My Drifting Mind

I find my thoughts often think of him.


Sometimes they are memories of hoping in the car or working on some chores. Other times I am reminded of how he treated her and how much he loved life.


Mostly they are of random things that really don't make much sense.


How I was amazed that he never would wear shorts...How his hair had a cowlick in the exact same spot mine does...How he always took his coffee black...How he took a nap every day...His little, practical jokes.


I don't know why those things still strike me. I don't understand why he is the one that pops into my head so often.


Well, I guess that is a lie. I know.


He was the most influential person in my life.


The pain of his loss has faded, but the disappointment of him not being around is still very real.

Thanks and Stuff

Our camping equipment arrived recently.

It is so sweet!

High quality and fantastic.

Thanks again Hallie!

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The only thing that did not arrive was the Windproof Lighter...I hope that cool thing shows up!

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We had a great time in Orlando with Claire's family. I will post some pics later this week, but I can sum up the trip this way...

5 Disney parks, 2 Disney water parks, 5 fast food drive thru's, 7 family members, wonderful weather, Sake and sausage.

Second Happiest Place on Earth

Claire left last night for Orlando...It is the Food and Wine Expo at Disney, so her family is going to be doing the whole Disney thing for a week.

Lucky me, I get to join them on Tuesday!

I have never been to Disney in Florida except to run through it...I grew up with Disneyland in SoCal and always figured the original was the best. I guess I am about to find out.

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What did I do with my bachelor night?

I watched Playoff Baseball and Sunday Night Football...I ate spicy sausage...I drank Scotch.

Good Times....Good Times.

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I baked some cookies I got from Ramblings, Rants and Recipes. They are Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies....cause that is what bachelors do on the first morning their significant other is out of town.

I actually had to make them for my Volleyball team because they swept both matches last week...

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And if any of you are wondering...Costco, according to my sister, is the Happiest Place on Earth!

Colorful Past

The girls volleyball team I coach had a team dinner last night. We had finished eating our carbo load (stuffed pasta shells and garlic bread...yes mom, we had a salad too) and we were tearing into the caramel layered brownies...one of the girls said that they like my red sweatshirt. It was "a good color".

I told her that I seem to wear a lot of red. Claire likes me in that color and I have always sorta liked it. As a matter of fact, I confided in them, I have always thought it would be cool to have a nickname that is a color like "Red" or "Blue". They laughed and thought that was silly.

It was then I remembered that from about age 8 to around high school, I did have a nickname that was a color...or at least a color was in it. White-Boy.

At that age, my father was living very close to the Mexican Boarder. I was the ONLY white kid in the neighborhood.

Everyone called me "White-Boy". My friends, their parents and even the ice cream man.

"White-Boy".

I think I would prefer to be called "Red" or "Blue".

Nah, I will stick with Bogart.

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So we went and saw the 12:01am showing of Where the Wild Things Are last night...this morning?...I'll stick with last night.

The reviews have been generally good and the previews are really freak'n fantastic.

The movie...well, it was good, but not quite as good as we had hoped.

A little darker than the previews would lead you to believe, but both Claire and I enjoyed it.

I am not a parent, but I am guessing kids under 8 or 9 would probably be a little scared...older than that and they will enjoy the heck out of it.

That is all.

Kings of Leon are Stalking Me

Ever have a song follow you? It can be a little strange.

That happened to me yesterday.

I put on some music in the morning and the Kings of Leon song Use Somebody was playing.

I said to myself, "Self, I like that song. Let's go to iTunes and download it." So I went to iTunes and listened to it there. Then I downloaded it. It played as I downloaded it.

That makes it 3 times I had heard it in about 10 minutes.

A couple of hours later, I hopped into the car to head to the gym and what song that was playing? Yup, Use Somebody by Kings of Leon.

I arrived at the gym. It was playing there.

I got home, flipped on an Internet radio station and it was the second song I heard.

At 230, I left for Volleyball practice. The song played on two different radio stations during my 25 minute drive.

Sorta sick of it by this point.

I am regretting the iTunes purchase.

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On Friday, I baked a pumpkin cake...had some extra pumpkin, so I baked pumpkin cookies.

They both were fantastalicious!

Except that I ate so much of each that I am now orange and becoming very round.

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My wife has invited me to a date on Thursday.

She would like us to go see the 12:01am showing of Where the Wild Things Are.

I have not gone to a 12:01 showing since early college.

I am not a night person.

Neither is she.

It should be interesting.

Somebody's Momma is Lying

Coaching girls high school varsity volleyball has me spending a lot of time with teenage girls.

Occasionally you forget that you are around teenage girls when they are there constantly.

For example...last night I was sitting in the stands watching the JV team play. My players were sitting near me and I struck up a conversation with our setter.

Me: "Which sister is older? The outside hitter or the middle blocker?"
Her: "They are not sisters."
Me: "Of course they are. Look at them. There is no way they are not sisters...I actually am surprised they are not twins."
Her: "They are not related. They are not sisters. They get told all the time that they look alike, but they are not from the same family."
Me: "They are from the same family. They have to be. I bet they have the same dad and nobody knows. I bet the milk man is their real dad."
Her: **Blank Stare**
Me: "Or the mail man. Has anyone seen the mailman in their neighborhood?
Her: "Coach...the one dad is sitting right behind us!"
Me: **Blank Stare**

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Need to refrain from those conversations in the future.

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I am baking a cake today. Pumpkin Spice cake for Claire's book club. I have not baked a cake since the Angel Food Cake incident earlier this year.

I hope I don't die.

Party in My Mouth

I think I have found nirvana.

I think my Heaven has been decided.

The Maple Bacon Doughnut.

Yes, that is a big'ol fatty, maple doughnut...my favorite...with a couple of slabs of baconny goodness on top.

I think that has to the best "party in your mouth" ever...EVER!!!

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For those of you living in the Pacific Northwest (Portland to be exact) or within driving distance (Wes, I expect a road trip out of you!), I need to hear about this. I need to know if it is as amazing as my dreams about it are. I need to know if I can finally say that my culinary life is complete. I need to know.

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They are sold at Voodoo Doughnut...you can see their other sinful breakfast items here.
***Edit***
So, I went and looked a little more closely at the offerings...please be aware that there may be some sexually explicit doughnuts sold there...venture on at your own peril.
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Forget Europe next year, we are headed to Portland!

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Do you think they have to post the calorie count and the fat content in Portland?

Taste Buds A-Flutter

So I went out and bought this Breyers Yogurt.


It is Mint Chocolate Chip flavored.


Yogurt.


I can't decide if I like it. I have decided to keep eating it.


You know, for interesting sake.

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Yea, I know, Mint Chocolate Chip yogurt sounds disgusting...In my defense:

1. I love mint and chocolate together. It is second only to peanut butter and chocolate.
2. I had a coupon and it was double coupon day at the grocery store.
3. I like to try new things.

Would I recommend it?

I don't know. It is very weird.

2 Years Running

Two years ago today, I moved to Virginia.

I started blogging a couple weeks later.

It was not an easy move. I left behind my beloved Southern California. I left behind my closest friends. I left behind my family. I left behind carne asada and avocados.

I struggled to adapt to my new life. Living away from SoCal did not immediately agree with me.

Two years later, I would so do it again...and again...and again.

She made it worth it. She made it a lot easier than it could have been. She became my companion.

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To celebrate, I am going to the U2 concert tonight with 7 other guys...a limo ride from Norfolk to/from Charlottesville included.

I probably could have thought that ticket purchase through a little more.

Although, having never seen U2 in concert, I am rather excited about it.