New Years Eve morning, up at 6am and sucking down coffee. I am not a Starbucks addict like some. In fact I have only had Starbucks coffee a handful of times, but Kim received some Starbucks in a gift basket a couple weeks ago and since then I have been hooked. No, I haven’t lost my mind or become a cellphone, caffee latte welding asshole, but I do like the Starbucks in MY coffee maker.

So like I said, we are up at 6am and headed to the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium. Kim and the boys have been there already, when I was in California for two months. Kim has photos on her Facebook profile of their trip. The aquarium is so big that they did not get to see everything the first time around. I will be taking some pics and posting them to my profile later this week.

Kim just asked me if I needed directions. I am insulted that after this many years of marriage she would even think of asking me something like that
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Returned from the Aquarium…yes I took a wrong turn, but still didn’t need directions to get there. Didn’t stay long, the boys were both pills and the temperature was a little chill and we were not dressed for it. I should have some pictures posted on my Facebook profile within the next day or two.

Got up this Tuesday morning and had to go into work just to get my swine flu vaccination. It was made mandatory for all of us to get the H1N1 shot so we don’t come down with piggy flu. Other than that, I did not do anything else except update some websites. I watched the Vikings vs. Bears, but that really doesn’t count as doing anything productive.

Kim used her gift certificate for the spa today and when she made it home, made some breaded shrimp for dinner. After dinner we watched a movie titled Staten Island. It was a little different spin on the mobster movies, I would say it was worth the rental fee.

Now it is Wednesday morning, getting ready to go into work for a couple hours. Almost 20 years of this, retirement is looking good. The dog thinks he owns the spot next to me on the sofa and as I type this, is snoring so loud, oops, he just stirred, snorted and laid his head back down. I give it 1 minute before he is snoring again.

Watching the news now. Former GITMO detainees believed to have helped the latest terrorist threat with the Nigerian bomber? Please, give me a break, what did we expect when we released them. These folks were not at GITMO for taking place in a Boy Scout Jamboree. Our government is stupid and we as a people are naive and weak. Sorry, we are not naive, we are willfully ignorant.

Gavin just woke up and sat down on the chase and is quoting in repetition the Stone Henge statue from Night at the Museum “Gum Gum from the dumb dumb”. That will be super nice when he goes to school and says it to a classmate. Teacher will love it!

Came home from a couple hours at work and watched World’s Greatest Dad starring Robin Williams and directed by none other than Bobcat Goldwaite. It was a funny, but weird movie. After watching the movie I played around on JibJab and made a video to cheer up and old classmate from high school on Facebook.

Nuff for now, more later. Gotta go watch the news so my blood pressure raises back up to stroke quality numbers.

We went to the local zoo ran by the Okinawa Kids Discovery Kingdom Foundation here Sunday and it was a good time.

Kim had been telling me how she didn’t like the exhibits for some of the larger animals. I didn’t think they were too bad, however I thought the size of the hippo area was small and noticed the lack of grass or dirt in the bigger cat areas. I took some pretty good photos, or at least I thought they were good.

What I found funny, and did not take a picture of, is the warning signs in front of the Chimpanzee area that pictured a chimp throwing it’s poop at visitors. There was also one in front of each of the big cat areas that displayed the cats spraying visitors through their enclosures. YES!, that is how close you can get to the animals.

Inside the zoo is a children’s museum, called the Wonder Museum, and it is a hands-on type place with three floors. It has all kinds of activities for kids and is fun for the adults too. My favorite was what I called the “bad acid trip”. It was a screen you stood in front of and moved around while the display changed colors, displayed your silhouette in multiple locations on the screen and in different colors.

I have posted photos from our visit on my Facebook profile at http://www.facebook.com/joebrochin

Kim and the boys had already been to this zoo and has photos on her profile already.

You can also check out some videos that other people have made on their trips to the zoo Okinawa Kids Zoo

Took a couple days leave last week and will taking some time this week as well. Really enjoying the time with the family around the house. Christmas was good, the boys enjoyed their gifts and Kim and I enjoyed their smiles.

We purchased two movies and went to see one movie this weekend. We purchased Night at the Museum 2 and District 9. Night at the Museum 2 was funny and a really good time to watch with Gavin. District 9 was a little disappointing. I expected more from a movie that had so much hype to the trailers and website. However the irony of the movie being set in Johannesburg did not escape me and in fact it seems to be the main point the movie is trying to drive home. Like the movie makers are trying to open a somewhat healed wound or something.

We then took in Avatar last night. I really wish our theater did 3D because this movie was really good without 3D, I can’t imagine how good it would be with 3D. It was a real good movie, with good effects. Seems like I am 2 for 3 this weekend in viewing movies related to the oppression of alien races Anyway, Avatar is a great movie and a must see with the kids.

As usual, this is being typed at about 3:30 AM while watching football games so the rush job is obvious and I do apologize. Speaking of football, Gannon will be really honked off when I wake him up this morning at 6am to watch the Colts Oh well, if he doesn’t get up I know Gavin will be up by then and watching it with me.

Gannon and I will be college shopping later on. He is looking at physical therapy or radiology as a career choice. If you know any schools that have good programs in these two fields, let me know.

Well enough for now, but plan on me updating this blog much more in the future as I am a little more free with time these days.