Billy Brzezinski wins!!

Well it looks like Billy ran away with the quote contest. All of the quotes were funny, at least a little, but Billy's were by far the funniest. Go back and look if you think you disagree, you won't after reading them, I promise. So, I will ship Billy a XL Lance Armstrong tee shirt, a Lance golf towel, and a few armbands. Nextime the contest will only be for towel and armbands, I like the shirts. Maybe I can score a few more off of my cousin for future contests. Anyway, congratulations Billy, funny stuff. Pat yourself on the back for me, hard. The stuff will be shipped Monday morning.

Later

Jim

Lance Armstrong and Rafael Palmeiro

Two things tonight, and neither is about us.

Well, it finally looks like Lance Armstrong has some competetion in the Tour de France. By the way, this is my favorite sporting event of the year, every year since the 80's, back when it was Greg Lemond vs. Laurent Fingion. I am a Lance fan, but more so of Bibycle racing. I rehabed my knee this way, and I fell in love with it.

Lance is only 38 seconds ahead of Mickael Rasmussen of Denmark. The tour is heading to the always challenging mountains of the Pyrenees in France. Rasmussen is the leader of the king of the mountain competetion and Lance usually loses people in the mountains. This may not be so easy this year. Rasmussen is in only his second tour and is very young. I don't think that Lance can drop him, as he usually does with his other rivals. Last year it was Ivan Basso, and the year before it was Alexandre Vinokourov. Rasmussen looks to have what it takes to hang with Lance, I just hope that he does not have what it takes to pull away from him. I do believe that Vinokourov will take a few chances at a breakaway. He has what it takes to do this in the mountain stages, but he is 4 minutes and 47 seconds behind Lance now. I do not believe that it is possible to make up that kind of time with just 2 stages left in the mountains. But Rasmussen just needs 38 seconds to take the lead, that is just one minor mistake by Lance or his team. It will no doubt be interesting, and hopefully Lance will come out on top in what will be his last professional race. We will see. If anyone is interested in watching, OLN is broadcasting the race live in the mornings at 8 am, and has rebroadcasts throughout the day.

Now, Rafael Palmeiro got hit number 3000 and 3001 tonight, becoming only the 26th player in MLB history to reach this plateau. Also he has over 500 home runs, making him only the fourth player in MLB history in that group, 3000 hits and 500 homeruns. And, still, I hear people saying that he is not worthy of the Hall of Fame. What? Not worthy? How the hell can anyone say this? He is actually closing in on 600 homeruns. He has 566 home runs. If he plays one more year, he will probably get to 600 homeruns, puting him in a group of 3, with Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, having 3000 hits and 600 homeruns. How can anyone argue that Raffy shouldn't be worthy of getting into the Hall of Fame. Sometimes, ok most times, people baffle me. There is no logic to this at all. I hear that he has just been a product of whatever organization that he is playing with. Or, that he benefits from the team's success. Who in a team sport doesn't? He has also added a bunch to each team's success that he has played with. Most notably to me, the Texas Rangers. Who, by the way, were terribly mistaken when they brought in Will Clark and let him go to the Baltimore Orioles in the 90's. One in a long line of bonehead moves by my beloved Rangers. Point blank, he is not only worthy of Hall of Fame consideration, it will be a shame if he doesn't make it on his first ballot with about 90-95% of the votes.

Just my opinions

See ya then,

Jim

Thursday 7-14

Fairly uneventful day today. I made some good sales at work, but, really, who is interested in that. You come for news on the kids or the family. I am the same. Brayden has slept very well the last two nights, and seems to be on his way to another fitful nights' sleep now. He didn't take fruits and vegetables very well, so we started feeding him his fruits or vegies at noon, and oatmeal at night, and it worked. Yeah Dr. August. We were feeing him fruits or vegetables at night and it was not setting well. So, off to bed I go. Long day tommorrow, I gave George the day off. First in nine months for him that wasn't related to child birth or his wife having kidney stones removed. Long overdue, but he never asked.

See ya then,

Jim

Wednessday News

Let me start with two things

Billy, I have no idea why your letters are coming up as symbols. Quit typing in Chinese I guess. Honestly, contact the site provider, maybe they can help.

Second, remember the quote contest goes through Saturday, for the muddy picture of Natalie (scroll down). I would like some more quotes to chose from, even though Billy's will be hard to beat. Shirt, towel, and armband are at stake here. Yellow Lance Armstrong style even.

Ok, you will have to forgive me for a little bit for my upcoming language. I don't mean to offend anyone, but sometimes when I speak from my heart it gets a little rough. Here goes.

They caught the son-of-a-bitch that robbed our house. He is in jail. They won't let me see him, but he is in jail. There are also two other people that helped him in jail also. They were caught on something else, but when the piece-of-shit confessed, he implicated them in the crime. He faces between 8 to 12 felony charges right now. I asked the investigator, Chase Nolan, if I could have 15 minutes with him and he said NO. I told him that he could bring him out to the house to re-create the crime, but he still wouldn't budge. I really want a piece of this guy. I know I talk a lot of shit, and most of you know that I am really a nice guy, but I have nothing but hatred for this son-of-a-bitch. I wouldn't care if he was 7 feet tall and weighed 500 pounds, I would beat the shit out of him. He ruined our sense of saftey. He messed up everything that we moved out here for. He made me feel like a failure as a husband and a father who is supposed to protect his family. I am not personally afraid of anyone hurting me, but Angie has her moments when she is scared. We have too much to lose, not materially, but the kids. I hate to leave for any reason after dark, because if something were to ever happen, I would never forgive myself. I know things can happen in the daytime, but I do have to leave for work. Tonight I went to town for groceries, formula and lunch meat and so on, and on the way home, Angie called because she heard something. It ended up being fireworks that were way off, but I felt that I had let my family down because I wasn't here to investigate the source of the noise. There seems to be no happy medium. I waited until the kids were in bed to go get groceries so I could help put them to bed, and then this happens. I don't want Angie to be scared, but I know that I can't understand her point of view either. She is the one that came home to a wrecked house. If we are to be robbed again, I want nobody to be home, or just me alone, but nobody else. The thing is, once this actually happens, you can't help but think about it everytime you leave. It makes you so damn mad. I hope that we can at least get Angie's pearl necklace back, nothing else is important. Dad and Papa's guns can never take away my memories, but Angie's necklace was bought specifically for her, and I don't have the money to replace it. Even if I did, it wouldn't mean the same to her. Her parents bought it initially, and have added to it almost every year, until it was almost a full 16" string of pearls. You will never hear her complain, but it really did mean the world to her, and that sucks. I love her so much that it kills me that it was taken from her. Maybe some stroke of luck will hit us and we will get our stuff back, but I just can't see it happening. I will keep track of what happens to our boy, Spiderman. I hope he gets the 10 years that Chase told me he would push for. Hell, I might even keep close enough tabs to be there when he is released. I won't forget what he has done, and I don't think jail time is enough. I want my 15 minutes with him.

Thanks for letting me air this emotion out. I know people are robbed all the time, but I guess it is different when it happens to you. I don't remember crying when it has happened to someone else, but I am now. I just want a little justice, and with any luck I will get it. One way or another.

Maybe he will enjoy getting his ass reamed out in the Huntsville Pen. Sorry, did I say that out loud? Oh well. I really did hold back in this post. That is probably the least offensive thing that I thought about. I don't know how to convey all the things that I want to do or have done. I am also afraid that I might get kicked off of this blog site if I type them. I just get very emotional when people do things to my family. I can't help it.

Be safe. Lock your doors. Set your alarms. Take your keys out of your cars. Watch your backs. There are bad people out there. Don't give them any opportunities, they will take them.

See ya then,

Jim

P.S. calling before you show up here after dark might not be a bad idea.

Beach Pictures (inspired by Kim)

This is an Angie post. My Blog won't cooperate. My friend Kim did a similar post w/ her beach pics...so I wanted to try the same.

Quote contest

I will select a winner on Saturday, and that person will recieve a Yellow 24 Hour Fitness / Lance Armstrong t-shirt (L or XL), a Livestrong bracelet, and a golf towel.
So get your entries in early and often. No limit on the number of entries per person.
JB

P.S. You can click on this picture or any other to see it larger.

P.S.S. The quote contest is for this picture only!!!

Vacation part 3

Ok, Tuesday we had to go shoping. I took razors, but no shaving cream, I looked nasty. So we headed off across the ferry which took an hour, then to Aransas Pass to WAL-MART, yeah I know. Got our stuff, uncluding a fishing liscense. Then back across the ferry which took 45 minutes. I have no idea why the state decided to dredge 2 of the 4 ferry landings on the Aransas Pass side on the 4th of July weekend then into the next week, but they did. Thankfully they were done by the time we left, and it was business as usual.

We got Brayden and went to the beach, Bill and Barbara were already there, but Cheryl and Debbie had already been and gone. I went fishing and caught 14 fish. 5 on the first 5 casts from the 1st sandbar. They were all Pinfish, which are beautiful perch. I didn't know what they were then, but as it turns out they are great baitfish for some of the bigger fish to be had in the surf. Oh well. I will link to a picture for you to see them here. www.marinefisheries.org/fish/pinfish.jpg They are even brighter in color in real life. I caught one whiting, some croaker, and one that I still can't find a picture for. It was about the size of a 5" plate, very silver with black fins, a split tail, and smooth skin, no scales. I have no idea what it was, but I would want it in a saltwater aquarium.

Wednessday we went and played on the bay side of the island. The kids caught hermit crabs, and I fished in the bay where we were. The picture of me and Matthew fishing is from there. We only caught pinfish there but had a good time. Later we headed to the Ocean side and had a ball there too.

Thursday we wanted to be done with the ocean and beach early so we could go eat with Bill, Barbara, Debbie, Jordan and Lorrin who were leaving the next day to go home. So we did the beach thing early, and were ready to go eat at 7:40. We went to what used to be our favorite place, Frenchy's. It is now Doc's, and it isn't nearly as good. The food is OK, but the prices are way too high. Their porch is where the group photo was taken. Nice place, but probably our last time there.

Friday we were alone, just the 5 of us. We went to the beach, and I learned something about fishing in the Ocean. DON'T WADE OUT TO FISH WITH YOUR BAIT IN THE POCKET OF YOUR SWIMSUIT. Wow, what a bonehead move. The fish will still try to get it, and all you can think about is a huge shark biting through the ever so protective shell of your swim trunks. Yeah, I hightailed it back to the beach, still don't know why I didn't just reach in and throw the bait away, but I ran for it. Did you know that fish are much faster in the water than they are on land? I must have forgotten. Oh well, on to the highlight of the trip.

We, or should I say Angie, wanted a picture of the kids in the water with the Ocean as the background. So, she gave Brayden to Nat and Matt. We both should have known better. I could never get Brayden to look at the camera. Eventually, Natalie was stung by the only damn jellyfish in the ocean. When this happened, she let go of Brayden and started running and yelling. For some reason, Matthew let him go to. Brayden can't stand up yet, so he fell on his face in about 2-3 inches of water. We must have looked like idiots, running around, yelling at each other. Neither of us believed Natalie about the jelly, but Matthew found it later. Meanwhile Brayden had a mouthful of Seawater and sand, gagging. Angie got him, I was frozen, totally. She was yelling at me, I was yelling at Natalie, who knows where Matthew was and Brayden was learning to swim. Afterward, when Matt found the Jelly, and Natalie was cleared of all charges, and Brayden was actually still alive, it was hillarious. Brayden cleared up his breathing pretty quickly. Natalie's sting was forgotten by morning and Matthew got off scot free, even though he should have still had a hold on Brayden. I guess he got lost in the mix. Lucky boy, also, he found the jelly that exonerated his big sister. That was it for the beach on this trip. We went home and did the best thing that we have ever done. Angie did all the laundry at a laundromat, while I completely cleaned out the Suburban. Washed, vaccuumed, and wiped off the dash. Then went and got supper. When we got home we didn't have a day and a half of laundry to do. What a break.

On the drive home we stopped in Austin and had lunch with my cousin/big brother, Bill. He had just put Lisa and Mason on a plane to New Mexico and was alone. I don't know what Lisa and Mason did to deserve being sent to New Mexico, but I assume it was pretty bad. Actually, they went to see her brother and his wife and child. We had a great lunch, and went to the house afterward and just rested a while. I now have over a hundred Lance Armstrong "Livestrong bracelets". So, if you want one, just let me know, it's yours. Bill just opened up a gym in Austin with a Lance Armstrong theme, and he was there for the opening. He loaded us up with bracelets, and Yellow 24 Hour Fitness T-shirts, and Golf towels. Anybody want a towel? Got home about 10pm or so, then just swam on Sunday in the new pool. Great Anniversary!!

That should about do it.

See ya then

Jim

Random shots

Here are a few random pictures just for the hell of it. Jim

Just the Guys

This was on the ferry to Port A, after about a 45 minute wait in line.

Brayden

He really enjoyed the beach as much as we did.

Natalie the Model

Keep your eyes open for one like this in a future Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition. God am I gonna have problems with this cutie! What a knockout!

Kingfish Berryman

Matthew with one of his many accomplishments. This is a hardhead catfish. Doesn't look much different from a regular catfish, but its' fins have some type of bacteria that will eat away skin if they puncture you. I learned this a couple of years ago, the hard way.

Family Photo

Angie, Natalie, Matthew, Brayden, Debbie, Lorrin, Jordan, Bill and Barbara, aka Grandma and Grandpa Racecar.

Beachbum in the making

You don't just smile like that because your feet are in the water.

Ang and Bray

My baby with my baby!!

Vacation Part Two

First, a little more on fishing with Billy. As I said earlier, we stayed at the beach 'til about 9:30 pm, then went and showered. Then we were off to eat at our favorite Mexican food joint, Taqueria San Juan. We got out of there at about 11 pm, then home to put the kiddo's to bed. We finally left to go fishing at about midnight. Got bait, and headed to the piers. The first one was completely packed, so we went to another, it was full also, but there was a place to fish from the bank. I knew this would suck because Mark, Karen and I fished from here last year, and never got a bite. We tried it for a while, then I thought Billy was ready to go home, but he said he wanted to go someplace else to fish, so I thought what the hell, let's try the beach. At least there wouldn't be all those people. Got there, baited the hooks, waded out and casted, got my underwear wet, waited in the 50 mph wind, thought "this sucks", then I said to Billy, "I'm not loving this." Then I said, "Oh hell, I've got something." We ended up catching 7 hardhead catfish. Got home, showered, and in bed by 4:30 am. Not a bad first day at the beach. Let me tell you that being at the beach as the sun goes down is damn relaxing. All the people leave, and it's just you, the people that you love, and nature. Nothing better, sorry most of you weren't there with us.

Day Two: Billy, Tina, Taylor and Tyler left before we did, and went cruising. We left the house, and went to Winton's candy store http://www.wintonscandies.com/. We spent $20 on candy. It was well worth every penny. Matthew explained to the guy working there all about owning a rattlesnake. Matthew was very thorough, he explained all about feeding, watering, caring for and most of all safety. I didn't realize the boy had a damn snake. This was all brought on by the guy in the store showing Natalie and Matthew their rattlesnake that is part of the store. He got lectured for his efforts. Meanwhile, Natalie was getting hopped up on rock candy. She was damn near uncontrollable by the time we figured out she was ingesting about a piece per second. This made for a funny morning. From there, we went to see Grandma and Grandpa Racecar. They were staying by the beach, at the state park campground. Everything went well there, of course. We left because they were moving to another RV park, so we went and ate lunch at the beach house. Sandwiches, chips, beandip, sodas, and my new favorite Quaker Quakes Rice Snacks, Cheddar Cheese, of course. Try these dudes out if you get a chance, they are better than Dorritos. OH MY GOD, did I just say that? Yep, I did, I think they are better. Then we were off to the beach for the remainder of the afternoon. Fun in the Sun time. We stayed and played the day away, until it was time to go get ready for supper at the Island Cafe. They have the best fish and chips around, especially the fish, but remember to bring your cash, they don't take credit or ATM cards, and they don't take out of town checks. Billy and I had to go across the street to the bank atm to get money for supper. This was not the first time for either of us, it just never dawns on you till you are there and you see the sign. After supper, Brayden and I walked down to look at some of the expensive boats. I did not know you could get into some of the boat houses, but you can, and nobody was there to tell me to leave. Then home to bed.

Monday we were lazy. Didn't do much of anything, but that was the objective this time. No aquarium, no Crazy Cajun, no nothing, just the beach. There was a great firework show that night at the marina. It was considerably shorter that the past few years, but it was a lot of fun for everyone. We were all together, Bill and Barbara, Debbie, Lorrin and Jordan, Cheryl Krista and Laura, and us. Natalie took a bunch of pictures of the firework show, who knows if any of them will turn out. Matthew watched the guys light the fireworks, we were only about 200 feet from the launch site. When they were done, they tossed their lighters in the air and walked away. The finale was spectacular by the way. Brayden watched the whole thing with Angie covering his ears. We were very close, and don't want him to be afraid of things later on. So far this is his second fireworks show, and he hasn't been scared at either one.

Tuesday through Friday will follow.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures.

Jim with a little help from Ang

Anniversary!!!

First off, just let me say Happy Anniversary to my incredible wife, Angie, it has been an almost perfect 12 years. I love you very much!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are still things that I love about you that nobody else is privy to. I haven't posted them yet, but I will, here are a few. The way you can take care of Brayden in the middle seat of our Suburban on a 8 hour drive. He hates his car seat, but we love the coast. Also, the way you take care of him on the beach, WOW! We have to get an ocean sounds cd, fast. He sleeps so well at the beach. I don't care what anybody else thinks, or thought then, we will always be together. Happy Anniversary, I LOVE YOU!!

OK, on to the vacation itself. We left last friday, the 1st. We spent the night at Billy and Tina's house in San Antonio. It is always fun when we are with them, we just get along well together. Saturday morning, almost afternoon, we left for the coast. It must have been 5 pm when we finally got all our stuff unloaded into the beach house. Then we stayed on the beach untill dark, and past. Billy and Tina and crew stayed with us. Total relaxation. The sun, then the lack of sun, was great. Billy and I went fishing later, until 4 am, and had a ball. We caught 7 hardheads, he caught 4 and I caught 3. These fish are uneatable, and we let them go, but it was very fun.

All for now, but I will finish tommorrow night, I promise. I am tired, and stayed up too late to see how today's stage of the Tour de France turned out. I absolutely love bike racing, and would watch even if it were illegal. I wish there were more races on TV, I can't get enough.

Jim

P.S. Carrie, my blob is back in action, so read away.