Vent

Well, as many of you know Uncle Henry is the luckiest golfer on earth. He scores over a hundred on Saturday and gets his second hole in one for the year on Sunday. Maybe if I started drinking a case of beer and smoking two packs of cigarettes a day, I might get lucky at golf? His first hole in one of the year was a good shot. Landed on the green after being a well struck shot and rolled up to the hole and dropped in.
Sunday however was a much different story. The wind was blowing about 20-30 miles an hour. We were 135 yards out, straight into the wind. Henry is hitting first and blades a horrible shot right at the flag! I was just hoping for his sake that the ball had enough on it to get over the bunker, because Henry doesn't have a clue how to hit out of a sand trap. With the weather getting colder and winter approaching, the sun is in a different angle and it is hard to see the golf ball in the distance no matter what time of day. After his ball cleared the bunker it hit the flag. The sound of the ball hitting the flag was the only indication that we had that he had in fact cleared the sand. With the ball hitting the flag at that speed it could have been anywhere. Walking up to the green I didn't see his ball anywhere and I simply walked to my golf ball, and told Henry good luck. I wished him good luck because of two reasons A. His ball could have been anywhere and I hoped he found it so he wouldn't have to go back to the tee box and hit again, and B. Because there was still a small chance that the ball was in the hole. He of course doesn't even look beyond the green, and just walks straight to the hole. I don't even think he carried his wedge with him just in case it did fly some 30 yards off the green which was not an unlikely result from the mis-struck shot that he hit. I understand that some people are just plain lucky (Henry), but to expect it and take it for granted is my biggest surprise. I was actually happy for him this time. I said congrats and simply kept playing. After years of seeing his luck, it is just a normal occurrence.
Now, I am not saying that he took this shot for granted. I believe that he was actually more surprised than I was that he found his ball in the bottom of the hole. But, to walk straight to the hole first before looking beyond and around the green is either arrogant or ignorance? You might say it was wishful thinking, but I honestly think he was probably 60% expecting to see the ball in the bottom of the hole and 40% on having to search somewhere else. Had it happened to me, I would have walked around the green first, then half-heartedly checking the hole in sheer hopes that it might be in the bottom. Thus, my percentage would have to be something like 99% sure the ball is somewhere else and not in the hole!
If I wasn't golfing way better than him this year it would have angered me a lot more. It could be that I have toned down my temper just a bit, but it still gets me going on the inside. Henry and I got into an argument last year over his luck, which he still doesn't admit is any better than mine? This one day last year, twice in the same day, he hit a horrible shot directly into the trees only to have the ball end up in the fairway. I bring this up because the same thing happened Saturday. I hit a great drive on this par 5 down the right hand side of the fairway. Henry on this same hole hits a shot 30 yards left of the fairway into these trees. We looked and looked for his ball, he hit another ball from where we thought it should have been(even though he is supposed to re-tee back at the box) and we drive toward my ball. We of course find Henry's ball on the right side of the fairway just 30 or so yards behind my ball! This means that his ball not only bounced forward after hitting a tree, but also ricocheted 50 yards to the right in the process! I was so pissed. Mostly because that crap never happens to me, but he just takes it for granted and basically expects things like that to happen to him. It is kind of like he is Gene Hackman in Mooseport. Have you ever seen that movie? Gene Hackman's character is an ex-President of the United States. He has this golf match with Ray Romano. Well, Gene Hackman thought he was a 10 handicap because his ball always conveniently bounced in the fairway after being hit into the trees. Gene's secret service crew had always been hiding in the trees and would just throw out an identical ball into the fairway. On the first hole, Gene's character hit a horrible shot in the trees but expected a great bounce like he always had. He even says "Wait for the bounce!" However, Gene's disgruntled wife forced her husband's bodyguards out of the trees and into view of everyone so that they couldn't cheat. Ray's character of course stomped Gene's character in the ground because he didn't get these great breaks that he was used to receiving! Golfing with Henry is just like that, but there isn't any freaking secret service guys in the trees! He is just that lucky of a person. I am happy for him, I truly am. However, I wouldn't ever take a minuscule amount of his luck for granted if I were to have it, and he is the opposite. He only thinks he is lucky a minuscule amount of the time? It baffles me to hear him say that I am just as lucky as he is. I could name 5 things off the top of my head that aren't just a little lucky, but honestly are basically unbelievable that have happened to him on the golf course. Whereas he wouldn't be able to name 2 instance of me having a tiny amount of luck? Yet I am just as lucky as he is? Hmm......

Finally

Okay as you can see I finally posted Triton in his Superman outfit that he so loved. He was able to wear this costume of course on Halloween when Sheri took him to his grandparents. I was sleeping on that night because of work. We had no trick or treaters at all, unless they didn't knock loud enough to wake me? Triton was also able to wear his outfit at the zoo on Thursday before Halloween. They had a neat thing setup for kids, it was pretty cold so we just hurried through everything. Sheri's mom went with us as well as her brother, his wife and their two young ones. The lions and tigers were way more lively than they are in the heat of the summer months. I was surprised! They were up and about, even the large male lion. The otters were in the water with pumpkins that I am not sure they were supposed to have, I guess they snatched them from the decorations that were all around every exhibit. Lastly, Triton was able to wear his outfit on Friday to Trick or Treat Street? Not sure what that is because I was again sleeping? He also wore his outfit when we had our league bowling on Friday too.





He us such an angel! Yeah right! There are times during the day that he allows me to take a nap or catch up on some weekly shows that I missed while I had to sleep before work. This is one of the things that he does that keeps him out of trouble. This isn't the position that he is always in, and one that I wouldn't personally want to sit in while watching a movie? He loves watching Cars, Monsters Inc. and also these two dvds of Tom and Jerry that my mom sent me. Those are the movies that he watches on his own little DVD player, if he is watching the big television it has to be Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. That is the first thing that comes out of his mouth when you carry him downstairs from his room. He says "MeaMouse!" He can say Mickey just fine, and of course Mouse is clear as day, but he is having the hardest time stringing words together. Thus the MeaMouse! I tell him I love him all the time. He tries to say it back, but most of the time it just sounds like he is saying "yeah yeah." He is having difficulty with his Ls, and C or Ks. The Ka sound is card for him if it is the beginning of a word. Ls are hard no matter where the position. Fs and Vs are also troubling him in the middles of words. Either than that he is doing pretty good. He only wants to say one word at a time like a caveman, however I guess he might be able to log on and get a free rate quote from Geico? Okay bad joke sorry!

My mom's surgery is today! I am not really scared, just wish that I could be there. I know that the surgery will go well and she will be fine. I just don't want the stupid cancer to return! I hope that us visiting her in a week or so will lift her spirits. My grandma made it there last night so that is nice to know. My mom just called before she has to go to the hospital. Her surgery is in a little over three hours. She called to tell me goodbye because she is the same type of person as I am. I would do the same thing if I had to get minor surgery let alone major.

Fall Back

It is that time of year again when time stands still for an hour and the clocks are adjusted back one hour. It is normally a great thing. Being able to sleep that extra hour! That next day no matter how well you slept always seems so long. This to is also a good thing, because most people don't work on the weekends. Even if they do, they were able to have that extra hour of sleep to prepare for work anyway. Well, that is unless they work the same schedule as me!
I work a graveyard/night audit shift at a hotel. This leaves me awake during the times when most of America is sleeping. I dread working this night for weeks before the actual shift. Everyone is blessed with that extra hour of sleep, while I am blessed with working an extra hour. I not only have to work that extra hour, but I also get the feeling of that next day lasting longer than 99% of the people in the U.S. Okay poor ole Jason, right? Right, enough whining.
Hope everyone had a great and safe Halloween. I will try to post Triton in his costume within the next three days, but who knows since our stupid computer has been delayed from being delivered an extra 2 weeks. Never order a Dell!

6 In A Row

I guess Sheri took Triton to the Halloween shop to see if anything caught their eye as far as a costume. I had to work, so I unable to attend. I guess she tried showing him a bunch of costumes and he only wanted one. Sheri said others were way cuter and not so boring, but all he wanted was the first one that he picked out. She went grocery shopping afterwards and I guess he wanted to take his costume in the store with him. He wouldn't leave it alone, and Sheri had to open package it was in during the car ride because he wanted it so bad. It turns out it was just a simple Superman costume. Kind of funny because he hasn't even watched Superman? I will post some pictures when we have him suited up.
Uneventful weekend. I golfed in the last bash tournament and probably won't do it again. It is fun, but there is no chance that we would ever win because there has to be some amount of cheating going on? Regardless there was a chance to get drawn for prizes and a season pass for next year. I didn't get drawn for a single thing, but never do, so it wasn't that bad. The worst part is hanging around for 45 minutes or more waiting for them to tally scores so they can draw for prizes. That isn't even that bad I guess. The worst part is Henry and his drunken loudness! He just sits outside the front door of the lodge/clubhouse being a noisy drunk. It is embarrassing and I would feel bad for leaving him out there alone, so I sit with him. He probably drank a beer a hole, thus he was wasted by the time we finished golfing at 4:00. We started at 9:30am or so, and of course he was already drinking by then. I feel bad for him that alcohol has that much of a hold on him, and he has pushed away many people and family with his drinking, but he won't stop? Makes no sense to me, but to each their own I guess? As sad as it sounds, I call him unky drunky! Might sound mean to you, but he knows he is a drunk. He knows that he has pushed people away because of it, but beer means more to him than anything or anyone else! Wicked sad.
Bowling last Friday gave me hope again! I threw the ball the best I have probably thrown it in years, but didn't score that well. I would have two or three strikes in a row, then get ripped off and leave something. I averaged over a 194 for the night, but bowled way better than that. If I keep rolling the ball like that all year, then it will be simple getting my average back over 200, and hopefully bowl another three hundred? I haven't had any hope for the last 7 or more years on bowling another 300, until the first week this year. But as you have read, something didn't stick after week one! Like I said I hadn't thrown the ball that good in many years. It is possible that I hadn't thrown that good ever, so if that is the case and I don't lose it, there should be some high scores from me?
I did end up making the finals for poker again. That makes 6 straight tournaments in the finals, and if I cashed it would make 6 straight in that category as well. In the past I would always make the finals, but fall short of cashing. So, making the cash the last 5 times in a row is a miracle for me. The finals were last night, and I really didn't have any hands worth mentioning. I had pocket kings once, didn't win any chips. I was short stacked later on and had pocket aces, I didn't know that I had pocket aces, because I had to go all in. I had only looked at one card when I pushed all of my chips in the middle. Everyone folded and I looked at my other card, and found another ace. Two people were knocked out of the final 6 and then we split the money. I cashed my 6th time in a row and took home $60.00. I was second in chips with 4 of us left, but with the blinds being so high it was smarter to take the $60 instead of try to win the money outright. True, first place alone would have been $140, but there would still be a chance of making nothing.
My mom has her surgery on the 4th of November. Sheri, Triton and I are going to visit her the week afterward. We couldn't decide whether or not to go down on the 4th or the 13th. The 4th made more sense as far as being there directly after, but she might be in the hospital for more than a day or two. That isn't so bad, but we can only go for just over 4 days. She has a gentleman friend that she works with that has taken care of her during this tough time in her life. I am so grateful for what you have done for my mom, Frank. We thank you so much. Frank is going to be there to take care of her for the first few days. I then found out from Henry that grandma was planning on going down the 3rd, so that made out decision much easier to just go down the 13th. This way she is probably going to be a lot better as far as mobility and spirit. I talked to her this week and she was really down. I am hoping that her mom being there for the surgery and then her son and grandson being there the week after will lift her spirit for sure. I hated not being there for you at all mom. I would have taken your pain and suffering if I could have. It is almost over and everything is going to be fine. She did mention that she wouldn't do it again! If the cancer did come back she would just let whatever happens happen. She hated the chemo that much. I was honestly surprised that she went through it all in the first place. I never told her that, but I am obviously grateful that she did. I couldn't imagine life without you mom! Even though you live so far away, you are still doing exactly that "living." You are going to be fine, that cancer will not come back and you will live long enough to see Triton get married and have kids of his own. That is assuming I allow him to live that long!
I had talked with Henry one day about how I was surprised that my mom went through chemo in the first place. If I had cancer myself even at a young age, I don't know if I would do it! My mom isn't old by any means, she hasn't even hit the big 50 yet, I was just happy to know that she was going to go through with the cancer treatments. It gave me hope that she might move back home. It made me happy knowing that she wanted to continue living. Henry then threw in his own hypocritical thoughts on what he would do if it were to happen to him. He said that he would do it, he would go through the chemo. His reasoning behind this was that there are people that love him and would want him around. Not to sound mean or anything, but I just find that hypocritical big time! Not that there aren't people that wouldn't want him around, I for sure want him to be around for many many more years. It just doesn't make sense to me that he is killing his body with cigarettes and alcohol, pushes and pushes people who love him away because of it, but won't simply try to quit those vises today? He would be willing to try to go through chemo if he were to get cancer, because he is loved and his family and friends would want him around. He would be willing to do that, but he isn't willing to quit smoking which will easily lead to lung cancer anyway. He won't quit drinking which will ruin his liver. He won't take the precautionary steps that would prevent these horrible things from happening, but he will try to mend the broken only after it might be too late? It really makes no sense to me? It hurts seeing him treat his body this way. It hurts because my mom, did something that I never would have imagined growing up, quit smoking. She probably used to smoke some 2 - 3 packs of cigarettes a day. She never really drank that much, I only remember her being drunk growing up maybe three times? I am sure she drank more than that, but alcohol never had a hold on her like it does Henry. Heck, it is easier to remember the days that she was drunk compared to the days in the past 8 years that Henry wasn't drunk! I hate to sound so mean and unloving, but is just isn't fair! It isn't fair that my mom took steps to better her life only to get breast cancer. It isn't fair that a person who is drunk and smoking all of the time to say "I would go through chemo if I got cancer, because there are people who would want me around longer!" It isn't fair to those family members to know that they are only going to be worth living for when it is almost too late. Let's wait til I get cancer to prove that I still want to be here for them. He doesn't understand that when he is drunk 90% of the time that he isn't really here! Sure his body is there on the couch, on the golf course, at the bowling alley, but his mind isn't. My mom didn't wait until she caught something to quit her addiction to cigarettes. She quit on her own to better herself.
I am not saying that I wish Henry had cancer and my mom didn't. I am just wondering why? Why do good people who have chosen to take the proper path to healing their body have to suffer? Why should she suffer when she didn't wait until it was too late. Why does Henry get to say he will try to do what is necessary only when it is too late, instead of doing what is so much simpler right now? Why can't I endure the pain that my mom felt? Why would I want to endure the pain for Henry when that time comes for him, when he has made it apparent that we as his family members aren't worth the effort until it is too late? Simple I guess, it is love I know. I love my mom so much for going through the chemo, I love her so much for quitting smoking, I love her proving that we are worth living for today, and not tomorrow.

Ouch, and Boring Golf, and Boring Poker!

Monday I took Triton in to get a flu shot. He does not like the doctor's office. He is fine in the lobby watching the television (Finding Nemo that day) or watching the fish in the tank, but as he is placed on the bed with the paper sheet the tears fly. We weren't there very long, in and out, so it wasn't too bad.
As for me, golf has been pretty good for me. I golfed an even par back nine at Pinecrest for the first time in my life the Saturday before last. My goal for that particular course this year has been to golf under an 80. A few weeks ago I had a great start, but fell short on the back nine, shooting an even 80! This day that I shoot even par on the back was amazing, because I was behind 7 trees on the front, and double bogeyed the first hole. A score of 80 is ten over par, and to be 2 over already after the first hole was going to make it much harder! I only shot 8 over on the front after all of the tree hassle and the double bogey on hole number 1. Thus I shot a 78 and was way happy.
Our computer took it's last breath like a month ago, so that is the reason I haven't been blogging very much. My friend Mikey J (for those of you who might know who I am talking about [he has been my bowling partner for some 15 years now]) tried all he could to fix it. He came to the conclusion that it is simply time for us to get a new one. Thanks Mikey for trying, you know that I won't forget and know that we owe you for doing all you could. We have another computer ordered, but it won't be here for like 3 weeks, because we didn't want to have Windows Vista on our computer. Even though it comes with Vista and a free upgrade to Windows 7 when it comes out in a couple of weeks, we just decided to wait and have it sent with Windows 7 only. Boy, you really don't know how much you use a computer until it is broken. Mikey was able to save us all of our pictures of Triton and some other various documents that we wanted. He is also going to install our old hard drive when our new computer comes, so we can have it as any sort of back up we might need. Again, thanks Mike, you are the best.

So, I haven't been able to play that much poker online. However, I have been winning with the little amount that I have been able to play. I finally hit a milestone that I thought was going to be impossible. I have all 4 of my websites up over $80! I don't know why that has been my milestone mark, but it has finally come. You would think that $100 per website would have been the mark, but for some reason that is just going to be another number! I will be excited yes, because it is $78 more dollars than I have now, but it won't feel like a mountain top! Sorry to throw in golf and poker into this blog, my mom hates it. I, however had to brag about my best round at Pinecrest and my milestone mark on online poker. I tried to make them short mom!

So, I will throw in a bit of bowling to top it off! As I have mentioned before, I have been struggling with bowling so far this year. Average has gone down 19 pins from yearbook (205). I had this idea of why I might be struggling and was hoping this last week would be better. It was only a bit better because the lanes were really tough and I was focusing more on my grip instead of lane conditions. I shot a whopping 142 my first game and finally made the correct move with my feet to combat the lanes and shot a 214 and a 235 my last two games, so I am hoping that I am on to something and will have a better week coming up.
I have to throw in a plug for the movie that I have been loving lately! I just barely finished watching it again for like the 15 time since it's release a month ago or so. I don't know why I love this movie so much, but I do! It is called "I Love You Man." I laugh and laugh, and it really doesn't have any huge moments like Dumb and Dumber or American Wedding that has a million quotable phrases. The whole movie is just funny. It has a few crude innuendos and sexual references, but it isn't even really that bad of a movie. Just a few swear words and no porn.
The year end golf tournament was cancelled until this weekend. Like I said, I know that we won't win, but there is a drawing for a season's pass next year, that would be super nice! I am crossing my fingers on that and also for bowling better this week.

The Last

This last Friday was the last week of my mom's chemo treatment. I am excited for her, and know that everything is going to be fine. She is to then have surgery in a few weeks to a little over a month, once her body is strong enough. I am sad that I wasn't ever with her to help take care of her during this time in her life. I know that in some instances she is thankful that I didn't see her, but I know had she experienced a single day with the shoe on the other foot, she would have wanted me there.
My parents were divorced when I was five years old or so, and my mother gained custody of me. My dad hardly paid child support, and my mom worked many jobs, mostly as a waitress. She would of course work more than one job at a time, but she always let it be known that she loved me. She wouldn't only say it, but being grown up now I know that she showed it a lot more.
Having a child of your own is a love that a person cannot imagine until it happens. Even though I wasn't a planned child and even considered for abortion, I know that she doesn't regret keeping me. Sure her life might have been better had I not come into existence, but she might have never gained the knowledge of such a love for a child. I was an only child, and with how busy my mom was with raising me, I know why she never returned to the procreation fountain. She worked long hours, and I didn't see her all that often. I never felt neglected, and I hope that she knows that I never ever felt that way. Even though we were never well off, I always had what I wanted. I am for sure sorry for wanting so many things now mom!
My mom would tell you that I was an angel growing up. I did not hardly ever get into trouble, which is amazing considering how my uncle's grew up. I say this because they were the ones that babysat me most of the time. I know that I was probably pretty easy to take care of, but I am sorry for the times that I wasn't. I am sorry for any day that she was disappointed in me. She is a good person who has lived a hard life. It is sad when you think about bad people who have lived good lives. I would like to think of myself as a good person, a good person who has lived a good life. I wouldn't have been a good person if it wasn't for my mother. And I for sure wouldn't have lived a good life if it hadn't been for her as well. I have begged since she moved to Seattle to move back, but that is the selfish child in me. I want my mommy! I think that I have almost worn her down. I am also sorry for that mom, for always making you feel bad for moving away. If you are better off there, then please stay. I have always gotten what I wanted and I am so thankful for that, but don't give in if it is just for me. Come home if it is what you want.

It's Begun

Well, we obviously shaved Triton's head. I knew that I would want to before he was three years of age just to see how he looked. Since I have no hair and always shave mine, why not let him see how he likes it too? It was pretty funny, he knew what we were doing because he could see his hair in the sink, but his reaction afterward was way cute. We let him look in the mirror and he was acting all shy from just looking at himself. We had him feel his head and he turned all hyper and started slapping his own head? It reminded me of that part in Fight Club where Brad Pitt shaves that one guy's head then slaps him in the back of the head and calls him a space monkey. We wouldn't have gone so short, but of course Triton's baby hair is so thin that any longer setting would have just been a huge hassle, so we went with the shortest. I still think he is cute, but we will probably wait to do it again, until he maybe wants to do it by choice.

So, it has begun, it is just past midnight and the snow is falling. I went golfing today and shot a really good back nine at Pinecrest, first time I ever shot even par on a front or a back nine at that course. It is the hardest course in town, I shoot my best round there ever, and the snow has to fly. Happens every year, when I think I might have figured something out, it is winter. The snow flies, I stare out the window all winter and know that I will have to start all over again in the spring. This year I am going to take down some notes that helped me score better toward the end of this year and hopefully start out great next year. We will still have a few more weekends of golf left, we always do, but another 5 months would be great. We are supposed to golf the last bash at Pinecrest this next Saturday. The weather is supposed to warm up and I am sure that it will melt any snow that has accumulated this week. The last bash is a fun tournament. It is a scramble, which means you all play from the best shot out of everyone. Aside from the first shot. Everyone hits and then you have to roll a die to see who's first shot from each hole is taken. Then after that you are free to use the best shot every time, but that original roll of the die is scary, depending upon if someone hit a horrible shot. My uncle Henry likes to play this tournament. I didn't really want to golf it, but he wanted to, so I agreed. Turns out he is going out of town on business and won't be back in time. I am playing with two guys that I play poker with, some guy I don't know, and hopefully I can get one of my other friends to play? One of the gentleman that I am supposed to be playing with is Bob Sinise. He is the actor Gary Sinise's father. He is a nice guy, one of the guy's that I play poker with every week.

Triton helped me take down the trampoline for the year. I asked him if he wanted to jump before we took it down, and he said "no." He helped put the springs and the elastics for the padding in a bucket, then we rolled up the trampoline and was putting it in a storage room when he said "jump?" I told him, it was too late, and hurried on to something else to get his mind off it. Usually every time we go outside he has to jump on the tramp for a bit. He acts crazy and ends up close to the edge which scares me, so I make him get off.

I suck at bowling so far this year. My yearbook average is a 205, and so far after 4 weeks I am just below a 190! I hopefully figured out something this last week to help me out. If it doesn't help at all, then I don't know what else to do? Quit maybe? I imagine once golf is for sure over for the year I will be able to focus more on bowling, but until then I just don't see it happening. Golf is fun for me, and I think I just assume that bowling will be easy, because it mostly always has. There was about 5 years that it left me, but for the past two years I was getting better? I don't know, maybe it is leaving me again?