Shit I'm Cold!

I say that if you live in Phoenix and you wake up to 27 degrees you are pretty much frozen. See, just last week on Monday the 20th, we had a record high for that particular day of 89 degrees; I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Fast forward to this morning, the attire to leave the house consisted of blue jeans, a muscle shirt, a t-shirt, a sweat shirt, a scarf, a face mask, a jacket, a "Fargo" kinda looking hat, and gloves. I would have been pretty warm but it just so happens that my driver's side window is busted and is only half way up, so when you are doing 75 m.p.h on the freeway it is very cold due to the wind chill. Normally I use these garments only when I ride my bike in cold weather, but it seems that until I get my window fixed I will have to layer up even for driving.

So, this morning I pretty much looked like the little kid on the movie "A Christmas Story" so bundled up that I couldn't even bend. If I would have fallen I could have cried for help saying "I've fallen and I can't get up", and then as some of you may know I wouldn't have been able to call anybody because I refuse to own a cell phone, and my daughters always ask me "what about in case of an emergency?" I guess I'm just stubborn that way.

While on the subject of cold weather, tonight is the Coyote's game I'll be attending. This will be the second hockey game I'll be going to, the first time I went was with my son. He took me to a game when the weather was pretty hot, so I wore shorts and a T-shirt and consequently I froze my ass off, luckily for me the gave us these nice big souvenir towels and I was able to kinda cover myself with it. Tonight I know different so I'll be prepared.

25peeps

Can you believe I'm still there, this is day 8 already. Thanks to all of you out there for your continued support in helping me stay on the front page. Don't be shy and keep clicking the thumbnail over and over.

http://www.25peeps.com/r/2180

What's In a Name

Monday the 20th was such a nice warm day that I wore shorts to work, what a difference a week makes, we are now wearing sweat shirts and jackets because it's cold and everyone is starting to catch the flu. It never fails, here in Phoenix we go from hot to cold without warning.

Well thanks to our Thanksgiving potluck get together at work, I won a pair of tickets to go see the Phoenix Coyotes play tomorrow night, it should be a good time specially since phase 1 of Westgate City Center is done, and the best part of all is that it's only 5 minutes away from home. How sweet is that?

Westgate is shaping up to be our version of the "Universal Studios City Walk", it won't look like anything you expect to find in Arizona, no adobe and or brown paints will be used, and instead vibrant colors Miami style will be used. A small fountain like the one at the Bellagio in Las Vegas has already been built, big screen TVs will be all over the place and restaurants and shops are starting to open.

As you know, Westgate is in Glendale Arizona and is home to the Cardinals, Coyotes, and I believe the Rattlers too. What I can't understand is why does a professional football team wait for so long to get out of a University football field and finally get one built just for them "Cardinal's Stadium" right? Wrong! They go and name it University of Phoenix Stadium; yeah it is food for thought isn't it. Like Rodney Dangerfield said... No respect!

Then the Glendale Arena is now Jobing.com Arena... give me a break! Remember when it used to be Dodger Stadium or New York Yankees Stadium or Angel's Stadium, well why am I ranting it could have been worse because they were actually considering for the football stadium to be named "Pink Taco" stadium.

So anyway, hopefully I will go and see the Coyotes play at their arena, which is called something else, and win tomorrow... Go Coyotes!

Wow - Day Six

Day six and I'm still there, so if you get the chance go and click my thumbnail again... and again, help me stay alive.

http://www.25peeps.com/r/2180

Soapbox Jury

I have used site reviewers in the past because it gives me an idea of what to add to my blog, what to take off, what's working and what's not. In all honesty I don't take the review to heart because only I know what goes through my head and that's how I write it, and if some of you out there read it too then I'm happy.

If it wasn't because my blog got frogged I wouldn't have added the missing profile which took a vacation when my daughter gave me the new template. Another suggestion I used was the one of making the links bold, for some reason when I link a word it shrinks so by bolding the font it becomes easier to read.

That said, my co-pilot of the week is "Soapbox Jury" and what they do is just that, review blogs for free. To quote their header "Random reviews relevant to you! No nonsense views on different websites, products, services and ideas. The truth is the truth whether whispered or shouted."

I don't know how many reviewers there are but I know of two: Tom & Sam. And they will cover your blog's organization, navigation and functionality, and will even touch on the subject of advertising. The will give you their comments and a rating on a scale of 10. They will say who reviewed your blog and all this for free, all they ask is that if your review is published you link to Soapbox Jury in return.

So be a good friend and click on their thumbnail, and if you so desire put your blog in the list to be reviewed.

The Countdown

Howdy ya all, I'm back. I hope everyone had a terrific Thanksgiving Weekend and that not only did you have some turkey and ham but also good company and many things to be thankful for.

So my goal was to last at the very least one full day on http://www.25peeps.com/r/2180 but to my surprise I'm still there, thanks to all of you that have been visiting and clicking on my thumbnail, should you feel so inclined to keep doing it be my guest, your clicks will be greatly appreciated.

Also my co-pilot seat is empty at the moment so don't be shy and bid.

Every year my wife's family comes over to our house to spend Thanksgiving with us, it's been a 15-year tradition for them to come from California and it is one of the holidays I really look forward to. We get along so well that I think this tradition will continue for many years to come. Now my side of the family is also here but it is almost impossible to divide ourselves into two so unfortunately we don't spend this day with them, however with the exception of my younger sister I see them all year long.

Now with the weekend behind us it's time to focus towards Christmas. Without a doubt Christmas is the best time of the year for me, I love what it represents and I love the fuzzy warm feeling that comes with it, granted the commercialization of it has twisted it's meaning but it is up to you to uphold what Christmas really means.

As far as the children go, I love to see them get all excited. My daughters set the Christmas tree up this weekend and the kids keep going back and forth to see it, if they didn't take grandpa (namely me) to see the tree about 20 times, then they didn't take me at all. The sparkle in their eyes tell me they are ready for Christmas, this year they understand more as Diego is now 3 1/2 and "Ducky" will be two in less than a month.

I look forward to watching all those Christmas movies that they show on Life Channel, year after year I love to see the repeats and every so often they surprise me with some new ones, I prefer the made for TV Christmas movies than the big theatrical releases.

So the countdown begins, so it's up to you. Love Christmas for what it represents and not for what it has become.

Boobs vs. Coolness

Click on the Picture

EXTRA! -- THIS JUST IN -- EXTRA!

I know I already posted today, so this is my second post. I just want to let you all know that I made it into 25peeps.com and your help is needed.

It is a know fact that men don't have boobs therefore men don't last more than a day in the front page, so I'm using my secret weapon or my lucky charm, if you look closely in the picture you will see my grandson riding with me, so help me stay there for more than a day that is my goal a whole day. You think it'll happen?

We shall soon find out.

http://www.25peeps.com/r/2180

Immediate Future

Some of the things that I want to do in the very immediate future are:

Eat "Carne Asada" again, even though I had it Sunday and Monday, yes that was two days in a row but I'm a meat eater and I want more.

I want to go watch the movie "Happy Feet" with "mi chica" and my 3 1/2-year old grandson Diego whom at this point in life after watching the movie "Cars" over 100 times knows the dialog and has asked him mommy if she can change his name to "Lightning McQueen". He's is a that perfect age where he can really appreciate cartoon movies. Watching his expressions is priceless.

And go home because it's finally time. Talk to you tomorrow.

Simpler is Better

Sometimes the simpler unplanned things turn out to be the best. "mi chica" had just finished telling me that it was time for us to have a "Carne Asada", with the beautiful weather we are having I couldn't agree more.

Sunday morning on our way to mass, "mi chica's" phone rang and it was her sister calling to invite us to have "Carne Asada" at the park by her house. Coincidence? I think not, it really was time for us to enjoy the "Carne Asada" tacos and BBQ chicken and so the two sisters communicated telepathically before they even picked up their cell phones.

We couldn't have asked for a better day, even though we are well into the month of November, here in Phoenix we are still having weather that invites us to wear shorts and t-shirts. Being that is was a small neighborhood park we were lucky to have it all for ourselves, the kids run up and down with no signs of getting tired, the swings and slide in the playground had no breaks.

This is a week that we all reserve to express our gratitude to God for the things that we have, for the great moments that he allows us to have such as last Sunday. Being a part of such a big family sometimes creates conflicts and what should be simple becomes complicated. I'm thankful that many of us have been working diligently towards keeping the family unity alive and well, the family needs to be nourished and well taken care of before anything else.

I'm thankful for the 25 years that "mi chica" has put up with me, I'm thankful because I still have my mom around, and I'm thankful that my daughters and son are conquering the hurdles that come with being married and having a family of their own. Granted they all live with us right now but eventually they will have to go on their own and when that happens I want for them to be prepared.

So I don't know about you all but I'm not only reserving Thursday for thanksgiving but I will use the whole week and the whole year as well, and remember that it doesn't matter if you think you are having it too hard, there's always others that have it worse than we do.

It's Friday

This is the third time I order my new BE thumbnail and the darn thing comes out incomplete. For some reason the thumbnail is created before my Joe Cool-Mustang header loads up and therefore it comes out incomplete and if you ask me that just sucks big time because now I have to wait for another week to pass before I can order another one. The thumbnail is the first thing we see to identify which battles to vote for or which blogs to read. Not having the correct thumbnail is like not having an ID, so hopefully next week when I order a new one it will come out complete. In the meantime just look for Jose918 to identify my thumbnail.

So, apparently we will be going to Manny's tonight after work for food, drinks, and possibly karaoke. I have been practicing a couple of songs that I want to belch out, and when I say practicing I only mean singing along to my CDs while driving, it's amazing how well I sound when I sing and drive, I sing almost just as good as the original artist, at least that's what I keep telling myself. I would practice in the shower where the acoustics are better but in the mornings when I take a shower "mi chica" is still sleeping and I don't have a death wish or the desire to take a cold shower, so... no singing in the shower for this kid. So anyway we'll see, once I get there I may not get my courage to grab that microphone, but at least I know the food is good there so I will be saving my appetite for sure.

If you get a chance don't forget to visit my co-pilot of the week CyberCelt of Texas RV Travel Blog, learn about some of the things to see and do during Christmans in Texas, don't forget to tell her I sent ya.

Oh and I want to publicly thank the BE Credits Fairy for throwing credits into my account when I needed them the most, and some you people think fairy tales and miracles are not true.

Lastly today, I was reading my local paper and they posted pictures of grown men camping outside Best Buys since Monday to get a PS3 play station unit. Why??? Does it really makes that much of a difference to get it first? You know they will make so many of them that supply and demand won't be a problem at all but camping outside any store that will carry it will give the suppliers the opportunity to gouche the prices. According to the article in the newspaper some of this Playstation buyers are willing to pay some $700.00 for a $500.00 unit, that to me (Must be because I am getting old) is just insane, but then again people payed insane amounts of money for the "Tickle me Elmo" doll not too long ago, yeap I'm definitely getting old.

Texas RV Travel Blog

I am honored to have CyberCelt on the co-pilot seat once again. The last time we rode together she told many ghost stories that travel up and down the state of Texas. This time she will delight us with a good ol' Christmas time Texas style. Please join me in welcoming for the second time Texas RV Travel Blog as my co-pilot for the week. Don't forget to click on her thumb nail and be a pal leave a comment and tell her I sent ya, my reputation depends on your clicks.

Culture Outing

As some of you may know my daughter is going to school and is majoring in Graphic Design. She is on her second year and so far she has learned so much and has done many cool projects that have shown me she'll be OK after she gets her degree.

The current look my blog has was designed by her in a matter of minutes and I think I will keep it for another while before I bug her with a new template.

She got an assignment that involved a trip to the museum, so yesterday her and I and little "Ducko" took a field trip and got some culture. I had not been to a museum in more than 30 years so going to Phoenix Art Museum yesterday was a nice change from the daily routine. Of course I had to play hooky from work but it was well worth it.

Art is definitely in the eye of the beholder, art comes in many shapes forms and sizes, there were so many pieces there that deserve to be admired but I the same time I saw many art pieces that left me saying, shit I can do better than that, but even if I could the chances my work would be displayed in a museum are zero to none.

The Native American Art section was one of my favorites. Indian art and displays are full of life and color, and every painting told a story just by looking at it. Another favorite of mine was the Children Art section, "Ducko" my almost two-year grandson displayed some talent, we left one of his masterpieces hanging in one of the walls, oh my little artist, it must run in the family.

So with a renewed outlook on what art is we came back home after walking for a good three hours through the different exhibits, we took some pictures but I don't have the jpegs with me so I can't share them with you at this time, but I'll try and post some of them as soon as I can. One thing is for sure, I learned that the blogging world is like one of the many wings in the museum. The blog is the canvas and what we put into it from template desing to writing input is the art. Everyday I see new template designs and it seems to me that the designers are constantly outdoing themselves.

Now that I have received a good doze of culture in the form of art I'm back to work, it was good taking the day off and spending it with my daughter and grandson.

A Day at the Races

Thanks to ABF and U-Pack Moving I was able to attend the "Arizona, Travel 200 NASCAR BUSCH Series" on Saturday at PIR. Our regular grandstand seat tickets were accompanied with admitions to enter "Corporate Village" and the pit area. A miscalculation on my part made us miss Jason Leffler as he was in the ABF's booth area signing autographs on the 1:24 scale ABF U-Pack die cast car models given to us in our goodie bags.

Saturday's weather could not have been better, it is actually a little hard to believe that we are into the third week of November and it is still warm, shorts and t-shirts were the perfect attire for the day.

It's always a highlight when the National Anthem is sang, and just as the last sentence was being sang four Air Force jets flew over the race track, I have no idea how they do this but the synchronization was just perfect, they did however released the fireworks a little earlier than they should have.

Going to the races is a good reminder to slow down in life; don't try to race each other. Life is not a race and there's no need to live so fast. It boggles my mind to see kids 12 and 13-years old holding hands and kissing on the street as if they were full-blown teenagers, and then by the age of 15 they become totally unprepared parents. Slow down, life is not a race. Another example of how we like to race each other is by trying to outdo each other. The "I can't see you buy something because I will buy the same but better" syndrome is widely used by us. The constant competition among ourselves is endless and just like at the races it has us going in circles.

It is not good to be complacent but know where your limitations are; life is not and should not be a race, slow down before you crash and burn. Learn to enjoy each day and be grateful for what you have.

On Veteran's Day

If you live with, ride with, party with, fight with, work with, play with, or just know someone that is a veteran please do not forget to tell them a heart warming:

"THANK YOU"

With This Ring I Thee Wed

Again!

Picture taken by Elena

And so in an intimate family gathering held at my mom's house surrounded by our son and his wife, our two daughters and their husbands, and our five grandchildren Sylvia and I said, "I do" all over again. Seems it was only yesterday when we said those two little words and yet a quarter of a century has passed.

God has given us so much that I am ashamed we have abandoned him so much. The ceremony performed by Father Helios was an eye opener, his words though beautiful said a truth we did not want to hear but that needed to be reminded, it was a good time to reflect on our past and to see if we need to make any adjustments or changes as we head to our future. Father Helios made us remember Sylvia's mom and my dad and made us feel as they were there with us blessing our renewed commitment to keep going on.

It certainly was a blessing to have my mom and Sylvia's dad present, Don Sixto looked just as good as he did 25 years ago when he walked Sylvia down the aisle except this time around he just walked her out the living room to the patio where the mass was celebrated.

Anybody that knows Father Helios will know that he is a very good priest that puts so much attention to detail, from his singing to his melodic sermons where he makes us repeat his sentences over and over again. The mass was about 40 minutes long but thanks to him it felt, as it was shorter.

A touching moment that will last in my mind forever is when he called our kids and told them to kneel in front of us so that they could receive our blessing. Both Sylvia and I took turns blessing each one of them, naturally some tears were shed but you can rest assured that they were tears of happiness.

What followed was also a beautiful moment as my niece Marya sang her rendition of "The Ave Maria" as we received communion. More than one pair of eyes showed that sparkle that only comes when a tear makes its presence known. Sylvia's and mine were just inundated with tears so if we looked like we sparkled now you know why.

Thanks to all of our family members and friends that joined us in such a joyous occasion, your presence meant the world to us, and to the ones that could not attend know that we still had you in our hearts thus making us feel as if you were there celebrating with us.

So as Sylvia and I head towards our future we invite you to keep being such a crucial and important part in our lives. With your help another 25 years should be a breeze.

Click Here for more!

How Can You Not Like It?

I love country music, and I'm MEXICAN!, I sing country music too with a MEXICAN accent to boot (so Mushy if you didn't understand Carrie Underwood, I have no chance in hell), but what the hell is all in good fun.

So how is it that a Disco Kid learned to appreciate Country Music?

Well it was supposed to be a phase, it wasn't supposed to last but in my case it did. First there was "Saturday Night Fever", then "Thank God It's Friday", and then all of a sudden a twist in music throws us "Urban Cowboy" with John Travolta looking for love in all the wrong places. We are all wearing baggy pants, cowboy boots, and John Wayne shirts with little string ties around our necks. Yes, we were all turned into Urban Cowboys doing line dancing and the "bull shit" dance, remember that one "Bull Shit 1, 2, 3, bull shit 1, 2, 3".

Mickey Gilley was my favorite cotnry singer, to this day I know most of his songs which I'm preparing to karaoke next time I go out. Kenny Rogers with "The Gambler" and "The Coward of the County" and later on Willy the man. I was too young to go into "Gilleys" in Anaheim but the fashion made it into the discotheque even though no Country Music was played at the disco.

Later on I discovered Alabama, George Strait, Vince Gill, The Oakridge Boys, Randy Travis, The Judds (we saw them in concert at the Universal Amphitheathre) with Earl Thomas Conley Jr., and many others. With the exception of Willy Nelson I skipped the outlaws there music was to rough for my taste. And now there's a whole new generation of singers I like. Garth Brooks and "Friends in Low Places" was played in radio stations that had nothing to do with country music, he was that cool. Travis Tritt, John Michael Montgomery, Rascal Flats, Faith Hill, Shannia Twain, Montgomery Gentry just to name a few are among my favorites, and my country music library is pretty extensive.

So, Urban Cowboy came and went, but my love for the music remained. Those darn leather cowboy boots I bought for $200.00 back in 1980 are still standing in my closet today. (Hey Mushy how about that, my boots are "Standing the Test of Time")

So there, who knows next year they'll say at the CMAs and the best Country Music Karaoke singer is...

... and the winner is -- JOE COOL!

And the winner is Faith Hill... NOT!

And the nominees for Female Vocalist of the year are:

Sara Evans
Faith Hill
Martina McBride
Carrie Underwood
Gretchen Wilson

And the winner is:

Carrie Underwood

Faith Hill raising her hands in triumph and then saying WHAT! when she realized her name was not Carrie Underwood... Priceless!

Welcome Dead Silence

After a three day hiatus I am back, and I also have a new co-pilot, this one comes all the way from Maryland and it will be easier if I just quote her:

I'm a 23 years old female and live in Maryland. I've always been fasinated by serial killers and the like. I'm a fan of such shows a CSI, Cold Case Files, Cold Case, Without A Trace and Forensic Files. I'm not sure what drew me towards such a topic. I guess you could say it just kinda happened. Most of the books in my collection are about various killers and cases. Those books along with various websites will be where I get most of the information you see here. If you have any questions feel free to contact me.

She writes about things that most of us stay away from. Not too long ago we were worried here in Phoenix because of the Serial Shooter and Baseline Rapist, so sites like hers are not too far fetched, actually hers is very informative and interesting. Dont' believe me? Then try for yourself and click the thumbnail.

So please join me in welcoming "Dead Silence" as my co-pilot of the week.

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

These are two of my five grandchildren (Diego and Alayna). I want to remember this picture for a long time because eventually these two will be fighting all the time... Well I hope not, but you know how brothers and sisters are.

~~~~~~~~~~

Picture taken by Michelle

Lety la Fea and Ugly Betty

There's a Mexican telenovela mi chica and I watch called "La Fea Mas Bella". Although in the latest episodes there some drama the telenovela is pretty much a comedy, which is refreshing as all the Mexican telenovelas reach to far into the unbelievable. So anyway, Lety is an ugly duckling with a huge brain, her smarts lands her in the position of President's Assistant of "Conceptos", a high profile advertisement house run by the newly elected president whom happens to be the son of the owner. In a matter of days Fernando (the new president) takes "Conceptos" to the edge and as bankruptcy is eminent him and Lety open another company, which in turn will save "Conceptos" from being taken over by the banks.

Most of the time the situations are funny, Lety's office is an old broom closet although she is now technically but not officially the owner of both "Conceptos" and "Filmo Imagen". "Filmo Imagen" is run by her nerdy but extremely smart friend Tomas and while "Conceptos" kept losing money "Filmo Imagen" kept making money.

All this was kept a secret from all the stockholders and only Fernando and his vice president Omar knew about this. While Lety fell in love with Fernando since the first day she saw him it was evident that her love could only be a dream. A Plan was made to make Lety believe that Fernando was falling for her even though Omar normally calls her "the monster" or "the little gargoyle" to make sure she wouldn't get any funny ideas and let them out to dry, as by now Lety is the one person that know anything and everything about "Conceptos".

It really is funny stuff and has captured a huge audience, so Salma Hayek saw the huge potential and is trying to fuse a Mexican telenovela into a weekly sitcom. "Ugly Betty" is "La Fea Mas Bella's" American Counterpart. I have been watching it and it is funny although a little bit different. If you haven't watch it yet give it a try, last week they touched on a subject that is second nature for us Mexicans, and that is the fact that Betty's dad has been living here in the United States illegally. Salma will make an appearance on the next episode and it promises to be a good one.