We headed back north from Thanksgiving in Fred this afternoon, this time with an extra person in the back seat. Nancy got the call from back home that her mother has taken a turn for the worse, so we dropped her off at the airport for the trip out to Illinois. She was able to get a ticket to Bloomington at a relatively low price and will then drive down to Olney tomorrow to be with her mother and the rest of the family already in town. Doug and Michael will follow at some point, but for now, she'll head out alone.
Surprisingly, traffic wasn't too bad (either going down yesterday or coming back today). I'm not sure where everyone was, but they sure weren't on the highways we were on. (Not that I minded, I'm glad we traffic was as light as it was -- it makes the trip a little less stressful.)
We got the kids ready for bed and I read them a chapter from Robin Hood. There's only a few left and they're getting anxious for it to be finished. Well, M is getting anxious, N couldn't care less -- he just wants it to be over so he can see the movie. I've decided to watch both the 1937 version with Errol Flynn as well as the Disney version. I'm sure the kids won't mind.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Day 277 - 11/24/2007
After a stint in the basement and a quick trip to the dump to drop off some old paint, we dropped the kids off at the movies to see Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium with Grandma and Sarah. N wanted to see Bee Movie but was overruled. Maybe next time.
After dropping them off, D and I headed out to Belfort to look for a new kitchen table. The one we have is 13+ years old and, while the table is in decent condition, it's past time we replaced it (and W-A-Y past time we replaced the chairs). It will still be useful in the basement as a craft table or something, but it needs to be removed from the kitchen sometime in the near future.
From Belfort, we headed home to freshen up before heading over to mom's house for leftovers and to collect the kids. We got there later than expected, but still enjoyed the visit. M ended up spending the night over with Sarah, so when we left, it was just D, N and I. D and I ended up watching Heros on Tivo before calling it an early night. (I also watched part of the Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus on PBS, which was pretty entertaining, if not bizarre. Um, yeah, ok. And what's up with Yoko Ono's performance?!? It looked as if the violinist playing with them wasn't prepared to hear that coming from a human being - and neither was I!
After dropping them off, D and I headed out to Belfort to look for a new kitchen table. The one we have is 13+ years old and, while the table is in decent condition, it's past time we replaced it (and W-A-Y past time we replaced the chairs). It will still be useful in the basement as a craft table or something, but it needs to be removed from the kitchen sometime in the near future.
From Belfort, we headed home to freshen up before heading over to mom's house for leftovers and to collect the kids. We got there later than expected, but still enjoyed the visit. M ended up spending the night over with Sarah, so when we left, it was just D, N and I. D and I ended up watching Heros on Tivo before calling it an early night. (I also watched part of the Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus on PBS, which was pretty entertaining, if not bizarre. Um, yeah, ok. And what's up with Yoko Ono's performance?!? It looked as if the violinist playing with them wasn't prepared to hear that coming from a human being - and neither was I!
Friday, November 23, 2007
Day 275 - 11/22/2007
Happy Thanksgiving folks! In honor of today (and of the fact that the cabbage I made is the best I've made in a long time), here's the cabbage recipe from my Grandpa Pete.
Grandpa Pete’s Red Cabbage
1 large head of cabbage
2 apples
1 large onion
4 tbsp. pork drippings or lard
4 slices of bacon
¼ c. dry red wine or vinegar (or both)
salt and pepper to taste
hard pinch of thyme
caraway seeds
bay leaf
1 or 2 cloves
1 tbsp sugar (you can eliminate if the apples are sweet)
Wash the cabbage and slice it very thinly. The easiest was to do this is to quarter it, remove the thickest part of the stalk and slice it with a very sharp knife. You obtain what seems an unbelievable amount of cabbage, but it will cook down amazingly!
Peel and slice the apples and chop the onions. Heat the pork drippings or lard in a large heavy pot with a good lid. Add the onions and apples and cook until the onion is transparent and the apples soft. Add the bacon, cut into small pieces, and the cabbage. Keep stirring it into the hot fat until you get it all in. Pour in the wine, season with salt and pepper and a small pinch of thyme, also a big hard pinch of caraway seeds, if you like (I think it belongs). Drop in the bay leave and the cloves. If you are very particular you can put these in a little piece of cheesecloth so you can find them later on, or you can substitute powdered clove.
Cover and cook over a very low fire. At first the cabbage will render quite a bit of juice! Do not add any water. When it cooks down and the cabbage seems to be getting dry, add water sparingly just enough to bathe the bottom of the pot. The fat will keep the cabbage from burning. Just keep on cooking it stirring it once in a while to mix well for 2 hours. At that time, the cabbage is beginning to get good. Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary and about 1 tablespoon of sugar. To get the cabbage to the peek of perfection, however, you should now refrigerate it until the next day.
Then cook it again for at least another hour, adding only enough water to prevent burning. If you are cooking a pork roast to go with you can add a little of the pork drippings to the cabbage.
Red cabbage goes fine with Roast Pork, fresh Ham, Turkey, Game, duck also if you have a Roast Pork sandwich, a little left over Cabbage, if you heat it a bit, is most delicious on top of the pork without drying it.
My notes:
I don’t use lard. Instead, I chop up 6-8 slices of bacon and render that down and then add the onion and apples. I stay away from the vinegar and usually end up using about 1 c. of Port (or another hearty red wine). I add the caraway seeds and use about 12-15 cloves (add 8-12 the first day and the rest the second) and 2-3 bay leaves. I use both black and white pepper to taste (you can skip this if you use Kunzler pepper bacon).
If you use the entire head of cabbage, this will make about a gallon of cabbage once it's cooked down. That's plenty for the holiday table (of 8-12) plus enough for leftovers.
Enjoy!
Grandpa Pete’s Red Cabbage
1 large head of cabbage
2 apples
1 large onion
4 tbsp. pork drippings or lard
4 slices of bacon
¼ c. dry red wine or vinegar (or both)
salt and pepper to taste
hard pinch of thyme
caraway seeds
bay leaf
1 or 2 cloves
1 tbsp sugar (you can eliminate if the apples are sweet)
Wash the cabbage and slice it very thinly. The easiest was to do this is to quarter it, remove the thickest part of the stalk and slice it with a very sharp knife. You obtain what seems an unbelievable amount of cabbage, but it will cook down amazingly!
Peel and slice the apples and chop the onions. Heat the pork drippings or lard in a large heavy pot with a good lid. Add the onions and apples and cook until the onion is transparent and the apples soft. Add the bacon, cut into small pieces, and the cabbage. Keep stirring it into the hot fat until you get it all in. Pour in the wine, season with salt and pepper and a small pinch of thyme, also a big hard pinch of caraway seeds, if you like (I think it belongs). Drop in the bay leave and the cloves. If you are very particular you can put these in a little piece of cheesecloth so you can find them later on, or you can substitute powdered clove.
Cover and cook over a very low fire. At first the cabbage will render quite a bit of juice! Do not add any water. When it cooks down and the cabbage seems to be getting dry, add water sparingly just enough to bathe the bottom of the pot. The fat will keep the cabbage from burning. Just keep on cooking it stirring it once in a while to mix well for 2 hours. At that time, the cabbage is beginning to get good. Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary and about 1 tablespoon of sugar. To get the cabbage to the peek of perfection, however, you should now refrigerate it until the next day.
Then cook it again for at least another hour, adding only enough water to prevent burning. If you are cooking a pork roast to go with you can add a little of the pork drippings to the cabbage.
Red cabbage goes fine with Roast Pork, fresh Ham, Turkey, Game, duck also if you have a Roast Pork sandwich, a little left over Cabbage, if you heat it a bit, is most delicious on top of the pork without drying it.
My notes:
I don’t use lard. Instead, I chop up 6-8 slices of bacon and render that down and then add the onion and apples. I stay away from the vinegar and usually end up using about 1 c. of Port (or another hearty red wine). I add the caraway seeds and use about 12-15 cloves (add 8-12 the first day and the rest the second) and 2-3 bay leaves. I use both black and white pepper to taste (you can skip this if you use Kunzler pepper bacon).
If you use the entire head of cabbage, this will make about a gallon of cabbage once it's cooked down. That's plenty for the holiday table (of 8-12) plus enough for leftovers.
Enjoy!
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Day 274 - 11/21/2007
Went to work for half a day and then hit the gym. I almost won the award for last person out, but there was one straggler behind me.
I stopped off at Giant for cabbage and shrimp mold supplies and was quite surprised to see that it wasn't crowded at all! After Giant, I hit Total Wine for a variety of beer and then headed home.
Since the weather was so nice, I decided to forego making the cabbage and shrimp mold this afternoon and instead mowed the yard. It's been a while since it's been cut and the leaves were piling up so I dropped off the groceries and headed up to the gas station to fill up the tank (which was on empty...just in time to sit around all winter long). While I was pumping gas, I noticed a police helicopter circling over the area. As I drove home, I realized it was circling over the house and eventually landed up at the school.
Right about that same time, D and the kids got home, so we (the kids and I) headed up to the school to check it out. (This was the second time a helicopter has landed at the school, the first one was when there was a fire in the neighborhood and they had to transport the homeowner to the hospital.) We went up the back way and found a fireman posted sentry at one corner of the field. He told us that a homeowner was up on his roof cleaning out his gutters and fell off. The good news was that he was healthy enough to be air-lifted (if there's a chance of cardiac arrest, they'd have to have taken him by ambulance).
I snapped this pic of the helicopter as it took off (using my phone; I forgot to grab my camera from my car). Of course the kids thought it was great that we had another helicopter land at the school.
After getting home, I attacked the lawn and was able to just finish up before it got too dark to see (actually, it was too dark to see, so I turned on the side light).
Before getting the kids ready for bed, I started on the cabbage. Since the windows were opened, I didn't have to cook it outside (which I usually have to do due to the smell -- M gets sick from the smell). I finished the shrimp mold after the kids were in bed and called it a night myself (after burning the midnight oil, which I'm wont to do on Thanksgiving Eve).
I stopped off at Giant for cabbage and shrimp mold supplies and was quite surprised to see that it wasn't crowded at all! After Giant, I hit Total Wine for a variety of beer and then headed home.
Since the weather was so nice, I decided to forego making the cabbage and shrimp mold this afternoon and instead mowed the yard. It's been a while since it's been cut and the leaves were piling up so I dropped off the groceries and headed up to the gas station to fill up the tank (which was on empty...just in time to sit around all winter long). While I was pumping gas, I noticed a police helicopter circling over the area. As I drove home, I realized it was circling over the house and eventually landed up at the school.
Right about that same time, D and the kids got home, so we (the kids and I) headed up to the school to check it out. (This was the second time a helicopter has landed at the school, the first one was when there was a fire in the neighborhood and they had to transport the homeowner to the hospital.) We went up the back way and found a fireman posted sentry at one corner of the field. He told us that a homeowner was up on his roof cleaning out his gutters and fell off. The good news was that he was healthy enough to be air-lifted (if there's a chance of cardiac arrest, they'd have to have taken him by ambulance).
I snapped this pic of the helicopter as it took off (using my phone; I forgot to grab my camera from my car). Of course the kids thought it was great that we had another helicopter land at the school.
After getting home, I attacked the lawn and was able to just finish up before it got too dark to see (actually, it was too dark to see, so I turned on the side light).Before getting the kids ready for bed, I started on the cabbage. Since the windows were opened, I didn't have to cook it outside (which I usually have to do due to the smell -- M gets sick from the smell). I finished the shrimp mold after the kids were in bed and called it a night myself (after burning the midnight oil, which I'm wont to do on Thanksgiving Eve).
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Day 273 - 11/20/2007
During my guitar lesson we reviewed barre chords for the second time. (We discussed them a few weeks ago, but I've not done much with them). Root V and root VI chords are based on which string is the bass string for the chord. Root V chords begin on the fifth string and chords use the standard A fingering position whereas root VI chords use the sixth string as the bass and use the standard E fingering position. (For more information on barre chords, check out this chapter from the Guitar book on Wikipedia.)
Now all I need to do is practice them. The best way to do that is to practice songs that I've already "mastered" (I use that term very loosely) using barre chords vs. the standard chords. While barre chords won't really help me on the acoustic guitar, they will help me with some of the trickier chords (such as the F and F#m where I'm playing multiple notes with single fingers) by strengthening my fingers.
After dinner, I returned to the basement to put together a ceiling storage unit that I designed. It's a pretty basic design in that it uses on 2x4s cut to length and some bolts. After putting it together, I calculated the cost and found it was less than $12 for all parts and supplies (vs. the $39 that the one I'm returning cost). Of course, this wouldn't work if the rafters weren't exposed, but since it's they basement, they are. I called D and the kids down to show off my handiwork. They were all impressed.
After a little more piddling around in the basement (and after putting the kids to bed), D and I sat down to watch a couple of recent Oprah episodes on hoarding. This is the second time she's had this guy on (Peter Walsh) and it's amazing to see not only the people's home (both before and after), but to get a glimpse inside their minds. One of the things that's driven home throughout the show is that hoarding isn't just caused by having a problem getting rid of things, it's more of an emotional problem. Like other addictions, hoarding can only be overcome by the hoarder him/herself and only if they want to change. Going into a hoarder's house and cleaning it for them will do nothing to change their behavior; it will just fill up again with other stuff. (I had originally used the word junk instead of stuff, but it's not necessarily junk, it's just stuff that's not being put to use.)
One thing that came into my mind as I watched this was that we've been looking at it the wrong way. We've tried to clean up and get rid of what we perceive to be useless junk, but until the person acquiring the stuff wants to get rid of it, it will continue to accumulate. No names are mentioned, but none have to be. I think most of you know who this person is that will be unnamed. We've often joked that it'll be quite a job cleaning out that house, but why not go at it now and help change an emotional attitude (and possibly foster a better relationship with the party involved) vs. pushing it to the back burner until we're forced to deal with it?
Now all I need to do is practice them. The best way to do that is to practice songs that I've already "mastered" (I use that term very loosely) using barre chords vs. the standard chords. While barre chords won't really help me on the acoustic guitar, they will help me with some of the trickier chords (such as the F and F#m where I'm playing multiple notes with single fingers) by strengthening my fingers.
After dinner, I returned to the basement to put together a ceiling storage unit that I designed. It's a pretty basic design in that it uses on 2x4s cut to length and some bolts. After putting it together, I calculated the cost and found it was less than $12 for all parts and supplies (vs. the $39 that the one I'm returning cost). Of course, this wouldn't work if the rafters weren't exposed, but since it's they basement, they are. I called D and the kids down to show off my handiwork. They were all impressed.
After a little more piddling around in the basement (and after putting the kids to bed), D and I sat down to watch a couple of recent Oprah episodes on hoarding. This is the second time she's had this guy on (Peter Walsh) and it's amazing to see not only the people's home (both before and after), but to get a glimpse inside their minds. One of the things that's driven home throughout the show is that hoarding isn't just caused by having a problem getting rid of things, it's more of an emotional problem. Like other addictions, hoarding can only be overcome by the hoarder him/herself and only if they want to change. Going into a hoarder's house and cleaning it for them will do nothing to change their behavior; it will just fill up again with other stuff. (I had originally used the word junk instead of stuff, but it's not necessarily junk, it's just stuff that's not being put to use.)
One thing that came into my mind as I watched this was that we've been looking at it the wrong way. We've tried to clean up and get rid of what we perceive to be useless junk, but until the person acquiring the stuff wants to get rid of it, it will continue to accumulate. No names are mentioned, but none have to be. I think most of you know who this person is that will be unnamed. We've often joked that it'll be quite a job cleaning out that house, but why not go at it now and help change an emotional attitude (and possibly foster a better relationship with the party involved) vs. pushing it to the back burner until we're forced to deal with it?
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Day 272 - 11/19/2007
I had an impromptu lunch with Dad today. He was out and about and decided to ring me up and check on November lunch plans. I had nothing on my plate today (no pun intended), so arranged to head out to lunch with him. We headed into Fairfax for some sushi at Seoul House and, as usual, were in the minority as the place was packed with Koreans. I always take that as another sign that the food is good (vs. the narrow-minded view that they support their own). And, as usual, the food was good. I limited myself to only three plates (and smaller ones at that) as I was going to the gym after work.
Speaking of which, I signed up for the Holiday Workout Contest at the gym. When you sign up, your weight and body fat percentage are taken before you decide the goal you want to meet on January 4, 2008. At the weigh-in, I tipped the scale at 184.6 lbs. with 21% body fat. In order to meet the criteria for being entered for contest prizes, I need to workout at the gym at least three times a week between now and January 4th as well as reach my stated goal (drop 3-4 lbs.). Working out three days a week won't be a problem; the problem will be meeting the goal. (That being said, I know that if I cut out meat from my diet and start running on a more regular basis, the pounds will melt away like magic.)
After the gym, I continued working on the basement. The pegboard is up and finished and the next thing I need to do is get the wood off the floor. I bought a ceiling storage unit that I was going to put up, but it came down too far from the ceiling, causing the space below it to be lost, so I punted and watched football and played guitar instead once the kids were in bed. I've got my lesson tomorrow and I really haven't gotten in as much playing as I would have liked to. Hopefully it won't be obvious come tomorrow afternoon.
Speaking of which, I signed up for the Holiday Workout Contest at the gym. When you sign up, your weight and body fat percentage are taken before you decide the goal you want to meet on January 4, 2008. At the weigh-in, I tipped the scale at 184.6 lbs. with 21% body fat. In order to meet the criteria for being entered for contest prizes, I need to workout at the gym at least three times a week between now and January 4th as well as reach my stated goal (drop 3-4 lbs.). Working out three days a week won't be a problem; the problem will be meeting the goal. (That being said, I know that if I cut out meat from my diet and start running on a more regular basis, the pounds will melt away like magic.)
After the gym, I continued working on the basement. The pegboard is up and finished and the next thing I need to do is get the wood off the floor. I bought a ceiling storage unit that I was going to put up, but it came down too far from the ceiling, causing the space below it to be lost, so I punted and watched football and played guitar instead once the kids were in bed. I've got my lesson tomorrow and I really haven't gotten in as much playing as I would have liked to. Hopefully it won't be obvious come tomorrow afternoon.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Day 271 - 11/18/2007
After Mass, I went to Lowe's to pick up some pegboard and other supplies to finish up the workbench. I was hoping to finish it up this afternoon, but we had to leave to go meet Chris, Lori and the kids for bowling. They went to the Mason basketball game last night so we decided to post-bowl today (with Frank subbing for D).
We all bowled pretty good (my high score was 228 and Frank's was 253), but that was attributed to it being a no-tap night. That being said, even without the no-tap scoring, Frank got a couple of honest turkeys. It looks like we found our sub!
After bowling, we hit Macaroni Grill to celebrate D's half-birthday. We started doing this a few years back to honor her birthday instead of letting it get lost in the shuffle of Mother's Day and then our anniversary. The kids love it (as does D) and people we explain it to get a kick out of it. After dinner she finished opening presents. (She started this morning when she first got out of the shower and N was waiting with his gift in hand.)
I checked the score in my fantasy football game and was disappointed with what I saw. Peyton only scored six points and Portis only scored three. Had I left my lineup the same yesterday, I would've been up by 24 vs. only being up by two going into tonight's game (I had the Pat's DST and my opponent had Brady). As it turns out, that cost me as I ended up losing by 20 points. Oh well, I guess my season is over. At 5-6, I'm pretty sure I won't be making the playoffs this year.
We all bowled pretty good (my high score was 228 and Frank's was 253), but that was attributed to it being a no-tap night. That being said, even without the no-tap scoring, Frank got a couple of honest turkeys. It looks like we found our sub!
After bowling, we hit Macaroni Grill to celebrate D's half-birthday. We started doing this a few years back to honor her birthday instead of letting it get lost in the shuffle of Mother's Day and then our anniversary. The kids love it (as does D) and people we explain it to get a kick out of it. After dinner she finished opening presents. (She started this morning when she first got out of the shower and N was waiting with his gift in hand.)
I checked the score in my fantasy football game and was disappointed with what I saw. Peyton only scored six points and Portis only scored three. Had I left my lineup the same yesterday, I would've been up by 24 vs. only being up by two going into tonight's game (I had the Pat's DST and my opponent had Brady). As it turns out, that cost me as I ended up losing by 20 points. Oh well, I guess my season is over. At 5-6, I'm pretty sure I won't be making the playoffs this year.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Day 270 - 11/17/2007
As I suspected, I was up early and out the door to...rake leaves. One of the nice things about having a stand of trees between our house and our backyard neighbors is that it provides us with privacy during the summer when we're out on the deck. Of course, the privacy disappears during the fall and winter when the leaves providing it fall to the ground. Today was the second round of leaf raking I had to do and won't be the last. I wish the trees were on the same leaf-dropping cycle, but I'm out of luck in that department. It looks like the next to drop will be the red maple and then (as usual) the Bradford pears. Like last week, I raked most of the backyard leaves onto a tarp and dragged them off into the easement behind the Jones' house. This makes a three hour job that much easier (as well as reduces it to under two hours!).
After raking, I hit the basement to start organizing. I moved the shelves yesterday and finished moving the yard sale stuff this morning. Afterwards, I started on the workbench. By the end of the day, I was able to have it moved, but that was pretty much it. Tomorrow I'll need to get some pegboard to put upon the portion that didn't have it before. Hopefully by the end of the weekend, I'll have the wood up and the workbench organized.
After raking, I hit the basement to start organizing. I moved the shelves yesterday and finished moving the yard sale stuff this morning. Afterwards, I started on the workbench. By the end of the day, I was able to have it moved, but that was pretty much it. Tomorrow I'll need to get some pegboard to put upon the portion that didn't have it before. Hopefully by the end of the weekend, I'll have the wood up and the workbench organized.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Day 269 - 11/16/2007
I went bowling with my work colleagues and used it to goof off. I've been wanting to try some new approaches to see if changing up my approach might allow me to increase my average substantially. The first game wasn't any different and the second one wasn't either. The third game, however, changed all that. After tossing three gutter balls in the first two frames (ending with a four), I ended up shooting a 174! Had I found a new technique? No, I simply bowled between my legs the entire game (both first and second balls). I ended up getting a 4x turkey at one point and had I not had that open frame towards the end of the game (or the 4 in the first two frames), I might've broken 200.
That being said, I don't think I could get away with bowling like this during the season as I'd be labeled a hot-dogger. Of course, I would contend that if I could do better bowling like a clown, why shouldn't I?
After I got home, D and I discussed what needed to be done to the workbench. It's been somewhat of a mess as I never really unpacked and organized after we moved. What with the recent spate of activity in the basement, however, I'm on a roll and want to finish this up. I started moving things from here to there in anticipation of the work I need to tackle over the weekend before calling it quits for the night. I was up early this morning and will probably be up early again tomorrow.
That being said, I don't think I could get away with bowling like this during the season as I'd be labeled a hot-dogger. Of course, I would contend that if I could do better bowling like a clown, why shouldn't I?After I got home, D and I discussed what needed to be done to the workbench. It's been somewhat of a mess as I never really unpacked and organized after we moved. What with the recent spate of activity in the basement, however, I'm on a roll and want to finish this up. I started moving things from here to there in anticipation of the work I need to tackle over the weekend before calling it quits for the night. I was up early this morning and will probably be up early again tomorrow.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Day 268 - 11/15/2007
I hit the gym for the second time this week. I was hoping to get in some cardio, but as I was finishing up weights, another patron hopped on the bike I usually ride, so I punted and stretched instead.
Afterwards I picked up N from Frozen Ropes. It looks like he's having a great time there (although he wasn't too keen on me picking him up vs. D).
It's been a while since I've read to the kids, so I read them a chapter from Robin Hood tonight. As much as I enjoy this nightly ritual, sometimes I just like to skip it and let them read to themselves (especially now that N is beginning to read). That being said, this version of Robin Hood is pretty good. I'm just not sure which movie to show after we're done. Should I show the Disney version (one of my favorites), the classic with Errol Flynn or the remake with Kevin Costner? (Scratch that last one, IMDB shows it has male nudity. I'm sure it won't be as bad as Harvey Keitel in The Piano, but still, I'm sure it's not something the kids should be seeing at their age.)
Afterwards I picked up N from Frozen Ropes. It looks like he's having a great time there (although he wasn't too keen on me picking him up vs. D).
It's been a while since I've read to the kids, so I read them a chapter from Robin Hood tonight. As much as I enjoy this nightly ritual, sometimes I just like to skip it and let them read to themselves (especially now that N is beginning to read). That being said, this version of Robin Hood is pretty good. I'm just not sure which movie to show after we're done. Should I show the Disney version (one of my favorites), the classic with Errol Flynn or the remake with Kevin Costner? (Scratch that last one, IMDB shows it has male nudity. I'm sure it won't be as bad as Harvey Keitel in The Piano, but still, I'm sure it's not something the kids should be seeing at their age.)
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Day 267 - 11/14/2007
Doug, Nancy and Michael came up today to celebrate Nancy's birthday. D made a pot roast and a chocolate cake for dessert. All of it was delicious. I even had a second piece of chocolate cake (which is surprising as I'm not a big fan of chocolate cake).
M played her clarinet for them and, after a while, it began to sound good. She's got a concert in a few weeks and hopefully they'll all get a lot of practice in and improve their sound. It's okay, but not what I would say concert-worthy. Of course, I'm not concert-worthy on guitar either, but that didn't stop me from giving one to Michael before he left. He really enjoyed it and could've listened all day. Had I known more songs, I would've continued playing, but after playing each song twice, I figured enough was enough and called it quits.
I forgot my badge again today. That's the second time in as many weeks. I guess I left it in my gym bag yesterday and forgot to take it out this morning when I went to work. I've got to start checking before I leave for work as I'm sure the receptionist has a report she issues on who's forgotten their badge on a regular basis. It would be just like my company to have such a thing.
M played her clarinet for them and, after a while, it began to sound good. She's got a concert in a few weeks and hopefully they'll all get a lot of practice in and improve their sound. It's okay, but not what I would say concert-worthy. Of course, I'm not concert-worthy on guitar either, but that didn't stop me from giving one to Michael before he left. He really enjoyed it and could've listened all day. Had I known more songs, I would've continued playing, but after playing each song twice, I figured enough was enough and called it quits.
I forgot my badge again today. That's the second time in as many weeks. I guess I left it in my gym bag yesterday and forgot to take it out this morning when I went to work. I've got to start checking before I leave for work as I'm sure the receptionist has a report she issues on who's forgotten their badge on a regular basis. It would be just like my company to have such a thing.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Day 266 - 11/13/2007
100 days left in the year.
As I write this milestone post, I get the sense that it's become a mix between a chore (especially on days when I forget to post and have to do a two-fer the next day) and an exercise in writing (which is what I hoped it would be, in addition to sharing my daily happenings).
I guess we'll see what the remaining days have to offer.
We had conferences with the kids' teachers this afternoon. N is excelling in school and is finally starting to not get his apple changed on a somewhat daily basis. His teacher instituted a rule about who he can go to the bathroom with, which has helped (some of the boys in his class feed off each other and the next thing you know, there's a ruckus coming down the hall). He's also beginning to really focus on his work. His coloring and cutting have vastly improved since the beginning of the year. Let's hope it continues.
M missed being on honor roll by two points (in English of all things!). Her conference went well and we chatted with her teacher about the dynamics within the classroom. We clued her in to an ongoing issue between another classmate going back to kindergarten and were surprised to learn that what happens in the classroom is different from what's shared at home. I guess it's just like any relationship in that the complaints to the third party are more interesting (?) than the compliments. I mean, how often do you hear someone complimenting their SO to a third party? I don't hear it very often and, if that's how it goes across the spectrum, maybe that's just the way it works. Who knows, I guess time will tell.
I hit the gym this afternoon, but wasn't able to get my full cardio in. After finishing weights, I was about to get on the bike when someone else beat me to it. Oh well, I got in 20 minutes before weights, it'll have to do until next time. I did, however, stretch afterwards for the first time in a while. I know I should do it every time I workout, but sometimes I just don't feel like it. Hopefully this will start a trend.
As I write this milestone post, I get the sense that it's become a mix between a chore (especially on days when I forget to post and have to do a two-fer the next day) and an exercise in writing (which is what I hoped it would be, in addition to sharing my daily happenings).
I guess we'll see what the remaining days have to offer.
We had conferences with the kids' teachers this afternoon. N is excelling in school and is finally starting to not get his apple changed on a somewhat daily basis. His teacher instituted a rule about who he can go to the bathroom with, which has helped (some of the boys in his class feed off each other and the next thing you know, there's a ruckus coming down the hall). He's also beginning to really focus on his work. His coloring and cutting have vastly improved since the beginning of the year. Let's hope it continues.
M missed being on honor roll by two points (in English of all things!). Her conference went well and we chatted with her teacher about the dynamics within the classroom. We clued her in to an ongoing issue between another classmate going back to kindergarten and were surprised to learn that what happens in the classroom is different from what's shared at home. I guess it's just like any relationship in that the complaints to the third party are more interesting (?) than the compliments. I mean, how often do you hear someone complimenting their SO to a third party? I don't hear it very often and, if that's how it goes across the spectrum, maybe that's just the way it works. Who knows, I guess time will tell.
I hit the gym this afternoon, but wasn't able to get my full cardio in. After finishing weights, I was about to get on the bike when someone else beat me to it. Oh well, I got in 20 minutes before weights, it'll have to do until next time. I did, however, stretch afterwards for the first time in a while. I know I should do it every time I workout, but sometimes I just don't feel like it. Hopefully this will start a trend.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Day 265 - 11/12/2007
Although it's a federal holiday today (Veteran's Day, observed), we're open for business (as are most private companies I would assume). Veterans Day doesn't have the panache it once did; it's become another non-holiday holiday, sort of like Columbus Day. I guess it's just another day to make money.
On my way home I noticed a few houses with Christmas lights already on. I guess they didn't read Stephen's recent letter to the editor. And if you haven't read it, here it is (from The Free-Lance Star):
Fredericksburg gets the prize for best costume!
Despite the late arrival of autumnal weather, the city of Fredericksburg was able to muster up some real Halloween spirit and get decked out in the best costume I've seen yet.
When I noticed red and green wreaths going up on the light poles around town on Oct. 29, I was confused at first, but then it all became clear! The whole city got dressed up as a town that places commercialism above sentimentality and decency.
By donning this timely costume, the city appears to be one of those towns that pushes the season as far as it possibly can, the kind that says, "Hey, self-respect is nothing compared to the satisfaction of your tax dollar in our pocket! It's time to spend money here! It's Xmas time!"
Well, city of Fredericksburg, open up that sack--because I think you deserve a whole handful of the good stuff from my candy bowl.
Fantastic! Red and green wreaths on the light poles before most of the leaves around town have even changed colors. Hilarious!
Let me know if you need any help taking that costume off after trick-or-treats. We can put it away until Christmas, when it will look good again.
Stephen Craig Fredericksburg
While they may be playing It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas in the shops, I wish retailers could just focus on the holiday at hand vs. trying to make a buck. I mean, I didn't even see one Veterans Day Extravaganza Blowout Sale circular. What's up with that?!?
On my way home I noticed a few houses with Christmas lights already on. I guess they didn't read Stephen's recent letter to the editor. And if you haven't read it, here it is (from The Free-Lance Star):
Fredericksburg gets the prize for best costume!
Despite the late arrival of autumnal weather, the city of Fredericksburg was able to muster up some real Halloween spirit and get decked out in the best costume I've seen yet.
When I noticed red and green wreaths going up on the light poles around town on Oct. 29, I was confused at first, but then it all became clear! The whole city got dressed up as a town that places commercialism above sentimentality and decency.
By donning this timely costume, the city appears to be one of those towns that pushes the season as far as it possibly can, the kind that says, "Hey, self-respect is nothing compared to the satisfaction of your tax dollar in our pocket! It's time to spend money here! It's Xmas time!"
Well, city of Fredericksburg, open up that sack--because I think you deserve a whole handful of the good stuff from my candy bowl.
Fantastic! Red and green wreaths on the light poles before most of the leaves around town have even changed colors. Hilarious!
Let me know if you need any help taking that costume off after trick-or-treats. We can put it away until Christmas, when it will look good again.
Stephen Craig Fredericksburg
While they may be playing It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas in the shops, I wish retailers could just focus on the holiday at hand vs. trying to make a buck. I mean, I didn't even see one Veterans Day Extravaganza Blowout Sale circular. What's up with that?!?
Monday, November 12, 2007
Day 264 - 11/11/2007
A heartfelt thanks to all those who've served our country and were willing to put their lives on the line to allow the citizens of this country to live the way we do.
Veterans Day was started as a way to honor those who fought in World War I (or, as it was known then, the Great War). It was originally called Armistice Day to commemorate the end of hostilities during World War I (which occurred on November 11, 1918). This was in advance of the Treaty of Versailles that formally ended the war (which wasn't signed until June 28, 1919).
The first Armistice Day was commemorated by President Wilson on the first anniversary of the armistice on November 11, 1919. It was commemorated by two minutes of silence beginning at 11 a.m. (the eleventh hour of the eleventh day, which is when the hostilities were to have ended). It became an official annual federal holiday in 1938.
In 1954 the name was changed to Veterans Day to honor those who fought in World War II and the Korean War as well.
Although federal legislation changed the date of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October in 1968, not all states followed suit. The intent of the change was to ensure a three-day weekend, which would increase travel and boost the economy through various activities, but civic minded groups continued to celebrate the original date and so, in 1978, the date of the federal holiday was reverted back to November 11th.
(If that date falls on a weekend, it's observed by the Federal government by taking either Friday or Monday off.)
Again, thank you to all of you who have served your country in uniform.
Veterans Day was started as a way to honor those who fought in World War I (or, as it was known then, the Great War). It was originally called Armistice Day to commemorate the end of hostilities during World War I (which occurred on November 11, 1918). This was in advance of the Treaty of Versailles that formally ended the war (which wasn't signed until June 28, 1919).
The first Armistice Day was commemorated by President Wilson on the first anniversary of the armistice on November 11, 1919. It was commemorated by two minutes of silence beginning at 11 a.m. (the eleventh hour of the eleventh day, which is when the hostilities were to have ended). It became an official annual federal holiday in 1938.
In 1954 the name was changed to Veterans Day to honor those who fought in World War II and the Korean War as well.
Although federal legislation changed the date of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October in 1968, not all states followed suit. The intent of the change was to ensure a three-day weekend, which would increase travel and boost the economy through various activities, but civic minded groups continued to celebrate the original date and so, in 1978, the date of the federal holiday was reverted back to November 11th.
(If that date falls on a weekend, it's observed by the Federal government by taking either Friday or Monday off.)
Again, thank you to all of you who have served your country in uniform.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Day 263 - 11/10/2007
N was up bright and early and since I'm the early riser, I got up and escorted him to the basement for him to watch some shows while I went back to work in the basement.
After a while, I reached a point where I needed storage bins so I made the trip to the store where I got what I thought was enough for the job at hand and went back to work cleaning the basement.
After a few hours in the basement, I broke for lunch and then took D and M shopping. Actually, N and I just dropped them off and picked them up later on. With D's knee still bothering her (especially getting in and out of the van), it's just easier to drop her off whenever possible.
While we were waiting for them to call for a ride, N and I raked the leaves in the back yard. This was the first "real" raking we've done all year (previous raking was done in conjunction with mowing the yard and simply bagging the lawn clippings). I ended up bagging only enough leaves for two bags, the rest I put on a tarp and dragged back into the woods. The way I see it, almost all of the leaves came from the common area and therefore that's where they should end up.
After raking I sat and listened to M practice her clarinet. I tried giving her some pointers on how to practice better and it appears to have taken as by the time her practice ended she was playing both her songs pretty good (Good King Wenceslas and Jingle Bells).
After dinner we played Mouse Trap and Trouble before putting the kids to bed, after which I did more work in the basement. I'm approaching the end of the storage area. Tomorrow I hope to be 90% done. (I won't consider it 100% done until all the yard sale/goodwill stuff is out and the workbench area is redesigned and organized.)
After a while, I reached a point where I needed storage bins so I made the trip to the store where I got what I thought was enough for the job at hand and went back to work cleaning the basement.
After a few hours in the basement, I broke for lunch and then took D and M shopping. Actually, N and I just dropped them off and picked them up later on. With D's knee still bothering her (especially getting in and out of the van), it's just easier to drop her off whenever possible.
While we were waiting for them to call for a ride, N and I raked the leaves in the back yard. This was the first "real" raking we've done all year (previous raking was done in conjunction with mowing the yard and simply bagging the lawn clippings). I ended up bagging only enough leaves for two bags, the rest I put on a tarp and dragged back into the woods. The way I see it, almost all of the leaves came from the common area and therefore that's where they should end up.
After raking I sat and listened to M practice her clarinet. I tried giving her some pointers on how to practice better and it appears to have taken as by the time her practice ended she was playing both her songs pretty good (Good King Wenceslas and Jingle Bells).
After dinner we played Mouse Trap and Trouble before putting the kids to bed, after which I did more work in the basement. I'm approaching the end of the storage area. Tomorrow I hope to be 90% done. (I won't consider it 100% done until all the yard sale/goodwill stuff is out and the workbench area is redesigned and organized.)
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Day 262 - 11/09/2007
I got to the gym sort on time, but didn't get the workout in that I wanted to. As I was finishing up weights, the gym chick came out of the office and started cleaning down all the machines. It was close to closing time, but only closer than, say, noon is to closing time. There were still about 20 minutes before I had to be out of there. I guess she didn't think I took the hint so she turned the radio off and went about finishing her prep work to close for the weekend. That hint came through loud and clear.
I finished stretching, got my stuff and left. All in all, it was a good workout. I got in 20 minutes on the bike and my standard weight regimen. I wanted to get another 20 minutes on the bike after the weights, but I decided to punt.
As I was walking out of the gym, D called and put in a request for dinner for her and N. M had a girl scout event tonight so it was just going to be the three of us. I stopped off at Chick-Fil-A for some carry-out and we ate shortly after getting home. N had ordered a milkshake and I was quite surprised with how good it was; I think I've found a new place for shakes (their sweet tea is good as well!).
After dinner, I hit the basement to start working on organizing the back storage area. I moved the shelves from their original location a few months back but never got around to actually doing any serious organizing. Since we don't have anything on the calendar this weekend (save for Girl Scouts bowling on Sunday), I figured this was as good a time as any to get started on getting the back basement in order.
I spent about 3 hours down there tonight and will probably spend many more over the course of the weekend. As I've said to M when she balks at cleaning her room: it didn't take five minutes to make the mess, how do you expect to clean it up in that amount of time?
One of the things that I know will take up my time is going through old papers. I've done this a couple times in the past year or so, but never really organized anything. This time I plan on going through the boxes and *purge* whatever I don't want anymore (vs. just sorting it and making it nice and neat) and then consolidating everything into storage bins. We have the space for it if it's used wisely.
Hopefully, come Monday, there will be a huge difference between now and when I'm done.
I finished stretching, got my stuff and left. All in all, it was a good workout. I got in 20 minutes on the bike and my standard weight regimen. I wanted to get another 20 minutes on the bike after the weights, but I decided to punt.
As I was walking out of the gym, D called and put in a request for dinner for her and N. M had a girl scout event tonight so it was just going to be the three of us. I stopped off at Chick-Fil-A for some carry-out and we ate shortly after getting home. N had ordered a milkshake and I was quite surprised with how good it was; I think I've found a new place for shakes (their sweet tea is good as well!).
After dinner, I hit the basement to start working on organizing the back storage area. I moved the shelves from their original location a few months back but never got around to actually doing any serious organizing. Since we don't have anything on the calendar this weekend (save for Girl Scouts bowling on Sunday), I figured this was as good a time as any to get started on getting the back basement in order.
I spent about 3 hours down there tonight and will probably spend many more over the course of the weekend. As I've said to M when she balks at cleaning her room: it didn't take five minutes to make the mess, how do you expect to clean it up in that amount of time?
One of the things that I know will take up my time is going through old papers. I've done this a couple times in the past year or so, but never really organized anything. This time I plan on going through the boxes and *purge* whatever I don't want anymore (vs. just sorting it and making it nice and neat) and then consolidating everything into storage bins. We have the space for it if it's used wisely.
Hopefully, come Monday, there will be a huge difference between now and when I'm done.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Day 261 - 11/08/2007
Although N's baseball season is over, we signed him up for a class at Frozen Ropes to (hopefully) give him better instruction than his coaches were able to give him over the past two seasons. I arrived at the facility a little past 5p and from what it looked like, N was enjoying himself. In the car on the way home he was upset that he couldn't get the ball in the net during the throwing drill, but from what I saw, there was a vast improvement in just the one session. As I said to Mike (the other coach of N's team), I wonder if they offer a coaches clinic so that we (the coaches) can become better in teaching the kids the right skills.
Tonight there was a parenting session at school that I attended. The speaker was Dr. Patricia Dalton, a clinical psychologist in private practice in Washington. She also writes articles for the Washington Post. (I'm sure if you googled her, you'd get more information on her.) Anyway, she spoke at the kids school last night on being a parent in today's day and age. Since we're always on the lookout for tips and tricks in the parenting department (and since D is still not moving as fast as she'd like to), I went ahead and attended. She covered a lot of topics over the 90 minutes she spoke and it was quite reassuring to hear her validate some of the methods we're using.
Over the course of her discussion, she mentioned some books that might be helpful in the parenting department (The Explosive Child, The Nurture Assumption, The Way to Behave, and The Blessing of a Skinned Knee). I'll have to check them out and see if I can't glean some additional information from them. (I'm unable to find the one listed without a hyperlink; maybe I put the wrong title in my long-term memory. If I find the correct title -- or if you're able to provide it -- I'll come back and add it.)
Hopefully I'll be able to put some of her thoughts to work with the kids. One of the things she mentioned was that even though your primary responsibility is to raise socially responsible children, being their friend after they leave the nest is important as well. While the line you walk as a parent isn't all that fine, it can easily be destroyed should the parent not take the right approach in raising the child. Once it's destroyed, it's not very easy to rebuild.
Tonight there was a parenting session at school that I attended. The speaker was Dr. Patricia Dalton, a clinical psychologist in private practice in Washington. She also writes articles for the Washington Post. (I'm sure if you googled her, you'd get more information on her.) Anyway, she spoke at the kids school last night on being a parent in today's day and age. Since we're always on the lookout for tips and tricks in the parenting department (and since D is still not moving as fast as she'd like to), I went ahead and attended. She covered a lot of topics over the 90 minutes she spoke and it was quite reassuring to hear her validate some of the methods we're using.
Over the course of her discussion, she mentioned some books that might be helpful in the parenting department (The Explosive Child, The Nurture Assumption, The Way to Behave, and The Blessing of a Skinned Knee). I'll have to check them out and see if I can't glean some additional information from them. (I'm unable to find the one listed without a hyperlink; maybe I put the wrong title in my long-term memory. If I find the correct title -- or if you're able to provide it -- I'll come back and add it.)
Hopefully I'll be able to put some of her thoughts to work with the kids. One of the things she mentioned was that even though your primary responsibility is to raise socially responsible children, being their friend after they leave the nest is important as well. While the line you walk as a parent isn't all that fine, it can easily be destroyed should the parent not take the right approach in raising the child. Once it's destroyed, it's not very easy to rebuild.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Day 260 - 11/07/2007
The lights were left on in the van again last night and the inevitable happened: the battery died. D called me just as I was leaving the school from dropping the kids off and asked me to come home to jump the van.
I realized on my way home that wasn't going to happen as by the time I got home, she'd have to leave for rehab (she had an 830a rehab appointment this morning). So, with that in mind, I drove her there and then came back home to jump the van.
Now, for those not in the know, D parks the van in the right bay of the garage; the left bay is used for the kids toys and bikes and trash cans and lawn equipment and such (since the HOA won't allow us to put sheds in our yards). So, in order to jump the van, the left bay needs to be cleared out in order to pull the Altima in. Fortunately, the battery of the van is on the left side of the engine compartment, otherwise I'd have to drive across the lawn and run the cables through the side garage door since the batter in the Altima is also on the left (either that or I'd have to get longer cables). Although now that I mention it, maybe I should drive across the yard, it would alleviate the need to clear out the garage!
Anyway, after jumping D, I went back to pick her up, dropped her off at home and then went in to work.
Upon my arrival, I explained to my colleagues why I was late when one of them asked, "Why don't you just put the van in neutral and roll it out of the garage?"
And therein lies the rub: you can't shift out of park in the Odyssey unless the engine is running.
I found that out the first time the lights were left on in the van and the battery died. I thought we learned the lesson to double-check the interior lights have been turned off when exiting the vehicle, but sometimes it's hard to tell.
Maybe I'll just invest in one of these (if only for the picture on the target page!); it'd make it much easier the next time!
I realized on my way home that wasn't going to happen as by the time I got home, she'd have to leave for rehab (she had an 830a rehab appointment this morning). So, with that in mind, I drove her there and then came back home to jump the van.
Now, for those not in the know, D parks the van in the right bay of the garage; the left bay is used for the kids toys and bikes and trash cans and lawn equipment and such (since the HOA won't allow us to put sheds in our yards). So, in order to jump the van, the left bay needs to be cleared out in order to pull the Altima in. Fortunately, the battery of the van is on the left side of the engine compartment, otherwise I'd have to drive across the lawn and run the cables through the side garage door since the batter in the Altima is also on the left (either that or I'd have to get longer cables). Although now that I mention it, maybe I should drive across the yard, it would alleviate the need to clear out the garage!
Anyway, after jumping D, I went back to pick her up, dropped her off at home and then went in to work.
Upon my arrival, I explained to my colleagues why I was late when one of them asked, "Why don't you just put the van in neutral and roll it out of the garage?"
And therein lies the rub: you can't shift out of park in the Odyssey unless the engine is running.
I found that out the first time the lights were left on in the van and the battery died. I thought we learned the lesson to double-check the interior lights have been turned off when exiting the vehicle, but sometimes it's hard to tell.
Maybe I'll just invest in one of these (if only for the picture on the target page!); it'd make it much easier the next time!
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Day 259 - 11/06/2007
It's election day across the country and here in Fairfax the voters have spoken. Across the county it appears the vast majority is happy with how King Connolly is driving this county into the poor house. I guess the $25 we don't have to pay in order to prove we paid our personal property taxes was enough to buy their vote.
Sure, you removed that fee and are taking credit for reducing the tax rate (which still means we're paying more in property taxes due to the increased assessments) and are for anything that means more development dollars in your pocket. You based your attack on your opponent's platform matching everything you've been trying to do for the past four years, but all you could do is say you eliminated the decal fee?!? Makes me want to holler!
Can you tell who I voted for? (Or should that be who I didn't vote for?!?)
The outcome of our state senate race is still being determined. The incumbent is ahead of his challenger by 94 votes (I'd mention their names, but I can't spell them correctly and I'm too lazy to look them up right now). I smell a recount and then when that fails to determine a definitive winner, the appeals process will begin. I'm just left wondering whether folks voted for the challenger because she wasn't the incumbent (who hails from the right of right on lots of issues) or whether they actually believed she could do the job. I guess only time will tell.
Of course, regardless of which party is in control, nothing will be done and come next election we'll be discussing the same issues. It's politics as usual in the state of Virginia and until the state constitution changes so that the local jurisdictions can manage themselves without worrying about Richmond looking over their shoulders, nothing will change, regardless of which party holds power.
Sure, you removed that fee and are taking credit for reducing the tax rate (which still means we're paying more in property taxes due to the increased assessments) and are for anything that means more development dollars in your pocket. You based your attack on your opponent's platform matching everything you've been trying to do for the past four years, but all you could do is say you eliminated the decal fee?!? Makes me want to holler!
Can you tell who I voted for? (Or should that be who I didn't vote for?!?)
The outcome of our state senate race is still being determined. The incumbent is ahead of his challenger by 94 votes (I'd mention their names, but I can't spell them correctly and I'm too lazy to look them up right now). I smell a recount and then when that fails to determine a definitive winner, the appeals process will begin. I'm just left wondering whether folks voted for the challenger because she wasn't the incumbent (who hails from the right of right on lots of issues) or whether they actually believed she could do the job. I guess only time will tell.
Of course, regardless of which party is in control, nothing will be done and come next election we'll be discussing the same issues. It's politics as usual in the state of Virginia and until the state constitution changes so that the local jurisdictions can manage themselves without worrying about Richmond looking over their shoulders, nothing will change, regardless of which party holds power.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Day 258 - 11/05/2007
Nothing of note happened today.
I dropped the kids off at school, went to work, took off early so D could go to rehab, helped the kids with their homework, fixed my computer (the power to the primary slave drive went kaput), practiced guitar and went to bed. Sort of in that order, but not exactly.
I had split pea soup for lunch, as well as some cashews (bless you!), an apple and an orange; for dinner I made a grilled ham and cheese. M had leftover pot pie and N had grilled cheese.
As I said, nothing of note happened today. Or at least nothing I can think of as I type this.
I dropped the kids off at school, went to work, took off early so D could go to rehab, helped the kids with their homework, fixed my computer (the power to the primary slave drive went kaput), practiced guitar and went to bed. Sort of in that order, but not exactly.
I had split pea soup for lunch, as well as some cashews (bless you!), an apple and an orange; for dinner I made a grilled ham and cheese. M had leftover pot pie and N had grilled cheese.
As I said, nothing of note happened today. Or at least nothing I can think of as I type this.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Day 257 - 11/04/2007
As I expected, the kids were up early and ignored the extra hour. I thought this over, though, and set their clocks back after they went to bed and told them they couldn't get out of their rooms until 830a (EST). This worked for M, but not for N. He was in our room at 730a. Oh well. D got out of bed and tried to keep him occupied downstairs, but it wasn't to be; I couldn't fall back asleep so I got up and joined the living.
I called over to mom's house to check on Rudy and was happy to hear he was home from the hospital. The long term prognosis hasn't changed, but at least he's at home vs. the hospital. After putting together N's bed, we went over for a visit and were glad to see his color has improved since last week, as were his spirits.
While there, we enjoyed an impromptu dinner with Cheryl, Nina and Vince while M and N enjoyed a visit with Sarah. We weren't planning on staying for dinner, but it turned out there was enough for everyone. After dinner we had to head back home. The kids finished watching whatever Brady Bunch episode they watched on the way over (or was it another one?) and I got to listen to my Sunday night radio shows; tonight was an old Dragnet episode. D doesn't seem to appreciate old time radio as much as I do (I do agree with her in that some of the Dragnet dialog is just hokey), but puts up with it because...well, I'm not really sure, but maybe it has something to do with it only being on once a week.
After we got home, we washed the kids up and sent them off to bed. N is in his new bed tonight and M is all kinds of jealous. She wishes she had a loft, but she's got the big room (and the big bed), there's no reason she needs a loft. I told her she could get one in college, but I don't think she wants to wait another 10 years. Oh well, life's tough like that.
I called over to mom's house to check on Rudy and was happy to hear he was home from the hospital. The long term prognosis hasn't changed, but at least he's at home vs. the hospital. After putting together N's bed, we went over for a visit and were glad to see his color has improved since last week, as were his spirits.
While there, we enjoyed an impromptu dinner with Cheryl, Nina and Vince while M and N enjoyed a visit with Sarah. We weren't planning on staying for dinner, but it turned out there was enough for everyone. After dinner we had to head back home. The kids finished watching whatever Brady Bunch episode they watched on the way over (or was it another one?) and I got to listen to my Sunday night radio shows; tonight was an old Dragnet episode. D doesn't seem to appreciate old time radio as much as I do (I do agree with her in that some of the Dragnet dialog is just hokey), but puts up with it because...well, I'm not really sure, but maybe it has something to do with it only being on once a week.
After we got home, we washed the kids up and sent them off to bed. N is in his new bed tonight and M is all kinds of jealous. She wishes she had a loft, but she's got the big room (and the big bed), there's no reason she needs a loft. I told her she could get one in college, but I don't think she wants to wait another 10 years. Oh well, life's tough like that.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Day 256 - 11/03/2007
Both M and N had their last games this morning, but both of them were at 10a, so D and I had to split up yet again. I was hoping M's game would be at noon so I could see it (due to scheduling conflicts with N's games, I could only make a handful of M's games), but even if it had, with N's end-of-the-year party scheduled for immediately after the game, I wouldn't have been able to go anyway.
Overall I enjoyed the season. Mike and I talked about coaching and how it impacts the kids after the party. I shared with him what I saw on another field with another coach berating one of the kids that was sitting down in the grass. We both agreed that at this age (5-7), the kids are best served by letting them do what they want to do when they want to do it (within reason). In a few years they'll be more prone to focus on the game vs. the leaf blowing about their feet. I could see the difference between N and some of the other players on the team. (Although he's one of the biggest on the team, he's one of the younger ones, so is more apt to want to play in the dirt than watch the opposing batter miss five balls in a row.) Keeping this in the front of my mind really helped me focus on staying positive over the course of the season. Don't get me wrong, there were times I wanted to give the players what for, but it would've fallen on (mostly) deaf ears. In the end, I'm glad I took the route I took. I don't want to be remembered as "that coach" who puts winning above all else and forgets that, at this level, it's meant to be a learning experience and is not meant to be competitive.
After getting home from the game and party, I recruited a neighbor to help me pick up the rest of the boxes for N's bed. I was hoping to put it together tonight, but the kids were done and were in need of an early night. They were already going to get an extra hour of sleep from the switch back to Standard Time and we forced the issue by getting them to bed early.
Once they were in bed, D and I caught up on Tivo (Heros and The Office) after which we went our merry ways: she to bed and me to the basement to play guitar. I ended up wasting away the extra hour of sleep by staying up to watch SNL before finally going to bed. Oh well, I was at least able to get in a few hours of guitar before hitting the sack.
Overall I enjoyed the season. Mike and I talked about coaching and how it impacts the kids after the party. I shared with him what I saw on another field with another coach berating one of the kids that was sitting down in the grass. We both agreed that at this age (5-7), the kids are best served by letting them do what they want to do when they want to do it (within reason). In a few years they'll be more prone to focus on the game vs. the leaf blowing about their feet. I could see the difference between N and some of the other players on the team. (Although he's one of the biggest on the team, he's one of the younger ones, so is more apt to want to play in the dirt than watch the opposing batter miss five balls in a row.) Keeping this in the front of my mind really helped me focus on staying positive over the course of the season. Don't get me wrong, there were times I wanted to give the players what for, but it would've fallen on (mostly) deaf ears. In the end, I'm glad I took the route I took. I don't want to be remembered as "that coach" who puts winning above all else and forgets that, at this level, it's meant to be a learning experience and is not meant to be competitive.
After getting home from the game and party, I recruited a neighbor to help me pick up the rest of the boxes for N's bed. I was hoping to put it together tonight, but the kids were done and were in need of an early night. They were already going to get an extra hour of sleep from the switch back to Standard Time and we forced the issue by getting them to bed early.
Once they were in bed, D and I caught up on Tivo (Heros and The Office) after which we went our merry ways: she to bed and me to the basement to play guitar. I ended up wasting away the extra hour of sleep by staying up to watch SNL before finally going to bed. Oh well, I was at least able to get in a few hours of guitar before hitting the sack.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Day 255 - 11/02/2007
After last night's show, I decided to take the day off today. I ended up putting in a few hours thought, but just to make up for missed work earlier in the week.
I spent my day off taking care of long-neglected chores (mowing the yard) and running errands (bank, returns, shoe shopping). Later on, D and I took N to Bombay Kids to pick up a new bed for him. They're closing their stores and everything was on sale and since we had been talking about getting him a loft bed, we bit the bullet (before they sold out). We saved over $300 on the list price (which I'm sure didn't make our neighbors happy as they just recently bought one for list price). I was able to get some of the boxes in the van, but not all of them. I'll have to head back out tomorrow to finish the job.
Before getting the bed, we stopped off for dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. It's been years since I ate there and was quite surprised to see the dining room empty. (Granted, it was only 5p, but still, for being right across from the Cinema de Lux, you'd have thunk it'd have been busier.) N actually like it (what's not to like about pizza?!?) and both D and I enjoyed our dinner, although her salad has changed a bit since she was last there. (M went at a friend's house after school; I picked her up after we got home.)
After the late night out last night, I decided to call it quits early and was in bed by 1030p or so.
I spent my day off taking care of long-neglected chores (mowing the yard) and running errands (bank, returns, shoe shopping). Later on, D and I took N to Bombay Kids to pick up a new bed for him. They're closing their stores and everything was on sale and since we had been talking about getting him a loft bed, we bit the bullet (before they sold out). We saved over $300 on the list price (which I'm sure didn't make our neighbors happy as they just recently bought one for list price). I was able to get some of the boxes in the van, but not all of them. I'll have to head back out tomorrow to finish the job.
Before getting the bed, we stopped off for dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. It's been years since I ate there and was quite surprised to see the dining room empty. (Granted, it was only 5p, but still, for being right across from the Cinema de Lux, you'd have thunk it'd have been busier.) N actually like it (what's not to like about pizza?!?) and both D and I enjoyed our dinner, although her salad has changed a bit since she was last there. (M went at a friend's house after school; I picked her up after we got home.)
After the late night out last night, I decided to call it quits early and was in bed by 1030p or so.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Day 254 - 11/01/2007
"I heard you missed us, we're back!"
And thus began a great night of music from a band I never thought would appear on the same stage together again: the original Van Halen. Well, almost the original lineup ("3/4 original, 1/4 inevitable" as David Lee Roth described them during the show); Michael Anthony was replaced by Wolfgang Van Halen -- Eddie's son -- on bass. It wasn't exactly the same as the original lineup, but I'd venture to guess that the difference was minimal vs. seeing Sammy Haggar in place of DLR.
Overall I thought the show was pretty good. While it wasn't anywhere near as good as their shows back in the day, they still made it enjoyable. DLR flubbed his lines every now and again (not good) and some of the interactions seemed forced, but hey, they need the money so they're going to go along to get along, right?!? Having seen DLR touring by himself years ago, I was able to see him with an "adult" outlook and was able to see the ridiculousness in his on-stage persona that I was blind to as a teen.
Would I see them again? No, I've had my walk down memory lane and have no desire to go back there. Now if it were Led Zeppelin, that'd be a different answer!
And thus began a great night of music from a band I never thought would appear on the same stage together again: the original Van Halen. Well, almost the original lineup ("3/4 original, 1/4 inevitable" as David Lee Roth described them during the show); Michael Anthony was replaced by Wolfgang Van Halen -- Eddie's son -- on bass. It wasn't exactly the same as the original lineup, but I'd venture to guess that the difference was minimal vs. seeing Sammy Haggar in place of DLR.
Overall I thought the show was pretty good. While it wasn't anywhere near as good as their shows back in the day, they still made it enjoyable. DLR flubbed his lines every now and again (not good) and some of the interactions seemed forced, but hey, they need the money so they're going to go along to get along, right?!? Having seen DLR touring by himself years ago, I was able to see him with an "adult" outlook and was able to see the ridiculousness in his on-stage persona that I was blind to as a teen.
Would I see them again? No, I've had my walk down memory lane and have no desire to go back there. Now if it were Led Zeppelin, that'd be a different answer!
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Day 253 - 10/31/2007
Happy Halloween to all you ghosts and goblins out there!
M went dressed as an adorable witch and N followed in my footsteps and went as Charlie Brown. We went out with some neighbors and they kids seemed to enjoy themselves.
At the end of the night I was checking e-mail when I heard a commotion on the front porch. I went out to investigate it and found a couple youths digging through the candy bowl.
Apparently the temptation of an unattended candy bowl was too much for them and they were digging through it, getting the good stuff (unbeknownst to them, the good stuff was already taken out by yours truly before the bowl was placed on the porch). Once they saw me looking at them through the screen door, they started putting the candy back. Since it was late I told them not to worry about it. Once they were gone, though, I took the bowl inside and turned the lights off, signaling the end of Halloween in our household.
M went dressed as an adorable witch and N followed in my footsteps and went as Charlie Brown. We went out with some neighbors and they kids seemed to enjoy themselves.
At the end of the night I was checking e-mail when I heard a commotion on the front porch. I went out to investigate it and found a couple youths digging through the candy bowl.Apparently the temptation of an unattended candy bowl was too much for them and they were digging through it, getting the good stuff (unbeknownst to them, the good stuff was already taken out by yours truly before the bowl was placed on the porch). Once they saw me looking at them through the screen door, they started putting the candy back. Since it was late I told them not to worry about it. Once they were gone, though, I took the bowl inside and turned the lights off, signaling the end of Halloween in our household.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Day 252 - 10/30/2007
Like the field trip yesterday, the game that was rained out was rescheduled for today. It's the second to last game of the season and the kids are looking forward to it. Or that's the impression I'm going with (when I said there were only two games left, the reaction seemed to be mixed in that half of them were were happy about that and the other half were non-committal). Oh well, at least I can say they had fun. (They might not have had fun, but I can say they did!)
The game started at 5p and we rushed it along as daylight is getting short as we head into November. Originally, I didn't like the idea of having Daylight Saving Time end in November vs. October, but had it done so, we'd be done with our season. Anyway, we played quickly and the kids made a few outs in the field (which is always nice) and the game was over in just over an hour. My only question was how come we couldn't play speed-games like that during the rest of the season?!?
The game started at 5p and we rushed it along as daylight is getting short as we head into November. Originally, I didn't like the idea of having Daylight Saving Time end in November vs. October, but had it done so, we'd be done with our season. Anyway, we played quickly and the kids made a few outs in the field (which is always nice) and the game was over in just over an hour. My only question was how come we couldn't play speed-games like that during the rest of the season?!?
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Day 251 - 10/29/2007
The field trip scheduled for last Thursday was rescheduled for today, so after dropping the kids off, instead of going to work, I hit the coffee store and headed back to the school to chaperon N on his field trip.
We got on the buses and headed over to Cox Farm. Upon our arrival, we were told we'd have to wait in the buses until the park opened at 10a (it was 930a when we arrived). Oh well, at least I got to sit in the bus with the rest of the chaperons while the kids yelled and screamed. We were finally able to get off and we went on a hay ride. There was really nothing special about the hay ride and I was glad to get off as I had to find a bathroom.
We only had three hours there since today was a short day, so N and I made the most of it. He really didn't want to hang out with his friends except towards the end, so we went off on our own. And since most of the other boys' parents were chaperoning, I didn't have to worry about anyone but N. Which was good, because even with only having to watch over him, I still lost track of him a few times. (I'm sure his teacher wouldn't have been happy with me had I really lost him!)
After a day of fun, we got back on the buses to head back to school where I signed him out and headed home for the day. I worked the rest of the day from home and then stayed up to watch the Packers beat up on the Broncos. I was able to squeak out a victory as the two players on the opposing team weren't able to get a combined 24 points. I'm now 5-3 and am looking to continue this streak as we head towards the playoffs.
Oh yeah, while I was watching football, I played my guitar (but that goes without saying!).
We got on the buses and headed over to Cox Farm. Upon our arrival, we were told we'd have to wait in the buses until the park opened at 10a (it was 930a when we arrived). Oh well, at least I got to sit in the bus with the rest of the chaperons while the kids yelled and screamed. We were finally able to get off and we went on a hay ride. There was really nothing special about the hay ride and I was glad to get off as I had to find a bathroom.
We only had three hours there since today was a short day, so N and I made the most of it. He really didn't want to hang out with his friends except towards the end, so we went off on our own. And since most of the other boys' parents were chaperoning, I didn't have to worry about anyone but N. Which was good, because even with only having to watch over him, I still lost track of him a few times. (I'm sure his teacher wouldn't have been happy with me had I really lost him!)
After a day of fun, we got back on the buses to head back to school where I signed him out and headed home for the day. I worked the rest of the day from home and then stayed up to watch the Packers beat up on the Broncos. I was able to squeak out a victory as the two players on the opposing team weren't able to get a combined 24 points. I'm now 5-3 and am looking to continue this streak as we head towards the playoffs.
Oh yeah, while I was watching football, I played my guitar (but that goes without saying!).
Monday, October 29, 2007
Day 250 - 10/28/2007
So last night ended up being a late night and this morning was an early one. I suffer from "not being able to fall back asleep" syndrome. That's what you call it when you wake up and, regardless of when you went to bed the night before, you're unable to go back to sleep. Oh well, at least it gave me some time to take care of some Number Nine Software business (which is still capturing sales, just not as many as I'd like to see).
With Rudy back in the hospital, we decided to make a visit today, not only to see him, but also to provide support to mom. I'm sure it's hard on her being in the hospital with him pretty much 24/7 while he's there. Since D's knee is still bothersome, I dropped her and the kids off and met them inside. After parking the car, I met them and we headed up to his room. The kids made him some Halloween decorations to (hopefully) brighten his room and they appear to have done the trick.
After a visit with him, we made our way to the cafeteria before I realized that the long walk probably wasn't the best thing for D's knee, so we turned around and went to the snack shop. However, by the time we got back there, the snack shop had closed so the kids and I made the trek down to the cafeteria and brought food back for D and mom. After we ate, we stopped back in to say goodbye to Rudy and made our way back home. Dave was coming over for dinner and we needed to get home to get ready for that.
Our visit with Dave was a good one. Not only did he help the kids carve a pumpkin, he got schooled in memory by N (who just happens to be really good at memory!). After dinner he showed us some of the pictures he took while in Iraq. Seeing the country in a personal way such as these pictures really brought home that what's being done over there is a good thing. While I don't think a culture a thousand years in the making can be changed overnight, with time progress can be made and good things will come.
During our visit I had the football games on in the background and was excited to see that I was doing pretty good in my game. Of course, seeing the Redskins go down 52-7 didn't help me as a fan, but it did help me win my game (I have the Pats DST).
With Rudy back in the hospital, we decided to make a visit today, not only to see him, but also to provide support to mom. I'm sure it's hard on her being in the hospital with him pretty much 24/7 while he's there. Since D's knee is still bothersome, I dropped her and the kids off and met them inside. After parking the car, I met them and we headed up to his room. The kids made him some Halloween decorations to (hopefully) brighten his room and they appear to have done the trick.
After a visit with him, we made our way to the cafeteria before I realized that the long walk probably wasn't the best thing for D's knee, so we turned around and went to the snack shop. However, by the time we got back there, the snack shop had closed so the kids and I made the trek down to the cafeteria and brought food back for D and mom. After we ate, we stopped back in to say goodbye to Rudy and made our way back home. Dave was coming over for dinner and we needed to get home to get ready for that.
Our visit with Dave was a good one. Not only did he help the kids carve a pumpkin, he got schooled in memory by N (who just happens to be really good at memory!). After dinner he showed us some of the pictures he took while in Iraq. Seeing the country in a personal way such as these pictures really brought home that what's being done over there is a good thing. While I don't think a culture a thousand years in the making can be changed overnight, with time progress can be made and good things will come.
During our visit I had the football games on in the background and was excited to see that I was doing pretty good in my game. Of course, seeing the Redskins go down 52-7 didn't help me as a fan, but it did help me win my game (I have the Pats DST).
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Day 249 - 10/27/2007
The kids' games were rained out. Well, not really rained out as it had stopped raining by game time, but the rains we got this week really put a damper on the fields (no pun intended). With that in mind, we had the day to ourselves. We started carving pumpkins as I had promised the kids we'd do that this weekend (they wanted to do it earlier, but with the warm weather we've been having, they'd be rotten by Halloween!). This year I picked up a pumpkin carving kit so that we could get a little fancy with our pumpkins (vs. the ordinary Jack-o-Lanterns of yore). N picked out a pirate ship and M picked out a cat in the window. We were only able to get N's done today as it took longer than I thought it would.
We finished just in time to get cleaned up for Mass. We decided to go this evening (vs. tomorrow) as D and I are heading to a Halloween Party tonight and I don't know how late the night will be. Before leaving for Mass, however, we got word that Rudy is back in the hospital. He's been stabilized, but they're not sure when he'll be able to be discharged. One of the things he's suffering from is limited kidney functions (~15% last time they checked). His doctors want to start dialysis, but given his overall condition, it'll be a few months before he'll be strong enough to start. That being said, he was in our prayers during intentions.
After Mass, we stopped off and got some dinner for the kids (we'd eat at the party) and went home to get our costumes on.
We teamed up with our neighbors to go as members of High School Musical. D and I went as Sharpay and Ryan (respectively) and Molly and Ted went as Gabriella and Troy. By ourselves (with the exception of Ted), you couldn't tell who we were supposed to be, but as a group it became obvious. I'll let you judge for yourselves after I add a picture.
As it turned out, the evening did get rather late. We ended up heading home around 1230a or so (and we were some of the first to leave). Like last year, most of the people went all out and put a lot of thought into their costumes. There was a potted plant and a bee, Susie Who and the Grinch, Michael Vick and his dog (actually there were two of these), a couple guys came with their dicks in a box (separately, not together, which made it even funnier), a pregnant woman came dressed as a bun in the oven, a couple came as a traveling Tiki Bar and of course there were the superheroes and cheerleaders.
I can't wait until next year to see how people are able to top themselves.
We finished just in time to get cleaned up for Mass. We decided to go this evening (vs. tomorrow) as D and I are heading to a Halloween Party tonight and I don't know how late the night will be. Before leaving for Mass, however, we got word that Rudy is back in the hospital. He's been stabilized, but they're not sure when he'll be able to be discharged. One of the things he's suffering from is limited kidney functions (~15% last time they checked). His doctors want to start dialysis, but given his overall condition, it'll be a few months before he'll be strong enough to start. That being said, he was in our prayers during intentions.
After Mass, we stopped off and got some dinner for the kids (we'd eat at the party) and went home to get our costumes on.
We teamed up with our neighbors to go as members of High School Musical. D and I went as Sharpay and Ryan (respectively) and Molly and Ted went as Gabriella and Troy. By ourselves (with the exception of Ted), you couldn't tell who we were supposed to be, but as a group it became obvious. I'll let you judge for yourselves after I add a picture.
As it turned out, the evening did get rather late. We ended up heading home around 1230a or so (and we were some of the first to leave). Like last year, most of the people went all out and put a lot of thought into their costumes. There was a potted plant and a bee, Susie Who and the Grinch, Michael Vick and his dog (actually there were two of these), a couple guys came with their dicks in a box (separately, not together, which made it even funnier), a pregnant woman came dressed as a bun in the oven, a couple came as a traveling Tiki Bar and of course there were the superheroes and cheerleaders.
I can't wait until next year to see how people are able to top themselves.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Day 248 - 10/26/2007
So after a late night last night, I planned on taking it easy and getting to bed early. That didn't happen, however as when we sat down for dinner, my mom called asking for a ride home. She ran into a pot hole and got two flat tires on her way home. Being the good son that I am, I packed the kids into the van (not only to give them some time with their grandmother and Rudy, but also to give D some alone time) and away we went.
When we got there mom was inside the gas station (where she had parked the car) chatting up someone on the cell phone. Rudy was in the car and he looked pretty tired. After transferring him into the van, we chatted briefly before he started asking the kids questions about school. Ten minutes later we're still in the car and she's still on the phone (we later found out she was coordinating with the towing company). She finally got everything wrapped up with the call and we started the process of transferring in the important things from her car to the van. Stuff like Splenda packets, maps, old receipts; you know, pretty much what you wouldn't want sitting in your unlocked car for the few hours it would take for the tow truck to arrive.
While she was doing that, Rudy started complaining about his chest and just not feeling well. He's approaching 90 and has been in the hospital a couple times in the past month or so. He mentioned that he was just tired all the time and didn't know how much more he could take. It sounded to me that he was tossing in the towel. Not being sure what to say, I tried to lighten the tone a little bit, but I don't think that worked. When mom finally got in the car, she asked him whether he was praying (I couldn't tell what he was doing as he was in the back seat).
I took them home and got them (and their automobile treasures) inside before heading back home. After putting the kids to bed, I shared with D the events of the evening, including Rudy's comment. Hopefully it was just the result of him being frustrated with his health issues and not a sign that he's giving up. After tonight I better understand the lyrics from The Who's "My Generation" where Roger Daltrey "hope[s he] dies before [he] get[s] old."
When we got there mom was inside the gas station (where she had parked the car) chatting up someone on the cell phone. Rudy was in the car and he looked pretty tired. After transferring him into the van, we chatted briefly before he started asking the kids questions about school. Ten minutes later we're still in the car and she's still on the phone (we later found out she was coordinating with the towing company). She finally got everything wrapped up with the call and we started the process of transferring in the important things from her car to the van. Stuff like Splenda packets, maps, old receipts; you know, pretty much what you wouldn't want sitting in your unlocked car for the few hours it would take for the tow truck to arrive.
While she was doing that, Rudy started complaining about his chest and just not feeling well. He's approaching 90 and has been in the hospital a couple times in the past month or so. He mentioned that he was just tired all the time and didn't know how much more he could take. It sounded to me that he was tossing in the towel. Not being sure what to say, I tried to lighten the tone a little bit, but I don't think that worked. When mom finally got in the car, she asked him whether he was praying (I couldn't tell what he was doing as he was in the back seat).
I took them home and got them (and their automobile treasures) inside before heading back home. After putting the kids to bed, I shared with D the events of the evening, including Rudy's comment. Hopefully it was just the result of him being frustrated with his health issues and not a sign that he's giving up. After tonight I better understand the lyrics from The Who's "My Generation" where Roger Daltrey "hope[s he] dies before [he] get[s] old."
Friday, October 26, 2007
Day 247 - 10/25/2007
N was supposed to have his field trip today, but it was rained out (he was supposed to go to Cox Farm). Hopefully they'll be able to reschedule (for his sake), but since I'm covering D in the chaperone department, I wouldn't mind it if it wasn't able to be rescheduled.
So, instead of spending a day at Cox Farm, it was spent watching the rain come down. Rain is something we're in short supply of in these parts. We've had drought conditions the better part of the year (I think we're about 10" below normal as of this month) and we desperately need the rain. Some of us in the neighborhood have been keeping our lawns healthy by watering them, but even that's not enough (I've been watering the yard every few days because I'm too cheap and/or lazy to water it every night.)
After work I hit the gym and then headed over to Bungalow's for happy hour. There was nothing to celebrate, other than it being a Thursday. When I got there I immediately joined the pool queue and ended up going 4-0 before we decided to call it quits.
One thing I like about happy hour at Bungalow's is the large Guinness. Sure, they're $8 each, but they go down smooth and easy.
An old colleague was there and it appears he may be coming back. His new job isn't all it's cracked up to be (I guess he didn't believe the old adage about grass and the other side of the fence). Unfortunately he won't be coming back to our group, but to another one. At least he'll be able to put his product knowledge to work out in the line organizations.
So, instead of spending a day at Cox Farm, it was spent watching the rain come down. Rain is something we're in short supply of in these parts. We've had drought conditions the better part of the year (I think we're about 10" below normal as of this month) and we desperately need the rain. Some of us in the neighborhood have been keeping our lawns healthy by watering them, but even that's not enough (I've been watering the yard every few days because I'm too cheap and/or lazy to water it every night.)
After work I hit the gym and then headed over to Bungalow's for happy hour. There was nothing to celebrate, other than it being a Thursday. When I got there I immediately joined the pool queue and ended up going 4-0 before we decided to call it quits.
One thing I like about happy hour at Bungalow's is the large Guinness. Sure, they're $8 each, but they go down smooth and easy.
An old colleague was there and it appears he may be coming back. His new job isn't all it's cracked up to be (I guess he didn't believe the old adage about grass and the other side of the fence). Unfortunately he won't be coming back to our group, but to another one. At least he'll be able to put his product knowledge to work out in the line organizations.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Day 246 - 10/24/2007
Another uneventful day in Northern Virginia with nothing exciting to report.
Well, nothing exciting other than picking up Smokey from the vet. He's now been fixed and his claws have been removed. Hopefully this will have a positive impact on the relationship between him and Butterfly. if not, it's $500 down the drain. At least he won't claw up the furniture anymore!
Well, nothing exciting other than picking up Smokey from the vet. He's now been fixed and his claws have been removed. Hopefully this will have a positive impact on the relationship between him and Butterfly. if not, it's $500 down the drain. At least he won't claw up the furniture anymore!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Day 245 - 10/23/2007
I met Dad for lunch today and was happy to see he brought along Dave as a surprise guest. He surprised me when I went to get in the front seat and there he was. We enjoyed the extra company at lunch (Preet Palace in Centreville vs. Sho Chiku for sushi -- Sho Chiku is getting a facelift and will [hopefully] continue to provide excellent sushi at reasonable prices. For the better part of the hour, Dave filled us in on what's going on in Iraq (as well as catching us up on his family). It was good to see him; I'm looking forward to having him over for dinner on Sunday to continue catching up.
One thing I don't like about Preet is the smell that persists after you leave. I'm pretty sure it's the grease that's hanging in the air as when we go elsewhere for Indian food, we leave without any lingering odors on our clothes (unless, of course, we spill on said clothes).
All day long it was threatening to rain. I'm sure I wasn't alone in hoping for rain, but it was not to be: the weather didn't cooperate so the kids had practice. I was hoping it was going to rain as I wasn't looking forward to N's practice. However, after all was said and done, I'm glad we did have it as it was pretty productive. We did some fielding work before scrimmaging against each other. It turned out one group of kids had hats and the other ones didn't so they were labeled the "hats" vs. "no hats" (which the liked).
One thing I don't like about Preet is the smell that persists after you leave. I'm pretty sure it's the grease that's hanging in the air as when we go elsewhere for Indian food, we leave without any lingering odors on our clothes (unless, of course, we spill on said clothes).
All day long it was threatening to rain. I'm sure I wasn't alone in hoping for rain, but it was not to be: the weather didn't cooperate so the kids had practice. I was hoping it was going to rain as I wasn't looking forward to N's practice. However, after all was said and done, I'm glad we did have it as it was pretty productive. We did some fielding work before scrimmaging against each other. It turned out one group of kids had hats and the other ones didn't so they were labeled the "hats" vs. "no hats" (which the liked).
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Day 244 - 10/22/2007
I dropped off Smokey this morning to get him declawed and fixed. He wasn't too happy when I put him in his porter (the way it was rocking and being pushed all over the hallway, it looked as if we had captured a rabid raccoon or something!). When I got him to the vet, the receptionist asked me if we could weigh him. I suggested they wait until he was sedated before attempting that. Or at least wait until after his claws have been removed. Hopefully this will cause him to tone it down a little and not be such a spaz.
I went to the gym after work and added a new machine to my routine. I think I overdid it as when I got home and got ready for bed, my shoulders were beginning to ache. I popped a few Advil, but am guessing I'll need more in the coming days (at least until I hit the gym again).
As for Peyton scoring 36, that didn't quite happen. I ended up losing 75-62. Unfortunately, the waiver wire is full of slim pickings so I'll have to rely on what I have so far. If only I had picked up the Giants defense (instead of the Chiefs). And Randy Moss. And a decent running back. That's alright, the season's only half over before the playoffs start. If I can go 4-1 over the course of the next five weeks I should be able to make the playoffs. (Heck, even if I go 3-2, I should still be able to make it...depending on the other folks, of course!)
I went to the gym after work and added a new machine to my routine. I think I overdid it as when I got home and got ready for bed, my shoulders were beginning to ache. I popped a few Advil, but am guessing I'll need more in the coming days (at least until I hit the gym again).
As for Peyton scoring 36, that didn't quite happen. I ended up losing 75-62. Unfortunately, the waiver wire is full of slim pickings so I'll have to rely on what I have so far. If only I had picked up the Giants defense (instead of the Chiefs). And Randy Moss. And a decent running back. That's alright, the season's only half over before the playoffs start. If I can go 4-1 over the course of the next five weeks I should be able to make the playoffs. (Heck, even if I go 3-2, I should still be able to make it...depending on the other folks, of course!)
Day 242 - 10/20/2007
We had back to back games again this morning. N's was at 10a and M's was at noon. Both of them did alright, but you can tell they're also looking forward to the season being over. I guess that makes three of us. While I enjoy helping out, it just seems as if the season just drags on forever. If they were both excited about their games and practices that'd be one thing, but both of them try and get out of going. I guess their enthusiasm is contagious.
I went of a run this afternoon and my knees are continuing to feel good. This time I hit the trail for a run in the woods and made my way over to the Visitor's Center. I was planning on heading back to the North Trail Loop, but I decided to cut it short and head home instead. I was coming up on 20 minutes at the Visitor's Center and wanted to be back in 30-35 minutes. I headed through Walney Park to a cut-through back over to our neighborhood that I've heard about but, as it turns out, the cut-through was not to be. The new owner removed the walkway and put up landscaping (and No Trespassing signs) to prevent people from walking through their yard. The previous owner had no problems allowing people to walk between the two streets and wondered aloud why there wasn't a sidewalk put in to allow access. I don't blame the new owner for not wanting strangers beating a path through their yard, but I needed to get home. I was overheated and ready to call it quits, so I found another way. Other than that, the run was a good one. This is the second run I've had this week and hopefully I'll be able to keep this up next week as well.
Tonight was our bowling league's costume party. We decided to dress up as walking wounded as a show of support for D. She's not sure whether it's our way of supporting her or mocking her, but we all had a good laugh out of it. Actually, the four of us represented only one of the four teams that dressed up (out of 28 teams). It seems the fun times had by all in previous seasons is waning.
The other team wasn't there, so we had to bowl blind. Add that to having D out and our games flew by. Had we not stopped for 30 minutes between the second and third games, we could've been out of there by 9p.
I went of a run this afternoon and my knees are continuing to feel good. This time I hit the trail for a run in the woods and made my way over to the Visitor's Center. I was planning on heading back to the North Trail Loop, but I decided to cut it short and head home instead. I was coming up on 20 minutes at the Visitor's Center and wanted to be back in 30-35 minutes. I headed through Walney Park to a cut-through back over to our neighborhood that I've heard about but, as it turns out, the cut-through was not to be. The new owner removed the walkway and put up landscaping (and No Trespassing signs) to prevent people from walking through their yard. The previous owner had no problems allowing people to walk between the two streets and wondered aloud why there wasn't a sidewalk put in to allow access. I don't blame the new owner for not wanting strangers beating a path through their yard, but I needed to get home. I was overheated and ready to call it quits, so I found another way. Other than that, the run was a good one. This is the second run I've had this week and hopefully I'll be able to keep this up next week as well.
Tonight was our bowling league's costume party. We decided to dress up as walking wounded as a show of support for D. She's not sure whether it's our way of supporting her or mocking her, but we all had a good laugh out of it. Actually, the four of us represented only one of the four teams that dressed up (out of 28 teams). It seems the fun times had by all in previous seasons is waning.
The other team wasn't there, so we had to bowl blind. Add that to having D out and our games flew by. Had we not stopped for 30 minutes between the second and third games, we could've been out of there by 9p.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Day 241 - 10/19/2007
I went out in the community today: I volunteered to help plant trees at Ellanor C. Lawrence park through our Service Days initiative at work. We met at the visitor's center and hiked back to the clearing where we'd be planting the trees. All in all, there were about 25 of us (with about 5 from my immediate office park) and we were able to plant about 100 trees (at least). It rained off and on throughout the morning, which felt pretty good since it cooled us off a bit.
Afterwards, I met Frank over at Willard's for lunch (after stopping by the house to change). I hadn't been there in a while and enjoyed every bit of it. We caught up on stuff and went our separate ways: he back to the office and I headed back home.
After a few hours working from home, I drove D to the doctor's office for a follow up for her knee. It's been a week since she had her fall and every day it seems to be a little better than before. I know it's going to take a while for it to return to normal, but hopefully it will be sooner rather than later. I'd hate for her to be still nursing it once the weather turns and winter arrives.
Afterwards, I met Frank over at Willard's for lunch (after stopping by the house to change). I hadn't been there in a while and enjoyed every bit of it. We caught up on stuff and went our separate ways: he back to the office and I headed back home.
After a few hours working from home, I drove D to the doctor's office for a follow up for her knee. It's been a week since she had her fall and every day it seems to be a little better than before. I know it's going to take a while for it to return to normal, but hopefully it will be sooner rather than later. I'd hate for her to be still nursing it once the weather turns and winter arrives.
Day 240 - 10/18/2007
This morning, for the first time in I don't know how long, I went for a run. Even though it was only 5k+, it still felt great.
M went on a field trip to Williamsburg and was being picked up at 620a so I got up with her and got her out the door. Afterwards, I headed out the door myself. I didn't get that much of a warmup in before starting my run, so I thought my knee would remain tight, but I made pretty good time. (I wasn't trying for anything in particular, just to feel good.)
Hopefully this will be the start of something somewhat regular. I'd love to be able to run 3-4x per week, but I'm in no hurry. I don't have any race plans on the horizon, so what I'm doing now (along with the gym) should help to keep me at somewhat healthy level.
As it turned out, Josh was in Williamsburg today as well. When M got home I asked her if she saw him, but their paths didn't cross. Oh well, maybe some other time.
M went on a field trip to Williamsburg and was being picked up at 620a so I got up with her and got her out the door. Afterwards, I headed out the door myself. I didn't get that much of a warmup in before starting my run, so I thought my knee would remain tight, but I made pretty good time. (I wasn't trying for anything in particular, just to feel good.)
Hopefully this will be the start of something somewhat regular. I'd love to be able to run 3-4x per week, but I'm in no hurry. I don't have any race plans on the horizon, so what I'm doing now (along with the gym) should help to keep me at somewhat healthy level.
As it turned out, Josh was in Williamsburg today as well. When M got home I asked her if she saw him, but their paths didn't cross. Oh well, maybe some other time.
Day 239 - 10/17/2007
Try as I might, I can't come up with anything interesting that happened today, so I won't try and pretend something did just to bore you with the details.
Let's just leave it at mundane, shall we?
Let's just leave it at mundane, shall we?
Day 238 - 10/16/2007
I dropped the kids off early since I had a doctor's appointment this morning. Well, I tried anyway. As it turned out, I was right on time.
I talked with Dr. Carter about everything and then had my blood checked. As it turned out, my cholesterol is still outside the recommended range (108 vs. <100), but it's still lower than it was when I first started getting it monitored. As long as I can continue this downward trend, I should be able to stay off the cholesterol meds.
At lunch I headed over for my guitar lesson. After a while of waiting for the instructor to get the CD player ready, I had all of 15 minutes before it was time to head out. Gary let the lesson overrun though, since he started late (and, like I said, had a hard time getting the CD player working). Once he got that going, however, we started jamming. I was actually able to play "Lookin' Out My Back Door" along with him (and CCR). In addition to getting down the chords, I was successful in playing with the capo. (I'll need to get another one that's easier to use.) After I got home I showed off my newly discovered skills to D and the kids. They weren't as impressed as I was, but that's alright (I don't blame them!).
We had a game tonight, but N was acting out and I made the executive decision to keep him home. I don't think he cared about it anyway. Instead, I made him come with me to M's softball practice. I'm sure he didn't like that, but that's alright, he wasn't going to stay at home either.
I talked with Dr. Carter about everything and then had my blood checked. As it turned out, my cholesterol is still outside the recommended range (108 vs. <100), but it's still lower than it was when I first started getting it monitored. As long as I can continue this downward trend, I should be able to stay off the cholesterol meds.
At lunch I headed over for my guitar lesson. After a while of waiting for the instructor to get the CD player ready, I had all of 15 minutes before it was time to head out. Gary let the lesson overrun though, since he started late (and, like I said, had a hard time getting the CD player working). Once he got that going, however, we started jamming. I was actually able to play "Lookin' Out My Back Door" along with him (and CCR). In addition to getting down the chords, I was successful in playing with the capo. (I'll need to get another one that's easier to use.) After I got home I showed off my newly discovered skills to D and the kids. They weren't as impressed as I was, but that's alright (I don't blame them!).
We had a game tonight, but N was acting out and I made the executive decision to keep him home. I don't think he cared about it anyway. Instead, I made him come with me to M's softball practice. I'm sure he didn't like that, but that's alright, he wasn't going to stay at home either.
Day 243 - 10/21/2007
M had a Girl Scout outing in the morning, so we went to 530p Mass. After she returned from her outing, I took the kids up to the school to work on their hitting. Both of them need help and since we had a few hours, I figured we might as well get some hitting practice while the weather's still nice.
When we got there, Tim and Julia were up there as well so they joined us on the diamond. Tim's son Sam is on N's team and Julia's just about M's age (and also plays softball). Although N never got a hit, he did get to work on his swing a bit. M hit a few of the baseballs, but missed all the softballs. I'm not sure how that happened as the size difference is pretty substantial.
Since we were heading to Mass at 530p, we went ahead and ate early before heading to church.
After church, I checked my score and wasn't happy to see that I was down by 35. I still have Peyton playing tomorrow night, but he'd have to score 36 (and my opposing team's member wouldn't have to score anything). It's possible, but not promising. It looks like I'm going to slip another game back and finish the week at 4-3. I guess time will tell.
When we got there, Tim and Julia were up there as well so they joined us on the diamond. Tim's son Sam is on N's team and Julia's just about M's age (and also plays softball). Although N never got a hit, he did get to work on his swing a bit. M hit a few of the baseballs, but missed all the softballs. I'm not sure how that happened as the size difference is pretty substantial.
Since we were heading to Mass at 530p, we went ahead and ate early before heading to church.
After church, I checked my score and wasn't happy to see that I was down by 35. I still have Peyton playing tomorrow night, but he'd have to score 36 (and my opposing team's member wouldn't have to score anything). It's possible, but not promising. It looks like I'm going to slip another game back and finish the week at 4-3. I guess time will tell.
Day 237 - 10/15/2007
As it turned out, I did end up losing. I wonder if I can learn from my mistakes this year (e.g., drafting a quarterback vs. a running back in the first round) or whether I'll continue to jump at the chance to get a top-notch quarterback.
Not that Peyton has been lighting it up this year like he's done in years past. I should have picked up Brady instead, but at this point, that's neither here nor there.
Not that Peyton has been lighting it up this year like he's done in years past. I should have picked up Brady instead, but at this point, that's neither here nor there.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Day 236 - 10/14/2007
Even though we left on time, I was still late to Evan's baptism. I dropped D and the kids off and parked the car. I stopped by the bathroom before heading into the church and found the ceremony already starting. (I thought it was for 1145a vs. right after 1030a Mass). Fortunately I didn't miss much. Evan was pretty good during the ceremony. Well, until he got hungry and started exercising his lungs asking for a bottle. Afterwards, we went over to The Sunken Well for lunch.
The Sunken Well is a place near Stephen and Stacey's house that they frequent quite a bit. The nice thing about it is that it's within walking distance from their house (five minutes, tops), so it appears it's become a neighborhood hangout. That's a nice amenity to have and one thing I don't like about living in suburbia. Sure, there's community built within the confines of the neighborhood, but there's really nothing within walking distance. I could ride my bike, but most people simply get in their car and drive. If there was something within walking distance, it would allow people to get out into the streetscape and provide them with the opportunity to meet their neighbors vs. stuck inside 2000+ pounds of steel while driving from point to point.
Oh well, as we discussed with Peg and Michael (Evan's Godparents), there's a lot of quality in our lives from the choices we've made. They're right, we're fortunate to have the life we do. I wouldn't call it lucky as it didn't just fall into our laps, we worked hard to get where we are, giving up on some other things in order to obtain what we feel is important.
After lunch we headed over to Doug and Nancy's house for her to pack before we headed back home. D asked Nancy to come up for a few days until she was back on her feet in order to help her out around the house while I'm at work. We hit the road and were greeted with a backup on Route 3 in order to get on 95. Traffic was at a standstill heading south, but even northbound appeared to be stopped. With that in mind, we headed up 17 to 29 to take the back way.
I checked out my Fantasy Football team when I got home expecting to see some great points, but I was disappointed. I had high hopes after seeing Brett Favre play a terrible game against the 'Skins (scoring only 5 points) and hoping Kurt Warner tossing the ball about would prove my coaching genius (I had started Warner over Favre). As I said, I was disappointed. Warner was injured in the second series of the game and scored -1 points. It also looks like he's out for the season. I also lost Sammy Morris and Ron Dayne to injuries. Oh well, at least my decision on which kicker to start paid off (11 points with Ramsey vs. 8 with Graham). That being said, my other decision (to pick up Dayne vs. Wright) cost me 12 points. That wouldn't have won the game for me anyway as the Drew Brees of last year showed up to play against Seattle and pretty cemented the outcome. Unless Plaxico Burress has a phenomenal game Monday night, the game is all but lost. Oh well, at least I'm still above .500 and my starting QB (Peyton) is back next week (in addition to the Pats D playing the Dolphins). Hopefully I'll start a new winning streak next Sunday.
After dinner and getting the kids to bed, I hit the basement to play guitar. I haven't gotten as much playing time as I had hoped over the past week due to one reason or another, but I was able to figure out "Lookin' Out My Back Door" after only 20 minutes of trying. I still need to figure out the bridge between the third and fourth verse, but if I skip over that, I'm golden! (And it actually sounds right!)
The Sunken Well is a place near Stephen and Stacey's house that they frequent quite a bit. The nice thing about it is that it's within walking distance from their house (five minutes, tops), so it appears it's become a neighborhood hangout. That's a nice amenity to have and one thing I don't like about living in suburbia. Sure, there's community built within the confines of the neighborhood, but there's really nothing within walking distance. I could ride my bike, but most people simply get in their car and drive. If there was something within walking distance, it would allow people to get out into the streetscape and provide them with the opportunity to meet their neighbors vs. stuck inside 2000+ pounds of steel while driving from point to point.
Oh well, as we discussed with Peg and Michael (Evan's Godparents), there's a lot of quality in our lives from the choices we've made. They're right, we're fortunate to have the life we do. I wouldn't call it lucky as it didn't just fall into our laps, we worked hard to get where we are, giving up on some other things in order to obtain what we feel is important.
After lunch we headed over to Doug and Nancy's house for her to pack before we headed back home. D asked Nancy to come up for a few days until she was back on her feet in order to help her out around the house while I'm at work. We hit the road and were greeted with a backup on Route 3 in order to get on 95. Traffic was at a standstill heading south, but even northbound appeared to be stopped. With that in mind, we headed up 17 to 29 to take the back way.
I checked out my Fantasy Football team when I got home expecting to see some great points, but I was disappointed. I had high hopes after seeing Brett Favre play a terrible game against the 'Skins (scoring only 5 points) and hoping Kurt Warner tossing the ball about would prove my coaching genius (I had started Warner over Favre). As I said, I was disappointed. Warner was injured in the second series of the game and scored -1 points. It also looks like he's out for the season. I also lost Sammy Morris and Ron Dayne to injuries. Oh well, at least my decision on which kicker to start paid off (11 points with Ramsey vs. 8 with Graham). That being said, my other decision (to pick up Dayne vs. Wright) cost me 12 points. That wouldn't have won the game for me anyway as the Drew Brees of last year showed up to play against Seattle and pretty cemented the outcome. Unless Plaxico Burress has a phenomenal game Monday night, the game is all but lost. Oh well, at least I'm still above .500 and my starting QB (Peyton) is back next week (in addition to the Pats D playing the Dolphins). Hopefully I'll start a new winning streak next Sunday.
After dinner and getting the kids to bed, I hit the basement to play guitar. I haven't gotten as much playing time as I had hoped over the past week due to one reason or another, but I was able to figure out "Lookin' Out My Back Door" after only 20 minutes of trying. I still need to figure out the bridge between the third and fourth verse, but if I skip over that, I'm golden! (And it actually sounds right!)
Day 235 - 10/13/2007
D's leg is still in bad shape, although it's a little better than yesterday. (I emphasize little as she says it's a little better and I would imagine it is. That doesn't mean she's still not in pain whenever she moves it or it's bumped though.)
So, with her stuck at home (I took the van so she couldn't be tempted to leave the house -- there's no way she'd be able to operate the clutch on the Altima without extreme pain), I took the kids to their games. N's was at 10a and M's was at noon. Heather picked M up from N's game and then after his game, we went to her game to see the rest of her game. She ended up getting a hit (yay!) and went on to score the winning run (again, yay!). After the game, she went over to Riley's house and N and I headed home.
We had originally planned on going to Oktoberfest at Hard Bargain Farm, but with D's leg (and Evan's Christening tomorrow), plans were changed. Instead we went to Mass at 530p. The three of us (M, N and I) were barely able to make it through the Mass without closing our eyes. N did fall asleep at one point. I'm not sure why, but we were all out of it. Maybe it had something to do with the change in weather that brought low humidity and dehydrated us. Or maybe because we were tired.
After Mass, we stopped by Baja Fresh for some take-out. Heather and I were talking about food during the game and this was one of the places we touched upon. I opted for the grilled veggie burrito vs. the fish tacos, which is what I usually get, and N got a chicken quesadilla. I was expecting him to give pushback once we got home about eating that, but with enough ketchup, even a chicken quesadilla tastes good to his discriminating palate. (M, on the other hand, has no problems eating food from Baja Fresh. She loves Mexican food.)
After dinner (and after putting the kids to bed), D and I hung on the couch and watched "The Office" on Tivo before calling it quits. We have to get up early tomorrow and hit the road in time to get down to Fred for Evan's Baptism (tentatively scheduled to start shortly after the 1030a Mass).
So, with her stuck at home (I took the van so she couldn't be tempted to leave the house -- there's no way she'd be able to operate the clutch on the Altima without extreme pain), I took the kids to their games. N's was at 10a and M's was at noon. Heather picked M up from N's game and then after his game, we went to her game to see the rest of her game. She ended up getting a hit (yay!) and went on to score the winning run (again, yay!). After the game, she went over to Riley's house and N and I headed home.
We had originally planned on going to Oktoberfest at Hard Bargain Farm, but with D's leg (and Evan's Christening tomorrow), plans were changed. Instead we went to Mass at 530p. The three of us (M, N and I) were barely able to make it through the Mass without closing our eyes. N did fall asleep at one point. I'm not sure why, but we were all out of it. Maybe it had something to do with the change in weather that brought low humidity and dehydrated us. Or maybe because we were tired.
After Mass, we stopped by Baja Fresh for some take-out. Heather and I were talking about food during the game and this was one of the places we touched upon. I opted for the grilled veggie burrito vs. the fish tacos, which is what I usually get, and N got a chicken quesadilla. I was expecting him to give pushback once we got home about eating that, but with enough ketchup, even a chicken quesadilla tastes good to his discriminating palate. (M, on the other hand, has no problems eating food from Baja Fresh. She loves Mexican food.)
After dinner (and after putting the kids to bed), D and I hung on the couch and watched "The Office" on Tivo before calling it quits. We have to get up early tomorrow and hit the road in time to get down to Fred for Evan's Baptism (tentatively scheduled to start shortly after the 1030a Mass).
Day 234 - 10/12/2007
D fell in the bathroom this morning and either sprained her left knee really, really bad or tore her left MCL.
She was rudely awoken at 5a by Butterfly, who was beginning to wretch. Since Butterfly sleeps above D's head, D grabbed her and headed to the bathroom so that she'd get sick in there instead. She was successful in that endeavor, however, that was also the cause of her fall. Butterfly let if fly as they entered the bathroom and D stepped right in it, causing her to go down hard.
I took her to Dr. Aguiar's office later on and she was relieved to hear that surgery is probably out of the question (the MRI will be the final determination). He gave her a knee brace and crutches, but for the time being, she's going to have to stay off of it.
That night I took the kids to movie night at the school. D was going to take them but given her condition, she opted to stay home (as if she had a choice!). This year they showed "A Night at the Museum." It was alright, although the kids seemed to enjoy it. (Well, at least while they were watching it. A lot of time was spent running around the gym vs. watching the movie.)
She was rudely awoken at 5a by Butterfly, who was beginning to wretch. Since Butterfly sleeps above D's head, D grabbed her and headed to the bathroom so that she'd get sick in there instead. She was successful in that endeavor, however, that was also the cause of her fall. Butterfly let if fly as they entered the bathroom and D stepped right in it, causing her to go down hard.
I took her to Dr. Aguiar's office later on and she was relieved to hear that surgery is probably out of the question (the MRI will be the final determination). He gave her a knee brace and crutches, but for the time being, she's going to have to stay off of it.
That night I took the kids to movie night at the school. D was going to take them but given her condition, she opted to stay home (as if she had a choice!). This year they showed "A Night at the Museum." It was alright, although the kids seemed to enjoy it. (Well, at least while they were watching it. A lot of time was spent running around the gym vs. watching the movie.)
Day 233 - 10/11/2007
Yay. I'm finally back to feeling like myself. I got a good night's rest last night and am ready to face the day. Of course, this feeling was short lived as I then went to Happy Hour for a going away party for a colleague.
After getting the kids processed and put to bed, I wasn't ready for that myself so I headed to the basement for a little guitar. The latest song I'm trying to learn "Lookin' Out My Back Door" (another CCR tune). I spent all of five minutes on it before I gave up and started focusing on "Proud Mary". I'm still struggling on the transition between the G and the F in the intro, but it's getting better. I also need to work on the A to Bm transition during the chorus, as well as the solo. Both should come with time with enough practice.
Which reminds me of the old joke about the tourist lost in New York, trying to find Carnegie Hall.
"Uh, excuse me sir," he says to a man on the street, "how do I get to Carnegie Hall?"
"Practice, practice, practice," the man replied.
Even that couldn't keep me going and after a while, I gave up and went upstairs to see if D wanted to watch "The Office" on Tivo. I was too late: She was done and we both hit the land of Winkin', Blinkin' and Nod.
After getting the kids processed and put to bed, I wasn't ready for that myself so I headed to the basement for a little guitar. The latest song I'm trying to learn "Lookin' Out My Back Door" (another CCR tune). I spent all of five minutes on it before I gave up and started focusing on "Proud Mary". I'm still struggling on the transition between the G and the F in the intro, but it's getting better. I also need to work on the A to Bm transition during the chorus, as well as the solo. Both should come with time with enough practice.
Which reminds me of the old joke about the tourist lost in New York, trying to find Carnegie Hall.
"Uh, excuse me sir," he says to a man on the street, "how do I get to Carnegie Hall?"
"Practice, practice, practice," the man replied.
Even that couldn't keep me going and after a while, I gave up and went upstairs to see if D wanted to watch "The Office" on Tivo. I was too late: She was done and we both hit the land of Winkin', Blinkin' and Nod.
Day 232 - 10/10/2007
N is still sick today so we skipped practice. Unfortunately, practice was changed from on the field to a facility called Frozen Ropes that just opened up in Chantilly. It would've been great for him to go as they provide better instruction in hitting than his coaches (e.g., the dads who volunteered and who may or may not have any baseball experience, and even if they do have experience, that doesn't mean it will translate into good coaching skills).
That worked fine for me anyway as it gave the the chance to continue recovering from the weekend. Yes, I'm still tired. This getting old thing sure takes the fun out of burning the candle at both ends over the weekend.
That worked fine for me anyway as it gave the the chance to continue recovering from the weekend. Yes, I'm still tired. This getting old thing sure takes the fun out of burning the candle at both ends over the weekend.
Day 231 - 10/09/2007
Is it 9p yet? Wow, I really burned the candle at both ends this weekend. I struggled to get out of bed and struggled even more to stay awake during the day. I'm really looking forward to get back to bed. It will be nice and comfy.
N's practice was postponed until tomorrow, which means he won't miss it. He's still running a low-grade fever from his ear infection and cough he had over the weekend. In addition to the ear infection, he's probably got something viral that just needs to run its course. Hopefully he'll be back to normal tomorrow.
So, instead of practice, I mowed the yard. I love doing yard work. It's such an easy job, yet when done well, it gives you a good feeling once it's over. The yard is nice and neat, the edges along the sidewalk straight and the clippings swept off the driveway. The hour or so it takes to mow the yard also provides me with some time to think. Sometimes I'll think about what things I need to get done for iTriTracker or Melon, other times I plan out dinner or hold a conversation I need to have with someone. Regardless, it's quality alone time. My ears are plugged up to reduce the noise from the mower and it's just me in my own little world.
I'd love to give it all up and mow lawns for a living, but I don't think I'd be able to support our lifestyle on a gardener's salary.
N's practice was postponed until tomorrow, which means he won't miss it. He's still running a low-grade fever from his ear infection and cough he had over the weekend. In addition to the ear infection, he's probably got something viral that just needs to run its course. Hopefully he'll be back to normal tomorrow.
So, instead of practice, I mowed the yard. I love doing yard work. It's such an easy job, yet when done well, it gives you a good feeling once it's over. The yard is nice and neat, the edges along the sidewalk straight and the clippings swept off the driveway. The hour or so it takes to mow the yard also provides me with some time to think. Sometimes I'll think about what things I need to get done for iTriTracker or Melon, other times I plan out dinner or hold a conversation I need to have with someone. Regardless, it's quality alone time. My ears are plugged up to reduce the noise from the mower and it's just me in my own little world.
I'd love to give it all up and mow lawns for a living, but I don't think I'd be able to support our lifestyle on a gardener's salary.
Day 230 - 10/08/2007
The weekend is over and the drive home began. Unfortunately, there were lapses in communication and it took us longer to get home than I had hoped. We had to stop by Fred to pick up the kids (N was feeling better, but not by much) and then stop by Spur Road to drop off Caroline.
When we finally got home, we got settled in and got the kids to bed. Tomorrow is going to be tough getting the kids back on schedule so we tried to get them to bed early.
I hit the basement to catch up on football and was pleasantly surprised to see that Romo wasn't doing anything close to what he's done thus far this year. That's good for me as even up by 47 points I didn't think I had the game in the bag. Fortunately he tossed up five pickles (two of which were returned for TDs) and couldn't generate any offense to speak of. I guess it was just meant to be that I was going to win this weekend.
When we finally got home, we got settled in and got the kids to bed. Tomorrow is going to be tough getting the kids back on schedule so we tried to get them to bed early.
I hit the basement to catch up on football and was pleasantly surprised to see that Romo wasn't doing anything close to what he's done thus far this year. That's good for me as even up by 47 points I didn't think I had the game in the bag. Fortunately he tossed up five pickles (two of which were returned for TDs) and couldn't generate any offense to speak of. I guess it was just meant to be that I was going to win this weekend.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Day 229 - 10/07/2007
Sunday morning was a lazy one. We all slept in (well, at least some of us did) before heading out to the kayak trip. I read about the tour in a Washington Post article back in the Spring and as soon as I read it, I knew it should be something we did during the weekend.
We arrived a little early (I was hoping there would be more of an area to explore on our own, but it didn't meet expectations) and Dave (our guide) was a little late. There was a communication breakdown between him and his staff: he thought we were meeting on the main road vs. down by the water.
After a brief lesson on the basics of kayaking, we hit the water, most of us paddling slowly as we got the hang of the boats. (I was in a tipsy boat that I swear had a rudder causing me to turn left regardless of which side I paddled on. It wasn't until we were heading back to the car that I found the secret to paddling properly and actually started making headway!) We arrived at the winery (taking our time getting there) and left the kayaks on the shore while we walked to the warehouse type building that made up the winery facility. After a quick tasting of the five varietals, we packed up and were about to head back to the water to paddle over to Rabbit Island to enjoy the wine when D suggested we hit the patio instead. There were a few chairs in the shade overlooking the winery and we stayed in that spot for the next two bottles of wine, chatting about all sorts of topics and enjoying the afternoon.
Instead of enjoying the third on on the porch, I suggested we head to the island for the last bottle, so back to the water we went. For some reason everything went much smoother and everyone was more relaxed. Maybe it had something to do with the wine.
On shore D and I wandered around the acre sized island, exploring here and there and looking for birds. I never found a bird, but I did find the toilet!
After circumnavigating the island, I found myself back where we landed and, after snapping a few group shots, we headed back to the car for the trip back to town.
Overall it was a great weekend. For the most part we all got along and (I hope) all had a great time. However, there were times when personalities clashed and tensions were escalated. I guess that goes without saying when different personality types are together 24/7 for days at a time. Although the scheduled down time this morning would have allowed everyone to get some time alone and apart from the group, I guess it didn't work out as I had hoped. Maybe next year will be different. I doubt it, but I can only hope.
We arrived a little early (I was hoping there would be more of an area to explore on our own, but it didn't meet expectations) and Dave (our guide) was a little late. There was a communication breakdown between him and his staff: he thought we were meeting on the main road vs. down by the water.
After a brief lesson on the basics of kayaking, we hit the water, most of us paddling slowly as we got the hang of the boats. (I was in a tipsy boat that I swear had a rudder causing me to turn left regardless of which side I paddled on. It wasn't until we were heading back to the car that I found the secret to paddling properly and actually started making headway!) We arrived at the winery (taking our time getting there) and left the kayaks on the shore while we walked to the warehouse type building that made up the winery facility. After a quick tasting of the five varietals, we packed up and were about to head back to the water to paddle over to Rabbit Island to enjoy the wine when D suggested we hit the patio instead. There were a few chairs in the shade overlooking the winery and we stayed in that spot for the next two bottles of wine, chatting about all sorts of topics and enjoying the afternoon.
Instead of enjoying the third on on the porch, I suggested we head to the island for the last bottle, so back to the water we went. For some reason everything went much smoother and everyone was more relaxed. Maybe it had something to do with the wine.
On shore D and I wandered around the acre sized island, exploring here and there and looking for birds. I never found a bird, but I did find the toilet!
After circumnavigating the island, I found myself back where we landed and, after snapping a few group shots, we headed back to the car for the trip back to town.Overall it was a great weekend. For the most part we all got along and (I hope) all had a great time. However, there were times when personalities clashed and tensions were escalated. I guess that goes without saying when different personality types are together 24/7 for days at a time. Although the scheduled down time this morning would have allowed everyone to get some time alone and apart from the group, I guess it didn't work out as I had hoped. Maybe next year will be different. I doubt it, but I can only hope.
Day 228 - 10/06/2007
This morning we had the Run for the Birds 5k race. We left the house about 845a and were at the race at 9a, giving us plenty of time to change into our costumes and warm up for the race. Once we were ready, we headed over to the staging area where we got all kinds of looks from the other spectators. I'm not really sure why they were gawking, maybe it was because they felt embarrassed that they forgot to wear their costumes. Or was it us who were out of place? Take a look at the picture below and decide for yourself (that's Senator Nick Rerras in the middle of the flock, by the way):
As you can see, we dressed for the part. Fortunately, the plumage didn't cause any of us to slow down too much (the heat and the soft ground did that). I ended up getting first in my age group and Caroline got second in hers. D did great running in her first 5k (and, as she said, probably her only 5k!), finishing strong to beat out some guy thinking he was going to pull a fast one and pass her at the finish line...yeah right!
After the race, we hung out and spotted a couple of birds. In amongst the trees was the sign from an old motel servicing the ferry terminal. I was quite surprised to see it, but it was neat to see none-the-less. As you can see for yourself, it looks pretty old:
I guess now-a-days the sign would say "Free HBO" or something of the sort.
Our next event was Talons: A Birds of Prey Experience, led by Lorrie Schumacher, Master Class Falconer. (Who knew there was such a thing? I wonder what she things of SNL's The Falconer?) Actually (aside from the crazy bird lady image she projected), the show was pretty cool...and informative. I played a mighty oak and had a Harris' hawk brush up against me as it went from station to station looking for food (in the form of cut up frozen mice).
The night we went to dinner and then drinks at Kelly's Gingernut Pub where we were lucky enough to hear Karl Werne and Eddie Williams play. I couldn't believe my ears when this guy started playing. At first I didn't really pay attention as it looked like it was a local jazz combo, but I soon found out that we were in for a treat once they started playing.
Werne is a local sure enough (well, local to Virginia Beach anyway), and an amazing guitarist to boot. His fingers were flying up and down the fretboard as he and saxophonist Eddie Williams put their personal markings on a variety of songs. It was an amazing experience, but one we cut short as we were all pretty beat from the long day.
As you can see, we dressed for the part. Fortunately, the plumage didn't cause any of us to slow down too much (the heat and the soft ground did that). I ended up getting first in my age group and Caroline got second in hers. D did great running in her first 5k (and, as she said, probably her only 5k!), finishing strong to beat out some guy thinking he was going to pull a fast one and pass her at the finish line...yeah right!
After the race, we hung out and spotted a couple of birds. In amongst the trees was the sign from an old motel servicing the ferry terminal. I was quite surprised to see it, but it was neat to see none-the-less. As you can see for yourself, it looks pretty old:
I guess now-a-days the sign would say "Free HBO" or something of the sort.
Our next event was Talons: A Birds of Prey Experience, led by Lorrie Schumacher, Master Class Falconer. (Who knew there was such a thing? I wonder what she things of SNL's The Falconer?) Actually (aside from the crazy bird lady image she projected), the show was pretty cool...and informative. I played a mighty oak and had a Harris' hawk brush up against me as it went from station to station looking for food (in the form of cut up frozen mice).
The night we went to dinner and then drinks at Kelly's Gingernut Pub where we were lucky enough to hear Karl Werne and Eddie Williams play. I couldn't believe my ears when this guy started playing. At first I didn't really pay attention as it looked like it was a local jazz combo, but I soon found out that we were in for a treat once they started playing.
Werne is a local sure enough (well, local to Virginia Beach anyway), and an amazing guitarist to boot. His fingers were flying up and down the fretboard as he and saxophonist Eddie Williams put their personal markings on a variety of songs. It was an amazing experience, but one we cut short as we were all pretty beat from the long day.
Day 227 - 10/05/2007
We were up bright and early and ready to hit the road for our sibling weekend. I dropped the kids off at school and we were out of the house around 9a. After a quick stop at Starbucks for coffee, we were on the road.
Our first event is at 130p, so we were cutting it short and it didn't appear that we'd have much time to stop for lunch. After hearing from Nina that they were late getting out of the house and wouldn't make it to the first event, we decided not to kill ourselves getting there and stopped by Pierce's for lunch. As I've said before (or, if I haven't, I'll say it now), Pierce's is a must-stop place if you're driving on I-64 in Williamsburg. Their barbecue is tops and the sauce has just the right amount of kick to it. Even better (IMO) are the green beans. People who haven't tried them before are taken aback at them, but once you taste them, you too will be converted.
We finally arrived in Cape Charles about 3p. We stopped by the festival headquarters and then by the hotel to get the house keys. We unloaded and waited for the rest of the crew to arrive, which they finally did around 4p. They announced their arrival by dropping the lasagna dish on the ground, whereupon it shattered and infused dinner with tiny shards of glass. Fortunately the lasagna was frozen so the glass was easily brushed off. Well, maybe not easily, but it was salvageable none-the-less.
After dinner we played some games before calling it quits for the night. We have to get up early tomorrow to get to the Run for the Birds 5k race.
Our first event is at 130p, so we were cutting it short and it didn't appear that we'd have much time to stop for lunch. After hearing from Nina that they were late getting out of the house and wouldn't make it to the first event, we decided not to kill ourselves getting there and stopped by Pierce's for lunch. As I've said before (or, if I haven't, I'll say it now), Pierce's is a must-stop place if you're driving on I-64 in Williamsburg. Their barbecue is tops and the sauce has just the right amount of kick to it. Even better (IMO) are the green beans. People who haven't tried them before are taken aback at them, but once you taste them, you too will be converted.
We finally arrived in Cape Charles about 3p. We stopped by the festival headquarters and then by the hotel to get the house keys. We unloaded and waited for the rest of the crew to arrive, which they finally did around 4p. They announced their arrival by dropping the lasagna dish on the ground, whereupon it shattered and infused dinner with tiny shards of glass. Fortunately the lasagna was frozen so the glass was easily brushed off. Well, maybe not easily, but it was salvageable none-the-less.
After dinner we played some games before calling it quits for the night. We have to get up early tomorrow to get to the Run for the Birds 5k race.
Day 226 - 10/04/2007
Over the past several months, I toyed around with a variety of challenges, but never could figure out something that would be fair for all involved. On my run last night it hit me: a scavenger hunt where you have to take pictures of a variety of birds.
Most of the day was spent putting the list together, as well as working on informational packets for the weekend.
I left the office and hit the gym before picking up Caroline from the airport. I haven't been to the gym in a few days (well, not at last week) due to my back, so I wanted to get a workout in before the weekend (since I know I won't be getting any weights in until next week). I told Caroline to call me when she got in and (of course) I was in the shower when she did. Not to worry, however, as she still had to make her way to baggage claim and then wait for that to be offloaded.
As I was pulling up to the terminal, a couple of Metro police officers were in the street and one of them waved me to the curb.
"What for?" I asked her, curious as to why I was getting pulled over.
"Because I told you to," she responded.
"Alright, but why are you telling me?" I asked her as (in my mind) there was nothing I had done wrong.
"Just pull over to the curb," she ordered, this time her voice a little more terse.
I sat there while she and her partner were calling in my license plate and seeing whether I was on a terrorist watch list of some sort. After about five minutes of waiting for her to approach the car and ask me for my license and registration, it hit me: my tags appeared to be expired as I had yet to receive the stickers from DMV (I had renewed online).
I reached for the temporary registration and held it out the window. This prompted her to come forward and take the registration, telling me "I see you figured it out."
Uh, yeah, I figured it out, but would it have killed you to tell me sooner?
I called Caroline and told her to come down to door 5 (she was at door 6) and meet me there. She hesitated as she had a couple of bags, until I explained to her that the two police officers questioning me trumped her two bags. A couple minutes later, there she was, but she couldn't get in the car until I was cleared by the police.
The officer finally determined that my tags were legal and let us go.
The funniest thing about this is that Nina got pulled over by the same officers for not having any stickers on her tags at all an hour or so later! I wonder if the officers saw our last names and wondered whether there was any connection.
Most of the day was spent putting the list together, as well as working on informational packets for the weekend.
I left the office and hit the gym before picking up Caroline from the airport. I haven't been to the gym in a few days (well, not at last week) due to my back, so I wanted to get a workout in before the weekend (since I know I won't be getting any weights in until next week). I told Caroline to call me when she got in and (of course) I was in the shower when she did. Not to worry, however, as she still had to make her way to baggage claim and then wait for that to be offloaded.
As I was pulling up to the terminal, a couple of Metro police officers were in the street and one of them waved me to the curb.
"What for?" I asked her, curious as to why I was getting pulled over.
"Because I told you to," she responded.
"Alright, but why are you telling me?" I asked her as (in my mind) there was nothing I had done wrong.
"Just pull over to the curb," she ordered, this time her voice a little more terse.
I sat there while she and her partner were calling in my license plate and seeing whether I was on a terrorist watch list of some sort. After about five minutes of waiting for her to approach the car and ask me for my license and registration, it hit me: my tags appeared to be expired as I had yet to receive the stickers from DMV (I had renewed online).
I reached for the temporary registration and held it out the window. This prompted her to come forward and take the registration, telling me "I see you figured it out."
Uh, yeah, I figured it out, but would it have killed you to tell me sooner?
I called Caroline and told her to come down to door 5 (she was at door 6) and meet me there. She hesitated as she had a couple of bags, until I explained to her that the two police officers questioning me trumped her two bags. A couple minutes later, there she was, but she couldn't get in the car until I was cleared by the police.
The officer finally determined that my tags were legal and let us go.
The funniest thing about this is that Nina got pulled over by the same officers for not having any stickers on her tags at all an hour or so later! I wonder if the officers saw our last names and wondered whether there was any connection.
Day 225 - 10/03/2007
We had our September CCR lunch today. Yes, I realize it's October, but we were unable to schedule it for September due to our work schedules. Like last time (and unfortunately for Frank), there were eight of us there.
Frank tempted fate by actually looking at the check before playing the game. He ended up losing. And with eight of us there, he lost big (over $100 for the group). Oh well, you play the game, you take the chance. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
We're meeting again in a few weeks to have the official October CCR. I don't think Frank will be looking at the check anytime soon.
I went out for a run tonight one last time before this weekend's race. I tried to go for a run last night, but got to the top of the court and gave up. Too much pizza. Tonight I paced myself with my evening food intake (alright, I didn't have dinner) and hit the ground running. 3.12 miles later, I started walking and was quite surprised with the results of the night's run. The first mile was 7:58, which was right where I wanted to be. The second was 7:55, which was a little faster than where I wanted to be (but only by 5 seconds). The third miles was 7:35, which definitely WASN'T where I wanted to be, but what the heck, I felt good and was quite surprised with my results considering I haven't done any kind of serious running over the past two years. More importantly, my knee wasn't bothering me (during or after the run).
Hopefully this weekend's race will go as well!
Frank tempted fate by actually looking at the check before playing the game. He ended up losing. And with eight of us there, he lost big (over $100 for the group). Oh well, you play the game, you take the chance. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
We're meeting again in a few weeks to have the official October CCR. I don't think Frank will be looking at the check anytime soon.
I went out for a run tonight one last time before this weekend's race. I tried to go for a run last night, but got to the top of the court and gave up. Too much pizza. Tonight I paced myself with my evening food intake (alright, I didn't have dinner) and hit the ground running. 3.12 miles later, I started walking and was quite surprised with the results of the night's run. The first mile was 7:58, which was right where I wanted to be. The second was 7:55, which was a little faster than where I wanted to be (but only by 5 seconds). The third miles was 7:35, which definitely WASN'T where I wanted to be, but what the heck, I felt good and was quite surprised with my results considering I haven't done any kind of serious running over the past two years. More importantly, my knee wasn't bothering me (during or after the run).
Hopefully this weekend's race will go as well!
Day 224 - 10/02/2007
If it's Tuesday, it must be guitar lesson day. I played "Rollin' on the River" for Gary and he continues to think I'm coming along. The next song on the agenda to learn will be "Lookin' Out My Back Door" (also by CCR). A few weeks back he indicated that CCR has a bunch of songs that are easy to play (and learn) and hopefully that'll turn out to be true. We also went over the capo again. While I've pretty much grasped the concept of the capo, the light hasn't gone on like it has for the root 6 and root 5 barre chords. I guess it's just a matter of time. Until then, I'll have to continue torturing the household with my butchered version of "Rollin' on the River" (or at least until I can get the next one down). I'm just thankful they humor me with their listening.
N's baseball practice is canceled; we're having a game tomorrow instead. It was rather nice not having to rush out of work and home to head over to the field.
No, instead I rushed out of work and mowed the lawn. The fertilizer seems to be working in that the lawn is nice and green, but it doesn't appear that the seed I laid down is working: almost of the spots where I seeded are still bare (and where there is some growth, it looks like clover!).
N's baseball practice is canceled; we're having a game tomorrow instead. It was rather nice not having to rush out of work and home to head over to the field.
No, instead I rushed out of work and mowed the lawn. The fertilizer seems to be working in that the lawn is nice and green, but it doesn't appear that the seed I laid down is working: almost of the spots where I seeded are still bare (and where there is some growth, it looks like clover!).
Day 223 - 10/01/2007
With the game all but wrapped up, I sat down to watch the Bengals-Patriots game, thinking how it will feel to be 3-1 tomorrow. A good feeling, I'm sure.
This is the first year where I've actually got a productive team from week to week. I should consider myself lucky, though, as I'm one of the few teams left intact. A lot of other teams are plagued with injuries. Oh well, that happens in sport. I can't help that, aside from a couple of issues here and there, my guys are healthy.
Or that I drafted with bye weeks in mind.
This is the first year where I've actually got a productive team from week to week. I should consider myself lucky, though, as I'm one of the few teams left intact. A lot of other teams are plagued with injuries. Oh well, that happens in sport. I can't help that, aside from a couple of issues here and there, my guys are healthy.
Or that I drafted with bye weeks in mind.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Day 222 - 09/30/2007
The kids and I went to 1045a Mass. They weren't too excited about it, but N had a birthday party to attend later on, so 1045a it was. Of course, the kids are never excited about going to Mass, so this morning wasn't any different.
N's birthday party was at Pump It Up in Manassas. On the way back, M and I picked up Grace so they could work on their school project together. She ended up staying over for dinner after their project was done and fun was had by all.
D got home earlier than expected from her weekend away in Chestertown, so she was able to join us for dinner (of raviolis and tomato sauce).
Once the kids were ready for bed, I read them a chapter from Robin Hood. So far they seem to enjoy it. Hopefully it'll stay that way.
N's birthday party was at Pump It Up in Manassas. On the way back, M and I picked up Grace so they could work on their school project together. She ended up staying over for dinner after their project was done and fun was had by all.
D got home earlier than expected from her weekend away in Chestertown, so she was able to join us for dinner (of raviolis and tomato sauce).
Once the kids were ready for bed, I read them a chapter from Robin Hood. So far they seem to enjoy it. Hopefully it'll stay that way.
Day 221 - 09/29/2007
What do you get when you add pictures for N, a game for both M and N and D out of town?
An opportunity for miscommunication, which is exactly what happened. I was supposed to have dropped M off at Riley's house, who was going to give her a ride to the game, take N to his pictures and game, and then pick M up over at Riley's house after the game. What really happened was I took M with me to N's pictures and then dropped her off, before heading to N's game. Riley left with her grandparents, leaving M stranded. (Burke, in thinking that since M never showed up before the game, didn't think she'd be at the game and therefore didn't go to the game which means his in-laws didn't know to take M home.) Fortunately, M got a ride home with another teammate and everything worked out fine. Lesson learned, though. In the future, should something like this present itself, check in with the coach vs. having M (or N) relay the information.
After the games, we regrouped and hit the library, where the kids checked out some books and we got Puss In Boots. I never realized that Christopher Walken could play a cat, but he did so convincingly. Unfortunately, the DVD was scratched, so we kept having to jump forward in order for it to be viewable.
The kids made mini-pizzas for dinner, we went to the library, we went for a run (well, I did anyway, the kids rode their bikes) and ended the day by watching a movie together.
The run, while unexceptional, was great. I kept an 8:15 min/mile pace going pretty much the whole way through and, if it hadn't been for the constant turnbacks to hurry M along, I probably could've gone faster. I'm looking forward to next weekend's race. Even though it won't be a PR (or anywhere near it), I think I'll do pretty good. If I can get a sub-25, I'll be happy. (Heck, I'd even be happy with a sub-26!)
All in all it was an enjoyable day.
An opportunity for miscommunication, which is exactly what happened. I was supposed to have dropped M off at Riley's house, who was going to give her a ride to the game, take N to his pictures and game, and then pick M up over at Riley's house after the game. What really happened was I took M with me to N's pictures and then dropped her off, before heading to N's game. Riley left with her grandparents, leaving M stranded. (Burke, in thinking that since M never showed up before the game, didn't think she'd be at the game and therefore didn't go to the game which means his in-laws didn't know to take M home.) Fortunately, M got a ride home with another teammate and everything worked out fine. Lesson learned, though. In the future, should something like this present itself, check in with the coach vs. having M (or N) relay the information.
After the games, we regrouped and hit the library, where the kids checked out some books and we got Puss In Boots. I never realized that Christopher Walken could play a cat, but he did so convincingly. Unfortunately, the DVD was scratched, so we kept having to jump forward in order for it to be viewable.
The kids made mini-pizzas for dinner, we went to the library, we went for a run (well, I did anyway, the kids rode their bikes) and ended the day by watching a movie together.
The run, while unexceptional, was great. I kept an 8:15 min/mile pace going pretty much the whole way through and, if it hadn't been for the constant turnbacks to hurry M along, I probably could've gone faster. I'm looking forward to next weekend's race. Even though it won't be a PR (or anywhere near it), I think I'll do pretty good. If I can get a sub-25, I'll be happy. (Heck, I'd even be happy with a sub-26!)
All in all it was an enjoyable day.
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