Oil Change

They did it in 7 minutes.

I only give them credit if they can do it in 6.

***

He's Got Legs

Mighty fine legs.

Amber must stare at them all the time, because I couldn't take my eyes off them.

This is about as mature as we get.

More wrenching days to come.

***

A present for Wildman.

I think it's kind of a candle holder or something, but with a golf ball in the cup it kind of passes as a golf knick knack.

***

Bruce's girlfriend tried fixing me up with somebody tonight, at the golf course.
It was a really nice lady, but not very interesting.
And she probably thought the same about me.

Another nice night out though.  Even though we played in the rain.

Bruce insulted me, and I returned the favor through the whole game.
Wildman was my partner and he of course rocked.
Rick was, well.....Rick.  That's all I can say about him.

Al was pissed at me because of what some asshole vendor did.  I can't help what people do or say, so screw them.

Mike S. was there.  It's always nice seeing him.

(I was toned down this week at the clubhouse.  The stressful day had me worn down.  I dodged a huge bullet with the suctomer, .....I mean customer in Texas.  It really took it out of me.
I mean, it's one thing to travel when you have a support system at home.  It's another thing to go into a dump like that when you're absolutely alone.  So for now I'm home, and I'm happy.)

No straw hat this week.  I decided to ruin a Triumph hat instead.  I also broke my sunglasses by accident.  Oh well.

Gumby Is Always Flexing His Muscles...

...and they're bigger than mine.

I get nervous with him staring at me all the time.

He scares the Dude too.

Dude couldn't even discuss warts, stinky feet, and other man stuff today because of his fear of Gumby.

***

I Think I'm Going Back

The funnest place on the planet, if you ask W.

***

They Ran Out Of 'Fish Bowls'

So we all had 'fish tanks'.

***

He's The King Of Cool

And eats more food than an adult.

***

He Loves Wrenching

He also loves fingering things with grease.

***

Maniacs

Bruce and I dared each other on some things throughout the game.

Wildman had his own personal cart and squealed the wheels on the cart path quite often.  Golf carts just aren't safe with him.  I mean, he'd come back from Put In Bay with a collection of golf cart speeding tickets.

I slapped my hand on a golf tee.  Yep, it went right in my hand.  I think it may have taken half a second to regret doing it.  However, I did not belly flop on a golf ball like two weeks ago. But that one was at least funny.

Bruce told me that his girlfriend does not yet understand that I am a douche bag, but that he would work on that for me.  I appreciated the offer.

Marci told me I looked good, like she always does.  She then started making another lame remark about my 'beautiful eyes' so I grabbed the pitcher of beer from the bar and walked away from her while she was in the middle of her sentence.  Yeah, that's pretty douche like.

She still talked to me the rest of the night.

She informed me that Pat is still with Fart Face and that they are engaged.  Congrats to that guy.

Rick and I made up.  There was even a hug involved.  It's impossible for us to remain angry with one another.

Some bunch of old ladies called the 'Lady Belles' had their league as well.  I bought one of them grandmas a glass of wine.  She had just turned 63.  She had me fooled though, because I thought she was 80.  She too made a comment about my eyes, but I never walked away from her.  Mainly because I was trying to figure out if her teeth were real or not.  I never figured it out.  I got a hug from her too, I think.

The Santa Fe blew away Wildman's truck.  I didn't think the blue beast would have been beaten like that, but what can I say?  He followed me to my place for some reason.  I think it was for a goodbye hug.

Everyone needs a friend like Wildman.

Overall, not a bad time out.  Going to tear it up just as bad next week.  If not worse.  I can't believe they let us have a league sometimes.
***

The Dude came into my cubicle today.
He randomly does this.
I had just farted, however.
After a couple of minutes he asked if I had something stinky in my garbage, and started looking under the desk.
I lied and told him that I probably did.
So he remarked that my garbage smelled like dirty socks, got up, and walked out of my cubicle.
I laughed pretty hard afterwards.

I have officially started the family tree process.
There are others in my family that already have done portions, but it's no fun to just get the information from them.  So I'm going to do it on my own.
Not completely on my own, actually.  To start, I am going to be helped by a friend who has been doing this kind of thing for 15 years.  She's awesome for helping me.  It's going to be interesting.
We'll see what I find out.

See?

I told you I still wear them!

And trust me, I have been made fun of for it too!

***

What Was Real

I wrote the following right after waking up.

After rereading, I felt it needed a few touch ups to better reflect my thoughts.

That'll teach me to post crap when I'm just waking up.

***

I'm getting rid of the spare bed. The new owners are going to get some good use out of it.

The bed did its job here. I'm glad I got it when I did, because it's not fair to have somebody sleeping on a couch.

But I don't think I'll do anything like it again. Once was enough. It's just not worth the kind of emptiness that can result, to do it again. Not for things to happen the way they always seem to.

And they always seems to work out so that there is a wishy washy explanation of needing to figure out what you, or they want. For me, it's usually they.

But the fact is, it's always just new things, and even more commonly a new person, that makes the desire for change so strong.

New things and people can make you forget all about the things and people who were there for you. We are all guilty of this at some point in our lives. But in the end, only some of the new things will remain, and what is left is all that was real.

Sometimes what was real are the things you were hoping wouldn't be.

Sometimes you are surprised and the things that are real, are things you want to hold on to forever.

Sometimes you are left totally confused.

One thing is for sure though. It hurts worse than ever when you lose a child.

I'll kind of miss that bed though. There were a lot of jumping jack sessions, chip crumbs, and bed time stories that included that bed already.

I hope the new owners get just as much out of it as I did. Because the contradictory part about it not being worth doing it all over, is that you wouldn't trade those memories for anything.

***

rots

three days of roar on the shore.

it was awesome.

***

Wildman

Wildman?

Well, this is one hot Wildman.

Sorry Justin. You'll always be Wildman, but you're just not this hot.

my brother refused my friend request.

i found my brother, who i haven't seen since i was 13, through facebook.

completely by chance, through another person's page.

interesting.

MG Golf Night

MG golfed with us!

Last year he golfed with us, and I kept him out way too late. I don't think he got into trouble, but his wife probably wasn't happy.

This year I'm pretty sure we accomplished the same.

Everyone was laughing and joking, and the few people that knew of my recent motorcycle trip wanted the story told to everyone else.

I told it, but it's not really a story I'm 100% proud of. Maybe about 98%, but not a full 100%.

I never made par while on the course, but I certainly came close. That back nine is very difficult for me for some reason.

Things will improve as the season moves on.

Oh, and I rocked the straw hat. It didn't get a great reception but I really didn't give a shit.

Workin' Away

Oh I got a list a-goin' for the ole' Bonnie.

Been working on a few things today around the homestead, one of them being the bike.

Just didn't feel like going out. It was kind of a long day at work.

Anywho, the Triumph has a few areas that need some work. I'm not going to worry about them a lot, but I'll take care of them one at a time.

Ooooh, and this week is the roar! You better believe I'm going to show up all three nights. I am a huge fan of that thing, and I'm happy to be in town for it for my third year in a row.

That rocks.

***

To be continued...

man it's been a long time.

i fired up the bonnie, and headed down 79 south.

i hit 90 west.

somewhere around the 215 exit, i let it out a little.

now, my mirrors were vibrating pretty bad, but i could see the red and blue lights bouncing off my tank. i originally thought of punching it harder, but there's no way the little bonnie is going to outrun a cruiser.

so i stopped.

shit.

i was asked for my license and insurance, and registration. I only had my license on me.

After i checked out, he asked me if i knew how fast i was going. i told him 55, but he didn't like that answer. he told me it was at least 85.

but he was full of shit. my mirrors don't vibrate like that until about 100 MPH and i went past that. just ask wildman. but whatever.

I apologized.

he stood there for a minute.

then told me to ride straight home.

so, what on earth just happened?

who cares. nice ride.

***

why the hell is blogger picking random post times for me?

Seawolves

My first time in a private booth.

Wow.

Free food. Free beer. Free ice cream.

Talk about heaven.

I sat just outside the booth for half the game, and flirted with Clark's wife. She wasn't having any of it, but she was still cool. Just kidding, she'd punch me if I even THOUGHT of trying.

I parked where I always parked in the past.

And I was the happiest guy there. Just happy to be around my friends.

We drank. We cheered. We drank. We booed. We drank. We joked. We drank.

There was some eating too.

We drank

I think I mentioned that last one.

It was a great night out.

Going riding.

pull to start

ouchie.

that's all i gotta say.

I hadn't been to the tavern in at least three years. It's just the same as it was then - incredibly busy and jam-packed with people.

The dance floor was packed, and yes I even TRIED to boogie with my bad self. Think I looked bad, but it was still fun. Besides, my dancing partner was there to carry me the entire time.

In between songs they had some Lady Ga Ga lookalike contest. But none of them looked like Lady Ga Ga, so it was a pretty lame contest.

I also ran in to Ashley and Dale, who I used to work with at my previous job. It was nice seeing them.

It was a really nice night out. One I won't forget.

***

I Rock Straw Hats

Don't be jealous.

With practice, and my help, you too could look this good in a straw hat.

(OK, maybe you can't.)

***

I'm A Little Duckie (Quack Quack Quack)

This duck is one of the kings of cool.

And I know somebody who would love this coolness.

***

Everything Was Glittery

Not sure why, but she was all about seeing me for the night.

(We had crushes on each other way back when.)

It's interesting to be in our 30's and to still recognize each other as people we have high regard for. Some people are just good company, no matter how long it's been.

It was a great night out.

Holy Smokes

Looks like this analog input card won't be....er...analog inputting any more.

Minor set back. It ain't no thang, y'all.

So much is going on at work lately. I am the safety dude, electrical dude, and all around righteous dude. And things are picking up like crazy. I hope it stays that way.

With things that way, we are talking about getting a lot of things done.

When things slow down, I think of things that I don't want to think about.

So the rule of thumb is, forget about it and don't stop moving.

***

We closed down the club house last night like old times.

What wasn't like old times was what we talked about.

I didn't want anyone to know, but evidently word travels.

I thought I was in for some ball busting, but instead everyone talked with me.

I was brutally honest. Everyone still told me that I should know that I did what very few people would have done. They all also told me they loved me, which kind of made me uncomfortable, but whatever.

As for my game, Bruce told me that I made great ball contact, my swing wasn't bad, and that I played my best game of the year overall.

It certainly was a scorcher out, though. The sun was on me the entire time, my mouth was on fire, and I could feel my skin cooking. But to my amazement I survived.

Thanks guys. You're the best. It's nice to be back, in a way. But I'd still trade it all back in if I could.

And John, thank you too. I appreciate it.

rusted root

8 great tuesdays are back!

tonight was rusted root.

not really my type of music, but hey it was still fun.

the motorcycle parking was phenomenal, while everyone in a car struggled.

bright sun (which i love but i'm afraid of), beautiful women everywhere (as well as not-so-beautiful), music, lemon shakes, beer, ice cream, pizza...all these things floating around the crowd. i think that's either what heaven is like, or what hell is like.

fun either way.

oh, but who the hell are rusted root anyway?

seemed like a hippie band.

***

Evening Ride

Wildman, Nikki, and myself went for a motorcycle ride tonight.

I even put the sissy bar on the bike for her, which she said I didn't need to do.

In the end, she said her ass still hurt.

Well, the Triumph has been known to hurt some ass, so I'm not surprised.

And check this out - people are still complimenting the Triumph!

I mean, it just gets older and more beat up as time goes on, and people are still loving it.

Nikki said she likes to ride and would like to again. I must not creep her out yet (inside joke between the Wildfamily and I). She wishes I would ride the bike a bit harder so she can get an adrenaline rush, but sorry kiddo - I don't do that to the bonnie.

That's my baby. Still running and turning heads, and hugging them curves just fine.

I'm going to take the sissy bar off tomorrow after work. Screw that thing.

Theresa woke me up from her couch shortly after 4 AM.

Everything was really quiet. Just a slight sound of the wind through her kitchen.

For a split second, everything was what I came to know as "normal".

But then everything came back to me, and I realized there was now a new "normal".

So I took a minute to make sure my balance was OK, and then walked into her kitchen to swap keys.

I went upstairs and gave Bryanna a kiss on her forehead.

Then I walked out of the door, and left Erie behind.

My friends, I just don't know how to write this post the right way.

I don't know how because I believe an entire segment of my life may have come to a close. Nothing in life is etched in stone, however.

So with that said, I'd like to take a few moments to write a little about it. Before my hands stop working, and they are already beginning to.

***

If you were to click on the tag "Bryanna" you'll see a few slices of the life that I shared for the last two years (nearly). Talk about a roller coaster ride. There was laughing, lots of laughing. Crying. Temper tantrums on both our parts. Playing. Tickling. Learning who each other was. And much more.

Theresa and I never had much time together, mostly because of her work schedule. I mostly spent time with Bree. That happened because there weren't any day cares or babysitters that could watch Bree while Theresa worked the skeleton shift.

It was the hardest thing I've done. I was unprepared at first, but ended up really good at it in the end. It was not always fun times, but it was and is the highest honor I've had in my life.

And now I'll cut to the chase.

It seems to me that you can never keep people from growing and changing. Bryanna, for example, is growing into a very intelligent and strong girl. One who will make Theresa proud. I know I am.

Theresa and I grew and changed as well.

Sometimes people grow stronger together. Sometimes people grow apart from one another.

You just never know which you are going to get.

Theresa has a new life now that includes a new job,new shift, new friends, and an entirely new horizon ahead of her. Part of her new horizon involved moving on from me.

It hurts. If you wonder how bad it hurts....oh people, you just have no idea. Or maybe you do. Regardless, I am at a loss for what to do. I did my part and stepped up to the plate when I had to. And now I do my part in stepping away.

Of course I am most concerned about Bryanna, who grew to consider me her daddy. However, I know everything is going to be fine for her. She has so many people around her, and so many of them seem to connect better with her than I ever could. And hopefully Theresa will sit down with her and explain some things to her if and when the time comes.

And hopefully my story is told to her in a good light. Because I deserve at least that much.

The following is a picture of our night together. Last night. Yeah, it's probably not a good idea to put another picture of her up. But I just felt like it. We went to Waldameer for the second night in a row to ride some rides and watch fireworks.

For the last few hours, I was pretty happy. I think she was too.

So if you ever get a hankering, click on the Bryanna tag. It will loosely tell my story of Bryanna and Theresa. It's a really good story. You might laugh a bit. You might shake your head in disbelief. You might actually feel like you know these people like I did.

I may have been known to delete entire chunks of this blog at a whim in the past. But I am going to leave all the posts with the Bryanna tag up forever. I never want her history gone from it.

As for the future? We'll see.

You'll agree that it was all worth it for me.

Every minute.

Waldameer Fireworks

Bryanna went with me to Waldameer after I got off work yesterday.

It was the best time I had at that place. There wasn't much sun, and it only lasted for about a half hour anyway.

We rode the comet, carousel, the Sea Dragon, the Trucks, and her favorite for the night - the spinny cup looking things.

At the end of the night we watched the fireworks. We are so close they hurt our ears. I covered Brees ears, and she watched the fireworks with a big smile. I ended up with a headache, but that's ok.

I went to Theresa's after that, and got Bree to bed.

***

Bree and I went to visit some friends tonight!

Amber, Wildman, and Alex.

Of course there was Chance and Harvey as well.

Amber made some good food for dinner, and Bree played with Alex quite a bit.

He bonked her on the noggin a couple times, but she just kept right on a-truckin'.

She even played some tug-of-war with Chance. She actually won too.

Chance must be getting old finally.

It was a really good visit.