Checking the Calendar Again

My oldest and I were at the local shopping mall this weekend enjoying the day.  Shopping for her youngest sister’s sweet sixteen birthday.  We were popping in and out of Express, Limited, Wet Seal you know all the “HOT” places for teens.

We were near Macy’s and they were having their one hundred and fifty year anniversary.  Cool, should be a great sale. 

We’re strolling around and looking for the usual crap that every teenager cannot live without.  Shoes (leopard print), makeup, jewelry, clothes, you know, the basics. 

Then it happened.  We traveled the escalator to the lower level.  And there out in plain site for the whole world to see.  Christmas Trees. 

Can you believe it, Christmas Trees?  I had to ask my daughter first, what date it was and second, what planet were we on, just in case we had been transported in time.

When I was young, Christmas didn’t show its head until after Thanksgiving.  Nary was a tree or decoration seen until after that Turkey weekend.  As I grew older the Christmas holiday seemed to creep closer and closer to the beginning of fall. 

First it showed up a week or two before Thanksgiving.  When I got married (the first time) it had moved up to just after Halloween.  But now the costumes have just started showing up at the stores.  I know its hard to tell here in So Cal where there are a lot of monsters already.  I just didn’t expect to see Christmas trees the first week of October. 

   Soon we’ll be seeing the holiday decorations starting Labor Day.

   I really need to check my calendar, or get a new one…

Opposite Sides of the Fence

   I was floating around the blogsphere yesterday minding my own business.  Lurking, commenting, checking out boobies here and basically avoiding work as much as possible. 

  Yeah, business is slow right now…

   It was during this surfing I stumbled on a post that made me sit up and go, “Huh.”

I found the Blog Antagonist from “Blogs are Stupid” through my friend KT at “When Did I Become a Grownup”. 

As I read her post “I F****ing Hate Politics” I found myself agreeing with her.  She talked how we need to find tolerance for individuals.  Avoid shouting matches just to get your points across.  This isn’t about chest thumping and who can market themselves best.  This is about working together and to find common ground. 

I really have to tell you I enjoyed her rant.  She wrote what I’ve been thinking and saying to people concerning this election.  Best line in the post was “People who don’t agree with you are not stupid or immoral. They just believe differently.”  Good stuff.

The irony of all this is that I didn’t look at her site very closely until after I had read her post and commented.  The Blog Antagonist has Pet Issues and Causes displayed prominently on her site.  Most of them I would not support myself.

But I will gladly fight for her right to support them.  And her right to speak her mind. 

Opposites can agree.  Take that Washington…    

Crap!!

It was a Wednesday afternoon and I’m sitting at work.  Staring at my computer doing work, write a post, check out friends blogs.  The phone rings and startles me into reality. 

It’s my brother calling to tell me that his wife has a connection and has secured four tickets for tonight’s baseball game in Anaheim.  Four tickets to watch the Angels and Red Sox’s duke it out for game one of the Division Playoffs. 

Hmmm, let me think.  Hell, yes!

Sprinting out of the office, I drove home to pick up the wife.  This is her first game of the season for her, better late than never.  And we head up the freeway to pick up my brother and sister in law. 

With our tickets in hand, a brief stop for dogs and beer on our way to our right field seats.  Life is good.  It was a great game, but there was no offense from my team.  Red Sox win game one 4-1.

Crap!!

I Love This Time of Year!

Can I just say I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!

I know this post will alienate some of you.  If you’re not a fan of this time of year you won’t understand.  Making this year special is that my home team is in it.

Being a baseball fan since forever, this time of year holds my attention more than the Super Bowl, NBA playoffs, or the Stanley Cup.  I know it’s sacrilegious for those of you in this country that actually have a winter.  No snow here in the So Cal. 

Baseball has been called the thinking man’s game.  I’m not putting down other sports.  God forbid.  As a red blooded male, I enjoy watching and participating in them all.  But baseball holds for me the anticipation and excitement of the pitcher going after the hitter.  It’s the strategy of setting up the right combination in the lineup to go against the other team’s hurler. 

My team the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (don’t get me started on the name) are in the playoffs again.  This will be the fourth time in the last five years.  They were the 2002 World Series Champions who came through the playoffs as a wild card team to beat some pretty good teams. 

Blogging has given me the opportunity to enjoy the game as well.  Some friends like Mattdaddy, Above Average Joe and Dad Gone Mad are all baseball fans.  This is a time of year we get the chance to puff up our chests and brag.

I will be stationed in front of my television (wide screen LCD in HD) to watch every inning.  My wife, bless her heart will be accommodating to me.  She will run interference with the kids and the phone to allow me to have this time (BTW I love you honey).  There will be a beer at my side, and my wife may even spend some time with me enjoying the game. 

So with all that is going on in our country right now, banking bailout issues, recession worries, Dancing with the Stars eliminations and Britney’s comeback, thank god we have baseball.

So who’s your favorite team and why do you think they’re going to win?

Pins and Needles

Watching what’s happening in Washington in the past week has gotten me on pins and needles.  I’ve been watching the circus as intently as most Americans, probably a little more than others.

I work for a bank, a bank in California.  And yes, it’s not a pretty sight right now.  I keep looking around as other banks around us fail.

The bank I work for is on the FDIC’s list of troubled banks.  But then again, what bank isn’t lately.  I’ve watched reductions of staff (layoffs), hiring freezes, spending cuts and a general work slow downs. 

And as a Republican I’ve been torn.  On one hand I believe in the patriotic, free market democracy that this country was founded on.  On the other hand I’m wishing to see businesses (my bank) survive this latest “crisis.”  I know selfish.

The government should not be in the business of buying bad loans.  Supporting business directly as opposed to support through regulation is wrong.  This just smacks too closely to a socialist/Bolshevik answer.  When governments directly support businesses that’ve made bad decisions, we’ve begun to slide that slippery slope. 

My father taught me that when you dig yourself a hole, grab a shovel and start digging yourself out.  The same is true of institutions that have dug themselves deep in the hole. 

I’m not naïve to think that it’s just that simple.  I realize that we live in a global economy and that what happens here affects others around the world.  I also know that something will happen in Washington, soon or later to intervene.

After the House of Representatives shot down the “bipartisan” bill today, I continue to sit and wait…

on pins and needles.

Nuff Said…

Best “Laid” Plans

The night was set for romance.  Our daughters all had other commitments, and we would not see hide nor hair of them until the next day.  The expectations were high. 

Two weeks is long without alone time with “the wife.” 

Drinks at a bar, dinner at a romantic restaurant, conversation with an adult, these were the beginnings of a magical evening.  After dinner, a stroll around the island and a short nightcap before heading home for a much anticipated romantic rendezvous.

Sounds like a fabulous night, huh?  Would have been great if that had been how it worked out.  BUT Nooo…

Phone rings, “Honey, change of plans.”

In my head I’m thinking, “Great, what now?”

“Princess needs a ride to a friend’s house and by the way, it’s that time of the month.  When I get home lets just head to the mall; I need new bras and you need a new pair of jeans.”

Terrific.

So instead of that romantic drinks, dinner and stroll around the island, as well as the nightcap and…

We ended up with roast beef sandwiches, sodas and a small bag of Sees candies for dessert.  That and along with a cast of hundreds shopping for bargains, our night was definitely not as planned. 

So much for the fantasy.