Keepin up with Kev

Got One

2010-03-19T00:11:00.000-07:00

So all I had to do was bitch a little and then before you know it I had an arrest. I'm not kidding earlier when I said it's been a month since I've put anyone in jail. And today whalaa!! hes got drugs. And before you get upset at me for arresting a dude for like hardly any weed that stupid F***er hid a bag under his balls and dropped it in my car while we were going to the jail. He even tried to kick it up under my seat and hide it from me. Like I wouldn't notice the disgusting odor of his skanky ass weed in my otherwise clean car.

That kind of thing pisses me off. I almost let him go because I really thought he didn't have any more than some burnt blunts and like half a gram in a bag, left overs. Then the ass ends up with 4 in his crotch. This is why I love my job. I went with my gut and arrested the guy anyway and he ends up a liar. I got the liar and I believe he deserves the worst punishment he can get. Nothing bothers me more than liars.

This Just In

2010-03-18T12:19:00.000-07:00

The new car is awsome!! Pictures will follow...but probably not on the here since I don't have a picture application yet. I've tried more than one and none of them work like I want them to. I really wish I were more tech savy. Maybe in my next life because I really don't have the drive to learn more.

I haven't updated this in a while because honeslty, life is boring. I haven't played any new games seen any good movies or had a whole hell of a lot of fun at work. I am in an arrest drought. I can't find someone wanted or someone carrying drugs for the life of me. I really wish cool things just fell into my lap. That would be great. If I could catch my burglar that would be awsome. On the movie front I did watch "The Invention of Lying", very witty. That was a pretty funny movie. "Alice in Wonderland" wasn't that great. It's definitely geared towards kids and not the Tim Burton style I was expecting. It might have been more fun in 3D but we opted for regular 2D. The glasses get annoying.

You can Arrest Search and Seize What?

2010-02-17T15:25:00.001-08:00

Great class today. Its refreshing to have a lawyer speak to you about how easy it is to articulate arresting someone. In a sue happy society full of wimps and miscreants it is nice to know the Supreme Court still has our back. Its all about the words. Things like "reasonable" and "suspicious" and "arms reach" and "frisk". All great broad terms that make my job way easier than one would think. All the more reason why intelligent educated police officers are important. Guess I should become one of those.

Work was fun the past couple of weeks. Saw my first tazing. That went exactly how it was suppose to. No one was injured, no one went to the hospital, and the suspect acted more appropriately after it was done. Can't deny our tools are getting pretty sweet.

I don't know what to do about the mundane policing right now. I'm thinking I need to upset more people. Get in their face a little more, become more assertive, and tweak them just a bit. Not out of bounds or to someone who doesn't deserve it but sometimes I just feel I'm to nice and I don't need to be, I'm not the one breaking the law.

After my most recent class I think more people are going to jail. Hopefully I can talk my way into finding those drugs a lot easier than before. Maybe even catch a real burglar. I don't have to worry about covering my ass anymore because it's covered. The law protects me better than I thought and that's a good thing. Because lets be honest, we all hate our things getting stolen and most of us hate dopers making more dopers making more crime. Its getting out of hand where they don't respect authority at all.

Work, Booze, and Whataburger

2010-01-30T11:25:00.001-08:00

Work was kind of fun this week. Not a lot going on in my district, hopefully the burglar found a better neighborhood to hit in another city, maybe closer to home, gas prices are a bitch. Not a lot of report calls to speak of. A lot of old people dying of natural causes like old people do. We still have to go and check the bodies and get the information to make sure nothing bad happened, administrative state law stuff so not all horrible. Last night though an 89 year old man passed away with his wife in a separate bed next to him. That was a little awkward since he laid there dead for almost two hours before the coroner came. I can't say I want to do that again in my life; death doesn't bother me but I can't read how a family will react when I start moving around their dead parent or spouse. Some people laugh and some people cry and some people like that guys wife just said 61 years of a good marriage. That was a great way to end the mid point of my week.

Then off to the bar. The wife went out with friends from school last night and I met them at Rudyards in midtown. We sat, we laughed, we poked fun at each other and made way more noise than the bar probably would have liked us to, but who cares because we're paying customers. I see the appeal of why my brother lives where he lives. He can work, play, shop, and live all within a relatively small circle. That seems to be the wave of the future, or should I say the rebirth of the city. That's how it used to be before the 70's and 80's when everyone left the city for the burbs. The commuter was the way of the future. Strip malls and blocks and blocks and blocks of nothing but homes were the new tenement. I'm noticing a new trend though where the space between downtown and burbs is filling in with bars, restaurants, condos, town homes, high rise living kingdoms, and green trails and parks. Work, live, eat and play in your own small community. Go back to that pub "where everyone knows your name" and shop at the market, not the HEB/Kroger/Walmart/Target Megaopolis super store. Pay a little more for all of it but have the feeling that your part of a community and not an ant running through the maze of a warehouse full of stuff you didn't need in the first place; found at rock bottom prices because it was imported from a country that has made slaves of its people to supply you with 10 dollars t-shirts and 100 dollar electronics. Businesses like that don't survive in small communities near real cites because the tax base is to expensive and no one cuts them a break; the bottom line is more important than customer service and ethical business practice. I'll get off the soapbox for now but these are the reasons I want to move and can't possibly settle in the burbs like so many people do.

Back to the fun of the bar; Whataburger was the choice of the drunks last night so being the only sober person I drove. You would have thought I was drunk though after turning down a one way street to pull into the parking lot. In my defense I've never been there and there wasn't a big do not enter sign like there are in so many places. Even better the second I pull in there's an HPD officer in the parking lot just shaking his head. Nothing better than the rent a cop/security guy who can't cut it as a real cop giving me the stink eye the entire time. Sometimes I can't believe the people the state entrust with a gun. I do remember now though why we don't go to eat after bars; there is always that guy who is a little to loud and little to racy to sit next to at 3 AM. If your that guy you know who you are and you know exactly what I'm talking about so tone it down a bit. All in all a good night of work and good night of fun. I really enjoy doing stuff like that and should do it more often while it's still socially acceptable behavior for someone my age.

The wide world of Gaming

2010-01-28T22:41:00.000-08:00

If you haven't been to the Xbox website recently and checked out Project Natal, you don't know what the world of gaming is in for. Full body recognition; remote free, interactive gaming. If this doesn't shut down the Wii I don't know what will. I can't describe to you the possibilities; go check it out if your even the slightest bit interested in the next generation of entertainment. Wait until it's all in 3-D.

I've played more than my fair share of games the past few months. I can't imagine living without my X-box. Modern Warfare was a good game. I don't say great because its not my favorite genre; first person shoot everything until you die and then try it again because the bad guys don't change their approach or where they come from until you've figured out the timing and angles and which weapon system works best for that given situation. I like summing up a game in a single sentence.

Then of course I've played more Rock Band and more Rock Band and every Rock Band that's come out because my inner child should have learned to play the drums. That concept is by far one of the most clever and creative ideas of this generation of games. The next step on that one is downloading your songs into an application and that software turning anything you want into rock band tunes. If Apple doesn't jump on that one and make another billion dollars someone will cash in.

One of my favorite movies and cartoons growing up was Ghostbusters; so when I heard last year a video game was coming out I had to get it. This particular story was told before basically. It combined the concepts of the two movies into basically a third short film. The game play was fun; smooth and graphically up to par with best of them. I heard somewhere they had some trouble getting some of the actors to sign off on doing the voices but It really made the game that much better. Imagine another one with Project Natal...ooooooooo how fun.

Then on to my favorite new game Assassins Creed 2. All I can say is I wish there were difficulty levels because your character is to much of a bad ass to ever die. With the right moves nothing in this game is impossible the first time around. The maps were fun and scenery was gorgeous. If this game doesn't make you want to visit Italy it should because I've been there and it still looks the same but with modern clothing and the occasional scooter instead of horse. The story was intriguing and kept me wanting more just like the first one. It ended with me pissed because I know 3 won't be coming out until at best 2011. Games of this magnitude are so much fun and so worth every minute spent in my opinion because they really do bring you into a new world.

Games I will hopefully play in the next couple months: Fable 2, Mass Effect 1 and 2, BioShock 1 and 2 (I've got some catching up to do), and after just looking at the soon to be released list at Xbox many more. It might be a fun year for games. May have to work some more overtime to afford it.

Slackers shouldn't go the Super Bowl

2010-01-24T23:59:00.000-08:00

I know you all have this at work. That guy or that girl or that person or maybe that boss who just doesn't seem to pull their weight. Their always taking to long to complete a project you know shouldn't take that long or always dodging any extra work and just generally screwing everyone but themselves. I know everyone has that person. They don't enough not get fired but they don't do enough to be considered employee of the month. How can you be that person and now hate yourself? Because guess what; we all hate you!!!

Go Colts!! Go Saints!! In your face Rex Ryan. Thank you Peyton Manning and your comeback defense. I wouldn't have been able to stand hearing for the next two weeks about the first rookie this and the first Hispanic quarterback that and how much Rex Ryan loves himself and New York. Because you know whats better than all that...more funny Peyton Manning Sony commercials. And if I had to hear Favre one more time I think my ears may have started to bleed. I'll give the man his due respect but he blew the game for his team by throwing an interception across the middle of the field. I could care less about a questionable spot on 4th and 1. He could have thrown the ball away and gone for another pass or ran the ball up the field a bit to make the kick possible; but no he believed he could complete an impossible pass rather than trust his kicker. Oh the shame. If he quits now this will be his legacy. If he comes back it could get worse or could he possibly have a better season than this one? Right now though the Vikings don't have a sure quarterback next year. Rosencopter and that other guy who sucks aren't exactly all star prospects. And with a possible uncapped year the Vikings could pay their way into another championship game. My moneys on him coming back, getting injured, and the Vikings falling just short of a wild card slot next year.

Dust and Jake

2010-01-20T12:15:00.000-08:00

I do believe the worst chore in the world is dusting. It reminds you of how dirty you are and how disgusting your house is when you start wiping the dirt away from all your furniture. Toilets aren't as bad as dusting. Washing my car isn't as bad as dusting. And now I feel dirty than ever. Because you really can't catch all the dust. Inevitably you just stir some of it off into the air and it lands on the closest thing; you. And now I'm dusty; in my mouth, up my nose, my eyes, and my hands feel like sludge. Not to mention I can't stop sneezing and won't be able to for about 2 days.

The vaccum seems to have the same effect. It collects quite a bit; enough to make a small poodle with the dog hair it picks up, but it still just stirs up all the small particles in the air and covers my whole body in a thin film of gunk. Cleaning is so much fun.

So I choose music to make it more enjoyable. Today it was Less Than Jake. Rocking to the Jake is one of my favorite things to do any day of the week; so add it to cleaning and I'm in a mediocre state of being that made the last two hours not so bad. Of course when the dust settles and I can breath again it'll all be worth it for about 3 days until the dogs shed more and dust blows in. The perpetual cycle of cleaning.

Cowboys Suck!!

2010-01-18T20:24:00.000-08:00

The real Tony Romo comes out after those three great games. I almost feel bad for the guy except that he's a Dallas Cowboy and we all know COWBOYS SUCK!!! I couldn't believe the pressure they got on him. Vikings looked pretty dominating. I think this next game may very well be one of the best games of the season. NFC championship might be better than the Super Bowl. The Colts are good but they aren't dominating. They beat thier opponents because Peyton Manning doesn't loose. And I just don't see the Jets putting up the best fight against the NFC champion.

I don't know who to root for since my team isn't in it. The Jets are in the playoffs because two teams laid down and died. The Colts are in our division and always beat us. I hate Brett Favre; no I hate ESPN's love of Brett Favre. The guy is a football god and doesn't deserve to be disliked for being as great a player as he is. You'd swear ESPN gets paid every time they say his name. Nothing to dislike about the Saints; pretty harsh to wish bad things on the city of New Orleans. I really just don't want the Jets and Rex Ryan's smug face all over the news.

Either way doesn't really matter since I'm working that day and won't see the game. Thank you radio for broadcasting all the games.

Cowboys Suck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know I know I know

2010-01-15T11:06:00.001-08:00

Okay, so anyone who might have been reading my posts probably stopped after a three month hiatus. Lack of energy...Lack of interesting stories...Lack of interest in keeping up with this thing? Take your pick and I probably thought to myself that's why I'm not doing it. That isn't right of me. This is suppose to help people keep in touch who don't live here and who I don't talk to on a regular basis. Honestly whats easier; have ten conversations about how your week went or write about your week and let everyone read it themselves and ask questions if they care enough too. Really its all about conversation management. So here we go....

WORK

I'm still employed so that means I haven't messed up bad enough for anyone to fire me yet. Also means I haven't been shot yet so all is well at work. Getting hammered by burglars and robbers and thieves of all sorts lately. I think the underworlds resolution was rob at least one person a week at gunpoint. Our burglar is a mysterious fellow who wears the same shoe every time he goes out...good thing Houston is wet during the winter or we wouldn't have shit. What would really blow my mind is if the prints were left intentionally to throw us off...oooohhhh interesting. To bad this isn't CSI and people don't actually do that stuff.

ENTERTAINMENT

If you haven't watched Funny People you should. If you haven't watched Public Enemies you should...but don't expect the biggest blockbuster of all time. Obviously the holidays produced a vast assortment of movies to watch. If it was advertised on TV recently I probably got it for X-mas and I can't say I didn't enjoy every one of them. Saw Daybreakers and should have waiting for the DVD. I could write an entire post about Avatar but not right now. On the other side of my entertainment if you haven't been watching Heroes you are missing out some fine sci-fi entertainment. Honestly who doesn't want to be a hero and can't relate to at least one of the characters and their struggles. Really one of the more interesting concepts of good vs evil and the struggle of choosing what path to take; selfish or unselfish. Naturally looking forward to Southland and Fringe starting up again. I can't believe Leno replaced Southland but I hear he may get the axe so lets hope for some more quality programming. Fringe is one of my favorite shows up there with Heroes and Lost right now. I guess I finally got sick of the Law and Order CSI crap because I'm really enjoying the supernatural shows lately. Its the complete opposite of reality TV; that must be it.

LIFE

If you can believe it I'm not in very good shape lately. Weighing in around 190 lbs for the first time in my entire life. I carry it sort of well but really 190 that's almost 200 lbs and I shouldn't be 200 lbs unless I quit my job and started body building. Motivation must be generally lacking in most areas of my life (blog, exercise, work productivity). I think it has to do with winter and shorter days. I hate the dark..the night..sun down at 5:30. I must have some plant in me because I really need the sun to thrive. Totally excited about my wife's last semester of Law School. YAAAYYYY!!!!! Two incomes will rock so much...I'm rich bitch. I've figured if she can make the minimum amount a lawyer could possibly make we'll still be in the positive even after her loan payments.

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE....I totally forgot I made my last car payment today!!! YAY!!! I own something!!

Glad to get that off my chest. Until next time; enjoy yourself.

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Memorial Park Moutain Biking

2009-11-14T15:21:00.000-08:00

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Memorial Park Mountain Biking

This was a lot of fun today. First time taking on all the trails at Memorial Park in Downtown Houston. I definitely recommend them to all beginner level mountain bikers.

ACL 2009 Part 1

2009-10-05T20:59:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you...this was a pretty good time this year. Last year I had fun. But it was just that, fun. You could consider 2009 a blast...a jolly good time...an experience that won't soon be forgotten. Those words work better for this years Austin City Limits.

The Line-up that I saw went as follows (keep in mind my wife was with me and she has a very distinctly different taste in music)

Friday: got a late start but wasn't really thrilled about Friday
1. The Walkmen: Good band. Probably more fun in a smaller more intimate setting where you can really enjoy all the music they create. A rock base with some undertones of southern rock and even mariachi. A solid band that I would probably see again.

2. Phoenix: Good band as well. I don't even know how to describe them except maybe electro indie rock. I'd classify their sound along with Saves the Day. Again a solid band but I don't think I'm running out to buy their album or even see them again.

3. The Green Cards: Amanda's first pick of the day; a fun bluegrass local Austin band made up of two Aussies and one Englishman. A really fun band with a genuine sound. They play to entertain and I would recommend them to any bluegrass supporter.

4. Reckless Kelly: Amanda's second pick which she spent 40 minutes of their set in line at the bathroom. Their a good band that's been playing the Texas scene for a long time. I don't care so much for them because I genuinely hate country music. But if you enjoy original country music, not this new pop influenced radio crap, then you'll really like these guys.

5. Them Crooked Vultures: This was suppose to be the brain child of a bunch of really good rock musicians and it was exactly what I expected. They rocked and they rocked and they rocked some more but didn't sound original and didn't blow my socks off. I think I'd have to listen some more and maybe check them out with an itunes song or two before I would proceed with listening to them any more.

6. Kings of Leon: Ehhh...that's really all I have to say. You've heard them on the radio and they aren't worth a penny in concert.

7. Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Ehhh...again. Maybe because It was late in the day but they almost seemed to try to hard. Their sound is more like noise and their style is outlandish at best. Total disappointment replacing Beastie Boys with this.

Those were the shows I caught on Friday. Nothing overly impressive. I missed the beginning of the day so I can't say Friday was a waste. There were like 20 bands that played before I got there. Slow start to the fun but at least the weather was beautiful.

Foutain Lake Loop

2009-09-23T23:42:00.001-07:00

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Foutain Lake Loop

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I'm finally to 7 minute miles on my 1 1/2 mile. I can't believe I've allowed myself to get so out of shape. I also can't believe how hard it is to get back into shape. I'm not really enjoying this 26 year old body of mine. I can't tell if I'm just experiencing aches and pains because of my work out routines and lack of stretching or techniques or if it could be the dreaded age.

Have I been so poor to my body that its catching up finally? Is that possible when your only 26? And if either of those can be answered YES then what the hell do I do to reverse it?

I can't be this out of shape this early in my life. I have so many dreams and goals that require physical and mental prowess I can't be held back from minor injuries and an unenthusiastic will. I need a punch in the face to get up off my butt. Dam you Netflix and Xbox.

I Gave Blood in South Texas

2009-09-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

Took a little vacation this weekend. Celebrated three birthdays with a camping trip to the coast. Happy birthday Amanda, Davey and Patricia; we're all grown up now. The trip was a blast. Not the best outing this group has ever had but not the worst. The beach was loads of fun. I haven't thrown a Frisbee around like we did for years. Forgot how much fun that is. We played horseshoes and bochee ball and swam and ate and drank. Just a good ole time hanging out at the best thing we can call a beach in Texas.

Then there was the camping. Living hell. That's the only way to describe it. I love camping and I've always enjoyed the outdoors; but humans are not suppose to tolerate what we endured. You wouldn't believe me if I told you Texas was in a drought. Droughts usually mean fewer bugs. I guess you could say there were fewer bugs like dragon flies and flies and knats and roaches and spiders. But apparently someone forgot to tell the mosquitoes they shouldn't be alive right now with out any water. I'm pretty sure as a group we ensured the mosquito population to survive on Mustang Island for at least a decade. We couldn't get drunk because the mosquitoes were sucking the alcohol right out of our systems. I couldn't believe how many there were. I smashed one that was a little smaller than a quarter. A Freakin Quarter!!! I thought it was going to pull my arm right off. They were feeding so much that one flew off me and it was red. So FYI: stay away from Mustang Island in September...you might die.

On a much happier note we listened to the Texans game on the radio on the way home. Go Texans Go!! Couldn't have asked for a better game than that one. Even if they had lost it would have rejuvenated my belief that this team gives a shit. They played their hearts out and I loved it!! Keep it up team and we'll follow you all the way.

Can't We All Just Get Along?

2009-09-08T13:05:00.000-07:00

Everyone needs to take a chill pill and stop fighting. I went to three different disturbances in one day. One of the houses I went back to more than once. One of the houses We've been to twice before. And everyone of them had one thing in common...stupid, bratty, ungrateful, undisciplined, children. What ever happened to listening to your parents and doing what they said and respect for your elders. I know I wasn't the best of children and got into plenty of trouble with my parents but these kids are outrageous.

How many of you ever pulled a butchers knife on your mom when she said she was getting the belt to smack your butt; after you attacked her and refused to do what she said? Have you ever asked your mother for 200 dollars to just go get a new phone? Its not your birthday or Christmas and you haven't done any hard work or chores for a whole year unrewarded. Or have you ever thrown a clock at your mother after she forbade you from hanging around a boy that not two days ago hit you?

This shit really happens. I know it sounds like cop episodes or a bad Maury episode but this all happens. And I'm the lucky one that gets to sort it out and fix it. And the best way to fix it is to take these out of control children to jail. And I stress children; because not a single one of them has the slightest idea what their parents go through to provide for them. Not a single one them has a job, not a single one of them doesn't have a car and a cell phone and their own room with their own TV. These children and these parents all need a good smack in the face to rejoin the rest of reality.

Only in this Line of Work

2009-08-19T22:44:00.000-07:00

First day at work and nottin happenen. The day flew by but nothing good going down all day long. I'd really rather start my day with a good arrest and end the day with another good arrest. Why don't the bad guys just flock to me? Might be the car. That whole "Police" written on the side of it. Or maybe the light bar on top. Guess most people don't drive around in a car with lights on the top. Maybe that gives me away. They must flee from the sight of me.

I haven't commented on this yet because I didn't think it was nearly as funny as it is now. Way back in March I made a traffic stop on a lady from Manvel TX. Its a little town south of Sugar Land on Hwy 6. Normal stop because I can't read her license plate. It turns out to be a temporary Kansas paper plate. I ask the lady how long shes been in TX and she says a few months. You had 30 days to register the vehicle in TX at that time. It had been more than 30 days. So naturally I write a citation and tell her to register her vehicle appropriately. And the shit storm starts from there!!

In May, after she declines to take care of her citation, she sends myself, the city attorney, and the judge a letter stating she is going to sue us for all this wierd made up stuff. I harrassed her and caused her undue stress and the "arrest" I made was unlawful and violated her civil rights. She said all of that in a three page letter that was suppose to sound legitimate. It wasn't...my wife and the city attorney had a good laugh at her attempt at legal jargon.

Then about a month ago they attempt to serve the now failure to appear warrant on her and can't make contact with her. She has since replaced her license plate with a paper tag that says "Sugar Land's Terror". The warrant officer discovers that her husband is running an illegal vehicle purchasing company. He is taking advantage of a Tax break by stating he is purchasing the vehicles in Texas to transfer to Kansas and thus doesn't have to pay some sort of tax on them. But the vehicles are not being taken to Kansas. So now the husband is facing possible felony fraud charges. And it gets better.

I recieved a letter in my box today from the husband that is declaring the judge must step down from his job and pay him and his wife $100,000 a piece from all the undue stress and injustice that has been done to him by the judge and his coconspirators (the city and all of us Officers involved). If the judge does not agree to this he will bring a suit against us under the "RICO" statute for violating his civil rights where he believes the total loss and deserved restitution is some where in the ball park of 200 MILLION DOLLARS!!

All this over a simple registration citation. If she took care of the registration before she came up to the court she would have paid $10.00 in court fees and had the citation dismissed. She would've been out a whopping 75 dollars after fees and gas milage. Now we're going to be sued for millions of dollars by a complete wack job. YAY!!

Thats One!!

2009-08-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

Our Texans didn't look to bad Saturday night. 7 for 7 throwing, strong ground game from Chris Brown, 3 for 3 on our field goals, and no turnovers. Not to shaby on the offense. Defense looked consistent. Hard to tell just yet. My greatest hope is Chris Brown this year. If our ground game can be a threat then the rest of the offense will flurish. Just imagine what our recieving corp can do with playaction that people actually fall for.

I'm really looking forward to the D-Line power this year. If our defense can stay healthy the potential to compete is finally there. I just can't wait for the regular season to start. I hate getting to excited but there is no reason we can't be playoff contenders. The team is there this year. The schedule isn't overly complicated. Lets get out there and kick some football butt!!!

Everybody Run!! Its the 5 O

2009-08-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

I had to write about this one because its a first for me and funny. Another note to stupid people: Do not park your vehicle illegally if you are going to a house party; do not upset the neighbors by blocking the roadway not allowing them to get to their house; they will call the police. So if you don't know where this is going I'll let you in on it.

Call comes across vehicle blocking the roadway parked on the wrong side of the street. I'm thinking maybe there's something going on but I highly doubt anything that interesting...it is Sugar Land. Well low and behold I get there and like 30 cars are parked in the street. I roll down my windows and listen for loud music or crazy noises and I don't hear a thing. I search around and kind of notice most of the vehicles are congregated toward one house. I walk up to the house and up in the window what do I see but teenagers smoking dope at the window. I'm watching them for a minute puff and pass and then decide to do what ultimately has to be done; I knock on the front door. And to no surprise all the lights in the house go out and I hear them upstairs talking about I think the cops are here.

Naturally no one comes to the door. I start to make my way around back and notice a couple kids walking away from the house on the golf course. I start to walk after them and I guess at some point they turned around and saw me cuz all of sudden RUN RUN RUN!! I take about 3 strides and realize 100 yards and 20 pounds of equipment is not going to catch a bunch of adrenaline high 18 year old. They did drop their Vodka though so HA!! your loss.

Some more units arrive and the back door was left open so we stroll on in and find like 30 more kids inside. Some of them are 15 years old. There were about 100 cups with beer, liquor, beer bongs, cans of beer, and all sorts of party equipment. So the 18 year old kid whose house it is goes to jail and his 15 year old sister gets a ticket.

The sad thing is that none of these party animal kids gave a shit about what happened. Its just another busted up party. So when they get to college they think drinking is the way of life and fail out of school. They end up back at home with mom and dad at age 20 and we get stuck dealing with them as they continue to do their drugs and drink like fish. Horrible perpetual cycle of job security.

Watch This!!

2009-08-12T23:11:00.000-07:00

This has to be one of the funniest videos I've ever seen. And you would never guess who sent it to me. Thats right...Rock on Aunt Paula...Rock on.

Where Did Time Go?

2009-08-11T12:40:00.001-07:00

Not that life hasn't been kind of interesting lately; but I'm just getting down right lazy. I believe its the schedule adjustment period. I'm finally done with the flip flop schedule and still getting into the routine of life. Excuses don't make up for the fact that I haven't updated in a month but it makes me feel better.

Work has been uninteresting the past few weeks. I don't go to all the cool calls anymore because I don't absolutely have to. We caught a couple of punk kids stealing from a second hand store. They took two pair of these god awful, ugly Nike shoes. I don't think the trip to county was worth the crap shoes. Then they had the gall to tell us when we found the weed in their car that most cops just toss it out and give us a warning. Honestly?? Your getting arrested and you say something stupid like that. Don't drive around with drugs in your car!!! Don't smoke drugs in your car!!! You won't get caught at home. Stupid people.

I had a good time last weekend hitting up the crapy casino in Louisiana. As much as they try they will never succeed. The experience will never mount up to Vegas. Don't think I'll go back just for the gambling again. Next time long weekend in New Orleans at Harrahs...at least when the gambling gets boring you've got Bourbon Street.

I'm looking forward to October in all reality. Second trip to Austin City Limits. The line up is better this year. As expensive as it is; I still think its totally worth it. Everyone cross your fingers for cooler weather that weekend. We almost died last year. I'll let you know how it goes bro.

I've been spending more time working out the past week than I have all summer. Got some goals that I think are perfectly attainable. As much as I've wanted to do this since I got into cycling the MS 150 is not gonna happen this year. I need a road bike and can't justify to myself to spend the money on one. I can't imagine doing 150 miles in two days on my heavy freakin mountain bike. Its bad enough trying to go like 30 miles on that thing. I thought one Christmas and Birthday gift but still don't think I'm going to get what I really want. Don't have enough time to train either. I thought I was in better shape than I am. The 45 mile bike event in February was a good indicator then, but 6 months of lazy beer drinking did not end well. I'm in the worst shape of my life. I can't remember a time when I couldn't run 3 miles straight without stopping. I can't even pretend to myself that I'm in shape anymore. So the next year has to be dedicated to getting back in shape. Then maybe the 2011 MS 150 or the Houston Marathon will be in my sites.

Done!!! Finally Over!! WAHOOOOOOOOOO!!!

2009-07-14T15:14:00.000-07:00

I finished my basic training as a police officer yesterday. I finally get to hit the streets and be my own cop. One year and one month later it is all over. I want to thank everyone who helped me along the way. I want to say a special thanks to my wife for putting up with the crazy schedule and late nights as a trainee taking the last call of the night. I just can't wait to work on Saturday. Do things at my pace and my time. Listen to what ever radio programming I please. Turn my police radio up as loud as I want and drive how I please not trying to impress anyone. The best thing is no more haunting eyes over my shoulder at every turn. If I do something it will be because its what I decided to do, not because its what I think someone wants.

I went through some interesting emotions this week. A 62 year old woman was pistol whipped in the head and had her finger broken all for a purse and a ring. If your starting to feel angry at the people who did it imagine sitting at the hospital with her watching her head swell and the doctors worrying about her brain bleeding. I don't think I've ever felt anger like that in my entire life. I'm still pissed. I know I'm not suppose to take the job to heart like that, and I'm not suppose to take it home, but if you saw the look in her family's eyes you'd fall apart. The suspects are less than vulchers. They don't deserve to exist in this world. There is no argument to be made for why anyone would do what these guys did. All the psychology behind crime doesn't give an excuse for the cowardice of these criminals. This is the reason I got into law enforcement. So when we find who did this, and we will, we can serve justice.

Its fun being the PoPo

2009-07-06T01:49:00.000-07:00

I had a great day today. A really really great day. I arrested two guys for being dummies and could have made it three for the day on a really good traffic stop if it wasn't for my soft heart. So don't call me callus and determined to be a prick because I really could have ruined this guys day along with his wife and kids.

The first guy, or really kid because hes only 21, I arrested today was for Assaulting his 17 year old girlfriend. He meets her for some goofy reason and they end up arguing with each other. She starts to leave and locks her car and he starts pounding on the window demanding something. By her mistake she rolls down her window and he grabs her by the hair. She opens the door and he forces his way in and drives her around the block a couple of times. He stops the car and steals her keys and runs away. He actually has the nerve to come back to where shes at and we arrest him. He was pretty close to being charged with kidnapping. I may still file on him for robbery because he tried to steal her purse from her and punched her in the face with it. This poor girl was hysterical when we found her. She really thought this guy was going to kill her or something. Totally ridiculous for kids to be fighting like that or doing things so outrageous. These youth are messed up these days.

The next guy I arrested was drunk like a skunk...or on one of the 38 Xanax pills I found in his pocket that weren't prescribed to him. And what do they all say, "Those aren't my pills, someone gave those to me, I was just holding onto them". This guy says some girl told him the manager at a bar raped her. So this guy actually thinks that hes going to do something about it. When he leaves the bar he breaks the exit door shattering all the glass. We find him across the street at another bar. Hes claiming he didn't know the girl and that she stole a bunch of stuff from him that he suddenly had possession of. When he got his stuff back she left him the pills and rather than saying no he puts them in his pocket. So this 19 year old kid thinks holding onto a bunch of pills is a good idea.

Well in case you didn't know, just so there isn't any confusion about how the law is applied, if its in your pocket you possess it. That is the law...Possession of Substance. And if your ever prescribed anything do not take it out of the original bottle. Keep it in the bottle because you have to do that. You need the label with the doctor's name, prescription drug, and phone number to the pharmacy. Otherwise it is illegal. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise. You might go to jail for it.

So I end up with three charges on the drunk guy because we come to find out he destroyed some other property that belonged to the anothe business and I get two charges on the jackass 21 year old. I hope he gets a little intimidation while hes in jail. He thinks bullying around a 105 pound 17 year old girl is tuff guy stuff. We'll see what he thinks after tonight.

Jamaican BBQ, Tubing the River, and Relaxation Afternoon

2009-06-22T20:41:00.000-07:00

I won't have a three day weekend for just about eternity from now. I'm really happy I was able to enjoy the one I just had so much. Great timing for my friend's annual party. Usually it falls around Cinco time in May but it was held a little late this year. She decided to change it to Jamaica Beach Party. Which worked out great in the end. They made Jerk Chicken with grilled plantains, pineapple, and papya. We washed it all down with Dark and Stormies and Rum Punch. We spent the rest of the night playing Wii sports and Dance Dance Revolution. Unfortunately I missed the dancing while I was sitting outside smoking the traditional get together cigar. I feel like a wimp though because by midnight I was completely out of it. We did start the afternoon at 3 with some beers at a pub, but I'm only 26. I really shouldn't be falling out so early.

We woke up the next day and enjoyed some omelet breakfast. We left around noon to the Comal River to do what everyone in the Hill Country does on a hot summer weekend...Tubing!! By the way, don't use Felger's tubing...they suck. Stick with the larger ones like Rocking R or Corner Tubes. We're suppose to get picked up by these yahoos and ten minutes of waiting and no one shows up. Its only like half a mile down the road back but after a few beers and two hours in the sun I really don't like caryying my tube back. The sun was bright and the water was cool and it was damn near perfect conditions for a day on the river. We had lots of fun. They definitely need some freakin rain up there though because I hit my ass on a large rock in a more than usual shallow section.

My two year anniversary was on Friday. I had to work all day so we didn't really do anything. Since we had plans the rest of the weekend we decided we'll do something on Monday. So we made massage appointments for ourselves. I feel so much better now. I've been getting headaches steming from muscle tension in my back and it just would not go away. I hope this helped a bit. Then lucky us we went and picked up the doggies at the in-laws and they invited us to stay for dinner. Rib dinner for me tonight topped off with strawberry short cake desert. I love eating at my in-laws...also such good food.

The weekend coudln't have been better than how it turned out. Spend time with friends I don't always get to see. Eat a bunch of good home cooked food. Enjoy the summer heat the right way. Some day all my weekends will be like this one. I think it's a good goal to work towards.

Day Off and Nuttin to Do

2009-06-09T14:31:00.000-07:00

Love my job...love what I do...I look forward to working every time I go into work. But man the days off suck!! Monday and Tuesday this week. No one has Monday and Tuesday off. My wife has work and class on both Monday and Tuesday. I have all this beer and all this food I'm cooking for dinner tonight and no one to share it with. Such is the life of a shift working cop.

So anyone want to drive over for some ribs?!? Leave work early and make it a special Tuesday night bash at my place! Don't bring to many friends though...I don't have that many ribs.

Right Place at the Right Time

2009-05-28T13:15:00.000-07:00

If you don't believe in pure dumb luck I would start now!

I'm driving around all night long looking for something interesting to get into. The town is pretty quite at night. Very little traffic and no many calls to speak of. I'm on the main street through town, hoping to find a car with drugs or drunk drivers, waiting at a traffic light to turn around and I hear a loud thumping noise coming from behind me. This big F-150 goes past me doing about 45 or 50 with two flat right tires. I get so excited!! This dude has to be wasted out of his mind to be driving that fast with two flat tires. I pull out behind it and wait for it to make its turn onto another road and pull it over. The shit is on now!

I walk up and its a freakin kid. A kid who looks about 14 and ends up being 16. I think to myself, self there isn't shit I can do with this kid except call his parents and get the vehicle towed. He doesn't have a license and therefore no insurance. Best I can do is write a ticket. Thats when things get a bit more interesting. I check his name and birth date and surprise surprise to me he's a runaway kid. No wonder he's driving a car with flat tires and doesn't seem concerned because he doesn't want to go home anyway. So now we call the parents. Dad says he doesn't know whos truck it is. Kid says it's his friend who lives next door. Then he says its the same neighbors dad's truck. The registration comes back to a business and its 1 in the morning and of course they aren't open. We find a pill bottle in the console and theres a name, address, and phone number on it. We can't reach anyone on the phone so another unit checks by at the house.

This house is no where near this kids house. Not exactly a neighbor. The other officer knocks on the door and asks the guy if he owns a white Ford F-150. The guy walks out the door and "What the F**K!!!" is the only thing the guy says.

The kid's arrested now and all the way to juvenile detention he's calm and not worried and almost bragging about the fact that he stole this truck. I probably won't stumble on anything like that again in my life. The truck wasn't even reported stolen yet. The kid wasn't from our city and probably wouldn't have been a recovered runaway for another week or so. I couldn't have phathomed this was the case when I first saw that truck. So if you don't believe in luck, I was lucky, the owner was lucky, and the kid was lucky he was a freakin 16 year old and not a 17 year old. I'll make sure to find him again and arrest him as an adult so he really goes to jail.

Alcohol may be the Root of all EVIL

2009-05-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

It would be cliche of me to generalize all family violence as the result of an alcoholic husband. That would only feed to the mainstream notion that all alcoholics are abusers, that only men are abusers, and that only men are alcoholics. I've only been on patrol for 3 months and haven't handled a lot of cases. I can only attest to what I've seen or heard and nothing of what I'm saying is using any empirical data to back it up other than my own experience.

Three cases of assault/family violence. Every single one of them was the result of a drunken husband. Every one of them the actor was intoxicated to some degree during the assault. To some extent the female victim was injured or felt pain. The women don't share anything in common. Their degree of education and work experience are all different. The men are all drunks. Their level of education and work are closer with the exception of one of them the apitomy of a loser. I don't have family history on any of the men or women. One of the women had been in an abusive marriage before. One of the women is an immigrant on visa status. One of the women had a child at home with them at the time it occured. There aren't any common charateristics except the men are alcoholics.

So if you did a study based on these three cases the conclusion is simple. 100 % of the time alcohol is a factor in the abuse. The abuser will be a male alcoholic. The victim will be his wife and no one else. I don't like absolutes typically but this is a pretty sure statistic thus far. I know three cases aren't enough for comparison to apply to a populace as a whole. I'd obviously need to extend my group and include controls like alcholic men who aren't married but date as well as cases of alcohol involved assaults where the man isn't an admitted alcholic.

I think this would've made for a more interesting research topic than the one I did during school. Although this wouldn't be nearly as complicated or expensive a study as my proposed idea while I was in school. All I would need is access to police records (I have that) and contact information for the individuals and lots of cell phone minutes. Might make for a good Doctorate dissertation some day.

At Least We're Not # 1

2009-05-09T12:44:00.000-07:00

I just read a funny article on sports teams and the most miserable sports cities in America. Like it says everyone has something to complain about. Unless you cheer for the Patriots or the Yankees; in which case you don't have a soul so you don't count anyway. The writer says Seattle sits at the top as the most miserable. I agree with that only because they just lost their basketball ball team to a miserable place like Oklahoma City (If you don't watch basketball at all refer to the "Thunder"). I would admit that really sucks. But what real hope did that town really ever have anyway. Its Seattle for peet's sake; who cares about Seattle except people who live there. I couldn't imagine being an athlete and hoping a Seattle team picks me up. Which is why I think Buffalo ranks at 3. What the hell are you going to do in Buffalo? I bet that place ranks among the top 10 worst places to live in the country right along with places like Detroit and Flint and Fargo. Those two cities are of no surprise to me when it comes to poor rankings.

What is disappointing to me is that Houston is ranked # 5. What the hell folks!! Whats our freakin problem that we can't have a consistently decent team for once. The mid 90's Rockets were awesome. They've turned into choke kings though. Playoff after playoff with nothing to show for it. The Astro's made it to the World Series one time in the history of the team and got their butts handed to them. The Oilers never won a Superbowl and have two championship wins in the 60's before the Superbowl existed. That's over 40 years without a champion football team. And we currently cheer for the Texans. We all know how that's going so I won't get into any details. We can't boast any college sports because seriously who cares about the Cougars. Our only claim to fame in recent years has been WNBA and MLS. Like the article says who cares about those sports. Its like the city has settled for mundane mediocre teams that don't really excite us or push the envelope and win. Maybe it's the humid weather; we're all just to lethargic to care about sports anymore.

Politics Smolitics I'm So Sick Of Government

2009-05-07T08:50:00.000-07:00

24 hour media has changed the social order. Everything is on demand and news spreads faster than wildfires in California. I try to tell myself stop listening to them, stop watching them, just drop politics from my life and I'll be a happier person. But I just can't do it!! (As I type this I'm listening to 700AM radio...someone help me!!). I don't know how to scathe my interest; better yet to diminish my concern. That's right, I'm sincerely concerned for the country and for the future of our government. How did that ever happen to me? I never used to care. I never used to give a flying F*** what happened on a larger scale than my own day to day activities. And right now seems to be the worst time ever to care. Things are so hot and debated and torn apart.

That may be the problem. That's why I have such a hard time with politics. I don't lean one way or the other all the way. I'm a topic by topic decider. I will never claim to be a Republican or claim to be a Democrat. I will never say I'm a conservative or a liberal. They come with such horrible stigmas these days. Politics has become so blinded by labels and name calling and just ignorant to the actual common person its sickening. And the real problem is there are people who buy right into it. I have to check myself every once in a while to make sure I'm not becoming one of those ignorant one sided emotional party members that just say the other guy is wrong because he doesn't label himself like I do.

That brings up another issue; emotion. I'm beginning to hear more and more emotion on the talk radio shows and in the voices of the so called straight talking likes of FOX and CNN and MSNBC. The reporters are sounding like the bloggers and callers and e-mailers. What ever happened to unbiased reporting? I know conservative talk radio is going to be just that, and that's why I don't listen to it expecting anything other than smack talk. That's why it exists. But when I start seeing it on TV (obviously much more widely followed than radio) it concerns me. It divides everyone and makes us judge the other guy.

Our nation needs a huge punch in the face to wake up and realize we're crumbling. 911 was a huge punch in the face, this economic downturn is a huge punch in the face, what will it be next? Our political system needs to wake up and revamp itself. I don't believe its being done currently at the level it should be. Strictly undoing everything the other guy did in the past is not changing. Changing is new ideas and new ways of getting things done. Our politicians said change was coming to Washington and it appears like things are status quo. Same broken promises with the same players behind different masks. Its starting to make me sick to my stomach.

Let the Movies Begin!!

2009-05-01T11:54:00.000-07:00

We saw X-Men Origins: Wolverine last night for the 12:01AM showing. I almost felt like a total dork. I told my wife the next time we see the first showing of a comic book movie we need to wear costumes to get the full effect. There was one guy dressed up like Wolverine; claws and dog tags included, pretty funny. And before the movie started one of the theatre managers came in and announced three IMAX showings of Star Trek next week on Thursday. The announcement wouldn't have been so odd except a lot of the patrons started cheering. The whole thing was the nerdiest experience I've had in a long time. I almost want to go to Star Trek next week to check for crazy pointed ear Trekkies.

The movie itself wasn't half bad. Guess it was a bit more than half good. It seemed to move really slow in the beginning then all of a sudden pick up and just end. The pace it was moving made it seem like it would last forever. And I would have been perfectly happy with 4 hours of X-Men as long as the story was told properly with some depth and character development. But really it lacked just that. Hero loses something valuable then hero desires revenge but develops a sense of morality that controls his rage. Its a typical story that's been told a thousand times. I had always thought Wolverine was more like Punisher in that morals and human decency weren't his thing, especially without Professor Xavier looking over him. I can see how maybe this movie is all just a ploy to get people to buy the comic to compare the accuracy. But I almost don't want to contribute to the ever growing Marvel dynasty just to spite them for making less than adequate movies. If Watchmen had let Hollywood destroy that comic the way they've destroyed X-Men it would've been one of the worst movies of the year.

So if you can't tell neither one of us really liked the movie. It was exactly what I expected it to be and nothing like I had hoped it could have been. They had a chance to make up for three other mediocre movies and failed miserably. I hope a good box office doesn't mean the writers and producers get to comfortable with rolling out the same crap next time. I may have to wait twenty years when someone takes another shot at it like Batman to get it right.

April Showers Bring To Much Water

2009-04-29T09:21:00.001-07:00

This is right in front of our apartment complex at Wilcrest. The Firefighters are gearing up to check a car down the road that thought they could make it.

This is Wilcrest going toward I-10 and Buffalo Bayou. The Bayou (or creek as any one not from Houston would call it) was about 20 feet over its banks. On the left side of the picture there is a golf course driving range that is under water. There's a six foot hill on the left side of the picture that rolls down into the road and is completely under water. I run with the dogs up and down this street and up and down the park along the bayou that is inundated with water. The houses that back up to the bayou have about a foot of water in their homes. We had 10 inches of rain in a 24 hour period on the west side of Houston. Hurricane Ike didn't even dump this much water on us. We've had almost 20 inches of rain just in April. So if anyone likes mosquito's come on down because I hear they might be the size of terodactyls this year.

Do Deee Dooo

2009-04-27T11:34:00.001-07:00

I really need to time how long it takes me to get to work. Sitting in the parking lot for 30 minutes really is a waste of time. The dry cleaner doesn't take as long as I thought it would. Darn those efficient cleaning ladies.

I read today that Terminator Salvation will be rated PG-13. how goofy is that? I really think the blood, gore, and senseless violence that comes with the annihilation of man kind couldn't possibly be depicted with that sort of rating. I hope I'm wrong and the movie is still good because I really think this could rack up as one hell of an action movie.

I also want to throw out some support for the Texans Draft this year. This could be the final touch we need to become a serious team. I can't wait for football season and Steve Slaton's debut as starting running back. Good luck Texans!!!

4 AM IS WAY TO EARLY

2009-04-26T08:18:00.000-07:00

I know excuses are cheap and whining is for whimps but Day shift is taxing. Two weeks of waking at 4 o'clock really does a number on you. I shouldn't use that as an excuse as to why I haven't posted anything of late but when was the last time any of you got up that early to go to work? And honestly at 26 years old how could anyone expect me to get to sleep by 9 PM to get the recommended amount of sleep? All the good TV shows haven't ended by that time. So need less to say I stay up in a zombie like state until my body actually shuts down and my wife has to shake me awake to move to bed. No use in attempting to type anything out if you can hardly concentrate long enough to pay attention to your favorite shows.

After two weeks of crashes and break ins though I move back to evenings. Apparently I'm not the only one lacking in concentration or sleep though because I've never worked so many wrecks in a single day. We had about 10 in a six hour period. I worked 5 myself. No one on our side of town can drive without hitting each other. And it's even worse when they can't agree on what happened. I'm expecting quite a few phone calls from insurance company's this week after no one can own up to their mistakes. It's pretty pathetic when a 26 year old has to tell a 40 year old that they were in the wrong and they should be more responsible. The lack of maturity among the general public is rather frightening.

I have one exciting note for the week. The typical person gets up in the morning and goes to work in their office with a slow and mundane start. They get to their computer and check their emails and get a cup of coffee and prepare themselves for the business of the day. Maybe a meeting to start the morning off or a few phone calls to make that weren't done the day before. At least an hour or two of catching and preparation for the day ahead. In no other line of work will you start the morning by clearing a building with guns drawn on an alarm call at a local business. Talk about a great way to wake up!! Pull up to the place and see the front door smashed and guess what you get to do because no one else in the world would be dream of doing it; go in to check for suspects!! Being a cop is the best job in the world. I wish I could start every day off like that. Who the hell needs coffee if you could get that sort of adrenaline rush. I love my work.

Nothing else of note for the past couple of weeks. Looking forward to May and the beginning of summer blockbusters. I am that guy who will go and see all the hyped up movies. I'll actually enjoy most of them too because I really don't' require depth and meaning in my entertainment. Good old fashion cheesy action, explosions, and flashy graphics is all I really want sometimes. That's why Wolverine, Star Trek, and Terminator are going to claim one of my pay checks next month. I can't help but be drawn into their simplicity. Who can honestly resist Hugh Jackman without a shirt on or robots destroying man kind or futuristic space battles? Not this GUY!!

Pizza, Beer, and Wall-E

2009-04-05T20:49:00.000-07:00

I don't think I'm as big of a nerd as my brother but I can't be too far off. My wife is out of town so I'm all alone this weekend. I worked yesterday for 15 hours and had a good time. A couple of arrests and a lot of paper work. I have the next three days off and not a lot to do.

Today I slept in until almost 1:00PM. I know kind of crazy huh. I fell asleep in the living room in my chair. I do that a lot when I'm home by myself. The bed is so empty and lonely. I moved into bed around seven in the morning. Only reason I woke up was because my dog had his nose in my face trying to wake me up. I'm glad they did though because it was a gorgeous day out, so I took the dogs for a long walk and enjoyed the 80 degrees and blue sky. I completed the afternoon with a bit of rock band and a couple of beers. I wish I would have taken up an instrument when I was a kid. I played a lot of sports and that was fun but I really think the drums would have been awesome. I started the early evening with some TV and a short nap on the couch; no idea how I was tired but I fell asleep sure enough.

When I woke up I decided to finally watch Wall-E. I bought it almost a month ago for my birthday. So I ordered myself a thin crust Domino's pizza with a bunch of toppings that I never get. I grabbed a beer from the fridge and started the movie. It is a fantastic movie. For as little dialog as there was and for the use of machine noises to simulate emotion it had a great story. Not to mention the political message behind the entire concept of the movie. Any one else think that's where the earth is heading? I know I won't live long enough to see it happen but is it really that absurd? Makes me fear for mankind. So does this whole day make me as big a nerd as my brother. I didn't watch the hours and hours of special features. Its amazing though how much we depend on our significant others for entertainment and company. We may have done the same thing if she had been home but it would have been a completely different experience. I would have been much happier and not depressed because the robot had a friend and all I have are my dogs.

Cartwheeling Dollys and Bad Guys Locked Up

2009-04-02T09:51:00.000-07:00

The title sounds like so much fun!! I have to start with the amazing spark flinging, lane crossing, furniture moving cartwheeling dolly from hell. That's right everyone. Did you know that when objects fall out of the back of your truck at 70 mph they don't just come to a complete stop when they hit the ground? Little lesson in physics; shit not secured in your dam car does travel at the same speed that your going and does smash my car when it hits it!! Don't worry folks my car is okay (minus one front left fog light and a bit of paint). Some jack ass decided he didn't need to secure the dolly in his vehicle and after it no shit did like three cartwheels across three lanes of traffic on I-10, shooting sparks all over the roadway, it came to rest directly in front of my car as I squealed my brakes praying it doesn't flip into the air and through my windshield. I'm lucky enough to roll right over the top of it instead of swerving and crashing into the cars next to me. Driving is so EXCITING in Houston!!!

You know how there are the "haves" and the "have nots" in the world. And the unfortunate or maybe less fortunate, or as I like to say the freakin lazy give me everything I want without any hard work, persons who want to be the other guy. One way of achieving that is making sure your family has everything they want. Right down to your 4 year old having the latest in expensive youth fashion. So I ask you whats the best way to provide the little extra that we want. You can A: work some overtime and make the extra money you need, B: get a job to pay for it since you aren't employed anyway, C: put it on credit and slowly but surely pay for it, or D: steal it!! thus driving up the cost for the people who chose option A-C since your too lazy or stupid to do any of the other less illegal and socially acceptable methods listed above. And why does your 4 year old need 600 dollars worth of Polo clothing anyway? Who the hell is judging your kid so much that you feel he needs to be better dressed? Is Kindergarten really that harsh these days? I thought cooties were the biggest concern at that age. Clothing insults really shouldn't start until at least middle school. So the next time you want to steal a small wardrobe for yourself, consider doing it at Good Will, more cloths for less money equals less jail time when you get caught.

Last week was one hell of a succesful week. We took a group of car burglars off the streets and a small group of misguided youth dognappers in to custody in two days. I got to point my gun at someone for the first time ever as a cop along with driving fast with lights and sirens. Not as nerve racking as it would seem. Traffic stops have me in jitters more than that did. The guy was completely compliant and him and his buddy are facing a couple of car burglary charges (another case of the "have nots" wanting someone elses stuff). The dognappers are even more screwed than the car guys. Texas is a firm believer in my home is my castle and if you aren't invited into my castle and you break into it, your ganna pay. Three people, all under 20, but thankfully of adult age, are going to find out what prison is like. They not only broke into a house but stole the family dog. I believe she said "but it was so cute I couldn't leave it there." What kind of sick bastard takes your dog? We're all waiting to see when Texas will come out with a family pet clause to kidnapping. Make a special enhancer to burglary of habitation or a new charge for stealing pets. Could turn it into a capital offense, committing a felony during the act of another felony. Get the death penalty or life in prison for kidnapping a dog during a burglary. That would make people think twice.

I would like to extend a great thanks to the witnesses who called the above incidents in. We wouldn't have so easily caught the car guys or the dognappers had regular citizens not been so observant or so helpful. So remember when your sitting at home and you hear a loud noise from next door, take a second away from TV or computer time and look around. Don't just freak out and call the cops for nothing, but grab your cell phone and look out the window. You might be the next person to save your neighbor from losing thier computer, or lawn equipment, or family pet.

Busted up Ankles and Fried What?

2009-03-22T13:36:00.000-07:00

I have one good story to report on this week. A love triangle that's more screwed up than day time soaps. I like to call it the chain food fling. The worst thing about it are the scary people involved. The guy is cheating on his wife for about a year. He's a real winner; about 50 years old with a job at Sabarro's Pizza at the mall. His mistress is a 50 year old woman working at Cinnabon at the mall. His wife is a cook at TGI Fridays. They all look like they work harder than they should and they might be ten years older than they actually are; to much smoking or to much grease. Either way the dude gets discovered by his wife like two weeks ago. She kicks him out of the house as her initial reaction. He of course goes and stays with the other woman. Well his wife cools off; and rather than just divorcing this "stud" of man, she tells him he can't see this other woman. She knows that they work next to each other at the mall and lets him know that if she catches him with her hes in big trouble. Well guess what happens next? The wife makes a surprise visit and finds the two in the back hallway of the food court sitting and holding hands. She walks up starts beating him over the head. She drags him off when the mistress stands up and gets kicked in the head before she can get to her feet. The wife storms out to the parking lot with her husband and that's where we find them after the mistress called the police for getting kicked in the head. The guy won't tell us anything except that his wife said it was okay for him to talk to the woman as long as it was in public. The wife admits to smacking him around and hitting the other woman. The mistress doesn't want to press Class A assault charges because he doesn't want her to. So we arrest the wife for Class C Assault because according to the state of Texas we have to make an arrest if a primary aggressor can be determined in cases of Family Violence. The wife cooperates fully and the husband won't give a statement or do a thing to help. He is by far one of the more pathetic individuals I've ever ran into. So we take a statement from the mistress about how he was smacked around and a recording of the wife admitting to hitting him and she goes to jail for the night. It was one messed up situation.

I think I have a new pole question that will be up shortly. I'll go ahead an give my opinion because this is a sort of life question. At what point do you call the police to help you discipline your child? The answers will vary from small issues to horrendous situations to when I'm tired of being a real parent. I say only if they kill someone. At no point should anyone else be involved in your family. The police have no business in raising my children. The school has no business in raising my children. My children will be raised by myself, my wife, and our family and friends. They will learn discipline and morals and ethics from us, not from the state. I couldn't imagine admitting defeat worse than having to call the cops to handle my kid. Or blaming the system for not raising my kid properly. Do people really have that little self respect to openly admit those things? I wouldn't be able to look myself in the mirror and call myself a parent. I would love to do a study on this topic some day. Find out parental opinions and the solutions they want. I'd like to arrest them for wasting my time. I'd like to beat some sense into the parents for having such little control over their lives. I know parenting will be a difficult task and dealing with teenagers may be the greatest challenge I'll ever face. But I just can't imagine calling 911 and requesting help. I don't know anyone who says their parents ever did that when we were kids or they were kids. That was completely unheard of.

In other news, I sprained my ankle while at work Tuesday night. I would love to say it was while I was chasing down a perp and it happened as I leaped over a fence and tackled the guy, but sadly I can't. We get paid to work out 3 hours a week and I was playing basketball with my FTO and I rolled my left ankle. Apparently I can't drive to my left like I used to be able to and running shoes are poor for ankle support. So my week was spent sitting on my ass getting taken care of by my lovely wife.

I was fortunate enough to be able to walk on it again on Saturday long enough to enjoy a bit of carnival at the rodeo. Next year I have to see the actual rodeo. It was a lot of fun though. I had a giant turkey leg and roasted corn for dinner washed down with a yard of margarita. Then we met a few friends after the nightly concert and split a bottle of wine from the wine garden. But we couldn't leave without enjoying some Texas Desert. It is a well known fact that fairs and carnivals in Texas have to include a bunch of fried foods. Well you would never guess what we had. We ordered four fried deserts on a stick. The first was fried cheesecake, then fried cookie dough, then fried snickers, and finally a fried Twinkie. I know what your thinking; how the hell could you eat that much fried food and why on earth would you put those things on a stick, cover them in batter, and deep fry them? Because they are so tasty!! The Cookie Dough was one of the best tasting deserts I've ever had. The Cheesecake was to die for and had I eaten enough of it, it may have resulted in death. The Twinkie was kind of dry and was the least favorite and the snickers was pretty good. It really makes us want to get a deep fryer and try other favorite foods fried and on a stick. I never would have thought a concept like a corn dog could be turned into fried desert. I feel like I need a salad for a few meals to make up for those treats. A good system cleaning is in order.

So lets hope my ankle gets better so I can go back to training. I really don't want to get behind right now. Everyone cross your fingers the doctor clears me. Another week of recovery is going to be really boring.

2009-03-09T23:29:00.000-07:00

I remember telling myself that when I started this site that I would keep up with it. It's been over a week since my last post. Going to be hard to keep people interested in my life if I don't ever give them an update. These darn 10 hour shifts are playing hell on me. As much as I enjoy three days off a week, the lack of free time on a daily basis is totally ruining me. Makes me remember why I hated having to work overtime. The stomach flu doesn't help much either. Wednesday was one of my most miserable sick days I can remember in a long time.

I've learned so much in the last week. We haven't been really busy, and I'm almost ashamed of that. I haven't done a whole lot at work lately. A lot of different things. A lot of emotional things. I went to two calls this week with very frightened and very sad parents. One 17 year old died from sickle cell anemia. It wasn't that hard to be around because I can easily rationalize that situation. The doctors told the mother she would be lucky if he lived past 5. We called the doctor who treated him and before we told him what was going on he knew who it was. I feel bad for the parents for their loss. The other call this poor woman accidentally ran over a 6 year old. She stopped to let the kids out of the street and one kid ran back for a ball or something between two cars right in front of her. He's okay now. The craziest thing about that whole ordeal was when he punched one of the firefighters working on him in the face for touching his cut up ear. Then the kid asked one of the other guys what he was laughing at. The weird thing was the mother was either in shock, on drugs, or just indifferent. The lady who hit the kid was falling apart more than the mom. Next time I need to get more updates from the rescue crews so I can stop the imaginations from running wild. I didn't know the status of the kid until we got to the hospital and all we could tell the poor lady was that at least hes screaming at the top of his lungs. Both those situations were very emotional. I kept my cool better than I thought I would. At least I kept it hidden better than I thought I would. I've never felt so afraid for someone in my life than I did for that woman who hit that kid.

That was really all of the more than "usual" calls I did since I commented last. This week was really slow and really boring. I started to have problems with my FTO last weekend. I didn't make him aware of them so I can't blame him for anything, but there really is nothing more annoying than coming to work with a guy training you and he starts the day by saying he doesn't want to be at work. That really didn't set a good tone for the rest of the day. So the whole 4 day work week last weekend was really a waste. Its over now and I move onto a new FTO and I'll start trying to figure out his was of doing things. The real problem is that I'm in the mall district again. There isn't much going on there and not enough exposure to different things. I feel like a glorified security guard working there.

So my days off this week were mixed. On the plus side I saw The Watchmen. I thought it was all it was cracked up to be. One hell of a movie; cool action, amazing cinematography, great story, engaging characters. Some interesting plot twists. It certainly makes me want to go buy the comic to get the full picture. If you want a good review go to my bros review. Between him and his friends they have some good stuff. I don't see how you couldn't enjoy the movie. Other than the length of it, because it did seem to drag for a few moments, it was a great movie. On the down side of my days off I was sick as a dog Wednesday. Stuff flying out both ends all morning long starting at 2AM. Then I got a fever. I'm still uncertain of what was wrong with me. it all seems gone now. I haven't been that sick since high school freshman year. Ten years ago was the last time I got sick that it made me throw up ( other than alcohol related ). That's a good track record. I'm so lucky I'm so healthy. So that's how I spent my days off.

Now I have Saturday, Sunday, and Monday off and nothing much is going on. A baby shower and a wedding yesterday. Lots of fun. people I don't really even know that Amanda has known for a long time or knew from high school. It really is a punch in the face to my age when I go to a baby shower and a wedding in one day. I'm that freakin old that there almost wasn't anything unusual about it. Especially when I'm attending it with my wife that I've been married to for a year and a half. Those baby showers could very easily be us. And by the way, why in hell do babies wear cloths? This mother to be got like fifty different baby onesies. The other mothers at the thing were like because you have to change a kids cloths like 4 times a day from all the puke and stuff that gets on them. That's outrageous. We decided the baby gets an all plastic room to play in with no diapers or cloths and a hose down everyday. It'll save on the laundry and diaper bill.

So that's that for the time I haven't been posting at all. I swear I'll keep up better. This post was suppose to be done Wednesday but then I didn't get off the toilet or off the couch long enough to do anything but see a doctor. I hope my stories aren't too much. Let me know and I'll cut back on the depressing.

1 Down 10 To Go

2009-03-01T10:19:00.000-08:00

I finished with my first FTO (training officer). He believes I'll make a good cop. That is yet to be determined by myself but I think I'll have what it takes. Amazingly enough my biggest problem is communicating with people. The FTO I started with today is probably going to correct any problems I have in that department. He put it as simple as it gets; enjoy your job and have fun with your job and everything that goes along with it will be easy. And he's right. As long as I don't get to serious and start yapping away all will go well. I need to find a giant nut cracker to get me out of my freakin shell. All in good time hopefully. Or it's sure to be a long 20 weeks.

A Little Dig At Those Aggies

2009-02-27T12:28:00.000-08:00

From a Q&A in "Texas Monthly" February Edition:

Q: How concerned should I be that the framed diploma on the wall of my vet's office is from a school other than Texas A&M University??

A: It is a fact that Aggies do make fine veterinarians, but there are many other institutions of higher learning known to produce adequate animal doctors. Where you want to exercise caution is when you see a framed certificate of graduation from Texas A&M on the office wall of your therapist, tattooist, accountant, podiatrist, LAWYER, plumber, personal pastry chef, midwife, or Football Coach. These are all cause for grave concern.

End of article.

Those two are particularly funny to me. Good thing it didn't say engineer or we'd all be screwed down here in Texas.

4th largest city? Really?

2009-02-26T17:56:00.000-08:00

I've lived in Houston officially for about two years now. I finished high school in the Houston "area" (there are going to be a lot of things in quotes in this post). Which is really the only reason this "city" is the 4th largest city in the country. The Houston area is huge. It spands over 45 miles from side to side. The great thing about this town is that it offers everything L.A., New York, and Chicago can dish out. Almost, anyway. I've never been to New York and I've never seen the L.A. night life but from what I gather from my brother in L.A. and from my knowledge of Friends, Houston at least holds up for a few hours of fun.

What I really like about this city is that it sleeps. Maybe I'm a little more boring than your average joe but I really like my sleep. We have better weather than at least two of those larger cities. Brag on bro no one can beat L.A. weather except San Diego and we all know that so don't even bother remarking. Once I started biking I realized just how lovely this over expanded city really is. I've been all over parts of this town by a much slower and more fun mode of transportation than the crawl of automobile traffic and you notice a lot more. You meet nice people on the road and the trails. You experience the cool February air and the beautiful Texas sun sets (although that may only be the result of the chemical plants and refineries, but it really does make for a peaceful evening).

Houston is the Suburb haven of America. You can only tell that you aren't in Houston anymore because you start rolling through sleepy neighborhoods and to many Home Depots and Targets. But it really does add to the appeal. Many people would say; "That's nuts, who the hell wants to live in a gorgeous five bedroom house on an acre lot with a pool and a detached three car garage for less than a million dollars?" I live right on the edge of the suburbs and the inner loop where the "city" of Houston really begins. Its only 15 mintues to my nearest get everything you desire and need strip mall, 5 minutes to blocks and blocks of multinational restaurants, and 15 minutes to the opera, symphony, baseball, basketball, or football arena. The "in" crowd scene isn't far down the street and even the bars out in the burbs are starting to pick up. No one likes to drive 30 minutes to have a good time and have to drive home at night. Much easier when it's in your back yard.

So this town isn't like those other megametropollis. It has the millions of people and large expanses but it still feels small enough to enjoy. It doesn't overwhelm the senses and dazzle anyone but it can be just as fun all the same. So to anyone considering a relocation, Houston isn't as bad as I usually make it out to be. Short of Austin I would consider this one of the greatest cities in the country.

Officer Longtin

2009-02-18T14:15:00.000-08:00

Really can't stand a week that feels like it should be over and its only Wednesday. Who invented Wednesday? Who invented the 7 day week? Exactly how productive is anyone on their so called Friday? Those are all the questions I had to get off of my mind. Now I can enjoy the rest of my post.

I've worked three days as an officer now and let me tell you it's awesome. Heart pounding, slick talking, gun wielding, loads of fun!! There is nothing more exciting than entering a building hunting for suspects in a possible breaking and entering. Nothing is more satisfying than serving a federal warrant with FBI agents on a possible child porn suspect. Don't let anyone tell you different because making your first traffic stop is the most nerve racking thing ever. You pray that while approaching a vehicle the last 8 months of training kick in because you don't feel like you have a freakin clue what the hell your doing. But everything goes smooth, you get back to your car, you calm down, your heart slows and your body loosens, breathing becomes natural again, and you start all over. Policing is unlike any other job on this planet. My service in Iraq is comparable but not exactly the same. It had the same ups and downs physically and emotionally and the same type of excitement but an entirely different attitude. I'm going to enjoy this career a lot. A whole lot!!

Valentines weekend was a lot of fun. If anyone wants to know what their significant other really wants, I figured it out, at least a little this year; its all about effort. I got the usual teddy bear and box of chocolates. My wife loves bears so she really liked that. I added a little fun with a new Wii game. Monkey Ball is one of her favorite games. But what she liked the most was the homemade card. If I was at least a little poetic I would have written something original inside the card but I found one that I really liked and it expressed how I feel about my lovely wife. All that was left to do was add a little personal message and I think I did pretty good.

The rest of the weekend was a lot of fun. I think mom and dad had a good time. They may have found out more about my college years than they wanted to know but it was one hell of a dinner. Nothing like being the loudest and most fun table in the restaurant. Especially on Valentines day when everyone else is so dam serious and uptight. Really was a blast.

It's Finally Over!!

2009-02-13T17:29:00.000-08:00

The classroom portion of my training is over!! >:) >:) >:) >:) Wahoo!! My badge was pinned on today and I am officially the PO PO. How freakin cool is that. I'm so anxious and excited and nervous as hell but entirely ready to hit the street with my legs running. Hopefully I don't trip after taking my first step. I'm so ready to do this job. I've been working toward this career since I started school in 2002 and its 2009 and I made it into the door. I can breath a little now. Until Monday when I start my evaluations. 22 weeks of on the job training, observation, and demonstration. That's a long time to be scrutinized. Wish me luck with that one. Its going to be so much fun. I'm so happy I've starting my career; in case you couldn't tell by reading this.

Thank you to everyone who came to support me today at my graduation. And thank you to everyone who didn't come who has supported me through my pursuit of this career. I couldn't have done it without you.

Recap

2009-02-09T04:52:00.001-08:00

Last week was a good week. Learned a lot about myself; my will to suceed and physical limits. I always enjoy finding out new things about myself. After all, isn't that what life is? Growing into yourself, your identity, your accomplishments and failures. You get to do a lot of that when you start a new career that's unlike any other or push your limits like never before.

I got paid three days last week to learn how to kick some one's ass. How cool is that?! I also received pay to get my ass kicked. That wasn't as cool as beating on someone else but with one comes the other. I definitely learned that I need to keep my distance. I also learned that I can take a shot better than I thought I could. My nose still hurts. I survived the hit though and kept fighting. It feels really good when all the training you've done comes back to you when you need it. I'm way more confident after last weeks training than I was before going into it.

Then Saturday I did something I've never done before. I participated in a sponsored bike riding event/race. Its called Puddle for the Ducks. Its to support wetland conservation. Mainly to keep duck hunting lands available and protected from poaching and things like that. Make hunting fun and safe and lasting. I don't personally hunt ducks but I know a lot of people who do and I know its a large thriving industry here in Texas. Anyway, it was a 45 mile bike ride. I've never done over 40 miles before and the last time I did it was at least two years ago. This event was so much fun. It started around 7:30 in the morning with about 400 riders in the parking lot outside Sun and Ski at Katy Mills mall. Then they just started releasing people in speed groups. The psycho tournament riders first or the Lance Armstrong wannabees as I like to call them. Then the rest of the people essentially; to include me. I realized just how far and how hard I could push myself before my body was actually going to stop working. Apparently somewhere around 30 miles is my limit without a break or some energy replenishing. I could actually feel my stomach beginning to eat itself and my mind started to get a little cloudy. I was almost worried. But I pushed on and a few more miles and there was the third rest stop. They come stocked with fruits, candy, cookies, Gatorade, and lots of water. All the essentials of a cycling fool. I'm glad it came when it did. When I got home and did my work out analysis on my Garmin Forerunner it said that according to my stats (height, weight, age, speed, distance, time) that I burned about 2600 calories for the entire work out. That's my daily caloric intake. I worked off everything I ate Friday in about three hours Saturday morning. That's crazy!! So lesson learned, need to stop a little more often and refuel or eat a much larger breakfast before these workouts. I won't get caught wanting to give up next time.

On a completely different non physical but much needed bragging topic; my wife and I went to see music by John Williams performed by the Houston Symphony Sunday night. Since I'm not cultured at all and don't recognize anything by composer or by name much to my delight it was the guy who wrote the music for all six Star Wars, E.T., Harry Potter, Indian Jones, and Superman. The focus of the performance was on Star Wars. The show was fantastic. Made me want to leave the theatre and go watch the movies. How awsome would it be to watch the movies in a movie theatre while a live orchestra was playing the music in the pit. What amazed me more, and only because like I said I'm pretty well the farthest thing from cultured, is that this guy actually wrote the most memorable songs in my lifetime that came from movies. I'm still singing them in my head.

So the weekend was a blast. Lots accomplished and lots learned. I grew in mind, body, and soul all in the course of a week. You have to love life.

Fantastic Month of February

2009-02-05T16:05:00.000-08:00

Lots of great things in February. Especially this February. My Birthday at the end of the month, Valentines Day a few weeks before that, and next week I graduate from my final stretch of Academy classes and start my new career as a cop. Freakin awesome right!?! My wife and I bought a rather expensive Christmas gift for ourselves and got a new Sony HD TV so all the holidays and birthdays and anniversaries for the 2009 were so suppose to be taken care of. Spend that kind of dough and get something we've wanted for years what else could we possibly need?

Well my wife loves me so much and knows me so well that she couldn't pass up a perfect gift opportunity. She found a deal on a recliner that couldn't be passed up and she jumped on it and surprised me today when I got home with an awesome new chair. I've wanted a recliner since I moved out of my parents house and no longer had the opportunity to sit in one. Recliners are by far the most comfortable piece of furniture ever made. Whats better than kicking your feet up, leaning back, and watching TV or just relaxing? Absolutely nothing and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. So with all the fun going on this month I'll always remember my Happy month of February gift as I conk out every night, and the occasional afternoon.

What the hell is a Cephelopod??

2009-02-04T19:17:00.000-08:00

My brother always writes posts about going out to trivia at his local bar. About his team winning and keeping up with scores and stuff. It always sounds like so much fun.

Well tonight I found myself enjoying a little trivia at Indigo Joe's. Minus the beers; since 7 AM comes awfully early. My wife wanted to play since we had time to kill waiting for a friend stuck in traffic for an hour. We assisted her in some answers but she got most of them before we could add our input. She ended up in first. Way to go honey bunny!! It was a lot of fun. We could even hear someone on the other side of the bar cheering after their answers. Might have to make it a small habit. There isn't any good TV on Wednesday anyway.

Texas Legislation

2009-02-02T21:18:00.000-08:00

I've added a link to the page that takes you to the Texas Legislature web page. Since their in session right now I would advise anyone who lives in Texas to keep an eye on things your concerned about. Maybe even read over filed bills and votes concerning things you might not even know about. Everyone I know is at the age that politics matter. Democrat or Republican doesn't matter, but the things the legislature votes on do matter. Growing up sucks because things like education reform and tax code and zoning make difference in our everyday lives. We don't all have children yet but some day we might and we want that future to be great. Don't let your representative get away with something you disagree with. At least send them a letter letting them know what you feel. Maybe they'll listen and maybe they won't. Then you can be an informed voter. Something I've taken for granted. I won't let lack of action on my part be the reason Texas goes to sh**.

One Super Day

2009-02-01T20:07:00.001-08:00

Waking up in the morning at 7 AM and starting your day with a 30 mile bike ride is fantastic. Its the only advantage to early rising dogs. I really wanted to go back to sleep this morning but couldn't resist 60 degrees and no wind. Last time I went there were like 15 mph winds with even stronger gusts. Huge disadvantage when your trying to exercise. Sometimes it makes you feel like your not even moving. Have to get prepared for next weeks big ride. I've never taken part in a sponsored road ride. This will be my first 45 mile bike ride. Most I've ever done for liesure was 40 miles; and that was almost two years ago. I'm so excited.

On another note congratulations to the Steelers. I really thought the way Arizona had held them to three and out two drives in a row they could stop them from scoring. Goes to show don't underestimate your opponents. Rothlisberger and Holmes wanted to win and they sure stuck it to them.

Two weeks left of training and I'll finally hit the street. Can't wait for it. I'm going to be so nervous. Police work is going to be so much fun. Wish me luck in my defensive tactics class this week.

Love That Neighbor State

2009-01-31T21:10:00.000-08:00

I've lived in Texas for more than ten years now and I've only driven over to our lovely neighbor Louisiana once before. So today was my second trip, hopefully not my last after such a fun day, in celebration of my wife's friends 24th birthday. The great thing about that place is you can gamble legally!! And its not like those shotty Indian Casinos you get in California or Oklahoma. These ones are actually pretty nice.
So we went to Lauberge first. Fantastic Buffet!!! Its all Ive had to eat all day and I still feel full. That was almost 12 hours ago. I had a cupcake that was bigger than my fist and two plates of crab legs. Yum Yum!! We were going to stick around and gamble, but apparently Super Bowl Weekend is pretty busy out there and table minimums were like $25 for everything. Can't a guy get a good old $5 roulette game going. So we went to Ilse of Capri Casino and Hotel down the street and found some cheaper tables. Not as nice of a place but still cheaper, more tables, and the only poker room in the area. Finally the fun begins.
Most casino gambling stories end up with..."and by the time I realized how shit faced and broke I was it was like 3 in the morning." I'm not quite that exciting. After the gargantuan losses I suffered in Vegas during my wedding a year ago I really don't gamble any more. So I followed my wife and the birthday girl around and leached off their fun. After about 20 or 30 minutes of figuring out what everyone wanted to do and where everyone was going to go the girls decided slots are the way to go. My wife lost a hundred dollars pretty quick; just no luck the first couple of hours. The birthday girl couldn't miss a winning machine. Up a hundred here...up a hundred there...and to top it all off a jackpot on a dollar slot paying out $$1600!! Holy crap!! She just couldn't lose. If only everyone could've seen the happy dance she did. Totally Priceless. Well that bummed us out so we took the hundred intended for me to play with and hit up a "Wheel of Fortune" slot and thank you totally random chance machine because she won her hundred back plus more in like 5 turns. Way to go babe!! So she took her luck and hit up a craps table for the first time. 50 dollars down on the table and walked away with 110. When the dice got to her she rolled like 20 times before she crapped out. She hit hard 8 and 10 four times and got $40 in tips from other players. She made one dude like $500 dollars. That's my girl!! In retrospect I should have jumped in there and started betting myself. Guess there is always next time.
All in all a fantastic day with new friends. And tomorrow is the big game with my best friend over and munchies munchies munchies. I'm going to have to exercise a lot this week after all the food.

We'll Try Again

2009-01-31T20:23:00.000-08:00

Here we are again. I think this may be my 5th try at a web blog. My life may be getting to the point where other people might find it interesting. Other than my mom. Starting a new career as a customer service representative for that "Sweet" city. Anyone who knows me gets the reference. I'm going to keep up as much as I can. New links, new photos, new news, new crap that's on my mind. A lot more is on my mind than there used to be. To much to bother with freakin Face book or Twitter. Check back often to find out what I'm up to and let me know if I can do the same for you. Have a wonderful day!!