Man was it nice yesterday and today.  I’ll report later, when I feel like uploading the photos, about Brody’s halloween partys, but for now, know that I got to do some motorcycle riding today! 

Potter Park Zoo in Lansing, is a common haunt for the Brittons so we thought it fitting to go to their annual Halloween event. 

Unlike the Detroit Zoo, it’s inexpensive, during the day time, and requires far less walking in the elements.

The kids loved it.  They met several mascots, Little Caesars, Chuck E. Cheese, the Red Robin and a Bee from OCB (Old Country Buffet who apparently has killed off their current customers with lard filled food and seeks a new source of clientele).  The scariest one of course was the monk…um, is it really safe to have catholic clergy around young children? 

The animals were highly active and we saw a snow leopard feeding demonstration.  Later a stop for popcorn and cider and we totally lied about the hay ride as the line was pretty long.

They did have a haunted ‘house’ (tunnel) and Brody was insistent that he was old enough to go through.  After the first person jumped out at us, Brody was terrified.  As I entered each new section I would very loudly speak in conversation to Brody…’Don’t worry, I’ll tell everyone not to scare us and they wont!’  (Except the schmuck in the coffin at the end, though I did push the lid closed before he got out (wimp!).

Dayna turned 29 for the fourth time this week.  Thanks to all for the cards, gifts and good wishes sent by family and friends.

Dayna received some wonderful gifts, though nothing tops seeing the kids write their name (Maura) or kind thoughts (Brody) in a card or on an envelope. 

We had a lovely dinner at Bennigan’s (also known as ‘Belligans’ to Brody) on Tuesday.  This weekend we also got a babysitter so we could go out for a nice dinner together and do a little clothing shopping.

Yup, my wife is hot!

p.s. Don’t eat at the new mall in Green Oak after a U of M football game, I never seen so many drunk overweight thirty something men with buzz cuts in one place.

One Friday per month Brody has no school for teacher development.  I’ve always found this to be excessive; seriously, over the course of the school year, that is nine vacation days!  Most people barely get two weeks vacation and they have to spend them to address this? 

I realize I’m married to a teacher and should be more ‘understanding’ but I do think it’s awful.  If I had a license, certification or other designation that required CEU’s or if I just wanted to increase my skills, it would be on my time, not work’s or my customers. 

Anywho, I digress: last year this wasn’t much of an issue as I telecommuted, but as I no longer do, vacation days are being used.  We did create some synergies by scheduling doctor appointments for the kids this past Friday. 

Maura had two doctor appointments to follow up on her ear tubes, and all went well.  I have to go on another brief tangent; I really do love the doctors at UMHS. 

Once that was done, Brody begged to go to the Hard Rock Café in Detroit.  Why not?  We had the time and I wanted to go as well.  Brody even asked if Maura could come…so it turned out to be Maura-Brody-Daddy Fun Day! 

Hard Rock, though overpriced as always, was still fun and Brody loved the Kiss murals as well as the rock videos everywhere.  The place was filled with business folk on lunch, so the kids were a hit as they danced to 80’s pop hits.

As Brody played baseball this spring, and he is learning more about professional sports, he has become interested in the Tigers…for obvious reasons.  So while Downtown I showed them the old Tiger Stadium and then we went to the new Tiger Stadium (Sorry, but Comerica never paid me to help them drive brand awareness).  Kids loved looking in and the huge tiger statues all over, especially the primary one. 

Brody and Maura have grown to love museums and they knew there were some in Detroit.  I opted for the DIA.  We love that place.  I spent many hours there as a bachelor, and with Dayna while dating, eventually proposing to her in the French chapel in the museum.  Post-kids and Howell-move, we don’t get there as often, so it seemed like a good idea. 

‘SEEMED like a good idea.’ 

Maura thought all the sculptures were play places.  I failed to really prep them prior to entry, so I had to spend some time with Maura explaining that it was ‘art’, that it was ‘old’ and that it was NOT to be touched.  Props to Mo’ on this one, because after much discussion she got it; towards the end of the visit, she’d point at a painting, I’d over react and she’d look at me in disgust and say ‘I wasn’t going to touch it Dad!’

Brody was another matter, the overwhelming amount of nudity, artistic or not, had to be pointed out….and loudly!  ‘Dad, that lady is naked!  Dad, you can see that guys penis!  Dad, why can you see jesus’s Mom’s nipples?’  It was cute for like two minutes; from there it was just embarrassing as his volume seemed to increase with my agitation.

However, again, he came through.  We went into a couple galleries with 19^th/20^th century impressionists and he was able, every time, to pick out the Van Gogh and the Picasso!  That’s my boy!

With the goal of having Brod learn about the world and foreign cultures, we allow him to watch ‘The Amazing Race’ (my favorite TV show).

Tonight they are Kuwait, and Brody was asking about how others dress.  Surprisingly, most had on western-style clothing.  We kept trying to point out those in traditional outfits. 

Finally Brody hollers ‘Look, there’s a man with underwear on his head!’ 

Brody’s reading continues to impress me…and fill me with pride and joy.

Today at the store, he asked me ‘why do you have to look for the blue spot.’  It was a poster directing shoppers to sale items.  Throughout the store he read everything.

Now that he can read, he will then have to learn to ‘interpret.’  At Target I was looking at the clearance shirts and he saw the wall of imprinted t-shirts.  I heard him say ‘That’s a nice shirt.’  I looked and asked what he read.  He said ‘I love hot moms!’  It’s a shirt that says you love your Mommy…or so he thought.  Not exactly accurate!  J

The other was a shirt with a wedding couple on it and the words ‘Game Over.’  I asked him what he thought the shirt meant and he couldn’t quite ‘get it.’

Last night Maura was having difficulty going to sleep.   She kept insisting that I sleep her room, something we’ve never done. 

Eventually, she did stay in bed….at least that’s what I thought.

An hour later I hear my little ninja upstairs, but I never see her come down.  I walk upstairs and see her dragging a blanket and a pillow in Brody’s room.  I asked her what was up and she said she didn’t want to sleep alone so she was going to sleep on Brody’s floor. 

I probably should have said ‘no’, but she was so cute and pathetic looking (and I respected her sneaking around a little bit) that I helped her finish. 

They woke up at the same time, thankfully he didn’t step on her during the night, and played together till 8 a.m.

To finish out my birthday, Dayna took me out to dinner and a ‘show’ last Saturday night. 

The show was in Novi, so we headed there with no specific restaurant in mind.  We ended up at an Irish pub; Shaunecy O’Flanniganoooligans or something like that.

The environment was quite pleasant on a cool fall evening and the food was incredible.  I didn’t think you could actually make Chicken Pot Pie special, but they did.

That night was also the final game of the ALCS so it was neat to sit there, watch the game and cheer as they went on to claim a spot in the World Series (there were also the accompanying moans for the State game that day).

From there Dayna got us tickets to Second City.  Pre-kids we went ALL the time, post kids, post move to Howell…not so much.  They recently moved to Novi from Detroit and we have an exceptional babysitter so the timing was right.

We were seated at a table right in the front, center, touching the stage.  I commented that Dayna and I might get ‘picked on’ during the show.  Dayna, being so self confident, said ‘They won’t pick me, they’ll pick that blonde over there.’

Well, turns out the actors knew, as I did, that my wife was the hottest there and they did IN FACT ‘pick on’ Dayna.  During one skit, two chairs were placed at the edge of the stage, inches from our seats.  An actor was considering how he would handle situations as his daughter grew up.  During the skit he and an actress sat down in those chairs and started yelling at Dayna ‘Look at what I found under your bed!  What do you have to say for yourself?’  They had a variety of items and they were quite funny.  (The Actor called me a bad influence, and Fonzie as I hadn’t taken off my leather jacket).

When that was done it was a whopping 8:15 at night (are we party animals or what?).  This gave us the opportunity to go to a book store without kids; another favorite past time which just isn’t the same when you have kids in tow.

Maura has decided to audition for a bartending spot at Coyote Ugly (or do a variety act on a Carnival Cruise ship).

Hey Dad.  Thanks for putting the windscreen on the bike!  Don’t think I’ll get to ride it this week (brrrrrr), but hopefully an opportunity will present itself.

I did turn 40 this week and I’d like to thank everyone for the cards and gifts.   

My sister-in-law made good use of my Amazon.com Wish List (which is really more of a reminder/to do list for me) but it was great to get those items!  It’s now down to a nine page list of wishes. ;)  (and I have a good reason to go out and buy that PS2!!)  THANKS!

Special shout-out to my co-workers for going above and beyond.  I and another co-worker had a birthday two days apart, so on Friday they decorated both of our cubes (which are next to each other), put up streamers, mylar balloons, gifts of Geritol and even a giant cake with two gravestones (however, she only turned 39 --- whippersnapper!). 

My wonderful spouse and kids helped me stay young by getting me a Grumpy (7 dwarf) balloon, a Batman cake and they used wrapping paper with the ‘Butt Ugly Martians’ on it…turns out it was a short lived tv show on Nick, but nothing says ‘Happy Birthday’ like the word BUTT!  ?? 

There is at least one moment each week that I wish I had a camera with me.  Something weird, interesting, scenic (or a car accident that might make the local section) occurs and you think, ‘Man.  That’d make a cool picture.’ 

More often than not when those moments occur for me it’s not the reasons listed, it’s because I find some circumstance ironic, informative but mostly absurd.  Whether it’s the driver of the ‘Random Acts of Kindness / Jesus is my Co-pilot’ bumper sticker flipping off the driver of the ‘pissing kid’ sticker; a company with a large sign that says ‘We Care’ while giant smoke stacks pump out pollution just behind the sign; or the rich folk from Bloomfield walking out of the Pontiac Costco, it’s just funny.

Today’s had a historical element.  There is (strike that ‘was’) a restaurant at Big Beaver and Rochester Road for years.  It had a rustic look to it and on each side of the building was a portrait of Abe Lincoln.  Huge portrait.  Like 14 feet high!

Growing up in Sterling Heights, I was quite certain that the world ended at John R, so on the rare occasion we ventured toward the edge of the earth, old Abe’s profile would be there.  My folks moved to Warren and I learned that John R wasn’t any near the end of the world (that had moved to Northwestern Hwy by that point) so I drove by Abe more frequently.

It wasn’t until I started my current job a couple years ago that I finally ate there (Thanks Mary and Scott).  It was nice, good menu, they always kept the pop filled.

Sadly I noticed I was making a boulevard turn and as I made the turn, Abe’s face should have been stoically coming into view.  It did but it was different.

Abe’s face was there, but tattooed across his forehead was ‘Hooters!’

Weekend weather has completely SUCKED this year.  Every single weekend for the past six weeks it has rained.

Personally, I’m pretty pleased.  My lawn looks like Ireland and it is cooling things off.  However, Brody is particularly bummed as one of his annual highlights is going to the Renaissance Fair, which as a result of the aforementioned weather, we were not able to get to this year.

But I digress…I feared that this trend would continue this past Sunday; thankfully it did not.  Dad and I rode (the long way) up to Holly for a downtown bike ‘show.’  Basically, ride on up, park your bike and everyone looks around.

I must admit that I was pleased to see some studying my bike.  Dad even found a guys name and phone number seeking to purchase the one he rode up.

So many of the bikes are Harley cruisers, or Jap-Harley Wannabes, that bikes like ours stand out.  Throughout the whole day, it was the older jap bikes or the beat up jap bikes that got the most attention.  All the chrome festooned cruisers were so plentiful so as to be ubiquitous.

We had a great time and there is just something special about bikin’ with your Pop!

Thanks for going Dad AND for the subscription to Rider Magazine. 

I remember as children Willie and I were very clear on our favorite colors.  Willie’s was green (though I don’t know if there was a catalyst) and mine was purple (and I was always certain to add an epilogue that I had chosen it before Donny Osmond paraded his sparkly socks on photoscope – which is what we called televisions in the seventies).

One winter Mom or Dad bought us each a ski mask as part of our winter ensemble!  Willie was given the green one and I a purple one.  I remember that Willie then expressed an interest in mine, was reminded that green was his favorite color and then countered with ‘That doesn’t mean that I don’t like other colors.’

We’ve all been there: you express an interest in something and that is all you get for years.  At the start it’s great, all sorts of things tied to your specific interest; but we’ve all been there when after three years of opening that same color shirt, same branch clothing, same logo emblazoned accouterment and the joy…is gone.

Uncle Dave has been through such a phase, the Marvin the Martian phase.  For a time there in the mid to late nineties, anytime a holiday neared, the Warner Bros. store was cleaned out of Marvin merchandise by all those seeking to present gifts and win favor.

I believe this has since died down though I know he won’t turn down a good Marvin item.  As a homage’ to those martiany days of yore, I post the Marvin Goldwing for Uncle Dave’s enjoyment.

I have few friends (statement of fact, not a lament…and really, ‘few’ is rounding up) so I’m not one of those individuals for whom gifts, parties, or drunken weekends at Vegas are regularly received.

Fortunately, there is the monthly card gang.

We went to cards last Saturday and the hostess informed us that it was one of the couples 25^th wedding anniversary. We brought a card, though the hostess really did it up right, Costco cake and all! 

The highlight was two of the men came down dressed in hula skirts with balloon filled bras and did a dance (while this may seem random, it was done to concide with the Luau theme) for the still-happy couple.

Awwwwww.

Well, we never did get around to cards and everyone wanted to watch Tiger’s baseball for some reason. 

Suddenly one of them turns down the TV, turns up the stereo (I assumed he was just checkin’ out the Bose speakers) and ‘Leader of the Pack’ starts playing.  At the point that a motorcycle engine is heard, one of the guys comes out in Spiderman Boxers, leather chaps and a leather vest; doing his best striptease.

Fortunately I had enough in tips to convince him NOT to go ‘full monty’!

They had also given me the requisite black balloons, cards and some gifts (bubble gum and peanut butter cups)!

As a goodie-twoshoes, this was in fact my first lap dance…and based on this experience, I’m quite certain it’ll be my last!

Thanks to all in Euchre for doing that!     

Maura’s hair has been growing a little.  She still looks like a homeless senior citizen at times, but it is coming in.  Most importantly it is finally starting to ‘thicken’ (and I use that in a most generous fashion) on the top of her head, and at her front hair line.

Maura too has noticed and is talking about it incessantly.  However, she has been studying the thesaurus a tad too much as she calls them ‘Bombs’ instead of ‘Bangs’! 

Id’n dat cute?