Another Hipsterly Project

They should make a game where you shoot these.

I know I make fun of hipsters a lot, but I'd like to point out that the main reason I do so (besides them being absolutely ridiculous in all things) is because they frickin' copy and exploit ALL the crap I've been into for years.

Book enthusiast?   Check.
Music snob?   Check.
'70s/'80s electronics?  Check.
Vinyl record collecting?   Check.
Pipe-smoking?   Check.
Ukuleles?   Check.
Old man hats?   Check.
Beer?   Check.

And vintage bicycles?  Yeah, that too.

Damn you very much, Hipsters.

Anyway, the point of all this is that I want everyone out there in Cyberspace to know that Yours Truly proceeds hipsters in all things, including the acquisition and restoration of vintage bicycles.  I was doing it waaaay before it was cool, hipsters - so stop frickin' making me look bad.  It's annoying.

My restored Varsity.  Next up:  I'm going to replace the seat with a brown, leather Schwinn seat, and finish it off with a matching saddlebag briefcase/laptop/messenger bag that attaches to the rear rack.  Then I'll probably buy some matching brown, leather handlebar wrap (my old handlebar tape is starting to peel off.)

As I've mentioned before, I inherited my Dad's old '76 Schwinn Varsity back in 2005, and for the last couple of months have been busy restoring it to its former glory (as well as sprucing it up with some bitchin' new saddlebags and accessories - see pic above.)  It's been a lot of fun and has kept my mind off the never-ending and often-times depressing quest to find a full-time job up here in Michigan.  Well, recently, I acquired yet another addition to the Hough Family Fleet of Wheels.

How Clare folk roll in their natural environment.

During my last trip to Clare with the Fam - to hang out with Trevor and Sara McNerney, and to celebrate the combined birthdays of my nephews, Bradley and Jax - I accompanied my folks over the Cindy's parents' house to pick up a propane grill they were giving to us.  This was an incredibly generous gesture - not only did they give us a grill, but they also threw in three propane tanks, a cover, and a ton of grill tools on top of it.  Pretty awesome.

In addition - much to my wife's dismay at the time - they also gave me a vintage Huffy Escape.  They had wanted to get rid of it for quite some time, but when Dad saw it he told them how I had done such a great job cleaning up the old Varsity, Grandma Jones (Cindy's mom) gave it to me on the spot.  It's in worse condition than the Varsity was when I got it, but I have no doubt I'll be able to fix it back up with some effort.

Check it out:

 

 

 

 

- Brian

Happy Stuffed Animal Day

I'm talkin' to YOU, girl.

Hi gang.

If you'll be so kind to notice, I'm not at work.

"What gives?" you may ask yourself, "What's up with Brian's total negligence for his profession?  Is he wasting his time writing at work?"

Not quite, readers.  I'm at home.  I took the day off.

Because it's Valentine's Day.  The Shittiest Day of the School Year.

Do I exaggerate?  Not even a smidge.  When it comes to Middle School, there is no greater Hell on Earth than Valentine's Day.  The stuffed animals, the candy, the balloons, the drama, the break-ups, the fist-fights, the groping, the crying, the not working.  Yes, Valentine's has it all:  it is the Perfect Storm of teenage hormones, and provides the setting for the least productive day of the whole frickin' school year.

Plus, it's a total Hallmark Holiday.

Just sayin'.

So what am I up to today, seeing how I have a whole day off with the house to myself?  Well, for starters, I'm working on the infamous Plan B - a side-project/future career move that has occupied much of my time lately.  The project has been coming along quite well over the course of the last few weeks, and hopefully by this time next month we'll be wrapped up with it (our scheduled deadline is currently slated for March 15th, but it may or may not be bumped back to the following weekend - I'll keep you posted).

It's no Ocarina of Time, but it's still awesome. . .

Creativity aside, I've also logged away some time playing The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - the latest Nintendo Wii game at which I've been hacking away.  Generally I don't get to do things around the house like 'play videogames,' what with our kids hogging the Wii in order to stream crappy TV shows off of Netflix.  With them out of the house, and my wife occupied with work, there's no one about to hassle Yours Truly, and that means I can do 'single guy' stuff like indulge in a couple hours worth of Master Sword-weilding.

Booya.

Speaking of which, I have a realm to save.  I'll talk to you working stiffs later.

- Brian

Kicking Off a Week Without Pants

Hey people.

So I'm starting off a week off of work.  Or, as I like to call it, a week without pants (I hate wearing pants).  And while I'm sure I will have to put on pants from time to time throughout the course of the week, I'm going to try my damnedest to keep such instances to a bare minimum.

Anyway, I plan on spending my week working on this year's Hough family Christmas card, putting up the ol' Christmas tree and house decorations, working on a few nerdy side projects (some iMovie and iTunes crap that's pretty time-consuming and by no means entertaining to talk about), and maybe doing some lesson planning for work.

Maybe.

I'm sure I'll touch on some of that crap later on, though.  Right now, as I sit here in my boxers having a beer and not worrying about working any time soon, I'll leave you with a crap load of pictures and videos.

Enjoy.

- Brian

The Cannonball

"Going to Walmart"

Saluting Grandpa Hough's WWII Army uniform

Sword fighting

These old Halloween costume helmets were finally taken out of the costume bin after years of never being worn and put into normal playroom rotation.  They have since become a HUGE hit.  See for yourself:

Courtesy of Knightly Spirits - my favorite Orlando liquor store and subsequent home away from home

 

 

 

 

 

Damn straight.

Illustrating for my students how Ancient Egyptians wrote in pictograph hieroglyphics.  Behold - Pharaoh Houghses II.

I'd rather 'rock' than 'suck.'

Hanging out at Pleasure Island in Downtown Disney with the Voigts

 

 

Grillin' with the Pipe Gnome. . .

Hanging out on the front door. . .

 

 I handed Abby a pen for twenty or thirty seconds to shut her up while I was on the phone.  This is what I get.  Chalk that up to awesome parenting.