Netlix Is My New HBO

I can’t even …

Most people who say that don’t understand the depth and awesomeness that create a phrase like that, they just say it. There’s no substance behind it.

But with me.

Dude.

Plenty of depth.

And I can’t even tell you about the most amazing discovery that I’ve uncovered. It just happened, while you were sleeping.

Netflix became my new HBO.

Now before you start hollering at me let me be clear. I’m a huge HBO fan.

HUGE.

They put The Wire, the best drama on Earth on the air (although Sons of Anarchy comes a really close second). They allowed me to meet Tony and Carmela Soprano, forget about it. And then they decided to introduce me to Deadwood, Entourage, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Sex In The City, Bored To Death, Band of Brothers, The Pacific, Veep, Newsroom, Game of Thrones, and True Detective.

These are all DVR worthy, watch live-and-in-person-don’t-answer-the-phone worthy shows and mini-series. I’ve been a fan for a while. But I’ve got to say, Netflix is rising fast, with intense and dramatic shows that make you turn off your phone. And here’s the amazing part … I don’t have to wait until next week to watch the next episode.

I know.

The Holy-Crap-I-can’t-believe-that-just-happened-what-the-hell-is-going-to-happen-next feeling gets eased just by pressing play. They reeled me in with House of Cards and the amazing Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright. Underwood for President! Then they decided to bring back Jason Bateman and the entire Arrested Development crew. I can’t tell you how amazing it was to see the banana stand back in business.

But they didn’t stop there.

They introduced Orange is the New Black and Derek, two dramadies that captured my attention for sure and made me fall in love with and care for inmates at a prison and the quirky staff and residents of a nursing home.

Then Agent Scully came back to TV as another pretty intelligent detective on the hunt for a serial killer who happens to be the 50 Shades of Grey guy, before he took up the whips and stuff.

But the show that put me over the edge … the one that inspired this post, the one that had me binge watching until two in the morning, the one I sacrificed sleep for because I couldn’t wait to see what happened, and the one that pushed me into letting you know that Netflix is moving on up … to the East Side … to a deluxe apartment in the skyyyyyyyy … yeah they’re moving on up … they finally got a piece of the pie.

The show?

The one?

Bloodline on Netflix

Bloodline.

With Coach Eric Taylor himself.

Yup.

Kyle Chandler has come back from Friday Night Lights to star in this amazingly awesome thriller-drama as detective John Rayburn and that has me saying I can’t even …

I know, right?

And you know sometimes you get worried that one of your favorites is going to come back and it’s not going to be as great as their original show. And you worry.

Yeah, this is not one of those situations.

This is a binge-worthy situation.

I don’t want to put out any spoilers or ruin the surprises, the build up, the character reveals, or the Holy-Crap moments. I want to give you a chance to experience the great writing on your own. So I thought I’d just give you a head’s up.

Netflix is finally getting a piece of the pie and I want you to get your piece.

Watch out now … It’s my new HBO.

40 Accidentally On Purpose Random Acts of Kindness Before 40 … No. 8

I think the best part of it is leaving the notes and imagining their expressions.

It would be nice to see their reactions, I’ll give you that. Confusion. Disbelief. And then a pause. A moment when they realize it’s a good surprise and that’s when the smile appears. Something good has happened to them, but they don’t know why. And it just makes things good … for a moment it makes things good.

But for them to see me? Nah I like to keep things under cover when I can.

I hope they feel something when it happens. Although sometimes people don’t really appreciate the little things and it’s sad when that happens. But kids … they get happy when anything happens. So this time I thought I’d pay it forward to a future dreamer, who enjoys surprises and can do cartwheels when moments of awesome happen to them … dreamers with a bat and glove …

It’s always the bottom of the ninth, and you’re losing, with two outs, full count, and bases loaded.

That’s how it always happens when you’re practicing in the batting cages. You got your helmet, your Big League Chew gum, and your Babe Ruth confidence. It’s gonna happen. You walk up, bring the that around, and swing.

Smack!

You win the game and you round the bases like a champion.

That’s what’s going on in the cage.

My son is still young so I don’t know if he has that vision yet, all I know is that he’s happy when he sends that yellow ball flying. It puts a big smile on his face.That little connection gives him a boost of confidence, and he does the happy dance.

So when we finished a couple of rounds in the cage it hit me … this is it. This is where it’s gonna happen. I want to give someone a moment of happy. I want a kid to feel like Derek Jeter.

                                      🙂

So I bought a couple of tokens, borrowed some tape, and wrote my note.

I left the tokens on top of a couple of machines with a message …

Everything is Awesome!

Here’s 30 balls on us. Hope you hit a homer.

🙂 40 Random Acts of Kindness

My son looked a little confused and didn’t understand why I had left the tokens on the machines. When he asked me why I had done that, I said it’s always good to be kind to people. It’s always nice to find moments when you can be kind, when you find a chance to do that, make sure you do. It gives you a good feeling.

He smiled and gave me a thumbs up.

I Knew There Was A Reason She Won All Those Oscars …

 

Meryl Streep rocks.

 

Dude.

Me too!

I no longer.

 

 

When BenGay Isn’t Gonna Be Strong Enough … But You Do It Anyway

I’m confessing something big tonight.

HUGE.

Duuuuuuude

There is fear living in the Guat Household.

My knees are freaking out.

Now normally I’m not afraid of much. Neither are they.

I’m fearless.

I’m a badass, not afraid to fly my freak flag. Not afraid to chase Bucket List Adventure Challenges. Scared of what? Bungy Jumping. No. Skydiving. No. Triathlons. No. Warrior Dash Mud Run Obstacles that make you jump through fire. No. The Mommy-and-Me-Mafia-PTA-Looking group of ladies that take over the park. No. Gaining weight. Hell no bring it on.

But there is one thing that makes my close-to-40-year-old-worn-out-and weary knees tremble.

Wobble.

63 floors.

Close to 1,400 steps.

Ain’t no BenGay strong enough, no ice pack cold enough …

But there is one man that’s inspirational enough …

My Dad.

My Dad and me sporting our awesome bell-bottoms.

He lost the 12-Round-Heavyweight Championship Bout against Interstitial Lung Disease at 62 years young. It was an all out battle and he fought hard, but in the end he lost his fight against the disease, and I lost my father.

So this is it.

Time for me to cowboy up.

On April 11th, I’m taking on The Fight For Air Climb again in what seems to be the ultimate battle of strength and will for my bones and cartilage. It’s become a tradition now. Exhausting and claustrophobic, but worth it.

Honoring family is worth it, and that’s what I aim to do.

Hanging with Dad.

So I’m going to take my Hulk Hogan-Randy-Macho-Man-Savage-Tina-Turner-looking quads and run down knees through the ultimate test of the year.

I’m gonna do it for my Dad.

My Dad … just being Dad

He’s still with me, sometimes on my shoulders whispering in my ear while I’m chasing dreams, and sometimes in my heart when I’m raising my kids and I’m trying to be awesome at something. He’s the champion for my life. He’s the spirit behind my drive. My Dad is there in one of his many baseball caps and smile, being my friend, my TV buddy, my support group, and the TV remote control ruler of the house.

I’ll be taking this on next month and if you’re feeling generous with the need to donate to a good cause, feel free to click the link on the bottom and it will guide you to my personal fundraising page.

Buen Camino Everyone!

Fight For Air Climb Fundraising Page

… Siganme Los Buenos!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Wall

Little Italy

Art is an amazing thing, helps you find beauty everywhere… this piece was found by my friend in NYC.

Weekly Photo Challenge via Daily Post

40 Accidentally On Purpose Random Acts of Kindness Before 40 … No. 7

It takes commitment.

Serious commitment to put something on your car. Stickers and decals are your car’s tattoos and they mark your interests and personality types. Proud Parent of So-And-So’s Student of The Month, the members of your family, your favorite radio station, or a wise-ass comment in bumper sticker format.

All of these are insights to the type of person you are, but the true sports fan goes beyond their team logo on the back window and delves into the intensive labor of dismantling the license plate frame and replacing it with that of your favorite team. Most license plate frames remain in their original condition … Wondries Honda, Penske Toyota, Mike’s Motors, etc. Nobody ever really takes the time to replace it unless it’s really worth it.

Nobody except the sports fan. He takes no half measures. So when you’re driving, you know one when you see one. Their commitment is evident on license plates and car windows.

So when I was in search for a person deserving of my next Random Act of Kindness, I knew exactly what to look for, I mean I had to be specific. I didn’t want to give it to someone who hated sports. So while driving out of the mall I found him parked between David’s Bridal and Sports Authority. His teal green Chevy Tahoe’s back window sported the traditional “LA” of proud Dodgers fans and the silver plated license plate frame professing his Dodger Blue spirit.

 

40 before 40

 

I took out the two ticket vouchers and placed them in an envelope.

However, just like the flower incident I felt the need for a disclaimer so that no significant others would spin into a jealous rage and break off the relationship because of a mysterious gift. Ugh … jealousy sucks. So once again I wrote a note.

 

I see that you’re a Dodgers fan. Hope you can enjoy these this season. Go Blue!

🙂 40 Random Acts of Kindness Before I Turn 40.

 

Just as I got out of the car to attach the note and tickets … I saw them walking to their car. A family of three … a dad and two sons piling into the SUV. I sighed in disappointment, because I didn’t want them to know who I was, and I kind of liked the fact that I wouldn’t know who they were and I could just envision them enjoying Dodger Dogs and a nice cold one. Smiling.

But then as they got into the car, I realized something … they didn‘t know me. Never seen me and probably never will again. I was just a stranger doing something nice. A good story for the drive home just for being fan. So I kept walking, tapped on the window, gave them the tickets, and smiled.

“I see your big fans,” I said pointing to their windshield.

And then I walked back to my car and drove away.

Their smiles and disbelief was priceless. I’m starting to really enjoy these Accidentally on Purpose Random Acts of Kindness. They’re making me mindful of other little kindnesses I can do for people. Things that can make their day better, and even if I don’t get a thank you, it doesn’t matter. I’ve made their day better and it makes me feel good doing it. I’ve given them a story that begins with “Remember the time when some lady …”

And that’s a good a thing.

 

 

Bedtime Routines …

 

From Becky Mansfield @ ModernFamily.com

 

 

 

Lies … More Lies

Easter Bunny.

Tooth Fairy.

Santa Claus.

Lies. All lies.

I know that eventually they’re gonna catch up to me and bite me in the ass. So I tend to limit these experiences for my kids. Actually I had only mentioned St. Nick and they saw the Easter Bunny at an egg hunt.

But I think it’s parent code to make up Santa Claus. I mean you’ve got to have a stocking and the whole cookies and milk thing, even if you don’t have a chimney. But I’m not so sure about the other make believe characters. Those kind of need to go through pre-parent approval, a case-by-case basis, I imagine. But as you probably guessed sometimes that doesn’t happen.

His kindergarten teacher initiated the whole tooth fairy debacle when his tooth fell out in class, and now his first grade teacher has added another.

The Leprechaun. The St. Patrick’s Day Leprechaun.

Apparently his name is Liam and we needed to build a trap for him due this Friday.

 

Liam

 

I’d never built a trap for a fictitious dude before but we were to create it out of whatever household items we had on hand. Boxes, cups, colored paper, glitter, gold coins, and all that jazz. I was short on gold coins, but that’s why I love the 99 Cent store, they have everything.

During the planning phase it kind of snowballed into a big thing. My son seemed pretty excited about the whole project and his excitement escalated as our plans progressed. And I didn’t want to suck the air out of his balloon, so we found a way to make a trap that would catch this dude.

It’s not quite done, still under construction. He’s sneaky, bold, and stubborn. Nothing like The Lucky Charms dude I grew up with, who made things so magically delicious. But the thing is I knew the Lucky Charms was just a cartoon, just pretend. My teachers never elaborated and made up stories.

So I don’t know if I enjoy these extra liberties they’re taking. Just seems like more lies and more work to fix the remains of the bubble that will eventually burst. I understand that she’s trying to do something festive and fun in the classroom, but in the end it won’t be her explaining to my son that this is just another make-believe character meant to jazz up the holiday.

I mean it’s bad enough that the whole Santa Claus thing will happen and I’m preparing for that. But I’m the one who took the chance to introduce the jolly North Pole resident.

However, I didn’t O.K. Liam The Leprechaun or his trap.

Dude.

Lies … More lies.

 

 

40 Accidentally On Purpose Random Acts of Kindness Before 40 … No. 6

Nobody knew why, or who, it was just something nice that happened to them. Something that made them smile. Something that made their day better. Something that helped turn it around.

And most of the time it was an anonymous blessing.

They had no idea. And I enjoyed the fact that they had no idea who I was, just that some stranger decided to change the course of their day with a small gesture.

But this time I felt the need to leave a note explaining why …

 

40 before 40

 

I don’t remember the exact age but I knew it was in middle school. It was graduation day when I got them. And it wasn’t those fake plastic ones you got in those Valentine’s Grams. They were real roses wrapped in cellophane and when he gave them to me it felt like one of those Sixteen Candles moments. And it felt good that someone liked me. It was a nice gesture and it made my day.

I placed them in a glass of water because we didn’t have a vase. But it didn’t matter, they looked awesome and I enjoyed them the whole week.

So when I saw the flowers hanging out in the last aisle at Costco and my daughter told me she wanted some because they made her happy, I thought why not.

I like to keep her happy.

And then I thought I could make someone else happy too. I wanted someone to have that Sixteen Candles moment, but I worried what if a guy got the flowers and his lady was with him, or what if a girl got the flowers from an anonymous somebody and her husband was with her and he freaked out. I don’t know the dynamics of people’s relationships, but I sure didn’t want my 40 Before 40 Accidentally On Purpose Random Act of Kindness to cause drama. I wanted it to cause happy.

So I had to leave a note this time.

I walked back to the car and put away my month’s supply of Arm & Hammer Detergent Soap, OxyClean, and other household items. Then I looked for a car that gave me a feeling. Nothing to fancy, just something for a regular person. I spotted the white Scion parked in the other lane. And it was the right vibe.

I grabbed a pen and paper and wrote my note. I wrapped it around the flowers then walked over and placed them snugly between the side mirror and driver’s side door.

 

Flowers always seem to brighten someone’s day.

They’re here because you’re awesome.

Hope you have a terrific Thursday.

🙂

40 Random Acts of Kindness Before I turn 40

 

 

Felt good knowing that as soon as they walked back to their car, from the long lines, from the packed aisles, from the trays that ran out of samples, that something nice was waiting for them. And no drama would follow.

 

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Reward

After battling for an hour to put one measly eye drop in the left eye … the one with pink eye …

After struggling to survive a tantrum before bed time when your tank was running on fumes …

After waiting until 1 a.m. for the Children’s 12-Hour Delsym to finally kick in …

After a not-so-good-night’s rest leading to a cranky morning …

After the last Eggo Waffle burned, which then led to a bowl of Chocolate Cheerios …

It finally happened …

Out of the blue …

Sunshine came out …

And so did the reward.

A happy kid gave me the thumbs up.

Dude.

I love rewards.

 

Reward

 

 

 

Weekly Photo Challenge courtesy of The Daily Post