It's Comcastic!

     We got our bill from Comcast last week and upon opening it I immediately became upset.  It wasn't so much that it was wrong, which is a normal occurrence, it was more that I had to call Crapcast which turns into a 30 minute hold no matter what and that just gets you to a customer service representative (aka - retarded a-hole).  I can honestly say that I have NEVER had a positive experience when dealing with Comcast.  There is something to say about that.  I bet some prison lifers cannot say the same thing about even the harshest prison guards.  I honestly cannot count the number of times I have had a CSR tell me they are just a Peon and can't do anything about the problem we are having.  It has gotten so bad Yegi fears the day the Crapcast bill comes because it inevitably leads to a very heated phone conversation between myself and the CSR.

     Last year it got so bad dealing with the devil (that is what I write the checks to when i pay my bill...seriously...and they have never rejected them!) that I started having some serious thoughts about finding investors to start a cable company in Knoxville whose sole purpose was to destroy Comcast in East TN.  In other words we would provide cable at a reasonable price and show a very small amount of care towards our customers.  Then reality set in and reminded me that the reason I have Comcast is because they are the only option.  They are the only cable company that has been granted the rights to provide service in our area.  I would really love to Nickelback (when seeing them on the street kick them squarely in the nuts) the politician that helped them get that Monopoly.  Our only other option is a dish which would require removal of some 60-100 yr growth trees (not an option).
   
     Honestly I could do without television, after all from 3rd grade until my sophomore year of college we did just that.  Sure my wife makes fun of me because I didn't know who Micheal Jackson was and when I was in high school the newest cd's I had in circulation were Bon Jovi and Def Lepard (I'm 26, you do the math), but I think I'm better for it.  Yegi on the other hand could never go without television.  Her entire childhood was based indoors and consisted of large amounts of television and barbie playing.  I'm hoping maybe come August when Yegi re-enters the working world part time she will decide there is not enough time in the day to keep up with the Duggers, Kardashians, Dancing With the (almost) Stars, Oprah, Top Chef, Modern Family & all the Thursday night shows (I must admit, I like those last two).

     I guess there is also the idea that maybe one day Comcast will re-evaluate their business practices & ethics policy and make a positive change for the consumers....but then again, Hell has a long way to go before freezing over.

Eventful

We have had a lot going on the past few weeks.  I wrote a very chopped up recap below:


     Last week started out with a bang.  I had to run out while River was taking a nap and Yegi warned me that if my truck woke him when I came back home she was going to kill me.  So, in an effort to keep the sound down (and a peaceful wife) I got some speed up at the bottom of the driveway and idled to the top.  As I neared the top of the driveway I noticed that there was a nice shady spot close to the fence and as I attempted to get as much of my truck in it I backed my hitch through the fence slat.  You are probably thinking, "Big deal, it didn't hurt anything other than that one board".  True, I fixed the fence in just a couple minutes but this gave Yegi something to get back at me with for all my comments about her driving.  I guess no one is perfect.
     One thing that is almost perfect though is that Yegi turned 28 last week and I am still 26.  For the next month I plan to remind her at least once a day.  We spent the evening with her family at Cafe 4 on Market Square which is quickly becoming one of our favorite restaurants in Knoxville.  The food and the service are always top notch.
     The week before last my cousin Andrew turned 30something.  His wife Shana organized a fun get together at CJ Papadops.  Papadops is a famous (to the people in my home town) little restaurant out in the middle of nowhere (literally).  We played cornhole in the yard and had some of the best food east of the Mississippi.
     This past weekend I rode in an eight hour mountain bike race called "The Ocho".  It was held at Panther Creek State Park in Morristown TN on a very difficult and non-flowing course that stomped any delusion that I was getting back into some sort of "shape".   I had fun even though it was a very tough race so I guess that in itself was an accomplishment.
     Photos from all the aforementioned events are shown below.

The damage.

Yegi & River before we headed out to her birthday dinner.

Handsome little man.

Kisses from mom.

Dinner on the patio at Cafe 4.

This picture's main subject is not actually Will & Laila, it is the guy carrying the vase of roses around the restaurant.  If you have ever eaten out in the downtown area then you have undoubtedly seen this man.  He strikes fear into every budget minded (see: cheap) guy on a date.

River got his dinner too.

Happy Birthday Cupcake.

Me and the OLD lady.

Finally big enough to play in the Johnny Jump Up...kind of.

Our "pits" at the OCHO 8 hr mtb race.

Seriously out in the middle of farmland.  I have always wondered whose idea it was to put this place out there but I guess it has worked out since they are still in business.

The patio at Papadops.  Pretty cool.

The ladies.

The men.

The little man, now 3 months old.

The Familia.

Parting shot of our little "hoodlum".

Easter

Easter has come and gone.  We were lucky enough to have some great friends drive up from Georgia to visit with us.  River has continued to grow at an exponential rate and his personality is growing even faster.  He loves spending time with his mom because she makes him laugh and his dad because I take him outside and in the basement (his two favorite places).  The dogs love to see River and smell his dirty diapers.  Last week they took an entire plastic grocery bag full of poop diapers (that I had forgot to put in the big trash can - we don't just leave bags of poop around the house) and shredded them all over the basement.  I saw the destruction at 6:30am when I was on my way to work.  I scolded them both, put them outside, and dreaded cleaning it up all day long.  When I got home it was magically all picked up (I love my wife) and the dogs pretended it never happened.  Chaco hates to hear him cry and wants to come in and do whatever he can to make him stop.  Daisy loves to lick River's ever outstretched tongue and I do whatever I can to stop that which is usually: Dogs Outside, Baby Inside.  Below are a few choice shots of recent happenings.

I really really want to eat my fist.

Mom and Mini-Me (I think they look just alike) in the Baby Bjorn...aka, the contraption that took all of my engineering knowledge to wrap, snap, tie, insert, fold, and buckle together for safe baby carring.

We spent Easter with my Mom and the rest of our immediate family.  Addalee enjoying the porch swing with us.

Getting bigger by the second.

I love friends, especially good friends.  Patrick and Michelle drove up from their home in north Georgia to visit (mostly because Yegi and I are really bad about making it down there) and see the little man.  The best part about their visit (other than getting to see our long lost friends) was that they brought El Charro.

River ruining Patrick's plans for a baby free household in the upcoming years.

Seriously the cutest little girl in the world.

Addalee loves dogs...haha

Hot mama and a good looking man in those seersucker pants.

Yegi discussing the latest novel read with the boys.

The Adams Family minus one.

Grandmother:  Mom's mom.

Addalee doing what she does best.

Family photo.  You've got to get it in within the first 30 seconds of arriving or I will be out of my nice clothes.