That is what’s left of Teaspoon’s pumpkin. Never got to carve it because last night some teenagers nailed not only our house but the surrounding 4 blocks.
At first I was hella pissed because this was Teaspoon’s pumpkin and you don’t mess with my kid but then I thought about karma kicking their ass. You see one of the kids got caught and from what I heard literally pissed himself because the lady screamed at him so bad. Then, since they did it at 7pm, the police were right on top of it and most likely caught the others. There were pissed off parents roaming the streets so there was no way these kids were making it out. I don’t know what the final outcome was but the rest of the night was very peaceful. The problem here is I’m a smart ass and next year anyone who knew me in college knows the level I can take things. I was caught off guard this year but in 2011 I’ll be ready.
So here’s where it gets good. My mom is always telling me what a rotten kid I was growing up and every time she tells me of a memory to prove her point its never me. Its either something from a TV show or an assumption. I’ll be honest here, I was your average kid in high school. I stayed home and played video games yet she has vivid memories of me being some thug which is ironic since I never left the house besides to play pool with Mario at Eastway Billiards or go on a church youth group trip. OK, MAYBE I took a road sign but that was like once… or 3 times.
Case in point, today I call and tell her about the pumpkin getting smashed. Instead of saying “oh thats a shame” like she always does she says “Well i remember when you did that! Your dad was always pissed.” I never did. In fact my dad would have me hide in the bushes and jump out at people which, looking back now, was really dumb on the personal safety level.
Jump ahead to today where I hear one of my nephews told his parents he was going out to throw TP with their blessing yet I’m portrayed as a delinquent for not doing anything. I get that kids will be kids and all that jive but come on, quit blaming me for being something I’m not when you’re approving of the same behavior.
I still have the signs btw. Hidden in a nice safe place.
If that intro doesn’t take you crack a smile then there is no way you’re going to understand why I was bent about Glee last night.
I’ll be up front, I’ve watched maybe 2 episodes of Glee before last night just to see what the hype was about and thought it was OK but I have other things to watch instead of it and cant see myself setting it up on the DVR.
That said, I’m also a huge Rocky Horror Picture Show fan and I take remakes of any form with a grain of salt. When I first heard the teasers for the show I was pissed. Lyrics were changed and it seemed like yet another attempt by Hollywood to “modernize” a classic to make a few bucks on a popular show while destroying the precious past. Not everything needs to be made modern and you should enjoy it for what it was. Nightmare on Elm Street, Karate Kid and every other movie from the past 20-30 years just leave alone.
It took me a while after Glee ended and I calmed down to really think about what happened here. First off I think its a great tribute to have RHPS being used by Glee. However, changing the lyrics to Sweet Transvestite because they may be too explicit (you can say transvestite but not transexual? wtf?) was a crock and characters singing the wrong parts of Time Warp was laughable. I get that its a tribute but at least get the casting right.
Now here’s the kicker for me. There has been controversy because 3 of the young Glee stars were posing for racy pictures in GQ yet you have a scene like this.
So kids, you can WATCH and LISTEN to a song about Janet craving to get laid, just dont look at the pictures in a style magazine focused on adult men.
Overall this episode showed 2 problems.
1) A need to modernize – get over it. trying to make something more PC or appealing to kids now takes away from the original creativity.
2) Living in a PC world – I guess 1 and 2 go together. You can’t take a piss without offending someone and the story line in this episode showed it. On one hand you have 2 teachers about to engage in some hot nasty love but OMG saying the word “transexual” may lead to moral decay. Its OK to dress up as whatever for Halloween but to do it in a creative atmosphere is totally wrong. What would the neighbors think! (God that saying drives me nuts)
Some positives though, it was nice to see Barry Bostwick and Meatloaf make a cameo and thumbs up on the editing at the end with the different characters of the video linked above.
Now, who has some toast!
This movie will go down as my favorite and I’ve already had Teaspoon hooked every time its on. It’s rare that you can find a quality movie that is not only family friendly but appeals to the masses. Usually when you hear family you think of some Disney fluff piece. BTTF shows us that a movie can have a great story line and not be crammed full of swearing, sex and violence. Simply put, its an American classic that will withstand the test of time (no pun intended).
If you haven’t seen it yet this is hands down the greatest Back to the Future sites on the web – http://bttf.com/
I’ve heard stories about people buying older homes and finding things that were forgotten about and now I’m one of them. What you see above is a German K98 Mauser bayonet from WW2 and was found in my basement in the back corner of the work bench that Captain Obvious left.
Saturday was spent working on the basement and going through all of the crap the previous owner left so to find something of value stunned me with the considerable amount of food, bulbs and just flat out junk. Then it hit me, he wouldn’t have tossed it because he just left it in there from when he moved in. I also found cans of paints, chemicals and a metal bucket of some powder all of which looked dated to the 1960′s.
The workbench is what looks like 2 small cabinets that had a tabletop nailed to the top. Behind it is this bad particle board thats hiding something, I just haven’t ripped it out yet and like most other things, the outlet in the wall isn’t live. I was running seriously low on space for misc tools which is why I decided to open the drawers anyway and I’m glad I did. Thoughts began to race in my head on this unique find. I wonder if it killed someone? Why would this even be here? Based on other items I’ve found in the basement maybe he was some extremist. I betcha it helped open the Ark of the Covenant and it has nazi blood on it!
I sent the picture to some friends I know with military backgrounds and a few collectors of WW2 merch to see what the value is. I guess its not incredibly rare but everyone said its a cool find and just hold onto it. I know from watching Pawn Stars that I shouldn’t clean it up before I get it appraised but if I decide to put it on a display I may do it. Ironically my good friend Phil said he actually owns the make of gun it belongs to!
A few other things I’ve found so far were a handmade tool carrier and handmade shovel that looks like its from the 1930′s/40′s. I’ve collected a few items from my dad’s farm which are from the same era so its fun to be able to add to the set. There is still one corner left to clean out and I have a feeling this could be a whole weekend project.
we got drunk on jager in church. Err I mean we got married!
Feels longer than 5 years but part of that may be that we’ve been dating off and on since 1995. We made a 5 year plan a couple days before we got hitched and figured if 1/2 came true it would be amazing. So to look at it now we can say it was 100% success
- survive honeymoon
- pay off cars
- buy a house
- have a kid
- find a new job
- earn a degree
The degree thing is 90% since I wont have that until 2011 so I was a year off on that one. One thing I didn’t expect was to already have a 19mo old and a kid about to be born. The whole fatherhood has been a learning experience thats for sure and I wish my dad was still kicking to share some knowledge. I know that the house would have been his next project since I really don’t know wtf I’m doing when it comes to major repairs but I’ve made the internet my Bob Derda Sr. .
Hard to imagine but when we got married SIDT wasn’t even a thought (that would start to come in November) and I wasn’t really THAT into craft beer. I was on MySpace and that was about it for social media. In fact 90% of the people I talk to now I didn’t even know then. I think the most surprising thing now is that I’ve grown as a person since then and I’m nothing like I was when I moved to Pittsburgh in 1998. My question is, when did I become an adult? It feels like yesterday we were college kids at UPT eating Ramen noodles made with SoCo and listening to Floyd.
Cheers to my wife and to the legend that has become our wedding party in Limo #2. Someday I’ll get the whole collection of photos online and maybe on the 10th anniv. I’ll reflect on what you clowns did at the Holiday Inn – McKnight. Thank God social media wasn’t like it is now 
Oh yeah and here is the first known picture of us, taken in college 1995
I found my first grey hair yesterday. I’m only 34. wtf
Actually I found it in my goatee so that wasn’t too bad. Of course I called Lushie right away freaking the hell out and her reply was “you bought a house, you’re slammed with projects, you have a family and a kid on the way. wtf did you think would happen?”
Yeah she’s right but still… UGH
http://www.mariomosaic.com/mosaic/
Earlier this summer Pens fans were offered the unique chance to be a part of Penguins history as it was announced that for a $66 donation to the Lemieux Foundation your picture would be added to a mosaic of Mario Lemieux that will/now hangs in Consol Energy Center. We jumped on the chance and the pic above is what we submitted. If you’re looking for it on the wall we’re right here
or when you’re at the arena just search for “douglas13“
All Pirates fans have left is to live in the past. At least we have a good one (not including the last 18 years of course).
Here is the Pirates tribute today to Maz in history. I was happy to open my morning Post Gazette and find out that the front page was a replica of the World Series paper. For me my favorite Pirates memory was watching the Pirates clinch the NL East for the first of 3 times in 1990 with my dad. I remember jumping up and down in our livingroom when the final out was made and then the following 2 seasons I would be able to see them in person. Little known fact is that I was suited up as the ball boy for the 1994 All Star game but I think it was still that moment with my dad which was the first time I got to celebrate winning.
Tell me, what’s your favorite Pirates memory?
The night was as amazing as expected besides the 3-2 loss to Philadelphia that I’m sure they’ll never let us live down. The arena has been open for about a month and yes there have been hockey games but this was the first official opening.
There are reviews all over the internet and yeah I could gush about how kickass the Kielbasa Grinder is (which it truly is) but nothing I could say would do the place justice. It really is that fantastic. Here are my pro’s and cons of the new barn.
Pros
- MUCH better food selection
- Seats are wider and I don’t have to eat my knees when I sit
- Scoreboard is the most unreal display ever built. I found myself watching that more than the ice
- Getting to my seat is very easy. Its 2-3 escalators and BAM I’m there.
- Bathrooms are very clean.
- Incredible view of the city that will take your breath away.
- TV’s everywhere which is great when you’re stuck in line.
- NO bad seats. If you have a ticket you will be amazed
- bright lights means WAY better pictures. I was able to get some incredible pics from around the arena and the overall brightness doesn’t bother me one bit. I’m anxious to see it during a day game.
- Kids section – I can’t wait until Teaspoon and Teaspoon 2 (still working on a name) are old enough to go
- High School hockey – Cathedral Prep is on display. nuff said. ROLL RAMBLERS!
- Plenty of team stores to buy a gross amount of swag.
- There is so much more I need to see!
Cons
- Beer selection is embarrassing. For a place that bragged about how so many local items were used (even the hot dogs are from Erie) they FAILED on the beer. Its still the same lawnmower crap you can get from a redneck. Honestly the Pirates, yes THE PIRATES, have done a better job at PNC Park. I wouldn’t be so bitter but Aramark has not replied to emails about it. The “brewhouse” is a joke.
- Better food but too much together and no way to manage lines. There were food stands without customers and then there were food stands 30 people deep. Its a new place, someone should have been navigating people.
- Seats may be wider but the jagoff in front of me can now also slam his head into my shins.
- Getting out of my seat is a nightmare. Escalators were breaking down and no one was around to tell people how to get out via stairs. Instead employees said, and i quote “Its none of your business whats going on, just wait”.
- Bathrooms are a mess to navigate through. No one knows which is in or out plus they seem smaller room wise.
- Banners are too high. there is too much in the ceiling that obstructs their view from 200 level
- This is more about the games, the 7pm start time SUCKS. Getting home and then down to the arena and having a chance to kick back is near impossible.
- Ushers weren’t stopping people from walking up and down while game was in play. Someone is lucky they didn’t get tossed by fans.
We took the little guy to Soergel’s today to play in a pumpkin patch and enjoy being a 19mo crazy man.
