', which was surprisingly funny. sis and bro-in-law got home eventually, and we were able to chill with them for a bit. i always like spending some quality time with the kids!
the brinktionary
for a long time i have always claimed that my dad is weird. not a bad weird, just weird. actually, i completely take after him in my personality and sense of humor. so, i guess that makes me weird by default too, which im quite fine with.well, one of the things that i have always loved about my dad is that he has a vocabulary all his own. growing up we always thought these words were quite normal. much to our surprise, no one else in school understood what we were talking about when we would use one of these words. i soon learned to keep these words to myself, to avoid the confused looks others would give when i would use them.
after letting these words slip once too often among friends and at work, i figured i should show these words the respect they deserve. i have decided to start cataloguing these words and defining them as well, so that when i use them there might not be so much confusion.
so, without further adue, i would like to introduce the latest entry into the 'poke it with a stick' community: the brinktionary!
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