In January, and while I was scrolling through Facebook, I saw an advertisement for Brick Fest Live in San Antonio, TX scheduled for this weekend. Without even thinking or asking the family, I submitted my contact information so I could be alerted when tickets went on sale. Later, when I did tell Nina and Niko,…
Tag: The Dad Speaks
GameCrafters – Greg Dockery
Name: Greg DockeryJob: Instant Replay Technician for UTSA Football and the Alamobowl In 2012, I did stats for a high school football game between the Brandeis Broncos and the Warren Warriors. I was only a year into my writing as I shared photos, stats, and my thoughts on the game itself. Greg Dockery was one…
Saturday Thoughts
Yesterday, we got our house cleaned from top to bottom. Unbeknownst to us, she made Niko’s bed and arranged all the pillows and blankets in a very nice layout rather than the what Niko prefers. And, what he prefers is very detailed and it takes Nina and I working together to get it correct. If…
IHOP Again…
Yesterday, I was planning on getting gas in Nina’s car and going to Goodwill to donate some stuff. Afterwards, Niko and I were going to do something fun in the world. I gave him several things to choose: UrbanAir, the museum we visited on 3/22 for his field trip, the children’s museum, North Star Mall,…
Field Trip
My name is Mark, and I survived the 2nd grade field trip on Friday to a local museum. I didn’t chew on any dinosaur bones, I didn’t take off my clothes and pose as an old timer from the old times, I didn’t push the red button in the space exhibit, I didn’t build a…
GameCrafters – Milton Hope
From 2003 to 2014, I was the statistician for Judson High School football games on the Texas Sports Radio. Network, and during that time, is when I first met Milton Hope. Name: Milton HopeJob: Public Address Announcer HOW DID YOU GET STARTED AS A PUBLIC ADDRESS (PA ANNOUNCER)? I got started as a PA announcer…
Spring Break 2024
Niko’s Spring Break was last week, and tomorrow he goes back to school. He won’t have anything exciting to tell his classmates or teacher of what he did and all the trouble he got it in on South Padre Island! Nope! Because, he was sick. He took one dose of meds on Monday and when…
The Statman Speaks RETURNS – GameCrafters
I am back! But, I won’t be writing about about high school football or high school basketball or sharing photos of athletes in action on the field or on the court! Nor, will I be sharing renovation photos of football stadiums or gymnasiums! Nope. I got something even better. I actually want to learn more…
Don’t Laugh (Because It’s Not Funny)
Last Saturday, Niko asked me very nicely if he could have my iPad that I purchased in December. His current iPad is my old iPad mini 4 that I purchased in 2020. I gave him that one about a year ago when the iPad he had, broke. I like my iPad and even have an…
Ear Infection
Last Sunday, and around our Niko dinner time which happens at 3 pm, he was complaining of his ear hurting. At first, we thought it was water as he had a shower a few hours earlier. None of the Google remedies worked for getting water out of ears, so I made a quick trip a…
Cheeseburger In Paradise (aka, Our House)
Yesterday, our big adventure in the world was a drive for burgers, fries, a shake for Niko, soda for me, and chicken tenders for Niko and me. I was craving something else and was planning on getting that. He then asked for a cheeseburger, and I was like, OK, come with me and it’s yours….
Niko Rewards
Yesterday, we went to The Shops at La Cantera, for lunch, legos, and chocolate. Separate, not food made out of legos. The reason being is Niko did something good for a month, and the reward for completion was we would buy him a lego set for $100. Actually, I won as I also participated, but…
Niko’s Eating Schedule
Niko is used to eating lunch around 11 am and dinner at 3 pm. Probably because that’s when he eats at school and as soon as he gets home from school at 3 pm, he eats more (a lot more). Sometimes when I come down at 5 pm after I finish work, he is still…
Rinse, Lather, and Repeat (Deja Vu)
This is not going to be about shampoo and conditioner, I am sorry to disappoint you. Yesterday, we did the exact same thing we did as last Saturday, but we had Nina with us. Niko was showing off a lot for her. It was actually really nice to be together as a family and out…
Party City
The last time Niko and I made a trip to Party City was last June. And, the past two times we have had breakfast at IHOP this month, Party City wasn’t open yet. But, on Saturday, we finally made it there and they were open. Niko’s primary focus at Party City was water balloons! He…
Nothing is Something
It’s 7:38 pm on Saturday night, and usually, by that time, I have something written and ready to be published for Sunday morning. But, I have nothing tonight. I don’t want to bore you about the joys of being a homeowner! In the past few weeks, we had to shell out money for the a/c…
A Weekday Morning In The Life Of ME
It’s 6:15 am, and I am waking up. Man, I was having a really amazing dream. Sometimes, it could be even earlier than that as sometimes Niko wakes up first. Most of those times, it’s the middle of the night and he has to pee and afterwards, he goes right back to sleep. One of…
The Mark Speaks
As I mentioned last Sunday, I still am going to write book reviews and dad blogs on thedadspeaks.com. When I first started writing on thestatmanspeaks.com in 2011, my niche was sports writing and photos from high school football and high school basketball games. I also shared photos of two high school football stadiums getting renovated…
Happy New Year – 2024
Last week, I told may wife that for 2024, I want to reach out to some real people who I am friendly enough with and meet up with them in real life. Not like every weekend, but maybe one or two per month. I feel like I have done a very poor job of keeping…
The Sick Dad
I was diagnosed with a strep throat on Thursday and am on antibiotics. I also have had no appetite for writing anything so this is what you get today instead of fun Christmas story.

