A lot has gone on since my last (non-) update on the blog (what the heck? Where did the rest of that last post go? Now it's gone forever, and I'll never remember what was awesome about that weekend...) I've been meaning to get a post out, but the magazine was due and I've just been kinda slammed in general. But now, it's a quiet Wednesday night. Time for some updates.
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Most significant to the family is the addition of another (second-) cousin to the family in the birth of Sylvia Romero, daughter of Brent and Rosalina. She looks beautiful! Can't wait to meet her, and congrats to the growing Vignery-Romero family.
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The Z has been sold. Long live the Z.
It's a somewhat interesting story if you want to hear it in person. The short of it: I re-posted it on Craigslist a week or so ago... Got some emails... had a father/son take it for a test drive on Saturday morning. Got home, saw another email from another interested party. He wanted to take it for a test drive ASAP, before the snow hit...
Head back to KC, meet this guy at the Bass Pro Shop in Olathe. He's a little younger than me, salt and pepper hair like me. Single guy, a car head. He asked if he could romp on the Z on an on-ramp, I told him to go for it. He romped it hard... and loved what the Z showed him. "I'm sorry, I know that probably killed you," he said afterwards. "Look, there's a reason people are interested in this car. It's not for the gas mileage."
Took it back to the Bass Pro and he asked me to hang for a bit, his mom and dad were on their way to take a look. They got there, the dad grilled me a little... and then took me aside and told me he was prepared to pay me close to what I wanted, but not the asking price... in cash. And not a dollar more than what he had with him.
I pondered it for a little bit and then took the offer. It was bittersweet.
Adrianne, Evey and Boyd met me at the Longhorn Steakhouse. I'm sitting there at the bar, crying in my beer, with $7,000 cash in my pocket. It was a strange moment.
I wanted to sell the Camaro, and I'm happy I did. It seems like it went to a good home, too... the guy texted me telling me how happy he was with the Z, that it was driving great, and that he had already waxed it and it was in his garage looking great.
But at the same time, my dad was with me when I bought that car. I felt like I lost a little connection to my old man when I parted ways with it...
I reminded myself over and over that right now, I'm driving my dad's old truck... that would make him happy. And it's a better car for my family.
I had 12 great years in the Z. Maybe I'll get back in one again in 20 years or so. An SS this time...
But probably not. I'm still hopeful to own a Corvette before I die.
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Evey had a check-up recently. She's doing great.
Quick aside: Is it reasonable to wait an hour and 50 minutes to see your doctor? The appointment was scheduled for 4 p.m. The doctor finally entered the room at 5:50.
Bullshit, right?
Anyway. She was in the 95th percentile on height at 4'4". She also had 20/40 and 20/50 vision (or somesuch) and it's the doc's belief that she'll need glasses soon.
No surprise. Adrianne needed glasses by 3rd grade, I needed them by 6th grade.
Evey seems curious about the whole thing, but not bummed. We did have this exchange on the way to school this morning:
EJ: Dad, do you think I'll need glasses?
SJ: Probably, eventually, sweetie. Your mom and I both needed glasses...
EJ: OK...
SJ: Does that make you sad?
EJ: No, but... I kind of like my look right now.
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More Evey randomness...
While playing around with Boyd the other day, Boydee asked Evey if he could play with the Kindle (he's currently serving a 5-day suspension from the Kindle, for being mean to his sister).
Evey told Boydee that he
could play with the Kindle... so long as he PROMISED HER... that he would embarrass himself on his birthday for the rest of his life.
What the?!?
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Evey and Boyd were getting ready to rumble the other day. Play-fight.
Boydee loves to "fight" Evey. They throw pillows, stuffed chairs, balls at each other. Sometimes Boydee just launches into fight mode. We've told him that he has to ask Evey if he wants to fight before he can start fighting her.
So now we often hear Boydee say, "Evey, want to fight?"
I was sitting in the living room when Evey accepted Boyd's challenge. She then began narrating, or maybe doing a play-by-play of the fight.
"Who will win?!?" she asked out loud, in a dramatic tone. "Evey? She's beautiful...
but doesn't know it... or Boydee?"
Uhm, I think someone might know it... or at least think it...
I blame Disney Channel and especially the show "Jessie."
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Brother-in-law got a big promotion at work. He's now a Vice President.
Very cool, M.J.! Keep doing good.
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Hendo went to Vegas recently, so I gave him $60 to make two sports book bets for me:
Jayhawks to win it all (13/2) and Trailblazers to win it all (20/1).
I put $25 on the 'Hawks in 2008, when they won it all. I forget the payout, but it was a fun hit for sure.
The Trailblazers? I figure, what the heck. Take a longshot to make the playoffs a little more interesting. I'll be rooting for the Thunder, but... if the 'Blazers make it out of the first round? Guess who will be watching every one of their playoff games?
That entertainment is worth losing $30 any time.
(For the non-gamblers, if the 'Blazers found a way to win it, that $30 would become $600.)
((Why the Blazers? I saw them in Cleveland, and I was so impressed with the Damian Lillard/LaMarcus Aldridge combination. They're the # 1 offense in the league. AND there's a new commissioner for the first time in 30-some years... so this could potentially be the first year when the NBA Finals isn't fixed.))
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Speaking of hoops, Evey's final basketball game... perhaps of her career... is this Saturday at 9 a.m. at Eudora Rec.
You're invited.
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I got a new passport. The new passports are good for 10 years. The State Department sent me my old passport back, with some holes punched in it.
I think it'll be a fun keepsake.
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Adrianne is taking me to see Morrissey in Lawrence. He's performing at Liberty Hall. That's cool.
"How Soon Is Now?" came on my Pandora channel while I was doing the dishes tonight. It should be a fun show, even though I'm not a huge fan.
It'll be the second time Adro and I have seen Mozz.
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Rented
World War Z the other day. Was fully prepared to be terrified out of my mind. (The book is brilliant, and scary as shit.)
Amazing what the studio's need to stick to a PG-13 rating can do to a movie.
This should have been the scariest movie I've seen in a loooong time (even scarier than
Love Actually). But instead it was rather vanilla.
And the story wasn't scary enough on its own.
A mild thumb's down.
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Saw
Gravity at the theater with Copy J.
The movie was beautiful. The story was barely passable.
By the end of the movie, I was rooting for outer space.
That's not good.
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We've got about 10 new couches in the house. But that's a post for another day (I've got a photo ready for that post.)
But needless to say... this next garage sale is going to be HUGE.
