I Haven't Laughed This Hard In A Long Time

I love the parts about radio stations and wolverines!

What Do I Do?

I'm not normally one to write about things too personal, but I figure I'd try it and see how it goes.

Today I walked into Sarah's backyard and was greeted by Otis when he firmly planted his paw in my groin. As I walked, doubled-over, back inside I realized I was covered in mud. I told Sarah she should tell the boys not to play with the hose. She said the hose is not near the corner.

Turns out one of the boys or their friend dug a hole in the backyard without permission and broke the sprinkler line. It's unclear if this happened before or after they asked Sarah if they could dig a moat, to which she answered no. Either they disobeyed and dug anyway or didn't ask for permission to radically alter her backyard. Either way, I feel that shows a lack of respect for Sarah.

I'm also dumbfounded by the fact neither Robbie or Cameron thought to tell Mom the backyard was slowly flooding. I'm sure they were afraid of getting in trouble. Again this translates to me as a lack of respect for Sarah. They were more concerned about having the Playstation taken away than causing lots of damage to Sarah's yard.

The lack of respect theme isn't just from these incidents. There was the time Cameron knocked my computer on the floor, the way they treat their toys, their inability to clean up after themselves, one saying he doesn't listen when he is told to do something because he doesn't think he'll get in trouble, etc.

I don't buy the "boys will be boys" story. If we lived by that rule, we would never learn that society has some basic expectations from its members. What do you think? Is it a lack of respect thing? Am I expecting to much from a 9 year old? A 6 year old?

The Olympic Bet Results

I think Ken was starting to get overconfident in his choices. The night before the men's water polo game, I got a text from Ken where he said this was turning out to be a lot closer than he thought. It ended up that it came down to that final water polo game. If the men got gold, I won by 2.5 points. If they got silver, Ken won by 2.5 points. That's pretty darn close. Turns out the men lost to uber-favorite Hungary. Oh, well. I think this might be the first "Dollar and a Bag of Doritos Bet" I've lost. It was fun following sports that normally don't get any coverage here. Go Team USA! If they had National Pride Doritos, that's what Ken would get but, sadly, they don't. What flavor would you like, Ken?

Man Shopping

Today I went to Best Buy and purchased a new all-in-one printer. But I didn't just walk in and buy one. I spent the last several days:

1. Researching websites


2. Reading reviews


3. Comparison pricing


4. Talking to Ken


5. Talking to Sarah


6. Checking ink prices

I finally decided on the Canon MX700. What a cool printer! I love that it auto feeds documents for copying and scanning. If you've ever had to scan multiple pages, you know this is a good thing. I've already printed off some pictures and they look pretty good. I'm eventually going to buy a dedicated photo printer so picture quality wasn't super important, but these are pretty good for an all-in-one. And it has a fax machine. I send maybe one fax a year so that will be a lifesaver!(?) The best part:

On sale at Best Buy for $129!

The second best part: I had $45 in Reward Zone certificates!

If you think I put this much effort into all shopping, I don't. I probably spent less than 5 minutes on the last gift I bought for you.

Mobile Blog

I'm laying in bed playing with my new BlackBerry and thought I'd give mobile blogging a try. If this works, I'll be able to join the ranks of people that blog from places like: bed, driving, dinner with friends, and my favorite, the bathroom. Here's hoping this goes well.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

The Olympic Bet

Ken and I have made the standard bet, a dollar and a bag of Doritos, on the Olympics. We both chose four of the less-popular sports. No swimming, track and field, gymnastics, basketball, etc. We earn points for each medal won by the Americans. 10 for gold, 5 for silver, 2 1/2 for bronze. Ken chose: shooting, fencing, judo, and canoe/kayak. I chose: beach volleyball, tennis, cycling, and water polo. Ken is currently leading because more medals have been given out in his sports. I'm banking on the US winning my events. Ken is, in his own words, trying to "bronze me to death." Ken got a huge boost when the US swept the medals in a fencing event. Today I got my first gold when Kristin Armstrong won the women's cycling time trial. Coincidence that her last name is Armstrong? I think not. Come on Williams sisters, May/Walsh, and BMX riders! I like Doritos!

I Have No Idea...

...what is going on here. Geeks around the world are probably cheering and cringing at the same time.

I Have To Say It Was A Good Day

Today started out tough. I had to be in Baldwin Park by 8:30 this morning for notes and then a full run-through of a show we performed this afternoon. The only thing keeping me going at times was the thought of the amazing pound of salmon fillets I had in the fridge. Sarah and the boys are NOT fish eaters so I rarely get to indulge. Tonight was the night. Salmon and rice pilaf. Delicious!! I'm now watching the Dodger game as the wonderful aroma of salmon floats through the air. I wish Sarah was here to enjoy this wonderful moment. Although she could probably, strike that, definitely do without the salmon part. I miss her and the boys dearly but for now I'm enjoying being able to cook fish without offending anyone. They come home tomorrow. I can't wait! Sorry salmon, they win.

The Heat Is On

Yesterday when I woke up, I noticed Sarah's air conditioner wasn't working. After trying everything I could think of (namely flipping the thermostat switch on and off), I went to my dad's and got the phone number of his air conditioning guy. This morning I called and the lady said they would be here between 11-1 today. It only took them a few minutes to determine the problem: A short in a wire outside most likely caused by a dog chewing on it. OTIS! While we were talking, he noticed one of the sprinkler valves wasn't fully closed. He happened to have a new one in the van. Done and done. He also cleaned and serviced the a/c unit. $250 later, Sarah's house is cool, the sidewalk is dry, and her water bill should be slightly lower in future months. Who would have thought it would cost me so much for her to go on vacation?

Sarah and her family left this afternoon for the Disney Cruise. I'm house sitting for the week. I've been home alone for less than 5 hours and I've already cleaned the heck out of her fridge. Out of respect for Sarah, I won't show you the before pictures but doesn't it look nice now?