M&M's, cheezits, coca-cola, and learning about life....
I was a latch key kid, after school my sister and I would take the bus home and be on our own til my parents got home. Not a bad thing, we were good kids and didn't really cause too many problems (or that I remember) When I finished 6th grade we moved to Visalia California to build a house out on my Grandparents ranch (my mothers parents). Our house was behind the barn, out of site of my grandparents house but only about 100 yards away. It must be said that I love this place, as a city kid we would get to spend 1 month a summer with my grandparents out on the ranch. Playing in the dirt and mud, shooting guns, going fishing, driving the tractor, heading out to the cotton gin/fields, and generally doing the exact opposite of what we'd be doing back at home in Nor Cal... so in someways, moving to the ranch was heaven. My seester was in high school and shortly found better things to do than ride the bus home and play in the dirt, so I would be on my own if it wasn't for my grandparents.
Everyday I would get off the bus and beeline for my grandparents house. They'd have a cold coke waiting for me and my choice of cheezits or M&M's to complement my beverage. The would have a vodka martini, Grandpa would light up a cigar, and ask me how my day was. We talk about the day, tell stories, and turn on the TV when Family feud would come on. We'd make bad jokes about the families and the abnormally stupid answers some would give. My all time favorite was "What is a common item stolen from a front yard?" Richard would ask... "A garden hose!" a contestant shouted... Survey says 0! Grandpa made a joke about that at my wedding... They watched me become a teenager, but they were always cool... not like parents more like friends... although they were parenting me all along.
As I got older I would spend more time working for them on the ranch. Driving tractor, cutting limbs, mowing lawns, just about anything they could think of and pay me $6.50 per hour (about $3 more than min wage at the time, so the best job a 13 yr old could get!). As my life got more complicated Grandma and Grandpa just adjusted to me like any good friends would. They both always treated me like an adult and made me feel like I had something to offer. I learned enormous amounts from both of them and can feel their presence in me and my personality/values/perspective.
When I went away to college in 1986, the first care package I received in the dorms was from my Grandparents. Cokes, cheezits, M&M's, and boxes of Mac n cheese. A big hit with my dorm mates and was one of the first times I realized how much they both meant to me. There are so many examples I could write into this, but my relationship with my grandparents is something that had a profound effect on my life and who I am. I am grateful to the wisdom they gave me and they will never be far from my heart.
Grandpa had problems with arterial dimensia in his final years, he passed 3 years ago on Jan 5th. Grandma was always as sharp as a whip and one of the few cyber Granny's that exist. I found out last week that she read this blog and would check it everyday for updates. I was planning to write an entry about finding out my Granny was reading my blog, catch her off guard and maybe... just maybe, get her to post a comment! Unfortunately, my grandma died today and I won't get the chance reach out to her on this blog and try to make her smile. I'm very sad she's gone, but remembering all she and my grandfather gave me makes me happy. So if you read this, call your grandparents/parents/seester/brother/spouse/child/SO or pet and tell them you love them. If they have already passed on, sit quietly and remember them, celebrate that they were in you life and be happy.... it's what they would want.
Back in the saddle again...
Merry Christmas my friends, I hope y'all got what you wanted and get a chance to relax, wind down, and recharge for all the 2006 holds. We had fun with Sam on her first christmas and she's been in stimulation overload for the past 36 hrs. Which has lead to her eating like a horse and crashing into 3 hr naps and a good 12 hrs overnight.
I've got 6 hrs in the saddle over the past 3 days and if all goes to plan I'll have a my first real week of riding in a l-o-n-g time. The fitness is still at the 0 out of 10 range, but each ride feels a bit better. Not the for the back, it's the same, but its alittle better. I'm at a do it or give it up for good sort of spot, and I'm not ready to give it up... so I'll just fight through it.
It's been really windy, the kind that you are working hard pedalling down hill into the wind! Then you turn with the wind and start thinking about how much you'll get paid when Discovery calls to make you an offer. At first you think you're getting a birds eye view of
Jeannie's navel, then it turns out you flirting with
Flicka out there in the stable...
random questions in my head...
What do those
butterfly stickers really mean? Did I miss something? One of my roomates in college had a friend that liked to paint hibiscus flowers, except they always ended up looking like vagina's... for some reason those butterfly stickers remind me of that.
Why would they try to sell you a parts and labor warrenty on a new car? or those stupid
etched window anti-theft deals? WTF, does that ever help anything?
Aren't
actuaries and
scrapbooking bike racers one in the same?
If there is intelligent design, why are there stupid people?
Nighty night....
I love my commute... oh yes I do!
I woke up this morning feeling fine…. Oh sorry, I’ll stop that. Really, something about going to bed at 8pm and sleeping soundly til 5 am just makes me a happy guy. The sunrise on the way into work was awesome, the cool crisp morning made me want to put on my thermal wind vest and throw a leg over the bike for 4-5 hrs (which I haven’t felt like doing in months) so I was optimistic about the day…. Then the full impact of how good this day would soon be realized…. I’m sitting in traffic and pull up next to a Durango, as I glace over I notice the driver is a pretty hot lady so I’m about to flash her a number 2 smile… but she’s too busy to notice anything else around her due to the fact her finger is knuckle deep in her nose! She’s digging for a chunk of
green goodness to complement her morning coffee.. so I just watch… she must be close to a hunk and can sense it, she is focused and letting the world just go on with out her since she is on the prize… she pulls the finger out and drops her hand to her lap… this is when I know she’s got it… she glances down and I swear I saw a wry smile appear on her face for just a moment. Then just looks out the window to the horizon while the traffic just creeps along…. Now my focus narrows and I can’t take my eyes on her… she pulls slightly ahead of me, but the sunrise forms a perfect silhouette of her head and I’m not breaking my stare. My lane creeps back up and I’m next to her.. she is still just staring out into the distance… stalling, hoping anyone who saw her mining the crystal cavern has since looked away… but not me, I’m committed to seeing this through. The light changes to green and traffic starts to move, her lane is just slightly faster than mine and I think my prize will escape me.. but just as the sun light silhouettes her again it happens... its all in slow motion for me, but her hand rises with the finger extended, she inserts it into her salivating mouth and pulls it out just like she was licking her fingers after eating
pork bbq…
Hot
chicks eating boogers in cars… today my friends, is a good day.
It's caught me and won't let me be....
So tonight it happened... the time/jet lag caught up to me. I've been laying in bed since 2am (4 pm in Singapore) unable to get back to my slumberescence. One of my German colleagues just suggested I drink some German
Gluhwein so I can sleep like a child. Not a bad idea, but I can't seem to justify the "it's noon somewhere" idea right now at 4am. Maybe I'm just having workmares and need to get my big boned ass back on the bike regularly.
I did ride with the boys at lunch yesterday, they were heading to the park for some
CX practice so I tagged along. It felt good to be on the bike, but it was very clear I'm in so sort of shape and I make all my gear seem to be a skin suit... The back is ok, not great but ok. My new PT has taught me how to alleviate the pain when it happens and started me on exercises that will strengthen my back bits that are weak. It has been made very clear that my bed at home is a big part of the problem, so one of those
fancy beds may be in my very near future.
I wonder what
Meg is doing...
Back home, now quick.. get me some Salsa
Got back to Tejas yesterday and had an unbelievable craving for Salsa... they didn't have ANY while in Asia... short and sweet this morning. Sammy is walking now ;)
For
Jaime
pardon me, but I'm much taller than you....
Whoa, hard to believe I'm already heading back tomorrow... short and sweet.
Do you have any odd things that happened to your motor control when you get excessively tired? My right eye starts twitching, no joke and I can't control it. So here I am leading a discussion with 10 engineers and my right eye starts twitching like I'm winking at them. Now no-one made a comment, they were all too polite, but I struggling to be sure the know A. That I'm not having a seizure and B. No, I'm not making a pass at anyone! Judging by the emails later, I pulled of A but not B.....
Needless to say, when I got off the plane I knew this was a technologically advanced culture...
Although I am not part of this culture an
d ended up buying a Hong Kong set of tolietries....
Me seester turned 40!
Me seeester turned 40… well, almost.
Y’all need to celebrate the birth of baby jesus (no, not Sammy but you SHOULD celebrate on Jan 9th) before she’s
really 40, but that is just a technicality.
It was done right last night, I’m sitting in the SJC airport hung like Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven… mmmnn.. that’s right.
Cept I was drinking vino and not whiskey, yet the outcome is the same… cross me and die, simple eh?
So let me recap.. I’ve been lying. One of my few readers just happens to be my seester, so I needed to portray I was already in the air to Singapore to help keep the smoke screen thick prior to her surprise 40th birthday (NICE job Chris). I am actually sitting in the airport now embarking on the 20hrs of airplane living now with a ‘wicked haard’ hangover but very glad I was present for her celebration. So in recent J-dawg style, my photoblog sans snow….
Arrive and travel in style… ma has a westy!
Maybe alittle lunch?
Home to the Berkley abode….
POV of Jack.
Hmmmnn… Berkley is nice, me likey.
Party time!!
Some of you may know and others are blissfully unaware, but my familia is fairly musically inclined. While my voice is prolly more suited to the car my Da used to be a singer fo rizzle. The guy singing (Michaelsoli.com) was very similar to my dad’s style back in the day (maybe daze would be more appropriate!) reguardless pops busted out a tune. Which of course reminded my seester and I of very good times… good times…
Grandma and Dru
The surprise… (for once I was ‘fast on the draw’)
Pop’s rhyming…
Kiddo’s watching side by side… even at 40 J
Off into the wild blue yonder...
Well kiddos, I'm on my way to the far east. CN dropped me at the airport and I did what any good business traveller would do.... got drinks!
So here's to you and my little adventure to AMD Singapore!
