Dad's the Man :)

Dad was recognized at SMZ with a gift ($$) but I think you should hear what Jim Michelson wrote about him: 'Thank you so much for your hard work and dedication over the past 10 years. From account management PR assistance to new business contributions to resident computer genius, you do it all, you do it well, and you do it with a great attitude. We truly appreciate your many contributions to the success of SMZ.'

We should do more to acknowledge the special people in our lives. (I must be getting old!!) So today, I want to add that we are all so proud of Dad, too, and appreciate all he has done over the years for all of us. We thank him for being there to support us - he loves us and has always taken care of us. We couldn't ask for a better husband and father and we congratulate him on this wonderful recognition, which he sooooooo deserves!! Remember to thank the awesome people in your life and tell them you love them!! :)

I love each of you more than I can say and each of you holds a special place in my heart.

Love always, Mom

And don't forget that today is ROCKTOBER 13TH!!! YEA - GO BRUTAL LEGEND!!

X-Play Interview!

Holy crap! X-Play, a show about video games on G4, was here doing interviews a few weeks ago. Morgan Webb interviewed me a bit and they cut it into this Multiplayer Preview! Check it out!

http://g4tv.com/videos/41847/Brutal_Legend_Multiplayer_Preview/

ROCKTOBER IS ALMOST HERE! AHHHHHHHHHH!

Love you guys!

-Brad!

Brütal Legend Interview!

My first-ever interview just went up on brutallegend.com! Check it out!

http://www.brutallegend.com/blog/blogbobmuirmultiplayer081809-2009-08-18

Love you guys!

P.S. When it first went up they totally got my name wrong. I took a screenshot to commemorate the event! :D (They had me listed as Bob Muir. lol!)



P.P.S. NEED MORE BABY PICS!

Eddie Riggs Statue!

Holy crap!
Look at this thing!



Rocktober 13th cometh!

Love you guys!
Brad!

MICHIGAN IS DANGEROUS!

HOLY CRAP I-75 BLEW UP! EVERYBODY RUN!

You guys need to get out of there!

:D!

I'm missing you guys! Crunch time's almost over! And I hear there's a baby coming soon?!?!?!?

Love,
Brad!

I'm like, totally famous

Hey guys, hope you're all doing well. Just wanted to drop in and let you guys know that I'm a pretty big deal now - I got about four seconds of air time on the local news.

On Monday a cameraman and reporter from local Fox News dropped in to do a story featuring an interview with one of our principles, Aaron Smith (consequently, also the guy that hired me - woo!). They talked with him for a while in the conference room and then took some shots from around the office, and I made it in! Hell yeah!

Thought you guys might enjoy it. The image of me HARD AT WORK on my Mac. The guy sitting to my right is Jed Tank (awesome name), my boss and all around awesome guy to work with.

Here's a link to the story, have a great weekend, everyone!

Brütal Legend Box Art!

Holy crap! It's real! :D



Giant versions over here at Kotaku:
http://kotaku.com/5301697/brutal-legend-box-art-hits-all-the-right-notes

I'm missing you guys! We're almost done!

Love,
Brad!

MY WIFE; GOSH I'M A LUCKY GUY

I would like to take this time to let everyone know that I'm the luckiest guy alive..and that I get luckier every day. Check this out. Danielle is "The Pic of the Month" at http://www.wandriephotography.com/ Go to "Fun Stuff" and select "Pic of the Month".
Danielle and I plan to take the new baby for some professional pics shortly after the baby joins the real World. We'll keep you posted, but until then.....check out my supermodel wife ;)
Love All You Guys and hope all is well on "the other" side of this wonderful Country.
-G

He's In The Money

A great big shout out to Tim. He finally has a real job; one that has benefits, too.
We are so proud of you Tim.
So work hard, keep your nose clean, and make lots and lots of money.
Oh yea...
...be sure to do the Friday Happy Dance tomorrow!

Love -- Mom and Dad

1YEAR!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?

Hey Gang,
This past weekend was the first of many anniversaries for me and Danielle. We spent our time in the Windy City and stayed at the Palmer House Hilton. What a fancy hotel. I felt like we were staying inside the Fox Theater. We arrived in the rain and decided to hit up the Shedd Aquarium. W-O-W.
We then "scalped" some Cubs tickets via Craigslist and spent Saturday in The Friendly Confines of Wrigley FIeld. A bit chilly, but what a park! We also had a wonderful anniversary dinner (thanks to Mom and Dad) at the Signature Room on the 95th floor of the Hancock Building. 360degrees of floor to ceiling windows and you could see for miles. We watched the sun set, how romantic, and had some kick ass strawberry shortcake for dessert (see above pic).
And would you believe that our wedding cake tasted great? I know it doesnt sound right. Think about it. A cake that is 1yr old tasting "fresh". But its true. Danielle wrapped it like a maniac in plastic wrap the day after our wedding and held prisoner in our freezer for 363 days. Amazing what you can find on the Internet.
Anyway, hope all is well in all parts of this wonderful country (thank a Vet). TJ, hope your job is working out for ya. Broadway, hope no dudes have tried to violate you and that your new move went smoothly. Mom and Dad, see you two soon.
Love you all.

Greg and Danielle

Greg - Watch out for knives!

And also shady dudes with Canadian accents.



Love you guys!

May the 4th be with you!

Get it? Get it?
Love you guys! :D

-Brad!

Tim Gets a Job

Congratulations to Tim! He has been hired by a company in Seattle. Smart company!

Tim, we knew you would find a job. We are very proud of you for the "sticktoitness" you have shown in this undoubtedly difficult time in your life. But, you plowed through college and got that piece of paper to hang on the wall and now you have plowed through the job market in the Pacific Northwest. Well done!

When you called, it turned into one of the best days of our lives and I know it was for you, too.

So, show up every day on time, volunteer for projects and tasks, stay late, keep your nose clean, brown nose the boss (only kidding on that one), and become irreplaceable.

We know you will be the best employee this company ever hired.

Go get 'em kid.

We are soooooo proud of you.

Love,

Mom and Dad

And the police officer said to the female speeder...

"You didn't think we give pretty women tickets? You're right, we don't. Sign here."

Stupid Fact #3

Fireflies are actually beetles.

"I did not know that!"

Mam and Dad Are Flying to Seattle, Washington

Tomorrow morning, Mom and I are flying to Seattle, Washington to visit Tim and Michelle. Should be fun.
Making it even more fun is the fact that Brad will be joining us on Saturday and staying until Tuesday night.
Nice break for Brad and a twofer for Mom and me.
We haven't seen Tim or Brad since the new year began and we miss them both dearly.
We will be doing all the thing tourists do (ride the Ducks, go up in the Space Needle, etc).
Do they have any wineries out there?
Anyway, I need a break. The tunnel has been going crazy and for those who do not know the decision was made to close Our Lady of Guadalupe Middle School at the end of the school year. That has been tough on me because I was asked by the board to write all the communication materials (PR release, letter to parents, key messages, etc.). Not fun.
Your Mom and I are looking forward to stimulating the Seattle economy to some degree by spending lots of money.
Can't wait to spend 6.5 hours on an airplane with my knees in my face. LOL :-(
Traveling by air in the '00s is not much fun. It used to be that they treated you like humans and fed you! No more. But, that's another post!
Brad and Tim, we'll see you soon.

Stupid Fact #2

A rat can swim a mile without stopping. And, that same rat can tread water for three days without stopping.
My guess is that that would be one tired rat in the end.

Dad

Stupid facts

This is the start of a series of stupid facts. Every time I run into something interesting, I am going to post it up here for your enjoyment.
Today's stupid fact:

THE AVERAGE HUMAN BODY HOLDS ENOUGH...
phosphorous to make 2,200 match heads.

One good reason not to have a GPS unit in your car

I just watched a Good Morning America piece this morning about how easy it is for a thief to steal your stuff. Here is what he did:

1. He followed a family to a little league baseball game and then stole their car (took him 2 minutes!).
2. Then he turned on the GPS unit and found the listing for HOME.
3. The GPS unit took him right to their house.
4. He opened the security gate and the garage with punchers in the car.
5. The garage door from the garage to the house was left unlocked (sound familiar?).
6. The house had an alarm system, but it was off.
7. He toured the house sealing everything of value.
8. The house had a safe, but it was unlocked!

Total time: 40 minutes to steal about $10,000 of stuff.

Moral: Use a map, get a car alarm, lock your house, turn on your house alarm and lock your safe!

Dad

Dad's Birthday

Well, after 3 (count them) birthday parties, dad turned another year older but still going strong. We started the celebration in Toronto, where we stayed at the Hilton, had lunch with his good friend, John Parent, had some nice meals and went to the theater. He also took some time to play with his new toy - a shop vac. Then we had a nice evening with Greg and Danielle, where we laughed a lot over stir fry and strawberry shortcake. (Tim: remember Strawberry Shortcake??) And the third party was quieter, dinner with Grandma and a crockpot meal. We missed Brad and Tim, but maybe we'll have another party in Seattle!!
Dad has been working super hard, still loves his business and is very good at what he does. He always has set a good, positive example for you guys. I want him to take better care of himself, so he's around for a long time (with me). You guys are lucky to have such a great dad!! :)

Mispost!

Hey everyone! I messed up and accidentally put my post about Resident Evil 5's racism issue over here. If you want to read it you can check it out over here!

I love you all and I hope that you're doing great. Things are super busy over here! omg!

Love,
Brad!

Beware the Ides of March

The Ides of March is March 15 and is the day Julius Caesar was assassinated in Rome. Just be careful today. Below is an explanation of the Caesar's assassination from Wikipedia. Dad

Assassination of Julius Caesar
Main article: Assassination of Julius Caesar
Caesar was assassinated on the Ides of March, 44 BC, after declaring himself dictator of Rome for life. According to a near-contemporary biographer, Caesar summoned the Senate to meet in the Theatre of Pompey on the Ides of March. A certain soothsayer warned Caesar to be on his guard against a great peril on the day of the month of March which the Romans call the Ides, and when the day had come and Caesar was on his way to the senate-house, he greeted the seer with a jest and said: "The Ides of March has come", to which the seer replied: "Aye Caesar, but not gone".[4]As the Senate convened, Caesar was attacked and stabbed to death by a group of senators who called themselves the Liberatores ("Liberators"); they justified their tyrannicide on the grounds that they were preserving the Republic from Caesar's alleged monarchical ambitions.

http://www.online-literature.com/

Above is a website I ran into recently and I thought you all should know about it. It is called the Literature Network and the site states they have:
Authors: 260
Books: 2,874
Poems & Short Stories: 3,828
Forum Members: 52,569
Forum Posts: 606,270
It is all searchable. Amazing. This would have helped writing those pesky paper in school! LOL.
Love Dad

Grandma and Grandpa Muir

Boys:
Here is a picture of Grandma and Grandpa Muir from our recent trip to Florida. Grandma is 91 and Grandpa is 90. They both are in pretty good health. As you can sort of see, Grandma is in very good physical health. Grandpa on the other hand is very frail. I think he has lost about 20 pounds over the last year.
As you all know, Grandma has Alzheimer's quite badly. She cannot remember anything that happened two minutes ago. She knows who you are and can remember things that happened in the past. It is just the recent (very recent) history that alludes her.
Grandpa has to do everything for her 24/7. He can't let her cook. He can't even let her unload the dishwasher (she has no idea where anything goer!).
I just wanted to relay one funny story:
When your mom and I were getting ready to leave, Grandma and I were sitting on the couch. As we were talking, your mom left the bedroom and went across the hall to the bathroom.
Grandma said, "Who is the woman?"
To which I said, "Mom, that's my wife Mary Ann."
Grandma said, "YOU'RE KIDDING ME!"
I then said, "Yes, and we have been married for 36 years."
Grandma said, "No? That's amazing."
Fortunately, at least so far, Grandma does not wander away from the house. And she still recognizes that she is married to Grandpa. These two love each other very much and it is nice to watch them interact.
I am sorry that you three never really got to know Grandma and Grandpa Muir. But, they chose to move to Alpean and then Florida when you all were young.
Their loss and yours.
I hope all is well with you.
Write if you get a chance.
Love,
Dad

Happy Birthday to Greg!!!

On Friday night, we had dinner with Greg and Danielle at Los Quatros Amigos to celebrate his 34th birthday (yikes!! How can we have a 34 year old????) Anyway, we had a nice dinner, but missed the mariachi band :( Greg and Danielle came back to the house for dessert (strawberry shortcake) and prizes! Greg is collecting the panoramic sports stadium prints by Rob Arra, and for this birthday, we gave him the Red Wings winning the Stanley Cup at Joe Lewis Arena in 200?! Dad thought he would mat and frame the print himself - and we all know that he can do anything when he decides to do it!
So the finished product looks really cool and Greg was happy to add to his collection. Now he has about 5 stadiums, including, the last pitch at Tiger Stadium, the first pitch at Comerica Park, the opening game at Ford field, U of M and MSU. Dad matted and framed two of these Arra prints we had gotten Greg but not framed.
Also, the Detroit Tigers have a new slogan: Always a Tiger. Dad's office printed up some posters with the Old English D and the slogan, which Dad then double matted (Tiger orange and dark blue) and framed. It looked very cool and Greg was supprised.
So, happy birthday, Greg - one of the happiest days of our lives was on the day you were born :) - and you continue to bring us joy and happiness every day! We love you more than we could ever tell you!!
On Friday also, Greg and Danielle had a 'baby' check up appointment, and our little grandbaby is doing just fine. He/she is growing right on schedule and Danielle looks and feels great! The nursery is almost ready - pastel green with Winnie the Pooh theme - so cute! All you uncles out there better get ready for a new little member of the Muir family !! :)
Love you all -
Mom (and Dad)
Kisses from Rochester Hills

Let's not forget Greg's birthday!

Nufff said. Dad

Rabbits keep Muir's from winning second Hampton holiday lighting prize in a row

When taking down the outside lights today I found out why our lighting display went dark in some places -- RABBITS! They ate through the wires in two sections of the display making it go dark. The evidence is here:



Rabbit dodo! Those little bastards kept us from a Hampton holiday lighting repeat.
Well, there is always next year!

Dad

Happy Birthday To Brad!

Yesterday was Brad's birthday and Mom and I sent him a package to his office. In the package were a bunch of cookies and other goodies for the folks at Double Fine (this is a yearly tradition now). Cool thing is that if we bake, Double Fine pays the shipping to the West Coast.
Mom and I got lots of thank yous from the men and women at Double Fine and its nice to know that they really like what we baked up.
That was Friday.
Also in the box were some little prizes for Brad's birthday. Somehow he got the large box and the prizes back to his apartment.
Then on Saturday, Brad's actual birthday, we used Skype to have a visit with Brad and watch him open his prizes. It was such fun. While this is the sixth birthday we have missed since Brad moved to the West Coast, this is the first time we got to see him on his birthday, even if it was on a computer monitor.
Anyway, Brad liked all his prizes, but Mom had labeled one "Open me last." When Brad opened it he went wild. It was a Star Wars watch from a Burger King promotion about six years ago. We had given Brad this plastic watch way back then and he has worn it every day since until it finally broke late last year. And it kept great time until the band broke.
Well, Mom found one, sealed in the original can on eBay. She ordered it and we shipped it out to Brad.
Never has such a simple gift had such a fantastic response. Brad loved it. And we love you Brad.
Many more my son!

Mom and Dad

Official XBox Magazine Cover!

Our cover for OXM just hit the news stand! Check it out! I haven't even read the article yet... I hope it's good!

Love you guys!

-Brad!

Will this cold ever go away?

Ugh. I seem to have had this cold/sinus infection for weeks and weeks. Just can't seem to shake it. I stayed home today, but I'm not sure it is helping.
Back to work tomorrow. Maybe that will help a bit.
And your Mom is just getting over her cold, too. She is feeling a lot better.
It's been a crazy couple of weeks around here.
Just wanted to keep you all in the loop.

Dad

Most of Christmas Down for Another Year

Your Mom and I have spent most of the last week taking down Christmas in the house. The lights outside will have to wait until it warms up a bit. It is supposed to be ZERO this week. Burrrr.
The village is still up because it is so nice to look at and it's a big job to take down.
All the boxes are in the living room waiting for the village to go down.
Then all the boxes can go up above the garage.
Maybe I can talk Greg into helping me put all that stuff away.
Unless of course Brad or Tim want to help! LOL
Love you guys. Miss you all.
Mom and I send our love.

Dad

3D

Well, Dad and I were part of history last night. The BCS game was simulcast in 3D at MJR. An amazing concept and it came off pretty damn good. Except when the camera moved too fast or lost focus...then all bets were off. I thought I was goin cross-eyed on numerous occasions and once thought I may have a "Blair Witch" induced bout of vomiting. But all-in-all I'd say it could be the wave of the future. As Dad can back me up, the commentating (pear-shaped Kenny Albert and some new guy Tim Ryan) weren't that great................but at least it wasn't Pam Ward. I bet ya the N.O.W. is still red-assed about it :) And the glasses were much better than the flimsy, one red lens, one blue lens old school style. A nice dorky, square, thick black plastic frame. So Florida won, booooo, and now there's an outside shot that the Lions will waste another first round on Sam Bradford. Only time will tell, but I'm not holding my breath for SportsCenter to report that the Lions had the best draft come April. Hope all is well across the Great United States. I love all of you. Stay safe.

A Gentle Good Bye To Tracker : Gone, But Never Forgotten

Tracker -- 1994-2008

What a great dog. We got Tracker in the Spring after our last dog Duke died in our kitchen one night in October, 1994. Duke was a West Highland White Terrier and was a lovable dog, too.
Tim spent the entire winter on the computer and at the library researching dogs. He made lists of breeds.
Then in the Spring of 1995 we went to the Detroit Kennel Dog Show to check out the various dog breeds on his list.
A late addition to the list was the Border Terrier. The newspaper had run a special section on the dog show and they featured the Border Terrier in the article.
At the show, everyone we talked with about this breed loved their dogs. I remember one owner who had two Border Terriers named Hoover and Eureka because they loved to chase vacuums (turns out Tracker did, too.)
We found a breeder in Saline, Michigan who has some 6-month old Border Terriers for sale. Tim fell in love with one of them named Tracker and we brought Tracker home that day.
Border Terriers are wonderful dogs. They love people and always want to be around you. If you sat down on the couch, Tracker would want to lay right next to you. Right on your hip.
He slept in our bed. As a pup, we tried to get him to sleep in a kennel in the laundry room, but he would have none of that.
And he was stubborn, just like most terriers.
And boy could be bark! Border Terriers were bred to go underground to hunt badgers and the hunters in England wanted to hear the dogs underground. Thus, the loud bark. Tracker did not bark often (usually when someone came to the door), but when he did it just about hurt your ears. And, as usual, after an outburst of several barks, Tracker would go back to quietly laying down by our side as if nothing had happened.
He never ran away. He would go outside without a leash and come back when called (usually!).
He was always glad to see you when you came home and he always cheered you up.
But, he got old. Really old for a little dog and now he is gone.
We miss Tracker greatly. To this day, I still come downstairs thinking that I will have to let Tracker outside.
But, sadly, no more.
He was a great dog. He is greatly missed.