Eating Out

No this is not a post regarding that movie that was out a few years ago, or it's sequel that was released this year. But it's a post about...eating out.

At a restaurant silly boy!

Today we went to a pretty upscale Italian place for lunch to celebrate a co-workers birthday. I'll not mention the name, but it is generally great eats. Today was no exception.

However, I think that the entire waiting industry needs to take lessons from DJ. We are paying a quality price for our food, and it should go without saying that along with that quality price we should also receive quality service. But how often does that happen?

The young woman (she was probably about 26 or so) was quite "brisk" as she introduced herself and rambled on about the day's special. She then began to walk away. Our boss that was with us, says "can we at least get a drink order in, I'm thirsty." She sighs and then proceeds to take our drink order. Very simple, water, coke, tea, tea, tea, water, diet with no lemon. A few minutes later she brings them back...incorrect. Plus the diet had a big old lemon wedge in it. And instead of walking around the table and serve them to us, we had to reach across the table and each other to grab our drinks! She then began to walk off again. Now this was lunch, and there were no lunch menus on the table, so we asked for them...another sigh. A few minutes later we got the lunch menus and then for our order.

Fortunate for us, and for her she got that right, however one of our party had to wait at least a good ten minutes longer than the rest of us to get her entree. We found that it wasn't the cooks fault because her entree was cold when it was finally brought out. I never heard an apology from her or even a reason as to why her meal was so late in coming out. Being an Italian eatery, you always get bread, right? We never got bread until we asked for it, and again a sigh.

Come on lady, get a clue. The reason your tips are lousy is because you are lousy.

I left a$1.00 tip on a $12.00 lunch bill and a note on my receipt. You should really look for another job.

Saying Goodbye

Death is never easy to deal with. Saying goodbye to someone that you love and has been part of your life for so long is an emotional roller coaster. But death is part of life, and it comes when least expected.

DJ's grandmother passed on Saturday in her sleep, at age 82. Even though that is the best way to go, and she lived a long life it doesn't make it easier. This is the first death of an immediate family member that he has had to deal with. Needless to say he is full of emotion and quieter than normal. His parents divorced when he was 8, and he would spend a lot of time with his father's parents over the next 10 years. They filled in when his father didn't.

Tuesday they will say their goodbyes, but not to the memories or the heartache.

Unexpected News

I received some unexpected news this evening. It looks as though I am going to be a grandfather again. Yes, another grandchild is on the way. My daughter called me tonight and told me that she had something to tell me, but wanted me to sit down first.

I said "Why? Are you pregnant?"

Her answer was yes. Luckily I WAS sitting down. Her daughter, Lana will be a year old August 11th, and the new baby should be here sometime late February. Just when I was getting used to be called Grandpa, it comes again...

Transformed

Tonight I was mesmerized, entertained and transformed. No I didn't have an epiphany, but what I did have was a two hour, mind blowing, exciting experience in the movie theater. Those of you that know me that I love movies. I even have two other blogs (CINEMANIA! and OSCARMANIA!) totally devoted to movies. But tonight as I sat in the theater I was really pulled into the world of sci-fi, make believe and action with the new movie that is storming the nation, Transformers.

No, it's not an Oscar caliber acting film, even though young hottie Shia LaBeouf was fantastic, not to mention other hotties, Josh Duhmael, Tyrese Gibson and yes, even Jon Voight (I mean in his day...). Their acting wasn't as good as young Shia, but it was good. But as I said before it wasn't the acting that sets this movie apart. It's the genius of Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks SKG. This is where they will win an Oscar this year. The special effects were in one word... phenomenal! Not to mention from the first five minutes the action is non-stop and even the humor is humorous.

Great movie, take the kids, take the wife, take the grandparents and be transformed into a kid again.

Birthday # 47

Today was another birthday. Much like many of my other birthdays. I remember the birthdays as a kid when mom would go all out and make a cake and invite all the neighborhood kids over for cake and ice cream after dinner. Sometimes they brought gifts, sometimes they didn't, it didn't matter it was just wonderful to know mom remembered and wanted to make a big deal out of it for me.

This year DJ and I went camping, left Sunday returned today. It was a great time. Away from the phones and the hassles of time, work and responsibilities. All we did was sit around talk, play cards, and yes, of course having special time with one another after the sun went down. At 12:00 as soon as it turned the 10th, he turned and kissed me and whispered "Happy Birthday" into my ear. It doesn't matter that there was no cake or gifts (well except for the great gift certificate my friend Silver gave me on Saturday) and no bog fanfare, it was nice just to know he cared and remembered and that we were together.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Lucky Day

I've ben hearing about this day for quite some time now. Today is supposed to be lucky. Very lucky. It seems that every wedding chapel in Vegas is booked around the clock today, because everyone wants to get married today, 7-7-07. Not to be a sceptic, and not to say I am an expert on relationships, but I don't think it matters if you are married on 7-7-07 or 6-6-06, once you are married it takes more than luck to keep a marriage together. Right? A few things need to take place for a relationship to continue to grow and nurture. First of all love has to be in the equation. Then you need respect and communication. Not just talking to each other, but talking WITH each other. And of course you have to continually be patient and understanding and work to keep things fresh alive and new. Now if you think luck is going to bring all that together, then you really need a reality check for sure!

Now for my day. Today DJ's family had their annual family reunion. Lots of fun, pool, food and drinks. Many many drinks. I started my drinking a little early today. We had to go pick up food trays and dessert trays at DJ's store, and while we waited for them to get finished I had a tall, double vodka and cranberry. Since I've not been drinking for a while, it hit me fast. Then off to the party, where I continued my vodka and cranberry fix. The entire family was there. I've become part of the family so to speak and I now know most of the attendees. One of the main reasons for the reunion is for DJ's step father, Big D to spend time with his sister, Little B, who lives in Indiana. Little B is married to Indy K, and they have a daughter together, Dink ( I call her that cause she is so thin, a very sweet young blonde teenager), then there is their grandson, Tornado. I call him Tornado because like a tornado once he starts he keeps going until he is all spent out. A very busy little boy, who is ALL boy. He is 10, but looks about 7. Thin as a rail. Mainly due to immense energy. Indy K also has a son that attends when able. A sure fire catch for any available young women looking for a great guy. He seems like he would treat a girl with respect and a lot of attention. We will call him Fuzzy. (for obvious reasons if you check out the pictures to the left.) Then there are all the others, cousins, step moms, aunts, cousins, and in laws. A real mixture of people, cultures and backgrounds. I enjoy the family reunion and the food, and the pool, and the DRINKS! This year was no exception. Check out the pics over on the left side of the blog.

Traditions

Tonight we made the small trek over to DJ's aunt's home for her annual 4th of July Celebration. She lives very close to a park where they have an excellent firework show. We all sit out in her front yard sharing stories and the weeks events while we wait for the sun go down and the sky to light up. It's a night I truly enjoy because it reminds me of the old pictures I used to see of families out in their yards on the 4th of July watching the parades. We don't see that much anymore, whole neighborhoods getting together and celebrating our country and our freedoms.

Tonight I recalled my 10th year, when I was in cub scouts and I was in a 4th of July parade and I was chosen to carry the U.S. Flag the entire parade route. My parents were so proud, they walked along next to me taking pictures with their new Polaroid and dad filming on his old 35mm camera. True Americana.

I also thought of our soldiers that are in Iraq and how tonight the skies where they are will also be lit up, but not from fireworks celebrating independence. How they are away from their families and friends and neighbors, trying to do their jobs but probably deep in their hearts wanting so much to be in their front yards watching the fireworks.

I also thought about why they are there. I rarely comment in my blog regarding politics or religion. My father always has told me that those are two things you do not discuss in mixed company. But as I sat there tonight I thought about how most of the wars in the past were for a cause, and how Americans all over the country were proud of what we were doing by sending our servicemen and women to foreign fields. Today when you ask the response is almost always the same. "I support our troops, they are just doing their job, but they need to be back home."

The situation in Iraq continues to go on and on, with no end in sight and more and more of our men and women die every day.

My celebration tonight seemed a little melancholy as I thought on this. Yes, Americans are still proud if their son or daughter is chosen to carry the U.S. flag in the 4th of July parade. Yes, they are proud of their sons and daughters when they choose to enlist in the armed services and hang their pictures in their homes with honor and pride. But mention our President's name and the war in Iraq, then the tune changes. It's time for our troops to come home, with flags waving and the bands playing letting them know how proud were are of them. It's time for our President to get the message. It's time to restore honor in our White House and Capital Hill. 2008 can not get here soon enough.

Hope you and your family have a safe and Happy 4th, and as we celebrate let's remember those that are out there in the deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan and pray that they soon come home alive and proud to be an American as they should be.

A Name Like Any Other...

...Still smells the same.

Now that I have moved into the world of grandfathering I have been contemplating what my grandchildren should refer to me as. Should it be Grandpa? Pops? Papaw? The list goes on and on. I can not settle on what I like the best.

Grandpa is what my kids call my father, so that will just confuse them, as both my parents are still living and actually see my grandson more than I do. They live right across the street from my parents. Pops just sounds, well weird. Papaw is what I called my grandfather, but he always seemed old. (even though he was only 41 when I was born, five years younger than I was when my first grandchild was born). Calling me by my given name just don't seem appropriate, and my kids didn't like my idea of them calling me gaypa, so I am at a flux.

I guess I will just wait and see what THEY call me, and I am sure that will stick. Until then I guess I am stuck with Grandpa!

Welcome to July

July has arrived. July is my birthday month. On the tenth of this month I will become another year older. I used to really look forward to the celebration of my birth, but over the last few years I have not brought as much attention to it as in the years past. It's not that I don't want to think about it, but more of the fact that it does not seem to mean as much. I take my mother's philosophy regarding growing older, which is, "You are as old as you feel" I don't feel 47, whatever 47 is supposed to feel like, but honestly I don't. When I look in the mirror, it is the same person I see looking back at me that I saw when I was 27. Of course there is a few more gray hairs and a few more wrinkles, but it's the same guy I've always seen.

July is also a fun month for me, as it is also usually the month I take vacation. Which is true again this year. In a few days I will gone from my usually regular routine and relaxing by a nightly fire and cuddling into a tent under the stars. July is also the moth when it seems like everyone is vibrant and alive. The sun is warm and the nights are long and everyone is just buzzing around. Summertime in all it's glory. Not to mention guys with no shirts!

I Love JULY!! Don't you?