Sarah gets a wedding proposal

Sarah gets a wedding proposal

Ran across this via facebook "moments"  Its from April 2012 (Sarah was 10)

Last night I took Sarah to her Schools Open house....



Sarah: "That boy over there wants to MARRY me!"

Me:  "Is there a paper bag anywhere I can breathe in?"

Sarah: "Oh DADDY!"

Me: "You do remember my rule that you can't get married till you are 45...Right?"

Sarah: "HE wants to marry me.  I don't want to marry HIM!"

Me: "OH ok... <feeling better> ummm why not??"

Sarah: "Wellllll he's not very confident.... He hesitates when he talks."

Me: "Really?  SO that's it huh!"

Sarah: "He also puts his hand down inside the back of his pants. picks his nose and eats it, SOooo ya not really my type"

Me:  "I should think those things would have been FIRST on your list"

Rockford "TheVizsla Files"

 Rockford "TheVizsla Files"

It's hard to imagine Rockford as small as he is in these pictures.  He is grown up now.

Rockford is a VIZSLA not an easy thing to remember how to spell.  The Vizsla is often described as the "Velcro Vizsla." Most dogs are affectionate, but this medium-size hunting dog is ESPECIALLY attached to his people.

Rockford with his brothers and sister

Rockford was born with a broken tail defect.  The breeder docked his tail and gave us $500 off so we would sign off that we will never breed him.  We had no intention on doing that. 

Rockford is pure bred. This was important to us because of the Vizsla Characteristics. 
We wanted to have the best chance at having the BEST dog in the world.  I had done much research to make sure he would be super compatible with our family.   I can be quite picky.

"His velcro nature has to do with his past: the Vizsla was developed in Hungary to be both a pointer and retriever who would work close to the hunter, never ranging too far away. That trait is still seen in today's Vizsla, who prefers to be leaning against your leg or serving as a foot warmer. If having a dog shadow you all day would annoy you, choose a different breed."

  -http://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/vizsla

Rocky "velcro-ing" with Melissa

Eileen had always wanted a dog and I honestly never did.  The girls were at an age where a dog would be a great thing for them.     On both of these accounts, it was important to me that whichever dog we get that it would be smart, loyal, and incredibly loving.   Check, Check, and CHECK!

Rockford Running!

I wanted a dog that I could run with.    Can you run with a Vizsla?  umm YES!  They can run better (longer, not faster) than a greyhound!     Awesome distance runners they can run 10 miles with you and then when you are "pooped" and need to take a nap, they can run around the backyard all afternoon.  

Rockford does love to run around the backyard.  but nothing he does is aimless.   When he is outside, he is "Hunting".   He has created about 7 observation post areas, that he runs to in a pattern.   Once there he will stay still analyzing all that he can see.   then suddenly jumps around 180 degrees to make sure nothing is sneaking up from behind.    Then on to the next post.    Over and over for hours he does this.  it makes him REALLY happy to do his "job"      He is mainly on watch for Angry birds.  And IF you are a bird  watch out!  cause he is much faster than you apparently give him credit for. 
He has taken out at least 7 that we are aware of.  

Rockford on patrol/watch in the backyard

 I'm not a fan of shedding hair.
Viszla's have very short hair and while they do shed a lil bit, it's not really noticeable.  

  I don't like "The doggie smell"    These dogs do not smell!!  

  They are very clean, they clean themselves like a cat!  

Rockford and his best friend  Dante the cat.

We do/have two cats so I was hoping for a dog that would look to get along with the cats.  And he DOES!  well one of them anyway.   Our cat Dante is his best friend.  They hang together, play and groom each other.  it's super cute.  

  Once Dante's REAL brother (Dallas on left in pic below)  picked a fight with Dante. 

One little issue with that...  Dante's big buddy Rockford.   OMG Rockford was in his crate when this cat fight went down and flung himself against the door to his crate again and again trying to get after Dallas to protect his best friend.   Lots of barking and heated tempers that night.     Rockford has NEVER forgotten this.  Likely he never will.    

Anytime there is even a hint of an issue, Rockford chases Dallas down/away to make sure his lil buddy is safe.    I can only imagine what would happen if someone broke into our house.   As gentle of a spirit that Rockford is, he can be intimidating. 

He is also very brave.  I could see this when he was a puppy at the dog park.  

Rockford warning me about all of the dangers in his forest!

 

Rockford aims to please  It's his goal in life.  He is very kind.  Never want to raise your voice with him as he is all about the positives.  a total sweetheart.  
Rockford is a very social boy and will always look to be friendly, polite and playful sending a message to all that above all else he means well. 

Rockford's first day at the dog park.

   His good looks and great personality has not gone unnoticed by the ladies.   But you should know Rockford DOES have a girlfriend (Bailey) so even though he does not get to see her much, he is in love and very much taken.

Rocky and his girl Bailey!

Random Vizsla with Random Hunter

I remember a little convo with the Breeder it was the day we took him home. (Top picture)

Not a fan of hunting. Its possible that its a necessary thing. I am not a vegan but I could never hunt. Its kinda funny that I have a pure bred hunting dog.

Breeder: "Soo the first time you take him hunting... "
Me: um that is not going to happen
Breeders: "Well its a good idea in case you decide to later"
Me: I dont even have a gun ok??

 Breeder: "You might?"
Me: I won't! 

Breeder: "Why the hell do you want this dog then?"
Me: We were meant to be together!

So there you have it.   I'm telling you.   You only get to have a few dogs in your lifetime.   It's a rare thing when you find the perfect match.    I did! 

Get yourself a Vizsla!   You won't regret it.

Woof!  :-P

How was the hot lunch, Sarah?

A conversation with Sarah about the hot lunch today at school. (2-15-2012)

I tried very hard to type this out as she spoke. its in her words.

Me:  "Sarah soooo how was the hot lunch today at school?"

Sarah:
"I didn't have my hot lunch from school today cause like you know it was a turkey sub, and the bread or something smelled WEIRD!. Weird ya know like gagging weird... like you want to step away from it weird!!! 

 So then ya know, my friend Ashley? she said like ask the nice lunch lady and she
will get you a NEW lunch, and I'm like um ok.... I asked/told the really nice lunch lady..
My lunch smells like WEIRD!"

Me:  "Did she give you a new lunch?"

Sarah:  "When I asked her to smell it. she was just like It doesn't smell that weird!"
At first she smelt it like 3 inches away, then 2 inches away and then I'm just like smell it! like right here closer!! (hands to nose) 

Then shes like I'm not going to do that!! then she smelled it anyways.  Then she went away, and she brought this other lunch lady and then they both came over and I was just like, SMELL IT! to the other lunch lady, Um then she smelled it too and said its just fiiiiiine. And before that I asked all my friends to smell it and at first they're just like it smells WEIRD!!
And my friend Imani, she smelled it too and she said "you know um it touched my nose!
After the lunch ladies smelled it and said it didn't smell that weird, my friends changed their minds and thought it was ok. And then it smelled better to me too. So i tested it and took just a bite.
Then i realized it was the bread. So then..... I put only the ham"
 

Me:  <interrupting> "I thought you had Turkey??"

Sarah: "Oh yeah so I put the turkey in my friends Hannah's face and asked her to smell it. Then I said now SMELL the bread!   She said um I guess they both smell just fine. Then I just decided to throw it all away.

There's the guy ya know? he washes the dishes at the school, and so I still had cheese on my plate cause it didn't fall into the garbage, so I scraped off the cheese right before  gave it to him and he saw that.     He was like awww thank you for cleaning the cheese off!    I mean I ate a little bit of it. So then I just drank milk . And then we were throwing around a plastic wrap for the straw, like as in basketball pretty much. So then after that the sign for choir went up and I had to go."

Minions and Marijuana

Things Sarah says

Conversation with Sarah re:  "How was school today?"  (few years ago)



Me: "How was school today?" 

Sarah: " See my "minion" stamp on my hand?"
 
Me: "Oh ya pretty cool, How did you get that?"

Sarah: "Some guy in the lunch line gave it to me. But don't worry"

Me: "Huh worry about what?"

Sarah: Well... At first I couldn't understand him, he asked me if I wanted blah blah, So I said NO!

Me: "Ok go on."

Sarah: "Then he said "are you sure?? it's minion" But I still didnt really hear him so I said NO!"

Me: "Should I be recording this??"
 
Sarah: "Ha Dad no. anyways, So he asks the guy in front of me if HE wanted a minion stamp. This time I heard it. SO then I said I'd take one."

Me: "Why did you not say yes to begin with?"

Sarah: "I NEVER say yes if someone asks me something at first. Cause they could be asking me to smoke Marijuana!!"

Me: "WHAT???? Ha ha I think..... But yes good fundamentals there, just keep in mind, later I will not accept the answer that you smoked pot cause you accidentally said yes when you did not hear clearly. K?"

Made for TV movie special

 

 Way back in 1973 when I was a 10 year old, I walked to Eugene Field Elementary school one day (April 25, 1973 as it turns out)  and got to the playground.

I was then immediately surrounded by a mob of kids.

   They were all excitedly shouting   "We're going to watch you on TV tonight!"  

Me: "What are you talking about?"

Crowd: "It's in the TV Guide!"

Me: "Must be a mistake"

Crowd:  "No my mom told me it's about your story"

Me: "Really? I have a story?  Could this have happened somehow without me knowing it?"

Crowd: " "You are going to be FAMOUS!"

Me: <thinking> "Hmmm Maybe this is how that works?"

All day long kids and even teachers kept coming up to me and telling me how they were going to watch me and my story on TV that night.   After a while I started to think that maybe I did have a special story somehow and that it would be on TV that night.

I ran home after school and found the TV guide that indeed showed that my life's story was going to be on that night as a TV Movie Special   "The Going up of David Lev"    It was a story about a 10 year old boy. 

With Brandon Cruz as David (Cruz was the kid in "Courtship of Eddie's father"

also with Melvyn Douglas and Claire Bloom

The Going Up of David Lev IMDB

MOM! MOM!!!!!    I'm going to be on TV tonight!!!!

Mom: "No you're not..."

Me: "But it says right here."

Mom: "That isn't you."

Me: "It's about a 10 year old named David Lev  I'm 10 and am David Lev so..."

Mom: "Listen kid it isn't about you ok?"

"It's about a Jewish boy in Israel, Lev is a common last name there and so is David, 

it's like John Smith over here"

Me:  I don't know any other Lev's and If there are so many David Lev's out there why does dad keep telling me I have to keep the family name alive?

Mom: Sorry to shatter your illusions here.  

So we watched about half of the movie on tv till I realized it wasn't my story and that the movie kinda sucked.  Then we changed the channel and watched something else....

Me, Monica Raymund and the women's bathroom

Typically while on location bathrooms are hastily marked or are unisex.   They can be difficult to locate in general.  Really I usually have to ask where it even is.   

I was playing as an office worker with 4 ladies in my group on the set of  "Chicago Fire" and had to go to the bathroom pretty badly.

I just noticed that one of the ladies in my group had just come back from the bathroom.

Me: "I see you found the bathroom"

Lady: "YES! been drinking a lot of coffee"

Me: "Where is it?

Lady: "Oh, just down that hall over there, make a right, then another right and it's right there can't miss it"

I walk down the hallway, made a right, and another right, I BURST through the door!  And BAM it's me and Monica Raymund who is adjusting her blouse.. 

Monica: "Um were you looking for the Men's room" she says very nicely. 

Me:  "I err um that is to say uhhh ya"

Monica:  "Lot's of stalls here it's just me and you, go ahead, I don't mind"

Me: "umm noooo thanks"

Monica: "Do you want me to show you where the Men's room is?"

Me: "No I think I'll figure it out"

Monica:  "I'll speak with production about marking this better, see you on set!"

Me: <Thinking>  "That's it, I'm so getting kicked off this show..." 

I feel comfortable posting this as she was very nice/sweet about it....  

The Spanish Simpsons episode

As nearly everyone else in the 90's me and Eileen enjoyed watching "The Simpsons" from time to time.   They had unique humor where sometimes you could not be sure what they would pull next.

For example:  One time they broadcast the show entirely in spanish!!  we watched the entire episode wondering what they were going to do with this.     Afterwards we looked at each other and said "Ok that was weird, I don't get it."  and went off our merry way.

The following week it was a typical episode, and definitely NOT in Spanish.  For a few weeks more all typical episodes.  




And then...  the spanish Simpsons episode returned.    Hey EILEEN!  they are replaying that Spanish Simpsons episode again!?    What the Hell?       We watched about half of it before realizing that it actually was a different episode in Spanish.       

Would they DO this for TWO episodes?  

Why is this even funny?

A friend comes over and we tell him about the Spanish Simpson's episodes.    He says

Umm  Is that a new tv you have there? 

Yes! 

Have you ever heard of SAP?

Second audio program (SAP), also known as secondary audio programming, is an auxiliary audio channel for analog television that can be broadcast or transmitted both over-the-air and by cable television.

Yes.. 

Could you possibly have it set to Spanish?

DOH!!!!!