Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Snow Day Boxing

What a better way to pass the time on a snowy morning than to let the boys work off a little steam with the boxing gloves. Maxim threw some good combinations, but Brecken has the height advantage! I know you are thinking he is shorter than Maxim, but think about where his punches land!

Here is a shot from the Rumble In The Jungle...Maxim's big straight right jab.


Friday, March 27, 2009

Transformers Do Exist

Maxim LOVES the Transformers movie and has quite a few toys...he also LOVES "Army Guys", which to him is anyone in camouflage.

Yesterday while working at the Emergency Management Center for the flooding that is happening in northeast S.D. I worked with a Sergeant in the Nat'l Guard. I thought the whole day that Maxim would be so fond of this "Army Guy" and think that it is cool that his dad was working with him.

So this morning I told Maxim that I was kind of a Rescue Hero yesterday. He said, "How?". So I told him that we were protecting people who's homes could possibly flood and that the "Army Guys" were in charge of protecting the company's transformers by putting sandbags around the ones that are on the ground and located in a flood plain.

All Maxim heard of my statement was "Army Guy" and "Transformer". He said, "Dad, there is no such thing as Transformers. They are just a pretend movie."

I spent the drive to town showing him transformers on power lines and the ones on the ground...I still think that he thinks they change into some sort of robot.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Baylor Soccer Team Beats SDSU In Last Second Shot

It is late, and I can't sleep, but YES, you read that right...I said Baylor Soccer.

Soccer is the only sport I know of, well, now put basketball in to that list, where the athletes would rather FAKE an injury than do all they can with their abilities to win a game. It is so common in soccer for a guy to go down and grab his ankle after getting "bumped" in the shoulder, that in the Premiership they have 2 guys that just run on the field with a stretcher and haul him off.

I think Baylor's Rachel Allison pulled a soccer trick last night, and it shows how un-tough she is. She went down in the 2nd half with a legit knee twist, she even cried on TV. Then she came out about 5 minutes later, apparently Mr. Miyagi was in the locker room and gave her the "Karate Kid" rehab and then slapped on a tape job on her boo-boo.

Fast forward - :23 seconds left in the game, Baylor is up by 1 and Ashley Muckenhirn fouled Allison to put the 50% free throw shooter at the line, BUT WAIT! Oh poor Rachel's knee was hurting too bad to shoot free throws, so they bring in Whitney Zachariason, who played only 78 minutes this whole year, and only has 15 points total, but is known as a good free throw shooter. She hit 1 and missed one, so we were still in it.

Long story short, we got beat on a last second shot, by the only Baylor player that had a good game, and the referees also called a game that didn't help SDSU at all...OK I'm super bitter tonight, but I felt like we had a chance.
All I have to say is, "Hey Rachel Allison, HOW'S YOUR KNEE?" Oh yeah, one last thing, the entire state of South Dakota saw you jumping up and down like a madman after your teammate hit the winning shot...then you forgot to limp back to the bench until about your 4th step...anyway good luck in soccer next year.
So I'm done ranting and venting now, and would like to congratulate SDSU on a great season and a great 1st run in the tourney. As Ron Burgundy would say, "You stay classy, SDSU!"

Monday, March 23, 2009

End Of The Rainbow

If you have ever wondered what is at the end of the rainbow, we found it the other day east of Iroquois, I guess the pot of gold is really just the Fast's house...who knew?


Gaslight Anthem

Many of you know that I love music, and lately I've really been into a band called The Gaslight Anthem. I caught them in concert on a whim during my travels last summer, and have since downloaded (legally) their latest album called "The '59 Sound".

It's funny how my music taste changes with the seasons...I listen to a little bit of country during pheasant season, a lot of rock and punk during the hockey season, Jack Johnson, Sublime and Bob Marley during the summer and in the spring, just about anything that has an upbeat feel to it...this spring it is the Gaslight Anthem. I have declared this will by my spring kick off album.

You know when a band plays a live song on Letterman they have made it, but when they do it this well you know they are a good band.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

St. Patty's Day

I feel like the 3rd grader who's mom forgot it was St. Patrick's Day...I'm not sure why it's a big deal to wear green today, being as I'm not Irish. In fact, I should have probably worn orange since I'm a little bit English and a Protestant...but I wouldn't want to get car-bombed by the local radicals.

I actually thought St. Patty's was next week...that's how hectic my schedule has been lately...I'm a week behind in holiday celebrations.

Funny thing is, if you go back to March of 2008's posts...I wrote almost the exact same thing as I did this year...I guess for my readers I must be getting a bit boring and redundant.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Coming Clean On Self Haircuts.

Last night while Maxim and I were in Wal-Mart I noticed his hair was a complete mess in the front, which was to be expected because he was wearing a stocking hat all day at recess and then on the way to the store. I tried to fix it so he didn't look totally a mess, but couldn't get his head to cooperate. Maxim's hair has a lot of cowlicks so this is not out of the ordinary for him.
Then I noticed that his hair seemed a TON shorter in one spot than the rest of his head, I couldn't blame it on his hair stylist, since I share a bed with her, so I said, "Maxim, did you cut your own hair?"

He got a sheepish smile on his face and said, "But it was bugging me, am I in trouble?" I couldn't stop laughing at him, "No, you are not in trouble, but we are going to take a picture and send it to mommy."

Apparently, in school, he got bored with a scissors and took a chunk of hair off the front. He's artistic, so it might be his first "expression" with his hairstyle. I laughed it off, and Steph got on him a little bit, but she laughed as well.

I didn't know what would possess him to cut his own hair, until a repressed memory came back into my head this morning. I too had cut my own hair at one time when I was about his age, but I blamed it on the barber, Ivan L.

I don't remember the whole story, but I had recently got a hair cut and was combing my hair and one piece kept flipping up in the back, so I got out a scissors and chopped it off, thinking I had solved the problem.

My mom noticed and asked me if I cut my hair, I said, "No" of course, because I thought I would get into trouble. She must have figured that Ivan the Barber did it and she said, "Well, we aren't going back to him." I kind of remember being bummed, because he had this cool suit of armor in his barber shop that I liked to look at.

Soon after that Ivan the Barber went out of the hair cutting business, and my 7 year old mind couldn't help but think I had something to do with the downfall of his Hair Cutting Empire.

Wow, I feel better now that I got that off my conscience. So mom when you read this...I'm sorry I lied to you, and Ivan if you read this blog, I'm sorry about ruining your business 20-some years ago.

Also, Ivan if you still have the suit of armor I would be willing to buy that from you, as a peace offering for single-handedly ruining your barber shop business.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Blowing things up.


This is what happens when you have long winters in South Dakota.

Thursday, March 05, 2009

Back Home

I got to the house tonight around 9pm...well, now it's last night...all the kids were awake and happy to see daddy! So was Steph, they boys behaved and I swear Maxim grew an inch...Kolby actually grew about a pound.

She stayed awake for me long enough to see her eyes and hear her burp and cry a couple times. Thursday is back to a normal schedule for me, which will be nice.

Steph and I will be celebrating our 11th anniversary on Saturday so look out for a wild night on the streets of Huron...which lately have been more dangerous (per capita) than the streets of Long Beach!

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Leaving California

I left for home this morning, had a great time at the conference and grabbed a few new ideas, also had a great time outside of the conference with some new friends.

I was invited to supper with some folks from Laguna Beach last night and I thought it was a great opportunity to take in the local scene of Laguna Beach...was it ever.

I was in a gated neighborhood where Kobe Bryant owns a home...an extra home. $22m buys you quite a view in Cali.

It's a nice eyeopener for me to see how good the simpler, quieter, slower life is in S.D.

Can't wait to wrestle the boys and hold my girls tonight.

Sunday, March 01, 2009

LBC

It is 80 degrees where I'm at today...a 90+ difference from what it is doing back home. Steph called me and told me the temperature from her car thermometer and I couldn't believe it.

I'm in Long Beach for a conference and will spend the next 4 days in the sunshine, and in a hotel conference room. It's a nice break from the cold, but it would have been nice to bring the family along.

I know Uncle Skipper, I owe Steph a ton.