Thursday, November 29, 2012

Halloween 2012



       **Another blog post first published yesterday on my newest blog page  http://exploreb-ham.blogspot.com/    Enjoy!  Please send comments to this page   good or bad  or go to my new Facebook page  at      Wyoming Jack/Bobble Head's Blogs Exploring Bellingham & Whatcom county           with updates from both blogs, pictures, local events, and lots of coffee love!  A great sight, if I do say so myself.   **





I was very happy to have this Halloween off of work. I love my job, but spending the "holiday" with my three kiddos is much betterer for sure! We already knew better than to attend the Trunk or Treat event at the massive Christ Is King Church. This is a great event, but it is always way packed. Plus going from car to car in a parking lot, does not seem much like trick or treating to me. We also knew not to go to the event at Bellis Fair Mall. If you have been there, you know.



In the morning Max, our youngest, and I set off on some trails near our house in beautiful Fairhaven. To wear out our son and the dog. I managed to get some neat pictures. Although I wanted some fog filled pictures from inside the Bay View Cemetery. What could be more Halloween-isk? Is that even a word? But on this day, it wasn't an option.





The closest picture I got that day that was creepy at all.









And his view....









Personal favorite tree in the middle of Fairhaven Park






Always more trails to explore!






Than it was time to dress up and head to Bellingham's great down town.

I used bits and pieces of costumes, and we are still not sure what I was this year.



MANY of the local business gave out lots of candy! The instant winners in my book were the downtown barber shop--who gave out wrist text devices to all of the kids. And Rocket Donuts who gave out free donuts---even for the adults!



One only had to look for the orange and black balloons, to receive lots of sugar!


We than roamed the very busy and hilly streets of Fairhaven's down town. About the time it started to get dark, and the stores were running out of candy, Washington weather returned and the rain started to dump on everyone.





We went to Hillcrest Chapel to dry off.

They had lots of events for kids and lots of coffee and goodies for the adults.






Part of the kids massive haul.



Most years my wife and I lock ourselves in the bedroom and search the candy for dangerous and or poisons. Mainly stashing some of the best stuff for ourselves. We should get some benefit for walking all over town with the kids. But this year, we figured all of the candy was beyond safe.

Except for lots of rain towards the end, it was a very nice Halloween. I recall many freezing, snow filled Halloweens while growing up in Wyoming.





With many daze of no school coming up for any of us with kids----I take a minute to mention all of the craft kits that Wal- Mart has to offer. Many are very reasonable--and most are pretty cool. The above --- our boys and I did. And it makes two catapults. Complete with ammo and targets. And lots of stickers to decorate. But they have lots of other choices also.

We also got several gingerbread house kits. Something we do every year. I will think about listing some of our other traditions, as it actually gets closer to Christmas.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Coffee Quotes & Random Deep Thoughts




       This page has been a great experience for me for several years now.  I can vent on people or businesses without actually having to offend anyone face to face.  Just the writing is very calming for me.  I hope that others agree with some of my rambling, and if they don't there are tons of ways to contact me.   I love haters!   And I hope that my jokes or attempts at jokes make you smile at least a lil bit.  I hope to get back to sitting down each day and adding to the files of this sight or my newest blog sight.  And dusting off some of my old writing projects.  I have a ton of ideas for both of my blogs.  But am putting a lot of focus on my newest sight--trying to greatly up the readership, so that my thoughts and such will be read by many and making that sight as interactive as possible.   Please check it all out at    http://exploreb-ham.blogspot.com/

    My post tonight will be about Halloween here and my thoughts on using my local pictures to sell greeting cards. 

      In looking through many of my old posts I laughed once.  I also noticed that I used to almost always include quotes.  Some were deep.  Many dealt with the actual topic of the post that day.  Most were just randomly random.  I want to bring that concept and others back into my blogs.  Starting today!

  **" You have brains in your head and feet in your shoes
          You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
           You're on your own and you know what you know
           And you are the one who'll decide were to go."**----Dr. Seuss

That is as deep as I will get for today. 





   
  1. Starbucks says they are going to start putting religious quotes on cups. The very first one will say, ‘Jesus! This cup is expensive!’
    -Conan O’Brien

    I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.
    -T.S. Eliot

    Way too much coffee. But if it weren’t for the coffee, I’d have no identifiable personality whatsoever.
    -David Letterman

    Sleep is a symptom of caffeine deprivation.
    -Author Unknown...



    Coffee is a beverage that puts one to sleep when not drank.
    -Alphonse Allais

    Caffeine isn’t a drug, it’s a vitamin!
    -Author Unknown

    Forever: Time it takes to brew the first pot of coffee in the morning.
    -Author Unknown

    I don’t have a problem with caffeine. I have a problem without caffeine!
    -Author Unknown
    A morning without coffee is like sleep.

    Coffee helps you go poop!


        The above is was an ad in Sunday's large paper.  This is from Target, I apologize for the blurry picture.  This is an actual product, called a pocket hose.  Actual product--I just thought the description was amusing.   I am easily amused though.  


    This picture did not turn out as kool as I thought it would. 
    Like many things I say---it seemed much better in my head. 
    But it marks the end of our very short but beautiful fall.


    Exploring filled blog post is up next.   Very soon, if the rain sets in for the week like it is supposed to.  


    Yesterday I rambled about Black Friday.

    A few past posts that might help you get more in the Christmas spirit. 
    Or make you not want to leave the house at all. 
    Full of helpless shopping hints and some more quotes---
    Please check out my past posts  or roam through my FB page

    Wyoming Jack/Bobble Head's Blogs Exploring Bellingham & Whatcom county


        I would like to note, that we attempted to do our shopping from the comforts of home, but Wally Worlds www page would not cooperate.  I also ended up at the dreaded store, around ten AM on Saturday morning, and was happy to find MANY of the sale items still available. Plus many of the shoppers were still asleep from the night be fores fun, so the store was rather not busy.   I quickly snacthed up many great deals.  Including a present for myself.   *Shhhh!   Don't tell   me.   



       We had a great Turkey day, just the five of us enjoying a wonderful meal my wife prepared.   That night I was at work.  Not an intensely busy night at work, but holiday tips are always awesome.   Earlier that week, my work place provided us all with a turkey.  This does not seem like much, but considering they now employ 600 people, in one word, wow!   In one more word, Thanks!    Next week we journey across the state, to have another Turkey day.  The trip is well needed and will surly also produce another blog post or three.   
          We also used some of our good fortune lately, to provide a complete meal for a local family in need.   With so much to be thankful for this year, it felt more than awesome to help this family out.  They were and still are so happy for the help.   Unlike the people we have been attempting to help out over the last few months.  People who defiantly are not thankful or truly needy.
            After an entire month of posting online what I am thankful for  I came up with what I am most thankful for  by far.......
    My family   and big beds!  ;)    This includes my parents and all the new in laws and such of course too.    The above is an old picture, but I love it, and everyone in it.  Fully pictured or not.

          In case you have not gotten the memo  I am also very thankful for coffee!
                                                                       Cheers!


         I do not know if you have ever heard of the game--Plants Vs Zombies?  But I am a fan for sure.  I am also slightly addicted to the some what stupid game.  This is saying a lot, because I do not usually like video games.  In this game you protect your house, and more importantly your brain---from many different zombies, you protect your brain with random plants that fire on the zombies.   Each level brings on new attackers and problems.  Zombies are huge right now.  So many people spend hrs deciding how they would defend themselves if and when zombies started to take over the World.  I believe most Americans, including myself, have grown soft---and would not make it more than a few hrs before there brains were zombie food.   But rejoice for many of us, "no brains no headaches"   Decipher this however you wish, it might mean you are very safe if Zombies ever do attack!


        By going "soft"  I mostly mean that -I once was in much better shape than I am now.  Now I am in a shape--round is a shape, last time I checked.  I used to run all the time --and now try not to run unless the police are involved.  Looking around, many Americans are in this same boat.  And get pooping problems from eating at Mc Donalds.   So 1.) how are they going to survive any type of attack, and B.) Were is the Mc TV commercials dealing with this?   

      In reply--  I really enjoy my manly breasticles   and believe they are now about an "a cup."


        Supposedly there is a mushroom out there that when eatin' by ants and such---the magical shroom takes over the ants brains and the ant than does the plants bidding.  Feeds it, nurses it, etc.   Ants are highly intelligent creatures I might add here.   Before you go commenting to me, that this will never happen to humans-----    This already exists.

                            It is called Facebook and your cell phone!





Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Black & Blue Friday!




             **"I have measured out my life in coffee spoons."**------   Is this so bad??




Right now my Monday's are my Fridays at work.
But I still like coffee!

    For more fun, during the holidaze, the isles get smaller and smaller---full of gifts.


      I have written about Black Friday before.  And it's mass ridiculousness.  We as a nation spend Turkey Day being thankful, and than go out in masses the very next day, and pound and trample each other for a $2.00 DVD, no one wants to ever watch.  This year saw an entire weeksend of shopping, wahoo!   This meant that families did not have to spend time together, and workers in the retail world were forced into the same fate. 

  I have worked at Wally World for eight Black Fridays--and can say that consuming massive amounts of coffee defiantly helps one deal with the masses!   My working daze usually included starting work at 4 AM.  I was not before aware that there was a 4 AM, but I try to learn something new every day.   I would prepare for the extra long day by just putting a straw in my coffee pot.   Pouring the entire coffee pot over your head is also advised.  It will wake you up super fast, and prepare you for the customer onslaught and possible beating you will receive all day long.   I am not going to go into the mass craziness much here today, you can go online and watch fights galore from Black Friday.  Most of the worse scenes are from Wally World stores again this year.  So congrats to those shoppers!  Being the most downloaded You-Tube videos, is your five minutes of fame!



    Working Black Friday as a server is possibly the worse day of the year.  Especially if you work  the breakfast shift.   All of your customers have been up all night, they are angry, many have black eyes, and they want to tell you about all the money they have spent.  Because they have spent all of that cash, saving cash, they do not have any left to actually tip you for serving them.  Today I start with a comical view of the crazy day.  And than I might throw in some war stories from my daze at Wally World.   I say war stories, because we really should have received hazard pay. 


                Just to put things in perspective, at least you were not this woman!  



Start planning now for next year.....




   **  The line in front of the retail store was amazingly large this Black Friday.  One man rolled up his sleeves, and started climbing over the crowd.  He made it quite a ways, before the crowd worked as a group, and shoved him to the end of the line, were he belonged.  He tried again, with more gusto.  But did not make it much closer to the door, before getting thrown to the ground.  One more attempt got him very close to the retail stores front door.  But alas, still he was moved to the back of the now even longer line.   "I am going to attempt this one more time, and if these people do the same thing, I am not going to unlock the store doors today!"  The store manager announced out loud.**

     Back in the days--when Wal Mart's actually closed, and were not all open 24/7 to be sure and suck all of the cash out of peoples pocket books, we would have lines wrapped around the store of shoppers ready for deals on Black Friday.  One year we reportedly had 4000 people at the front door.  The managers would unlock the doors and get the heck out of the way.  As the masses spilled in.    If you were a cashier, you could watch all the action from relative safety.  With the register as a buffer between you and the wild crowds.   

     Now the stores are open all of the time.  So people camp out and wait for the best deals to be wheeled out of the back of the store.  If you are one of these "shoppers" and I use that term loosely.   Make sure your key item is from electronics.  That way you can lounge and watch TV!   The furniture section is usually located across from electronics, so you can pull up a bean bag chair!  Don't knock it, these chairs are amazingly comfortable.  



     One year, last time the evil Furby was a super hot toy, that was the item everyone had to have. And of course each store got exactly 50,000 less than they needed to fill peoples shopping lists.  Anyways, at some point --while we workers were hiding in the the back of the store, we found an entire pallet of the evil toy.   We wheeled them to sporting goods, and paged out that we had found more of the "great" Furby.  None of us were expecting the huge crowd that showed up in the middle of sporting goods.  For added fun, a couple of us workers jumped on top of the sporting goods counter, and started chucking the toys into the large crowd.  It was great fun watching the customers maul each other.  Much like watching gals fight over the flowers at any large wedding.  Except that we got to experience this multiple times.  Later we got disciplined by management--but it was well worth it!  More Wally World stories soon!   I above use words like "evil" because the Furby is again VERY popular this year.   And my wife and daughter both want one.   ;)   Seems like any easy task, but they are as hard to find, as the orginal ones now are.







Next post---some thoughts on Turkey Day!
And of course lots of random rambling. 

Please don't forget to check out my other blog post--
All about Exploring Bellingham Washington.
Full of fun and pictures!

http://exploreb-ham.blogspot.com
http://exploreb-ham.blogspot.com


Saturday, November 17, 2012

No!





      Good morning!   As you wait for more updates on this page, please do not forget to check out some great pictures on my newest blog sight at http://exploreb-ham.blogspot.com/      This very sight you are on now, also has 350+ blog posts to roam.  Full of exploring, coffee love, random rambling---and maybe most importantly---NO Christmas music! ;)


           **"Someone keeps putting vegetables in the beer crisper drawer of the fridge!"**

                   "**Money does not solve problems---but it could solve my money problems!!"**



This is exactly how all of my blogs are written!!




     In case you did not get the memo---Twinkies will no longer be made soon.   So go stock up--- lucky for you, they have a 50 year shelf life!   Do not become like the above actor -who searches for Twinkies during the entire movie, Zombie Land. 



So-I always post pictures of roses and such. 
Beautiful and in there prime. 
But outside beauty fades and withers. 
So make sure and work on your inner beauty every day!


On my drive to work, the local radio stations tend to talk much more than play music. 
Late at night when I return home, they seem to only play very slow, elevator music, not helping me stay awake.  But it does tend to stray from the six usual songs on there rotation.  I believe we have more music Cd's than the local radio stations.  
The biggest announce of the local stations, is when they stop playing music after every song, to announce an hour block of continuous music.  It is not continuous if they keep stopping to tell us they are playing lots of songs!   Anyways-the other day one of the stations was talking about if it was to early to start playing Christmas music.  And they opened the argument up to there Facebook page.   Two of the biggest posters on the subject, started to hit on each other.   So maybe they will not be alone for the holidaze.   






**"Greeeeat job of voting Washington---- Hhahahahahha that's written in sarcasm script .com."**

More on the election soonish---but I am really enjoying not hearing about it all for now.




Homer Simpson is always deep---just like myself...






So our youngest has a ton of energy. 
It goes with being eight.  
If I had even half his energy, I could hold three full time jobs. 
Anyways, me and him and his best bud, are going to start jogging soon. 
We got a map of all of the local trails.
And will be logging our miles and exploring. 
And than our son and his friend are going to co-write a picture filled blog!
This and many other up dates in the works.




Fair warning---I found many old pictures, and will be posting them soon.
You can tell this was awhile ago, not only because of the date stamp on the side of the picture. 
But because the kiddos are still shorter than my wife and I!
We are both vertically challenged for sure. 
Anyone in the Bellingham area-know were this picture was shot??


And lastly for today....




I am in deep thought for more posts in both blogs!
Stay tuned.