My kids dad

Have you purchased tires for you car or truck lately?  If you have, you have noticed the steep increase in the price of those tires.  I figured it was due to the poor state of the economy.  It turns out that those prices are courtesy of President Obama and he is bragging about it.

What do you mean he is bragging about it.  Yep, he’s bragging about it.  If you watch any television you have seen the political ad where he says he was being tough on China by putting tariffs on Chinese made tires.  He’s also slamming Romney for saying it was a bad idea.

Let’s think about this for a second.  A tariff is a tax imposed on things imported into this country.  Who pays this tax?  We do!  How is this tough on China?  It sure is tough on us because we pay this tax.  Seems to me that Romney was looking out for us.  Mr President, if you want to be tough on China, make them remove their tariffs so our products are more competitive in their markets.

Hard Rock Park is reborn as the Freestyle Music park.  I only live 2 miles from the park and never went when it was the Hard Rock Park.  It was too expensive and I have kids so it was not a good fit.  Now as the Freestyle Music Park it is more kid friendly.  We all have annual passes.  We love it.  From speaking with a co-worker, it has many of the same rides, just re-branded, and many more rides for kids.

The pricing is by leaps and bounds more affordable.  The annual passes run about $65 dollars for adults and $40 for children.  We feel we have already gotten our money’s worth and it is only the first week in June.  The food is still expensive, though not as expensive as before, but the kids meals were reasonable and the same portions as adults.  I didn’t see any age restrictions for kids meals on the menu so next time we get food we are all going to try and get kids meals.  Hey, you have to try anything to save money in these economic times.

If you are planning a vacation to Myrtle Beach, consider putting the Freestyle Music Park on your itinerary.  If you are a local and have not gotten your annual pass, get your pass now.  For more information about the park, visit there website at: www.freestylemusicpark.com.

We have a new member of our family.  Her name is Chloe, she is a English Bulldog – Boxer mix.  This mix is a recognized new breed called a Valley Bulldog.  She is so cute and smart.  She is just about house trained.  She is a good dog.  Everyone at the vet just loved her.

If you are interested in this new breed you can find out more information here: www.bulldogbreeds.com/valleybulldog.html.

I love ice-cream.  Unfortunately, I have high cholesterol and I need to lose a little weight, about 30 pounds, so I don’t buy it.  So what am I to do?  Suffer … Not any more.  I have found a wonderful delicious replacement – Fruit Pearls.  So what are Fruit Pearls.  Think Dippin Dots but made from real fruit.  I’m salivating just thinking about them.

When I received my first batch of Fruit Pearls, my first thought was these cups sure seem small.  I’m a pig, half a gallon of ice cream only fills three bowls.  But these 8 oz cups lasted surprisingly long and I was completely satisfied after only one cup.  It must be because there is so much flavor packed into that cup.  My favorite flavor is Chocolate Strawberry.  My wife’s favorite is Tropical.  My teenage kids even loved them.  This may seem gross but after I had eaten a cup, a couple of hours later I burped and it still tasted good.  What can I say, I’m a guy.

If you are in the same boat I’m in with your health, get some Fruit Pearls.  Hopefully, they will in the grocery store soon but for now get them here:  www.fruit-pearls.com.

Finally the next installment of COD is out and it is awesome.  I wish I had more time to play.  The graphics are great, when you get blown up with a grenade body parts go flying.  I find that I get distracted by the graphics and end up dead.  The multiplayer game play is similar to COD4.  I have experienced some lag but the game seems to hide it.  I only know I’m lagging because I can’t hit anything.  You don’t get as much of the jittering that you get with COD4 when it lags.  One thing I like is you can now create a party and play free-for-all.  Now I can blow away my co-workers all in the name of fun!

I preordered from Gamestop, collector’s edition, and I played the multiplayer beta.  If I had it to do over, I would have saved myself $20 and got the regular edition.  The two weapons you get early can not be used in the custom classes and I really could care less about the collectible canteen.

Well, it as been several months since Lecky has died and the other dog had lost a lot of weight.  By the way, we refer to the cat, Percy, as the other dog because he acts more like a dog than a cat.  We took Percy to the vet and he had to stay with the vet for a couple of weeks.  He is back and is gaining weight.  This almost seems too stupid to be real.

When I married Kim, Percy is her cat, Lex had accepted Percy into “The Pack”.  Well, when Lex died the cat got depressed and wouldn’t eat.  Because he wouldn’t eat, he developed anorexia.  After several weeks of treatment, medication and who knows what at the vet he came back at least eating and now he is back to eating.

Yep, I have a cat that almost died of anorexia.

WTF!

It starts as a normal Friday.  I have allergies and I blew my nose.  Two minutes later my nose was bleeding and I could not get it to stop.  I was bleeding so much that it would have a vampire salivating.  It was just gushing out splatering all over the sink.  So I squeezed my nose closed — big mistake — now the blood is running down my throught.  After 45 minutes, it’s time to get some help.  I calll the wife — “Come get me and take me to the emergency room”.  She picks me up — I’m still bleeding — the roll of paper towels is almost gone.  I get to the emergency room — still bleeding profusely.

Well, the doctor gets the bleeding to stop with something he put up my nose that made it numb.  After about an hour of waiting he puts something in my nose and pumps it up.  He sends me away with a hose sticking out of my nose, an antibiotic, some hydrocodone and an appointment with a ENT specialist on Monday.  I’m thinking why do I need the pain killer?  Later when the drug that made my face numb wears off I’m popping the pain killers.  What an unbearable weekend!

It is finally Monday.  I didn’t think I would survive!  That awful torture device is removed from my nose.  He shoves a tube up my already sensitive nose looking — he can’t find anything — I have a deviated septum — tell me something I don’t know.  My blood pressure is high.  It was also high at the emergency room.  I’m sent off saying I need to get a monitor for my blood pressure and make an appointment with my regular doctor.  I make the appointment for next week.  My blood pressure is high all week long — morning and night.

Well, I’ve had my doctor’s appointment today and I have high blood pressure.  It sure sucks getting old!  Now I have another medicine that I have to take.  Let’s look at the bright side.  I can give everyone a chuckle when I tell them I had to go to the hospital for a nose bleed.

Well, Duncan had broken my Call of Duty 4 disk.  It had a crack from the center outward for about an inch.  He claimed it was not his fault because he was not the one who used it last.  Sound just like a statement that would come from a budding teenager.  He was the one who removed it from the XBOX.  He was the one who put it in the case then put the case on the floor for someone to step on.  We’re not sure who stepped on the case, but knowing him he probably did that too.

So, I contacted Activision about getting a replacement disk and they gave me an rma number with the address to send the broken disk with a check for $20.  I waited and waited and after about a month I finally have a new copy.  Activision gets two thumbs up from the Moore family.  They sent a complete new copy of the Game of the Year edition.  So we get a new code for downloading the map pack.  The original disk was not even the Game of the Year edition.  Now the wife can download the map pack for her XBOX Live account.  Maybe I can finally get her to play.  Wishful thinking …

Personally, I like RPG games.  I don’t care for Halo or Gears though my kids do.  But when it comes to Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare, all I can say is: “I love this game”.  To sum this game up –  great multiplayer game play.  We at the Moore family, at least all of the males, can’t get enough of this game.  There is nothing like coming home from a hard day at work or school and blasiting some stranger with your assault rifle or whatever weapon you’re using.  This is the only game that has made XBOX Live a necessity.

This game can definitely be addictive.

Our oldest dog, Alexis has died.  She had a long and happy life, she was 17.  Lecky will live in our hearts and we will miss her.