2009, Welcome. Now "F" Off!

Happy Holidays everyone! With Christmas and New Years still to come I would like to do a recap of my top 10 stories, 2009 edition.

1. April 4, 2009: My wedding to my beautiful bride. Adding one more to the clan was very special. The weather was beautiful, seeing family and friends all together, and being able to share it with them was amazing. Words could never describe the feelings that I felt on this special day and I hope to never top it...of course if having children tops this, then I can't wait for that.

2. November 9, 2009: The death of my father. From the number 1 spot, which is the happiest, to the number 2 spot, where we all hit rock bottom, this was not only the sadist day of the year, but of my life. I already think about him everyday and wish he was here. Although we didn't talk about much in the latter days we still had the ability to see one another or talk about what the Angels were doing.

I sometimes find myself standing in the garage looking at the tools hanging from the pegboard on the wall or staring at the various knick-knacks collected by him over the last 30 years. Some items triggering memories of when I was a child watching him work on some home improvement task or changing the oil in the car. I feel closer to him when I am in that garage then anywhere else. The funny thing about this is I feel terrible that my father is gone but in the same breath I can say I'm glad that he is gone and no longer in the pain and discomfort he was in. Love you, Dad.

3. April 6-20, 2009: Honeymoon in England, Scotland, and Ireland. This was an awesome trip. One that I will for without a doubt never want to forget and, if given the chance, would do all over in the same fashion.

Armed with only backpacks, passports, and Britrail passes we went off for 2 weeks of unplanned, "let the wind take us where it may", British exploration. I loved it and would love to do it again.

4. May 16, 2009: John and Nicole married! This was a great weekend. Jen and I just 2 weeks back from Britain jump on another plane bound for the great frontier, no not Alaska, South Dakota. Hanging out with good friends is always a plus when it comes to great memories and this one will sure not be soon forgotten. Deadwood, Mount Rushmore, and packing into the cabin for the weekend. The countryside was beautiful and the wedding breathtaking.

5. April 11 (?), 2009: Adam attacks the Japs (again) and the 7th Fleet. My longtime friend told us way back when he wanted to practice law and serve his country. Since the guy couldn't hit a barn door with a shotgun from 20 feet, I thought his second adventure was out of the picture until he joined the U.S. Navy. He graduated law school and already had a spot to fill in the JAG Corps. He now lives somewhere in Japan (his exact whereabouts are top secret). I don't get to talk to him that much but there is always facebook.

6. September 2, 2009: New site. Due to the "leaders'" mismanagement of the budget (I refuse to say otherwise), the Long Beach Unified School District saw fit to pluck me from my school of 3 years where I had established relationships, friendships, and a sense of family among the staff, the students, and members of the surrounding neighborhood and put me at a site where at least in a professional manner gave me the opportunity to see what I am made of. Although I miss my friends terribly (Joe's anyone? Curly's??), I am fortunate to feel like I am now making a difference in the kids live's and not someone who stares out into a parking lot at the front gate.

7. November 25, 2009: Nissan Xterra. Jen and I bought our first major purchase together. Looking into the future and knowing we wanted children we decided on a 2009 Nissan Xterra. It is niiiiiiiiice. We bought it through Carmax and realized that buying a car with 9,200 miles is pretty much like buying it brand new, without the bullshit and wondering for the next month if you got taken to the cleaners. I can't wait for our first road trip or excursion...it's got 4 wheel drive of course!

8. December 18, 2009: Operation "Jeepers Creepers" ends. I finally finished. The Jeep is back to its original form. Actually, I wouldn't say that....it's better. Painted to its original stone white by Earl Scheib a few weeks ago and a few months before that it received a 2" suspension lift. But, none the less, it is done. On to the next project...

9. December 22, 2009: Surgery on my neck. Many probably don't know, and I'll spare you the details, but I have a cyst that rests on my upper back/lower neck. I'm finally having it removed tomorrow...something I should have done at least a year ago. It doesn't look gross or anything except for the fact it raises my skin. My only concern is how close it is to my spine, and how many baby aliens they pull out.

10. December 21-31, 2009: Ten days until this year is gone...forever.

Love You Dad.

On November 9, 2009 my father Phillip Henry Burroughs passed away at 8:00 pm, surrounded by his family. We are all sad for our loss but happy, proud, fortunate, and blessed to know and love a man such as him.

I will always love him and keep a special place in my heart open for him to fill.

Sorry...

But I'm going to stop blogging for awhile. Dads not doing too well and nether is anyone else. I have to be with my family, and figure out how to deal with what is going to happen...Thanks everyone for reading when I did post.

I'll be back though.

Bill Brasky???

I was shopping for a costume when I came across this guy, that is on the cover of a costume in a bag, who looks very similar to my friend Mike "Bill Brasky" Burns...and what an appropriate costume for a Brasky sighting...

UPDATE...Dad

We had a setback the last few weeks. A body scan found a mass located in the pelvis region that connects with the spine. This put the pain on again and when the MRI report came back there were so many things wrong that it filled 2 pages. He began to fall because the mass was pressing on the sciatic nerve which weakened his right leg to the point that even with the walker he could barely get around on his own. I was soon picking him up off the ground at least once or twice a day.

On Labor Day night I looked at my mother and she looked back at me and we realized that we couldn't do this anymore. We took him to the hospital that night and admitted him. He was in there for a week and just today was moved to a nursing home where he can get treatment.

New Job (location)...

I'm in my second week at my new location the district put me at for the foreseeable future, so far so good. The G.O.C. (Guidance Opportunity Classes) is a two room campus where students who have committed offences (choking out a teacher, selling drugs, bringing a weapon to campus) and have been deamed unsafe at the time to be on a regular campus untill they have showed they are able to go back to the regular population. Basicly I'm running a small holding facility. Right now I read the L.A. Times alot. The students, 9 boys, 3 girls, haven't figured me out yet...just the way I like it.

So...Hot. Must...Swim...

I guess everyone needs a dip in the Burroughs' pool every once in a while.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

66 big ones.

45 Years!

Here is to the best set of parents a guy could ever ask for. You are an inspiration to Jenn and I, and I hope we are as fortunate enough in life as you two are. We love you both very much.

UPDATE: Sister is Moving Home...awesome.

We got the call a few days ago. My sister's ex is moving out of their apartment in (beautiful) Hemet on the 15th of August and my sister will be back into the Burroughs' Manor as soon as she can. She has been here for the past month and a half or so and I can’t begin to tell you how difficult life is with her here. Don’t get me wrong, I love my sister and I wish her the best, but she brings something to the table that I can’t explain. She has cerebral palsy, O.C.D. (obsessive compulsive disorder), and the demeanor of a teenager in some aspects. I see the effects this has mainly on my Mom. She now has to deal with Dad and all that comes with a special needs 33/16 year old. It is just unnecessary emotions and stress that is already there and adds on top of the pressure of a family that is dealing with a father that is fighting cancer. When she is here you can literally feel the blood-pressure, and stress level climb...I guess the good thing coming out of this is that it is really forcing Jen and I to save so we can buy a home.

I think it is time to step up the game and help Mom out with Dad more.

Happy Birthday, Dad.

71 big ones.

The 2 Year Ex and A Pack of Ciggys.

My sister has been home for about 2 weeks now. My lovely wife and I, my parents, and my sister all living under 1,700 square feet, not to mention the bedrooms are all on one side of the house so this makes for interesting living sometimes...I digress. My Extra-Special Ladyfriend, my mom, and sister all went out to breakfast one morning and while doing what women do, my mother and wife discovered that my sister and her long time boyfriend had "...broken up 2 years ago."....!!!???

Uh? You still live with the guy? "Yes."
Uh? You still sleep in the same bed? "Yes."
Uh? Do you guys still...ya know? "No. Were just good friends. Besides he has another girlfriend."

....!!!!????

I could only imagine my poor mothers heart palpitating out of control and her reaching for her nitro pills to stop the sharp pains in her chest and uncontrollable sweating.

Apparently the new girlfriend wants to invite my sister out with her and my sisters ex to "...get to know each other so that nothing is weird." Yeeeahhh. My wife then suggested to me that maybe my sister is into kinky shit, which made me throw up.

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In another story related to my sister, I came home to hear my mother telling my sister, "Well, that is your problem. I will not give you money, drive you to go get them, or support this in anyway. If you want them you need to find a way to get them."

My wife being addicted to the show "Intervention", I thought my sister was on crack or something and was about to blow a gasket. "What the hell is going on?" I asked.
"She wants to go get cigarette's! She smokes, I guess." my mother's reply.
"Uh...what?" I said, intelligently, reaching for my nitro pills.
That's it. I quit.


--Go Halos.

I went to Lake Havasu this past weekend with the wife and saw the in-laws.  We stayed just off the lake and this photo is taken from our campsite at sunset with my cell phone camera which is 2 mega pix...I invite you click on the photo and imagine what it was like being there in person. 

Who...? What The...?? Why...???

...as my friend Mike Carroll put it best "I was thinking about getting tickets to the Laker game but I decided to buy a small island instead."

Yes, that says $44,925.00 for EACH ticket.

Sweet Jesus...

Ok, before all the other diabetics turn on me for even attempting this, let me tell you, take your greatest wet dream you ever had and it still wouldn't hold a candle to these.  You are looking at Caramel Apple Nachos from Wingnuts in Costa Mesa.  Let me give you the discription right off  the menu..."Crispy cinnamon tortilla chips and fire-roasted Fuji apple wedges topped with vanilla ice cream and drizzeled with caramel topping." 

...Do I need to say anything more?

Memorial Day 2009

Although I have never been in the Armed Forces and sometimes I don't always agree with what they do, I have always had respect for a person that put on a uniform to fight for the United States of America. Today is Memorial Day, a day that we should stop and reflect somewhere between the burgers and dogs about the true meaning of why we have this special day. Everyone will do different things in their own way to show thanks to our men and women who have made that ultimate sacrifice. Today there are parades and ceremonies, and grave side salutes, as for me I think I will just sit for awhile in quiet and think about what it is to be an American, and the men and women that this day is for.

Long Time, ehh?

Long time no see. It has been awhile. I had a lot going on in my life but nothing I wanted to put down on the web...I amend that last statement. I have a few things. Let’s get going...

Married, Day 47: I'm almost comfortable with the ring on my finger, I like it, it makes me feel like I'm worth more, like I have some reason to be here on this Earth. Not that I didn't before but now there is someone that relies on me to be there. I'm the head of my own family, all be it a small one, but none the less, my family.

UPDATE: My dad is in the hospital again. The last few weeks have been tough for the guy. The chemo is starting to finally kick in and as a result his white blood cell (the ones that fight infection) count is very low. He is not eating that much but seems to be out of pain for the most part. Everyone that comes in contact must wash their hands before coming in the house, and just generally stay clear of the guy. He went into the hospital because he was low in the blood department too. Apparently this chemo somehow helps somewhere, but it is now affecting the bone marrow, and the bone marrow is what makes blood. He went in Tuesday for two bags of the red stuff and ended up getting just under four over two days. Mom reports back that he is looking a lot better just after the blood went in.

John Kumpart gets married!!: We all met in South Dakota to witness the marriage of two of the greatest people I know. We did Deadwood, Rushmore, and danced the night away. Good times, King!
* Side note: Don't anyone ever ask me to do a Best Man speech ever again...fucking horrible. I've known the guy for 16 years and I spoke about him like I sold a used car to his uncle 7 years ago. Sorry, man. I love you.

I'm having a garage sale this weekend. Should be good times. If you want to sell something, get your stuff and bring it. Shop opens at 8am Saturday.

Why We're Better Together.

I was thinking about writing out a great heartfelt post about why I love the woman I'm about to marry in 4 days, filled with emotion, love, and happiness...I can't. I will become an idiot in front of the computer in need of massive amounts of kleenex. In order to avoid this I have put together a picture montage of the last few years of us. Enjoy. Laugh. Save them to your desktop. This is us, Jen and Kory.

This is the woman I love, and why. (see, got a little choked up right there.)


























...and that's why I love you, Beautiful. Thank you for everything that you do for me. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you.

Anyone Else Cold?

...15 days, kids.

Yeeeahhh...

Some say that if you have bad luck then its better then not having any luck at all...I would like to kick those people in the teeth. My boss called me into her office on Friday afternoon and told me that "...although you will still be employed by the school district, you will just not be at this campus next year, due to budget cuts."

When it rains it pours. So now I have to do one of two things, really concentrate on getting my application into the Los Angeles County Probation Department, or wait and see where the hell I will be working next year. Chances are that I will loose my awesome "3 months on, 1 month off" gig if I remain with the district and have to go back to a traditional summers off schedule, with a possibility of going to a school where I will have to completely rebuild the discipline department from the ground up.

The good news of course is that I still have a job no matter what. Maybe I'm complaining too much. I just don't want to be the new guy again.

Update:

Pops when into the hospital. His immune system has apparently gone to shit and he came down with pneumonia. The good thing is that they caught it early, so once that clears up he will be able to come home.

Speaking of home...

I'm getting married in 23 days. 3 WEEKS! I will be on a plane for Europe in 25 days and be gone for two weeks. My new bride and I will not be moving into a new house or to our old apartment that we have grown to (somewhat) love, we are in fact moving back into my parents house.

With dad out of commission, and only my 65 year old mother there to take care of him, we thought for the meantime it would be good for everyone if we were there to have some in house support. There is a pool to take care of, some gardening, cleaning and cooking, help with the everyday things, plus we can save a little cash in the bank.

Living Strong...

Most of you know my father, Phil. About 4 or 5 months ago the 70 year old was at the gym doing bench-presses when he hurt his chest. He was in a lot of pain and then he crushed a disk in his spine compensating for the chest pain. Electing to have surgery to reconstruct the disk he went under the knife. The disk was repaired successfully, but while the doctor was constructing the disk, he took a bit of my dad’s bone marrow to do a biopsy on it where to everyone's surprise it came back positive for cancer.

Multiple Myeloma is the name of the beast, and it is taking my father from me. I have watched over the last 4 months my dad become ill, lose weight, and I believe that he has become addicted to the massive amounts of pain killers he has to take just to get through the day. Is only true blissful pain free time is when he is asleep in which he does almost 20 plus hours per day now.

When we talk he has this way about him that if he died today he would miss us all but he knows that it would end the pain he is in. It’s weird, he says that he is not going anywhere for a long time because he needs to see me get married, get to know his new daughter in law, and play with his grandchildren, he says these things but I can see it in his eyes that he is truly indifferent...I don't blame him.

We are currently looking into a few places for treatment, those being U.S.C. and U.C.L.A. Medical Centers and the Mayo Clinic. If anyone has heard of another center please let me know.

I wanted to write this out for a few reasons; one is because I just need to let everyone know what is going on. The second is to help myself. I know I have not been myself lately and for that I truly apologize. For some reason I still keep my feelings all bottled up inside and let them run their course in me. It is not easy to sit back and watch my dad in pain to the point that he wishes he was not here with us anymore, but maybe if I write these things out and share them it will ease my pain somewhat…I do feel better already just typing out these few paragraphs.

The third reason is I wanted to bring the struggle of fighting this disease to my friends, not necessarily shoving it to you, but making you aware of it. Cancer has become personal to me. I no longer can sit on the sideline and tell myself that it is “their” problem anymore. My dad has cancer. If you would like to join the fight here is a place to start, (Livestrong) it only cost $10, give them out to your friends and you will not only help my dad but the millions of others that have cancer as well.

Weekend Gone Wild

Saturday: We were all set to go to Big Bear for the day and hang out with some friends, do a little playing in the snow, some cocktails at Snow Valley, and watch people wipe out on the slopes. It was canceled, but that was ok. Jenn and I took advantage of the open day and drove up to her brothers to spend the evening with her family, see their new house and, not to mention, celebrate his wife’s birthday…awesome Mexican food place. When I got home I put the Focus up for sale on Craigslist too.

Sunday: We were invited to take a trip down Mexico way with some friends to a little village by the sea called Puerto Nuevo (about an hour or so south of Tijuana) where the village money maker is their right out of the water lobster. Holy mother of god…I have never had a dinner like this before in my life. Fresh lobster tails for $19.99 each. We ordered 5, and along with the big bowl of rice and beans, fresh salsa, tortillas, and the 6 beers the total bill came to $116.00! You can’t beat that anywhere in the states, I dare you to try.

I got home and checked the email only to discover that I had three contacts about the Focus. I called the first guy only to find out that he had just bought a car and was driving home in it. What kind of guy emails someone about buying a car at 2pm and is driving home in a completely different one buy 7pm? He shopped for a car, found mine, emailed me about it, decided I was taking too long to get back to him, shopped for another car, talked to that guy, got the money, met him, bought the car, did the paper work, and was driving home in 5 hours? Guess I need to speed things up a bit.

Good news is I got a hold of the guy in the second email. He was from Fresno and just left the greater L.A. area to go back home. We made a deal to meet half way on Monday to do some business.

Monday: I had the day off for Presidents day A.K.A “Deal Day”. Jenn gets into the Focus; I get into the Jeep and hit the road for Bakersfield and then we find out The Grapevine is closed. The guy who is buying the car gives me a call and we decide to meet in Tehachapi instead. As we are leaving Long Beach it is pouring rain and it continued up until we got to Tehachapi, then it started to sleet and snow. I met Kevin in a Home Depot parking lot, where all was good, he wanted to buy the car and I wanted to sell it to him. We drove over to the local Tehachapi smog shop (lovely this time of year) and made good on the deal. $2,350 cash…American. I know, I know, I said I was selling for $3,000 but I really needed to unload the car and this was the first guy that said “I have the cash.”

Driving home, we hit every road condition you could think of…rain, sleet, snow, and then hail, then crazily enough, dry road after passing the Getty. Here is one picture I took:


So, here is to a great but non-restful weekend. I have a 4 day week to look forward to before this next one.

Mo' Money!?

Let everyone know, "The Silver Bullet" is on sale. 2000 Ford Focus ZX3 Kona Edition, 42k miles. $3,000. I posted an ad on Craigslist if you want to look into it a little more. I need the cash to help out in the savings department.

T-Minus...

54 days...

Survey Says!!

This Just In has never done a survey. I’m going to change that…because I can. As were all aware of ‘Project Jeepers Creepers’ is coming to a close. After four months of being in the garage taking parts off, fixing the ones I could, and putting new parts on, she is rolling again. I have actually been driving her to work for the last few days even with the hood, grill, and fender primer color black...so here is the survey:
I went to Earl Scheib to get an estimate, $326 to paint the hood, grill, and fender “stone white” again to match what is on there now…

Or I can get the Jeep completely redone in the color I really wanted in the first place, gunmetal gray…

Of course this color will cost $490, without painting the inside. If you’re wondering what I will be doing with that, I will be gutting the inside, carpet and everything, and using a roll on bed liner to seal the tub and make it easy clean up ready, reinstalling just the seats and middle console.
Your answer to what I should do…

UPDATE: Operation Jeepers Creepers

Worked on the Jeep this past Martin Luther King Jr. weekend...and it was good.



I attached the fender flair, side markers, support bars that come from the fire wall to the grill, did an oil change, and added new coolant to the system just before starting the girl up again after three months. I turned the key and...Sweetness. She fired up like nothing happened.



After driving it around the block a few times to get the juices flowing again and to test the steering to see if it was damaged (luckily it was not), I checked the belts, hoses, all the wiring. I attached the hood back on the hinges and then ran into the only snag in the rebuild. The hood won’t go down all the way. It is hitting the top of the radiator, so I need to check and see if it can be adjusted somehow. So close to getting the paint and completing Operation Jeepers Creepers!

Side Note: my cousin Ted that lives in Oklahoma had a soft top on his Jeep...one he used for only a few months before going the hard top route. He said the nearly new top is in the mail (I just had to pay for shipping!)!

It's Official...

The New York Yankees officially announced this guy is their newest Douchebag.

2009!!!

Happy New Years everyone! It was another great new year's party that I went to last night at "The King's" palace in west L.A. This coming year is a huge one for me. I'm getting married in 3 months, going on a two week honeymoon to Europe (The U.K., Ireland, and Scotland), hopefully get a new job, look in to buying a home, and possibly try to start a family. No one can say that I don't have a full plate. I'm really looking forward to getting married. It should be a hell of a party and for those of you that are invited; I can't wait to see you. For those who didn't get an invite…blame Jen. Her number is (949)..............................(just kidding Babe!)