Life Is Tough


I really don’t know where to start here, this may be more of a rambling string of words rather than a coherent text. My wife says that I can make someone feel terrible without saying a word. I never intentionally want to make someone feel bad, but I suppose it happens. I’ve never really understood how I do this. I reckon it is my silence that is so horrible, the simple fact that I will simply not say anything if I am offended, I will keep my mouth shut and move forward. Despite that fact, I do forgive and I tend not to hold grudges. I move on, life is too short, etc. I don’t know where I got this particular trait, my father is a quiet individual who always seemed to say more with his face than with words, like father, like son. I am not an angry person, in fact, I am not angry at anyone. I am frustrated by some people’s actions and I am sure that there are some people who are frustrated with mine, but that is life. No one is better than anyone else, we all change, we all grow, none of us are the same people from 10 years ago, we are human beings who evolve and change, that is absolutely certain. I am a proud person, I have lived a good life, I love my wife, I love my family, I love my friends and if we didn’t feel so passionately about each other then there wouldn’t be a discussion about any of this. Life is not perfect, it is a constant battle, it is about forgiveness.

Miranda told me the other day that I should be a writer. I remember in junior high that I wanted to be a sports writer, but my insecurity about my writing style always held me back (I always prefered to write in a conversational tone and none of my teachers seemed to appreciate this laid-back style). I truly think that if I could do all of this over again, I would have given writing a shot. I do not think I am truly opinionated about things and so I think that having a weekly column would be a beating, but not being constrained by a particular syle suits me. The perfect job would be if everyone could simply pay me to write, whether it be on this blog or not, then I think that this would be the perfect job.

Last weekend Miranda and I watched two movies. We had not seen a movie in the theater since Friday Night Lights and thus these reviews are a bit dated. You can also find a list of my movies at Listal.

Elizabethtown: I really enjoyed this movie. I think that I really connected with this movie from a standpoint of failing and being able to pick myself up. This is what motivates me in life, the fear of failure and I have always thought that overcoming this is a huge hurdle for me personally. The acting was generally good and Kirsten Dunst was able to pull off the “quirky” girl, but Orlando Bloom seemed a little stiff, however, I think that this was how his character was supposed to be. Self-reflection is a good thing, I remember Duk telling me that he had a serious road trip to take and I told him that a road trip by yourself allows for this type of reflection and is a good thing and should be appreciated and not dreaded, more times than not you come out of it a better person.

The actual town of Elizabethtown, KY has a neat website, and you should click on the gallery for walking trails.

Wedding Crashers: I love anything from the Wilson brothers, Vince Vaughn, Will Ferrell and Stiller and I thought that this was a funny movie. Of course I watched it when I needed a “pick-me-up” and it was good to laugh. It was hard to envision Vince and Owen’s characters as attorneys or mediators, but it was funny nonetheless. Funny quote from Owen Wilson’s character in the movie: “That we’re all one. That seperateness is an illusion, and that I’m one with everyone – with the Prime Minister of England, and my cousin Harry, you and me, the fat kid from ‘What’s Happening,’ the Olsen twins, Natalie Portman, the guy who wrote ‘Catcher in the Rye,’ Nat King Cole, Carrot Top, Jay-Z, Weird Al Yankovic, Harry Potter, if he existed, the whore on the street corner, your mother. We’re all one.”

It Is So Cold

It was only a week ago when my wife and I (and Tony and Leslie) were enjoying ourselves in the beautifully sculpted landscapes of the Dallas Arboretum. Since then it’s rained 8 inches and tonight it’s supposed to be 32 degrees.

I do believe that this weekend I’ll try to haul off some more brush and scrape more windows. Once I get done with that I’ll start working on all of the outside crevices to make sure that they are completely sealed. It just doesn’t end. I am really ready for the cold to go away, I’ve had enough. You win.

You need to go here and look around. I would be willing to bet that there would be something there that would interest you.

This website is basically like being able to go to http://www.internet.com.

I can honestly say that there hasn’t been too much going on lately. I have had to adjust going back to work after taking off for two days, but I’m back in the swing of things and I’m ready to go and save the world.

Ironing


This is how I spent my Saturday afternoon while everyone else went bowling. My mom had asked me to do something with her and I didn’t want to break that commitment, but when I got home I knew that I had some serious work to do. In this picture is 20 shirts, that’s at least 4 weeks worth of shirts that had not been ironed. It’s one of my greatest flaws and one of my least favorite activities. You would think that a big hot-shot attorney would be able to afford to have his shirts ironed, but that seems crazy. Paying someone to do something you can do yourself. Don’t get me wrong, there’s lots of things I can’t do (i.e. fix anything in my house), but the things I can do, it seems silly to pay someone to do them.

By the way, I really appreciate my Mom, she has decided to frame my diplomas, after almost 10 years of them sitting in the closet. I would never have done this, for whatever reason, nevertheless, I thank her.

I have yet to receive any pictures from anyone and (foot tapping) I’m upset. I’ve got lots of room in my inbox so I’m not real sure why everyone is waiting. I hope everyone participated, and if you didn’t then I’ll try to catch you next year, or the next.

I don’t know if anyone reads the comments, but I want to give a big shout-out and congratulations to Duk who has decided to run for a judicial position in Missouri at the tender age of 30-ish. I’ve told him that he should blog, the kids love it (just ask TJ) and it would be a great way to document your journey. He’s still considering it. As an aside, I would be willing to do whatever is necessary to get the blog looking like it should and something that you’re happy with (i.e. red, white and blue everywhere, lots of Duk logos, etc.). You can send pictures and transcripts of public speeches, all things will be posted in a very professional manner (I might even spellcheck it). I also promise not to overuse the parentheses as I have done in this paragraph.

Home Renovation – Part I

Front bedroom.
Living room.
Miranda’s bathroom.
Back bedroom.
Living room.

I’ve been meaning to do this for quite a while and here are some before pictures of the house. These pictures were taken a day or two after the house was actually in my name. The next post of two will be additional pictures of the before stage of the house. In the next couple of days I plan on taking some after pictures so that we can all see the difference of what this house has become.

Birthday Bash Number 32

Blow me up dog.
Grilling some burgers.
This one was posted because Tony R. turned away.
The morning after.

My wife bought me Vans for my birthday and they came today, they fit perfectly, and everyone can take them off of your shopping lists for me.

I hope everyone (other than Ben) is taking the First Annual Five Pictures, A Day In The Life project seriously. I think that this could be fun and if you think about it, it’s the perfect time to take pictures. The landscape is turning green, the flowers are beginning to bloom, we can all start spending more time outside, rather than hibernating in our homes. I’ve started thinking that I should plan what my pictures will be, but what’s the fun in that. I think that it’s all about spontaneity and the moment. Don’t get me wrong, I plan on taking more pictures that just 5 and I’ll have to whittle it down from there, but I really think it will be fun.

I’m going to go ahead and call out T. J., Ashley T., Ashley F., Leslie R., Chris H., T-Storm, Stephen T., and Miranda. I expect pictures from you.

I saw this on Kottke a couple of weeks ago and I thought it would be a good exercise in lists.

4 shows that you watch:
1. The Office
2. My Name Is Earl
3. Scrubs
4. Globe Trekker

4 shows that you wish you watched:
1. Sopranos
2. Boston Legal
3. Curb Your Enthusiasm
4. Lost

4 shows that you’re embarrassed you watch:
1. Wild N Out
2. House Hunters
3. Good Eats
4. 8th and Ocean

More than likely, I’ll be posting tomorrow morning as well as I am not working for the next two days.