The Confusion That Is Hannah Montana

So we're back home, watching Hannah Montana. No, seriously... I'm watching it with the kids... not by myself.

How confusing must this be for kids? Miley Cyrus plays Miley Stewart whose secret identity is rock star Hannah Montana. Then this year, Cyrus goes on tour doing a series of concerts where she performs as herself and then as her character. So what you've got is the hottest ticket in music is a concert put on by a TV character.

So at some point, you would think Cyrus would want to record her own music and leave the "Hannah" persona behind... but will people still come out for this? I hope Billy Ray is investing his daughter's money well and making sure she doesn't become the focus of an "E! True Hollywood Story."

Rainout

So we've been mostly cleaning today... and as a reward we took the kids to the pool.

This backfired hard as within sixty seconds it started to thunder than rain. This sent the three year old into a fit of toddler rage.

Good times.

Getting The Bird

What's wrong with kids today? Okay that's a pretty big generalization, but yesterday I'm driving home on the right side of the street... where my car is supposed to be. A kid riding a bike on the left side totally drifts over into the path of my car, so I come to a complete stop, wait for him to get back on the other side then go on.

I look back in the rear view and there he is flipping me off. Now I've matured to the point where I wasn't going to go back and yell about it, but what's he deal? Was I supposed to hit him? Was that the appropriate action? And who teaches their kids to act like that when clearly he was on the wrong side of the road.

I suppose I can't do much about how our society is changing... I only hope my kids don't turn out like that.

About Face Part 2

So one of the things I'm really starting to like about Facebook is suggesting friends. For those of you unfamiliar, if you're "connected" to someone and you know they know someone else you're connected to (i.e. friends with) you can suggest they reconnect.

Lately I've been getting a lot of old friends together, either directly or though them searching my friends list and finding each other that way.

A Rare Saturday

With a family of five, where you have one (me) who is always busy at work including significant travel at certain times of the year... who coaches and volunteers a lot with soccer in town... and another (Shannon) who volunteers for at least half a dozen things in addition to freelance reporting... plus three kids who have activities, you can imagine things don't ever seem to slow down.

Today however is an exception. Nothing scheduled. No parties, no soccer games, no meetings... nothing.

So we're cleaning and organizing... hey, no place to go... time to be productive. Last weekend we had the same thing on Saturday. This will end soon, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

Trip To The DMV

I had to go to the DMV today... I'm in charge of getting stickers at our house and always seem to wait until the last day. That would have been Monday except the DMV is closed on Monday.

So I get there and the line is all the way to the door... I'm 20+ people deep to start. And of course I've forgotten my phone or a magazine... so here I am alone with my thoughts and a bunch of people, who like me, have waited until the last possible day to renew their registrations.

I notice one of my soccer players is working there. I'm very proud of her as she's working a very responsible job at a place that actually has a sign that says something to the effect of "abusive language/conduct will not be tolerated."

It got me thinking... again, alone with my thoughts... what places/jobs need signs like that. Clearly the DMV. The airline ticket counter definitely... those people are saints. I'll think of more, but feel free to add in the comment section.

Doing Okay

So four days after my "procedure" I seem to be doing fine. It hurts if I smile too big... sometimes when I laugh. Surgical tape hasn't come off yet... hoping it's healing well under there.

About Face

So in addition to blowing off my blog for many months, I was also blowing off my Facebook page. Having recently gotten back into it, I've been reconnecting all over the place...

Friends I used to ride the bus with in grade and middle school... people I used to work with while in TV... people from college and high school. It's been a lot of fun.

I'm on Myspace, Facebook and LinkedIn. What can I say... I like people.

(Switched to Dances With Wolves. I think my wife would like to rename me Snores Like Bear, BTW.)

George Carlin Dies

Six months before I was born, at the festival I would grow up at, George Carlin was arrested for uttering his "Seven Words You Can't Say On Television."

I also grew up listening to Carlin. I got a taste for some of his cleaner stuff from the Dr. Demento radio show, and eventually bought his albums. How I, being raised in a very conservative Catholic home, was able to get these, I'm still not sure. But I found it so funny and so thought provoking.

I didn't agree with all his stances or philosophies, but he was sharp... made me laugh... made me think.

Carlin was a comic genius. Vulgar? Absolutely. A jerk. He would have probably told you he was. But there was no denying his talent.

I got to see him in concert just before my daughter was born. The running joke was that she wasn't allowed to send Shannon into labor until after the concert. She didn't.

Surgery Tomorrow

So I'm having some minor surgery tomorrow. Is that technically a procedure? Are the two synonyms or is there a certain age you reach or severity of the act that determines what you're having?

Anyway, I've had this lesion develop near my ear over the past two months... at first I thought it was some kind of blister, but it has gotten worse. Doctors have steered me away from thinking about the "c" word, but it'll still go to pathology.

Keep your fingers crossed.

(Now watching Ricky Bobby... another classic.)

Time To Breathe

Haven't posted since May. In that time I've wrapped up a lot of soccer stuff, traveled a bunch for work, gotten back into soccer and Facebook.

So I'm back blogging... probably temporarily as has been the case most of the past year and a half.

Blogging and watching RoboCop right now... a classic.