Help

I would like to restore a classic car over the next couple of years and I need input. These are the Cars I think would be cool, any other ideas?

'69 Dodge Charger (General Lee from Dukes of Hazzard)
Early 50's Chevy Pickup
Classic Mini Cooper
Early 50's Studebaker convertible
Model A Ford (20-30's)
68 Mustang

I think a convertible would be cool to drive around, but so would a muscle car, or Studebaker (get it Stud Baker, if I left out the E?!)

Any other ideas? Comments?

Christmas Tree

This year we went to the "Children's Miracle Network" to buy our tree. The money goes to Charity so we didn't mind spending a few more dollars. The sales man said something about a citrus smelling tree that looked like a Hershey Kiss. We usually just get a Douglas fir, they are cheaper and look the same. Well, I bought the more expensive tree, against my better (and cheaper) judgement.

I now have more pine needles than carpet fiber in my living room. Despite watering it every day and keeping the kids away, the pine needles were Jumping off the tree like lifeboats on the Titanic.

So, Last night was it. We have plugged up our old vacuum bag with needles and decided to take the tree down. Bridget held the tree as I unscrewed the base. I lifted the tree, headed for the door and hauled it to the dumpster.

As I got closer to the dumpster, I noticed it getting lighter. After disposing of the tree, I followed the trail of pine needles to the house. We spent the next half hour cleaning the needles and now our house smells like the mountains.

This morning, I was taking other trash to the dumpster, I noticed my tree, naked, lonely and nearly needleless lying on a pile of melting snow and gave it a shake. Not a needle fell!

Lessons Learned this Christmas season:
1. Never buy the more expensive tree, it will shed worse, cost more and be just as big a mess to clean up.
2. Tree clean up makes your house smell great!
3. If you don't want to clean up needles after taking the tree down. Lay it on a bed sheet and wrap it up.
4. If you really don't want to clean up needles, either set the tree up outside, or shake it needleless before bringing it in the house.
5. I am not sure... but if you were to burn one of the trees in front of the the others at the tree stand, you might be able to scare the other needles into staying on.

Happy Boxing Day!

Marty McFly and 1985

Bridget and I were discussing some of the good books we have read recently. I was telling her what a fan I was of the Classics and how I graduated from high school and college without having to read them. I am currently trying to make up for that. I have read Crime and Punishment, Les Miserable, Animal Farm, Count of Monte Cristo, The Invisible Man, All the Sherlock Holmes stories, and countless others.

Before reading George Orwell for the first time, I thought 1984 was the prequel to Back to the Future trilogy.

Snow Day

So today is Sunday. I was called to shovel the sidewalks at church. On my way in, I heard NPR. They were announcing what churches were cancelled! We are the only church with services on THE SUNDAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS.

The major roads aren't that bad, but the neighborhoods are pretty slick. It took me 45 minutes to get my car into the garage without hitting anything or getting stuck.

I remember getting excited about no church as a kid. I think I would be bummed if they canceled it today! (Especially now that I a wearing my Sunday Clothes and tie.)

Merry Christmas everybody. (Is sledding in my own backyard with Eli breaking the Sabbath?)

Snow

How sad is it that I have never had Snow Ice Cream until today?

I was raised with snow every winter, sledding, snow forts, snowball fights, home made Ice rinks, Icicle wars, snowman mutilation, tubing, hickbobbing, donuts, fishtails, driving on frozen lakes, tubes behind trucks, drift tunneling, drift jumping, ER visits for frostbite/stitches/injuries from sledding, barefoot racing around the house, snow days, ice immersion-jacuzzi jumping, and ice fishing and Yet never had Snow Ice Cream?

My TEXAN wife introduced me to it! And it is GOOOOD!

Clearly my superior.

By the way, my phone is now working intermittently so if you need me feel free to call.

Sprint and Nextel

So, I was a T-Mobile user before getting married and switching to Sprint. I don't really care about providers, I figure if I want to drop calls and spend my minutes asking "is that better," than any service would be fine.

And for the most part I can't tell a difference.

Recently, Dora found my PDA/Phone and thought the little buttons and connections tasted good. Now my phone doesn't work. So, I needed a new one. Here is what I have found out:

1.Sprint on the phone customer service is an oxymoron, and I mean MORON. I spent 45 minutes on the phone to find out I should just go to Bust Buy and get a new phone for full price.
2. Best Buy cant sell me a phone without a new contract.
3. The Sprint store on Union Deposit Street Harrisburg has apparently no cell phones to lend, borrow, buy, or steal. And the Solitaire on their computer was more important than this paying customer. They told me to go to THE OTHER STORE!
4. THE OTHER STORE informed me that because my area code was 254, I would have to go back to Texas to get a new phone and they couldn't help me. Their manager was too busy texting his girlfriend to even make eye contact in the store!
5. A different Sprint store told me to go to their sister branch and they could get me a used phone.

So SPRINT and NEXTEL.... Probably aptly named because I will sprint to the next cell company that comes along.

If you work for Sprint, why is it hard to find someone that is either competant or motivated?

Also, if you are trying to get a hold of me... use the home phone please.

HOT Dogs

So, I recently learned something.

The hot dogs at K-Mart are not worth eating. Last week, Eli hadn't had dinner yet and we were running errands. I was also hungry so we got hot dogs. K-Mart has one of these little cafe things where they have slushies, nachos, and hot dogs. From what I could tell they had been under the heat lamp at least 4-6 days, so long in fact, that instead of being plump and juicy, they were shriveled and leathery. It was more like Dog Jerky than Hot Dog. Which brings us to the meat: I don't know what goes into a hot dog, I prefer not to know. As long as it is juicy and tasty, I
don't care if it is pork, beef, or chicken skin. This hot dog however, had a grainy texture that was either sawdust, or dog meat.

You are probably blaming me for where I got the food. Well, you would be right. I mean if you want a steak you don't go to McDonald's, if you want Shrimp you don't go to Wendy's, and if you want good food, you don't go to Taco Bell.

Well, as any connoisseur of hot dogs knows, the best ones come from the most questionable places: street vendors, sporting events, and Wienerschnitzel. K-mart falls into that category. If any hot dog has the potential, it is the questionable rotisserie, recycled grease, and underpaid employee at K-Mart.

I gambled, I lost.

Eli Lost too... as the contents of his stomach ended up in his bed the next morning.

Stay tuned for a helpful homemaking tip: remove the hot dog chunks before putting sheets in the washer. They do not dissolve like I thought they would and Bridget did not appreciate my "help" when she had to pick them out later.

Eli's Bed

I got Eli up from his nap.

He was happy to see me.

He showed me a wet spot on the bed.

He then informed me it "rained" on his bed.

Yeah... I need to go change the sheets.

Update

The night shift.

I have no Idea when I am supposed to eat. Working nights means my day starts at 10pm and ends at 7am. So I sleep from 8a. the problem is my body jerks awake at noon and tells me to wake up. The frustrating thing is that dinner is now at 7 am, and breakfast at 1pm. Well, Eggs and toast at Noon seems wierd, steak at 7 am seems odd too.

Cold cereal can be eaten at any time, but isn't really filling or lasting so if I don't eat a decent meal at 7am, I wake up hungry. Then I don't know when to eat my meal before work. As a result, I eat 5 meals perday and still seem hungry. Does anyone have any Ideas of a good meal that can be eaten at any time of the day? (steak and eggs, waffles, cold cereal are all I could come up with)

In other news, Bridget, Eli and Dora all come home today! wahoo!

No more lonely house!
Christmas music is on the Radio!
I got the decorations down!
I put the decorations from thanksgiving away!
I have 7 months left of residency!
I finished "the invisible man," "Treasure Island," and "Dr Jekly and Mr Hyde." and am starting on "David Copperfield"
I bought a motorcycle and will post pictures soon
I miss my wife.