Talking Tools???

Handy Manny cracks me up. I can't believe that I am watching this show right now.

Yesterday we had Use of Force training at work. It was much different than any of the ones I have been to since I have been with the department. Usually we have 2 trainings a year for Use of Force and they are traditionally big screw off days. Not this time though!! This time the class was set up to be VERY physical. And you should have heard the bitchin that was going on!

Now don't get me wrong, but there are some people I work with that (if something should ever go wrong, and I need people to come rescue me) I just would not want them to be the first ones through the door. Basically what I am saying is I have no faith in a certain few. These same few are the ones who complained the ENTIRE time yesterday because they actually had to do something physical. I like everyone that I work with, but damn.........just do the f**kin training and quit your bitchin.

So I am sore today, for the first time ever, after the training yesterday. This is pretty cool though, because I actually got something out of the training and was able to improve my skills. I am very glad I do not work day right now because I am sure the lazy ones are doing nothing but whining today at work. Thank you nights:)

In other news, there is nothing new going on. K is sick.......again. E has a little runny nose/cough........again. I am not sick..........again:)

Next Monday is the first meeting of the newly formed RW Photography Club. I am a little torn about going though. I have arranged to have off until 10pm which is cool. The dilemma is, I am suppose to be bowling on Monday, but I also want to go to this meeting. Do I bowl or do I go to the meeting? I am rather sick of the bowling, or should I say with a person who thinks that my bowling alone should win us games, so she does not care about how she or anyone else does.........just me. Lots of pressure for a guy when none of the rest of the team has an average over 132. I do feel the obligation to them though. ARRRGH!!!

E has now finished eating her Cocoa.puffs (yes I let her eat cocoa.puffs) and she now wants to get down from her booster. To make up for the cereal she had, K made her a banana/strawberry yogurt/orange juice smoothie, which E loves. I am even going to try one!!

Thats all for now.

Greg

#2......or is it #1?

An expensive camera is what I have. I love it. In my mind it is totally worth what we paid for it. I love the photo's it takes, and every time I take pictures that I like/love, it makes me want to take more. I love taking pictures (which is weird for me I think. I never would have guessed I would love photography), and I cannot wait for the times when I can go out and take more pictures.

All this excitement and enthusiasm and this is what I am reduced to......





















Taking pictures of PEE in a kids training potty. I am sure this photo will win awards :(

Greg

Nights.....ick

Things going on with me:

1. Tonight starts my 3 months of nights. Not real excited, but what can you do.

2. Last night I bowled with my BIL, and I kicked ass.......for me. 223, 213, 217=653 series!! HOORAY FOR ME. can't wait for 2 weeks from now when I get to bowl with S again!! Its nice to bowl in a competitive league again.

3. The wife and I have both been irritable lately. Do we both have our periods?? Hopefully date night this next week will help.

4. I should be sleeping right now so I can stay up all night tonight at work, but I am not tired. Damn.

5. Tried to take photos of the moon the other night during the lunar eclipse, but the camera got so cold it actually stopped taking pictures. I am serious. After it came back in the house and warmed up, it still works just fine.

Well I think that's about all for now. I am going to try and lay down to sleep. Wish me luck!!

Greg

Has it really been this long?

I can see that I have not posted since last Sunday. I have had to work all this week until today, and I am beat. I am home with the E and she is feeling much better. This is a good thing, for I was really worried about her this last weekend. It was kind of funny that K was the one with no patience this last weekend, and I was the mostly calm one.


I start the night rotation tomorrow night. This is a double edged sword. On one hand I don't get to see my family and I always feel like I miss out on 3 months of our family's life. OH and I never sleep very good. On the other hand, there will be 3 WONDERFULL months of not having to deal with administration. This coupled with the fact that 2 months of the 3, the only time I see crooks are when they are sleeping. You heard right, for 2 months I will have virtually NO contact with criminals!! Well except when I have to go to intake to thump some drunk that comes in. P.S.-that does not happen very often.


Well I need to go and get the kitchen cleaned up. It has been a disaster ever since we recieved our pile of new paper.ed chef stuff.



Greg

E and K

These are the 2 biggest loves of my life. They are the reason I work myself to the bone, the reason I wake up in the morning, the reason I breath day after day. I love these 2 girls more than I can express in words.



Besides, how FRICKIN cute is this?????

The small one has been sick (to the tune of a 105.6 degree temp) since Thursday night. The older one I am sure will get the same cold. Hopefully the rest of the winter will move on quickly so that this house can no longer be a house of sickness.

Greg

P.S. No more posts or comments on this blog about the rights and wrongs of society.

NOT THE ONLY ONE!!!

Apperently I was not the only one who saw something wrong with the whole grammy topic that I had brought up about a week ago. This is a letter to the editor from the local newspaper from this last week.

To the Editor:
Is it just me or are the audio and visual media (TV, movies, radio, magazine) and the various forms of government sending mixed messages? Why do they glorify, idolize and otherwise support recreational drug use and abuse? Why do they give awards to some of the most notorious addicts? Why do we encourage drug abuse in the entertainment industry by rewarding its addicts?

Why do we buy the products and performances from these same addicts and habitual drug abusers?

Why will we absolutely not allow athletes to participate in sports at any level of play (high school to International Olympics to professional) if they use any controlled substance?
Is the difference “art?” If so, why is performing art so much different from athletic art? Do they not both perform for pay? Why do we forgive actors and singers for the same sins for which we penalize athletes? Why does our government forbid entry to the country by known drug addicts yet allow their work to be broadcast over the airwaves which are under government control?

My grandmother used to tell me “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.” I guess she was wrong.

I thought I understood. I thought I knew right from wrong. I guess not, but then I’ve been getting mixed messages.

Concerned Citizen
Red Wing

This is exactly what I was trying to say. I probably should not have brought this up again, but I guess I just could not resist.

Ehhhh, post recant

OK OK......fine! You people win, and I did not. Amy Winehouse does have unique music, and yes musicians and actors/actresses should not be role models, and yes it is our job as parents to be role models, and yes she is talented and deserved the grammys, and yes I realize the fact she does MEGA amounts of drugs does not change the fact she is a good artist.

YOU WIN and I am shamed:)

Off to bowling to kick ass for yet another week. This week we are bowling the last place team and we have to give them about 130 pins before the game even starts. The normal amount of pins we spot teams is about 30-40. Nothing like being WAY down before you even start!

Greg

Angry

Just one more quick post about the grammys.

Amy Winehouse has one 2 awards so far, for best new artist and song of the year. Does anyone see a problem with this?? SHE IS A DRUG ADDICT!!!!!!!!! Is this the role model we want winning awards and getting popular and getting honored by winning a grammy?

I do not rant much on this blog, but I think this is rediculous. I know there are lots of music people that use drugs, but I don't ever remember watching Motley Crue up on stage accepting a grammy. I might be wrong, but so is this drugged out train wreck that is winning musics most coveted award.

PATHETIC.

Greg

New camera fun

Lets get lost tonight, you can be my black kate MOSS tonight, you play secretary-I'll play boss tonight................

Sorry just was watching the weird, shitty, overdone, dissapointing preformance by Kanye tonight at the grammy's.

I have some pictures to post that were taken with the new camera. I will only post a couple or 4 then you will have to go to my photo blog to see more!

It has been so windy the last 2 days here in MN that this is how our roads have looked while you drive down them.

As you can imagine, there have been quite a few drifts across the roads around here. This morning on the way into town for a delicious Caribou Mocha..............

........I hit one of these drifts and it actually launched my of the pavement. Yes I caught air off a frickin snow drift!! It was fun, I mean scary (so my wife doesn't freak out).

Well thats about it for today. Will post more this week as I only will have to work 2 days out of the last 11 days!!

Greg

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!! (for real this time)

Today is officially my 31st birthday. I woke up this morning to the smell of fresh baked cinnamon rolls. My lovely wife made them this morning for me, and I ate them. They were good.


Anybody wondering what I got for my birthday??



Here it is.





Oh the fun I have had since the day it arrived on our doorstep. Later today I will post some pictures that I have taken with it. We are going to start getting ready to head down to Rochester for some delicious Ol.ive garden for lunch. Then we are talking about going to a nature center afterwards.

Greg

My MEME

Well I was "tagged" by both Max's Mom and by Father-of-Five and oddly they were both pretty much the same meme. Both have me telling 7 things about myself that people may not know. SO I think I am going to try and tackle both meme's in one post. And here we go.

1. I sing along to Neil Diamond, and Bing Crosby when I am alone in the car.

2. I was officially made a Field Training Officer Tuesday at work. I got certified to be one about 1 1/2 years ago and they made me jump through a whole bunch of hoops since then. But yesterday I finally was given the pin to wear and put on the oficial list of FTO's. It is not a big step up, but I am extremely proud of the accomplishment.



3. I snore bad. I have sleep apnea and I am suppose to use a c-pap machine to help stop the snoring. I don't use it. I should. I hate the way it feels on my face, and I only keep it on for 2 hours a night anyway. I admit I have not given the machine a fair shot, but I am hard headed and hate to try new things.

4. I love bowling. Not just like, but love. If we had millions of dollars, I would become good enough to bowl on the professional tour. Really. (I have the PBA recording on TIVO every week)

5. I am scared to death to have more kids. Not just because of all the things that could go wrong, but also because I am affraid of being a good father to just 1 kid, how am I ever going to handle 2. How is it possible that I am not affraid of 50 criminals in a housing unit, but I am TERRIFIED of having 2 children in the house by myself when K is gone?

6. I am good at many things, but master of none. I wish I had my college degree.

7. I really want to travel to Europe and trace the route of the Allies from Normandy to Belgium. For some reason I have embraced WWII as something I have become interested in. I am not quite obsessed with WWII, but I am about as close as you can get without being obsessed.

And there you have go. I actually started this on Wednesday, but needed some time to think. This was very much harder than I thought it would be. I don't think I am going to "tag" anyone by name, but if you would like to do this then consider yourself tagged.

Greg

Hello again.....

Well I have yet another post for those of you who visit this blog. I took these photos last weekend. the candy dish was taken with the Fuji point and shoot we have and the candle was taken with the Canon.

and there you have it. Please check out my photo blog at Badge's Evil Twin. Go ahead and comment when you check it out, and let me know what we think!

Greg

I'm here.

I am here and I will post again on Wednesday, I swear!! I was tagged by Max's Mom and Father of Five, and I swear I will do both this week on my days off!

Must now go to bed though, as I do have to be up in less than 6 hours.

Greg

Fun with GIMP editing software!!

So I bought this GIMP software on E.bay for $5 to give it a try, and if I didn't like it, then I would only be out $5. Well I have spent the last week trying to put color back into a black and white photo. After hours of messing around and searching the net, I finally figured out how to do it!! So here are some that I did tonight.


This one is of a vase at my aunts house the other night.







The next one is from our vacation to northern Wisconsin last summer. It was taken at Copper Falls State Park.





And the last one was taken at our wedding. Miss, you should recognize this one!! Notice K's reflection in my sunglasses, shes in COLOR!!



So that is that. I am pretty proud and can't wait to see what else this program can do!!

Greg