Sesame Street Live!!

I have been meaning to post this since December 6th, but have not had the time. I do now, so I guess I will. As mentioned in my profile, I am 30, married to a great woman, and have 3 awesome kids. Two boys, 10 and 11 and one girl, Lydia, who is almost 2 (21 months). As far as TV and her favorites, she loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, The Doodlebops and most of the rest of the daily Disney lineup. For some reason, she is not too into any Nick shows at the moment - perhaps they are a little bit above her level at the moment.

In March '08, we took her (and the boys) to see Playhouse Disney live. This was right around her first birthday. Let me take an aside here and tell you a little something about me and shows. We do not go to many things like that due to time and money constraints; however, whenever we do go, I always do whatever I can and pay the extra money to get the best seats possible. I figure if I am going to spend that much money, I might as well spend 20% more to get to actually see and enjoy the show. Anyhow, we had pretty good seats for playhouse Disney. It was in an auditorium setting and we were in about the 7th row back, right on the end - closest to the middle aisle. Pretty darn good seats. This event was very expensive (cmon, I mean it is Disney, of course it was); however, it was quite a disappointment. Although, when Mickey Mouse came out on the stage, the look of utter amazement and astonishment on Lydia's face was worth every penny (even though she will not remember it - it was all about the moment). I suppose it was OK, but that was really all I could say. The story line was pretty lame and the songs and dances were pretty unenergetic as well.

Fast forward to October, I got the inside scoop that Sesame Street Live was coming in December. As many kids love the furry little red ball of kiddie crack, Lydia also loves Elmo. (Which is strange because we never ever really watch Sesame Street - in fact, I am not sure where she was ever introduced to him, but nonetheless, she loves her Melmo. (why do all kids add the extra M, it is funny!). So right when TicketMaster opened their internet gates I bought tickets, again opting for the best available seats. My early arrival to the website paid off, we got seats RIGHT next to the stage (this was in a civic center) and the seats were in a small group off to the side). The fact that it was at 10:30 AM on a Thursday did not matter to me really. One thing that I was pleased with is how much cheaper these much better seats were than the ones we got at Playhouse Disney.

I hate to admit it, but I had a blast. It was not only nostalgic (besides the realization that I was getting old because there was extra characters there that I had never seen or heard of before, like Grungetta and the little Hispanic-puppet, whatever her name was (I think it was Rosie) ), but was very entertaining. Lydia had fun and the best part about sitting so close is that the characters came down and interacted with Lydia and the rest of us sitting in that section. She thought that was so cool. The only one that did not come down though was ironically Elmo. I am sure she did not care - she was just so amazed that he was actually there! For almost the entire 2.5 hour show, she sat still and enjoyed the entire show. The story was really good and the songs and dances were enough to get this 30 year old metal head daddy to sing and dance right along with them (the things we do with our kids!). The finale song was a classic and entertaining climax filled with balloons, exploding cannons of confetti, and lots of colorful characters dancing right in front of us.

That being said, we plan on going again (they usually come once a year) because it will probably be a favorite with Lydia for years to come. One thing that was funny was that she was confused when we showed her that Telly was there (which by the way was the character who interacted with her the most). See, her oldest brothers name is Telle and she absolutely adores him and I think she thought that he was the one in the costume (which was probably emphasized by the fact that he kept coming over to her.

I am going to say that this show is a must for all parents and children if it is at all possible. The whole family will enjoy it and it is well worth the money. I wouldn't really recommend wasting the money on the Playhouse Disney Tour, but you do not have to take my word for it.
Now if the Wiggles and Doodlebops would just come somewhere reasonably close to here, that will be our next stops (though I am not sure those will be quite as fun for us, but Lydia will love them, and that is all that matters). Continue Reading*

Of Resolutions and Complete Life Changes

Well, like usual I am late on posting this...about 6 days late in writing about resolutions. Oh, I bet you are all excited to read about another person talking about losing weight, quitting smoking, spending less on asparagus, or whatever.

I make a bad joke, but I am a bit serious as well. I mean, maybe it is an American thing, but how many people stick with resolutions and if they do, for how long? I have never been one to really even set a resolution. Although, I do generally think about certain things that I would like to change about myself and my life. To be honest, I generally do that every day. You see, I think that I am committing one of the seven deadly sins on a daily basis. Though, looking around me, I see it happening everywhere so I am not alone. Which one you may ask? Sloth...or better yet known as laziness. Actually, I would like to think that I am not so much lazy as I am just unmotivated at times. I am not sure if there is a difference though. I think there is.

I see laziness as never actually DOING anything, whereas unmotivated is just not WANTING to do anything. The way I see it, unmotivated people actually do things (which I do), just not all the time. There are times when I get focused on something and can just work and work until I am done. However, there are just some days where I feel out of energy and really do not want to do much. Although, when I am just sitting watching TV or something my conscious is loud and active. Though I am not motivated to actually do so, I am mentally kicking myself in the butt for sitting around when there is just so much more to be done.

I think I am at the point where I can actually pinpoint what my problem/s is/are, but I need to get the motivation and perseverance to actually take action on it. I mention perseverance because once I get past the motivation aspect, my perseverance goes kaput. For instance, I started on a cafe motorcycle building project several months ago. I was so excited to get started when I got it that I spent 4 days dismantling the entire bike. Then...nothing...it is still in pieces in my basement just waiting for me to get back to it. For me I tend to get bored and something else usually comes up.

I have a lot going on (FT work, FT school, 3 kids, school activities, sports, coaching, scouts, etc.) and mine and my wife's schedules are weird too - I am scheduled to work from 8-5 and she works from 6p-3a, needless to say that is grueling. The good news is that we both work from home; however, the bad news is that we both work from home. Huh? The reason working from home is bad is because it is hard to separate work from home. I get distracted with home things sometimes when working and vice versa. I also have a bad habit of getting on my wife's schedule. When I am doing schoolwork, I generally do not get in bed until like 1:00 Am most nights. However, since my wife has started working until 3:00, I have not been going to bed until 3:00. I then have to get up at 7:00 to get the kids ready for school. Needless to say, I am tired!

Another reason I am sure I am unmotivated is because I a.) smoke (15 years) and b.) do not exercise. Actually that is an understatement. I work sitting down and have a lot of school work so I am sitting down then as well. Luckily I have not gained any weight or anything (who has time to eat with that schedule?) I hate it! I really want to stop both of those - meaning stop smoking and start exercising. I keep lying to myself and say that I do not have time to do so. This has been going on 2 years saying that now. The honest thing is that I do not have time NOT to.

I am also a HORRIBLE planner. Hate is a strong word and I rarely use it, but I HATE planning. I will admit though that when I do have a plan, schedule (and STICK-TO-IT) I usually get a lot more done. Hmm, imagine that! Usually I justify not planning by stating I am not good at it, so it takes me too long to do it, which is taking away time I am actually doing it! (I seriously think that I have Adult ADD or something!).

So, what is my point? I am not sure - I hadn't planned on having a point. But I suppose it is to say that I do not believe in New Year's resolutions. They do not work in my opinion. They are just created to be broken - and broken quickly. However, I do have goals for myself that it just so happens that I thought of right around the New Year. I refuse to call them New Year's resolutions because I do not want to break them. I need to get on a schedule with as much stuff as I have going on. I need to plan ahead and really want to stop smoking and exercise more. We shall see what the future holds. I have a whole lot more things that I want to do as well. So it is sort of a resolution package, if you will. I want to spend more time with my family, take my kids to do at least one fun thing once a week, take an actual family vacation this year, remodel and improve the house, among others. I reckon if I have a whole bunch of goals, I will meet at least one - hopefully. Quantity equals quality! Continue Reading*

The Other Player Has Left

Rock Band. The mega-hit multi-platform game that allows us lazy, instant gratification, no real talent folks to play in fake bands, get fake fans, and brag about how we have "mad skillz" because we can get 5 stars on songs that are not even worth playing on a real guitar (uh hem, Maps). Okay, so not everyone who plays this game is in this category. Some people use it for the purpose it was intended - a game for entertainment purposes only. And there are plenty of people who have those highly sought "mad skillz" (not me though - I am average at best).

Anyhow, this brings me to the topic of quitters. As if there are actually people in the world who are not familiar with the game play, let me elaborate. Since I have an Xbox 360, I will speak only in those terms. So, in addition to paying quite a bit of money to own the Xbox, the game, the internet connection and any other ancillary costs, you can shell even more money out to Microsoft to be able to play against other players from around the world via Xbox Live.


For Rockband, there are several different online modes - 1 that is cooperative and 2 that are competitive with varying levels of difficulty of each.

I have owned Rockband since it was released and played it a lot then, but stopped for a while. I have gotten back into it recently. I have been playing online against others in both of the two competitive modes (Tug of War and Score Duel) to earn the achievements to increase the size of my di...I mean my gamer score. Actually, I am not really doing it to get my gamerscore any higher - but like I have mentioned before I am a perfectionist and like to beat as much as the game as possible.

Anyhow, there is a sad sad state of affairs that is present more on Rockband than is on many other games that can be played online. I am talking about people playing you, losing, and quitting before the song is over. Once or twice during an online session is palatable; however, when you are seriously getting 75%-90% of people quitting (when you are winning) is absolutely horrid. Yes, it pisses me off. I mean, unlike another popular game Guitar Hero (which I also play), if they quit there is no recourse. They neither win nor lose and neither do you. (In Guitar Hero, if they quit, it counts as a loss for them). The reason this makes me so mad is because it is a complete waste of my time (even more than actually spending the time to finish playing the game).

I mean, I am not a great player by any stretch of the imagination. I can hold my own, but often get my tail kicked on a regular basis. I can honestly say that NO MATTER how BAD I am getting beaten I never quit. What is the point? Does it make the quitters feel a little better about themselves? Is it some sort of subversive slap in the face the person who actually is doing a better job of playing? No, this is merely a shocking sign of our times. No perseverance, fear of failing so much that quitting is somehow better (or different). It is quite an epidemic and I for one am teaching my kids different. I do not let them quit when they are playing and losing (which happens a lot) and they see that I do not either. It is sad really and is getting worse and worse every time I play. As an aside, there are still those that take getting beat like a champ - a respectable situation.

I know I know, it is just a game and I am taking too much from it - but am I? Isn't that sort of counterintuitive? I mean that statement simply verifies my point. It is just a game - get over it - if you lose you lose, who in the world cares. You will not become successful in life nor become rich and famous because you have a winning record on Rockband...

Bottom line losers that quit suck - and you know who you are - you should be ashamed. Continue Reading*

I Think I Am Getting Stupider

Well, here it is folks - my very first ever blog. While I have so much to say on many topics, I can never seem to a.) find the time or b.) to synthesize them into rational and understandable thoughts.

I was not like this, that I can remember, when I was younger. Heck, I say younger like I am old and I am hoping 30 is far from old. However, up until my mid to late 20s, I had the, what you call, the "gift of gab" (I hate that 'ism). Here lately though there are more times than not that I cannot seem to get the thoughts that I have either out of my mouth on in writing. Then again, there are other times that I can deliver a prose deserving of a Nobel Prize. Actually, I am not that narcissistic - rather, I am just sarcastic.


So this has gotten me thinking - why is this happening to me? Is there some sort of degenerative medical disease that has me devolving? Nah, I doubt it. The only things I can really attribute it to is either a.) getting older (which I can feel in more ways than just that), or b.) a simple result of having so many things going on in my life that I cannot focus on one particular item for too long. Like this post for instance - I am already bored with it and am thinking of like 20 other things at the moment. Usually the things I think about are not really other tasks I have, but my mind seems to move faster than I can keep up with. Meaning - I have already thought about what the last sentence of this post will be before I wrote this current sentence. Weird, huh? Do I have adult ADD? Yeah, the drug manufacturers would love that (that is another post altogether). Again, the signs point to no. Could it be the linger effects of all the partying and drugs that I used to do when I was a "kid"? Possibly, but again, I doubt it because there are times, like I said, that I can think very clearly. Not to mention, it has been many years since I have done anything like that or have even taken a drink.

Actually, I think that the reality is that this imaginary syndrome I think that I am experiencing is more related to my perfectionist mental attitude. Here is an example - in addition to my job, family, coaching, and all my other responsibilities, I am a FT student - yeah at my age! Along with that of course is homework, including research papers. Now, one of my BIGGEST flaws is that I am a HORRIBLE planner. I generally tend to be the type of person who thinks planning is a waste of time and that those planning minutes and hours could be spent actually doing the work. Yes, even though I run into all sorts of problems that planning would have averted, I still hold firm to my convictions in that area. Anyhow, I am one of those types of people who wait until the last weekend to finish a paper that was assigned 3 weeks prior. I hate myself for this, but it is who I am.

Miraculously, I manage to throw something together just in time for the 11:59 PM deadline (usually turning it in at 11:58), all the while kicking myself for writing the worse paper that I have ever written. However, I am usually presently surprised with a near perfect grade. <--side note--->Another one of my problems is being succinct. I get to going and have a hard time concluding. The assignment will be for at least 7 pages or something like that. I will think at the start of the assignment that there is no way I can write 7 pages on something like "The History or Java Programming." (Yes that was an actual assignment). Then, when I am writing the paper and I look down and see that I am on page 13 I start to get worried about how I am going to bring this rambling to an end, and usually end up with a paper that is great in the beginning and middle, but them comes to an abrupt stop like an excited dog chasing a squirrel and reaching the end of her chain, causing her to yelp and choke and fly through the air - yeah, just like that.

See, I am doing it again with this post, so be prepared... Continue Reading*