Jeff's Tattoo Rules: #1-#5

Earlier this month was the eighteenth birthday of my first tattoo.

I don’t think it can vote now, but I’ll use this opportunity to create some legislation. 

I didn’t call it my “First Tattoo” at the time.

I called it “my tattoo,” as in, “my only tattoo.”  However, in the case of anyone who had the slightest clue about skin art:

Friends and family who had tattoos,

The artist,

Randomly inked passersby,

They all called it my “First Tattoo.” 

And they were right.

Denver 2012: Day 13

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8
Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

Day 12

July 15th 2012

Rising on all of our parts was once more slow and reluctant following the unplanned excesses of the previous day. Rosa and her sister were going to climb the 573 steps of the Mother Cabrini shrine and tomb, and then share an early and/or late birthday lunch together at El Rancho.

This left us to have an Anabelle and Daddy day shortly before my leaving. Our first stop was the swimming pool. Since the chlorinated water gave her ear issues the previous year, she was using ear plugs. The issue they caused this year was completely destroying her ability to hear the two kids she met and was playing with. In fact she didn’t even know she was playing Superheroes with them until I told her a couple of days later. We returned and dried off just as the ladies were leaving on their adventure. We’d get the occasional out of breath text message or photo (of steps, candles, cows, whatever) to show their progress.

Why Business Trips Don’t Produce Graceful Travelogues

Day Minus 1

10:30 AM: Wife’s cell phone missing; she borrows my regular one to go to bridal shower.

10:45 AM:  Wife calls home using mother’s cell phone to inform my previously partially damaged phone now inert.

11:00 AM:  Crazy digging up of all contacts that were on my regular phone from old e-mails to add them to work smart phone. Message everyone I’m meeting the next day with smartphone number.

11:30AM -2:30 PM: No clues found on long search of house and car as to wife’s phone.  Panic set in about leaving wife phoneless the following day.  Foolishly refusing daughter’s help to check car a third time would haunt me later.

3:00 PM:  Verizon store suggested best course of action was phone insurance for mail order replacement. Luckily wife’s phone in door pocket of car I didn't know  I had…but daughter did.

Denver 2012: Day 12

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

July 14th 2012

Following the previous day’s extended wanderings, any and all alarms in the same county as we were got completely ignored. By the time we rejoined the land of the living, Titi LuzMa had already gone out biking. We knew the day’s plan involved a casino buffet, and Waterton Canyon, which the zoo sign indicated had bighorn sheep, but the details would remain fuzzy until we had breakfast and our host returned. Rosa spent some of the intervening time fixing Titi LuzMa’s computer, which I swear I didn’t touch.

Again, after the trail wanderings of the day before, I expected this day to be much more relaxing. A nice buffet lunch before stopping to see the sheep in the Canyon, much like the way we saw the Roadside Ninja Stealth Bison a few days before. The fact that our restful day contained both an accidental six mile hike and extended urban wanderings should surprise no one by this juncture.

Marx Brothers Through a Kid's Eyes: The Paramount Years

Click Here for Part 1:  The MGM Years

As luck would have it, or more accurately as an awesome family would have it, I received the set of the five Paramount Marx Brothers films on DVD for Father’s Day.

My daughter was very excited to see these, as she really liked Zeppo’s name, and he’s not in the later films.  She ended up; once again, reaching the same conclusion I did when I first watched these films: Zeppo makes them better.  He’s basically playing the same role as Alan Jones and others did in the later films, but there’s something about the stage (and family) history he has with the other three that make the chemistry and timing better when he’s around.

Upon watching The Coconuts I was very glad we were forced to start with the MGM entries.  I doubt I would have gotten my daughter to watch a second film after this one.  It is VERY clearly a 1920’s stage play reworked for filming.  The three musical numbers, without any of the Marxes, that open the picture are fairly uncinematic and didn’t hold her attention at all.  The lower quality sound and image, coupled with the slow pacing meant that by the time some classic comedy bits turned up, she was focused on other things and didn’t care, “Why a duck?”    

Denver 2012: Day 11

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

July 13th 2012

We arose early (for us) in order to get on the road for a completely new journey. We did take the time for an Anniversary call to my Aunt and Uncle. Since she actually keeps her phone both on and with her, it went better than the birthday call.

In order to get to Colorado Springs as soon as possible, we planned to look for a place to grab a quick breakfast after the short trip east on 470 got us to Interstate 25 South. We knew there’d be no trouble finding something for two reasons:

Marx Brothers Through a Kid's Eyes: The MGM Years

I was introduced to Abbot and Costello first.

The Three Stooges have a much larger body of work, and were more easily accessible on television.

Laurel and Hardy have more critical acclaim.

But my favorite vaudeville team has always been the Marx Brothers.

Their unparalleled anarchic comedy wreaks havoc on both locations and conversations.

Something else I have the Lone Ranger to thank for is making my daughter willing to view these masters of the absurd.  (Watching the classic western series finally convinced her that, sometimes, black and white is worth it.)

We stumbled upon the best order to watch the films by happy happenstance.

Denver 2012: Day 10

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

July 12th 2012

We slept late on purpose for a change, had a calm breakfast and went to the pool through the now miraculously working garage door. Once we’d been satisfactorily chlorinated, we dried off and ventured out on the day’s adventure.

The Downtown Aquarium was our goal and we reached it in time for lunch. I will admit that I compare every vacation (and in extreme cases every waking moment) to Disney World, but this time wasn’t my fault.

A Carnivore's Guide To Cardiology: The Just In Case Coronary Clearing Conga

Short Version:
I needed another stent due to some shifting of previously existing vessel plaque, but my cardiac health overall is excellent, and my cardiologist continues to be awesome.

Long Version: