Some work is better than no work

So, starting on Monday I will be working with my sister and BIL doing different things. Basically whatever it is they need done. Whether it is yard work at a house, cleaning out the house, going to the dump, or just doing errands for them. They are really helping me out in these bad times. Sunday night I head out to their house and leave the wife and kids home as my kids have one week left of school before their break. Then I will come back and pick them up and we will be staying on the other side of town in my sister's old house so we save money on utilities at our house and gas money back and forth.

Still nothing on the Army side and I am pretty sure it won't be until sometime in January. I mean, who would want to hire someone and then turn around and pay them for the Holiday days they get off? So my assumption is sometime in January.

I watched WANTED a few days ago and that is an awesome movie. Also saw the new BATMAN, you know, THE DARK KNIGHT. Heath Ledger was awesome in his role and Aaron Eckhart did amazing as well. I was disappointed with Christian Bale's acting though, especially when he was Batman. I still have STEP BROTHERS to watch.

Well that is it for now. Do your shopping and have a Merry CHRISTmas.

Almost to 100

Today is post number 97. 3 more to go to hit 100. I know, I don't post as often as some people, but, hey, at least I do get on. Monday, I told my First Sergeant I was not coming in anymore if I wasn't getting paid. Luckily, my sister has offered to help me out a little until I do get "the call". It is better than sitting there and telling them to pay me when I come in when I know, they just can't do it. So, I willbe helping my sister and Brother-In-Law out until I do get the call.

Nothing going on at home in the meantime. Today I will be working on my car and van trying to get them both "operational" or "street legal" so I won't get pulled over or have them die on me. Friday afternoon/evening I will be going to Phoenix to drop the kids off at my mom's to have her bake christmas gifts with them. Then I will go see my sis and BIL to discuss working with them. So as far as right now, the military is on the back burner until they call me.

I am told it is soon

That is what I keep hearing. My paperwork is at the highest point right now for this position and after talking to a few Soldiers that work in this building, they tell me if that is where the paperwork is, I will get the job, it's just a matter of getting the call. So, again, I just sit and wait. I will be receiving some pay next Wed which will cover my rent for this month plus late fees, but mid-month bills are coming in as well. Not to mention my car died on me yesterday and now I have to get that repaired as well. I am hoping it is only the battery, but I was able to get it home where it sits dead. I am driving my other vehicle around with no driver side window, which means I can't really go anywhere and leave the vehicle un attended. It's ok to drive to work as we are in a gated facility, but grocery stores or anything, no.

Other than all the bad luck I have had since Oct 1st, I guess we are still surviving. I am hoping 2009 will be a better year. Since I only worked the military this year, I am hoping to have my taxes done in January. That would really help out especially if I haven't received the call by then. The kids will be starting winter recess soon in about 2 weeks from today. Maybe I'll take one too if I haven't received the call by then.

Still no news

I am still not seeing my pay show up. Normally I see it a week out, but due to the Thanksgiving Holiday, I am hoping I still get paid Friday as planned so i can pay my rent. I received word back that they are going to try to put me in for orders for the next few weeks to get pay in as well, but I'll believe it when I see it. Otherwise, I am not coming in after this weekend. I can't. I just have no other options, no more money for gas, nothing. I may even have to look for a job in this area just to get by until I get "the call". Which I am beginning to wonder if it will come at all this year.

Last night, just watched my usual shows. CHUCK, HEROES, and CSI: MIAMI. The kids begin their Winter Recess Dec 21-Jan 5 I believe it is. I just hope something comes in as far as money so we can still do Christmas. I understand that we are in a recession and there are a lot of people out there that have nothing and lost everything, but the military was supposed to take care of me. I just don't think they realize what they have done to me and my family.

Enough woe is me. I just don't want to be one of the many that have lost everything and end up on the streets. There is at least one way I can make sure my family is taken care of, but that is something that I would not even want or wish for.

Crossing my fingers

I came into work this morning crossing my fingers that hopefully I will get "the call" this week, or at least show that I am getting paid this week. Unfortunately, neither has happened so far. I did receive an e-mail today that my higher ups have called HIGH up and found out that the place to call me is backed up right now and have not gotten to my paperwork yet. What does this mean? Well, for starters, it means it is now out of the hands of California where it has been and is now in the final stage. All I can do now is pray that it happens soon.

Tomorrow a few good movies come out, but I can't get them yet. PRINCE CASPIAN and STEP BROTHERS are 2 that I remember off the top of my head. I can't remember if the new BATMAN comes out or not. Don't have too much going on right now as I am waiting for everything to happen. My daughter has a Dr. Appointment Wed for her well check and Friday I take my boys and wife to the Dr. for their flu shots. Better late than never, I guess. I had to shave my head this past weekend as I have no money to get a real haircut and I have drill this coming weekend.

Finally heard from my little sis and made sure she is doing ok. Still have to find flight info for my grandparents to come out in Feb time frame. Nothing else going on now.

Thanksgiving weekend

So for Thanksgiving, I drove for 2 hours to go to my sister's house for Thanksgiving with all the families. We got to see her new house, which is nice. I found out the day before that my little sister lost her baby after a little of 2 months of being pregnant. I have been trying to contact her, but I am unable to at this time. I hope she is doing alright.

I watched a few movies. SPACE CHIMPS, which was pretty neat. HANCOCK, pretty good for not being based off of a comic book. TWO TICKETS TO PARADISE was pretty funny throughout the whole movie, but the ending was stupid. The last one I watched was FRED CLAUSE. That was hilarious. Vince Vaughn is awesome. New movies are coming out Tuesday, but I will be unable to get any for awhile until I get paid.

Yesterday we sat around because it was black friday and I just didn't want to deal with it. This is the first year out of the last ten that I did not work retail and I couldn't shop because I had no money. Today, just lounging around. Well, I gotta go and deal with the kids. Til next time.

Still waiting...

At least I received an e-mail this morning that they will pay me some money, but it will probably be the end of next week that I get it. Other than that, I still don't hear anything. I really doubt I would get the "call" this week as it is a holiday week. I just hope it happens soon.

Nothing new to talk about lately. My brother and sister are thinking of flying the grandparents out in Feb. So it is my responsibility to look for the lowest price/airfare and everything. I found a few good ones, but it would be a drive for them to get to the airport so one of my uncles would probably have to drop them off and pick them up.

Looks like I will head out early today as my daughter is having a Thanksgiving party in her class and the parents are invited. Later tonight I have a conference call for the military so I hope it doesn't interfere too much with my shows. I think it is during the time FRINGE is usually on, but I think it is off the air until Jan. We shall see.

Good News or No News?

That is what I am wondering. I have been trying to follow up for the last few weeks on what is going on with this"job". Today, I just finally sent an e-mail up to let them know I can't keep doing this. I don't have rent, I can't make my car payment. I told them because of them I will have a repossession causing me to lose my security clearance and I will be homeless because I can't pay my rent. I should have done this awhile ago because now they are trying to jump through loops to get me money. I told them I can't keep coming in, but the only reason I do is to take care of the Soldiers. If I wasn't here, they wouldn't take care of them. All I need now is for them to call me, offer me the job and send my sign-on bonus immediately so Christmas can be saved.

I'm tired of seeing bank bailouts and now the car industry asking for a bailout. How about a taxpayer bailout? I mean, it is the taxpayers money, right? It is the taxpayers paying the money and almost every year a tax increase imposed on the taxpayers. It is the taxpayers that are hurting first hand which trickles over to everyone else i.e. auto industry, banks, etc. Bailout the taxpayers and that will get the economy going again.

In a few days it will be Thanksgiving, a time to give thanks. Unfortunately, the only thing I will have thanks for is that I still have a family. It is just unfortunate that the way things are going here and now in todays world, One is worth more dead than alive.

Yeah, another weekend

Well, I did get some money in today for the drill I did a couple of weeks ago. So I get to go grocery shopping and stuff. Thinking about taking the family to go see BOLT today at the theaters. Still waiting on the call as well. Doesn't matter how I look at things know because either way, I am screwed. Might as well make sure the family can eat and spend some time with them before all hell breaks loose.

My daughter and I got our flu shots yesterday. Boy, did she scream. I think it was more that she looked at the needle going in than the pinch itself. Of course I got my flu shot, as well as my tetnus shot. My arm is a little sore today.

Had a meeting this morning for my youngest son's IEP. He is in first grade and still in speech, but they say he should be done with everything before the school year is finished. They also gave me his progress report. The first quarter he only had two B's and the rest A's. Right now he has all A's. Hopefully my older son has improved as well. I promised them if they stayed on the Honor Roll all year, I would take them to Seaworld. It is a lot cheaper than Disneyland or Lego Land. Since I am in the military, we all get into Seaworld for free. So it is just gas and food I have to pay for. We have gone a couple of times before in the past couple of years and made it a day trip. Drive there early morning come back late at night.

Hope this weekend has a positive outcome. Maybe I'll win the lottery....yeah, right. One can hope though.

Tired

Yeah, I'm tired. Lack of sleep. I am also tired of the way things are going right now. Can't I just get a break? I am honestly debating about calling the higher ups and telling them I refuse to come in anymore until they pay me. The only reason I do at this point is to take care of the Soldiers. If I don't come in, I leave them high and dry and things don't get done for them. I just feel like I am breaking my back to take care of other people, but I am not getting it returned. Hopefully it comes back to me in a very large sum. I mean, who knows, once funds become available, they could back pay me, right? I know wishful thinking.

Nothing much to really post about. Nothing has happened in the last 24 hours to write about. Maybe tomorrow.

Still Waiting...

So I get an e-mail today from higher up saying they are going to check in on why I haven't been called yet for this position. I just really hope it happens soon. Like this year, before Christmas, before Thanksgiving, before the end of the week.

Yesterday was my daughter's first day of school. She really enjoyed going and had no troubles being dropped off or picked. Of course at the end of school the teacher came to tell us that she tested her limits. Of course she did, she's my daughter. No, I didn't say that, just thought it. Along with thinking this is only the FIRST day. Who knows, maybe she will be like the boys. They are themselves at home, but at school they are perfect angels. At least at the Parent/Teacher conferences we always have to ask if they are talking about our child.

Yesterday I rented and watched TROPIC THUNDER. It was pretty funny and has a lot of adult humor in it as well as profanity. Aside from that, it was a good laugh. I had already seen WALL*E in theaters, which came out yesterday. Next week there will be a few I want to see. In two weeks, it will be PRINCE CASPIAN.

The rest of this week I have very little going on. Have to go to the DR. tomorrow for flu shot and tetnus shot. Friday morning I have to go to the boy's school for my youngest son's IEP with his speech. Nothing planned this weekend. Next week the kids go to school for two days only. From what I am hearing, I will probably be going to my sister's house for Thanksgiving. One of her houses anyways.

First day of school

Today is my daughter's first day of school. I know it is only pre-school and it is only for 3 hours, but, finally. She will do 2 years of pre-school before she can move on to kindergarten. Only because you have to be 5 years old before September 1st. With her birthday being in Novemeber, she will be six shortly after starting kindergarten.

Watched HELLBOY II yesterday. I didn't think it was that great, but then again, I didn't like the first one much either. I have been reading up that there is talks of a few movies getting ready to start filming, but won't be released until about 2010, 2011. They will be comic book movies of course. THE FIRST AVENGER: CAPTAIN AMERICA will be released followed by THOR. Shortly after that....THE AVENGERS which is made up of Captain America, Thor, Hulk, and Iron Man. Rumor is also that no more Batman movies will be made.

Well, don't really have any other plans this week except to go to the Dr. on Thursday. My daughter and I are going for shots. Flu shots for both of us and a tetnus for me. The wife and boys have to schedule an appointment next week for their shots. For some reason the Dr.'s office says they can only see 2 people a day from the same family. Doesn't make sense to me.

The things I do

Well, it was an interesting weekend. After getting paid last week for RSTs for future drill dates, I was able to pay all the mid-month bills, get a dog that I have promised the kids for a very long time, and get gas in the car and enough food to last. I get paid later this week for my drill I did over a week ago. Right now I am trying to get in touch with higher ups to send more money to cover my rent on the 1st. They keep telling me that I should get "the call" this week, but we shall see.

Saturday we had one of my oldest son's friends stay over that used to go to school with him in Glendale. His dad is in the Army as well so I picked him Sat morning from the unit and returned him Sun afternoon. On Saturday I went to Graham Central Station. Dave Pratt is a DJ for KMLE country here in Phoenix and he wrote a book about his 30 years on radio. I prebought the book which just went on sale today nationwide. On Saturday he was having a book signing party. So I went. It was from 12-5. I got there at 12, maybe 80-100 people in front of me. It took me 4.5 hours to get the signature. I was glad I didn't bring the whole family. Besides, you could only get in if you had the book.

Sunday I just lounged around and watched tv. There is one good thing about the dog we have. When I got it, they gave us a bunch of food with him, and because he is a small dog, he doesn't eat much. With the amount of food we have for him, I don't need to get anymore until next year. The dog does not chew on anything or what not. He basically sleeps a majority of the day. When the kids want to play, he'll play, otherwise, he'll leave you alone. Only time he barks is when he has been left home alone and we come home. One of the best dogs I have had yet.

Still have HELLBOY II to watch. Need to watch it before Tuesday because there are a couple coming out I want to see.

Finally, some good news

Well, not as far as my job and money coming in, but at least it is some good news. I went to a conference yesterday regarding my daughter going to preschool. We have taken her in twice for testing, once in August and once in September. They never contacted us and after the first time, I continuously called. That is when they decided to do a second testing of her. After the second time I decided to forget it, it's already well into the school year and they aren't going to contact us. Well, they did...last week, and set an appointment for yesterday to go over the results. On all the tests she is slightly above average. They have decided to accept her due to her communication skills though because even we can't understand her. So speech is the only reason they are taking her in. She starts next Tuesday and will be attending Preschool every Tues-Thur. I am happy about this as well so she can actually play with kids her age and start getting into the habit of being around other kids.

I watched JACK AND JILL VS THE WORLD yesterday. It has Freddie Prinze Jr in it. It started off good and had a good story to it. The ending wasn't one of those that ticked me off, but it seemed like they grasped for a way to end the movie. After I finished watching it, I went back to Blockbuster and picked up HELLBOY II and BEER FOR MY HORSES with Toby Keith in it. I know they already aired it on CMT and will probably continue to, but they cut parts of the movie out when they do that.

I am hoping to get "the call" next week to accept the civilian position I have been working and not getting paid. We'll just have to wait and see.

Boring

Didn't win the lottery again last night. Don't think I ever will. Still waiting for the call for this job I am working and not getting paid for. Rent is due in a few weeks. Thanksgiving is approaching which means Christmas is not far behind. I need a drink. Haven't had one for almost 2 weeks now. Got a new dog last week for the kids. It is like a terrier mix. 6 years old, house-trained-sleeps all day. Good dog. It didn't have a name, or at least the place we got it from didn't know it, so we named him Buddy. It was the kids idea. I told them they all had to agree on a name and that is what they came up with.

Yesterday I watched KUNG FU PANDA. It was alright, but not one of Dreamworks best. watched CRIMINAL MINDS last night, and it was a good episode. Still have one movie to watch before returning them to Blockbuster. JACK AND JILL VS THE WORLD starring Freddie Prinze Jr.

My wife had to go to the school after lunch as my oldest was "sick". Once she got there, he puked all over the nurses office. So, I guess he was sick. Called him out for today. Yesterday was my daughters birthday and she turned 4. Last night she started coming down with a fever as well. Hopefully it stops and the wife and I don't get sick.

No Title

Well, yesterday was Veterans Day. I went to downtown Phoenix to watch my son march in it. It was pretty crowded, but I am glad he was in the first 30% of the parade as we left right after he was finished. So I didn't have to deal with all the traffic. From what I saw of the parade, it was interesting. No, I di not go in uniform as I did not want to be continuosly stopped by people thanking me. Not that I am rude or anything, but I do get stopped a lot when I am in uniform on any other day. I know who I am and what I do and i know people are thankful. I don't need to wear my uniform to go places to hear it. I guess I am the type of person that doesn't need to hear it all the time. I did run into one of my soldiers while we were there and he showed up in his Dress Blues. He was continously getting stopped and pictures taken and saluting every time a flag went by (which was every entry in the parade). So, I was glad I did not wear my uniform.

Last night I watched THE LAZARUS PROJECT. No, it was not a religious movie. It stars Paul Walker, Linda Cardillini, and Piper Perabo. It was a good flick. It is listed as Action, but to me seemed more suspense. For a movie that did not hit theaters, it was a great rental.

Well, I am finishing on paying the utility bills for this month and watching my account drain. Now I just need to focus and hope I can get next months rent collected and paid on time. Hopefully next week I will get the call for this position and actually start getting paid regularly.

Money Monday

I wish. That title just sounded good. Went into work for a little bit this morning. Didn't really have to since it was supposed to be a 4-day weekend due to Veteran's Day. I got screwed anyways because I had drill this weekend. So I went in to finish up on stuff I couldn't get done over the weekend. My oldest plays in the parade in Phoenix tomorrow. Probably go and see that. Picked up a few movies today including KUNG FU PANDA. We'll see how that is.

I retook my PT test yesterday. Of course the only working out I have been doing was the wii fit. Plus Saturday night I went out and bought new running shoes because the last test I ran in skater shoes. You know, shoes that are flat and no cushion. I didn't go all out on the push ups and sit ups because I wanted to make sure I could pass the run. Normally I give every event my all, but due to the run last time, I didn't want to use all my energy and not have enough for the run. But, nonetheless, I passed. Still need to start running to improve that score and then I'll be comfortable. The sad part of all this, comparing to the PT test I took in May, I have gained 15 lbs since then. I need to lose weight now as well.

Anyways, that wraps it up for today. Probably post again in a few days.

Funny thing

So I watched GET SMART yesterday. If you are a big fan of the tv show, you will be disappointed just as all tv shows turned movie have been. If you have never seen the tv show, this is a good movie that will keep you laughing. It kind of had a story and kind of didn't. I like Steve Carrell as an actor so, it was pretty amusing to me.

A funny thing my wife told me about last night. Now, we have a wii and the wii fit board. Somehow, my oldest son and my wife got on the conversation of working out and trying not to lose weight too fast or something like that. My wife had said something to the effect of when she loses weight she loses her boobs. My son asked why and she explained that they mostly had fat in them. His eyes opened wide and asked " momma, is my diddle made out of muscle or fat?" I laughed for quite a while.

I received a hilarious text yesterday on my phone. Normally I do not forward texts or text too much because some people (like myself) get charged extra for texts. I could not resist forwarding this one and sending it to like 14 other people in my phone book. The text goes like this:

ALL WHITE PEOPLE MUST REPORT 2 THE COTTON FIELDS TOMORROW MORNING AT 7AM FOR ORIENTATION!

I was laughing so hard. The main reason is because of who I received it from. It was one of my soldiers in my unit that is african-american. Even funnier I sent it to another Army buddy and he called and told me he received the same text 3 times within 30 minutes from AZ, GA, and KY. Wow, that got around fast.

Anyways, that is it for today. Chow.

Christmas already?

Every year it is the same thing. It seems stores start Christmas earlier and earlier every year. I think they shouldn't start putting out Christmas stuff until after Thanksgiving. I mean, Christmas is one day, but the holiday expands for 3 months. The day after Halloween, all Halloween stuff was gone and replaced with Christmas stuff. I am never too excited about Christmas because it always makes me think of all the money I will be spending. So seeing the stuff for one month is easier to deal with than for three months.

I finally have some money coming in, but enough to cover the bills due mid-month. Hopefully I will be called soon for this position so they will start paying me and I can get rent paid for next month. "not knowing" is always the worst part.

I recently watched JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH with Brendan Fraser. That was a really good movie. I wished I would have seen it in theaters as it is in 3-D as well. If you buy the movie, it will give you 4 3-D glasses, but renting, you don't get that luxury. I also watched THE CONTRACT. It is not a new movie, it is 2 years old. I saw it on a preview of another movie and it looked interesting. It stars Morgan Freeman and John Cusack. It was good as well. Morgan Freeman plays a free-lance killer who gets caught and John Cusack is an average father that ends up getting him handed over to him by a dying law enforcement official. Part of Morgan's crew is looking for him to rescue him and John and his son are of course in danger as they have him. Check it out.

I picked up GET SMART last night and will be watching that. I got about 30 minutes into it last night before my shows came on. It is really funny so far. Only Steve Carrell could pull off the part of Max.

The Day has Cometh

Now, I want to see the african americans say how we are suppressing them and keeping them down. That is the only plus I see so far coming out from this election. Am I racist...no. I just think McCain's ideas and plans were better thought out than Obama's. The people have spoke and now I will have a new boss come January. Because I am in the military. So I hope and pray that God directs him with the wisdom to handle this new position for him.

On a side note, I noticed today money showed up in my bank account so it is in the positive right now. I also noticed I will have another check deposit next week. After that is a guessing game again. So we will just have to see how things go from here.

Election Deadline

Well, tomorrow is the big day. I will be taking tomorrow off as I will probably be standing in line for a few hours to vote. Tomorrow will decide our future or our fate. So tonight would be a great time to search for religion and pray to your god.

Got back from Tucson yesterday evening. It was actually more fun to be a part of the process than going through the process. Can't really go into detail on it. I'll be leaving early today to take my wife to an appointment and then shoot back quick to pick up the boys from school.

Halloween wasn't too bad. We started at 5:30 and ended by 7:00. We didn't hit as many houses as we had in the past in different neighborhoods and cities, but they all made out like bandits. Of course I try to teach the kids every year about government and "tax" them. It was something my brother told me he has done with his kids for years so I adapted it into our tradition a couple of years ago. Of course I don't treat them like the real government. I only take three or four pieces instead of 50% of what they get. And their tax return is greater than what I take all year. If only we had a government like that.

I have drill this coming weekend, but the good news is that I'll have Monday and Tuesday off next week as it will be Veteran's Day. My oldest will be in a parade with his school on Tuesday in downtown Phoenix. The school is bussing them down, so I don't know if I'll be able to go or not. We'll see.

Travel Day

Today is Halloween and I leave out to go to Tucson tonight. Didn't do much for the wife's birthday as we have no money. So I could only give her one gift. Well, I guess it was a gift for both of us. So tonight I take the kids Trick-or-Treating and then I leave out for the weekend. My daughter is going as Aurora from SLEEPING BEAUTY and my two boys will be the character from SCARY MOVIE. You know, the guy with the mask. It comes with a little heart pump you squeeze and blood goes around the face. As long as they have a good time, I'll be happy.

Found out today they just processed my pay for 5 days I sent out almost 2 weeks ago. So I'll probably get that money in two weeks when I get the money for going this weekend as well. I resubmitted for my TSP yesterday, so I hope that comes in sooner. All my bills are due around the 15th. Except my car insurance which is due tomorrow, so I hope they don't drop me.

Anyways, got to get things together to head out. Peace.

Halloween is tomorrow

Today is my wife's birthday. Can't do much because I have no money. I did get her this cute card though. It has a duck on the front and says "Have a Happy Birthday or I'll moon you" You open it up and it says "and I have an ugly buttquack". I thought it was cute. I am not one of those serious mushy types, so all cards I get are usually the funny ones.

Tomorrow is Halloween. The boys get to wear their costumes to school and have a Halloween party. Then I'll take them trick or treating around the neighborhood. Afterwards, I have to head out to Tucson for the weekend for the Army. I'll be back Sunday night and have to wait a week and a half to get paid. I am still in the process of cashing out my TSP, which is similar to a 401. Still not seeing anything coming in anytime soon.

Think I'll take off here in a bit since it is her birthday and spend time with her before the boys get out of school. Got to get her signature as well so I can cash out my TSP and send it in. Watched two good shows last night. CRIMINAL MINDS and CSI:NY. Did not watch the Obama infomercial as it would be a waste of time. After all, he is a waste of time. Well, don't forget to vote next Tuesday. And vote wisely.

Another Hump Day

Well, I am glad it is Wednesday. Tomorrow is the wife's birthday and Friday Halloween. Then I leave Friday night and head to Tucson for the Army for the weekend. Hoping to see money somewhere soon. I will not be able to do much until I start getting paid. Of course I am not desperate enough to rob a bank or anything. I don't think I could ever do that.

Boring shows last night. FRINGE was a repeat...already. We'll see about tonight. I jumped on the internet surf yesterday to check out what the propositions really mean and printed out a checklist to take with me. I don't know about all of you, but to me some of these props are confusing and the ads you see on tv seem like a good way to vote either way. Some of the people promoting the props are getting crafty on advertising.

Well, after next week we'll know if the world will be ending soon or if we can continue with the lives we live. Yes, I do mean some people believe Barrack Hussein Obama is the anti-christ. But, we'll see. In the meantime, get on your knees and pray and kiss your kids and tell them you love them. We could be in for one hell of a ride.

Wow, I might get paid

I finally received an e-mail that they are still waiting for funds, but they did put me on orders starting Oct 14 which means they will have to backpay me. Doesn't help me much right now, but at least it is a start. Still sitting here with a negative balance in my bank account waiting for my TSP to come in and about another week to receive money for five days as well as for the orders I'll be on this weekend. I just hope they get this all fixed...and soon.

Last night I watched CHUCK, HEROES, and CSI:MIAMI. They are all good shows, but will not be on next week. Although the election is on Tuesday next week, apparantly they will have something going on Monday night that they will not show normal programs. My daughter's birthday is coming up in two weeks. I am going to try to buy her the TINKERBELL movie that just came out today. Not much I can do, but at least it is something. My wife's birthday is in 2 days and I have to figure something out for that.

Tried out the WII FIT yesterday. Did it for like 20-30 minutes and it says I am 51 for my WII FIT AGE. A lot of it has to do with balance and posture. I like some of the games on it, though. That soccer one is a little difficult as well as the tightrope. I did pretty well on the ski jump and the rolling of the ball into the hole. It is pretty interesting. The whole family got into it last night.

Well, that wraps it up for today.

One of the best weekends

Yeah, this was one of the best weekends in a long time. Saturday I took the kids to their school for some community safety thing. It was alright and stuff for the kids to do. Later that night we went to SAN TAN REGIONAL MOUNTAIN PARK. They released an owl into the wild, had a costume contest and then we went on a trick or treat hike that was about 1 1/2 mile. Sunday went to the sister's house for the combined birthday parties of my youngest son, my daughter, my wife and mine. This will probably be the last time going out that way until maybe Thanksgiving...IF I get paid. My sister did buy a family present for us...the WII FIT since she knows we just bought a wii. I will probably hook it up and test it out today. I've been wanting to get it, but no money.

Both my boys made HONOR ROLL for the 1st qtr. Yes, it is a big deal if you know my boys. Hopefully they can continue it all year. I may make a deal with them that if both stay on HONOR ROLL all year we'll go somewhere or do something they want. As long as it is affordable of course. And if I have a job by then.

Still waiting to hear about money coming in. I did find out today though that I do have connections way up the ladder and just about to the top. So I may see if I can get some strings pulled. Well, that is about it for now.

Last PAYDAY for now...

Today is the last day I am expecting pay...for now. They are going to allow me to claim 5 days as well so I will another check coming in 2 weeks to help out with bills, but hopefully soon, we will know more. I watched JOYRIDE 2 yesterday and it was definately a B-rated movie. Picked up THE STRANGERS and THE INCREDIBLE HULK, so I have those two to watch yet. Yesterday went to my son's school for an award. He received Honor Roll for 1st qtr. I guess there is no such thing as Principal's List anymore as they referred to all A's as being the HIGH Honor Roll.

This weekend I am going to my sister's house for a combined birthday for my son and daughter. Really can't afford to do anything else these days. I just hope everything gets situated before Christmas comes. I am supposed to be traveling to Tucson here soon to help out with some Army units down there. Hopefully they don't expect me to be there on the friday night of that weekend because it will be Halloween. If I have to be there Friday night, I'll just go down late. We'll see. Nothing much else to write about today.

Traffic sucks

Today was the first time since I moved out this way three months ago that I experienced really bad traffic. I was on my way in to work and the road was closed, traffic was turning around. Now where I live, there is one road with 3 ways out of this area. So, I couldn't go west, I could only go east. Made the 2nd attempt to get to work and traffic is just stopped, barely inching. Great, I'm gonna run out of gas. So I had to flip a u-turn to go back to the gas station as there are no other gas stations on the way to work and I probably would have ran out of gas if I stayed there. Filled up on gas and headed further east to the 3rd way out. I made it through that way with no problems. I only had to drive an extra 10-15 miles to get to work and got there an hour after I usually get there, but then again, what does it matter, I'm not getting paid.

Yesterday one of my Army buddies gave me a late birthday present. 3 bottles of Modelo Especial, which is cerveza...beer. He also gave me a bottle of Anejo Tequila. Well, I got home and had the three beers. They were nice and gave me a pretty good buzz. I wonder how much they are for a 6-pack. I drank some of the tequila last night. I normally don't drink hard alcohol much anymore, but it was a present. I had 2-3 mixed drinks with less alcohol than I normally mix because after all, it is Tequila. Not even 1/4 of the bottle is empty and I was gone. I think I even went to bed early. So, I barely remember watching CHUCK last night and starting to watch HEROES, but after that, I believe I went to bed, or passed out, or blacked out.

Still have JOYRIDE 2 to watch and THE STRANGERS came out today. Have to go to the school early today as my youngest son is receiving an award for something. Let you know tomorrow.

Thank God it's Monday

Not too many people are heard saying that. This weekend, I decided to have a birthday party for my son, at my house, and the boys could stay the night. I tried thinking back to my childhood if we ever had a birthday party for me when I was younger or had sleepovers with more than one friend. I never recalled it and now I know why. My mama ain't stupid. It started at 2pm on Saturday. Non-stop roughhousing, running through the house, screaming, etc. It did finally die down after 6pm, but started up again after 7pm until I made them go to bed at about 11pm. And I promised my wife I wouldn't drink that night. Boy, was I ready for one though.

We also had this child come and the child's father said they would stay the night. I was staring at the child and wondering if it was a boy or a girl. Now the name was Elijah, but these days some names go both ways. The child was black and had long hair in a ponytail and the eyelashes were long, and, sorry, it looked like a girl. I had to pull my son to the side to ask him if it was a boy or a girl. The other funny thing is my daughter hung around him all night because she thought it was a girl too.

Watched WAR, INC last night with John Cusak. Kind of far fetched as what could be possibly real, but had a good story and action to it. I have JOY RIDE 2 to watch tonight. Tuesday THE STRANGERS is released with Liv Tyler. Still waiting to hear what is going on with my "job". Found out today we are still waiting for funds to put me on orders and they are hoping I get called for the position within the next two weeks, but they are willing to allow me to be paid for a week of drills just to have money come in. We'll see what happens.

Dangit, I didn't win the lottery

I even played the powerball and the pick and didn't get squat. Now that would have been a great birthday present. I bought a wii yesterday and my kids were excited. I even played a little and my arm hurts this morning.

My mom was the first to wish me happy birthday this morning. I would have even counted e-mails. Actually, my wife was the first, but I am talking outside of my house. Second was my best friend who at least texted me while he is sitting in court. That's it so far. So what do I have planned for my birthday? Not much really. Here at work for a little bit and then I'll go home. Maybe get movies since I haven't done that yet this week. Pick up the kids from school. Have an army buddy coming over tonight. Have a few drinks and call it an evening. Maybe get some more wii time in.

Watched part of the debate last night. Maybe the first 30 minutes before I decided it was boring and nothing new. I am not Joe Plumber and that seems to be what the debate was about. Either candidate gets elected, we're all screwed one way or another.

Well, I think I will wrap it up and take care of things before I head out.

Uggh

I thought I was done being sick, but I am still having chest congestion. My ribs are sore from coughing over the last few days. It seems when i drink Nyquil, I get through the night, so I will have to buy more now.

Yesterday was my middle child's birthday. He turned 7 and unfortunately, I had no money. Finally this morning I had money drop in the bank so I picked him up a few toys he wanted. I also went and picked up a Wii that I had promised the kids the last few months. At least the bulk of the cost is out of the way now. All I need to do now is buy additional games and accessories in the future, but hey, at least it is a start.

Tomorrow is my birthday. 34. Nothing new and nothing exciting. Debating on taking tomorrow off or not. Like I am getting paid anyways. Maybe I'll just pick up some beer tonight and celebrate. Yeah, just an excuse.

We are having a birthday party for my son this weekend with his school friends. The following weekend it will be with the rest of the family. Well, combining his and my daughter's birthdays since it is a long drive out there. Well, we'll see how it all goes. Maybe pick up some movies tonight too.

AZ has a football team?

I know they do, but they are off to a good start. All the predictions I heard at the beginning of the season was win the first two games because they were easy, and they did. Lose to the Jets and Redskins, they did. But defeating the undefeated Bills and then just beating the Cowboys in 1 minute into the overtime...what a play. No I don't get into football much anymore and I just happened to be on that channel with 2+ minutes in the 4th, so I decided to watch it, and I was impressed. Don't get me wrong, my favorite team is still the Minnesota Vikings, but the Cardinals do deserve a holler out to.

Watched SCORPION KING 2 this weekend and of course it sucked. My wife and I have been sick this past weekend...sinuses and chest congestion. I am better and she is getting over it, but now the kids are starting to come down with it. Taking today off since no pay has come in from the Army. My sister was finally reimbursed for the Family Day she did back in May and some of that money was mine, which I picked up, filled the car with gas, and went to get groceries. I am thinking of running over to Blockbuster to se if there is anything worth watching. I know all the new movies come out tomorrow, but I already saw the new INDIANA JONES movie that is released tomorrow.

Hoping my travel voucher drops tomorrow and then I call to pay to have my bed shipped out to us. Thinking of buying the kids a WII. Little bit of exercise while playing games. Tomorrow is my middle child's birthday and he will be 7. My birthday is 3 days away, but living out this way, no one to celebrate with...as far as friends and family. Yes, my wife and kids will be here to celebrate it with me. None of my army buddies would come hang out either. Oh, well. I guess it just comes with getting older.

Finally Friday

I am thinking of taking a few days off next week. Considering I am not getting paid right now, like it matters, right? Besides, I am on a half a tank of gas and no money drops until next Friday, which will cover my negative balance. Still waiting on 2 more checks to drop. Hopefully soon as my son's birthday party with his friends is next Saturday.

Last night was a dilemma. I watched SMALLVILLE, which I really am not too interested in, but is the best thing on at that time. But at 8:00, it was a hard decision. The season premiere of CSI or THE OFFICE. It was a hard decision to make, but I guess I'll wait for THE OFFICE to hit DVD to catch up on it. After all, this is CSI's last season. For those that missed it, yes, WARWICK is dead. After CSI I watched a new show called ELEVENTH HOUR. I like this show. It is similar to X-FILES and FRINGE minus the science fiction. It is more science based and deeper into science than CSI. Instead of them being law enforcement, they are FBI. Tonight is a new NUMB3RS. I have really started getting into that show as well.

This weekend there are no plans as there is no money. Probably just play some more of PIRATES OF THE CARRIBBEAN online. I'm almost 50% done with the game after 2 months. I don't play everyday though, but I do play for 5-6 hours at a time when I do play it. The kids go back to school next week after having this week off for Fall Break.

If I were a rich man...

I probably wouldn't be doing blogs. I don't know what I would do if I were rich. I would still work though because investing money would be a bad idea these days. I would work just to have a little bit come in. I would probably vacation a lot, but it would be difficult with kids in school. Ah, heck, what am I thinking, I'd never be rich.

Speaking of money, you ever go to work and wonder if they are going to pay you? I sent my paperwork a week and a half ago for them to submit so I could get paid and found out they just sent the paperwork up yesterday. Which means another week and a half before I get paid. It sucks when you are sitting on a half of tank of gas, negative balance in the bank, and waiting for money as bills stack up. The plus side is I receive three paychecks within a week. My leave pay, my drill pay, and my travel voucher. However, I have my son's birthday party coming up and I just hope I have it before then.

I accidentally broke my son's glasses the other day. Ever since his scooter accident, the arm bends easy. I bend it back occassionally so it fits him. The other day, I was bending them back and it snapped. I called the place where we got his glasses a few months ago (which is 70 miles away) and they said it is still covered under warranty and to bring them in. Yeah, if I had gas. So we just have scotch tape holding it together until I get paid and can get down there.

Watched CRIMINAL MINDS and CS:NY last night. They were both excellent episodes. Tonight is the season premiere of CSI and a new show called ELEVENTH HOUR which looks really interesting. I know, I lead a boring life.

Well, I guess I best get back to work so I can get out of here.

Debates don't mean nothing

Ok, so I have watched two of the Prsedential debates and the VP debate and I have concluded that debates are nothing. It seems to me that all the candidates do is dodge the question and mudsling the other party. Especially when it comes to numbers, it is exaggerated. Don't get me wrong, I already know who I will vote for and that is not changing. I just watched the debates to see how they were since I never really watched them before, nor do I think I will again. There is no purpose for a debate other than to mess up your television viewing. Each candidate is strong in at least one area out of many and is a good candidate for that one area. However, you need to vote for the one that is stronger in more areas. This election is kind of out of whack. You have a lot of people who want to vote for someone young, of a different race, and is a well rounded speaker. This may be their opinion because they want to see history made or because they are racist. On the other hand, you have the other candidate who is older, has had health problems, and has a strong military background. If we had no telivision or advertising and no one knew what the candidates looked like, only heard them broadcasted on the radio, then who would you vote for? Knowing that one of the candidates did drugs (marijuana not being the case here) why would you vote for that candidate? Again, only my opinion.

Yesterday, I watched 3 movies. First, FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL. This was a great movie. I was laughing my a$$ off. Aside from the male nudity, this movie does seem a bit realistic. The next movie I watched was YOU DON"T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN starring Adam Sandler. What can I say? If you love Adam Sandler and his movies, you will definately love this one. The last movie I watched was THE HAPPENING with Mark Wahlberg. It is one of M. Night Shamilayn's movies. I have liked his movies in the past (aside from UNBREAKABLE) but unfortunately, this was a waste of time. It started off good, had a great storyline, but again, one of those movies where the ending just ruined the whole movie.

I have one more to watch before next week's movies come out. This one went straight to DVD, but what the heck, I got it anyways. THE SCORPION KING 2. Although there are no big actors in it, might as well watch it since I saw the first one. Thankfully last night at least one of my shows was on. NCIS. Well, gotta finish up here before I take off.

Ever been misdiagnosed?

Seriously. Ever gone to the doctor to have them say they found something out of the ordinary in the test results and your dying. A week later they call and say the test was somehow contaminated. Never happened to me either. Here is the situation though. 14 years ago, my wife was diagnosed as bipolar schitzoid effective or something to that nature. At the time, this was new to the mental disorder community. You know, new drugs to test and etc. The reason she was diagnosed as this is because when she went to the doctor originally to be diagnosed, her mother did all the talkking because she did not want my wife saying what caused her to react the way she did because her mother denies a lot of crap that she did to her. To make a long story short, we have been married for over 9 years and she has been going to the same facility that she was originally diagnosed. Because we moved and live in a different county, she goes to a new facility. She has be rediagnosed and she is not bipolar schitzoid effective or whatever. It is believed to be Acute Anxiety Disorder, which basically means maybe they can get her the right medication and everything will be fine. We won't know until she sees the psychiatrist the first week of November.

Watched CHUCK last night and tonight the debate is on, so I will probably not be able to see my other shows. DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN comes out today, so I may get that. Well, I'm only at work for a short time today so I think I'll head out. Peace.

What a weekend

I am so sore. We had our Annual Physical Fitness Test this weekend...Saturday to be exact. Here it is Monday and I am sore. I did 75 pushups, which is 100% for my age group, 61 situps-82%, and ran 2-miles in 18:16-55%. Unfortunately you need a minimum of 60% in each category to pass, so this is the first time in 10 years I have not passed the test. I do plan on taking it again within the next couple of months--when I am not hurting this bad. I never had a problem with the run before, but my legs had been hurting for 2 days prior.

I finally watched LEATHERHEADS last night. That was actually a pretty good movie. I mainly got it because John Krazinsky is in it (THE OFFICE). Yeah, George Clooney and Renee Zelleweger are alright in it.

Still no word on my pay or leave or anything. So, I continue to come to work hoping they will pay me...lol. Yeah, we'll see.

WTF??

Sometimes I wonder if I am the only one that bad things happen to. My A/C in my house has been out for 3 days now. My orders ended Tuesday and I am wondering how I am going to get paid. Bills are stacking up and no money coming in. I do have a travel voucher coming in about 3 weeks that will catch everything up, but I hate falling behind.

Watched IRONMAN the other night. Wasn't too impressed with it. Not as good as everyone hyped it up to be. Last night I watched RUN FATBOY RUN. It was pretty slow throughout the movie and the best part was the last 30 minutes. It stars SEAN PEGG, you know the guy from SHAUN OF THE DEAD. I have LEATHERHEADS and FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL that I still need to watch. Until next week.

Talk about screwed

Yeah...yesterday was a fun day...NOT. I went to see about getting the window repaired in my van...3-400 dollars. Can't do it now, have to wait for funds. A/C went out last night in my house (it has been going off and on for the last few weeks). I told my landlord about it when it first happened and she sent someone out, but they couldn't find anything wrong with it. At least once a week it goes out and then comes back. The longest it had been off was about 24 hours. My orders ended yesterday, today was my last check for those orders, I have no idea what is happening from here. I am still coming in to work, but I don't know how or when I will be getting paid. Yeah, I'm worried. Then my washer goes out last night. Fills up with water and runs, but does not drain the water. What is next?

Have Parent/Teacher conferences today. Then I have to go grocery shopping as the refrigerator and cabinets are bare. The boys have no school next week. I just have to buy enough food to last at least 3 weeks until I get my travel voucher. Some bills will just have to wait. I need to win the lottery. May rent a few movies tonight, but still have shows to watch. Tonight is CRIMINAL MINDS and CSI:NY. FRINGE was pretty good last last night. Every episode is more and more intriguing.

Well, I have to go and start taking care of things. Until tomorrow.

Son of a .....

That is how I feel. I don't know how, or if there was any foul play involved. Yesterday after returning home from picking the kids up from school, I lock my van and go inside. Later that night I was going to the store. Unlock the van with the remote, get in, start it up, and....where is my driver's side window? My first instinct is to look for broken glass in and out of the vehicle...none....ok, so where is it? I hit the button to roll it up...no window. I can hear the motor trying to roll it up or down, but no window. I grab a flashlight and look in...The window is in there, and in one piece. I began to inspect the outside door to see if there were scratches or evidence of tampering (thinking someone was trying to break in) but I did not see any evidence of it and nothing in the vehicle was disturbed.

I called a friend this morning and he told me it could be that it just fell off of the latch. Never heard of that before, but ok. If that is all that is wrong with it, it will be a cheap fix. Hopefully that is all that it is. Needless to say, after the incident last night, I continuosly went to the window to check on my other vehicle (since I put the van in the garage) and going outside to scope out the neighborhood to make sure no one was suspiciously walking around. After all, this was from 8pm-1am I was doing this before I told myself to just go to bed.

Tonight will be FRINGE. I will probably rent movies tomorrow and watch them throughout the week. Parent/Teacher conferences tomorrow for both my boys. Hopefully all goes well and I won't be too disappointed, after all, they are mine. And my Mom always cursed me saying "I hope when you get older you have kids just like you". Thanks, Mom. It would have been ok if it was just ONE just like me, but no, both boys and my daughter. You think it is tough raising one, try three. All three years apart give or take.

Anyways, that is all I have for today. I am getting ready to head out to see about getting the window fixed.

What happened to a phone call?

Have you ever noticed since the internet came out that you tend to find things out via e-mail, internet searches, or blogs? What happened to a phone call. Needless to say I was doing my regular reading of blogs and got to my little sister's. Hmmm, what do I say. Since family reads this, they can go to her blog and read it. Anyways, it is not that I am disappointed, just disappointed I didn't get a phone call. Normally my little sister calls me on Friday or Saturday night weekly, but I hadn't heard from her the last two weeks.

This weekend was boring. Went to that darn traffic school and took care of that. Sunday I spent most of the day playing Pirates of the Carribbean online. This week is Parent/Teacher conferences which means half days Wed-Fri. For me as well since I pick the kids up. Wed is their conference, so we will see how that goes (crossing fingers if their anything like me).

Nothing else on tap that I am aware of. Tomorrow, IRONMAN and FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL come out on DVD so I will probably get those. Try to manage my time to watch them as I watch new shows every night this season. I did catch THE MENTALIST on Saturday night and that does look like a really interesting show, but I still watch shows that come on that night, so I will miss it unless they continue to replay it on Saturday nights.

I have drill this coming weekend and will be taking an Annual Physical Fitness Test (APFT). You know, push-ups, sit-ups, 2-mile run. So we'll see how I do. Until tomorrow.

Another day another dollar

Just another boring day at work. Last night I was able to watch SMALLVILLE and CSI the original. It was the Season Finale that I had missed as the Season Premiere is in 2 weeks. And now there are even more shows that are coming back and starting that will be conflicting with the shows I am already watching. What are they doing to me? Maybe I should just give up watching shows and just go back to drinking.

Next week my boys have parent/teacher conferences. We'll see how that goes. Get their report cards the same day. I don't get paid until next Wednesday and this sucks because we ran out of cigarettes yesterday. I am trying to borrow money from one of my friends until next week because we need milk and cereal at home for the kids. You know, when I get paid, the first thing I do is go to the store to buy groceries and spend nearly $200 and you think that would last for at least 2 weeks. With these kids, they continuously eat. Breakfast, lunch at school, come home and snack, snack again an hour later, eat dinner, snack on something 2 more times before bed. I understand it can be they are going through growth spurts, but I am about ready to lock up everything.

Still don't know what is going on with my job, but my orders are done on Tuesday. Hopefully they will have someway of still paying me. We will see.

Thursday...

Wow, what an exciting title. What does it mean? That Friday is tomorrow and the weekend is near or does it have another meaning? Not for me. It is just the name of a day. A day that will continue coming every 7 days. Of course, 3 weeks from today will be my birthday and two weeks after that is my wife's.

This Saturday I have Traffic School for that stupid ticket I received that I posted about earlier. What a waste of a Saturday. I could be playing Pirates of the Carribean Online. Rumor has it they are going to make another PIRATES OF THE CARRIBBEAN movie, yes with Johnny Depp. Rumors going they may do one more INDIANA JONES with Harrison Ford doing a cameo and Shia Lebouf taking over. Still waiting for August next year for G I JOE THE RISE OF COBRA to come out.

Last night I watched the Season Premiere of CRIMINAL MINDS and CSI:NY. Tonight the only thing I remember being on is THE OFFICE. Still waiting for payday so I can get some movies.

Decisions

Well, last night it was a hard decision, but I had to choose. After I watched NCIS, it was either THE MENTALIST or FRINGE. It was a tough decision. I had to bypass watching THE MENTALIST and watched FRINGE instead. If anyone has seen either one, let me know which one you think is better.

Tonight is CRIMINAL MINDS and CSI:NY. CSI(Las Vegas) does not start until Oct 9. Thursday night will be the Season Premier of THE OFFICE. Have to wait until next week to rent any new movies, which is good because that is when IRONMAN and FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL comes out. I know, my life is like my blog....boring. But hey, at least it lets my family know that I am still alive because I am posting. Does anyone else even read this?

Looking forward to what happens at the end of this month as my orders will be done and I begin my leave. Supposedly I will have this job by the end of October, but I need money and can't take any time off. I have to find a way to get paid. We'll see how it goes in the next few weeks.

I need to win the lottery

I just need to win the lottery and never have to work again. Of course, that is just like everyone else wishes. I'm just tired of living paycheck to paycheck and never having money to do anything.

Last night, I gave up wanting to watch HEROES. Apparently when they took it off of tv last season, they continued on with the story on the internet. Why would I want to start watching it again as it continues from the internet to last night. Forget it. Instead I watched TWO AND HALF MEN, WORST WEEK, and CSI:MIAMI. Tonight will be the season premieres of NCIS and a new show called THE MENTALIST.

I know, I lead a very boring life doing nothing but posting movies I watch or shows. As I said without money, you can't do much else. I am hoping soon that luck will come my way and I can post some exciting things. I turned down going to Germany for 2 weeks in December because, well, been there and done that. I'll just wait and see if anything else comes up.

One little comment and everyone comes out of the woodwork

Wow, I think that is the most comments I had on one post from Friday. All I said is I look in my 20's than I really am. I am almost 34 and I have had a lot of people tell me I look in my 20's. Of course, all the comments were made from siblings. Maybe I will try to get a photo up, and if anyone actually reads this other than family, you can give me your opinion.

Watched MADE OF HONER on Saturday. It was a pretty good movie and the ending was somewhat predictable as other movies that are similar to it. Overall, it was better than some of the others I had seen and a nice little twist of a man being a Maid Of Honor.

Tonight is the seaon premieres of HEROES and CSI:MIAMI. I believe HEROES is on at 7 and CSI:MIAMI on at 9, so I may get to watch both. Have to wait and see when I get home.

Well, looks like I have a lot of work to do finally.

Another day

What happened to when you used to look forward to days. It seems like all I do is get up everyday, go to work just to pay the bills. Never really have money to save to do anything. I remember when I could just pay for gas and drive somewhere just to see the nature, but it all costs money now, plus gas prices have risen and almost doubled since that time.

The other night I watched THE LOVE GURU with Mike Meyers. Not really good unless your into a lot of sexual inuendos. That is about all it has going for it. This weekend I will probably watch MADE OF HONOR. Last night I watched the Season Premiere of SMALLVILLE. Not as good as I thought it would be. Next week will start the season priemeres of all the CSI's, THREE AND A HALF MEN, CRIMINAL MINDS, and a new show called THE MENTALIST. Looking forward to seeing all of these shows. My only Dilemma is HEROES is on Monday nights when CSI:MIAMI comes on. I have to figure out what I'll do.

I know, as if many of you had the problems I had. I know I lead a boring life, but it is better than what I used to do. I used to have people over all the time, drinking and being stupid. I have kids that do not need to be around that. It is time for me to slow down and just become "old". Although I still look in my early 20's, I just can't do it anymore.

Anyways, I'll post more on Monday. Nothing planned for the weekend.

Drama, why can't I live without it

So, I didn't post yesterday due to a lot on my mind and everything. I received a call that either me or another soldier were getting deployed for a year. I discussed it with my wife and determined I really didn't want to do it. We just recently moved, got the kids in a new school, and we wouldn't be able to afford me being on the deployment although it is stateside. I would only make a few hundred extra a month and it just wasn't worth it. So I came in today and realized through an e-mail, that it was voluntary for one of us. I was like whew. I called the other soldier to let him know and neither one of us want to do it. It is one thing being ordered to do it, but volunteering, at this time in my life, I am done volunteering for deployments. My kids are getting older and need me around.

Last night I watched BABY MAMA with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. It was pretty funny and still had a bit of Saturday Night Live humor in it. At one point I had to laugh because Tina Fey had the Sarah Palin hairdo and glasses and this movie was made before anyone knew who Sarah Palin was. I have two more movies to watch. THE LOVE GURU with Mike Meyers and MADE OF HONOR with Patrick Dempsey.

Watched FRINGE again last night. This looks like it will be a good show to watch for the season. Beginning to plan birthday parties. My youngest son will be 7 next month and never really had a birthday just for him as my birthday is 2 days after his, my wife's is 2 weeks after his, and my daughter's is almost a month after his. We usually just combine all the birthdays to get it all over with and save money. This year, the weekend after his birthday (and after payday) we are inviting all the kids in his class over and the boys will be allowed to stay overnight. The following weekend, we will probably go to Phoenix and have the 4 birthdays at once with our families.

Why can't I just win the lottery?

Just when you thought you had it straight

Well, interesting weekend. Friday night I get a call from my higher command telling me everyone needs to be out of the unit by Sunday. Yeah, right, good luck. As we were doing Family Day at my house, he calls me again to tell me nevermind, everyone will be transferred to the new platoon that will stay at our location. So what does this mean? My unit will not go away, it will just become a platoon attached to my battalion. Which means the civilian position I was trying to get, will be open again. So, do I take this job or continue on with going into recruiting? This is something I have to think about over the next few months.

Didn't get any new movies as it is getting ready to begin all of the season premieres on tv. So I have to catch up to see which shows I do or don't want to watch this year. Well, this is short, but I have a lot to do today.

Whoo-hoo Friday

Finally, the end of the week again. It's funny how as we get older, we revert back to when we were younger. Always waiting for Friday. Finished watching Season 4 of THE OFFICE last night. Season Premiere is September 25th.

Tomorrow I have drill and we are doing a Family Day at a park near my house and then having lunch catered at my house. We will see how it goes. Probably post a little about it on Monday. Today after work I have to drive to Glendale and Surprise to pick up friends of my kids as they want them to spend the night tonight. After Family Day tommorow I have to drive back to drop them off. Sunday will be a day of rest...I hope.

Well, have a good weekend y' all.

Remembering 9/11

Yes, today is 9/11. 7 years ago, we were attacked on American Soil. Not by a foreign country, but by a foreign terrorist organization. Today is the day where we take a step back from thinking of ourselves and the things we need to get done. A time where we pause and remember the men, women, and children we lost this day seven years ago. The Policemen, Firemen, and Military Personnel. The passengers on the flights that were hijacked.

One thing that upsets me also is how people are against the war and blame certain political people because of what they initiated or how they voted in Congress or Senate. For you that oppose, listen up. You may or may not have a son, daughter, cousin, nephew, niece, husband, wife, or friend over there, but understand one thing. These brave men and women VOLUNTARILY signed their name and raised their right hand to enlist into the military. They knew what they would get into even if it was during peacetime or wartime. They made the decision that if their country needed them, they would answer the call. To hear those opposing the war and saying it is not fair, just because you were a coward and hid, does not mean that they are. Today, as well as many days to come, it is these brave men and women that you should be thanking that you can speak however you wish. So when you see someone in uniform, thank them that you can open your mouth and bad talk the nation and political figures, because it is these men and women that fought to preserve the right for you to be an idiot.

Wow, where did that come from? Oh, well, one of those days, I guess.

Another Hump Day

Geez, what to talk about today. I just finished disc 2 of THE OFFICE and have 2 more to watch to complete Season 4. Season 5 begins Sept 25th. Also waiting for Sept 22nd for TWO AND A HALF MEN and CSI: MIAMI Season Premiers. Last night I watched FRINGE. This looks like a really good series, but we'll see how the next few shows go.

Still have 20 days until my orders end. I am still trying to find out if they will extend my orders until the end of December or if I need to look for another job until I go into Recruiting. Sometimes, I wonder if I am purposely getting d*cked around. That's the way our unit has felt over the last 8 years since we first became a unit.

Nothing much else to post today. I'm heading to lunch.

Movie update

I know yesterday I didn't talk about the 2 moviesw I mentioned on Friday. I must have had a bad rental day. BAIT SHOP with Bill Engvall and Billy Ray Cyrus was like a B-rated movie. It did have a small story to it, but unless you "have to watch" every movie because of an actor, don't. The other movie was THE PROMOTION with Sean William Scott (Stiffler from AMERICAN PIE) and John C Reilly (WALK HARD:THE DEWEY COX STORY). This movie had very few comedic points and was one movie I wish I wouldn't have rented.

Right now I am watching season four of THE OFFICE. It has Steve Carrell in it and it is a great series. This is one show that always keeps me laughing.

Nothing else happening. Can't believe my Vikings blew it last night against the Packers. But the good news is I didn't break my remote control this year.

What a weekend

Saturday went well, I guess. Had the family come over to look at the house and all. Had pizza and then they left after a couple of hours. I understand, as they said, I do live far away. We are about an hour and a half drive from where they live as well. As my mom had put it, they were wondering if they were still in AZ as they were driving over.

Sunday....ugh...Sunday. Everything was fine until I took my son to the hospital to have his stitches removed. On the way back, it happened. I was traveling eastbound heading back home. The speed limit was 40 and I was honestly doing at the most 45. I saw a black SUV coming towards me, figured it was a Sheriff vehicle. He pulled to the side of the road and I looked at my speed, I was at 45. I continued going without slowing down. Before the cop came to a complete stop he flips on his lights and points for me to pull over. He then does a u-turn to get behind me on the side of the road.

"Do you know why I pulled you over?"

"Uh, actually, no"

" The speed limit through here is 40. I clocked you at 56"

"When I looked down I was at 45"

"Just sit tight. License and Registration"

I get him what he requested and he went back to his vehicle. About 10 minutes passed before he came back. Upon his return he tells me he is not going to give me a ticket for expired registration. I was like what? He said since I had the current stickers, he assumes I am good so he won't write a ticket for that. However, he did give me a ticket for 56 in a 40. I asked him how much, how many points, how long do points stay on a license and for some reason for someone who supposedly knows his job, doesn't have an answer for any of it.

So, I have one of three options. Pay the $175 ticket and get points on the license, of course insurance would go up. Or I can go to Defensive Driving school for $120 and have no points on my license. Or I can go to court and try to fight it. After all, he clocked me while he was still moving and going in the opposite direction. The only problem is, going to court will waive me the ability to go to the school if I lose and the court will probably believe the officer over me.

So, there you have it. I will probably go the Defensive Driving School and be done with it.

Yay, it's Friday

What a week. Off Sunday and Monday, basically off on Wednesday as I had to drive 3 hours to try to get a physical to find out I have to schedule an appointment after I was told it can be done as a walk-in, and drove 3 hours back. On Fridays, I work part of the day as my kids have half days every Friday. This weekend I have my family coming to the house after my 2 nephews play their football game in Gilbert.

I have 2 movies to watch yet. BAIT SHOP with Bill Engvall and Billy Ray Cyrus, and the other is THE PROMOTION with John C Reilly and Sean William Scott. We'll see how those are. My brother commented on the post about THE BUCKET LIST and yes, my eyes did swell up at the end of the movie.

Next weekend we are having family day for my unit. So all the soldiers will be bringing their families over to my neighborhood as we are doing it at a park and then going to my house for lunch. We'll see how that goes.

Yesterday after picking up my boys from school, I noticed my middle child had band-aids on his elbow. He wouldn't tell me what happened. We get home and he snuggles up to my wife and says "Mommy, I burnt my arm on the slide at school" in a whining voice. Of course I was out of the room when he told her. When I came in I asked him again what happened and he says "It was just a slide, Dad" in a matter of fact manner. Smart ass.

My daughter and my youngest son also tried eating something last night for the first time. So I had to get a video on camera of it. They tried Spinach. Now the smell makes me gag and the taste will make me throw up, but they both ate it, well half of their serving anyways, but they said they liked it. Good, buy it when you're out of the house.

Until next week.

Tired

How I am feeling this morning. Spent last night in the ER as my oldest needed stitches. We were going to the park last night and he was riding his Razor Scooter. Apparently he was going a little too fast and crashed. When I got to him, his glasses were not around his head, but were hanging from his eyebrow. I had to bend the glasses just to get them off. He ended up only getting 2 stitches.

The other night I watched MY MOM'S NEW BOYFRIEND. Now, let me explain something when I watch movies. I believe the ending of a movie pretty much makes or breaks the entire movie. This is one that breaks it. The whole movie in general was good...the acting, the story line, etc. The ending just totally blew it though.

I rented another movie last night and mainly got it because it had Chris Kattan in it. It was a movie filmed in the 80's about 80's movies. It is called TOTALLY AWESOME. It is made by VH1 and makes fun of movies such as KARATE KID, PRETTY IN PINK, and FOOTLOOSE. This movie was hillarious. If you don't easily find humor, you may think this movie is stupid. It has similar humor of the SCARY MOVIE series.

Anyways, that is all for now.

Day after Labor Day

Well, it was quite a weekend. My two oldest went to the mother-in-laws for the weekend. Gave us a break, but really didn't have money to do anything. Monday we picked the boys up and went to my sister's house for a BBQ and go swimming.

This weekend I watched WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS with Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz. It was a lot funnier than what I expected. I also watched THE BUCKET LIST last night with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. This movie was a lot better than what the previews had shown. I had waited until there was nothing else to rent to watch it, but I should have seen it sooner. There was another movie, but I'll report on that on Thursday since I can't remember the name of it. I'll be watching MY MOM'S NEW BOYFRIEND tonight with Colin Hanks, Meg Ryan, Antonio Banderas, and Selma Blair.

Tomorrow I have to go get a full physical done and will be out of town for a majority of the day. Other than that, all is well.

McCain did what?

I am in awe. This morning I came in and started reading the news and saw John McCain had picked his VP candidate. Now, to start off with, I am not a real political person and McCain had my vote to begin with. What awes me is picking someone that we didn't even hear he was considering. Sarah Palin? I had never heard of this woman until this morning. My question is why her? Is it for McCain to make history as well by having the first woman VP candidate since Barack Obama made history by being the first African American Presidential candidate? Or is it to try to gain Hillary's supporter because there would be a woman in the office? I can not wait to begin hearing the "reasons" why she was chosen. My vote will still go for McCain, don't get me wrong, but I am just trying to figure this one out.

Last night I did watch a movie that had been out a little bit. MEET BILL with Aaron Eckhart, Timothy Olyphant, and Jessica Alba. This movie starts off slow, but it was pretty funny in the end. It is about a man that discovers his wife cheated on him and he "dates" another woman to make her jealous and win her back. I picked this up because a friend of mine recommended it, otherwise I probably would not have gotten it. It was a good movie, but I would only give it a 3.5 out of five.

Really good storm last night. Got hit for a couple of hours. After the rain stopped, I could go out back and watch the lightning show for the next two hours as Phoenix was getting hit with the rain. A lot of tv and radio stations are still running on generators this morning.

Have a safe and happy Labor Day.

Bring on the Rain

Last night the storm missed us again. As I got up this morning I could hear it. I ran to the back door and saw my backyard actually wet...with water still on the ground. Here it is 3 hours later 10 miles from home and it is still sprinkling, so hopefully it is at home as well.

I finally watched AMERICAN CRUDE last night. It was a good movie. Rob Schneider did not do his normal comedian role, but he was good. The main character was Ron Livingston and if you liked him in OFFICE SPACE, you'll like this as well. Have to go to Blockbuster tonight to see if there is anything else worth watching.

Yesterday I bought THE LITTLE MERMAID: ARIEL'S BEGINNING for my daughter. It actually had a good story to it. It sounded like the same voices as well. It shows how Ariel met Flounder and what happened to Ariel's mother. Really good Disney movie for being a spinoff.

Looking at prices for a bed and the lowest I have found is about $500 for a King Sized mattress, boxspring, frame, dresser and chest of drawers. I received the quote from the place I mentioned yesterday www.nobodybeatsmitch.com It is going to be the best price, so I will probably go with it in mid-September.

Labor Day weekend is coming up. My boys will stay at their Mother-In-Law's Saturday and Sunday night and we will pick them up on Monday and head to my sister's for the normal get together. The following weekend will be my brother's birthday.

Well, until next time.

Rain does exist?

Well, moving out to Queen Creek I figured I would get more rain than I did living in Phoenix or Glendale. It seems when I lived there, I always heard Queen Creek, Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler, Tempe, Apache Junction getting rain and missing Phoenix and Glendale. However, after moving here the last few good storms have missed me entirely. There was a good storm a week or two ago and I could see the lightning and smell the rain, heck the news even said Queen Creek got rain, but not where I am at. Last night was another good storm but before I knew it, it had missed us as well. Fortunately, there was a small cell that came through and at least sprinkled enough to get the ground wet. We'll see how the rest of the year will go.

I did not watch that movie last night as I had planned to. Maybe tonight, maybe not. I did start playing this online game called PIRATESONLINE.COM it is similar to Pirates of the Carribean. It is free, but does not allow you to do a lot of things with the basic access. You can only buy two types of boats, get to a level 7, and after completing the few quests they give you, there is nothing else to do. So I upgraded to unlimited access. First month is $5 and every month after that is $10. So now I can get any boat, any weapon, and continue doing quests. Probably be done with it in 3 months and then cancel my membership. I don't play that often, just usually on Saturday and Sunday for a few hours.

Get paid again on Friday and I am hoping to buy our bed and maybe some living room furniture. I found this great place for furniture in Phoenix and they will deliver to a lot of cities in AZ. Their website is NOBODYBEATSMITCH.COM but it will not show you prices. It will show you the furniture that you are looking for, but you would have to go to the store for the prices or call them. They are located on the west side of I-17 and just South of Dunlap on the frontage road. It used to be an old bowling alley and it is right next to Castle Boutique. That is where I picked up my kids mattresses for $77 each. Better priced than anywhere else I have seen or gone to.

That's it for today.

What's a hangover

I am not sure if I have ever had one. This morning was different than other times though. Mainly the blah feeling and stuff. Oh well, it must have been what I was drinking. Steel Reserves 2/11.

Last night I watched FOOLS GOLD with Matthew McConaughey? and Kate Hudson. It was better than I thought it would be. I started to AMERICAN CRUDE last night, but I shut it off and went to bed because I was too drunk to watch it. Maybe tonight. It stars Ron Livingston (Office Space), Rob Schneider, and that guy from THE GREEN MILE something something Duncan or whatever.

The weekend was alright. I picked up two beds for the kids and spent 6 hours putting them together. My dining room table will be delivered tomorrow, now I need to focus on our bed. Things are coming around finally. And all my bills are caught up or paid off.

Maybe I can finally rest, but we shall see.

One step forward, three steps back

Ain't that the way it is? Just when you feel like you are getting ahead, then all of a sudden you're behind again. I received my travel voucher two days ago, received my pay today, will receive another paycheck next friday. Should be great, eh? Well, I am caught up on all the bills and the personal debts I had and I was able to purchase a dining table with chairs and a new vacuum. After all that money that came in/will come in next week, I don't have much. I still need to purchase 3 beds as well. I think I can get the two boys beds next week, but our bed will have to wait again until middle of September. At least all of my bills are caught up though.

Thinking of having a family day event with my soldiers and my family in September. Not a big back yard, but there is a park a block away that we can play basketball, volleyball, or football at. The only downside is there are no bathrooms or drinking fountains at the park as it is a community park and not a public park.

Rented two movies that I haven't watched yet. FOOLS GOLD and AMERICAN CRUDE. So I should have a review on those next week.

Today is my wife and I 9th Anniversary. Gotta figure out what we are gonna do since we have no babysitter since we moved recently and do not know anyone on this side of town really. I hope what I come up with is better than the last 8 times, otherwise, I will probably be in trouble.

Until next week.

Oh, there it is

Finally, last night, my pay finally shows up. Well, kind of. It shows I will get paid next Friday. Which means the postdated check I have out and a few bills due today, I will have to call and have them hold off for another week. Of course the good news also is my travel voucher is pending and that should be paid within the next 3 weeks.

Today is Friday which means it is a halfday for my boys. This school district is a little odd. They start Aug 4th. They get out May 22nd. Every Friday is a half day. The hours are 7:50-3:10. I remember when I went to school at their age it was school started the day after Labor Day, ended the last week of May, hours were 8:15-2:45, and we didn't get as many weeks off as my kids get. Well, as long as it does what it is supposed to I guess.

Still no new movies. My bank account has been in the negative for over a week due to having to get food and put gas in the car. So I can't use my card until it is in the positive and I have to wait a week for payday. Which means I have limited gas right now...maybe enough to go back and forth to work for 2-3 days next week. And I'll have to make what food we do have stretch for a week as well. I am sure many people have the same issues so why complain?

My wife and I are having our ninth anniversary next Friday (payday). Don't know if I will have any money after filling up the car with gas and paying the bills, but then again the next payday will be a week after that and my travel voucher will drop a few days after that.

Enough rambling. Have a good weekend.

Show me the money

So I am sitting here, three days away from what should be a payday and nothing is showing. I hope it still drops as I have post dated checks out for when I am supposed to be paid. The good news is my travel voucher has been received, but I have to wait 3-3 and a half weeks to be paid. Then I can actually have furniture in the house. Other than all of that, I am just waiting for information that will probably not come until last minute on what needs to be done since my unit is going away. Still working on the Recruiting issue, but have to wait to take a physical. That is all for today.

Everyday is a Monday

That is what it feels like everyday. It seems like the next day off is still days away. This weekend had been hell with drill weekend. Today is the aftermath where I have the most paperwork and most work to do. All of this and anything I need help with, there is no one that will return a call or an e-mail. It is like being sent to a deserted island, told what needs to be done, but when something comes up that you aren't sure what to do, then you are truly alone as no one will help out or respond. Just another Monday.

Still haven't rented any movies lately. So nothing to review. I did watch a little of the Olympics last night. The synchronized diving and part of gymnastics. I just can't watch too much of the Olympics or I get bored easily. Still waiting on a travel voucher to come in so I can begin to buy furniture (mostly beds) and start furnishing the house. Right now all I have is my daughter's bed and our L-shaped couch. It will probably be a few more weeks before that comes in though.

That seems to be all that is going on now. I am sure there will be more grumbling tomorrow.

Friday feels like Monday

That is how I feel today. Although I have been working all week, it is that time of the month for drill. So I basically don't get a day off again until next Saturday. I have made arrangements with my Battalion to put me on orders through the end of December. After that, I will go into Recruiting. This way, I will be here to take care of things for the unit before it goes away, and I won't have to go to a 7 week school and miss 4 Birthdays; my son's, mine, my wife's and my daughter's. So in the long run, it will work out. Plus I will be here for the holidays.

This is a big step I will be taking and I am slightly nervous about it, but oh well. It is something I have been interested in doing and I won't know until I do it. Never had anything really handed to me so I guess I'll have to work at it to get what I want out of life. I have been in the Reserves for 10 years now with 3 years active duty. So if I stay AGR/Active Duty for 17 more years, I will retire the last day of my 20 years at 50 years old. It is a lot better than waiting until 62 to retire, because honestly, I don't think I'll live that long.

Haven't seen any new movies lately and probably won't rent any for another week or two. Still have a lot of other things on my plate right now that have to be taken care of.

Looking forward

Forward to what? Since finding out my unit is going away and I moved to this side of town to be closer to a job I won't have for much longer, what am I looking forward to? Well, as I continue to look into becoming a Recruiter, I realize I will have to start driving distances again as the two openings right now are 20 and 30 miles away. Sometimes I wonder 'why me'.

Yesterday I watched that JEAN CLAUDE VAN DAMME movie. It was called THE SHEPHARD: BORDER PATROL. Just as I imagined, it was a B rated flick.

I remember when VAN DAMME and STEVEN SIEGAL movies used to be good and now all they do is make B rated movies. JET LI and JACKIE CHAN do a heck of a lot better and do not make B rated movies as they do.

Well, I am just taking everything day by day now until I figure out exactly what it is I will be doing. So in the meantime, I just have to go with the flow.

As if things couldn't get worse

Just when you think you are finally making progress, things go down hill. So, I just finished getting a house and moving closer to my job to save on gas and everything else. Around 1PM yesterday, I get a call that I need to start looking for somewhere else to work by October 1st. Basically everything I have been doing up to now was good enough, but because my Battalion lied to me, I have to find somewhere else to go. It has come to my attention that my unit is being disbanded all together and there will not be a position for me as a Unit Administrator. I would have to find another unit that would have that position open. Well, needless to say, I am tired of all the BS and I do not want to start all over with a new occupational skill or with a new unit. I decided to become a UA for this unit because I had been with these soldiers for a while and deployed with most of them. I wanted to make sure they wouldn't get screwed over. Now that they are getting disbanded, there is nothing I can do.

So, it is time for me to take care of myself. Yesterday I went down to Retention and had a talk with them. I have made a decision to become a Recruiter. I will just finish out my last ten years as a Recruiter and be done with it. At least as a Recruiter I know I won't be deployed again. I have already been twice. I wouldn't mind going again, but my kids are getting older and they need me. So, I will be finding out over the next two months if I can do it. If so, I will leave to go to South Carolina to learn how to be a Recruiter.

In the long run, it seems things get worse, but this may actually be a better move for me. As a Recruiter, I am Active Guard Reserve, which means I am Active Duty and get all the benefits. Full Medical and Dental for the family, Basic Allowance for Housing (pays my Rent), and additional perks. So we will see how this little journey will go.

After a long weekend...

Well, I am finally moved. Not unpacked, but moved. Needless to say U-haul messed up again. Instead of a 14' truck, I ended up with a 17' same price. To make it all short, as many times as they messed up, it cost me $50 for the truck and 231 miles thrown in. I didn't get to start moving until noon on Friday and had the truck back by 7:30. Spent all day Saturday cleaning the apartment and packing up the last of our things in the van. Of course on top of the U-haul charges, I spent about $200 on gas for the truck, the van and my car for going back and forth. I do not want to move again, but I know I will have to next year. I am just renting this house for a year to build up my credit and then I will be buying a house in the same area next year. At least I won't have as big an ordeal as I did with this move.

This weekend I watched a couple of movies. HAROLD AND KUMAR: ESCAPE FROM GUANTANOMO BAY. It has the same humor as the first one. It cracked me up. I like the whole concept of a bottomless party instead of topless. The next movie I watched was an Independant Film called WRISTCUTTERS. The only star in that movie is SHANNYN SOSSAMAN from A KNIGHT'S TALE. It is about people that commit suicide still live, but in a parallel world that was worse than the first. If you continue to commit suicide, each place is worse. It had some slow points, but over all, it was good. Definately something to watch when there are no other movies to watch. I have a JEAN CLAUDE VAN DAMME movie at home I will probably watch tonight. It probably won't be something to talk about as most of his movies since TIMECOP have been B Rated movies.

Today is the first day of school for my boys. Of course, they didn't want to get up. We waited with them until school started and they just got into their teachers lines to go into school. It seemed like they were ready, but I am kind of worried for them as it is their first day, at a new school, just moved, and not knowing anyone. I hope it goes well for them.

Until tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the day

Well, tomorrow is the day. Hopefully I get the U-haul truck I reserved and I can move in one trip. Saturday will be all day cleaning on the apartment. I will be staying at my sister's Friday night so I don't have to drive all the way back to Queen Creek. She might be having Poker Night that night, but we'll see. After this weekend, I should be completely done with Phoenix. All of the kids appointments are done out there. The only reason to go back is for family get togethers/holidays. The only real friend I have in that city I can't see because he is with a psycho. He at least calls once a month.

My oldest was seen last week for an eye exam. It is apparant that he will now be wearing glasses and we will probably get them within the next week. Tonight is meet the teacher night for the boys new school. Aug 22nd I take my 3 yr old daughter to the district to get tested if she can go to pre-school for whatever they call it. My two boys went to preschool early because of speech and they are good now, so we are trying the daughter. If she gets accepted, she will go to a different school than the boys because they don't offer preschool at their school. The good thing is the schools are only like a mile apart.

This weekend after I finish moving, I am going to try and at least rent HAROLD AND KUMAR: ESCAPE FROM GUANTANOMO BAY. It looks pretty good and the first movie was hillarious. We'll see what else is out at that time. Didn't really do much last night except watch COPS, CSI:NY, and another crime show before that. Can't remember the name of it.

Well, that wraps it up for today.

Hump Day

I remember when I was a kid, "hump" had a whole different meaning. Last night I watched the two movies I had. The first was MARTIAN CHILD. It stars John Cusack, Joan Cusack, and Amanda Peet. It was actually a heart felt movie about a child trying to fit in.

The next movie was OVER HER DEAD BODY starring Eva Longoria. It's the movie where she dies on her wedding day and haunts his next girlfriend. A lot of funny parts in the movie. This is a good one to watch.

Can't wait to get paid Friday. Have to finish the move on Friday, clean the apartment Saturday and turn in the keys and I am done with the back and forth. I am looking at getting furniture for the house right now, but may have to wait another month until I come in to some money before I can make those purchases. I wonder if Rent A Center is any good. I would rather pay in full instead of payments because they get you on interest and late payments. I can't wait until I am caught up on everything.

I have been bouncing around at times actually reading other peoples blogs that I don't know and some seem funny. Maybe someday I can learn more on how to do this whole blog thing and be able to add blogs on my screen for other people to read. Of course, I am pretty sure there are only 2 people that actually read this minus the occassional 'oops, how did I get here?'

Well, let's see how tomorrow goes.

U-haul sucks

So here is the story. Last Monday, I reserved a trailer, enclosed, 10ft from U-haul that was within 3 miles of where I was moving from. I reserved it for Saturday. They told me not a problem, they had 5 or 6 of them. Friday, I get a call from a U-haul about 15 miles from where I am moving from saying I have to pick it up at their location. Ok, whatever. I go there Saturday morning, pay for it and the ball connection and everything and they tell me to go check it out for dents and scratches. Needless to say when I went out to look, I was baffled. These yahoos were giving me a flat open trailer. I told them I am moving from an apartment to a house and this would not work. They then told me they didn't have any enclosed trailer. So I drive to the one that I made the original reservation. They told me that most people get those trailers for one-way. That's what I reserved it for. He then proceeded to tell me there were none in the valley--yeah, right, try to cover your ass and make me spend more for a truck. Needless to say, I caused a scene, threw in the whole 'I need to be out this weekend' and 'I am in the military' bit. So I scheduled for a 14' truck for Friday this week and he gave me additional mileage at no cost and also lowered the rental by about $100. Which isn't bad as I left the place there was a sign that said reservation guaranteed or you get $50. Didn't want to press my luck.

I have 2 movies at home right now. MARTIAN CHILD with John and Joan Cusack. I plan on watching that one tonight. I forget the other one, but I may watch it tonight as well.

Most of my weekend was spent going through crap at the apartment. I still had stuff in boxes from when we moved out of our last house while I was deployed and stuff I had in storage. So, it was kind of useful as we consolidated and threw crap out. Going through that stuff it was like, why do we still have this? I mean old phones, printers, kids school papers that are outdated, trash and crap. Probably threw out 7-8 big boxes of useless crap. Including about 50-60 VHS tapes. I have them all on DVD now anyways and a lot of them were either cracked and busted or the tape from inside had been messed with by the children. My next biggest task is getting furniture for the house and finally get settled in. We have been sleeping on the floor for the last week and a half and it looks like I won't even be able to get a bed until about early September. It will be a posturepedic bed so I guess it will be worth it by then.

Well, that be it for now.