Hanging Tough

Hello All,
I hope that each of you had a wonderful and safe weekend full of fun and pure awesomeness! I had a great week last week…saw a concert and a rare baseball game in person with great high school friends. And I got to come home to enjoy a wonderful game night with amazingly great friends. Today’s blog title is brought to you by NKOTB. So with that, I will jump right into it…

Erika’s 10 Things I Think I Think (11 today) – The travel version

1. I WISH I would have gotten a picture of the guy with the SWEET Unibrow, handlebar moustache, sideburn chop combo. I don’t think there is/was anyone cooler than that guy.
2. I didn’t know that summer in San Francisco talk…mean cold…ass…weather. I have never seen so many people walking around one town with JACKETS on in the SUMMER time. I am glad and thankful I was smart enough to pack a jacket.

3. Yes, for those that do not know, I attended a New Kids on the Block concert….and regardless of what anyone thinks of me (note: I do not care what any one’s opinion is…at all, nor have I ever cared) I actually had a good time. At the end of my lifetime, I will be able to say I did things not many else would dare do and that I lived each day to the fullest. Say what you want about me...but until you've walked 30 feet in my shoes (not even a mile) you don't really know what i've been through the last year and how fragile and short I believe life to be.
4. I can now say that #671 (of 1000) can successfully be crossed off of my list of things to do in life and that is: “To attend a concert I have no business being at.” Speaking of my life list…it really has some of the most ridiculous things on there…some of which I try to complete at least 40-50 items per year. Some of the things on the list #71 spend a night in jail (not completed) #37 get into a fight…and lose. (fight club, not completed) #9 win an oscar (not completed) #137 take a pregnancy test (completed, not pregnant obviously…and this one was really funny.) #777 go bungee jumping (not completed) #562 swim with the sharks (not completed). The higher the risk, the greater the number.
5. I think the best part of the concert was before it ever got started and that was in the VIP area. Seriously out of about 400 women….there was one guy…me. We got to meet the New Kids on the Block and Donnie was by far the coolest/most laid back of all of them. He greeted our group of 10, hugged everyone (man half hug for me) and worked the room. Jordan was the next coolest and when I told him that he was my girlfriends favorite and showed him a picture his response “Damn…she’s hot.” Of course somehow word spread throughout the VIP area that Jordan thought my girlfriend was hot…so most of the girls saw the picture and all agreed. We received gift bags (note: I did not keep mine as the contents were NOT guy friendly). Got a picture with the group (this picture is not available yet) and well the free drinks were great (note: I had 11 beers in just under an hour…yes…I was deeply intoxicated).

6. I am thankful to the man who invented earplugs. I put mine in after Jesse McCartney took the stage (before the NKOTB) did and I was NOT deaf after the concert. 50,000 screaming women in the venue and I barely heard them.
7. Off all the songs performed by the NKOTB, I believe I only knew about 5. Including the Right Stuff, Hanging Tough, Single, Summer Time, and Closer (3 of which are new)
8. Nothing like having amazing seats at a concert. We sat close enough to see everything without obstructed views. I guess had we sat further back…I would have lost interest. I have a short attention span….and as you all know…I get bored really easy.

9. To the guy in the men’s restroom at Momo’s after the baseball game who felt the need to 1. Talk to me and 2. To hit on me and ask me to a “men’s only club” (as he so eloquently put it)…that is NOT cool on either account. The words NEVER and IN and MY and LIFETIME could not escape my mouth faster.
10. I sure did miss the heck out of my girlfriend. We did talk several times per day and text each other…but it’s not the same. A forewarning…our relationship is a great one, but right now it is under wraps for a few reasons, but the day that it is no longer…there will be a blog strictly about her. This is a warning. I think it’s already entitled “Knock You Down.” So…yeah…just warning you. You may want to skip that one if you don’t like to read sappy lovey dovey stuff.
11. Coming home to go to game night on Saturday night was fun! I got to meet Sheena’s wonderful husband Manuel, V’s good friend Krystel and her husband Mike (who not only made the best brownies ever, but was funny as HELL) and a few other people (sorry terrible with names) but they were all really nice and it made a great week…into an awesome week. It is always good to see good friends and make new ones!

Rachael Real Moment – San Francisco… So yeah…a New Kids on the Block concert. I own up to it, I went…and had a TON of fun…unexpectedly of course. I thought it would just be the band singing a few songs, but unexpectedly the Jabbawockeez were there and Jesse McCartney was as well. It was cool being in the V.I.P. area. Never been important enough to be in those areas. Meeting the band was cool as I stated before. I told Donnie that I thought he was a great actor…especially in my FAVORITE mini-series of all time…Band Of Brothers. Jordan was Cool as well. The others…didn’t talk to them that much. The concert itself was good. I got bored at one point and really zoned out. The girls around us were shrieking and freaking out. There were older women (I saw some as old as 70 possibly) and younger (maybe as old as 4 or 5) and there were surprisingly a lot of guys in the crowd. The other parts of the weekend I got to see wonderful high school friends (MacKenzie, Erika, Heather, Andrea Abegg, and Jenny Noeldner), sleep in, drink, and just enjoy a part of the country I rarely visit. My high school is one that was small and close knit, so we all generally keep in touch and it is always, always good to see my high school friends (and some were middle school friends as well). I got to see the beach…although it was cold as hell, and other parts of San Francisco.

Eugene Sports thought of the Day – #725 on my life’s list of things to see…is now complete. And that…was to see a no-hitter in person. One in which I NEVER thought I would see. Weeks ago I asked to go to the baseball game because I saw Randy Johnson was pitching (I have seen Randy Johnson pitch in 7 different cities) so I thought it would be cool to see him. Well…he got hurt last week and this guy Jonathan Sanchez who was 2-7 with a 5.30 ERA ...steps in. In the first few innings, dude was dealing some heat. And even through the 7th inning I was not convinced it would happen as a No-Hitter had been broken up just the day before in the same ballpark between the same teams in the 8th inning (note: by this time this guy Lee and I were patrolling around the park looking for shots and finally we settled on shots of Vodka…yuck.) By the first half of the 8th inning we were back and we watched what could have been a PERFECT game ruined by a dropped ball in the infield. Then the 9th inning, the place was electric. Only about 25,000 people were in attendance, but by the 9th inning, I swear every seat was filled. 1, 2, 3 outs later…No Hitter complete. The place was on FIRE! I am happy for the guy. His father flew in to visit him and saw the game…and history also. First Giants pitcher to have a no hitter since 1976. Amazing! And I was there to witness it….I often think about how things work out…and I always know that God puts us in the right places at the right time. (This is an actual picture from the game to the right of this link)

Pete Thought of The Day – Mini-Rant for a second. I hold grudges…badly. When people upset me or make me mad (that is a funny looking word for the record), I hold grudges. I don’t ask a lot from anyone…I do more for a lot of my friends than a normal friend would…and when I ask them to do something and it doesn’t happen or they go against my wishes of what I ask them to do or NOT to do…I get angry and I hold a serious grudge. I know, I know…forgive and forget…but it is very hard to do that especially because I give so much. I think sometimes people take my niceness as a sign of weakness and try to push my buttons and get away with things. I will not tolerate it. I am NOT a pushover and you will feel my wrath if you decide to test my limits. When I have had my say….leave me alone and allow me to get over it without constantly asking “are you mad? Are you O.k.?” That “ish” alone will cause me to keep being pissed off and the longer it drags on…the closer you are to losing me as a friend. Rant over.

Mindy Moment – 3 years since I have been in a meaningful relationship. Built a lot of friendships with both men and women. But there are some things that need to change. I hold my current relationship near and dear to me. This relationship is one that I have waited for all of my life. It has everything that I could truly have dreamed of in my lifetime…a.k.a….my dream girl. So with that, I must excuse myself from a few things including closing the offices of one Black Dr. Phil, and being overly friendly. I will still be your friend, but the dynamics of my life have changed for the better and I realize that sometimes things that I say and do can be misconstrued especially towards women and I do not want to make my girlfriend feel uncomfortable or uneasy. So understand where I am coming from.

Julie Happy Thought of the Day – I am excited about the trip to Vegas this weekend to see my brother Michael get married. This is a day I NEVER thought would come. My parents (who are surprisingly doing well considering the year we’ve all had) will be there and they get to meet my girlfriend for the first time. That is exciting and makes me nervous at the same time. My brother Michael met her on Sunday. Plus I haven’t been to Vegas in a while and it’s always, always a good time. First time going with my parents since like 2001 and my favorite nephew of all time will be there, Silas (my younger brother Mario’s son.) So exciting all around!

Tracy Tad Bit O’Knowledge – It happens to everyone else and I make fun of them. Epic Fail. So I will call myself out. 3 EPIC FAILS in less than 12 hours.

1. Last night as I walked my girlfriend out to her car, I wanted to run to my car afterwards to get Jordan’s lunch box out of the car and to get some detergent out and have enough time to wave at her as she passed by…well I ran through the rocks, somehow hit this gigantic tree stump…and nearly tripped and killed myself (note: I did NOT fall) but I did rip the entire front skin off of my big toe and half the nail. EPIC FAIL 1. Took me half an hour to get the skin off and clean up the affected area.
2. This morning…cooking eggs for Jordan. Put them in the skillet and after a few minutes wondered why they weren’t cooking…dumb me forgot to turn on the stove. EPIC FAIL 2
3. Occurred right afterwards as I realized I did not put any cooking spray on the skillet to keep the eggs from burning. EPIC FAIL 3. Had to make a new batch.

There I called myself out.

Misty Movie Reviews –

Last of The Mohicans - (Note the link to the left takes you to the feature film on HULU.). I first saw this movie in 10th grade in my history class. For anyone that knew Mrs. Wilbanks, she had a thing for Daniel Day Lewis and by thing, I think she would have raped him if given the opportunity. Either way, this movie…amazing. I love everything about it. Daniel Day Lewis is such a bad ass in this movie. A period piece about three trappers that protect a British Colonel’s daughter in the French and Indian war. Such a great movie. 5 stars for sure.

Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey – (Note: The link to the left takes you to the feature film on HULU.) Want to laugh at dumb stuff…give this a watch. I happen to love this movie. It certainly takes you back to when Keanu was virtually a stoner. Plus…they meet the easter bunny in this one! Awesome. 3 stars!

JJ Song of the Week – Today’s song is one of my favorites of all time. It’s a song that reminds you to always look toward the future, never give up…and to keep your eyes on your prize…because no one can steal your dream.

Aerosmith’s Dream On from the 1993 Album Aerosmith.

Mary Random Facts – Some useless facts for your everyday life....

1. Of is the only word in which an "f" is pronounced like a "v".
2. Balneology is the science of swimming pools.
3.Toronto, Ontario was home to the biggest swimming pool in the world in 1925. It held 2000 swimmers, and was 300ft x 75ft. It is still in operation.
4. The Olympic was the sister ship of the Titanic, and she provided twenty-five years of service.
5. Slot Machines: When you rearrange the letters: "Cash Lost in 'em"
6. A Decimal Point: When you rearrange the letters: "I'm a Dot in Place
7. Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.
8. The fingerprints of koala bears are virtually indistinguishable from those of humans, so much so that they could be confused at a crime scene.
9. Months that begin on a Sunday will always have a "Friday the 13th
10. Bulletproof glass really isn't. Repetitive attacks will eventually penetrate the glass, but it does offer a little time to get
11. Chuck Norris Fact of the day – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is based on a true story: Chuck Norris once swallowed a turtle whole, and when he crapped it out, the turtle was six feet tall and had learned karate.
12. Bonus Chuck Norris Fact: Chuck Norris doesn't shower, he only takes blood baths.

Hulu Pick of the Day – Is this show called WareHouse 13. It’s about these two Secret Service Agents recruited to take care of weird and unexplained phenomena living in our society. These artifacts pop up all over the U.S. and are housed in a warehouse in South Dakota. They artifacts are alien or supernatural in nature. The show was certainly interesting. You can catch the 2 hour series premiere on the link above.

Video Links – (powered by Break.Com and Youtube.Com and Hulu.Com) This just proves I have WAAAAAY too much time on my hands….

America’s Got Talent Million Dollar Act an amazing illusion (2:45) Hulu
My son Jordan in the car… (:35) Youtube
Vodka tricks (1:10) Break
Garbage can full of water (2:29) Break

Jordan Quote of the week –

"If a man does his best, what else is there?"
- General George S. Patton (1885-1945)

"Do, or do not. There is no 'try'."
- Yoda ('The Empire Strikes Back')

V Spanish Word of the Day –The V word of the day exists because randomly my beautiful hispanic girlfriend will break out a spanish word in the middle of an english sentence and I am like whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!?

Today’s word: pata

Pata – As in foot. As in my Pata hurts. (which it really does…stupid tree stump).

Coming Attractions –

Today – I am in the office today. I am working, but not really working. Hitting the gym after work and doing some cleaning of my desk at home. Possibly rearranging the place. Cooking dinner (spaghetti) and hanging with Jordan.
Wednesday – At home working. Probably surfing HULU all day. Yep, I think that sums it up. Hanging with Jordan.
Thursday – In the office. I have to pick up like 6 tuxedos for the wedding. Yay for me?
Friday– In the office, blogging I think. Off to Vegas in the afternoon. Then I think there is a bachelor party.
Saturday – Sleeping in, hanging with family, picking up my girlfriend from the airport and going to a wedding. I don’t foresee much sleep this night.
Sunday – an early morning flight back to Phoenix (I think we leave at 8) followed by a random day of sleeping and not doing much else.

The end - Of the blog is here! I hope that each of you have a wonderful day and that your week goes by so smoothly and quickly so that we can call get to the best part…the weekend. Thank you so much for reading…keep smiling…God bless you…I love you…