TJ's Quest and a flood update

An update on TJ's quest

 TJ has another movie audition.... Hollywood is really taking an interest in him, our problem is he is the opposite of what a 14 year old actor is...TALL and mature looking. TJ looks 16, but can't really book the 16 year old jobs due to his age, a 14 yo is still a kid and usually small young adults play pre-teen and teen roles. I think he is too big for todays role, but experience will be gained and I have been told by casting directors how talented he is, not to mention his star quality looks. Even if he is too big and mature looking for today's role...you just don't know, at worst he will leave a good impression in the casting directors head. Plus this movie is under wraps...no info is given ie: title, synopsis, character breakdown, director, leading stars....usually we get all that info...we only got "boy 2" for TJ's audition info and a 2 paragraph monologue for TJ to memorize

 We are missing a HS ball game, but  freshman ball is not going to pay for college or keep his agent happy. TJ was called last week for a Adam Sandler movie audition, but Karrick just had had tonsils out and Tim was in NY...there was no way in Hell I was dragging that kid downtown, so I passed. They called back and said the casting director really wants TJ and will work around his schedule...with baseball games Mon, Tue and Wed I said during the day would work (miss an hour and a half of school) and everyone's happy....not so much.

Stike one against the McGinty's

So the next day when this audition came about, I couldn't tell the agent no and keep getting future calls. So, my starting A baseball player had to tell his coach he wasn't going to make todays game...luke warm response Coach E in his mobster voice

 "but yer playin!"

TJ quick on his feet "yeah, but my mom didn't know and confirmed me..."

After thinking on it for 24 hrs  Coach E. came up to him and said 

"So, Mcginty gonna be in movies?" "I can see it, you do have those movie star looks" 'what's dis world comin to, when mcginty's gonna be a movie star"

 Love Coach E, possibly the funniest guy out there...says it like it is and always has the boys in stitches and all the boys share Coaches words with their parents...freakin hilarious

I have no idea where all this is going to go...at some point someone is going to get mad. All I can do is take it one day at a time

Thank God TJ wants to be a doctor and has something to fall back on...can the kid really have 3 harder dreams to achieve?

Well I was wrong, just received a call that Cal and TJ are auditioning for the Adam Sandler movie tomorrow at 3pm. And yes, I am going to shoot downtown, hope all goes quickly and I can get TJ back in time for his home ballgame...Crap, I dread the phone to the coach...there are 12 kids on the team...maybe they can 'bench" TJ for the 1st inning? Oh, did I mention it's tax week at work? Since karrick can't go back to school yet, I will go to the office 2 hrs early..

Notice to Universe: I am really doing the best I can and am not trying to take advantage of anyone...just let me make it through this week with my job intact, TJ still on the baseball team...is A team pushing it and my children still in good graces with their Agents

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THE ENDLESS FLOOD SAGA

This was the scene at the end of last summer, after the second flood in 2 years to wipe out our entire lower level. 3-4 feet of raw neighborhood sewage filled our basement. It happened the 1st time 2 years ago and we thought it was a fluke and used that gutting as an opportunity to redo the lower level to our liking.

It wasn't a fluke and it felt like a kick to the gut. We gutted again...family room went out the front window and hauled right away. Laundry room went out the back deck window and sat for 9 months. I mentally couldn't deal with it, it was late July, hot-hot and we were finishing up travel baseball season and the back was infested...AGAIN with hornets. I would stick a needle in my eye before taking those suckers on again, so our warped smelly, moldy, shit covered basement cabinets sat on the deck until this weekend.

Mother Nature gave us weary Chicagoans a weekend gift of 80 degree weather.  Tim was in NY for a week, so I slapped on my bathing suit, some oil, and some rubber gloves and got to work. Whoa, one would think the smell would be gone, but I was blasted back in time to 9 months ago by that smell.

I filled 12 large construction bags and filled many bins of moldy smelly wood and personal items. Hauled them to the curb. I need to buy many many sheets of garbage stickers and hope our garbage mans hauls it away.

When did garbage men become so uppity? What in the Hell did they think they were gonna do when they became a member of the Waste Management family? You are going to pick up people's garbage. Garbage being, the nasty crap that people no longer want or need. Some of it so nasty, smelly and disgusting that an animal won't go near it.

Seriously "GET THE FUCK OVER YOUR SELF"

I do have one guy that always takes everything w/wo stickers with a smile and I have tried to give him money during the year, but will only take it around the holidays. Then there is "the other guy" that gives me shit about taking extra stuff...God help me if each and every item is not plastered with a visible purple Lombard waste sticker. I have literally gone outside while "the other guy" was tossing stuff in the truck, mumbling under his breath about stickers and tossed in the non-stickered items myself. I'm sure there is some union rules about that and my patience has worn thin on the damn garbage situation.

Seen this sight before...once or twice I mean

It's a start, the deck needs a good power wash and a good sealant, not to mention some color.

No, not Callahan's Science experiment, just a close-up of what was once a laundry room cabinet.

The lower level is clean and has new walls and furniture ... again (paneling and a futon, no more top of the line stuff) the laundry room is frozen in a gutted state. We just can't get excited or attached to a new beautiful lower level...how many times can your heart be ripped out? Sure, we were insured  and FEMA came through financially again, but the emotional damage stays with you.