lafko06's Blog

Lets all take a moment this morning to pray that Fenawaydave is fine and not being affected by the terrible fire in the Fenway. We all know he's close to the park as this fire is but I'm hoping his life isn't affected.

What a great Christmas we had. I got to bed around 2:00am after finishing the wrapping and building of a couple presents. I put on the 1951 version of "A Christmas Carol" with Alistair Sim and watched the DVD twice while I was working. Our 5 year old got me up at 5:30 saying to "Wake up we have to open our stockings, we have to open our stockings" all the while jumping on me. I decided to sleep in the family room on Christmas eve so I wouldn't risk waking a sleping house so the amount of light she turned on seemed to mimick a operating room. My eyes burned from the lack of sleep.

We woke our 6 year old at around 6:15 and started our family's demolition of the wrapped gifts about 1/2 an hour later. It was perfect as usual and the only thing that was tough was the sleep deprived feeling that was slowly coming over me. We finished around 8:30 and waited for my wife's brother and their aunt to arrive to finish the opening and visit for a while.

The 2nd Christmas was to take place at my Moms with my 5 siblings and their families. We arrive at around 2:30pm and  This scene is just crazy with nonstop happiness and laughter with another round of opening presents. I have to keep a eye on the gifts as our two little ones are deluged and a little overwhelmed with the amount of opening to do. I stand nearby and collect things as they get opened and pack a box so nothing gets lost or broken in the sea of wrapping paper on the floor. It was towards the end of the frenzy when my oldest brother calls out " To Joey from Mom and Dad" I thought right away "what was going on here". My Dad passed on the day after Thanksgiving in 2004 so to hear my brother call the present out like he used to and say his name cought me a little off guard.

He hands me a round package with a 12 inch diameter and about 16 inches high and heavy. I have no clue what it was as I like to guess gifts before I open them. As I rest it to the floor I look and see all my older silings and wife gather at the arch to the tree room. I'm the youngest so I'm thinking "GAG" gift. I peel the corner and peek in as my Dad would do to such a audience and say "OOOOOOOH" and look surprised. This gets the attention of the nieces and nephews that have joined in and I pull out some newspaper and announce it. I open it a little more and act more surprised and pull out a color ad. This gets the crowd a little impatient and I'm implored to speed it up. I rip off the rest of the paper to reveal a giant crock with a bag in it. I still have no clue until I see a post it note with some writing...."Remember Joey 1 raisin to each bottle....PaPa". The bag contains old pry off bottle caps.

My wife set it up that I could have my Dad's old homemade Rootbeer crock. As I read the post it I had tears welling up and my Brother calls out 3 more presents. They were the 3 cases of bottles in the beer cases I used to carry down for my Dad when he'd make the Rootbeer. I have found memories of cracking a cold bottle with him on hot summer days and swilling a great big refreshing swig and then the belch that always followed. We'd laugh and compliment each other. It's one of the best presents I've ever gotten in my life and it didn't cost a cent. It was filled with Love and I can't wait to make a batch and share it with all my siblings.

I commented on a thread before Christmas of a person who was going to do the same kind of present to Parents and the author was bursting with exitement and anticipation for the day to get here. I can only imagine my Wife and family members shared the same feeling waiting to see the look on my face when I opened it up. I'm just glad that I didn't turn into a big pile of 6 foot 5 mush in front of the tree when I opened it.

We finished our long day and headed home around 7:00pm.

 It was one long day and a great Christmas.

I say CHRISTMAS.

What is your favorite memory? Is it when you were a child or a adult? I have several. Such as seeing ALL the presents under the tree as a little boy and the youngest of 6 kids. We could never believe the amount of presents.

My all time favorite is from a Tree hunting trip with my Dad. He passed away in November 04 so this memory is emblazoned in my brain.

We never got a regular Tree for my Dad. Being the youngest of 6 with 4 boys and 2 girls we always had plenty of help and exitement in the hunt. It often always boiled down to the third week of December before we'd find one when I was a child so when I got old enough I was determined to change that. It was around 1995 and I was 30 years old. I took my Brother in my car while my Dad and another brother went in a brothers truck. We searched all saturday with no luck for a fresh cut tree and I decided to stop at a tree stand just to ask if they knew of any tree farms with "BIG TREES?" The attendents told me of a old farm that may still have trees and told me where it was. We drove down a small dirt road to a driveway and pulled up to the house. I took the lead and knocked on the door explaining the best I could why I was knocking. The Lady couldn't have been nicer and showed us a path to the grove.

I went one way and my Dad went another once we got to the trees. At the stand we decided to split up and my Dad went with me while my brothers checked some other sites. As we searched the trees for over 20 minutes we both came across a huge 14 foot wide tree all by itself and beautiful. I was on one side and my Dad was on the other hidden from each other by the enormous tree. I called to him and he called back while we were at the same tree and we met in the middle laughing.

We got together with the others, cut it,  brought it home and had a perfect tree and the best one in the history of my Dads big trees. I have now carried the tradition on with a Brother and our kids all know of the huge Papa trees in their houses.

MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Wow it's upon us.

Christmas Eve got here so fast as it always does and I wish it was still a week away. I've enjoyed the buildup and exitement our two kids have had but it will end so quickly. That's what makes me sad. I love this time of year and my Wife has started our family tradition of having our tree up on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Our tree has been up since November 30th and it's so beautiful I don't want to see it leave. The tree is 9 feet wide and takes up a corner of our living room. 12 sets of C-7 lights adorn it along with almost 300 ornaments. With the Garland and Tinsel it just glimmers at night. Does anyone else feel sad that it's almost over for another year?

Tonight Santa comes and we celebrate the Birth of Christ.

Merry Christmas to all.

I was in need of a shop vac and since I do a lot of shopping at Walmart I figured I'd check the website. They advertised a 5 gallon 2 horsepower vac that was sold out online but available IN STORE. I drove to my store and located the vac but it was priced almost at $40.00. I asked for a manager and he explained that Walmart.com is a seperate entity and the price was only for the online purchase. I asked why considering it was advertised by Walmart and I was standing in a Walmart store. We went to a computer and I showed him the exact model in my cart for $15.00 on the net. The manager explained that the store matched prices for items but not from their own website. Is this a little ridiculous? I went back and got the smaller model for $25.00+ dollars and my Wife peppered Walmart.com with emails explaining the audacity of the policy.

In closing if you want a very useful 5 gallon shop vac for $15.00 go online or better yet go to the nearest store and raise a ruckus. Maybe you'll have better luck and get it.

I have a feeling that the website will respond favorably considering the threat of the bait and switch trickery.

I say CHRISTMAS.

What is your favorite memory? Is it when you were a child or a adult? I have several. Such as seeing ALL the presents under the tree as a little boy and the youngest of 6 kids. We could never believe the amount of presents.

My all time favorite is from a Tree hunting trip with my Dad. He passed away in November 04 so this memory is emblazoned in my brain.

We never got a regular Tree for my Dad. Being the youngest of 6 with 4 boys and 2 girls we always had plenty of help and exitement in the hunt. It often always boiled down to the third week of December before we'd find one when I was a child so when I got old enough I was determined to change that. It was around 1995 and I was 30 years old. I took my Brother in my car while my Dad and another brother went in a brothers truck. We searched all saturday with no luck for a fresh cut tree and I decided to stop at a tree stand just to ask if they knew of any tree farms with "BIG TREES?" The attendents told me of a old farm that may still have trees and told me where it was. We drove down a small dirt road to a driveway and pulled up to the house. I took the lead and knocked on the door explaining the best I could why I was knocking. The Lady couldn't have been nicer and showed us a path to the grove.

I went one way and my Dad went another once we got to the trees. At the stand we decided to split up and my Dad went with me while my brothers checked some other sites. As we searched the trees for over 20 minutes we both came across a huge 14 foot wide tree all by itself and beautiful. I was on one side and my Dad was on the other hidden from each other by the enormous tree. I called to him and he called back while we were at the same tree and we met in the middle laughing.

We got together with the others, cut it,  brought it home and had a perfect tree and the best one in the history of my Dads big trees. I have now carried the tradition on with a Brother and our kids all know of the huge Papa trees in their houses.

I hope my story can add some cheer to your holiday's and look forward to your stories.

MERRY CHRISTMAS.

What the H E double L  is going on in todays world?

The hype of Black Friday is getting a little over the top when human lives are being lost. Walmart was running radio ads early Thanksgiving week promoting a great price on a very limited number of sale items. One ad was for a 32 inch LCD TV for around $300.00 and their were only 5 with no rain checks. That could explain the poor associate being TRAMPLED to death as the customers forced open the stores doors. The herd of so called bargain hunters had one thing one their collective minds: I want that TV and I'll do whatvever I have too to get it. The thought of having a human lying on the floor being trampled on is too horrendous for me to comprehend.

Then in California two people argue over a sale item and shots are fired in the stores aisle. SHOTS ARE FIRED!. Two peolpe are dead. Is this insane? I believe the deceased were women and most ikely they were Mothers. If so the children left behind will not have their Mommy's for Christmas and the rest of their lives....for what? A couple hundred dollars saved on a great priced sale item?

 The animalistic thrill of the hunt has taken over in todays society and it sends the human compassion one might have out the window. I for one tend to have a little more patience when I get to a parking lot. I tend to stop and allow a car to make a left hand turn in front of me in the holiday season. We only have a month to  practice random acts of kindness during the holidays and hope it can carry over into the new year. A song lyric comes to mind:

"Come on people now smile on you're Brother, everybody get together try to love one another right now"

The reason for the length of the flight was a life was saved. I met my new Doctor yesterday as I have been battling the cough and congestion thats going around. I went to see a different Doctor last Friday and along with a prescription for cough medicine was a 5 minute diagnosis of my 6 year old and how we we're treating her ADHD. This A-HOLE will be explained later. I meet my new Doctor yesterday and he is a throwback to what Doctors we're in days past. Very outgoing and a listener. He takes the time to listen to how I feel and treats my symptoms. During the exam he tells me of his 22 hour flight.

He and his wife leave Bradley and connect in Atlanta. The final destination is Sacramento CAL. where they are visiting their son. After takeoff in Atlanta they get to altitude and a announcement comes on asking for a doctor on the plane. He volunteers his services along with 3 other doctors. A passenger had suffered a heart attack and needed emergency attention. The 4 Doctors tend to the passenger as he lay unresponsive on the plane's floor. My Doctor is either applying CPR or was using the defribulator but the 4 volunteer life savers are hard at work. The pilot then descends at a steep angle to land at the nearest airport. My Doc said the thing went down like a fighter jet and the 4 of them were on the floor with no seat belts and trying to save  a life. They land at the airport and the passenger is handed off to the EMT's. The man who lay dead on the plane ends up surviving!!!!!. It just goes to show that his number wasn't up and he really lucked out with 4 Doctors on his flight.

I am so glad that this hero is part of my Family's well being and I am honored to have him a s my Doctor.

Now back to the A-HOLE: He busts in the door to the exam room. My daughter is using the rolling stool as a ride and she is nervous about seeing the Doctor. I explained at the receptionist that I wanted both of us seen as she has had a nagging cough for over 2 weeks. This idiot checks my ears, nose and throat. A throat culture comes back negative. My daughter continues to roll on the stool as I'm explaining my right ear has been aching since early afternoon. He makes a diagnosis and gives me a prescription for cough medicine. He then turns to me and asks about my daughter and I tell him about her cough. He says she seems fine now and I aggree but he doesn't even check her ears and nose. He just asks about her ADHD and her treatment. Our daughter doesn't have it and I almost knocked him out for his arrogance. We leave and on the following Tuesday my wife brings her to the Doctor. She only has a double ear infection and needs antibiotics and when we ask the Doctor about the ADHD diagnosois the Doctor says their is no way she has it.

Here is a tale of 2 Doctors.

1:  who likes what he does and is a throwback to a caring Doc of days past.

2: one who is just in it for the money and could care less about a sick child. This Doctor will probably take out a wrong organ in a operation.

22 hours to California but a life was saved and a family will have happy holidays thanks to my super-doc.

I can almost smell the Turkey cooking.....

I absolutley love this time of year. As I grow older and see our children grow I relate to when I was a kid and the fun with my siblings and parents. Being the youngest of 6 kids I was always in the backround as the holiday momentum grew. My Dad would always cook the Thanksgiving dinner (as I do) and it was the threshold to the greatest time as a kid. Our record player's needle couldn't see a Christmas album until after dinner was completed. He would trek to the storeroom and my dad would have to move stuff around until he found the boxes with the albums. There we're 2 boxes with about 20 albums in each one but only a select few would be used (mitch miller, Chipmunks, harry simeone choir little drummr boy). The smell of Turkey would still wafting in the apartment as we would gather around the speakers and the excitement would build.

Our kids have been asking for their Christmas music. It's so awesome and I can't wait until Thanksgiving night so I can bring them to the family room and get the CD's. I can't drag it out like my Dad did but we will still have a great air of expectation for the first song.

In 3 1/2 weeks we will all be amazed at how the time flew by as Thanksgiving Eve is upon us. Take time to appreciate the days as they count down. Life can get real hectic and stressful as the holidays approach and now would be a good time to make sure they can be enjoyed as much as possible.

I know the memories of my childhood and the excitement of our kids will make the time fly by but it will be great 7 1/2 weeks.

I feel so bad for the Family in Westfield affected by this tragedy. It only takes a split second for something to happen and life will never be the same for the surviving members. I cringe everytime I see a parent let their guard down in a situation that lends itself to it.

 Recently I brought my daughter to soccer and was about to pull into a open space in the SCHOOL parking lot. A door suddenly opened to a SUV parked in the space next to the one I was going to use. A 7-8 year old boy gets out of the door and just starts running through the spot and into the lot to the fields. On the other side of the SUV a Dad was getting a younger sibling out of the seat.

 I'm a Dad and border on being over protective but when I see dopes like this it just reinforces my will to protect our little ones. How would this idiot feel if I was a second earlier and didn't have time to stop as he darted out and I hit him? I know my life would have never been the same. 

I noticed it a lot last night also with kids  acting like they were in Disney World as they went at light speed to get as much candy as they could. Their guard was down and I'm surprised a accident didn't happen in that neighborhood. I had to reel in our kids a few times as they started getting ahead of my wife and I. Some idiot on a motorcycle was going throught the streets and revving the engine to probably try to scare kids with the sound. It's probably one of the same jerks that pull a wheelie on their rice burner in front of my house.

Please say a prayer for the family in Westfield

The first of November is fast approaching. The overnight parking ban's begin so that cozy spot you've gotten used for the last 8 months will no longer be available. Why the Ban? Because it's cold? I can understand the need for the ban in snow storms but just because it's November there is no parking.

Watch out for those idiot drivers who will drive with ice on the windshield. They apparently don't have a extra 5 minutes in their lives for the defroster to work. Why not go and start the car for 5 minutes while you fix a second cup of coffee?

Then you have the complete idiots who will carve out a tank sized slot  in the ice and think that's safe. These are the same dopes that clean off the drivers half of the car in a snow storm.

Morons like this should be issued a seasonal license to drive. Say a license valid from April 1 until November 1. It's sort of a reverse parking ban license. When the weather changes these dimwits can't drive their cars.

I just saw a piece on one of the Tabloid shows. It showed a person flying his Rocket pack for 30 seconds.

Here's the Rub:

He was taking off from a GAS STATION!!!!!!!

I think it took place in Iowa or some Midwest State.

Here is a possible Q and A:

"Hey Bert where you gonna fly that thang?"

"Oh I don't know I'll probably just use the Gas Station lot since I have to gas it up"

"Yeah Bert that's a great idea, that way if it works you'll be able to fill er' up again"

The Bozo flying this thing didn't seem to think of the potential for a mass explosion if his contraption failed.

I'm just surprised it wasn't in Florida.

The Governor was found to have abused her power in the firing of the State Trooper brother in law. Now it has been reported that she took her kids on trips with her for pleasure and billed the Taxpayers for it. One such trip was to watch her Hubby in a skimobile race. Another was for a trip to N.Y. where her 17 year old watched the kids in the Hotel while she was out doing her  thing.

This abuse of power is absurd but nothing else will be made of it. How can a person a heartbeat from being the Worlds Boss be so aloof in her judgement. At least she'll look good doing it after her windfall wardrobe change.

I like Mcain but this Palin scares the daylites out of me.

The Grand Jury has indicted the mother in the disappearance of the 2 year old. The Mother has proclaimed her innocence saying the child was with a babysitter and she has stuck with the story.  The great grandmother of the child reports a stench from the alleged murderer's car. Cadiver dogs hit on decomposing human remains in the car and yet the mother sticks to her story. The monster waits over a month to say anything about the childs disappearance. The monsters Mom then comes out through the media and says that the Police have stopped searching for the real kidnappers and spouts her vermin whenever she can to whatever media outlet she can have listen to her.

I can't wait for all the evidence to come out and reveal the Monster that waas this innocent child's Mother. I'll make a prediction that the monster won't live till the end of the trial and she will commit suicide.

She is much to fragile in her mental state to withstand hearing all the facts and evidence that has been found against her.

Rot in HELL.