Back At It

It's been forever since my last post. I've been busy with family things, house things, just normal everyday stuff. But the most difficult has been the new pool. We decided to put an in-ground pool in the backyard to enjoy during these hot summer nights here in the southeast. We looked into a couple of local pool companies and decided to go with one that had an owner that seemed to be honest. That was the first mistake of several in this venture. The contract was signed in the beginning of May. It's now the end of July, and they have just about got the project wrapped up. That's right, the END OF JULY! I have never dealt with a more unprofessional company in my life. The owner had no idea what stage anything was in, but if you asked him what was going on, he'd tell you that he was on top of it. They screwed up my yard with backhoes, skid steers, dump trucks, and concrete trucks. An attempt was made to level out some of the leftover soil but all they did was flatten it out. They didn't try to blend it in with the yard, as they promised they would. The owner lied, the installation guys lied, even the lady screening phone calls in the office lied. It has been the most stressful three months I've ever had. I wish we had done more research into this pool company. Hindsight is 20/20, I guess.
So right now, all that's left for the pool people to do is run a drain line from the filter and two drain lines from the deck drain. Then our part begins....
Our part consists of straightening out the leftover dirt to prepare it for sod. Once the soil is blended and readied, then the laying of the sod commences. This will be back-breaking work, but it is imperative that this gets completed ASAP. Because my yard was slightly sloped, one end of the pool is rather high. Extra soil had to be brought in. And when there's no grass on dirt, nice little mud rivers are formed, and they all seem to be channeled to the neighbor's yard. After the sod has been laid, the fence needs to go back up. Several sections of the surrounding fence had to come down to accommodate for the previously mentioned trucks and skid steer. Once the fence is back in place, I think that will be about it.
All-in-all, the pool and surrounding patio is absolutely beautiful. I think it would be even more beautiful had we not had to deal with the stress of the poor management of the project. If anyone reading this is thinking about putting in an in-ground pool, please, research all of the pool companies, and get SEVERAL references!

Here we go again!

My beloved Red Sox are spiraling out of control...again. We are consumed with injuries, our pitching staff can't do anything right, and our offense can't put enough runs on the board to keep ahead of the poor pitching. We need Tek back. We need Trot healthy. There are so many factors. C'mon guys....WE STILL BELIEVE!

One of the Greats

I just finished watching one of the all-time great movies....Duel. One of Steven Spielberg's finest. That dusty semi, the mysterious driver, and the shaky camera work all add up to a thrilling, suspense-filled 90 minutes. I love the scene at the end when the truck goes over the cliff, it almost has a sound of someone writhing in pain. The movie must have cost about $12.50 to make, $10 of which went towards the rattlesnake rentals. When you watch the credits at the end, it takes about 20 seconds to list everyone in the movie, including the snake lady. No matter how many people were in it, it is still by far one of the greatest.
Kudos, Mr. Spielberg.

Speechless

I think I'm going to be sick!

The Red Sox Nation Suffers Another Strike

After thinking the days at the Red Sox Nation couldn't get any darker, I was once again proven wrong. The news broke last night at about 11:00. Johnny Damon agreed to go to New York and play for the Pinheads In Pinstripes. I would have never thought it would happen. Johnny was the factor that brought a little "different-ness" to the Sox. People watched more frequently because of Cap'n Caveman. He was the leader of the "bunch of idiots" that helped bring a World Series title to Sox fans everywhere. Now, he's only proven he's just an idiot. I read an article where he was quoted as saying that the Y's came after him "pretty hard". What? What that means to me is that he's leaving Beantown only for the money. I thought Johnny was a ball player; turns out, he's just a business man; greedy, with no sense of devotion or honor to the fans that suffered through all kinds of elements to get a glimpse of him in centerfield. Since I'm a Red Sox fan, I'll have respect and say, "Good luck in your endeavors, Mr. Damon, but be careful, don't cut yourself shaving. And when you ask your new boss for new razor blades, be sure and ask nicely....."

So long, Johnny.

Am I weird?

Over the years I've collected a number of movies. Some VHS, others DVD's. The movies are the originals, in their entirety, completely unedited. I've got them readily at my fingertips. However, if ever one of the movies that I own comes on one of my regular satellite channels, I get all excited. A Few Good Men is on my list of favorite movies. If one of the superstations airs it, I'm there; parked on the couch, ready to watch all of the commercials that come with it and to deal with the missing scenes due to the restriction of time. My wife says I'm weird. I think it's just that I know good movies, and it doesn't matter how much of it is shown. But then again, that's coming from a woman who thinks that Napoleon Dynamite is a stupid movie. She's wrong about that, too. Cult Classic is what it is......oh yes, Cult Classic.

Two Words For Those Who Serve

For those of you that have served or are serving this great nation:
From someone that has never served, I have two simple words for you all:


THANK YOU!!!!

Happy Veterans Day

Happy Anniversary

Today, my wife and I celebrated 9 years of marriage. We've been together for a total of 14. For gifts, I got the most perfect Red Sox pullover windbreaker, and she got a new bottle of perfume. Pretty basic for gifts, but it couldn't have worked out any better. We had a quiet, uneventful dinner at a local restaurant with the kids. That's right, we took the kids. We wouldn't have wanted it any other way. My wife is one of those women that other guys only dream of having. She doesn't complain about my underwear in the floor, or when I drink a few beers while watching the Red Sox play, or when I have the occasional cigar while golfing, or even when I take a weekend road trip with the guys to catch a football game that's 4 states away. She gets more beautiful each day that I know her; inside and out. Besides all of that, she has put up with my procrastinating, my grumpiness, my mood swings, and the excessive hours of overtime at work and home which caused the previously mentioned. Because of all of this, and for who and what she is, I tell her this. ..HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, SWEETHEART! If the next 9 years are only half as good as the first 9, my friends are going to be sooooo jealous! I love you.