Monday Moaning

Major changes going on for me...I was absent last week...Work has ground me to shit...It's been rough lately...The amount of stress I have had due to work lately has been insane...Then, I would get home after a long day, and get into a fight with my wife, who is sick of me working 60 hours a week, when my company was only paying me for 50...She understood my loyalty to my crew and not wanting to leave them hanging, but she was quite tired of me giving so much of a damn, and not getting the same or anything close in return...Plus last week, some other issues have come up with my family (that I am not allowed to discuss right now)...

I had a week of vacation two weeks ago, and received multiple calls and texts from work...including just hours into the first day...The stress and frustration with numerous work issues were weighing on me heavily...the knots in my stomach were horrible...The lack of respect of late was very hurtful...Over the years, comfort, some fear, and loyalty has kept me from moving, or taking a chance on something else...Loyalty to the original 3 owners who hired me many years back, as well as loyalty to co-workers...But those feeling lately have been replaced with frustration...and a growing ulcer!

I'm not willing to lose my family, or health, or respect for anyone or anything...

Thursday afternoon after having multiple talks with a couple who own an Italian restaurant, they put a good offer on the table...I had recently turned down other offers, but this one felt good...A month earlier, I spent an evening working in their kitchen, getting a idea of the menu, and a feeling for the kitchen and restaurant as a whole...the week before my wife and I ate there, and scouted them...I told them I would have to talk it over with my wife...

It wasn't hard convincing her...Guaranteed less hours, and a bit more money...Besides that, I wanted to do it...I really like these people, and feel a strong connection to them already...While the company I have given 20 years to is a strong company with 7 excellent restaurants, I feel like I can be part of something special, and bigger with these folks...

Friday I let them know, I'm in...Then I went to work, and planned on giving my notice, and as I walked in, I had a giant, steaming pile of bullshit dropped in my lap...There was a huge slap in my face, and a complete lack of respect shown to me and others, as the pile of bullshit was dumped on me...I'm not going to bash my former employer anymore, it was just clear that for me, my health, and my family, that is was time to move on...I informed my bosses I was done, and nothing they had to say would change my mind...

In the past just thinking of changing jobs terrified me...But I left work Friday with a feeling of great relief...Stress was already floating away...When I told my kids and wife the news, they were thrilled...Clearly all this shit wasn't just weighing on me...I'm thrilled about this next step in my life...I'm so excited and can't wait to get started...Sometimes we have to look to the past to find our future...

The Little Italy neighborhood is one of the many little gems scattered around Cleveland...It something I overlooked for many years, but am very excited to share it with my kids...Plus I have some personal enjoyment being a half Irishman who will be running the kitchen of an Italian Restaurant...

Saturday afternoon I took my daughter and 6 of her friends to the movie, "Unfriended"...They love horror movies, and don't find shit like the original "Halloween," or "The Shinning" scary...this movie sucked...You were stuck watching asshole teenagers chat on their computers via Skype, Facebook, and Text, and (SPOILER ALERT) ...and get killed by the ghost a girl they drove to suicide...Besides the movie sucking, one teen was played by a chick who is 28 years old...Seriously!?!  But it actually scared these 13 year girls...Maybe because of the social media aspect and this digital age we're in...

After that I dropped off the girls except for one friend who was sleeping over and helping babysit...Babysit because we were going to Little Italy for dinner at the new place, besides hitting up one of the fantastic bakeries down there...My wife wanted to meet my new employers, and they wanted to meet her...Afterwards, she understood why I liked these people, and why I wanted to make this move...

Sunday was Mrs. Beeze's birthday (number not to be published)...She was happy with the new Blue Ray player I gave her with the new Star Wars blue ray box set...We're all getting pretty excited about the new Star Wars coming out around Christmas...

One of comedian Jim Norton's characters had his own take on the Star Wars trailer...





As for sports, I've missed a lot...But I'm thrilled my Rangers took out the penguins 4 games to 1...

The NFL draft is quickly approaching, and I can't wait to not watch...But I'll have an eye on twitter watching people freak out over the Cleveland Browns next big mistake!

That's it for now...But for the first time in a long time, I feel happy and energized, and wasn't dreading sitting down and writing a blog....More to come!

Have a week!

I've Got the Bad Guys' Back

Yeah, I said it...I won't always stick up for the Bad Guys, but today I am...Just look at Boba Fett...Dude was a Bad guy, and became a cult icon...So much so, that they made a point of creating his Bad-ass father for the newer editions of "Star Wars"...But this post isn't about my "Star Wars" geekdom...Hollywood has always propped up Bad Guys for us to root for...

First let's talk about Whitey Bulger...The Boston Mob Icon who was arrested last week, after years on the run...Whitey is the reason the movie "The Departed" was made...Now I'm not defending Whitey for the 19 murders he did...Or countless beating he gave...Or the countless other crimes he committed...

But why did it take the FBI so long to bust Bulger? He was living in plain sight...Living near an FBI field office...Often spending time in areas filled with surveillance cameras...It's because for years in Boston, the FBI had dirty agents that were protecting Bulger...Tipping him off when the heat was on...Letting him do his dirt freely...In return he ratted on his Italian competition...

It's said that not only did he have FBI agents under his thumb, but also city and state police...So while Whitey Bulger is a glorified, murderous fuck...Plenty of that blood he spilled is on the hands of the FBI...If whitey goes down, I hope he takes all those "To Protect and Serve" cock suckers down with him! They're all guilty of murder!

Another bad guy I am defending, is Dodgers owner Frank McCourt...Okay, maybe he hasn't been killing, and stealing and shit like Whitey Bulger...But MLB Commish, Bud Selig, and the Media have made McCourt a bad guy since his bitter divorce has put the Dodgers in a financial mess...Selig, the egotistical, power hungry, asshole that he is, is doing everything he can to take the team away from McCourt...

When McCourt bought the Dodgers they were a joke...They had been run into the ground repeatedly...In his seven years as owner, they have been contenders/in the playoffs four of those...That's pretty good in this day and age of Baseball...The way Selig has handled this, has show he has a clearly personal issue with McCourt...

If he was going to take this type of stand for the "Integrity" of the game, he should have ripped the Mets away...The financial situation that has gone on there is disgusting! Why not get in the Pirates shit? They are playing well this year, but all they have done for years is, not spend, and trade away any and all good talent...Taking a once proud franchise, and turning it into an after thought for a city that loves it's teams...

Tampa Bay has contended just like the Dodgers, but financially been a joke...Florida, another poorly run team, has won two World Series, yet no one shows up and no one cares...

People say the much of the problems the Dodgers are having are because of the McCourts living a lavish lifestyle, and taking money from their team to help live that life...It's their team, they can do what they want...

The Yankees, and Red Sox, often have to pay a luxury tax for the insane amount they spend on payroll...That money is shared throughout the league...The lesser teams like Pittsburgh and KC getting more than LA...A few years ago, the Pirates owner took his cut and bought a plane, instead of reinvesting that into his team...I don't agree with that, but until the rules are changed, owners have every right to do what they want with their money.

McCourt had a deal in place that would save his team, and bring steady revenue in for many years, and Selig blocked it...How does that help your league's integrity? It is giving a commissioner too much power, and letting him undercut owners...I was glad to see the court sided with McCourt, and I can't wait for him to sue Selig...He'll win, or MLB will settle...If Bud didn't want him as an owner, they had the power to stop the sale, way back when...This is about who's friends with Bud and who isn't....That's why they keep cock blocking Mark Cuban from owning a team...

Selig has repeatedly done things that harm the integrity of the game...This is just another in a long line...

Now a plug for a good guy...Vote for Asdrubal Carbrera for the AL "All-Star" team...Fuck Jeter...Cabrera has been killing it all year, with the bat and the glove...Jeter, not so much!

Later, The Beeze.

Monday Moaning

My God I hate the Flyers! I hate Philly in general...Then of course there is the fact that I thought the Devils would end up in the Stanley Cup Finals...After losing to the Flyers Sunday night in OT, then the above gang bang took place, the Devils slipped behind 2-1 in the series...And these bastards from Philly have some serious momentum...Although sooner or later their shitty goaltending will show up again, and they'll get bounced...

If you aren't a Hockey fan, now is the time to check it out...The playoffs are exciting as hell, and you can expect the unexpected...(yeah, I just wrote that...Hey Bettman, give me a job in the PR department...Hell give me your job , you f**king hack!)

The other playoff series right now look like this...Phoenix leads Detroit 2-1...Pittsburgh Lead Ottawa 2-1...Screw the Pens! ...Nashville and Chicago are tied at one game each...As I write this San Jose and Colorado are also tied at 1-1, but are playing right now...Montreal and Washington are tied at 1 each, as are Boston and Buffalo...Those are looking like they may be a couple of tough series...And Vancouver and LA are tied at 1 game each...The fun has just started...So try and find Versus on you provider...(Bettman, F**k You! Pay Me!)

Moving on to a little Baseball...Yeah, I said Baseball...It's that fun time of year where the NHL playoffs are getting revved up, and Baseball as started their long ass marathon season...I get into Baseball early...But then lose interest when the NHL Finals near...By that time the Cleveland Indians are out it, and I'm saying Go Red Sox...Frighteningly, the Indians and their 6-6 record are doing better then the 4-8 Red Sox...

But the BIG Baseball news this week has got to be, Ubaldo Jimenez of the Colorado Rockies throwing the first no-hitter in franchise history...Jimenez threw 128 pitches in the feat against the Atlanta Braves, and is off to a great start...3-0 with a 1.29 ERA...

The Braves bounced back Sunday with a 4-3 victory over the Rockies, lead by rookie Jason Heyward...I don't normally get excited about the hyped up rookies...But this kid looks like the real deal...He's got great instincts...Tons of talent...And great patience at the plate for his age (20)...He's hitting .301 with 3 home runs and a .423 on-base percentage...Not a bad start.

Alright, enough of this sports stuff...I'm kinda of happy, yet a little sad to report, The Little Beeze was pretty damn well behaved again this week...He still has his moments where he puts up a fight about something stupid...But he's been really good...So Sunday I treated him to a bit of a reward...He loves going to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History...Dude loves the Dinosaur bones!

(Look at that b!tch wearing a Red Wings hoodie! I know the Cleve doesn't have a NHL team, but damn...Detroit!?!)

So after checking out The Dinos, and all the Planetarium, and all the other cool shit...It was gift shop time...He really loves that place too! He got a stuffed animal snake...A brother for the one he got last time...He also grabbed a pack of some toy animals...Then he though it would be a good idea to get something for his older sister...So he grabbed a set of 4 blank lizards that came with paint and brushes so, you can make then look really f**ked up...My daughter painted 1...The boy painted 3...And you'd think he was on acid when he did them...

Now, for those who may be wondering how my attempt at weight loss is going...It's going well...For those of you who don't know...The wife made a deal with me...If we drop 25 pounds, I get to pop her in the dirt star...

I'm leading the race...I'm down 15 pounds...And pushing her...We just brought the "AB Circle" into the mix, and she's diggin' that...

When I told her how much I had lost she said, "I like my fat hog." I replied, "You never have to worry about losing your fat hog!"

-

Now as I wind this down...Here's a random hot ass shot...Just 'cause!

Before I go..Last week I talked a bit about my inner geek...I saw this via twitter last week, and loved it...So I had to share it...




Have a great week...

Later, The Beeze.

Monday Moaning

They say Every Picture tells a story...So this week I'm gonna use that as my theme...

What does that first picture say? A couple things...First, I needed another cup of coffee before I did this crap...You'll see why later...Second, I clearly have some geek in me, since I have a Boba Fett coffee cup...That's right, it's not all sex, sports, and ranting here...There is some geekiness too...Hell the Beeze family was playing Star Wars Monopoly tonight...

And before this goes any further...There will be no talk of Tiger Woods, or The Masters...I could give a shit...I'd rather be Watching the Paint Dry then watch golf...

(If you don't get that reference and the picture above, just move on)...

Sunday was a big day for a New York Rangers fan like myself...The Rangers took on the Philadelphia Flyers...The winner moved on into the last playoff spot...The loser, was just that...This game also had personal bragging rights on the line, as my father is a Flyers fan, and my Red White and Blue blood can't stand those bastards....

Once again Henrik Lunqvist did all he could for the Rangers...Stopping 46 of 47 shots on goal...But of course he's teammates played way to cautious with the lead, and went back to their old ways of not shooting the puck enough...It's sad when your looking for Jody Shelley and Brandon Prust to light the lamp instead of Marian Gaborik, and Olli Jokinen...

The game first went to OT...Then to a shootout...The Flyers up 2-1...Here comes, Overpaid, Overrated, if you trade for him, your team will go in the shitter, Olli Jokinen...And, NO GOAL!

Flyers win...Dad calls, busts my balls...Season over for the boys in blue...Go Bruins!

It was time to drown my sorrows... That's right...A six pack of Peroni and a Chicken Club Pizza from Dina's.... Don't worry, I finished it all...Extra 20 minutes added to the workout tomorrow...

I had Saturday off from The Fish House...So what did I do? Took the kids to the grocery store and prepared a dinner for the wife and a few of her friends...They were trying to have a special night without spending too much cash, so I offered to feed them...This also meant getting the kids to behave and leave their mother alone for the evening...The kids were great...Now I have to take them out, so they can pick a reward for themselves...Yes, I bribe them...

Here's what we made for the ladies...

Strawberry Gazpacho with sauteed shrimp...Those are pita chips on the side...The Mrs. likes to eat it like salsa...

Balsamic Roasted Pear over a Spinach and Goat Cheese Salad with a Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette...

My wife's favorite...Filet Mignon with mashed potatoes, green beans, and a red wine reduction...

After that, the ladies went out for more drinks...I was left to put the kids bed, which wasn't hard since it was well past their bedtime...Oh, and the Little Beeze had been up since 4:30 AM...Evil Bastard!

Then I got online and searched out new and exciting things to squeeze off a couple rounds to...

It's gonna be hard to follow that up...But I'd like to end with a good old fashioned punch in the face...

I've never been one to believe in Karma...But after I saw this video, I thought...There has to be something...Fate...Destiny...A little, what goes around, comes around...Something...Maybe even Karma...Because after seeing Matt 'Cheap Shot, Dirty, Scumbag, Douche' Cooke get knocked out by Evander Kane, something about the world just felt right...

Have a good week...

Later, The Beeze.

Monday Moaning

And the winner is..."The Hurt Locker"...

James Cameron must feel like that dude in the picture...That dope spent ten years working on his over the top special effects, CGI out the ass, sci-fi movie...And he lost "Best Picture" and "Best Director" to his ex-wife...OUCH!

But I wasn't surprised...SCI-Fi doesn't win at the Oscars...There were no surprises this year...There rarely are...Bunch of stuffy, uptight, ass kissing, douche-baggery..."The Hurt Locker" was a really good movie...Yes there is a lot of bullshit that wouldn't really happen in reality...But it's a movie...And a good one at that...

Moving on, this past week hasn't been the best for me...You can read up on my pain here...

http://thebeezewax.blogspot.com/2010/03/my-trip-to-oral-surgeon.html

Saturday the wife and I hit the movies...I was feeling better and wanted a couple hours away from the kids...We went and saw "Cop Out." You can read about that here...

http://thebeezewax.blogspot.com/2010/03/beezes-reviews-cop-out.html

After the movie we stopped by Borders Books & Music...First, why don't we take Music out of the name...The music section has gotten to be the size of my half bathroom...And the music selection is for shit! Most of it is old...You know for the people who just upgraded from vinyl to CD's...No I don't need any Jim Croce...And I had the Led Zeppelin box set when I was 15...But wait...Borders is trying hard to stay hip...They've got f**king Radiohead CD's coming out their ass! We get it...Radiohead =you're too cool for the room...Way to play your computer...

Thom Yorke is a fruity dancing douche!

So we roam around the store for awhile...I see a huge sign that says '"CALENDARS"...We need a calendar...This Christmas was the first in my life that some one didn't give me a Lighthouse calendar...Yes, I love lighthouses...It's very odd, because I'm not a fan of water...So I go over and find...Nothing that resembles a calendar...Then after searching for an employee for more then 5 minutes, she tells me, "Whatever is there, is what we have"...I replied with, "You have nothing!" and walked away...

I ended up leaving with a book called "Odd Man Out" by Matt McCarthy...It's the story of him and his not so famous life in baseball...So far I'm enjoying it...I also got a cookbook that was marked down to $5...Has some really cool stuff in it I may be stealing for specials at The Fish House...The wife Grabbed some Dean Koontz book and something else...Oh, and a Alice in Wonderland book for the girl, (The most expensive thing we purchased) and a Sponge Bob book for the boy...

Speaking of the Little Beeze...We got a nice surprise when we got home...The sitter tried to clean most of it up, but his slick...You see, some artists work with oils...Some with pastels...Some with water colors...Some simply draw with pen or pencil...The Little Beeze apparently was working on a masterpiece in the bathroom, with toothpaste...Well at least it smells fresh in there!

I'll be honest, I haven't spent much time paying attention to sports this past week...Spring training games got underway...Not interested...The NHL trading deadline came and went...Over 50 players were moved around the league...But no major shake-up...Like all trading deadline days, it was hyped for no reason...

Sunday The Boston Bruins, and Marc Savard got dealt a blow they didn't want, as Matt Cooke of the Penguins put his forearm/elbow right upside Savard's head...Savard is out indefinitely...And I'm sure the league will be looking at the video since it was a head shot...


NFL free agency has gotten underway but I'll be honest...I'm not that well informed about it all...I know The Bears made the first big splash signing Julias Peppers to some insane money...And they also signed Chester Taylor...The Ravens made a good move grabbing Anquan Boldin...And the Jets secondary just got even better with the signing of Antonio Cromartie...But that's all I got on that...

One last thing before I go...I don't consider myself geek...But I do have a fondness for "STAR WARS"...I also have a fondness for sexy women...So when I saw this I thought...WOW! What a great idea...



Have a great week...

Later, The Beeze.