Category Archives: Uncategorized

Ghetto People Suck

Posted on by

A few weeks ago (April 24th), Tary called me from our home phone (which we never use) to tell me that her iPhone was stolen while shopping at Walmart. We don’t normally shop there but she was in the area and was picking up some anti-itch cream for Matthew. She said that it must have happened when several ghetto people tried to forcibly and rudely squeeze between her and a worker stocking shelves. They must have seen her on her phone earlier and watched her place it into her open jacket pocket.

I told Tary about a recent story in the local newspaper about how the police used some iPhone recovery apps to recover a stolen iPad. Tary used the “Find My iPhone” app to remote lock the phone and triggered a sound to be played. The app also indicated the phone’s last known location was still Walmart. This means that either the thieves turned off the phone at some point and it was no longer updating its position or they were spooked by the sound and dumped it somewhere in the store.

Tary was content with her iPhone 3GS and was willing to wait until the iPhone 5 came out whenever that was. However, Tary bought an iPhone 4S to replace her stolen phone that same night. It really sucks wasting hard-earned money to replace things that were stolen.

I really hate Walmart. Something about it just feels off. Something about extremely low costs attracts a certain kind of shopper and unfortunately Tary ran into a group of them. We are never shopping at Walmart ever again. We definitely prefer Target which still has low prices, is a cleaner store, has better workers, better items, and less ghetto-ness.

It really sucks dealing with ghetto people and ghetto problems. We’ve already had our home broken into and our electronics stolen. We’ve also had our rims stolen in the middle of the night. Now the phone. Sometimes I wish we could afford to move to a city where petty crimes like this don’t typically happen. C’est la vie.

Update: Two days later, Tary called Walmart and they found her phone! They said it was found in a basket somewhere in the store.

It’s All About Principles

Posted on by

While driving home from the Boston Children’s Museum the other day, I was stopped at a red light while waiting to take a right turn. The light just turned green but I had to wait a few moments for some pedestrians to finish crossing the street. That’s when some jerk in a Chevy SUV honked at me. What? Seriously?!

After we both turned right, he races up beside me while we stuck at another set of lights. He angrily yells stuff at me and flips me off. Unlike him, I was smart enough to roll down my window first and yelled back that he’s a “stupid idiot” and that there were pedestrians on the crosswalk. The light turned green and he zoomed off.

Normally it’s not worth my time to get into shouting matches with other motorists but in this case, it was all about principles. It’s one thing if he didn’t see the pedestrians and honked at me because he thought I wasn’t paying attention. It crosses an entirely different line when he tried to intimidate me and cuss me out. I hate the “American” mentality that just because you’re bigger/taller and drive a larger vehicle that they can just push you around. I’m not going to just “take it” when I was trying to do the right thing.

My only regret is that Daniel was pretty scared after the incident; he is not used to hearing me yell at someone. I hope one day he reads this and learns that it’s okay to stand up for yourself. Bullies are everywhere, not just in school. And sometimes it’s okay to give those knuckle draggers a piece of your mind.

Halloween

Posted on by

This year, we observed Halloween a week later on Sunday, November 6th because of the storm at the end of October. (I still can’t believe I’m talking about Halloween in early December but I need to get caught up!) I must be getting old because I hated receiving marshmallows and loose nickels while trick-or-treating as a kid. Even worse were loose marshmallows! However when I was at the store, I walked down the aisle and was tempted by a bag of marshmallows. Fortunately for the kids I moved along.

As for Halloween night, most of the kids were generally well-behaved. I really love the sweet little kids in their adorable costumes. I tried to give the really good kids two of the really good candy bars (e.g., Kit Kats, Reese’s peanut butter cups). All of the other kids got less of the good stuff and I gave them things like Milky Way’s and Snickers bars instead.

I really dislike rude kids. Some of them would do annoying things like ring my doorbell multiple times. My lights are on so ringing it once is plenty. Some of the kids who came were clearly too old to be trick-or-treating. One especially rude kid was older and when I opened the door, he screamed in my face “Trick-or-Treat!” Okay, that was completely unnecessary. He was also with a group of friends and after I gave him some candy, he tried to circle behind his friends and get back in line for seconds. I gave him a stare. What a jerk.

Daniel loved it when other kids would show up at our door. Each time the doorbell rang, he ran over to me so I could pick him up and help me hand out the candy. He got upset after each wave of kids left. It was really cute when he asked to be lifted higher to look out of the window on top of the front door see if more kids were coming.

I don’t know if I’m getting older or if things are just changing on me. I felt weird having to second-guess myself as to whether I should give out peanut m&ms or regular ones because of peanut allergies. I would have felt guilty if I gave out peanut m&ms to some kid with a severe allergy to nuts. Strange times we’re living in.

Note to self: Next year, I should give out peanut m&ms to only the rude kids.

July 4th Weekend

Posted on by

On Friday, I was allowed to leave work early as customary for our company around major holidays. Since I had several hours to myself, I picked up some paint supplies from Lowe’s on the drive home and I patched the holes in my office which were left from the security lights installation. Then I edged and mowed our lawn.

My friends stopped by in the evening and Tary, Daniel, my friends, and I went to the Army Surplus store to pick up some gear for our upcoming backpack camping trip. Tary then took Daniel to her aunt’s house because her aunt from Florida was in town for her grandfather’s 100th day. My friends and I continued onto to EMS where I bought some freeze-dried foods and a rain cover for my backpack.

A friend dropped me off at Tary’s aunt’s house where most of the family and friends of the family were hanging out. Everyone was hungry so my brother-and-law and I went to a local sub shop and bought some food for everyone. Daniel was a little shy with so many unrecognizable faces around. Once the friends of the family left and only the family remained, he was more comfortable and started playing again.

On Saturday so we went to the temple for Tary’s grandfather’s 100th day (since his passing). It was a similar experience to the last time I was here and I recognized many of the chants. I sat there with Daniel while Tary had to sit by with her family. Daniel got a little too comfortable and he started walking everywhere in and around people. There was a brief moment when people were bowing while holding trays of food in the air presumably as an offering and I raced to grab Daniel before he bumped into their backs. He was upset that I did not let him play but this was neither the time nor place to be running around.

My parents also came to the temple to support Tary’s family. I always feel bad for them because they feel so out of place there because they aren’t Buddhists. Even though most of my side of the family are Christian and don’t believe in these Buddhist rituals, it is a good thing that we can offer our support with our presence.

That afternoon Tary went shopping while I watched Daniel. Normally it is very tiring taking care of Daniel by myself but he was a very good boy. We spent the afternoon playing in his play room and chasing each other around the house. We even played peek-a-boo!

I was really hungry and I started to look around the house for some food. I looked outside and was reminded by the cars parked on the street that our neighbor’s had invited us for a BBQ for their niece’s birthday party. I walked across the street with Daniel in my arms and my neighbors were very gracious hosts. They made a plate full of food for me and I had a nice conversation with a few guests who were sitting across from me at a small table. Daniel fell asleep in my arms so I returned home to put him in his bed.

After shopping Tary went straight to her parents’ house for another BBQ. We met her there after Daniel woke from his nap. After all of that food, I was completely stuffed.

At church on Sunday morning, Pastor preached on John 11:50 which reads,

You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.

Pastor taught that there is a double meaning in this passage where the first literal meaning was that the Romans plotted to kill Jesus to spare the lives of the remaining Jews who might revolt until Jesus’ command. The second meaning and more glorious meaning was that Jesus had to die so that the whole nation of sinners would not have to die. Amen.

After lunch at my parents’ house, we went to Sports Authority, Marshalls, and EMS and I bought more camping supplies. Some of the items include hiking boots, fillet knife, wicking t-shirts, hiking socks, and energy gels.

We stopped by the new Market Basket which I have dubbed Epic Basket for some grocery shopping. They had a sale for $5 for 8-pieces of fried chicken so we bought two bags. We tried to eat it all at home but it was just too much so we invited a few friends over to hang out and help us finish the food.

On Monday, we dropped off Daniel at my parents’ house so we could go watch the new X-Men movie. We could not find the movie playing during the morning anywhere except at the AMC theaters at the Loop in Methuen. We usually don’t go there because it is so close to Lawrence. When we got there however, we were quite surprised at how clean the interior was and how cheap the tickets were. The food was very expensive but that seems like the general trend for all movie theaters.

X-Men: First Class was an awesome movie and Tary and I really enjoyed it! It was really cool seeing how buff Professor X’s powers were. He was able to read other people’s minds, communicate directly with them, erase their memories, and even cause them to physically freeze in their tracks. It was also interesting seeing the development of Magneto’s character. I won’t spoil the ending but it was really tragic the way Professor X became paralyzed toward the end of the movie.

After picking up Daniel, we went to our friend’s house for a BBQ. It was nearly 100 degrees out so I figured it would be a good day to bring Daniel’s inflatable pool along with us. I’m glad I did because it was so much fun seeing Daniel sitting in it. The water was a little cold at first but once it warmed up a bit, it was so cute when he started splashing around in it later.

Ahhh…what a relaxing weekend!

Ugh…Not Again

Posted on by

I just cannot catch a break. While on the way to my in-laws with Tary and Daniel, my car was rear-ended AGAIN while waiting to merge onto the VFW Highway. As upset as I was, I am relieved that everyone involved was okay.

Rear End Damage to my Car

Rear End Damage

This has got to be some sort of world record or something. This is the 3rd time that my car has been rear-ended. And each time I have been waiting at a yield or stop sign. I swear my car is cursed. This is getting old.

I’ve said it before but it’s worth repeating; 2011 officially sucks. I’m not asking to win the lottery and become an instant millionaire. I’m not asking for fame or fortune. Is it too much to ask for nothing to happen to us?

You Can’t Find Good Help These Days

Posted on by

One motivation for blogging is to record events/feelings to track how I or the world around me changes with time. I also like to jot down “life lessons” that I’ve learned along the way both as a reminder to myself and for our kid(s) when they’re old enough to read this. With all that said, I learned several valuable “life lessons” from recently having security lights installed.

After waking to Tary’s car on cinder blocks (and how did they carry them there?), it became obvious that the lights on the telephone pole at the end of our driveway were not a big enough deterrent for thieves. We decided to have motion-activated security lights installed on the front and rear of the house. I posted a request on ServiceMagic.com and had two electricians come out to scope the job and provide a free estimate.

The first electrician seemed knowledgeable and offered suggestions for high-quality security lights and where he would install them along the house. He provided multiple quotes with combinations for how many security lights to install with several models to give us options to fit our budget.

The second electrician showed up with another guy who was supposedly a security camera expert. They only toured the perimeter of the house and spoke in general terms which did not boost my confidence in them. The security camera expert started to talk about wireless networks (right down my wheelhouse) which agreed with my initial impressions. This electrician never made me an offer.

So I called the first electrician and left a message that we accept his proposal and asked when he could come and install the security lights.

A few days went by and no response…

While jogging with some friends, I ran into my neighbor and told him about hiring the electrician. My neighbor strongly urged me to call his buddy instead. I futilely tried to explain that I already agreed to another electrician but my neighbor insisted that I didn’t pay the electrician yet so it was okay to switch. (Note to self: Never listen to my neighbor again…)

His buddy Ron called me that night to discuss the job. After talking down the price a bit, I agreed. Unlike the first electrician, I had to pick up the lights so I placed an order for the security lights at a local electrical supply store. I figured the discounted labor costs would save us some money.

The next morning, I had the unenviable task of calling the first electrician to tell him that I was reneging on hiring him and that I decided to go with another electrician because he had failed to call me back in a timely fashion. I got his voicemail and left a message.

At the same time I received a pair of voicemails. I briefly listened to the first message and he stated that I bought the wrong lights. Uh oh. How did he know I bought lights?

I called him back and repeated that we decided on another electrician. To say he was upset would be an understatement. He angrily informed me that he already paid for and picked up the lights. He reminded me that the lights I bought were not good enough and that he bought a higher model. Doh!

Okay…that went well…

After confirming that there was indeed a higher model, I called the electrical supply store back and updated my order. I also had to order the PAR-38 lamps. After a quick mental calculation, I was disappointed that everything now costs more than the first electrician’s quote. [Expletive!]

Fast forward a few days and Ron finally came by to install the lights. We were already frustrated because we originally planned on test driving cars and going shopping but were stuck waiting for him instead.

Anyways, Ron made quick work of the lights on the rear of the house. When he started on the front lights, he told me that I needed to run out and buy a mounting block. I quickly drove out to Home Depot and picked up the required hardware and returned. Sigh…another cost.

The afternoon was quickly fading. My neighbor felt bad that we couldn’t go on our test drive so he volunteered to watch our house after Ron finished the install while we were away.

After returning home from the dealership, the security lights were installed. I went upstairs and found a Slim Jim wrapper on the floor next to Daniel’s room. I thought it was strange but I assumed that Tary’s cousin who slept over the night before had eaten one, threw the wrapper away, and one of the cats pulled it from the trash to play with it.

I was reading the instruction manual for the security lights and it mentioned an included piece of plastic used to adjust the settings. I went looking for the boxes the security lights came in and found them in the trash cans along the back of the house. As I searched for the tool, I found another Slim Jim wrapper. [Expletive!]

Okay, now I was really angry. My neighbor bullied me into hiring his buddy. Then I had to be a huge jerk and cancel the first electrician. Then I had to go and order the parts which ended up costing me more money. Then we got stuck waiting around for the guy. Now he takes it upon himself to take snacks from a box sitting on my desk while we’re away!

I was fuming so I called my neighbor to complain. I don’t care about the 50 cents or whatever the Slim Jims cost. I was more disappointed that he did not have the common decency to at least call and ask first. I don’t know you dude. I am not your buddy. Seriously, who does that?

Ron called me back a few hours later to apologize. He explained that he thought it was like a candy jar thing. I never heard of anyone else putting a Slim Jim as a community candy jar in their bedroom/personal home office. What else could I do but accept it for what it was.

So what did I learn from all of this? Let’s recap:

  1. You can’t find good help these days. Everyone claims they know someone “good” but they really don’t. Ignore them next time.
  2. Trust yourself. I like to think that God has given me a pretty level head. I need to trust my own decisions more.
  3. Don’t schedule two contractors for the same time. It’s awkward. Trust me.

Lowell Sucks

Posted on by

This was what we woke up to on Tuesday morning…

Who the HELL does this?! I can’t believe people were ballsy enough to jack up my wife’s car, steal the tires/rims, and leave the car suspended on a pair of cinder blocks in the dead of night while we slept. I thought this crap only happens in movies.

Last year was the break-in. Now it’s the tires/rims. I hate this (expletive) city. I’m so done with this ghetto city and its ghetto problems.

The police are too lazy to patrol the streets at night and serve as a deterrent. When the officer came to file the report he couldn’t even be bothered enough to get out of the cruiser. Had he done so he would have spotted the lug nuts left behind on my lawn and my neighbor’s.

It sucks feeling that I let my family down; that I didn’t do enough to protect my family; that I didn’t take the necessary steps to prevent this from happening. It sucks not being able to make Tary feel safe again here. No matter what additional security measures we take, it sucks that we’ll never stop feeling like someone is watching us. Watching us leave for work. Watching us return home. Watching us sleep at night. Watching how we react.

I’m so pissed off that I can’t think straight. I don’t care that it is a down market. I don’t care that we’ll lose money selling our house. I don’t care that we can’t afford another house right now. I just want to get us out of here. It’s no longer a matter of IF but WHEN. Our next house may not be our forever-house but our current house is no longer safe enough to even be our now-house.

Dealing with Frustrations

Posted on by

I’ve been feeling a bit “off” lately; more than your typical winter blues. I’m a go-getter and I’m used to completing whatever goals I set for myself. Lately I’ve been unable to complete even the simplest of tasks and I’m left with a bunch of unfinished projects.

Finish and submit our taxes. Fail.
Install baby gates. Fail.
Apply caulk around the bathroom and kitchen sinks. Fail.
Replace my car cabin air filter. Fail.
Android development. Fail.
Fix a squeaky nursery door. Fail.
Keep up with this blog. Fail and a half.

I’ve wanted to seriously get into Android development to write apps that could help generate additional revenue for our family but I haven’t been able to put the required time into. By the time I fight through traffic and get home from work, all I want to do is have dinner and spend what little time left with Tary and Daniel. By the time I put Daniel to bed, I’m too physically exhausted to stay awake and too mentally tired to learn anything new. It’s frustrating…

What’s interesting is Tary has been feeling “off” as well. Part of our general crankiness stems from being without our wedding rings the past week for re-rhodium plating. I love feeling that band on my hand to remind me of who awaits when I get home from work. Good thing we’re picking up our rings tonight.

I need to get focused. Get organized. Prioritize.

The whole Android thing can wait. We don’t NEED the extra money yet. I NEED to be there for Daniel. I WILL be there for Daniel.

I’m all about convenience now. This entire Android obsession has led me to some useful apps. Bible reading has gone up thanks to YouVersion.com’s Bible app. I gave up following the previous plan of reading the Bible in 8 months. I am not a reader. I can’t read in long stretches. My mind wanders too much. I started a new plan that takes a year to complete and I’m about 9% into it. I might not finish within the year and I’m okay with that. The app is my virtual bookmark.

Sports games will continue to be played whether I find time to watch them or not. Competitors will continue to “Wipe Out”. Singers will continue to get voted off on American Idol. It’s okay. The TV shows can continue to pile on the DVR.

I already have everything that I need and many things that I don’t. Winter will soon be over. So too will this funk. It’s time to stop worrying about everything else and just enjoy what’s in front of me now.

Trendy Names

Posted on by

Many of our friends and their friends are having babies now. Maybe there’s something in the water. Anyways, a disturbing pattern that is emerging is most of these babies were given a “trendy” name such as:

  • Ethan
  • Aiden
  • Caiden, Kaiden
  • Jaden, Jaiden, Jayden
  • Rylan
  • Raiden

The formula is simple…pick some random letters and then add “an” or “en” at the end. Voila, you have a name.

It’s one thing to try to give your child a somewhat unique name. It’s another when every parent has the same idea with using the same trendy names.

I can picture Daniel at school in a few years and when the teacher checks the attendance, there will be 4 Caidens, 2 Rylans, 3 Ethans, and only 1 Daniel.

Sick and Tired of being Sick and Tired

Posted on by

Since Daniel has been in daycare, he has literally come home each week with some new life-draining mutation that gets him sick. Then it’s only a matter of time before Tary and I succumb to its chilling vice grip and get sick ourselves. I’m so sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Daniel had the flu two weeks ago. I thought it was way too early for flu season. However, little did I know that it’s never too early for the flu when your kid is in daycare. Our poor baby had nearly a 101 degree fever.

While taking care of Daniel, Tary started showing signs of being ill. On Friday, Tary came down with a 103 degree fever. She then developed a nasty cough. After coughing up some blood, Tary had to go to the ER (#5 if you’re still counting). She was diagnosed with bronchitis and was prescribed some antibiotics.

By Sunday, the flu had gotten the best of me and I came down with a 102 degree fever. What’s kind of ironic was that I normally would get a flu shot by this time of year but I was too sick (from daycare) on the day they were giving flu shots at work. Anyways, the next few days were brutal. Tary and I were both sick and we both had to miss a few days of work. It was hard taking care of Daniel and getting an adequate amount of rest.

On Tuesday afternoon we received a phone call from daycare. They needed us to come and pick up Daniel because he had conjunctivitis in his right eye. When we got there, he had a mucous-like discharge coming from his right eye. We rushed him to the pediatrician’s office. The doctor confirmed the diagnosis and also informed us that Daniel had bronchiolitis and possibly an ear infection. Daniel was prescribed some ointment for his eyes.

The next day we were saddened to see that Daniel’s conjunctivitis had spread to his other eye. We brought him back to the pediatrician for a second look. The doctor confirmed Daniel had an ear infection and was prescribed some antibiotics and a nebulizer to help with his cough.

Fast forward to today and the Trinh family is doing much better. Daniel’s conjunctivitis has cleared up. His ear infection is improving. His chest sounds clear enough to stop using the nebulizer. Tary and I have pretty much recovered from our bouts with the flu but we both have coughs to show for it.

Daycare is killing us. I’m sure there are plenty of good reasons for sending Daniel to daycare but I can’t think of any positives right now. Maybe when we’re ready for Baby #2, we’ll strongly consider having Tary stay at home with the kids. Hopefully we can survive until then.