Rainy Days in Houston (with 18 holes squeezed in!)

We have had rain seemingly every day for a week! Maybe more! No joke, we've had a lot. Exact amounts I can't say, but plenty!

Sunday I played golf out at Pasadena Municipal with JR, Andy and Spicer...we opted for a cheap course to get ourselves back into our playing. We surely got a cheap course! Sunday was a beautiful day. An April day when you didn't break a sweat the minute you went outside. However, with 30 mph winds and gusts, not the best golf day. But...we went for it anyways. On the third hole we had to deal with hitting with a cross wind, over a large lake, and a fairway full of water from the over flowing lake! Check it out...


By the 13th hole we abandoned our typical game and decided we'd only use our 6-iron. I bogeyed it with JR and I won the coin toss. I chose to use just the driver on the next hole! Three of us bogeyed...but not me. It was a lot of fun...I bogeyed all but one of the holes we used "one club" on. Incuding the sand wedge hole. That was a fun one.


This sign was actually hung out front. Too funny!

Then we got more rain. Last night I made it home in the weather...luckily the Xterra is an SUV as I don't know if the Saab could have made it through some the roads. Well this morning, no one did. My typical route, alternative routes, and any possible route I could think of was closed due to high water. I eventually made it back here to work from home.


Check out the weather. The red on the left...that's part of my route! (Circle on left is my office, circle on bottom is home) Once some of those incident markers are removed, I'll make it to the office. For now...working from home!

Travelling...it's in our Genes!

Catching up on things, finally! This morning I finally got a chance to scroll through my parents pictures from their latest cruise (they cruise a lot, dozen plus I would estimate...) to the Panama Canal and Southern Caribbean. A few made me smile and I thought I'd share.


My parents are obvious tourists who don't mind being tourists...having a great time in...Curacao or Aruba. I think it's Aruba.


They definitely know how to eat and make us all envious of it! Check out the spread accompanying the Filet Mignon!


They said the Panama Canal was an amazing marvel. Said that we have to get down there. In time...


And look at the view they had. They were offered this upgrade from their outside cabin to this aft balcony! The balcony iteself was 80 SF compared to the typical 35-40 SF!

Now it's time to go and watch their 4-hour marathon movie! I'll probably have to do that in a few sittings, but it'll be nice. As long as their is no Staten Island Ferry type video segment. Debbie knows that one all too well! During one of my parents trips to NYC to visit me, my dad video taped the entire crossing from Staten Island to lower Manhattan! I remember the call from Debbie saying, "we watched the whole thing," referring to when she was over at my parents house sometime following. Too funny...

Indians & Astros...you all are killing me!

Just finished up the Astros game tonight...watched them fall to 6-11. Oh and the Indians, they are 6-11, too. What crap is this?

The Astros don't score runs...one of the worst in the NL. The Indians score runs...one of the best in the AL. But...if you don't know...you have to hold your opponents to less than you score to win! Both pitching staffs are killing me.

Oh well, 17 games into the season isn't telling of what the next 145 games holds...but it's surely a depressing start to the first few weeks of the 2009 season!

Bleh...at least I am not a Nationals fan! :-)

Not sure what I should be doing...???

So, now that my exam is over, I can breathe! Not sure what to do, though. Oh yeah, it's baseball season! Wedding and honeymoon fast approaching. Plus, mom and pop Kadlec are coming to visit Debbie and I in Texas! So, there's plenty!

Finally have seen some new pics of our ship, well, Carnival's ship...but our conveyance for our honeymoon. It's coming together and looking sweet!

Check out the shots:



I think the attaching of slideshows (like Deb does) is way better than the way I used to do it. We'll see if I continue this long term, but here's my trying it out.

DT Wedding Train Brew

So my dad has been a home-brewer for a few years and recently started his own business building brew systems. After building his own, I got an opportunity to finally brew with him. Here is a slideshow of our brew: 

He offered to make us a Wedding Brew, how awesome is that going to be! He calls it the DT Wedding Train Brew (referring to the brew the recipe that it is similar to, The Gent night train). He is making extra for us to save some for our anniversaries in years to come. 

I got to try some during my Easter vacation there, pretty dang good, and with age it will only get better! I can't wait for everyone to try!

Indians & Astros...C'mon!!! You're killing my dream!

So, I had this crazy thought which is beginning to look more and more like a dream. Actually it's more like a fantasy with the odds of me getting a second chance at a foul ball or maybe even us winning the lotto! (I'd be okay with the latter...)

Anyways, what was the thought, well it has to do with the events of this coming October. Three great things will be happening: 1) our wedding, 2) our honeymoon, and 3) the World Series!. We all know that numbers 1 and 2 are going to be great, crazy awesome! I can't wait for both! But I keep joking that this was the year that the Indians make it back to the World Series and come away with their first Series win since 1948! I would love for this to happen, just not when we are out of the country and can't see it happen! Then I thought, wouldn't it be crazy for the Indians to go up against the Astros...heck, I could go to the Houston games as they'd be in my backyard!

But sadly, one week into the season, I don't think that any of this will pan out. As the Indians and Astros are both hold 1-6 records. It's only one week into the 162 game season, but really...can they recover?



Sury they can! 16:1 odds are doable...granted 40:1 for the Astros are a little harder.

Boston Red Sox 11/2
New York Yankees 6/1
Chicago Cubs 15/2
Los Angeles Angels 17/2
New York Mets 13/1
Philadelphia Phillies 13/1
Los Angeles Dodgers 15/1
Cleveland Indians 16/1
Tampa Bay Rays 16/1
Arizona Diamondbacks 18/1
Detroit Tigers 18/1
Chicago White Sox 22/1
Minnesota Twins 25/1
Florida Marlins 30/1
St. Louis Cardinals 30/1
Toronto Blue Jays 30/1
Atlanta Braves 34/1
Colorado Rockies 35/1
Houston Astros 40/1
Milwaukee Brewers 45/1
Cincinnati Reds 50/1
San Francisco Giants 50/1
Oakland Athletics 55/1
Texas Rangers 60/1
San Diego Padres 65/1
Baltimore Orioles 75/1
Kansas City Royals 75/1
Pittsburgh Pirates 75/1
Seattle Mariners 75/1
Washington Nationals 75/1

Check out the article...it is a little premature to the season (Nov08), but it's a good one: Click to go to the article

T-Minus 6 Months! And Honeymoon Update!

As of yesterday, we are within 6 months of the wedding! That means we are almost en route on our honeymoon! Not that I am bypassing our wedding, but Debbie and I need a vacation.

The other day we were lucky and found fares to Rome at fares 40% below what they have been. We were getting nervous...but we waited and we were lucky! So, we are now booked on Continental across the pond over to Rome.



Rome awaits us!

Opening Day!

So this year Debbie and I attended our third straight Astros Opening Day. This year we had amazing seats! (Amazing by the tickets I usually buy! I have been more for quantity than quality...this year will be the latter!)



Our seats were 18 rows up from the field...



Debbie and I sported our Astros gear...(even though we both probably wish we could be wearing our Cardinals or Indians attire!)

See that guy over my left shoulder? Yeah, that's the dirtbag. He and I went up for a 9th inning foul and it luckily deflected into his wife's stuff. We both went for it, but he had the edge. Probably the one and only time I'll get my chance for a foul. I'll cross my fingers for the future...



All in all, Debbie and I had a great time. How can you not have fun when you are at a baseball game.

That's one down...only 34 to go to pass last years game total! Pshhh...not a chance this year!

Baseball in HD...unbelievable!

Well today is Opening Day for the 2009 MLB season. YAY! (Wahoo's all the way!)

So, the best part is watching it on our new TV. New from a few months ago...one of the biggest Debbie selling points to me was baseball in HD. Well tonight the Phillies-Braves game is on and she was sooo right! It's awesome.



We got a 46" Samsung (1080p, 120 Hz) which you can see in the picture. That is from February...kitty is trying to get the dogs on the TV when we were watching Snow Dogs.

(You may chuckle because I was content with our old TV...I blame a few people, jokingly of course, for the "need" for the new TV. Good job, Tyson!)

Indians visit Houston...and victorious!

So Opening Day is only two days away, but yesterday (Friday) I got the rare treat of seeing my #1 team play! The Indians came to Houston for two exhibition games to close out Spring Training. It was my first spring game since before I left Florida 5 years ago. The major difference...paying regular season fare! My friend Aaron and I bought the outfield deck tickets for $7, but made our way to prime seats behind the Indians dugout...20 or so rows up. We kept thinking of George Costanza's "it's not a lie if you believe it" and made ourselves fit right in. Granted we weren't the only ones sitting in better seats than normal...but with an announced crowd of 27k+, we were fortunate to make it through the game without losing them!

Anyways, the Indians won! Well, the won TODAY, but lost yesterday. I curtailed all my cheering for the Astros, my #2 team, while the Indians were in town. I supported Cleveland fully even sporting my Kadlec No. 25 jersey (thanks to Deb from a few years back).

Found this vintage picture (vintage? sort of...circa 2006)...Debbie supported HER team, the Cardinals...along with her two aunts (up at Busch Stadium). The Indians lost that game too. Perhaps I should think about NOT going to their games...maybe that will get them back to their winning ways.



Indians all the way in 2009!!!