Thanksgiving was a quiet day at our house with just the three of us around the table. I know for a lot of families it is a gathering of relatives far and wide, but that has been the exception rather than the rule for us. We live in California and Renee’s family is in Texas. My family used to be in California, but is now scattered from Florida to Oregon to West Virginia. When we lived in Kentucky, we went to West Virginia for a big get together at my Paw Paw’s (my grandfather) farm. Cousins, aunts and uncles were all around, but that was not our usual Thanksgiving. We have moved so many times over the years with our living in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kentucky before moving back to California that we rarely spent a Thanksgiving in someone else’s house. I don’t mind it, it just changes the way you view the holiday when it is normally portrayed as at least a dozen relatives and extended family members gathered under one roof with the kid’s table set up on the side. We don’t partake in the Friday morning madness of standing in line to battle your fellow man for the best deal either. We did stop by a store Friday, but it was around 5 pm and the store was very quiet by that point. The day after Thanksgiving is when we set up the Christmas tree and hang our lights outside. This year, I did so wearing a t-shirt as the weather was in the 70s. The remainder of the weekend was spent eating turkey sandwiches and watching football.
Chargers beat the Patriots….finally!
I am so pleased that the Chargers finally managed to beat the Patriots after being beaten by them two years running in the playoffs. Now they just need to get past them in the playoffs. They are at least at .500 now and have a couple of challenging games ahead with Buffalo and then the London game against the Saints.
One and done!
When I saw the Angels win their final game of the regular season to reach 100 wins on the season, I had no idea that they would only manage one more win. They didn’t play well and are now done for the year. They left too many men on base and made too many fielding errors to beat the Red Sox. This has been a very frustrating year in the post-season for me and I am really beginning to dislike Boston area teams. First, the New England Patriots eliminated the San Diego Chargers from making it to the Super Bowl. Then the Celtics blow the Lakers off the court and now the Angels can’t get it done against the Sox. I love cheering on my teams to victory, but watching them lose is pretty painful too.
Finally….Chargers win!
It only took three weeks and two excruciating last-minute losses, but the San Diego Chargers have finally gotten their first win of the season. I still think the team is in need of work on defense and special teams, but I will take a 48-29 win anytime. Next up is a trip to Oakland and the dreaded rival Raiders. I hope they continue to play at a high level and don’t let down. They are now tied with the Raiders for second in the division and have a lot of work to do to catch the 3-0 Denver Broncos. Go Bolts!
Yelling at the TV….
This time of year you can always here me yelling at the TV for one reason or another. This weekend, I was yelling at the referee’s call in the San Diego-Denver game that gave what was clearly a fumble back to Denver helping decide the outcome of the game. I really enjoy watching the Chargers play, but I hate watching them lose. At least the Angels are giving me plenty to cheer for right now.
The verdict is in….
Yesterday was a trip to the eye doctor and the doctor concluded that I need two pairs of glasses. I could have gone with bifocals, but tipping my head back and forth in front of the PC all day did not sound appealing. So instead, I will have my computer/reading glasses and prescription sunglasses for driving(distance). Losing my hair didn’t make me feel old as I began losing it in my 20s. Getting gray hair didn’t make me feel old as I saw that as just getting wiser. Having to switch to glasses after never having worn them my whole life, makes me feel old. I know most people that have worn them their whole life have no sympathy for me. Twenty plus years of staring at computer screens has finally caught up to me.
$5 Movie Review: The Clone Wars
Last night, Renee and I went to $5 movie night and watched The Clone Wars. It was far and away the worst full length movie to come from George Lucas. I actually found myself looking at my watch to see what time it was which has never happened in a “Star Wars” movie for me. At points it seemed to drag along. Renee commented on the CG saying that she felt like she was watching dolls on screen. The story and dialog were bad. Characters were not consistent with the rest of the Star Wars Universe. It was a bit too cute for me. I will probably watch the shows when they come on Cartoon Network, but I am pretty convinced that the writers in the Expanded Universe are doing a better job with the characters than the man who created them. If you are planning to see it and have young kids, they will enjoy it. If you are a lifelong Star Wars Fan, I think you will be a bit disappointed.
Olympic Rant!
I enjoy watching the Olympics and have always been a fan. I saw the torch relay in 84 and 02 and attended the Olympics in 92 in Barcelona. That said, I hate that NBC refuses to show the big ticket events live on the West coast. I have been watching ESPN News to see results right after the events finish. Unfortunately, NBC feels we aren’t worth showing it live. Not even the record breaking 8th gold medal event by Michael Phelps was shown live. Instead, we wait 3 hours to see a race that I already know the result of. Shameful! Take down the stupid LIVE logo and quit telling me “Coming up live” Bob Costas, because it’s a lie.
Strange desert sighting
I spotted this on my way into work yesterday and stopped this morning to photograph it. The building in the distance is a Walmart distribution center 2 miles away and the nearest store is 8 miles away. This was sitting on the other side of a fence along a dirt road accessed over a half mile away. This cart wandered a long way from home. I hate that people dump junk in the desert and this one was just wierd.
Monsoon season…already?
Every year around August, we get wrap around moisture from Arizona’s monsoon season and it makes our swamp cooler worthless. Higher humidity means less evaporation. The last few days we have had humidity rising at the end of the day and through the night to around 30%. Anywhere else, that might not be a big deal. Here the average tumidity is less than 15%, thus the evaporative cooler for the house. I guess this year the humidity is arriving early and making our house a bit stickier than we would like. At least we have fans to blow the air around.