Sunday, February 6, 2011

Day Eleven. I have nothing clever to rhyme this with.

What an interesting day.

I went mountain biking at Mills Loop today, and sure enough, wore myself out. The fact that I went in the first place isn't what's interesting; what's interesting is that fact that there was a guy there that was flying around the loop, as though this was competition. I was in awe the entire time, because just like everyone else, I secretly wished that I was someone else (that guy) for a moment. As I continue with the story, you'll understand why I no longer wish to be that guy.

I was trudging up this hillside (which in all actuality feel more like riding up a cliff) when I heard this guy coming around. He was yelling, "On the left," which is just plain safe. I therefore was expecting him to fly past me, which he did. What I wasn't expecting was the huge CRUNCH after the pass. I got off my bike and ran back to see what was going on. The poor guy apparently miscalculated the turn and wound up on some rocks. Not just any old rocks, because when it rains, it pours. No, these were the kind of rocks that nature sharpened for special occasions like this. He sat screaming in his puddle of blood, and I rushed over to help him. I asked some guy (we'll call him Joe) to call 911 so that we could get the guy out of there, but the moron just kept staring. I asked again; alas, I realized that Joe was wearing his "I'm stupid" sign. The whole time this was going on, the guy that fell was still bleeding, and no one else bothered to offer to help or call. Luckily for us, there was a maintenance guy going around that was able to call for help.

What's the moral of the story? Never help anyone, just pray that a maintenance worker will magically appear.

Other than that, Operation: Get a New Mattress is still underway. Yeah, it seems like we'll never get a great night's sleep now, knowing that in a week or less we'll have the best sleep ever. We'll have to see what happens.

I'm going to start posting more pictures, by the way. I really need to make these things more interesting. I hope you all have a great night/day, and thanks for reading!

Emile

Friday, February 4, 2011

Day Ten. What a day.

Hey people!

So today was alright. There were a lot of ups and downs. ...because we went in an elevator. HA! Okay, that was a bad joke. Which reminds me: I'm going to start including a joke every now and then. ...for a little variety. Hopefully you don't get the "there's two minutes of my life I'll never get back" feeling after you read it.

So today. Yeah, Ethan was being a pest, but that's normal for a kid his age that's on the tail end of a cold. On a serious note, I always wonder if my kids even like me. There has not been one point where they want to come to me lately. It's always "Mommy!" Never me. I guess I need to stop being the bad guy; stop giving them time-outs. Just today was a prime example of how they'd rather be with someone else instead of me. I was wrestling with Ethan, my old man walked by the room, just passing, and Ethan stopped wrestling, ran to him, and cried when I got near him. I don't know. I'll figure it out sometime soon.

I know that I usually have a story of something funny that happened during the day, but unfortunately I don't today. It was just full of bad drivers. I am pretty upset that Anchor Blue is closing down, though. That's the only place that has jeans that fit me well. I don't like the Kohl's crap jeans that cost 2-3x more than Anchor Blue, and there's never enough room in the legs. Oh well. That's another story.

So in the short period of time that I wrote this, I decided to not do jokes. I figure that most people don't want to read them anyway, generally because they're too long. However, since I told you that I would, I'm going to do a short one just this once. Here goes.

Why do oysters never donate to charities?
Because they're shellfish.

=oD

Good night, folks. Thanks for reading.

Emile

Day Nine. Sweet.

So today was an awesome day. I went to Disneyland with the family and went on a ton of rides. Of course, I can't say that it was all that and a bag of chips (because the bag of chips would have cost about $4, even though the bag clearly states "$.99"), but it was pretty awesome. Alexis was in a bad mood, so all she wanted was Mommy, but in a way, it worked out because my son got to hang out with me. In other words, he is roller coaster friendly, and now asks to go on rides with Daddy instead of Mommy.

Daddy: 1
Mommy: 0

I love keeping score of things. Especially when I'm winning.

I don't know what it is about some of the people at Disneyland, though. I know that if you go to a place that you have to walk a lot, you want to be as comfortable as possible; however, when you show up to a place where there are kids, put your buttcrack AWAY. For good. No one wants to see that. I was walking to the rockets with my son, and this big lady bent over to pick up something that she dropped, and BAM!!! Facefull of crack. What made it worse was the underwear she was wearing: leopard print. Scarred me forever.

It looked like a walrus flossing.

Candidate number 2 was a tall guy that looked like he was sagging because he couldn't find pants that were long enough for him. Anyway, he sat down next to us at the Pizza Port, and then it happened. His crack was seriously being aired out. I really canNOT believe that this guy didn't feel that, too. There's no way at all. How do I know this? His butt was on the seat. Looks like Disneyland is going to have to burn that bench now.

After all is said and done, though, today was great. I'm glad that I got to spend some time with my little buddy. I wouldn't trade the time back for anything.

I hope all of you have an excellent night. Thanks for reading! Knowing that someone reads it is my motivation. Take care!

Emile

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Day Eight. Can't wait!

HA!

No, I didn't laugh because something absolutely hilarious happened to me today. I laughed because there is NO way that I will ever get one of these blogs up by midnight. No matter how hard I try, I know that there is way too much to do before I can even hop on the net.

Anyway, today, I had to go back into the wicked Walgreens. ...and WOULDN'T YOU KNOW IT, the same employees were there. Oh yes, the same ones that had to pick up my daughter's mess. As I walked in, I'm pretty sure that I saw a few double-takes, followed by stares. The back of my head caught fire when people realized that yes, I was the one in there yesterday. I made my way to the pharmacy again, and sure enough, the same assistant was there. I think they just live there. She asked if I had my kids ID#s, and I told her that I didn't because our insurance company said that Walgreens could look it up by MY number. Of course, the assistant didn't believe that I called, because they would normally give the ID#s right away, so she called the insurance company. After a brief conversation, the assistant hung up. I politely asked her if she got the ID#s. She looked puzzled/embarassed, and said that she didn't. My look of query quickly turned into a smirk. I love being right.

EMILE: 2
WALGREENS: 0

I hope all of you had a great day today, and I hope tomorrow will be even better. "Take care of yourselves. ...and each other." -Jerry Springer

Emile

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

DAY SEVEN! One whole week!

Woo hoo! I finally made it to my one week mark. To celebrate, I've changed my page design! See?

Okay, so, today was pretty eventful. After a night with less than 3 hours of sleep for both Amanda and me, since the kids wouldn't sleep any longer than 40 minutes at a time, then stay awake for another half an hour, I took the kids to the doctor. They're both fine, they're just being babies about it.

Ha.

Anyway, the same two little trolls that I have, aka Hellfire and Damnation, have been in terrible moods due to sickness. As a result, I was a little bit on edge after hearing the name "Daddy" roughly 60 kabillion times in a matter of minutes. While driving home from the doctor's office, I stopped at Walgreens to put in the prescriptions.

Then the trouble started.

I got out of the car with the kids, and both of them were ELATED to not have to be in the house. Needless to say, they found out that they can't run down the aisles with their hands in the racks because it makes a mess that Daddy has to clean up. After a few rounds of that, I made my way to the pharmacy. The assistant that took my information must have known that a large, on-edge black man was on his way there because I swear she was just acting like a total nimrod to get my blood pressure up. She asked for the kids' medical cards, and I told her that I only had mine, to which she replied that she could look them up off of my card anyway. Apparently, 2 minutes later, she had absolutely no recollection of ever telling me that statement, and told me that she needs the kids' cards. I asked her, "Didn't you say you could look it up by the policy number?" She had the audacity to say, "Well, sir, if I could do that, I would have told you that."

Shortly after I came to from being so livid and annoyed by cracked voiced prepubescent 17 year old, I had the greatest idea ever (which, in retrospect, really sucked for the innocent employees that had to deal with it). My daughter had her hand out, since she was doing the "limp noodle" thing to me, so I just walked a little bit closer to all the automotive stuff. Oh yeah. Roughly 40 bottles of oil and ArmorAll lay in the middle of aisle 8, and I walked out scott-free (who would blame a 19 month old for a mess that was made?), the happiest man in the Inland Empire.

Emile: 1
Walgreens: 0

Emile

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Day Six. ...I think.

Hey people!

Okay, so today was actually pretty cool. I went to school and totally kicked its butt. I also saw one of my friends there, so that made it pretty cool.

Anyway, I started off in my nutrition class. The assignment was to bring in an apple that we thought was medium sized. I didn't have any available apples, so I stopped at Albertsons to pick one up. I'm pretty sure that I know what "medium-sized" is, but all of the apples that they had were HUGE. I picked the smallest one and took it to school, where I weighed it. It came out to 274 grams, more than half of what a medium-sized apple should be, not to mention that it was the largest apple in the class by 85 grams. ...and sure enough, I'm not a small guy, so it just made everything look worse. Whatever. I ate it anyway.

I then went to my Spanish class. This class is insane. Not the class itself, but the teacher. Get this: She's a 5'11 Chinese woman who was born in China, grew up in Bolivia, has a heavy British accent, and has a husband that only speaks German. Of their five kids, three still live at home. The other two live in Argentina and Quebec, Canada. Seriously? I don't even know where to begin with this lady.

Math class is about as exciting as watering cement. Oh yeah. This teacher has a thick German accent that a ceramic knife couldn't cut through. He made us do a math problem that took 35 minutes to solve. Really now, that's totally unnecessary. Dear Math, solve your own problems. Thank you.

I then had PE, but since we're babysitting for some good friends while they're out of town, I just came home to help Amanda out. It's not very easy to have five kids running around the house when my own two are both sick, but these kids are awesome. I love them like my own.

...unless you try to get them to do their homework. Just kidding.

Well, it's now officially Tuesday, and I have to get up at 6:30. The joys of parenting. Take care, and all of you have an amazing day.

Emile

Monday, January 31, 2011

Day Five. Yes.

THEY ARE HERE.
TOTAL

BRUTAL


AWESOMENESS.



That's right, folks, Awaken the Tide. We are here, we are strong, and we're here to stay. We're also goofy, but hey, everyone needs some laughs. Our pictures are in, and we've never looked better. Another thank you to Richard Rasner and Pickles, who made this happen.

So, now that the good stuff's been said, today was a decent day. Aside from both of the kids being sick, Amanda being sick, and helping a close friend move in the rain, the day was welcome. I needed a little bit of rain (which of course brings snow).

You know, even though I was stuck at home with 3 sickees, it felt great to have a little family togetherness. Since my school schedule dominates my Mondays and Wednesdays, any time that we can have together as a family is awesome. I think that I've realized something that I never noticed before: I have a son AND a daughter.

Just kidding.

My son and my daughter get along a lot better than most siblings. Whenever Ethan decides that he wants to play with something, and Alexis tries to take it, he gives Alexis a different toy to play with, and that usually calms her down. I really hope that this is how it will be for their lives: they take care of each other.

Sorry I didn't have much to say, gang, but I promise that tomorrow will be better. Take care.

Emile

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Day Four. Awesomeness.

Greatest day ever. Just refer to this amazing picture.


Yes, a picture is definitely worth a thousand words. This one, however, is really worth a good forty million. Seriousness is not in the Awaken the Tide vocabulary, yet we are still able to make some amazing music. In all actuality, when was the last time you ever heard someone truly serious with their music make something good? If you're too serious, you start to lose focus on what music is: the heart's outlet. After all, what good is music without putting a little heart and soul into it?

I think we took in excess of a billion pictures today; each one unique, each one amazing. The greatest photographer on Earth, Richard Rasner, really gave us some great images. We're excited to have him as a friend, and look forward to working with him in the future. OF COURSE, behind every great man is a great woman, and in this case, it was THE Pickles. Yes, she is the one who made me look so good, while I turned around and made a monkey of my face. See the excellent mohawk Zeus is sporting? Pickles. My nicely trimmed hair? Pickles. She's amazing at what she does, and we all love her for it.

Chris (on the left) was too tired to function. I'm pretty sure he was asleep while he was awake. Possible? I think so. He proved it today. He rocked it, though. He's the man.

Cory (in front of Chris) is truly a ninja. That's right, by the time you finish reading this sentence, he probably climbed up a tree and attacked you. He's just that good. ...which is probably why his drumming is so great.

Andee (with the Monster beanie) is pretty much the brains of the operation. Together, he and Chris make the best guitar tracks. Without this guy, who I met at an August Burns Red show, I wouldn't be part of this musical genius.

Zeus (far right) had so much faith in the band's progression that he actually flew out from Rhode Island just to be part of it. We couldn't have had a better addition. Plus, he can play the bass better than anyone I know.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed today's blog, and I look forward to writing for you all tomorrow! Have a great night, folks.

Emile

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Wow, this one is late... Day Three

Hey everyone!

Okay, so, today was pretty eventful from the get-go. Alexis is sick, and she was wheezing this morning when she woke up. I called the doctor's office, and they said that if I "bring her in now, we can fit her in." I told them that I'd be there, so away I went.

OF COURSE, Murphy's Law struck again. I KNOW that I hit every single red light in between home and the doc's office, and to add fuel to my fury, the old people were out to play. That's right, the ones that NEVER go above 35 in a 45 zone, then they drive side by side so that you can't pass. I can't neglect to mention the one that turned on his turn signal two and a half blocks early. Oh yeah. I stayed behind him, thinking he'd turn soon, not realizing that "soon" in old people terms actually means "eventually". Anyway, we got to the doctor's office, and Alexis was fine. Nothing that a little cherry-flavored Robitussin (a.k.a. crap) couldn't take care of.

The rest of the day went pretty well. We went to dinner at Macaroni Grill for my dad's 59th birthday. I called a reservation in, and they specifically asked if it was for an occasion. I told them that it was for a birthday, and they told me that they'd sing and everything for him. They didn't. They sang for the 12 year old kid that sat next to us that didn't want to go to Macaroni Grill at all, but not for my dad. I thought that was a little awkward. It pretty much halved the waitress's tip. JUST KIDDING.

Tomorrow's going to be a great day. I'm going with the band for a photoshoot in Riverside. We're going to be rich and famous in about four months, so we need some decent pictures of us. ...and I definitely can't wait to go with the guys to see Parkway Drive in a couple weeks. IT WILL BE EPIC.

Well, that's all I've got for now. I'm going to bed, since it's past 12:30. Have a great night/day, everyone, and thanks again for taking the time to read! See ya!

Emile

Friday, January 28, 2011

Day Two. ...well, one and a half.

Okay, so, today was a pretty awesome day. After waking up and writing a blog, the day seemed to get better. We went to Disneyland and California Adventure!



At California Adventure, we went on the ferris wheel that seems like it's 1,000 feet up. We didn't go on the ones that are on tracks because I'm pretty sure that Ethan would have freaked out. Anyway, while up there, we got to see the roller coaster California Screamin' break down!



After about 40 minutes of the riders sitting up there, they were finally escorted off by the staff. I'm pretty sure one of them had to pee because he ran down the stairs and zoomed into the bathroom. I don't know, and I really don't care to. Anyway, we proceeded to go to the "Bug's Life" area when my son caught a whiff of an awesome scent: a "stick". Yeah, he chooses to call a churro a stick. He's too stubborn to change his ways. ...little punk kid... He gets it from his mom. Hehe. It was then and there that made me realize that I hate theme parks. $3.50? REALLY?! It was a sugary piece of wallet death. I hate theme park food.

The most unfortunate part of the day came when I got a phone call saying that there was band practice. I'm pretty sure I collapsed and came to about ten minutes later, because I didn't even remember getting on the next ride that I supposedly volunteered to go on. It's this ladybug ride that's kind of like the teacups, except you don't control the spin, so you can't judge whether or not you need to slow down because your kid looks green. Thankfully Ethan didn't chuck, but the familiar cleaning supply odor indicated that some other poor guy had to deal with a kid that DID. Anyway, I can't wait for this weekend. It proves to be a good week every time I go to hang out with my guys at Awaken the Tide headquarters. We're going to make it, guys. You'll see.

Well, now it's "Oh-God-thirty", so I'm going to hit the hay. I hope you all had a great day, and can't wait to tell you about tomorrow! Take care.

Emile

Oh yeah, we took pictures with Lightning McQueen and Mater, too. =oP

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Day One of Blogging

So, I decided to take the next step in world wide webbing by creating a blog. You know what they say, "The less you keep up with technology, the more likely you'll die earlier." Seriously. I think keeping up with technology is a mere pittance for a longer lifetime.


Yesterday was a pretty awesome day. After a reluctant rise to go to school, still sore from working out the day before, I got dressed and left for the in-laws' house, since my backpack was there. On my way down, I was happily screaming out some Parkway Drive, when out of nowhere, I hear a voice. "WHAT is WRONG with you?!" I looked to my right and saw this lady that looked like she had just rolled out from underneath a rock that had been repeatedly hitting her face for an hour or so. I turned down my music and said, "Excuse me?" She angrily said, "My son doesn't need to hear your crappy music!" I was extremely turned off by this, and retaliated with, "Here's an idea: roll up your window, moron!"

So here's the best part: She rolled it up and began to drive away. As she did, I saw her daughter (or son's friend or something) in the backseat giving me the "too much metal for one hand" sign. She was wearing a Dimmu Borgir (the most Satanic metal band ever) t-shirt. I politely laughed and waved, and went on with my day. Apparently the "mom of the year" needs to focus on BOTH kids.

Anyway, another reason I'm blogging is to track my weight loss. I guess it's more successful when it's tracked, so here goes. =oP

I hope all of you have a great day, and thanks for reading my random garb!

Emile