Friday, May 15, 2009

Listen,

My parents bought Brady the absolute coolest toy for his birthday. It’s a Star Wars Galactic Heroes Millennium Falcon. I will not go on and on and on about all the cool features and sounds and everything. You just have to see it to really appreciate how freaking awesome this toy is. What makes it even better is that he absolutely loves it. I thought his love of Star Wars and Star Wars Toys was about at peak possible level… This has taken it to a whole new level.

This got me to thinking. What was the coolest toy I had growing up? What is the coolest toy you ever remember playing with? I can remember several toys that I had growing up that were really cool. Here is a list (in no particular order) of some of the coolest and most fun toys I remember having as a kid:

1. Transformers – especially Optimus Prime and the set of construction vehicles that joined together to form 1 really bid guy. Jeff and I each had some dinosaur transformers that were pretty sweet too.


2. Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars. I could never have too many of them.

3. Robotix - if you don’t know what these are I am sorry
4. M.U.S.C.L.E. men









5. Star Wars Toys in general, but specifically my MircoWorld Hoth and Bespin Sets

6. Atari 2600 – Favorite games: Maze Craze, Missile Command, Joust, and Asteroids

7. My Boglin


8. He-Man and the Castle Greyskull

9. Thundercats action figures.
I know wht you are all thinking, "What a spoiled kid!"
I worked dang hard for all those toys. I deserved each and every one of them.
Thanks mom and dad for being so awesome.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Some holidays...

Listen,
Every once and a while we have these things called holidays. Maybe you’ve heard of them. Just in case, let me give enlighten you. They (meaning other people) have set aside certain days each year where we are to celebrate, commemorate, or remember a certain event, person or groups of people person. Not to over-generalize, but it seems like holidays fit into one or five basic categories:

1: Major holidays. These are the big ones… Like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Independence Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day where most people get the day off of work and you have family events or gatherings. People tend to have family traditions associated with these Major Holidays. There are words associated with these major holidays. For example if I say “Turkey” you think of Manny Ramirez… I mean you think of thanksgiving. If I say “Fireworks” you think of Independence Day. And lastly, if I say “Presents,” you automatically think of Hayley. Major holidays are a big deal. These should not be taken lightly.

2. Kind-of-major holidays. These are the kind of holidays that you get out of school for when you are a kid. If you are an adult and have a really good job you get to take the day off for these too. (Note: I do not get these off at my job) One these holidays the banks are closed and so are government offices. They are recognized as federal holidays, but most people still have to work them. These are days like Presidents Day, Human Rights Day, and Veterans Day. I am going to group Easter in with these because it’s a “religious holiday” and kids usually get spring break that coincides with Easter. When I worked at Albertson’s we had to work Easter Sunday (jerks). Maybe it belongs in the next category.

3. Minor holidays. These are days that are “special,” but I have a hard time considering them holidays if you don’t get out of school or work (or church for that matter). These are like Halloween, Valentines Day, Super Bowl Sunday, and Days 1 and 2 of the NCAA basketball tournament. These days probably warrant a day off, or the day after them off.

4. Fake holidays. These are just dumb. Examples include Flag Day, and Arbor Day. Give me a freaking break. These “holidays” can pass without even realizing they happen. I will give a prize for the first person who can tell us when these “holidays” occur. I am serious, I don’t know what the prize is yet, but you will get a prize.

5. Stupid holidays. These include holidays that are too stupid to be considered fake holidays. These include Earth Day, Groundhog Day, April Fools Day, and St. Patrick’s Day. Any holiday that includes pinching someone for not wearing green is really really really really stupid. (And yes spell checker program, I did mean to say “really” 4 times)

By know you are probably thinking something to the effect of, “Bob… what the hell? Why on Earth are you talking about holidays?”

It is because it’s Mothers Day on Sunday, duh. (Should “duh” have question marks after it?) I was trying to figure out where Mothers Day and Fathers Day fit. Mothers Day seems to be a bigger deal than Fathers Day, but let’s face it, there would be no mothers without a father. I’m not saying that moms don’t deserve more credit, but to quote my sister-in-law Kristen, “I’m just sayin’…”

I want to wish all the moms our there a happy Mothers Day on Sunday. Except for crappy moms… you can have a crappy day or all I care… you know who you are…

I especially want to wish the 2 most important moms in my life a particularly great day and say thank you for everything you do.

To Hana: You are amazing and I honestly don’t know where I would be today without you. I cannot express how blessed the boys and I are to have you. Thank you for putting up with us and our manliness.

To my mom: As a parent now myself, I just wonder how on earth you did it. With 3 crazy boys and 1 nasty little girl (yes you Hay) you made it all work. I admire your strength and patience. You truly are incredible.

Go hug your mom. You would suck even more than you do without her.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Busted...

Listen,

So I know that baseball is not on everyone’s list of things they care about, but it is on mine so here you go.

So, if you know me, you know that I am a Dodgers’ Fan. I’m not sure when it all began, but I can never remember a time in my life that I was not a fan of the Dodgers. Most likely, it’s a result of my dad’s love of the Dodgers. Some people may not even recognize me without my Dodgers hat on. Go figure…

Anyway, last fall I posted about the Dodgers making a trade to get Manny Ramirez. For those who don’t know, many people feel that he may be the greatest hitter of this era. He hits for power and average. He has a reputation of being a little lazy and times, but people put up with it for the most part because he is just so freaking good.

So, the Dodgers got him and he led them to the playoffs where he was amazing. He was hitting homeruns like a machine and really seemed to provide a much needed spark to the team. The fans loved him, the players loved him… life seemed so good.

This summer he signed a new contract to make something in the neighborhood of $22 million a year and many Dodgers fans were happy to have him securely on the team.

The Dodgers have been playing amazingly well so far this season. In fact, they just broke the record for most consecutive home wins to start a season. The record had previously been held by the Detroit Tigers who set the record in 1911… yes, you read that correctly 1911. The record had stood for nearly 100 years and my Dodgers just broke it. As I read this story on ESPN.com this morning I was almost giddy with dreams of World Series Champs and all that. Then, just before 11 o’clock I get a text from my sister-in-law Mandy telling me to check out ESPN.com…

It was like a sucker punch to the gut… a slap in the face… a kick to the groin…


Manny Tests Positive




Give me a freaking break for crying out loud…

Why do I love sports?

Why do I even care?

Why?
...
...
Why?