Buchanan Family Vacation Part XXI

You see, for as long as I can remember Summer, there's always been the Jersey Shore. This year will mark my 21st summer spent there. Sure you can go to the Carolina's or to Florida, but nothing beats packing up the car and driving only a few hours to your favorite shore destination.
My family's favorite? Ocean City.

It's small, quiet, and clean. Over the passed two decades or so, I've amassed many stories. Sure, I could tell you about all the precious moments my family shared over the years. Instead I'll leave you with a few highlights, specifics, and generalities. Names may have been altered or omitted to protect the identities of the innocent.

1. The time I "ghost rode" my 'Danger-Chaser' bike right off the end of the boardwalk, Age 6.

2. My family steals a ladder off of a work truck to reach the second floor deck because of a lock-out.

3. Sleeping on an air-mattress it seems like every year, although of recent I've been lucky enough to score a twin, usually sharing a room with Uncle Mike.

4. Home-made, mom-made, dinners....can't beat it.

5. Brown's Donuts.

6. One of my relatives decides it's a good idea to go on the tilt-o-whirl. "Said relative", vomits on tilt-o-whirl and it is shut down for the rest of the evening.

7. Being one of the only families on the beach without a beach umbrella, we also happen to be the family that is the most "pigment challenged," as I like to say.

8. Hot Dogs...The only food I ate at the beach until about the age of 12, my Dad used to take me to this one stand right off the beach, they were the best.

9. Go-Karts. No Bumping. No ZigZagging. No Racing. No Passing. No Break Checking. Gas is on the right Brake is on the Left. Nuff' Said.

10. Waiting for the trolley with my grandfather, Pop. MyAge approx 8.

We must have waited what seemed like forever for that damn trolley. I was fascinated by it and Pop would take me and wait with me ever so patiently to see if I could catch a glimpse or hear it's bell. It reminded me of the trolley on Mr. Rodgers. While we were waiting he would tell me stories and whistle oldies...I mean oldiieeeessss. It's funny the things you remember.


Not at the beach.
Not on vacation.
And sure as hell not at the "seashore."

This upcoming week I'll be down the shore.

CTRL-ALT-DELETE

Hey everyone,

I'm going to try and keep things short tonight.

Below is something I wrote a few years ago. You may have seen it when I throw it up in an away message once in a while.
I think it does hold some type of meaning in the world we live in presently. Today it's just so easy to go back and edit something we wrote, or to restart a computer if it freezes. However, in life it's not always that easy. You just can't highlight a phrase and make it disappear, insert something that sounds better and call it a day.

You just can't restart your life.


"Sometimes in life I wish you could just ctrl- z and undo things or better yet crtl-y and go back to the best parts and re-do them but you can't. You won't find a reset button like you would on an xbox or ipod, and you cant just press ctrl-alt-delete and end the task when things get fucked up. You just have to keep going and hopefully you save things along the way so you never lose them."

Let me know what you think.

Friends

They say you can tell a lot about who by you hang out with. Well if that's true, I probably have a lot of explaining to do.

You see, I have all different types of friends.

I have tall friends.
I have small friends.
I have marine friends.
I have 'I'm in grad-school and I'm a wanna-be real doctor' friends.
I have apple-poster child friends. (He'll pobably read this on his Iphone while he's in Cali sipping a chai-tea latte)
I have Kenny Chesney-loving country friends. (KENNNYYY CHESNAYYYY)
I have bad-driver friends.
I have recently of age friends.
I have New York friends. (Ughh NY, yes I know.)
I have Pittsburgh-I-call-soda-"pop" friends.
I have DZ friends. (And practically DZ friends **cough-cough** Lauren)
I have New Jersey friends.
I have New York Yankee Loving Lebanese friends.
I have crazy ROTC friends.

I have all kinds of friends. So many that I don't even have enough time on here to go through them all.

I'm lucky.

But one thing is for sure is that you all have played a great deal in making me the person that I am. I know it's kind of a serious subject to kind of start off for a blog that's meant to entertain, but thanks.

I think it's very fitting for me to make this first post about you. (collectively)

Thanks for making me who I am.

Thanks for the 3am advice, the rides home, the ipod I'm currently leasing, the cookies you baked, the bathroom that you clean all the time, the lessons I've learned, the time you helped me find my keys, the OPORD that needed to be out the next morning, and the book you let me borrow. Thanks for everything guys.

And for those of you lucky ducks who didn't get a picture, don't worry...I'll make sure I thank you when I see you and trust me, theres plenty of time for me to blog about you!

The Most Anticipated Event of the Summer

Friends, Colleagues, Distinguished Guests & Dignitaries,

The wait is over.

The most anticipated event of the summer has arrived. No, it's not your vacation or trip to the shore. It's not the new car you bought with your "cash-for-clunker" money. It's not even Musikfest.

It's my blog.

Calm yourselves, consolidate, and reorganize. This blog is going to be about anything and everything.

Warning, it will not for be the elderly, weak, or faint of heart.

As of now, it is still under construction, but look for an update soon.