Joining the G-Force

Momoko brought the kids to school to help with her classroom. When they got back, they were hungry. Kit Kat said she could hardly stand. This was a case for Chinese food.

We went to a nice sit down restaurant. Little Kat had trouble deciding what to order. He ended up asking for something that was not on the menu. Momoko and Kit Kat both got Mushi-Pork.

Afterwards, we figured our work for the weekend was done. So it was time to go watch one of the movies we had been wanting to see. Since it has been out for a while, we chose G-Force. There were not many people in the theater. We like that.

Dining Out

An old buddy of mine wanted to get together tonight. We decided to eat dinner together at a new restaurant. I came home and informed Momoko that I would not be eating with the family.

Little Kat was scheduled to cook some meatloaf for dinner. However when the family heard I was going out, they decided to go out too. I guess they feel entitled.

It seems they went to some nice place like Red Lobster. I myself went to this new place. It was an upscale restaurant. And it was crowded. Some of the food was quite delicious. They had a lot of weird stuff on the menu. I just made sure I ordered stuff that was not served raw.

Back to School

Today I had my orientation for this semester's class. I am going to learn how to do web programming. Hopefully that means I will be able to code web sites like this one. We shall see. The syllabus looks a bit slow. I wish we could fast forward to the 10th week where we really learn the good stuff.

My plan was to get a good Chinese dinner before going to school. There was just one problem. A coworker needed help. I heard she was working 13 to 14 hours days. And she is going to work through the weekend. When she showed me her broken leg to boot, I had to have compassion. So I stayed late and did what I could. That made me miss dinner, but it was for a good cause.

When I got home, Kit Kat had prepared dinner for the family. I got there just in time for dessert. It was my favorite: hot corn bread with butter. Mmmm mmm.

Check'n on the Mom

Called Mom kat to see how everything was going in the big CA. Leo kat was having some back problems and will have some shots in his lower back next month. Hopefully that will help with the problem. Brother kat is going to have his shoulder surgery next month as well. This was the surgery that he was going to have before they decided to do the heart surgery. Mom kat said she is having trouble sleeping because of sinus drainage and hopefully that will take care of it's self with some med's. Other then that all seems well there. Today it rained and it lowered the temp, it should be cooler for a few days. Yeah!

Knock at the Door

Today I had to work late. I found it strange that Momoko's car was not in the driveway. However the kids were at home.

Kit Kat said she got home first. Her bus is usually the first one here. Then she said a strange car drove up to the house. And there was a lot of banging at the front door.

Usually we instruct Kit Kat to not answer the door if we are not home. However she peeked out and saw Little Kat out there. He got a ride home with someone other than Momoko.

We now need to find Little Kat's house key. I don't want to have to change the door locks again.

Down to the Creek

Today I had three choices to get to work. I could go the slow but sure way to work. Or I could take a 2-lane highway that sometimes moves fine. The third option was to take the 4-lane expressway that gets backed up a lot. I chose the third option. The traffic was very heavy. I regretted this choice until I heard the 2-lane highway was actually shut down.

When I finally got back from work, I did not see Little Kat or Kit Kat. That was strange. I got back late. Momoko informed me that she sent them down to the creek at the edge of our property. Momoko needed samples from the creek for tomorrow's science class.

I had a little light left. So what did I do? Yep. I cut the grass. You got to be responsible with your work. After that I got back on the computer and did some work from home. My reward will be to watch some animation late tonight with Momoko and Kit Kat. That animation would be The Twelve Kingdoms.

Truck Noises

I went to lunch today at a pizza joint. Strangely enough I ordered a meal with all you can eat soup. On the drive back to work, a truck comes up behind me. Then he tries to pass me on the left. He is just not going fast enough. So he drives next to me. It was disturbing. The truck was making all kinds of hissing and grinding noises. I was glad when the trucker pulled off into an exit.

After work, I came home. Little Kat and his friend popped out when I was getting out of my car. They seem to be playing some Pokemon on something. Little Kat's friend told me that as soon as she got home from school, Little Kat knocked on her door. She always seems to make time for Little Kat. I blame this distraction for dinner being late (Little Kat cooked). Luckily the dinner was very delicious.

Evil Edging

Little Kat informed me our mail box had been taken over by ants. No wonder I saw some ants in my mail this week. I headed out to get the pest killer. That will show those guys.

That is when I noticed the grass was getting high. It was bad near our garden. That area is tough to cut as the mower gets the mulch inside of it.

Finally I decided to bite the bullet and install some edging I had purchased a long time ago. First I dug out all the weeds. Then I put down a straight line to follow. I installed the edging, then topped the garden off with some new mulch.

The result looks good. But my back hurts. No pain, no gain.

Late Arrival

Kit Kat planned to go shopping with her friends this weekend. Normally Momoko drives Kit Kat to the mall. But Momoko felt like she was getting sick. She went to the clinic. Thus I had to drive Kit Kat.

Momoko warned me that Kit Kat's friends arrive fashionably late sometimes. We did not want to be the first one's at the mall. So I planned our departure so that we would arrive "10 minutes late".

On the ride over, Kit Kat got a phone call from her friends. They were wondering where she was. She said she was running late but was on the way. As we pulled up, I saw all of Kit Kat's friends there. I guess they were anxious to get their shop on. Maybe arriving late is just for parties. Timing is hard to figure out with these high school cats.

Low on Tech

I got an email from my college reminding me that my online class starts soon. There was a bunch of steps listed to get ready for the class. One step was to take a test to see if I am fit for an online class. It seemed a bit late for that (I already signed up). But I took the test anyway.

Surprise surprise. The test told me I was not that strong in technology. What? I am a computer programmer. I should score tops in technology. Or maybe I don't score high compared to normal college aged kids. They grew up with the tech.

And so it begins

I am sure you have noticed that I have been absent from blogging lately. I started back to work on Monday and it has been are very busy week. I had to even hire the kittens to help me out. This has been a win-win situation because I have been getting some good work from the kittens and if I pay them they will have some spending money. This school year is turning into a year of changes. I have changed principals, classrooms, and even grade levels. I cannot wait for the year to begin.

Little goes Middle School Orientation tomorrow and he is very excited. I even think Kit is ready to start school. The first day is Monday so please wish us luck!

Principal and the Tree

I got home today to find one message on the answering machine. It was the new principal at Little Kat's school. He goes to middle school orientation tomorrow. It was surprising that the principal spoke the message in Spanish by herself.

Since nobody else was home, I got to work in the back yard. There was a lot of grass to mow. After that I trimmed the bushes. I took the clipping back to the edge of our property. There was one last chore to do. Deal with the big tree branches that had fallen.

Actually there were a couple tree branches. They were in the shape of a big Y. The Y got stuck on in the tree, but the branches were dangling down in the way. I decided to grab ahold of the branches and pull them down. They were big so it took a lot of effort. And then ... oh no. The branch gave real quick, sending me backward. My body instinctively rolled backward into a somersault. Ouch. That could have ended up badly. Need to exercise more care next time.

The Bloggers Come Out

After much encouragement, Little Kat has started posting to his blog again. Go ahead. Give the lil guy a comment or two. Take his poll. I did.

Momoko was the true worker today. She got up early and was at work before anybody else in the house woke up.

I went to visit my customer today. We gave a pitch on the new changes in the software we will do. The meeting went well.

After work I drove down to my college. I picked up my books for the Fall semester. There goes another $200. Luckily my company is picking up the tab. Another student in the bookstore had sticker shock and asked me what to do. I advised him to go on Amazon dot com.

Out to the Movies

Momoko took the cats out to see Ponyo today. Everybody wanted to see it including me. Unfortunately I had to mow the grass. It was long overdue.

That's ok. I did get to eat at the Outback Steakhouse with my college buddy today. That was all I had time for though, as I do my chores on Sunday.

Next I am going to vote for us to see G-Force at the show.

Garage Sale Blues

This morning somebody poked me in bed. Was not sure what time it was. It just felt very early. Momoko said it was time for breakfast. I asked for some Burger King.

By the time breakfast arrived, Momoko informed me that the neighbors were having a yard sale. Somebody visiting the yard sale had blocked Momoko's car in the driveway. Its ok. She has a 4 wheel drive and drove around them.

There was a lot of confusion when Momoko got back with breakfast. All of our food got mixes up. It was not a mix up from Burger King. Somebody (maybe Little Kat) passed out the food to the wrong people. We decided to just eat what we got. I ate Momoko's croissant. Muhahaha.

Friday Night

Today I got our cable TV bill in the mail. Our monthly rate had more than doubled. I guess our promotional rate had run out. So I called the cable company to find out how I could lower the rate without compromosing the most important channels we watch.

I thought I found a resonable solution to choose a lower level of service. But the cable company would not make this change easily. At first they wanted me to go ahead and pay the severely high bill. Then they told me they could not accurately predict what my new bill would be. What kind of nonsense is this?

Momoko talked me into finally taking the family to see the latest Harry Potter movie. It was a long one. To prepare for it, we hit the salad bar at Ruby Tuesday's. The movie was really good. And I did not even read this book yet. Now we have to figure if we should watch Ponyo or G-Force next.

Fence Painting

I had Little Kat trim the grass around the base of our white picket fence. Previously I had repaired some of the broken pickets. The replacement wood looked out of place. It was time to repaint the fence. That time was yesterday.

Things were looking good. It was hot but not that hot. I got a gallon of white paint from Walmart. Then I went to town. It was hard work. You have to move the brush around a lot to get the paint in the grain of the wood. And it is tough to paint between the pickets. They are placed close to each other on our fence.

The result looks good. There is only one problem. I just painted the front and back of a small section of our fence that was breaking down. Now there is another section that needs picket repair. And that section is longer. I have the wood for replacement pickets. And I even have the paint to cover it. I just don't have the energy to accomplish the task right now. Home maintenance is never over. You just move to the next project.

Back to the Yard Work

Momoko and Kit Kat left me at home with Little Kat today. So I decided we would get out in the severe heat and do some yard work.

We drove down to the local Home Depot. There was only one plant worth buying there. They did not have everything we needed. Next time we will hit Lowes.

Little Kat prepped our white fence for painting. Then he started the long job of cutting the vines out of our chain link fence.

I pulled a lot of weeds. Then I went to the part of our property that is behind our fence. I hauled a bunch of fallen trees out to the edge of our land. This was some tough work. Little Kat and I made sure to stay hydrated. We also took a lot of breaks. Tomorrow we head out again to battle nature and the yard.

The Return Home

Today we got up on time. That was a feat since we went to bed around 4:00am last night. We checked out the hotel and headed to Sonic for some grub.

The ride home was ok. There were no tolls to pay. I was a good navigator. I sensed a tense moment or two when we drove over this massively long bridge. Momoko made me turn on some music to keep our mind off the disturbingly high bridge.

An hour after we got home, we headed to the airport to pick up Little Kat and Kit Kat. That worked out great. They plane landed right on time. We grabbed their luggage and ran.

Little Kat like the changes to his bedroom. The walls are painted his favorite color (green). And he has a new loft bed that gives his small room a lot more space.

Gambling Mood

After losing too much money in the casino, I usually head up to the hotel room. This helps ensure I don't lose everything. There is not much to do up in the room. Momoko brought her computer so I can do a little blogging and browsing on the web.

So what do you think I watch on TV while I wait for Momoko to finish her gambling? Well it is the World Series of Poker. It should be obvious. I am in a gambling mood here. Those guys in the World Series are playing for the big stakes.

There are no poker tables here in this casino. They have some poker machines. The more fancy ones have a digital dealer in front of you. So far I have not played them, and I am sticking to the slot machines.

The Bandit Got Me

Momoko wanted some Dennys this morning for breakfast. There was a long line to get seated. We opted to eat at Pizzeria Uno's instead. They had some good soup. Momoko suggested we also get some nachos. They were a bit weird though. These nachos has a lot of chili in them.

Then we got back to the business of slot machines. Momoko made me try her Whipping Wilds slot. This darn thing has a big minimum bet. They make you plan a lot of lines at once. The thing was dry when I started. However once you win, you win big. After that I played my favorite The Jackpot Party.

So the only good thing this casino gave me is some good room service. They have expensive but delicious food. Momoko has better luck.

Whipping Up Wilds!

For the record, when I gamble I usually take $100 with me and when that is gone it is time to go back to the hotel room for the night. I learned this technique from Black. I played a game called "Whipping Up Wilds" and this is my new favorite game. I put in $20 and cashed out $171.58. After that pay out, I decided to take my money and run. Later that night, I went back to add to my winnings but it seemed my luck had changed. Before I lost my whole wad of cash ($100), I decided to try some new machines with no luck. I was down to my last $40 and I decided to try my old standby favorite, "Jade". I ended up playing for three hours and I came back to the room with $100.02. Black said we need to go home now because if we stay I will lose everything that I won. I think that is a crazy idea. All I know is that I am having a blast! I can't wait until tomorrow (or later tonight) to get back to the slots. Wish me luck!!!

Vacation Ordeal

Momoko and I slept in today. It is the first day of our vacation. Before driving to our destination, we decided to get some lunch. The line at Silver Diner wrapped outside the door. We went next door to Olive Garden because it seemed empty.

It is a two hour trip to the casino. So I figured it would be an easy ride. No chance. There was a big backup at the bridge. That added another two hours to the trip. I am glad it is not that far to the casino.

We did get lucky and found a close in parking place at the casino. Then we checked in and got some room service. Finally we let the slot machine games begin. I watched the iCarly movie at 8:00pm. Then I woke Momoko up for a night ride to Soninc. Delicious.

Quick Dinner

I am now officially on vacation. Momoko is busy getting everything ready for us to take a trip. That meant I was in charge of dinner. Traffic is crazy Friday nights. So I decided to get some Dominos.

The local Dominos messes up our orders a lot. Momoko has found that placing the order online helps them get it right. I figured it was worth a try.

Now all the items I ordered came out with the right labels. However my hot wings were not exactly hot. I should have added some hot sauce to them.

Dinner is over now. Time to get back to work. Laundry calls.

Did you Know?

Did you know... that the average person farts about 14 times every day? It is possible to freeze farts? If it is cold enough outside, you can see a fart just like you can see your breath? There is a fart fossil? Well...now you know! I love doing vital research. I know your lives have been enriched with this information.

Bait and Switch

I wanted to take a web programming college class this Fall semester. So I did my planning and homework. Figured out the exact cost of the class. Then I found the required textbook for the class. It cost a whopping $172.

That's ok. I tallied up all the costs, and convinced my company to pay for them. I even had my company front me an advance for the course. When I registered for the class, I felt secure in paying for the course. After all, I was just forwarding the money my company provided.

You would think all I need to do is ensure I do a good job in the class. That way the company does not make me pay them back. I also can't leave the company any time soon. I checked that the school bookstore had my textbook. Bamm. Two new textbooks were added for the class. They total up to an extra $200.

What kind of rip off is this? Now I got to figure out what to do. Should I pay for these books out of my pocket, and hope the employer pays me back in the end? I don't know.

Bulky Trash Pickup

We bought Little Kat a new bed. So we needed to get rid of his old bed frame and box springs. Momoko called bulky trash pickup. They come out for no extra charge (our taxes pay the bill).

There was just one problem. We need to haul all the junk out to the curb. The excess trash we had accumulated was fine to carry. But the bed stuff was tough. It also had to come down from the top floor of our house.

Momoko broke down after carrying out the box springs. I had to man up and bring the bed frame out myself. Now Momoko needs some assistance. So I got to go.

Attack of the Killer Weeds

It has been a few weeks since I cut the grass. I thought I could get by because it was dry. But recently it has been raining and the grass was high. I only got through half the front yard.

Then I had to do some trimming. That was tough work. Next I was pulling some weeds. These things were tough. Their roots ran deep. Half way through weed duty, I called it quits.

Perhaps I will get back on there tomorrow and fight the weeds. I need to keep up on the outdoor work. Otherwise the yard will turn into a jungle. I sure could use the help of a Little Kat. Come home soon.

Going to College

I tried to sign up for this web programming college class. However the web site said I did not have all the prior class work to register. That meant I needed to go to the college in person and get somebody to override the requirements.

Throughout the week I worked hard. That way I had the morning off on Friday for my college business. I woke up early and found the traffic to be good. Then I took my number and waited to speak with a college advisor.

A few hours later, an advisor approved me for the class. I hurried home to find Momoko still asleep. Nice. The only downturn in this whole process was that the college bookstore had not stocked the Fall 2009 semester books.