Happy New Year 2004!

Hi everyone,

Sorry about the last three weeks. Holidays can be very hectic, and I noticed a lot of my favorite blogs were on a little hiatus as well, so apparently I'm not the original lazy blogger.

Christmas was wonderful. Kayla's grandparents drove out from the Midwest to visit, and have been here since. It's really great getting to hang out with them and let the kids spend a quality block of time with their great grandparents. It's made for a lot of good photo-ops that we'll be thankful for in the future, I'm sure.

As for me, I have fixed nearly all of the missing identification problems, and rescheduled all of my traffic court dates for the early part of next year. The judges I met with over the last few weeks were entirely too busy to give a rats ass about me missing an original traffic ticket date. They were more interested in how I planned to deal with them now.

Fortunately, each ticket will be thrown out (except the speeding one) without much work on my part. I've subpoenaed the officers from each case and requested the dash mount camera files from each infraction. I cannot wait 'till I get them in a courtroom. I swear I should have been a lawyer...I enjoy the whole process so much.

The problem is, I have already been a used car salesman, and I think there is a rule written somewhere important that states the impending eternity in hell that would ensue, should I engage in the two most evil forms of employment during the span of just one life.

As for employment, I am still about a week away from that drivers license suspension being lifted. You would be amazed how many potential employers look down on such a thing. So, after I get the green light, I am feeling pretty confident that I'll pick up some engineering or marketing position here in Bakersfield.

And not a minute too soon, either.

As for tonight, we're gonna host "New Years Eve Crappy Movie Night" and watch the idiots shoot fireworks out here. I was thinking of pulling out something like the National Lampoons European Vacation, or one of my Godzilla flicks...I'm not sure yet. Chances are, the people shooting fireworks will be more entertaining. They tend to purchase illegal (for California that is) fireworks, and then shoot them off on a suburban street corner; as if there was no danger shooting high-end incendiary devices that close to a neighborhood with wooden shingles. That, and for some reason they prefer to hold said explosives in their hands before throwing them in the air.

Generally, these individuals are either from out of state, immigrants from Mexico, drunk, or a combination of the three. In Arizona or Nevada, the types of fireworks you are allowed to shoot are varied, and generally there are few restrictions. This is primarily due to the fact that there aint much to burn down in the middle of the damn desert, and the fact that the people in those states have something the average Californian doesn't; common sense.

I swear, I know that some of the greatest minds of our time have come from "the land of fruits and nuts" , but damn if they don't seem to be in the minority when you hang out around here long enough.

So chances are, I could be spending my New Year on the roof with a water hose. Either way, this has been a tremendous year and I am really looking forward to the next.

Of course this could be because I have faith that I am just about rock bottom, and have only one direction to go from here. (wink wink)

Happy New Year Everyone!