The 4-minute feast

One thing I have gradually noticed since becoming a new dad is that it is extremely difficult to enjoy your meals.  Prior to Troy being born, I could eat at a leisurely pace, and, providing I wasn't shoveling for some reason, I could savor every bite.

Now, I shovel by default.  It's like eating has become a distraction that might keep me from leaping to Troy's rescue, should he ever need my help.  My objective now is not to savor the meal, but to finish it as quickly as possible so that I can focus on the little boy.  Really, I guess I'm just trying to finish my hot food, uninterrupted, before the little tyke starts screaming and causes me to have to resume eating 1 hour later when the food is all cold and soggy.

I see now why leaving the baby at home with the babysitter while mom and dad go out to dinner can sometimes be a good thing.

A couple of congratulatory remarks are in order

A friend from college, Pauly, and his wife Valerie just notified us that they are expecting their first child.  Here's to a healthy and happy pregnancy!

Also, I just received exciting news from another college friend, Sean.  In addition to accepting a big promotion at his current job, he just became engaged to his long-time girlfriend Colleen.

Congrats!!!

It was a great day

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Many thanks to my family for coming over to celebrate.  Little Man got me a new 22.5" Weber One Touch Silver charcoal grill (how did he know???), and we used it to 'cue up some juicy cheeseburgers.  Coupled with the various side dishes and ice cream brought by the guests, we had an awesome early summer BBQ.

I couldn't have asked for a better day.

Vegas

So I spent the past weekend in Vegas at my buddy Dan’s bachelor party.

It was fun.

The end.

(Congrats, Dan!  Can’t wait for the wedding.)

Edit:  Much like my high school reunion, seeing most of these guys in Vegas was like a time warp.  I hadn’t seen the groom-to-be, Dan, in almost 3 years.  Similarly, I have seen the other guys only sparingly since we graduated — like, maybe once per year.  But after the initial "Oh, hey, what are you doing now?" chit chat, it was just like being back in college, hanging around the house, or being in a chapter meeting, shooting the shit.  The only difference I noticed was that we can now afford NOT to pack 15 smelly dudes into one hotel room.  That’s one change I am overwhelmingly happy to embrace.

It’s a great feeling to be able to pick up right where you left off, even though much has changed over the years.

Toyota: 1, Pigeon: dead

So I'm barreling down Industrial Way at 327 50 MPH last night when I see two pigeons camped out in the middle of my lane. 

"Oh, no problem," I thought to myself.  "They have plenty of time to get up and fly away."

I get closer.  No movement.

I get closer still.  Bird #1 makes like he's going to start thinking about moving.  Bird #2 doesn't budge.

Closer and closer.  Bird #1 gets the hell out of Dodge before he has a Toyota emblem tattooed on his forehead.  Bird #2 continues to scratch his ass crack.

I'm now literally within 10-20 feet of Bird #2, who is still on the road.  Finally, at this point, he decides it might be a good idea to move (though I question whether it was because he saw me.  My theory is that he saw a discarded cigarette butt on the other side of the road and just went for it.)

I think you can see where this is going.

I obliterated that stupid bird like nobody's business.  When I looked in my rear view mirror, all I saw was a dead pigeon carcass bouncing along the side of the road.  Feathers were falling back down to the ground.  It was grisly.

My immediate concern did not lie with that bird, though.  If it's too blind, deaf, and stupid to get the hell out of the way, well, then, that's just too bad.  No, I was concerned about the front of my Tacoma.

I pulled into the parking lot of my destination, the Galleria.  I got out of my truck and slowly inched my way around to the front, dreading what I was about to see.  Amazingly, there wasn't one scratch or dent.  The only sign of a collision was two lonely feathers dangling from the grille.  That's it.

So, Toyota, kudos to you for your superior engineering skills.  That was one hell of an impact that my truck sustained, and it is no worse for the wear.

And all you pigeons out there?  Let that be a lesson to you.  I'm driving a lean, green, pigeon-eliminating machine, so you best get out my way, beeyotch.  I'm gunning for you.

It looks good on you, though!

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Too bad the picture turned out so blurry.  That's an actual outfit on display at Macy's in Roseville.  Ugly-ass plaid shorts, paired with a green polo with yellow and blue stripes.

Seriously?  Macy's?  Are you guys even trying anymore?

As Happy Gilmore said, if I saw myself in clothes like those, I'd have to kick my own ass.