7 Kids, 2 grandkids, 1 on-the-way, 2 cats, Mom, and Dad

A night out or Dinner with Good Friends

We had a great dinner with our Good Friends last night. We tried some new wines, had great food, and great company too. They're in the process of building a house and so our wives were able to chat about that while we talked about other stuff.

One of the wines they gave me 2.5 years ago for Christmas. It seemed like a good time to try out the 1998 Haut-Médoc from Château La Lagune.

I thought it tasted good and it went well with the steak dinner.

In Flames in Worcester or It's getting hot in here

I went to see the In Flames concert in Worcester this weekend with Son and One of His Friends. A total of four bands played that night with In Flames and another band who's website I can't find called Unearthed being my two favorites.

I have to say that I didn't understand most of what was being screamed/sung but really liked the music in general. I don't know how their voices survive a night of screaming like that.

I wore a bright yellow shirt which was like a beacon of light in that place with every kid sporting a black shirt and dark pants. I guess they want to show you how individual they are by looking just like every other person in the place.

For the record, the guy that plays bass for In Flames rocks. I was amazed at the amount of sound that he got out of that instrument.

Empty growler for beer or did you bring your own bowl too?

I was reading a blog entryand it reminded me of when I was a kid growing up in Philadelphia. You could go to the corner store for ice cream and it was expected that you'd bring your own bowl. You'd get your ice cream and then go home to eat it. I can remember going to visit Mom-mom and before I could sit down I'd have to run down to the store for her bowl of butter pecan ice cream. She only liked Breyers and that is what they sold. She liked to put pretzels on her ice cream too.

House Hunting too or What to do with spare time and money

We're going to be joining the house hunting crowd now that we've been pre-approved. I don't want to move until mid August or early September so we have some time. We want to stay in the Durham/Madbury/Lee area so the kids can stay in the same schools.

Already it is interesting to see what matters to me and how that differs with Beautiful Wife. I'm looking for vinyl siding, 200 amp electric, and NOT electric heat. Beautiful Wife wants a colonial, and what does the yard look like, and more cosmetic stuff. I just don't want to buy something that means I'm going to do repairs starting day one.

Four kids and the area we live in precludes us from being able to buy anything too elaborate or new. As it is, we'll probably pay 10 times what my parents paid for a 3 bedroom ranch in Hampton back in 1973.

Karate Weekend or It is fun being a black belt

I had a great time this weekend with karate in between trips to feed Good Friend's cats. We had a black belt promotion at our school Friday night and I went to provide a helping hand.

I provided first aid when a young woman's pinky got smashed during a bo staff demonstration. Nothing like getting hit on the hand by a piece of hardwood while you are holding a piece of hardwood. It wasn't broken but that probably didn't make her feel any better.

I was also a drill sergeant type character when the kids did a kata that had music from Mulan (Make a Man Out of You) as the background. I developed that idea for the demonstration team a while ago and I'm still the de facto guy to do it in a pinch.

Holding boards while someone kicks it in order to break it is a special challenge. They are all scared, without exception, because they don't want to be the one that doesn't break it on their first try. The break is as much what the holder does as what the person kicking does. You have to hold the board very firmly and brace it with your arms and body so that they don't push you when they make contact. It has to be angled properly and held at a height that allows them to generate the most power. I tend to put tension on the board so that if they hit it right I'm basically snapping it in half with them.

After all that I attended a seminar on Sunday morning from 9-11am. We worked on some different katas and their application with a 6th degree black belt. He's my sensei's, sensei's, sensei. She just got her 3rd degree and her instructor is a 4th degree.

Used dogs or better off with a new puppy

A Blonde Friend was talking about the problem she recently had with her dog.

When Oldest Son was around a year old we got a "puppy" which turned out to be a full grown german shepherd. The down side is that the dog had been abused and couldn't stand to have someone touch its back or neck. Oldest Son was starting to stand and walk and grabbed the dog in order to stand up. The dog went to bite him and I got my hand in the way just in time. I grabbed the dog, put her in the car, and went to the vet to have her put to sleep. I had spent a month or so trying to win her confidence and retrain her but to no avail. Every once in a while I'll think about that dog and wish it could have been different. She was a sweet dog as long as you didn't touch her back or neck.

Where would i go for vacation or Here's my list, dude!

A fellow blogger asked where you'd go on vacation if money wasn't an object.

Australia - even before I started watching the Crocodile Hunter something about it appealed to me.

Alaska - the remote ruggedness and jagged mountain peaks

Arizona - I wish I never left

Wyoming - I want to experience the Big Sky

Indonesia - I want to take a boat out and see where Krakatoa used to be and how the volcano is rebuilding itself

France - Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone...

England - a walking tour of pubs and I'd like to visit Bath again

Greece - bone white buildings, exotic shores, home of Greek Mythology

Woman are different or Me Tarzan you Jane

I heard a bit on NPR this morning on my way to work regarding recent studies and findings about the Y chromosone. People are 99.9% genetically the same when the comparison is between two people of the same sex. When you compare male to female the similarity drops to 98.5%. Male humans and male chimps are 98.5% the same too.

The bottom line is that women are as genetically different from human males as they are from chimps! Or, you could say that we have more in common with chimps than we do with the fairer sex.

Pass the bananas honey!

I tried the robert mondavi botrytis again or How sweet it is

We've had the 1994 Robert Mondavi Botrytis before with our Good Friends paired with a dessert. I opened a bottle of it the other night just for fun. Beautiful Wife and I sipped it from our Champagne flutes and it was wonderful.

The color is amazing and what I think should be expected from ambrosia, nectar of the gods indeed. The color isn't any surprise since it comes in a clear bottle but the clear crystal definitely enhanced it.

I served it well chilled and was struck immediately by the honeyed taste of the wine. I swirled, sipped and let it warm up to release the boquet and tastes that are part of the botrytis lure. I didn't finish the bottle and will have some more tonight so that I can be more specific in terms of the tastes I noted.

Father's Day or What I got for presents

I got two bottles of the 2000 E. Guigal Chateauneauf du Pape wine. The 1999 vintage of this wine was Wine Spectator's number one wine of the year last year. So far what I've read indicates this is as good as that or better.

I also got some country style gifts since my Wonderful Children shopped for me at Calef's Country Store. I got some maple syrup flavored coffee beans, hot pepper jelly (which I'm told is very sweet), a loaf of homemade bread, a candy shot glass, and some scupper plugs for my kayak.

Beautiful Wife's gift to me was the seven bottles of Bordeaux listed in a previous entry.

Father's Day or Why I get paid the big bucks

I had a nice Father's Day. Once we all got up and going we went to Beautiful Wife's Parent's house for breakfast to say happy father's day to grandpa. I then took Youngest Daughter over to the soccer fields to play a game which they lost. Oldest Daughter shows up at the beginning of the game to tell me that Beautiful Wife did something to her back when she bent over.

The game finished and Beautiful Wife was sitting in a chair unable to move because she felt something "pop" when she bent over. Her Mom gave her some pain pills and muscle relaxers and I loaded her into the car. We went to My Mom's and had dinner. Toward the end of our time there Beautiful Wife felt something kind of pop again and could walk but was in pain.

Got everyone home and Beautiful Wife up into bed with her pills. Son and Oldest Daughter went to the store for school supplies. How can we NOT have markers already?

I sat and relaxed until about 11:30 when Middle Daughter informed me she felt sick and then went to the bathroom to prove it.

Beautiful Wife almost passed out this morning after going to the bathroom when her back popped again.

I slept on Youngest Daughter's bed because she ended up in mine after Middle Daughter got sick.

I've got work, a lot of work, to do today but will spend a large portion of it taking Beautiful Wife to the doctor's office. Middle Daughter has a slight fever but thinks she feels well enough to go to school.

Baby, Baby or a father's day gift for the man who has everything

I read this interesting article. The Madame Tussauds museum in London is going to have a wax model of Britney Spears with inflatable breasts that throb and pulsate when she dances. When I went it was enough to get my pic standing next to Lady Di. I wonder how long the line will be to cop a feel?

Just in case this riles any femnist feathers, be aware that the musuem has a model of Brad Pitt with a squeezable latex bum. I wonder what sick and twisted mind came up with that idea.

it isn't the container or it is what's inside that matters

I recently wrote about Sam Adams Utopia and how it can't be sold in NH because of the container laws. Below is the reply I received from the NH Liquor Commission regarding what the law is and how it applies to Utopia:

NH has no container law which prohibits the sale of Sam Adams
Utopia. The issue in NH is alcohol content. Under NH law, beer with
over 12% alcohol by volume is classified as liquor, and must be sold in
state liquor stores. Due to the limited volume of this product, it is
not worth the while of Sam Adams to get a liquor vendor license in NH
and to register this as a brand for sale in NH.

Soccer Tryouts or All those little girls look the same

Youngest Daughter is trying out for the Fall 2003 soccer team. She's on the current team and it was apparent when you watch her and her fellow team mates on the field. The hard thing is watching some of those girls and realizing they don't stand a chance of being on the team. When they reach the U12 level they play on a full sized field and some of them just don't have the conditioning to last for a full game.

Who has the right to know or hey, it is my will

I was over Beautiful Wife's parent's house this weekend for a short visit. One of the problems is that she has a sister (with hubby and 2 kids) and a brother (with a wife and 3 kids) that are there virtually all the time. Their kids go there after school, they eat their meals there, and that is the first place the husbands go after work. We're somewhat on the outside because we don't do that.

Anyway, for some reason the subject came up about someone's will. Beautiful Wife's Older Sister is of the opinion that everyone in the family should see the will and know what is going on while the family in question believes that it is up to the executer of the will to keep people in the loop if they wish.

I think it is mostly the idea that something would go on and she wouldn't be involved and have a say in it, regardless of what the person wanted in their will.

Sometimes I think I take the opposite side just because it is fun to argue with them.

Forwarding Email or Ok, that was just plain stupid

I'm involved with a major project where I work that has had some bumps in the road. We'd probably sell more if we could just get out of our own way to do it. Anyway, there's an ongoing issue that has resulted in a plethora of emails being exchanged regarding the status of the project.

The customer contact, who can be a real jerk at times, sent an email asking for an update. The lead engineer replied to all and said that the code release is perceived as being the answer to all their problems even though it probably is not. He suggested it be given to the customer anyway and not convince them otherwise. The only problem? The customer was on the distribution for the reply.

If you don't like the weather wait 5 minutes or How original

I've lived in and visited many locations within the United States. Without exception, if weather comes up locals will proudly proclaim that if you don't like the it now just wait 5 minutes because it will change. What gets me is that they all say that and think it is the epitome of originality. To me it falls in the same category of everyone thinking they have common sense when it is obvious that the idiot who cut me off in the mall parking lot has none at all!

Finding nemo or I totally saw the movie dude

I went to see Finding Nemo with all three daughters. Beautiful Wife is off attending the Cher concert at the Verizon Center. I also ran into Good Friend and His Wife at the theater and I can't remember what they were there to see.

FN was a good movie. I enjoyed the graphics part of it immensely and the show was cute at times and funny at others.

Son had broken up with his girlfriend because she was always blowing him off and never able to do things with him on the weekend. He was bringing New Girlfriend to the same movie but we didn't see them in there. The movie was packed so it is possible they went to another show. HOWEVER, his recently dumped girl friend showed up and looked through the theater. I wonder if she was looking for him.

$100 a bottle or How can it be beer without being carbonated?

Sam Adams sells a 25 percent alcohol beer (that's 50 proof in case you wanted to know) called Utopia. This beer comes in a copper clad ceramic bottle that is shaped like a brew kettle. Because of container laws you won't be able to purchase it in NH, if you could even find it in a store anyway.

I think the bottle looks cool but I don't think I'll ever get my hands on one. They are sold in limited quantities and most likely will end up on eBay. If you go to their website you can enter a contest for a tour and free samples.

The Vintage of a Lifetime or Bob's Bordeaux Shopping

I joined Good Friend at the Stratham NH Liquor Store on Thursday night for a free wine tasting of some 2000 vintage Bordeaux wines. I was number 4 and he was number 5 in line and I still didn't get one of the wines I wanted.

I did get 7 bottles and paid far less for them there then their list price based on what I found on Wine Spectator. This, however, is an exercise in patience. The earliest any of these wines should be drunk is 2010. Basically, this means Youngest Daughter who is ending 5th grade will be graduating from high school before I can consider opening a bottle.

Here's a list of what I got. I've listed the winery, wine, and Wine Spectator score for each one.

Winery: Château Lynch-Bages
Wine: 2000 Pauillac
Score: 96

Winery: Château Gruaud-Larose
Wine: 2000 St.-Julien
Score: 95

Winery: Château Léoville Poyferré
Wine: 2000 St.-Julien
Score: 94

Winery: Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux
Wine: 2000 Margaux
Score: 94

Winery: Carruades de Lafite Rothschild
Wine: 2000 Pauillac
Score: 93

Winery: Château Calon-Ségur
Wine: 2000 St.-Estèphe
Score: 93

Winery: Château Giscours
Wine: 2000 Margaux
Score: 93

A low score or i'm still geeky enough to take the test

21.89349% - Geek

Retirement Party or this is what hell must be like

Beautiful Wife was invited to the retirement party with some co-workers from a prior job. It was an ok time until everyone adjourned to the lounge at the Asia and proceeded to light up. The music was loud so you needed to be close to anyone to hear what they said. If you got close your conversation took place over the ashtray with a half dozen smouldering butts in your face.

I've been in the Army before and a room full of smoke gives me the same symptoms as when I was in a room full of tear gas. The Army's "tear gas" or chemical smoke is designed to give you the same symptoms you would have if exposed to a nerve agent. That cigarette smoke and nerve agent give you the same symptoms is kind of ironic, eh?