Oops, missed a couple.

 So, blame it on the Bengals. They played (badly) a Monday Night football game, so I didn't blog. I don't have an excuse for the week after that though. 

Bari was so kind as to download all the pictures from my camera.

I never do well when adding pictures to this blog. Bear with me.

Obviously this is Halloween. The boys were the cutest pumpkins ever.


These seem to be going backwards in time. Hmmm. This was taken on Katy's back porch the Sunday the twins were Blessed. What a super cute bunch of boys!

This is Tony Perez. One of the Big Red Machine Reds baseball players. Geez- I need to loose the weight!

The picture of Pete Rose in the chair are from the Pete Rose Roast we photographed in September. This is from my camera, Bari took the 'official' photos from the event. Oh, that's Pete's son - Pete at the podium.


The bat and ball were given to me by the Reds this summer. I framed them as a gift from the Reds to Jonny Gomes. It was his 100th home run bat and ball. Last I heard, Jonny sent them to his home in Arizona.
And yes, that is fake grass in the back of the frame. It gets everywhere when I have to frame with it.

So, I hope the pics make up for the fact I hadn't blogged the past couple of weeks.

Week 5 - - - - basic work/family

 Sooooo . . . . . . . week 5, not so bad.

As I was cutting and joining frames in the warehouse this afternoon, I had lots of time to think about what I wanted to blog about this week. And, as usual, many weird and amazing things came to mind.

Here are a few.

Sam. We have been diligently trying to get him caught up on his homework. It has been a momentous struggle. He is smart enough to know the answers on the papers, he just doesn't know why he has to do it. And he hates to write. So, like I said. It has been a struggle. One night, I think it was Thursday, he was up until 10:30. Now, he didn't do homework the whole time- infact, I don't think he really started until around 7, but still, it was horrible. Thank heavens we are finally in a new quarter, and have a fresh start. Tonight he got done by 7 and even got to watch a little TV. (And snuggle with Mom on the couch).

I want my kids in bed by 10. Usually this isn't a problem. I like my "quiet time". I can be a little cranky about it. 

Madeline. I am enjoying re-reading "The Hobbit". She hates it. She isn't into fantasy I guess. I was thinking about the first time I read it. I think I was about her age - 13 at the time. My family are avid readers. My sister has had a novel published. Yea, big into reading. I was raised a reader on Nancy Drew Mysteries. My sisters read them, and I couldn't wait until I was old enough. Now, "The Hobbit" doesn't have much appeal to this new generation. Even the Harry Potter series has to be bigger and more fantastic than the one before. Not to mention the films. Each Potter movie is more animated and fantastic than the last.

I still love reading. I love that you can make the book, the images, anything you want. I would rather read a really good novel, mystery, thriller, than watch a movie. And more so if the movie is made from a best selling book. Then again, that might have something to do with the fact that I live with a man who can turn the TV to any 007 Bond movie at any given part and name the movie, the main actors, what will happen next in the plot, and the band who recorded the film score.

I am the oldest person at my company. Sometimes this bothers me. Mostly because I don't think I am old. Or, Very old. Sometimes it bothers me because I do more. I am given more responsibilities. And then there are days I just physically work harder. Today was a day like that. It was just a hard day, and I'm tired. And I don't want to be tired. I don't think I should be tired.

Yesterday Katy, Josh and the boys came over for Trick-or-Treat. I made a couple of big pots of veggie soup, and we had a nice evening. Sam went with some friends. Madeline stayed home for a while, until a couple of girlfriends came over. 
  The most fun, of course, was William. He was dressed in his pumpkin suit, (as were the twins), and just ran around the neighborhood looking cute. He had no clue what was going on, but enjoyed every minute. I took a couple of pictures, when I have time to download, I will put them on the blog. It takes forever with this computer.

Our wedding on Saturday was nice. It was a full Catholic Mass at St Rose. St Rose is right on the river. There is a scale on the back of the church which shows where the water marks are from every major flood. This might have been the first full mass that Madeline has been to with me. These weddings last about an hour. Madeline couldn't believe it took so long to marry some one. But she was really helpful.

We are starting to make plans for Thanksgiving. It is one of my favorite times of the year. I always loved getting together with family.

Sooooo.....It is now about 10:40. If I hurry, I will have enough time to read another chapter before I fall asleep.

Week 4 ... a funeral, a wedding, and family

 Well, so far this has gone about quite nicely. (Can you tell I am reading "The Hobbit"? It is required reading for Madeline, and I am re-reading to help her through it).

 Last week started with a funeral. My former boss' father passed away and I wanted to pay my respects. It was a long drive (Mt. Orab), and a long wait (an hour standing in a slow moving line), but it was the right thing to do. No regrets.

Bari's brother and sister-in-law were visiting the past couple of weeks. There were several family dinners. Kyo-sun is from Korea, and always makes a traditional meal for us while she is here. Kevin, Bari and Bari Ray walked around campus one morning. Kevin is in the Air Force, and almost ready to retire. He started his career in the ROTC program at UC, just like Bari Ray.

Work is fine, I did finish the Ochocinco project, and they loved it. Now the Reds have a new project for us to work on. (No, this isn't the 500 or 1000 pieces for the Hall of Fame, we haven't heard if we are doing that or not). This is a new project. It includes a team picture, brass plate, baseball league emblem, and an empty champagne bottle. Not 1, not 10 of these- probably around 25 shadowboxes for all the owners. I get the best stuff! They haven't committed to this either, but I am working with my boss to find the right molding/mat choices so he can present the design to them.  I'm pretty excited to get the chance to do this one. It should be really fun. (Even if there are 25).

And just so you don't think I never get the chance to do some kind of 'normal' family stuff, we carved pumpkins Sunday afternoon. It has been a tradition since moving here with Bari, that we carve our pumpkins while sitting on the front steps of the house. Some years it is a little cold. This year it was beautiful. I always do a traditional face, Madeline did a scary face, Sam has an Avitar-Air Bender face (with the arrow down the top) and Bari Ray had Brittany carve his. It is a scary tree. Amazing how relieved I felt after getting the old flower pots off of the porch steps and the pumpkins carved.

We had a wonderful wedding this past weekend. I think we have 4 or 5 weddings in a row now. Anyway, last week the couple was really cute, and they just seemed perfect for each other. Even the brides dad cried.

I have heard (through Katy) that Joey is going to a Half-Way house for 3 months. The program helps with his schooling, job hunt, and (when he gets out) housing. I am really happy that he found some help. We will see how it goes. 

Week 3 and Ochocinco

  So, yesterday was pretty typical for me. Work. Work. Oh, yea, and more work. You need 33 movie posters measured, drymounted, glassed and framed (all around 27x40 inches) in 3" wide moulding? Sure, no problem, let me just finish up the 56 (FIFTY-SIX) pieces for the Reds first.
 

In the middle of this day, I have a visit from one of the corporate clients I've been working with. They have 3 - 4 separate projects I am doing for them. Now, their company sets up sports camps for pro players -basketball, football, soccer - - -whatever. And the player usually uses this as a way to promote their charity. The company finds sponsors for the camp and the pro athlete. I then frame mini posters, or photographs of the athlete with sponsors, and signature cuts. (Signature cuts are small cards with the pro player's autograph).

Yes, so in the middle of my day, one of the companies shows up. We discuss his new projects, one of which is a multi-opening piece with a mini poster, and Chad Ochocinco's card/signature cut.  Fine. I put everything in a large manila envelope, and set it aside.  Vicki had been working on some graphics for me and I had to give her some information from this meeting immediately. We had made changes in a design, and I needed to tell her before she got too far into it.         THEN, I got a phone call (from the same corporate client) just to review a couple of things.      THEN I went to pick up the envelope to make a couple of notes and COULD NOT FIND IT  . . . . . .ANYWHERE.


Everyone looked. Everyone looked everywhere.

I don't loose things. ESPECIALLY not signature pieces. ESPECIALLY not Chad Ochocinco. 4 Chad Ochocinco cards. Not 1 card, FOUR cards.      GEEEEEZZZzzzzzz.

After getting home, going to bed with a migraine. I looked on my desk this morning and saw 2 manila envelopes with the same name on both. I thought, "why does he have 2 envelopes?". Yep, you guessed it. One was turned over, so I didn't see the correct name. It was on my desk the whole time.

Stupid.

And that's not all.

When I started framing the pieces I noticed something odd about the  signature cards.

They were copies. The cards didn't have original Ochocinco signatures on them. They aren't worth squat.

And I had a migraine over them.

And then my boss told me we have an additional order of 88 movie posters. yea.

And then (yes- there is more- and yes, this is how my days really do roll)...... my boss told us that we were asked to put a bid together for the Reds Hall of Fame for 500 pieces.

yep  . . . .500