Catch UP

Holy Cow!! Has it been a month since I last posted!?!? Deary me. Ok... in as few of words as I can conjur to adequately give this past month justice, here's the update:

- George (Pookie's Pop) and I graduated from Salmon University with honors (and in my case a couple of door prizes INCLUDING a really nice fishing reel). LOOK OUT FISH!! Weezagonna do some damage this year!

- Pookie's got some NEW PEEPERS! We went up to Canada to have our eyes LASIK'd and both got turned down. Seems that I'm too blind and Gina was had too "delicate" eyes for the doctor's comfort zone. Ergo (that's Latin for "sooooo") Gina went the PRK route instead. That's where they burn the entire surface off of the eye, laser the heck out of the cornea, and then let it all heal back. Upside: It's all the rave in Europe and Canada now and they end up having less "after-surgery problems as a whole. Downside: It takes at least a week (or two in Pooky's case) for the peepers to become fully functional again (one more reason to give thanks for TIVO!). Now that it's all over and done with, the Pookster is really happy with the results (although for a few days she was VERY crabby... er I mean disappointed). Now that I've seen the result, I'm thinking of having it done myself at the end of May. I love the smell of burning cornea in the morning...

- The post burglary activity is now mostly behind us. Other than dealing with the hassle of figuring out everything that got stolen, getting it reported to the insurance company, and then getting it replaced, it hasn't been too much of a pain in the neck. The security system is in and I'm in the process of having a gate installed at the end of the lane. My co-worker got robbed two days ago in a very similar manner as we did. There have been three other robberies in our neighborhood since us. Our gate is in the process of being installed. What a hastle. Sign of the times I guess. I've been trying to teach Newman how to be a better guard dog. Every night I get on my hands and knees and get in his face a growl while Harry rubs up against my leg... Newman just looks at me with his pathetically confused face....

- Movies we've seen since my last posting include

• "21"; the story (loosely based on fact) of Harvard students who devised a way of counting cards and won a BOATLOAD of DENIROS in Las Vegas before being caught.
  
• "Leatherheads"; the amusing (if not extremely well written) story of the beginnings of pro football (enjoyable)

- I've fallen in love.... her name is Carrie Newcomer and oh can she sing! My favorite on her newest album is "Leaves Don't Drop (They Just Let Go)" . I think she may even take the place of my former singer-songwriter girlfriend Kim Richey (who replaced my former former singer-songwriter girlfriend Mary Chapin Carpenter who replaced my former former former singer-songwriter girlfriend Kathy Matthea who replaced.....). I swear my iPod is getting tired of me listening to "Leaves Don't Drop (They Just Let Go..). I LOVE HER!!! (but not half as much as my Pookie....).

- LexiLawyer and I are in training. Yep... we're runners. Only 151 miles more to the Adidas Helvetia Half Marathon in Hillsboro, OR. I'm running it for two reasons... 1. A chance to run with my daughter and 2. I'm told that there is a FANTASTIC HAMBURGER awaiting those that finish. SO BRING IT ON!! IT'S HILLSBORO IN JUNE OR BUST!!! (right Lex?) WHICH REMINDS ME.... Last week we saw "Run Fatboy Run" which is now my mantra. (It was a very funny movie by the way...)

- Books I've read in the last little while include

• "Cell" by Stephen King - CREEPY (and VERY enjoyable... I LOVE Stephen King novels).
• "The Few" by Alex Kershaw; the true story of the few Americans who snuck out of the country to join the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and fought in the air battles of The Battle of Britain (a full 18 months before the U.S. even entered World War II... in fact, they broke a bevy of neutrality laws in order to get to Britain). It was very inspiring and sad because all but one of the original "Eagle Squadron" were killed defending the British against the Nazi onslaught. Good Book!

OK.. I'm sure I've bored everyone to the point of passing out. Ergo (that Latin word again) I wll go set up the X-box and get Rock Band ready. Pookie will be home from book club any minute and it's time to reunite "Newman's Own" (our little ensemble) and get back on tour. HEY! LEXI'S COMING HOME IN A WEEK!!! "THE GOOGLERS" CAN CONTINUE THEIR WORLD TOUR!! (We have skills my peeps... oh yes.. we have rockband skills...)