Cheating

Uh, I’m cheating tonight. Not for myself but for someone else. She has watched my house for the last two year’s whenever I’m out of town. I did a term paper for her last summer and now, on very short notice, I am doing another one tonight.

Ethically I’m against this sort of thing. But I’m not the one turning it in. I enjoy research and learning and writing and all that other geeky stuff though so I see it as a challenge. Plus, I’m going out of town next weekend and I need someone to feed my cats.

So I’m off to explore how Washington intended a better future relationship between the Native Americans and the fledgling new nation than the reality that we now know. I’ll catch up with you all later.

Jeff

Turn Left, Lean Left, Turn Right...

I promised I’d have both little ones riding without training wheels by the end of the summer. One down, one still leans the opposite way in which she turns. She is closer after tonight though. Two weeks left. I think we’ll make it.

Tomorrow evening I get a rare night out. I can’t wait.

Then there is the impossible task of accomplishing everything I need to do in just a two-day weekend. If at first you don’t succeed, lower your expectations. That’s what I say when it comes to busy weekends anyway.

Jeff

Just One More Reason I'm a Loser

And to think I spent my evening researching how the Codex Vaticanus and Sinaiticus were related.

I need a girlfriend...

Jeff

Since I've Been Gone

Just some things I’ve been up to since my last posting. Whenever the heck that was.

We have more Chinese visitors here for a few months. Since they are on expense accounts now we often find ourselves tagging along for lunch more than before. They are two younger guys and expressed a concern that all they do is eat and go back to the hotel. They wanted to play some soccer. So I took them to my soccer practice (this was my second time going…). Only a few people show up each week but with the two additional people I brought it made for a good three-on-three scrimmage. The Chinese then realized the significance of running hard at 5,000 feet above sea level. They were exhausted.

However they had fun and want to go next weekend too. Speaking of China. A co-worker of mine had an interview on Friday with a huge local employer here, things went well, and then he got home to another message from another employer for another interview. Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal. Everyone is trying to leave. But he is working on a project that needs to be transferred to China. I’m the logical replacement. I don’t really want to go back.

I get home to a message on my answering machine to hear that I have an interview at 3:30 PM tomorrow. I talked to a recruiter last week and they sounded interested. The very next message was the recruiter again and never mind, no interview yet. I'll call her tomorrow anyway. Cruel.

We had a great soccer game tonight. It was tied 2-2 since the first half and I scored the winning goal with just a few minutes left in the game. It was beautiful. People cheered. Hey, if I can’t brag here then honestly, where can I?

Jeff

The Usual Stuff

My ex has been in Arizona for the last few days burning up some of my remaining hotel miles and checking out a local woman’s home. I guess it’s a place for women with chemical addiction and other problems. It sounded like a great idea to me so off she went. Of course she picks one of the hottest weeks in years to go to Phoenix but she was hardly roughing it at the hotel. I guess it was a nice place.

She was upset that I didn’t drop the kids off in the morning. She didn’t have time to talk to them on the phone last night so I didn’t have time to drop them off this morning. That bugged her. But she was tired and eventually came by and picked them up around 4:00 PM. I picked them up an hour later.

I asked her how the place in Arizona was, the woman’s place, and she said, “They were rude.” I knew it was out of the question at that point but she continued to explain that they banned all medications. Worse, it was a dorm like situation, everyone had to help out AND you had to get a job. What a nightmare.

It’s almost Friday and yet even when it is, it still won’t be Saturday.

Jeff

Putt Putt Sunday

My kids have been a little disappointed about their summer so far. They have been complaining about not doing anything fun. While they are forgetting about the multiple trips to Colorado they’ve had so far, riding 4-wheelers, rafting, etc. there is some truth to their complaints. While they are in town they have had less than an exciting time I suppose. Their mother hasn’t been exactly filling their days with outdoor activities and such. They typically play video games and hang out in the apartment.

And the complaining every morning. Everyday (weekday) they ask where they will go for the day. I’ve had to answer most every day that they will go to their mom’s. This answer is always followed by complaints and even crying sometimes too. I just love that part, really I do. Not.

So today, they asked what we were going to do that was fun? I needed to clean, replace some brakes, work on my yard etc. but I could tell that they did need a day of something different. I know they wanted to go to the local amusement park but I knew how much that would cost. Uh, no. I decided on Putt Putt. An old stand by my parents surely used on my sister and I many a time. It worked fabulously. Well no, not fabulous initially and it was looking like a big waste of five hours of a Sunday up until the 17th hole of the 3rd course.

I refreshed their sunken “lack-of-hole-in-one” spirits between each course by first having pretzels and hotdogs for lunch and then blowing 160 tokens in the game room. I suck at Galaga but still love that game. After cashing in some 600+ tickets for crap, we started the final course.

My youngest daughter was the only one not to get a hole-in-one yet and she was quickly approaching total devastation. Then, she almost makes one on the 17th hole, it was soooooo close. She was about to drop. Actually she did. It was funny so that saved her from tears. I decided to shoot without moving her ball. I was off a little from the hole and what do you know, I knocked her ball in. That was good enough for us and she was ecstatic. Technically, she only hit her ball once and I didn’t use my club so her ball was in the hole in just one shot, by her. AND SHE IS VERY HAPPY ABOUT THAT SO DON’T EVEN GO THERE.

My oldest sulked her way through 49 holes until she finally nailed her first hole-in-one. She was on the verge of tears the whole time but determined to play all night until she got one. My youngest, my son, with no form, no skill, a tendency to hit the ball well outside of the little orange barrier thingies, had 3 hole-in-one’s that really defied all reason. He was just plain lucky.

I must of hit 10 or more hole-in-ones, usually when I wasn’t even trying and always when my oldest was at her lowest point. I never did go up to the counter to claim my coupon and have my name announced over the intercom. My kids couldn’t fathom why… Except for the last hole, the Sonic “Win a free Sundae” hole. I hit that one, my kids cheered, I’m talking screamed their lungs out and clapped. That was a nice Dad moment.

We ironically had dinner at Sonic and followed that with a few Sundae's. I don’t know if they will remember today when they complain about their crappy summer or not, but I hope it helps.

Jeff

Balance of Life and My Ceiling Fan

I don’t mean to scare away my non-geeky readers. But did you know that dust on a ceiling fan can cause major disturbances?

Yes, in respect of the fact that my children refuse to cover themselves properly once asleep, I turn off the AC at night. Otherwise I’d be perfectly happy if the temperature dropped to 55 degrees or so. So, I’ve been using the ceiling fan. Yet it’s been waking me up lately. The stupid little dangle things for the light and the fan have been bouncing around at night. They have been smacking each other, ever so lightly, that you wouldn’t even notice unless you were just, trying, to, stay, asleep.

Then they began smacking the light housings too. It was subtle, made me dream of someone lightly tapping a wineglass with a spoon as if to make a speech. The speech never came the but the ever so light tapping continued.

I dreamt that if I cleaned my ceiling fan, the dust was building up, that it might help. Sure enough, it did.

My fan has not wobbled or caused the dangly things to smack anything at all since the cleaning. Does this say anything good about my house and I though?

Jeff

My Excuse

I’ve been busy this week. I’ll try to catch up this weekend.

Jeff

Car Rides With My Kids

My kids and I are driving across town to see a friend of mine. We end up behind the same car we followed for a way yesterday, on a totally different road, in a metro area of 700K +. Weird. And unrelated. Anyhow, my younger daughter asks, “Why did you and mom decide to get divorced?”

One of those left field type questions that can really catch you off guard. But not this time. It worked out very well. “Well, I think after all those years we finally realized that we were both very different people.”

They all ponder this briefly. She asks, “You mean like because mom likes shoes and you don’t?”

“No, no. That’s not what I mean. We have very different personalities and it took a long time but eventually we realized that it wasn’t going to work out. We are still good friends, it’s just that we can’t be married anymore.”

Silence. Then my oldest and wiser pipes in, “But after 12 years, what went wrong?”

Uh… I could really use a traffic accident or falling meteor or something right about now. No such luck. “I think a big part of the problem was that we didn’t wait long enough before we got married.”

Will she catch on here? We were married two months prior to her birth, it’s just a matter of time before she does the math. “We were too young and hadn’t really had a chance to grow up. Even when you are an adult, you need time to be yourself, finish growing up.”

I lost them at that point. I was reaching. I had obviously gone way over the heads of my little ones. My youngest daughter asks, “What do you mean dad, about being different?”

“Well, for example: If we decide to go on vacation, I like to go to the mountains, hiking and camping and stuff. Your mom likes the cabin but she really doesn’t like the ‘outdoors’ so to speak.”

They seem to understand this one, then my least helpful oldest daughter asks, “What about Hawaii?”

I stumble a little… “Well, we haven’t been there and I suppose I’d like to go there too…”

Think Jeffrey, think. “Well, if we went to Hawaii, your mom would want to spend all of her time at the beach and at the pool. I would rather see the island and explore a little.”

My oldest, “You’d like to visit a volcano, huh?”

“Yes, I would love to do that and I doubt your mother would be very interested in that sort of thing.”

Egad, we finally got off the subject. Phew, I made it. We were able to discuss this big issue that’s been floating around for the last 2 + years and they seem to understand. They know and understand that their parents are getting divorced. Really. This is huge.

Then, my son, the youngest, very honestly asks, “(to his older sister) Did you say whiz in a volcano?”

A car full of laughter ensued. And yes, I had to explain what might happen if one whizzed in a volcano...

Jeff

Lately I've been...

I’m just having a hard time with getting excited about anything recently. There is as usual, plenty of things in my life worth conversing about but I just haven’t been up to it. Not to worry, I’m not in some deep funk but I’ve just not been writing it all down like usual.

My ex has a new beau. I think I’ve seen him once briefly, if that was the guy then he looks rather thug like. Why oh why can’t she just find a sugar daddy with a legitimate job and infinite patience? On Wednesday she didn’t even answer the door when I showed up to drop the kids off. I had to find other means and was even later to work than I normally would have been.

I’m still employed, enough said there.

This weekend I have an infinite number of things to do. I suppose it would be only reasonable to expect me to accomplish a finite amount. I’m supposing it will be a rather small few.

I actually questioned myself last night as I opted to sit down with a drink and watch TV. I wondered how I could do that amid my house of chaos and relative filth? Then I reminded myself that I never sit down and watch TV. Then a few minutes later I was smothered by animals and my kids came back in from outside. That was the end of that.

I’ve spoken little of her because there isn’t that much to say other than my neighbor across the street is really beautiful. Speaking of pretty women, I had an encounter at lunch. A very pretty (young) girl just finished ordering prior to my friend and I arriving. As she walked by I thought she smiled but wasn’t sure. She was probably in her early twenties and I had a hard time believing she’d pay much attention to me anyway. It took forever for our orders to finish and I figured she’d be gone. She wasn’t and as I walked by we exchange mutually gratuitous smiles. My friend was already in a booth and when I sat down he asked why my face was red. Damn it all, I hope I didn’t turn that color right away as I passed her. She was getting her order to go and as she left we exchanged glances again. She works at the bank nearby and I thought all afternoon about starting up an account there.

But I didn’t.

It’s July 8th folks and we’ll be celebrating the 4th here tonight. We’ve just been too busy to do our fireworks until tonight. You know, many of the colonies didn’t get word of the signing of the Declaration of Independence for several days so we are just recognizing those areas that didn’t get to celebrate right away.

Jeff

Just to the left of where we had lunch on Sunday.

We roasted marshmallows last weekend.

My Weekend

That was a nice long weekend. I’m tired, my kids are still resisting sleep, and I have lots of blogs to read so here is a quick run down:

Lot’s of driving.
Lot’s of work. (Remember I was on vacation)
Lot’s of carrying, starting, transporting, starting, minor repairing, starting, and refueling of the 4-wheeler.
Raking, sink fixing, tire repair, raft repair, tree-trimming, septic tank maintenance, lamp repair (I think I took about 110 volts but just briefly), wood splitting, lost wedding ring searching in the crawl space of a 55 year old cabin (long story), and lots of dishes.
Lot’s of fun.
Lot’s of talking with family.
Lot’s of enjoying the kids’ enjoying themselves.
A grip of pictures, I might post a few tomorrow.
I called in to work to say I wouldn’t make it today. The first time in at least five years, and I know I can count the number of times I’ve done this on one hand still.

I feel like calling in again tomorrow.

I hope everyone had a good weekend and a safe 4th of July.

Jeff