Today is Halloween…but did you know it’s also…
Nevada Day (Nevada admitted as a state Oct 31, 1864)
81st Anniversary of Harry Houdini’s death (1926)
1975 – Queen releases hit Bohemiam Rhapsody
Birthdays
Dan Rather (1931)
Jane Pauly (1950)
Vanilla Ice (1968) (Musician…not the kind you listen to Grandma!)
It’s been really cloudy here for what seems weeks now. In fact, it has been two weeks I think since we’ve seen a day of mostly sunny. But it’s shining now! Still a bit breezy, but finally some sun! The wind was howling last night. I had to get up around midnight to see what was banging outside the window because of the wind. I was, however, the only one bothered by the noise.
Lily had a good day at school. Her teacher said she was the fastest girl in school. They had some kind of Sports thing with races and relays and the like.
I stopped at the book store on my way to the office after lunch. I have a thing for books. I managed to leave my wallet at home after making the poor guy at the book store do all kinds of looking for a book. I felt bad, so I went to my car and found some cash I had stashed. I ended up $3 short. Then he found a coupon and lowered my bill enough to accomodate my situation. Nice guy.
Trick or treaters tonight. Lily only wants to go to our neighbor Alan’s house and then come home and pass out candy. However, after some discussion with her, she was under the impression we had to go to more houses so we’d have candy to give to the kids coming to our house. She hasn’t seen the bags of Twix bars her mother has stashed away.
Special thanks to my friend and regular Vlog reader, Sean, who is always on top of all stories from Wisconsin… Sean has been especially busy this morning finding some good stories.
University of Wisconsin offers lecture on surviving zombie attack… Click here for Story
It’s not longer a 7 year itch… Click here for Story
Scientist find oldest living animal. Then kill it. Click here for Story
New Jersey state workers don’t get Thanksgiving Friday off… Click here for Story
Resolution sought for blackout football games in Wisconsin. All 7 Badger fans rejoice. Click here for Story
Moving kind of slow this morning. My back is acting hurt. I think I did it picking Leo up out of the cradle last night. Waiting for some drugs to do their thing as we speak.
Lily is at school this morning. Wearing tennis shoes! Today is the school’s Sports Spectacular. Relay races, challenges and other things. Too bad they don’t have a swimming competition.
We are in the middle of these weather systems. A front approaching from the north west isn’t quite moving through and we have a lot of moisture coming from the southeast from Noel. It’s kept the temperatures stable – about 80 during the day but also brings an occassional shower. Figures…it always rains here on Halloween.
Vince Belcher Vinnie’s Vlog www.vinceb.wordpress.com Brandon, Florida October 2007 www.vincebelcher.com
We’re feeling some of the winds of TS Noel. No rain, just a little breezy.
Lily doesn’t have Strep, that was good. Probably just a virus that’ll pass on its own. She’s home taking a much needed nap.
The volvo was dead again this morning so I’m at the dr. office with Lily.
They’ve swabbed her throat to rule out Strep. Lily said the throat swab won’t be her favorite part of her day.
And she’s quick to tell everyone who asks that she’s “not sick. I just don’t feel very good”
When I went to bed last night, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. This morning, it’s cloudy.
Lily is off to the doctor this morning with a nasty, sore throat and occassional fever. She was up around 2:30 this morning, but even then blamed her bear for waking her up.
How unbelievable is Brett Favre anyways? He’s just fun to watch this season… Click here for Story
Did you see the celebration after Georgia scored their first TD against the Gaytors?… Click here for Story
TS Noel teasing SE Florida… Click here for Satellite Map
I think I’ve made it through Monday. Actually got a lot of work done today. My “to-do” list for today started forming last Wednesday or Thursday. Combine that with an otherwise active Monday and I’ve had my hands full.
Sounds like Lily’s fever is still with us. I thought she felt warm when I picked her up at school, but she had a normal temp by the time we got home. But sure enough, after her nap, she’s warm again. I hate a fever.
Here’s a quick link that Means Something to Somebody… Click here for Story
Not sure what’s going on in the skies above us. It’s a been an extremely active week for MacDill Airforce Base. Dozens of jets coming and going – in formation, out of formation, some slow, some much faster – for 8 days or so now. I don’t know if they are just having routine maneuvers or if they are doing some serious moving around of the hardware. Night and day, these jets are out there.
Vince Belcher Vinnie’s Vlog www.vinceb.wordpress.com Brandon, Florida October 2007 www.vincebelcher.com
Commission reports there are too many reports. Reportly takes 668 pages to report.
By the way, this story comes to us from Texas. Capital, Austin.
My first thought when I read this story was, “the capital of New York is Albany”
But my second thought was, “this has to be a candidate for Mother of the Year”
Mayoral candidate charged with offering to buy votes in exchange for money and watermelons. Watermelons? Click here for Story
One thing I’m sure of is that you have to know how to tell your kids NO. It’s that simple.
Vince Belcher Vinnie’s Vlog www.vinceb.wordpress.com Brandon, Florida October 2007 www.vincebelcher.com
This would get my vote… Click here for Story
Since I’ve gained an hour this morning thanks to my clock, I still have time to read the paper.
In the meantime, I’ve found a couple of stories in my email…
Sick of work? Get an excuse… Click here for Story
Pennsylvania keeps NOT SAFE TO VISIT status with Big Foot sighting… Click here for Story
Did I mention that the capital of Vermont is Montpelier?
Rainy days and Mondays… darn I’m tired. I actually watched the last two innings of the World Series last night which didn’t end until 12:45am. Then I didn’t go to sleep until after 1:30 I’m sure thanks to Weezy. Crazy dog. I think I’m going to introduce her to Scoopie’s vet. Leo stirred just before 3am. And I was up by 6.
Lily went to bed with a fever last night. Not much, just something that popped up right before bed. She was ok this morning, so we’ll see. She’s off to school and I’m sure she’s talking up a storm about her weekend.
My fancy-schmancy Atomic clock in my office is wrong again. It thinks it’s an hour earlier than it really is. That just means I have to be careful to leave on time to pickup Lily.
Kind of a bummer of a football weekend if you are a Bucs or Bulls fan. Noles won, though. Oh, and I think there was a game in Jacksonville that went well too.
Hope you enjoyed the pictures and updates while we were at Disney this weekend. I’ve posted a slide show on my webpage www.vincebelcher.com
Vince Belcher Vinnie’s Vlog www.vinceb.wordpress.com Brandon, Florida October 2007 www.vincebelcher.com
Storm could hit Montpelier, Vermont…or even Augusta, Maine.
Our Snow White met the real Snow White and her seven, elderly dependents.
We are off to breakfast this morning with Alice!
We had a fun time at the party last night. Our little Snow White even found her own evil Step Mother who was nice enough to pose for a picture!
It got dark quickly, so the cell phone pictures stopped…sorry. I’ll put up more pictures later.
we are calling it a night. the parade and fireworks were great. the cincinnati contingent has stayed behind for more fun. ww’re waiting for boat transportation back to the hotel. not sure if i’ll get pics up tonight or not. maybe tomorrow! nighty night!
Here I am! I have my internet connection up in the room, so as long as I’m here, I can blog…I’ll even add pictures if you are nice.
We are getting ready to eat dinner and then head to the Magic Kingdom for the Halloween Party!
hello blog readers! we are at disney world for 24 hours or so. i can’t post pictures when i use my cell phone though…sorry. we are going to the halloween party at the park around 5 or 6 tonight. i’ll put up a pic or two tonight maybe.
Yes, it’s still raining here. Actually, it’s kind of nice. I know I should hope for a sunny day for those visiting, but the rain is so good to have. It’ll clear up eventually. Until then, I’ll be happy for the rain.
Just found out that Babe-a-licious is gone! Permanently! Woo Hoo!!!! I WIN!!!
I would like to send a special “thank you” to those hard working folks at the FDA and Customs offices in Norfolk. Ya’ll know why.
I’ve left Eric in charge at the homestead. In charge of what, I don’t know. So far today we’ve figured out that he can put a new bag in the garbage can!
Lily was up looking for Megan around 7am. Everyone shared a nice breakfast and the two of them were playing with the doll house before the dishes were in the dishwasher.
Not sure what the plan is for the day. I get to escape to the quiet of my office where there are no dollhouses!
It’s been quite rainy the last several hours. I heard it coming down as early as 4am and the sky has opened up once again just now. Sure glad I got the good parking space!
I stopped at Starbucks and asked the guy pouring my coffee where my regular guy Tony had gone. Seems Tony is home waiting for a lung transplant. Wow. Didn’t see that coming.
I have a friend going under the knife this morning…good luck W.
Now, if you don’t mind…I’m going to read the paper!
Drunk elephants in India… Click here for Story
Space Shuttle scheduled to launch in about an hour… Click here for Story
I’ve had to skip my papers so far this morning, so you’ll have to get your news elsewhere for the time being. I have, however, got a lot of work done.
A bit unseasonable here this morning. It’s been very steamy – humidity has been very high.
Today ended up being an extension of a working weekend. After Lily was off to school, I headed off to the office and barely got into the newspaper before Diane called with a dead car battery. Darn Volvo. Monday morning is the perfect time to read the paper and sip a cup of java. I came home and charged the battery – I think a cell phone charger plugged into the cigarette lighter probably drained it.
By the way, how much longer do we have to call it a cigarette lighter?
Anyways, we all went to pick Lily up from school and stopped for lunch at Panera’s where Lily jumped up and smashed her chin on the counter. I struggled to hold her and calm her down – convinced I was going to see blood. Fortunately, it was a flat hit and won’t leave more than a bruise.
After Lily’s nap, she and I went to the office and took care of a little work. She’s really good at my office now. I can usually take care of phone calls and anything else I need to while she entertains herself with a big pad of paper and some markers I have there.
On our way home, we stopped at Lowe’s and picked up a part for the toilet (the handle broke off in my hands yesterday. I’m a hard flusher, what can I say?)
Diane and Leo made it to JoAnn’s and back in the Volvo, so the battery is ok…for now.
We did a little work in the yard, cooled off in the pool and made dinner. That’s about it!
Lily is off to dreamland – as is Leo. And I’m about 2 hours behind them!
I’ve been going through the newspapers this morning…this is all you need to know
Good article… Click here for Story
Bobby Bowden walked out to his front yard Sunday morning and found a “For Sale” sign planted on his lawn by a disgruntled Nole fan.
Top Baby Names from 2006 (USAToday):
Boys: 1 – Jacob, 2-Michael, 3-Joshua, 4-Ethan, 5-Matthew
Girls: 1-Emily, 2-Emma, 3-Madison, 4-Isabella, 5-Ava
Space Shuttle scheduled for launch tomorrow at 11:38am… Click here for more
Ok, it’s not really raining. There are a few clouds and the humidity is up. Honestly, I kind of like it.
Lily has her first ever school pictures this morning. Her mother even used the curling iron on her hair – she was adorable. She came down stairs this morning and met me in the kitchen and gave me a hug that seemed to last an hour.
Not a very good football weekend. FSU lost. The Bucs lost. Even USF lost. But in case you didn’t notice – Tom Brady put up 42 Fantasy points!
I saw a firetruck get a police escort this morning. There must have been a half dozen cop cars speeding ahead of a firetruck to block off the intersections ahead of it. Haven’t seen that before.
Have a good Monday!
Let’s see…here we are most of the way through Saturday. We’ve had our pancake breakfast, straightened the garage and made a trip to the dump. Lily took her nap after we split a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (neither of us was very hungry after that stack of pancakes). We went to Lowes (new garbage can) and Linen and Things (Lily needed some new pillows).
We had a small snack and now we’ll watch a little FSU football.
Spaghetti for dinner tonight.
All in all, it’s my kind of Saturday. It’s mostly cloudy out, but again, you won’t get many objections from me on that either. I think I heard one time that we average 310 days a year when the weather is “sunny” or “mostly sunny”. So it’s nice to have a few cloudy days every now and then.
Go Noles!!!
Vince Belcher Vinnie’s Vlog www.vinceb.wordpress.com Brandon, Florida October 2007 www.vincebelcher.com
Sorry – not much up here today. I’ve been about as busy as a lead painter at a Chinese toy factory. (I love that line – I used it about a dozen time today)
We took Thing 2 and Thing 1 to get their first pictures together since being pronounced Sister and Brother. Got some pretty good shots too.
Saw this in today’s paper…
“Census Bureau data reveal a sharp downturn in New Jersey’s population growth in the 2002-06 period and a sharp upturn in the number of people leaving the state,” in a commentary published by the largest circulation daily, The Star-Ledger. On its front page, it published an article with the headline, “Jerseyans leave at alarming rate.” New Jersey has the distinction of joining California, Louisiana, and New York as having more people leaving than arriving or just staying. The survey reported that more than 225,000 people have moved out of the state since 2002 and half of those left would like to leave too. The poll found that 49% of New Jersey adults want to leave. Where do they want to move? Florida.
Ya’ll have a good night.
I’ve read my papers today. I figure, since I spent an hour reading I could offer you a summary so you can skip the papers and jump right to the important stuff like the crossword puzzle.
Dentists are abandoning their practices in Britain leaving many to self-doctor – including using Super Glue to fix broken caps.
The Space Shuttle has been cleared for launch on Tuesday, Oct. 29th at 11:38am. despite a safety group advising against doing so.
The murder rate in New Jersey rose for the third year in a row. Two-thirds of those killed were killed with a gun. 11% of the murders attributed to gang activity.
An estimated 17 million people play Fantasy sports.
Top TV shows for the week: 1) CSI, 2) Dancing with the Stars, 3) Grey’s Anatomy, 4) Desperate Housewives, 5) House, 6) 60 Minutes, 7) Dancing with the Stars, 8 ) NCIS, 9) Criminal Minds, 10) CSI: Miami
A recent survey asked people what they would do if they knew the world would end in 60 minutes. 54 percent said spend time with their family, 13 percent would sit back and accept the inevitable, 9 percent would engage in adult activities, 3 percent would pray, 2 percent would eat, and 2 percent would loot or riot.
Wednesday. I’m usually tired on Wednesdays and today is no exception.
Looks like another day of being early to all of my appointments. I have a clock in my office – it’s a fancy Atomic Clock. It is continually updated to the micro-second by an official radio signal. My clock, for some reason is 3 hours fast. (or maybe it’s 9 hours slow) It’s suppposed to fix itself overnight when there are fewer signals in the airways that could interfere with it, but that didn’t happen last night. As I type right now, I’m really late for lunch.
Lily is off to school this morning and she brought something for Show and Tell for the first time. She brought her Buccaneer Teddy Bear Cheerleader which she named Lily Pom Pom Buccaneer. This morning she’ll get in front of the class and tell them about her bear and walk around the room with it so everyone can see and touch it. I remember doing Show and Tell once. You won’t believe this – but it’s true… I brought banana seeds. I remember very carefully separating the little black seeds from the banana and putting them on a paper towel. I don’t know why I wanted to show everyone banana seeds, but I did.
Lily’s favorite part of the day on Monday was going to school. In fact, she was crying because she wanted to stay the rest of the day. Her favorite part of the day yesterday was going to the mall with her mother. From what I heard, the mall trip wasn’t a great one – apparently Lily thought otherwise.
Trick or Treat! Why give them candy when you can give them… ? Click here for Story
Football game moved because of… Click here for Story
PA woman has a potty mouth… Click here for Story
PA continues NOT SAFE TO VISIT status… Click here for Story
I missed one. However, I still think “Scrooge” should be a correct answer to #15
P.S. Scoopie starts with “S”
Vince Belcher Vinnie’s Vlog www.vinceb.wordpress.com Brandon, Florida October 2007 www.vincebelcher.com
I’m not a fan of Tuesdays. It’s like Monday’s stepsister.
It’s been a sad 18 hours or so without Scoopie. The other cats aren’t eating. And they have a lonely, curious look about them. It doesn’t help that I keep grabbing my car keys and asking them if they want to go for a ride.
Now New Jersey has ghosts and terrorists… Click here for Story
Middle class has it harder than their parents did… Click here for Story
Scoopie July 1993 – October 15, 2007
Scoopie was found as a wild stray in the woods of Polk County, Florida having failed to successfully negotiate a Critter Trap. She was originally going to be an office cat for a local Brandon veterinarian, but after a weekend at our house, we decided to keep her.
Without a doubt, the friendliest of our cats, Scoopie wanted nothing more than to sit on your lap and be petted. Some of us will never forget Scoopie catching an errant fishing line and hook in her nose. We didn’t know it would cost $100 to unhook a cat at a vet emergency center.
Scoopie was the first cat to greet Skeeter, our stray dog, when she came home for the first time in 1998 – if by “greet” you mean “hiss” and “punch”. Not many 4lb cats would stand up to an 80lb dog like she did. In fact, if Scoopie wanted a bite of Skeeter’s food, Scoopie would step right in there and take a bite paying no mind to a snarling, threatening dog. She loved sitting at my feet in the kitchen hoping to get a small taste of whatever I was cutting up.
In her later years, Scoopie slowed down a great deal but remained a loyal, loving cat. She was always a great eater – usually leading the complaints if the food wasn’t put down in a timely manner. She was the first to arrive at the bowl and usually the last to leave. She hated getting a bath, loved Catnip and knew how to sneak into the bed undetected at night like she was part Ninja.
She is survived by two siblings, Big Guy and Little Kitty; distant cousins Weezy and Skeeter; and her proud, happy owners of 14 years. We’ll miss you, Scoopie.
In lieu of flowers, please hug your pet. There will be no visitation or public memorial.
11 ft, 844lb Shark caught off Florida… can you say NOT SAFE TO VISIT
Do not, I repeat, DO NOT go in the water to retrieve a $3.00 lure.
Vince Belcher Vinnie’s Vlog www.vinceb.wordpress.com Brandon, Florida October 2007 www.vincebelcher.com
Anyone notice I have 15,000 hits to my little blog since I started last August? Fifteen thousand? Ok, that isn’t a lot compared to some, but still. And for those of you worried because you come here 100 times a day ( I know who you are by the way), your visit to the blog only counts once per day. Unless you visit from two computers, in which case you’ll count as two per day. (I average 19 people on Sundays. 48 people so far today! 679 people the week Leo was born!)
Now – that said…sometimes I find it necessary to offer a bit of a warning about my blog. I have a censor and she…I mean, the censor… keeps me from offending some people. But, really, my point isn’t to offend. So if I offend you, please don’t be. I’m not trying to offend anyone. I might poke fun of you, but can’t we all stand a little good natured fun poking? And by all means, poke back! I’m not sensitive. I dare you.
I receive more comments than complaints. And I love comments. I especially love the “you have too much time on your hands” comment. And, really, if you knew anything at all, you’d know that I spend 5 or 7 minutes of my day on this thing and who doesn’t have 5 or 7 minutes a day? Some comments just fall into the “Who say’s that anyway” category. Stephanie answers some of these best… click here. I get a few “You don’t know what you are talking about” comments and a few “I couldn’t agree with you more” comments. All in all, if it’s family material, I’ll allow the comment. Keep in mind, I can edit your comment before it appears to the rest of the world. I have to make sure you aren’t offensive and I try to keep certain subjects off the air. I have a few personal complaints of my own and I try not to use this as a soapbox. Ok, maybe a little. The truth is, I have a very good, legitimate reason for doing a blog.
So, enjoy if you want. Complain if you want. You can visit the blog as often as you want and you can comment anytime you want. I might start adding a byline at the bottome of a few entries… something like…
Vince Belcher Vinnie’s Vlog www.vinceb.wordpress.com Brandon, Florida October 2007 www.vincebelcher.com
Not really important, just something I was told I should think about including (Happy now?)
That sounds good enough for my yearly warning. Now, go back to your Friday.
I took Leo with me to pick Lily up at school. When you walk in to the school carrying an 8 week old bundle of cute you get mobbed by teachers and 4 dozen 3 year olds! Lily had a great day at school. I knew she would – she was in such a good mood this morning.
We stopped at the Farmer’s Market to get some fresh syrup for breakfast tomorrow and then stopped at a BBQ stand I’ve been wanting to try.
Diane has rid her head of roots – we are all so happy.
It’s still just so darn gorgeous outside. I think I’ll continue my day at home. I might take the laptop and sit poolside while Lily attempts a nap!
Yes, it’s Friday. And a beautiful Friday at that. We’ve awaken to temperatures in the mid 60’s. The windows are open, the children are either at school or sleeping. There is a slight breeze – just perfect.
Lily was in a good mood this morning. She was preparing a song and dance for her mother to use to help Leo if he started to cry. She spent most of her morning writing things down and singing. On the way to school, we played name that tune with the CD’s I had loaded. I’d tune a song and play a note or two and turn the volume quickly down to zero. She had to Name That Tune. She nailed it – every single song. She knows her music.
The weekend is upon us. We’ve got a few things to do – maybe get in the yard a little. I’ve heard rumblings of ceiling fan work. Leo needs one in his room and the one in Lily’s room is history.
There is no FSU football on tomorrow (FSU lost last night to Wake Forest) so my Saturday is free. Mmmm…maybe I’ll smoke some ribs!
So I’m at home working today. Diane is getting her hair done so I’m Leo-sitting for the second day in a row. What a cute little dude – he’ll just sit there and laugh at you and smile – he’s so cute. He has dimples – one on each side of his cheeks. I don’t seem to be able to capture them with the camera, so you’ll just have to see them in person.
