Watch Out Dick Weber - I Am Going Pro!

When I was younger, I lived on a military base in an island in the Pacific. My Dad was stationed there for almost 4 years. Living on a military base is somewhat similar to living in a small town; there is a movie theater, a bowling alley, several swimming pools, places to have dinner, parks, a really good teen center, grocery stores etc. There was always some kind of organized activity at the teen center - a dance or roller skating in the rink behind the center. As most moms would, our mom, in what I suspect was really a self defense mechanism, tried to tire us out as much as possible by signing us up for different activities or sports. One of my sisters, Auntie M, was especially interested in sports. I know while we were there she tried a variety including basketball and bowling. I think a few of the other sisters, Auntie L & Auntie S, also got involved in the bowling. As usual Auntie M. was pretty darn good for an 8 year old and she took part in the junior bowling leagues offered at the base bowling alley. She became very focused on bowling, so much so that she even asked for a Dick Weber bowling glove for Christmas one year. Dick Weber was a famous bowler back in the day. You don't think they name a glove for just anyone do you? I can't remember if she ever got the glove. I am sure she will let me know.

Last Christmas our family got a Wii. For those of you who just crawled out of a cave, a Wii is a video game console. What makes it different from an x-box or a play station is the wireless controller that allows you to actually participate in some of the different game options available. All Wiis come with a sports playing game, in which you can play tennis, bowling, boxing, baseball and golf. In order to participate you create your own player. There are lots of different style options so you can have your player look as much or as little like you as you want. My player does look alot like me but if I had really been thinking I would have made her look a little more Jennifer Aniston and a little less Donny Osmond. As all kids are, mine are particularly good at video games. They especially enjoy the guitar game that I am fairly certain I am too old for. I just can't seem to get my fingers working in the right way. But I can do the sports one.

So recently I decided that I would try and master a few of the sports games so I am not a total pushover when I play Kiki & Snake. I started with the tennis game. I am horribly bad at it. The last game, I hit a spectator in the stands. In fact I am so bad that I haven't ever won a match. Time to move on. I tried boxing. I am getting fairly good at boxing. But in all honesty, my Donny-Osmond-look alike self has not had much in the way of competition. The computer assigns opponents to you. So far my boxing victories have been over 2 very slightly built Asian gentlemen, a rather frail looking guy with a goatee, and several bespectacled fellows. (I am not sure people wearing glasses are usually allowed to box, though). I also tried baseball and I am not very good. I am not sure that any amount of practice will help me get any better so unless I can get some of the juice from Barry or Derek Jeter, I am thinking baseball won't be my game. But I rock at bowling! Oh yeah! I have had several turkeys (3 strikes in a row). I don't know if that have a name for when you have 4 strikes in a row but I have done that a few times as well. I think I owe it all to my rather unique bowling delivery, I throw the ball up in the air so it bounces a little. Unorthodox maybe but I scored enough points to be in the "pro" category!!! How 'bout that Dick Weber? I am guessing he doesn't have much to say as he died in 2005. So I am going to try golf later this week. Be afraid Tiger Woods, be very afraid!!

Come On, California!!!

Okay, today I needed to call the DMV. Normally, I would rather do something fun like poke at my eyes with a toothpick but I needed some information that wasn't available on the website, so I had to call. After first advising me that all DMV offices are now closed on the first and third Fridays of everything month (thank you Ahhhnold) and then another recording to advise me that Saturday hours had been suspended (thank you California State Legislature), my "recording" advised me that "due to an increased number of calls your wait time MAY be longer than 10 minutes". 10 minutes is an incredibly long time to be on hold, even for the DMV and I didn't believe it. So I stayed on hold. and stayed. and stayed. and stayed.

This is a list of the tasks, I performed while being on hold:

1. I watched two segments of Martha Stewart cooking pork chops marinated in basalmic vinegar and preparing two pretty tasty vegetable sides that I think will be dinner tonight or tomorrow evening at the WTF household.

2. I ate lunch (a Lean Cuisine beef and portabello mushroom).

3. I finished my Starbucks Iced Tea.

4. I put in a load of laundry.

5. I folded another load out of the dryer.

6. I surveyed the creek in our back yard and wondered if it was going to overflow since it has been raining non-stop since about 9:30 a.m. today. (Most likely not, our local city works department is very wonderful about cleaning out the storm drain on a regular basis and it looks pretty good!)

7. I worried about whether the pool will over flow and should we use the sump pump tonight (and by me, I mean Chizz). Looks likely!

8. I looked for the sump pump in the garage. (Didn't find it,)

9. I reviewed the top stories in the morning newspaper. Attempted the Sudoku but got bored.

10. I put the newspaper in the recycling spot. (I am not going to finish that Sudoku!)


35 minutes, 44 seconds until Operator 2 came on the line and answered my question. All of which took about an additional 15 seconds. Great. Come on, California - this is no way to run a state.