What a busy/crazy week last week has been. I actually took the entire week off to spend some time with my boy and also to hang out with parents who flew into town on Tuesday. It was the first time that Kyle’s grandparents got to see the “mobile” Kyle, and they were thoroughly impressed. Kyle is starting to just go, go, go, and if you block him from going somewhere, he will definitely let you know he is not happy about it, although he gets over it fairly quickly.

Anyways, Wednesday I got to go play some golf with my dad at Rancho del Pueblo, a short par 3 course in San Jose. It was only $10 so I didn’t expect much of a course, but it was in very good shape, and despite the delays, it was a good time. Thursday morning we all headed to Modesto to celebrate Thanksgiving as well as Kristen’s and Kyle’s birthdays. As always the hosts (Jeanne and Alan, aka. Mimi and Grandpa) were excellent and the food was exceptional. Here are our Thanksgiving Photos.

Kyle wasn’t too sure what to do with presents yet, so Barbie and I had to do most of the opening and reading of cards, not that we expected him to read yet. He got some great gifts from the family, and that was just the beginning since his San Jose party was coming up on Sunday. Friday was “hair” day for Barbie as she had the privilege of coloring both Kristen’s and Kathie’s hair while Keith, myself and my parents went to the Driving Range and had lunch. After all that was done, we went to see the movie “No Country for Old Men” which was one of more violent movies I have seen in a while. Barbie and my mom hated it, while my dad and I thought it was decent despite the ending. If the ending was better I could say it was a good movie despite the violence, but instead it just average with some good scenes and some great one liners.

Saturday we returned to San Jose and had the misfortune of watching FSU get pummeled by the rival Gators. FSU’s offense seemed to move the ball in the first half, but just couldn’t stop Florida. Then in the 2nd half, UF kept moving the ball and FSU sputtered, and the result was a humiliating defeat. Hopefully FSU will get a decent bowl bid and have one last shot at showing recruits that they are better than their record dictates.

Sunday was the big day as we celebrated Kyle’s 1st Birthday. Barbie did an excellent job getting everything setup and ready to go. She basically had everything planned beforehand and all we had to do was execute…ie. go pick up all the food, cake, drinks, etc. We rented out the clubhouse in our complex and set up a big play area with Kyle’s toys in the center of the floor so all the kids could play, run, do whatever they wanted. The parents were able to sit around the play area which worked out great since kid’s couldn’t “escape.” I’ve actually never seen so many adults sitting on the floor for a party, but it was a good thing as they were down on the floor playing with the kids. We were concerned that we didn’t have any activities planned, but things worked out as the kids pretty much ran the show. One of the highlights of the day was watching Kyle’s facial expression as everyone (approx. 40 people) sang Happy Birthday to him. He then got to try his first sweets as we gave him a piece of cake. He literally dove in once he got used to his hands being covered in cake. According to my mom I was the same way as I didn’t want things sticking to my hands. It’s good to see he takes after me a little bit

As you can see, it was a crazy and busy week, but one of more enjoyable I have had recently. Kyle seemed to know he was the “man” this week, and he just seemed happy all the time. Gotta love him! Anyways, we have tons of Pictures from Kyle’s Birthday Parties so be sure to check them out.

I got this in an email this week, and it made sense to me, so why not let others read it.

Like a lot of folks in this state, I have a job. I work, they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit. In order to get that paycheck, I am required to pass a random urine test, with which I have no problem. What I Do have a Problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don’t have to pass a urine test. Shouldn’t one have to pass a urine test to Get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them?

Please understand, I have no problem with helping People get back on their feet. I do, On the other hand, have a problem with helping someone sitting on their ASS, doing drugs, while I work. … . . Can you imagine how much money the State would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check?

Well, almost 10 years after moving to California, I finally was forced to get a California Driver’s License. Somehow I managed to escape the law and never really have to face any sort of criminal charges, but of course after writing this I am setting myself up. Technically, the rule is that you get only like 10 days from the time you change residences to get a new license. Well, I extended that just a little bit. The funny thing is that it actually helped me when we were in Germany since Florida “recognizes” German driver licenses, probably b/c of all the tourists. Therefore, Germany returns the favor and does not require Florida residents to get a license when they are in Germany. California on the other hand is a big bully and doesn’t respect the German licenses, so Germany returns the favor, which is why Barbie was supposed to get a license, although she never did either. Consider us rebels of the DMV.

Florida State got its first big win in a long time. Actually, it was the first time since 1999 that they had beaten a top 5 team on the road. The victim was Boston College, and if you watched the game, you could some glimmer of hope for the FSU offense, which has been abysmal this year. They were able to move the ball, control the clock, and protect the passer. At one point they had a 13 play drive going and were only at the 50 yard line. Of course, they started at the one, but that is shear clock dominance. Anyways, I’ve been a completely happy camper this year and looking forward to their next game against the formidable opponent…Virginia Tech.

As for my other teams, and basically the entire city of Miami, the outlook hasn’t been so bright. The Dolphins are 0-8, having lost something like 12 straight regular season games. The Miami Heat are still winless this year (0-4) in the regular season, and also lost their 7 preseason games, and if you count last year’s end of the regular season and playoffs, they have lost a combined 17 straight games. So, what do you do as a fan of Miami teams? You basically have to soak in the fact that the Heat won the championship two years ago and continue to say “Wait til Wade gets back.”

Tuesday night the SF Bay area experienced the strongest earthquake since the infamous quake of 1989. This Quake was a 5.6 on the Richter scale, and lasted approximately 15 seconds, which pretty much put the scare into a lot of people. The epicenter was just 12 miles from our house, so we definitely felt it pretty good. Unfortunately, I happened to be in the car on the way to get some food, and was listening to the Warriors game when the announcer said “I think we are having an earthquake.” I just so happened to be pulling up to a red light, and saw the light post swaying back and forth, but since I was in the car, I couldn’t really feel it, but I definitely “Rolled” with it.

Barbie was in the process of installing some child safety locks and was under the sink in our bedroom when the Shaking started. She said it was the worst she had ever felt, and sounded as if a 747 was landing on our roof. I heard this type of description by a few others describing the quake, so it must have been a loud one. Kyle was asleep in his crib when everything in his room started to Rattle (pun intended). Barbie said he woke up and started crying with all the noise and Rattling, but was able to get back to sleep relatively quickly once things died down.

So…what’s with the “Roll again” in the title of this post? Well, the following day we had another earthquake (after shock) that wasn’t as strong, but could definitely be felt. Unfortunately, once again I just so happened to be in the car and “Rolled” my way through it without even knowing it had occurred. I’d to feel a good size earthquake one of these days, without the damage of course. Hopefully, the “big one” won’t come anytime soon, but a smaller one would be nice.