Fan Recognition Week Begins!

I have a fanatical fan base on this blog...fanatical.

It basically consists of my family in the Motherland, a few friends at my old work, some friedns outside of any work, and some people who have moved on.

Well, damn it, TODAY is where I being Fan Recognition Week.

This week's fan is Kenny A!

A religious reader of the brit blog, he requested that I post this website. I can only assume it is because I imagine he wishes everyday at his place of employment was Friday.

Click Here.

Keep the requests coming, I have one so far!

A Touching Story

In 1986, Mkele Mbembe was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from college.
On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing
with one leg raised in the air. The elephant seemed distressed so Mbembe
approached it very carefully. He got down on one knee and inspected the
elephant's foot, and found a large thorn deeply embedded in it. As
carefully and as gently as he could, Mbembe worked the thorn out with his
hunting knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its foot.

The elephant turned to face the man and with a rather stern look on its
face, stared at him. For several tense moments Mbembe stood frozen, thinking
of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually the elephant trumpeted
loudly, turned and walked away.

Mbembe never forgot that elephant or the events of that day. Twenty years
later he was walking through a zoo with his teenaged son. As they approached
the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to near
where Mbembe and his son Tapu were standing. The large bull elephant stared
at Mbembe and lifted its front foot off the ground, then put it down. The
elephant did that several times then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring
at the man. Remembering the encounter in 1986, Mbembe couldn't help
wondering if this was the same elephant. Mbembe summoned up his courage,
climbed over the railing and made his way into the enclosure. He walked
right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder. Suddenly the elephant
trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of Mbembe's legs and swung him
wildly back and forth along the railing, killing him.

Probably wasn't the same elephant.

Learning to Use a Fork

Jack is growing so fast. Here Steph took some video footage of him using a fork.

He is actually pretty good at manouvering it around the plate, but it is the stabbing thing he has a tough time with.

Isn't it strange to watch what parents actually video of their kids.

Click here to watch.

Jack Hands Out A Beat Down

This was cute.

Jack was given a nerf baseball bat and ball for his birthday. He was so cute using it. Then a few days ago we couldn't find the little yellow ball, so rather than think of something new to play with, he decided it would be much better to continue hitting stuff...well, me anyway.

Click Here to see the footage!

My Ex...A Quick Update

Yep, she is still a cunt.

Hey you don't like that word, then fuck off and don't read my blog.

I found out today, through Naomi's daycare, that she is starting school in just over two weeks! Nice huh...through her DAYCARE ! My ex didn't have the decency to even tell me she was putting her in school this year. For those working out the age thing, she is born in October, so was supposed to start school NEXT September as she just missed the catchment for this year. The ex petitioned and got her enrolled early.

So, she and her husband picked out the school, and never bothered to tell me. Awesome. Soooo cool. It is a school further away. It is a science charter school. Oh, and it is also a lot cheaper than the daycare she is being paid to go to, which I also doubt I would have been told.

Before you write in (the masses of you fans who read this crap) this is not about her going to school at all. I am glad she is. She is a beautiful and smart little girl, who would benefit from this a lot. She loves science, and I am sure her fucking bitch cunt whore of a mother had her absolute best intentions at heart. I truly do. I am sure the school is very cool, and is going to be a great move for her. I am just so damn mad that this decision was made without including me. Not even an FYI !!!! Her daycare teacher told us..."Oh, you know Naomi isn't going to be here long right?"

It is days like this, that I seriously, SERIOUSLY, know why people kill their ex-spouses. I am deadly serious. I know that feeling. She isn't worth the jail time though.

This all goes back to the bullshit system Oregon has for child support and custody. It is absolute fucking bullshit. She was given full legal custody, by default, and I have no say in anything else at all. Done. Period.

I have never felt less like a dad than I do today.

David Brent is back!

Why oh why can't all training videos be like this...

I can't imagine how much Microsoft paid for these, but they are worth every penny.

Click here to view the clips.

Yo Adrian !

Anyone who's anyone knows that phrase, right?

Cut me, Mick.

It ain't over 'til it's over.

If he dies, he dies.

Go for it.

Ah come on, Adrian, it's true. I was nobody. But that don't matter either, you know? 'Cause I was thinkin', it really don't matter if I lose this fight. It really don't matter if this guy opens my head, either. 'Cause all I wanna do is go the distance. Nobody's ever gone the distance with Creed, and if I can go that distance, you see, and that bell rings and I'm still standin', I'm gonna know for the first time in my life, see, that I weren't just another bum from the neighborhood.

Southpaw nothing. I'll drop him in three. Apollo Creed meets the Italian Stallion. Now that sounds like a damn monster movie.

Well anyway, I loved that movie. Heck, I loved 'em all! Sure they were cheesy at times, but so are most movies when you break them down. The story behind the story was cool, though. Very cool.

So, imagine my excitement when I saw that Rocky SIX is coming to the big screen this Christmas. Joy of joys.

Click on the picture below to view the trailer!

On A Bike Ride

Today was a really nice, warm day. Steph had to got to work, so I decided to take the bambinos on a bike ride around the neighborhood.
Nim had her own bike which she rides like a girl possessed, and Jack was riding shotgun on the back of mine.



We drove care-free around the neighborhood and besides the occasional car we rode all over the road.



Nim is really good, and we have been raising her training wheels slowly but surely over the past month to get her to ride without one. She still needs them, but the enthusiasm she displays on that thing is fantastic.
It is funny because I don't have a single picture of her since March almost, where she isn't actually wearing her bike helmet. Inside, outside...doesn't matter. She did great.



Jack thoroughly enjoyed himself, too. We stopped halfway round our 1 mile loop to have drinks and get off and stretch. That is where I took all these pictures. Jack was giggling most of the way around.



It was good to be able to just ride and talk to Nim for a while. She is at a fascinating age now where everything is so curious to her. Bugs. Roads. Mid-East Conflict. She has an opinion on everything.

Nim's New Bed!

Naomi has an obsession with building forts. That's right...forts.

Every time she comes to stay with us she insists on dragging blankets and towels etc all over the living room, stretching it between furniture so that she can have a den to hide in and play with her dolls.

Well, we changed the kids rooms around recently as the new baby is on the way. Jack and the bump will share the bigger of the two rooms, and Naomi will have her own smaller room which used to be Jack's.

We also got hooked up with a bed from our friends Mike and Mindy that is still a bunk (about 4 feet high) but has a canvas tenting system all the way around, and a dome on the side so that it becomes a den underneath.



Naomi saw this for the first time tonight, and freaked out!!! She was sooo excited it was great. Really cool to see. I don't think she is ever going to come out.



She set up all her Polly Pockets in there, and has her own little tea parties, too. She is also learning a valuable lesson in keeping the excitement volume down so that little brothers don't want to come in and 'help' you play.

The World Largest Hammock

Check out this fully grown man in that hammock. Sure he looks like Jack, but it isn't...honestly.

The Worst Apology Ever!!

Dedicated to my long lost friend Neal and his beloved Steelers.

Get ready for the geniune part half way down...
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Brooks apologizes, denies fleeing police

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Offensive lineman Barrett Brooks apologized to the Pittsburgh Steelers for his weekend arrest on charges he fled from police on his motorcycle, but said the chase resulted from miscommunication and not any wrongdoing.

The 34-year-old backup lineman for the Super Bowl champions was charged with fleeing and eluding, reckless driving, driving at an unsafe speed and other traffic violations Sunday. He was taken to Allegheny County Jail, according to Pittsburgh police Sgt. Dennis Washington.

Police said Brooks drove recklessly around a police car and didn't stop, causing officers to chase him for about five minutes. Brooks also drove through a red traffic light and a stop sign, Washington said.

Brooks wasn't intoxicated, but wasn't wearing a helmet while on his motorcycle, police said.

Brooks said he immediately called Steelers officials to tell them what happened. He said he felt bad for team owner Dan Rooney and his family and told his teammates he was sorry.

(here it is!!)

"I apologize to the Rooneys. Their family is a great family and they believe in not doing stuff like this, but I really didn't do anything," Brooks said Monday. "Once things come to fruition here, we'll be all right."

(beautiful isn't it!)

Brooks was reluctant to discuss details, but said he didn't stop for the policeman because he didn't see him.

"Like I said, once everything is over with I'll say something. But right now ... there's really nothing to say," Brooks said. "I was just riding a motorcycle, and that was it, that was the extent of it."

Several Steelers players were asked what Brooks said, but declined to talk about it.

"I reached out to everybody on the team, my teammates, my coaches and everybody else," Brooks said. "I explained to them the situation, apologized for any negative attention brought to them. Eighty percent of the league knows me. I'm a down-to-earth guy, I would never put myself in a situation to do something like this. There was a total miscommunication. It just wasn't the way it's said. All the stuff that's been said is totally misinterpreted."

Brooks has been an NFL lineman since 1995, playing for the Philadelphia Eagles (1995-98), Detroit Lions (1999-2000), Green Bay Packers (2002) and Steelers (2004-05). He didn't play in 2001 and 2003 after being cut during training camp. He played mostly on special teams last season, but also filled in at guard and tackle.

Brooks is the second Steelers player in two months to attract attention for not wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle in Pittsburgh.

Star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger broke his jaw, nose and some orbital bones and sustained a concussion in a June 12 motorcycle crash in which he was cited for not wearing a helmet. He did not miss any training camp time because of the accident.

It is legal to ride a motorcycle in Pennsylvania without a helmet, but only if the driver has a motorcycle license. Police said Roethlisberger lacked the license, and was issued $388 in fines for not having the license and not wearing a helmet.

Starting Early...

I swear that is not a beer.

Even if it is, I checked his ID and he is clearly over 21.

Even if he isn't over 21, he is on private property.

Even if it isn't private property, I told him not to.

Even if I didn't tell him not to, he's not enjoying it.

Even if it is his second one, he is slowing down.

Even if he is not slowing down, it was Kenny's idea.

Please don't tell Steph.

Be Glad You Live Where You Live.

This story was on CNN this morning...gruesome. I can't believe people are still this controlled in the world today. People would go crazy here if that happened to them.

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Chinese county culls 50,000 dogs

Tuesday, August 1, 2006; Posted: 12:36 a.m. EDT (04:36 GMT)

SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- A county in southwestern China has killed as many as 50,000 dogs in a government-ordered campaign following the deaths of three local people from rabies, official media reported on Tuesday.

The five-day massacre in Yunnan province's Mouding county spared only military guard dogs and police canine units, the Shanghai Daily reported, citing local media.

Dogs being walked were taken from their owners and beaten to death on the spot, it said. Other killing teams entered villages at night creating noise to get dogs barking, then homing in on their prey.

About 360 of the county's 200,000 residents suffered dog bites this year, with three reported deaths, including a 4-year-old girl, the report said.

"With the aim to keep this horrible disease from people, we decided to kill the dogs," Li Haibo, a spokesman for the county government was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency.

Calls to county government offices rang unanswered on Tuesday.

China has suffered a major rise in the number of rabies cases in recent years, with 2,651 reported deaths from the disease in 2004, the last year for which data was available, according to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Experts have tied the rise in cases in part to a major increase in dog ownership, particularly in rural areas where about 70 percent of households keep dogs. However, rates of rabies vaccination remain extremely low at only about 3 percent, according to the center.

Two Years In !

I am two years into my marriage and going strong!
We celebrated two years of marriage yesterday, and had a great time. We ended up having dinner at P.F. Changs, and then went on to have drinks at Portland City Grill afterwards. It was a great view. I love that place. It is so nice.
Jack spent the night at Aunty Jo's house which was great, so we decided to have a night on the town. We were gonna splurge and get a hotel also, but figured we would just chill out. The funny thing was that we were at home by 10:30 and in bed. No! Not for that...we just crashed! How sad is that! Being parents is exhausting.