Kindergarten!

Today is officially Collin's first day of Kindergarten. We went yesterday for a couple of hours as part of an orientation.  Saw his classroom, met his teacher, and was introduced to the new principle. But today is a full day.

It started with a good breakfast:  Eggs, milk, blueberry juice, and most importantly a toaster strudel.  Collin has been dying to have one ever since he saw the commercial.

Then he got all cleaned up and it was time to wait for the bus.

Unfortunately the bus never came.  Turns out the bus broke down mid-route, so we had to drive him.  Which was fine with all of us.

Due to the crowded parking lot, I dropped Lisa and Collin off so she could take him to class.  This shoot is at the front door of the building.

Nerves may be kicking in right about now, but he'll be fine.  He's a big kid now.

Comp I

Summer is over and it is time for me to go back to school.  Having involuntarily taken a summer vacation (I forgot to sign up for classes) and previously having nothing but online classes, I had to clean out my backpack to prepare once again for on-campus classes.  My first class of my new school life was Composition.  I learned a lot about writing, all of which I have now forgotten and even saved all the papers I had to write.  Some of them are okay.  Most of them I had to stay within the boundaries of the assignment.  Focusing of different sentence structures and whatnot.  Here is one of my favorites.  It is suppose to be a persuasive paper.

High Gas Prices Must Stop.

by

Jared Brustad

Composition I

Gas prices in the United States are reaching a record high. Something has to be done, or they will continue to rise.  The average price of a single gallon of gas was $3.09 as of the sixth of November in 2007. That price has increased by twelve cents since two weeks prior. The rise in price has not just been happening in the past few weeks.  As of last year, gas prices have risen a total of eighty-six cents.  Also, $3.09 is nine cents shy of the United States all-time high set on May 18th, 2007. The biggest issue is that families' average incomes have been dropping every year since the September 11th attacks.  The increase in gas prices is a thorn in the side of most families that are struggling to make ends meet.  A change must happen soon.

The public taking advantage of their city's transit system could be one of those changes. Between buses, taxis, subways, and in some areas the light rail system, people have plenty alternate solutions other than their own cars. Taking one of these options to work or to the store every now and then would cut back on how much a person spends on gas a week. It would also stretch the value of gasoline throughout the United States.

Another solution would be carpooling.  This ancient mode of transportation can no longer be an idea of the past. Carpooling with coworkers to and from work can not only save you some money, but it can help build relationships as well.  If people were to work out a carpooling system between each other, then they could all be saving money.  Plus, instead of driving to work by oneself getting nothing done, a car full of coworkers can get the work dat started earlier and beat deadlines together.

There is also no reason that carpooling should specifically be for work.  It could be geared towards friends and neighbors as well.  People can organize all-neighbor trips to the local park or plan on Wednesday to be the day everybody gets their errands done.  All of these ideas would help bring down gas prices.

There is, however, one solution that topes them all - Put and end to NASCAR.  This idea is bound to upset NASCAR fans across the country, but statistics speak louder than words.  One weekend of races uses up nearly 6000 gallons of gas. Spread that over thirty-six races (the equivalent of one NASCAR season) and it totals nearly 216,000 gallons.  All that gas could be used for people who actually need it for life's daily routines.  Throw in the fact that fans, sports announcers, and even the NASCAR drivers themselves have to get to the racetrack for every race. NASCAR takes up to thirty percent of the country's fuel intake. 

 

Out of the three solutions that were proposed on what to do about high gas prices in the United States, ending NASCAR is the best choice.  Put aside the amount of gasoline NASCAR wastes on a yearly basis, the sport itself is pointless. It is more of a competition for mechanics that a sport.  Mechanics could compete in how fast they put wheels on cars without all of that driving around in circles.  In the end, without NASCAR more gas will be available to the public.  The sudden burst of ample gasoline will make prices decrease to a price more affordable to the average family.  To make cases eve better, NASCAR fans will be forced to find work.  This act will help solve the United States' unemployment situation.  Putting an end to NASCAR would actually kill two birds with one stone.

I got a B+.

Tuesday We Went to the Zoo

And we took pictures!

Myself, Grandma Kathy, Lisa & Collin.

Lisa and her Lemur friends.

Birds hate me, and I hate them.

No trip to the zoo would be complete without a picture of Collin next to his favorite animal.

This Gorilla had the hiccups.

Collin rode the elephant.  Grandma Kathy rode the wild boar.

These are sea lions.  NOT seals.  They made that very clear.

Who enjoyed the gift shop more?  Simba...

or Dr. Zaius?

Tool Time and Time Again

I think the greatest thing about being a first-time home owner is when something needs fixing there is a sudden urge to do-it-yourself. The easy way out is to call a professional.  But why not give it a shot? Since moving in I have accomplished these three major tasks: fixed a leaky toilet, replaced electrical cords on the washing machine, and most recently (but not finished) installed a new faucet in the kitchen. I'm going to install one in the bathroom too, but I am one wrench size too small, so I've got to wait.

All of these chores have been frustrating and time consuming.  But finishing the job is the ultimately satisfying.  And most importantly, $0 has gone towards manual labor.  Take that "The Man"!!!!

1 Out of 3 Ain't Bad

In the beginning we had Dobby, but ultimately this is what happened to him.  Recently there was Raja & Miss Love.  But now the duo is no more.

We went into the vet on Tuesday with two kittens and left with only one.  Turns out Miss Love, who had previously been diagnosed with worms, had the F.I.P. and according to vet, nothing could be done for her.  So after being told Miss Love's future, Collin and I went to Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Kevin's house a few blocks away as Lisa stayed with her as she was put to rest.  Raja was given the opportunity to see her sister one last time before we left.   

The vet said that adopting from shelters are pretty much a crap shoot.  

Raja is doing very well.

Hey, He's Gonna Sit By You...

Another one rides the bus.

My friend Lance turned me on to something yesterday that I am going to have to start taking advantage of.  And that something is ... Taking the bus to Royals games.

He called me around 11:00 a.m. to see if I wanted to go to the 1:00 game.  Not wanting to leave Lisa car-less, I said I'd go if he drove. That's when he said we will just take the bus.  We went to Tomfooleries on the plaza around noon.  A "Royals Express" showed up across the street at 12:10.  A round trip ticket cost $6, but the bus driver gives you a $6-off coupon for any Royals ticket, so in a sense, the bus ride was free.  Lance and I both bought the cheapest upperdeck seats at the stadium, which were $9.  So with the coupon our seats cost $3. Nice.  What's nicer than that?  We sat in the lower level on the right field side where nobody bothers to check to see if you are in the right seats or not.  After the seventh inning we moved here...

Throw in a beer and a hotdog, and the whole experience costs less than $20 per person.  Though Lance will tell you not to buy any beer at the stadium.  It's best to either get wasted at Tomfooleries beforehand, or just bring a sixpack and a flask on the bus and sit in the back.  Either way, you can't beat the deal.  The topper for me was that on the way home, some people on the bus said that the last (and first) stop is at 75th & Wornall.  Just up the street from my house.  

Since moving to the Waldo area, Lisa and I always comment on the bus stop that is at 75th & Wornell.  We've known that it will take us to the Plaza, or Crown Center, or even Downtown.  We've just never taken the time or energy to look up the schedules.  It is possible that all that might change soon. 

Injury

I played NCAA Football last night for four hours.  I had bought the game a week ago but had never had the opportunity to play it until last night.  Until now I had never owned a college football game.  My left thumb is swollen and it feels like there is fluid building up under the skin.

The game is pretty fun, but it's just buying me time until Madden comes out.

Testes, Testes, One, Two...

A while back the Trip Fives met with a guy to do some cold readings for some possible internet sketches.  Though there were roughly 20 scripts to go over, the focus was on a couple of "jokes" that could possibly be animated and presented to Mondo Media.  The jokes would then be animated much like the Happy Tree Friends, a Mondo mini show.

Last night we all (minus Megan, who is currently scheduling her appointment) did the audio recordings for the two scripts.  It was a lot of fun.  I've auditioned for one voice-over commercial only once before.  But really, to all of us, this was very new.  We all stood in the sound proof room with headphones and mics. Tom and Jerry (that's right) were on the other side of the glass, only being able to converse with us after the push of a button.  After various sound and level checks, we recorded.  An hour later, we were done, but I have a feeling we could have done that all night and maybe even into the next day as well.

The next step is to have the audio cleaned up with a little music and sound effects, then it will be presented to the Mondo people, or person.  It may just be one guy, but in my mind is a big boardroom full of people in matching suits.  Then, who knows?  Maybe it will be animated, which hopefully could lead to more recordings.  It's possibly that we could start working on some of those other scripts for some future short-film festivals.  Out of the 20, about half of them I could really see working. 

I am trying to keep my expectations low at this point.  I'm excited, but there are other more important things to focus on.

The Hook Brings You Back

Okay, a few of months ago I had blogged about joining the YMCA.  I had been putting off hitting the basketball court because I know how bad of shape I have been in.  Not that getting into shape would help my game.  Far from it. Even when I was 18 and playing on a regular basis, I never played like I was 18. I played more like a 50 year old.  I do the hook shot.  I do the scoops.  I do the sloooooooow fade away jumper.  I can pass.  I even do the occasional 3 pointer.  That's my game.  All that has nothing to do with getting into shape.  The reason I avoided the court was because I knew if I started there, I would never hit anything else.

So now three months after joining, I am ready to ball it up.  I've taken it pretty easy so far, nothing too drastic.  A couple games of 21, one game of 2 on 2, and one game of 1 on 1.  I tell you, playing like a 50 year old is just like riding a bicycle.  I might as well where this jersey whenever I play.

I didn't win any of the games of 21, but I did earn respect from the people I played with.  The game of 2 on 2 was pretty easy.  I believe my team won 12 to 7.  I contributed about 8 of those points.  The game of 1 on 1 was different.  I played against a 14 year old black kid that was twice my size.  He had to be at least 6'3" and weighed in the ballpark of 280 lbs.  Mentally, he was a good ball player. Physically, he was a little slow.  I simply scooped and hooked all around him.  I won 12 to 2.  I think he had to be tired by the couple of games he played before I played him.

So far I have been one of two white boys playing at this gym, which doesn't at all bother me, nor does it seem to bother anyone else. Which is awesome.  I love playing the game of basketball and I love playing with competitive people.  I am very comfortable playing there.  My confidence is up and my goal is for all of the locals to soon start referring to me as Pistol Pete or even Bird, only because they don't seem to care what my real name is.   

My game is better than it ever has been.  I think it's because I have been playing like a 50 year old for so long.  With every year that gets closer to that age, that's another year that I get better.  Never doubt the hook.  Just fear it.