Today is my first official day working for ChesShakes, although I am not actually working. I mean, I did do a little bit of work, but it's not like I had to go into work or anything. That won't happen until Tuesday. But, according to my job description, I started today. Yay me!
Today Jerns took Sam to some sort of cookout or picnic in Frederick, MD, so I had a 4-hour chunk of the afternoon to myself. Pretty wonderful. Started with a big nap and then worked on sanding some door jambs. Hopefully we'll get some trim up and have our dining room (and maybe living room?) painted within the next 2 weeks or so.
Yesterday we had our annual ChesShakes company member retreat, and it was a good time. Jeannie's brother was visiting us from Florida for the day, so Jeannie and Sam stayed home and I was by myself at the retreat. Which was fine. I didn't drink too much and I didn't say anything too stupid, which is what I usually worry about at places like that, so I will count the day as a success.
I decided last week what to do with some of the unexpected royalty money that I made -- I bought myself a resonator guitar. Which is something I've been wanting to do for many many years, and I saw that they had some cheap (but still decent-looking) ones on Amazon that got some good reviews. So I did it. It should be arriving in a day or two, and I'm very excited to be able to have one guitar here that is in standard tuning and then keep the resonator in an open tuning.
Not too much else to report. Tomorrow I'll be spending the day with Sam, and then on Tuesday he'll be heading to a babysitter, which will be a new experience for him. I think he's ready. The boy needs to spend some time around some other kids and learn how to share.
Sunday, September 01, 2013
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Getty
Fun surprise:
About 10 months ago, there was an option through Soundcloud (a website where I have uploaded some of my songs to share with random people) to license the songs through Getty (which is the company that licenses pictures and stuff for public use. They do music, too.)
So I licensed the songs, which consisted of clicking a mouse a few times and sending off a tax form to Getty. Pretty much on a lark. It doesn't cost me anything but a stamp, so why not?
Then I promptly forgot about it. Completely forgot that I ever did it.
Then on Friday I got an e-mail from Getty that said I should update my contact information and view any royalty reports that I might have, and I was like, "Oh yeah, I remember doing that. Let me go to that site and see what it looks like." And I went to the site and the first report that I looked at said what most reports of that nature that I've looked at say: "No data for the specified time period." But then the second report said that I've got royalties of $228 coming my way. So I looked a little more in depth, and it seems that since February, 4 of my songs have been licensed (2 in the USA, 2 in France) to the tune of 650 bucks, and my 35% cut is $228. So now I have made exactly $228 more than I ever thought I would off of those recordings. And now I want to license everything I've ever done, cause who knows?
About 10 months ago, there was an option through Soundcloud (a website where I have uploaded some of my songs to share with random people) to license the songs through Getty (which is the company that licenses pictures and stuff for public use. They do music, too.)
So I licensed the songs, which consisted of clicking a mouse a few times and sending off a tax form to Getty. Pretty much on a lark. It doesn't cost me anything but a stamp, so why not?
Then I promptly forgot about it. Completely forgot that I ever did it.
Then on Friday I got an e-mail from Getty that said I should update my contact information and view any royalty reports that I might have, and I was like, "Oh yeah, I remember doing that. Let me go to that site and see what it looks like." And I went to the site and the first report that I looked at said what most reports of that nature that I've looked at say: "No data for the specified time period." But then the second report said that I've got royalties of $228 coming my way. So I looked a little more in depth, and it seems that since February, 4 of my songs have been licensed (2 in the USA, 2 in France) to the tune of 650 bucks, and my 35% cut is $228. So now I have made exactly $228 more than I ever thought I would off of those recordings. And now I want to license everything I've ever done, cause who knows?
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Trouble Will Find Me
The Jeanners is up at the YMCA for a late-night gym session. i was supposed to go outside and sand some trim tonight, but she convinced me not to. Instead I have spent my evening reading old blog posts from 2009. 2009 was a good year for us, I think. It was the year we bought the house and we got off our asses and started to move things forward a little bit. Although if I knew then that the house still wouldn't be done in good ol' 2013 I probably would have shot myself in the head.
My blog posts were funnier in 2009, I think. I think I'm getting progressively less funny with each passing year. I think the "with each passing year" in that last sentence was redundant. "Progressively" pretty much covers it.
I've been thinking about my life lately and how different it is now than how it used to be. The main difference, I think, being having a kid. I remember days when I used to not have anything to do. And really, my days are still kind of like that except that there's a kid here who gets pissed if I look at the internet all day. Oh, and he would also probably get sick and die because I wouldn't be feeding him and de-pooping him if I was looking at the Internet all day. But anyway, he demands attention. Much like every kid, I suppose. And he's cute and funny and fun. But some days I wish I could sit and write an e-mail without someone banging on the number pad.
Got an e-mail about a production meeting for 'Dracula' next week. I'm really looking forward to working on that show. Outdoor, autumn, good people. And getting paid! All good things in my book.
I continue to binge on this album by The National. It doesn't help that I've discovered that it's a good album to run and/or workout to. Now I listen to it exercising, in the car, and at night. Which is pretty much the major times of day that I listen to music. During the day Sam and I listen to the mix of music that he likes, which consists of Iron & Wine, The Samples, Mavis Staples, The Band, Josh Rouse, Lord Huron, Daft Punk, U2, and Bonnie Raitt.
I miss my friends! For awhile now it's felt kinda like Jeannie and I have been living in a vacuum. Is everybody OK out there?
My blog posts were funnier in 2009, I think. I think I'm getting progressively less funny with each passing year. I think the "with each passing year" in that last sentence was redundant. "Progressively" pretty much covers it.
I've been thinking about my life lately and how different it is now than how it used to be. The main difference, I think, being having a kid. I remember days when I used to not have anything to do. And really, my days are still kind of like that except that there's a kid here who gets pissed if I look at the internet all day. Oh, and he would also probably get sick and die because I wouldn't be feeding him and de-pooping him if I was looking at the Internet all day. But anyway, he demands attention. Much like every kid, I suppose. And he's cute and funny and fun. But some days I wish I could sit and write an e-mail without someone banging on the number pad.
Got an e-mail about a production meeting for 'Dracula' next week. I'm really looking forward to working on that show. Outdoor, autumn, good people. And getting paid! All good things in my book.
I continue to binge on this album by The National. It doesn't help that I've discovered that it's a good album to run and/or workout to. Now I listen to it exercising, in the car, and at night. Which is pretty much the major times of day that I listen to music. During the day Sam and I listen to the mix of music that he likes, which consists of Iron & Wine, The Samples, Mavis Staples, The Band, Josh Rouse, Lord Huron, Daft Punk, U2, and Bonnie Raitt.
I miss my friends! For awhile now it's felt kinda like Jeannie and I have been living in a vacuum. Is everybody OK out there?
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Vole in the Hole
What's been going on?
I'm down to 2 weeks left of no-job. I am both ready to go back to work and not ready to go back to work.
I had a birthday somewhere in there. I'm now 36. Jeannie got me candy for my birthday, which was awesome, and some of the ugliest coasters you've ever seen, which was less-than awesome. And a big ol', double-burner, cast-iron griddle, which was way awesome. Now I can cook up mass quantities of bacon and/or eggs. I can also make 2 (maybe even 3!) pancakes at once.
"Vole in the Hole" is going to be the title of my autobiography (if it's not already taken). It came to me today, as Jeannie and Sam and I were on a lovely nature walk, and we saw a hole in the ground, and I postulated that there might, perhaps, be a vole in the hole.
I just looked up 'postulate.' Turns out it's not quite the word I was looking for. What's a better word? Hypothesized? Posited?
Anyway, the nature walk was lovely, somewhere we'd never been before, and it culminated in what was described in the description of the hike as an "idyllic pool and rock formation." I think it was a pretty good description. The pool was pretty cool, and perhaps made more idyllic by the fact that it was kind of an overcast day and we were the only ones there. Probably less than idyllic when there are a handful of teenagers around pooping on everything good. Or whatever it is that the teenagers do these days.
I'm down to 2 weeks left of no-job. I am both ready to go back to work and not ready to go back to work.
I had a birthday somewhere in there. I'm now 36. Jeannie got me candy for my birthday, which was awesome, and some of the ugliest coasters you've ever seen, which was less-than awesome. And a big ol', double-burner, cast-iron griddle, which was way awesome. Now I can cook up mass quantities of bacon and/or eggs. I can also make 2 (maybe even 3!) pancakes at once.
"Vole in the Hole" is going to be the title of my autobiography (if it's not already taken). It came to me today, as Jeannie and Sam and I were on a lovely nature walk, and we saw a hole in the ground, and I postulated that there might, perhaps, be a vole in the hole.
I just looked up 'postulate.' Turns out it's not quite the word I was looking for. What's a better word? Hypothesized? Posited?
Anyway, the nature walk was lovely, somewhere we'd never been before, and it culminated in what was described in the description of the hike as an "idyllic pool and rock formation." I think it was a pretty good description. The pool was pretty cool, and perhaps made more idyllic by the fact that it was kind of an overcast day and we were the only ones there. Probably less than idyllic when there are a handful of teenagers around pooping on everything good. Or whatever it is that the teenagers do these days.
Monday, August 12, 2013
A Young Congregation
My parents were here visiting over the weekend. It went OK, although the visit was probably about a day too long and we had to struggle a little bit to find something to keep my mom occupied. Keeping her occupied keeps her from continually suggesting that we work on our house. In addition to that suggestion, she also suggested we:
1. Send our child to a Catholic grade school that she knows nothing about.
2. Put a stick on our curtains so they're easier to close.
3. Put our vincas in the sun, where they would thrive.
But, aside from those suggestions getting a little annoying, it wasn't too bad. Coulda been a lot worse. And the visit was otherwise enjoyable. It was fun watching my Mom and Dad play with Sam, and also fun that we were able to get a semi-major job scratched off our house-list with the help of my Mom and Dad.
But they left this morning, and Jeannie and I are looking forward to life getting back to normal. We had a meeting this morning with a woman who will probably be watching Sam for a couple of days a week when I go back to work in September. We both liked her, and she's in the neighborhood, and relatively inexpensive, and Sam immediately started playing in her house and didn't really want to leave, so we'll probably end up using her. It feels good to have a solution for that particular problem.
Ok, gotta go. Gotta take a car to the shop for a recall of the passenger airbag and other minor repairs.
1. Send our child to a Catholic grade school that she knows nothing about.
2. Put a stick on our curtains so they're easier to close.
3. Put our vincas in the sun, where they would thrive.
But, aside from those suggestions getting a little annoying, it wasn't too bad. Coulda been a lot worse. And the visit was otherwise enjoyable. It was fun watching my Mom and Dad play with Sam, and also fun that we were able to get a semi-major job scratched off our house-list with the help of my Mom and Dad.
But they left this morning, and Jeannie and I are looking forward to life getting back to normal. We had a meeting this morning with a woman who will probably be watching Sam for a couple of days a week when I go back to work in September. We both liked her, and she's in the neighborhood, and relatively inexpensive, and Sam immediately started playing in her house and didn't really want to leave, so we'll probably end up using her. It feels good to have a solution for that particular problem.
Ok, gotta go. Gotta take a car to the shop for a recall of the passenger airbag and other minor repairs.
Tuesday, August 06, 2013
Big Brass Lamp Kinda Girl
What life looks like right now:
Sitting in this room drinking a G&T, listening to The National's latest album (Trouble Will Find Me) while the Jeanners works in the back bedroom and Sam sleeps the night away.
Also: I have rediscovered my love of hand-held electronic bathroom Yahtzee. Although now I don't do any reading at all.
Monday, August 05, 2013
Bubble Cocks
I must write fast because I must go clean up toys and books and pine cones out of the living room while J-Dog puts the Samsonite to bed.
Over the weekend we went on a 24-hour vacation to stunning and tropical Frederick, MD. We spent Friday night at a suite at the Courtyard by Marriott and ate Mexican food at a perfect Mexican restaurant and listened to Sam as he tried to go to sleep in an unfamiliar place. He had a little trouble. But once he fell asleep he slept through the night and Jeannie and I had a chance to watch "Orange is the New Black" and eat Newman's Own brand microwave popcorn. Then on Saturday we hiked on Sugarloaf Mountain. The highlight (for me) was singing a 45 minute long version of "Old McDonald" in the rain while we hiked down the mountain and pretended we were in the south of France.
Speaking of "OitNB", J-Dog and I were in bed the other night and were almost asleep, and we were talking about "OitNB" and whether it was a book before it was a TV show, and who wrote it, and blah, blah, blah, and I told her that one day they were going to make a TV show out of my blog and did she know what they were going to call it? And she said, "Bubble Cocks." Or maybe it was "Bubblecocks." Anyway, I found it funny. Why would they call a TV show made from my blog "Bubblecocks"? You'd have to ask Jeannie. She mostly didn't remember the conversation the next day.
I went and helped with the strike for the summer shows today. It's become quite a large operation. Good to see how it's done so I can hopefully figure out how to do it next year.
My folks are coming to visit this week. Must straighten up the house. And porch. And yard.
Over the weekend we went on a 24-hour vacation to stunning and tropical Frederick, MD. We spent Friday night at a suite at the Courtyard by Marriott and ate Mexican food at a perfect Mexican restaurant and listened to Sam as he tried to go to sleep in an unfamiliar place. He had a little trouble. But once he fell asleep he slept through the night and Jeannie and I had a chance to watch "Orange is the New Black" and eat Newman's Own brand microwave popcorn. Then on Saturday we hiked on Sugarloaf Mountain. The highlight (for me) was singing a 45 minute long version of "Old McDonald" in the rain while we hiked down the mountain and pretended we were in the south of France.
Speaking of "OitNB", J-Dog and I were in bed the other night and were almost asleep, and we were talking about "OitNB" and whether it was a book before it was a TV show, and who wrote it, and blah, blah, blah, and I told her that one day they were going to make a TV show out of my blog and did she know what they were going to call it? And she said, "Bubble Cocks." Or maybe it was "Bubblecocks." Anyway, I found it funny. Why would they call a TV show made from my blog "Bubblecocks"? You'd have to ask Jeannie. She mostly didn't remember the conversation the next day.
I went and helped with the strike for the summer shows today. It's become quite a large operation. Good to see how it's done so I can hopefully figure out how to do it next year.
My folks are coming to visit this week. Must straighten up the house. And porch. And yard.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Stones and Gas
The title of this blog is going to be the name of the new cereal that J-Dog and I are gonna sell. If you'd like to invest, PM me. (PM means "private message.)
I have been having some very whack-ass dreams lately. Like, every night. One dream I had the other night featured the line, "The biggest turds come from the littlest buttholes." In another one I was given a George Foreman Grill as an end-of-the-year PSR class gift. (PSR stands for Parish School of Religion and was a class that I had to go to as a kid every Monday night to learn about the Jesus. It was because I went to a public grade school that I had to go to PSR. Actually, it was because my parents made me.)
The Jeanners' super crazy busy time at work is over, thank god.
Sam continues to transform from a baby to a little boy. He's running around and falling and jabbering and seems to be doing OK.
We've been trying to get little things done around the house during the summer (we've made a list of things we want to get done by the time I have to go back to work in September) and I am amazed at how long each little job takes. For example, in order to put the trim up around one doorway, these are the steps (and when paired with the hurdles of watching Sam and only working around Sam's sleeping schedule, each step takes about a day or two):
1. Strip the door jambs.
2. Put jamb extensions on the door jambs.
3. Clean up and sand the door jambs.
4. Strip the trim.
5. Sand the trim.
6. Prime the trim.
7. Paint the trim.
8 Install the trim.
So that's about 8-10 days of work for 1 doorway. And really, it's still not done then because you have to go back and fill all the holes and caulk and then repaint everything with another coat. So anyway, it's kinda sucky. And the work isn't bad, it just takes a long time.
Sam seems to be taking craps about every 3 hours. I'm getting very tired of cleaning up poopy butts, including my own. I'm putting the boy on an all-cheese-and-bread diet.
I have been having some very whack-ass dreams lately. Like, every night. One dream I had the other night featured the line, "The biggest turds come from the littlest buttholes." In another one I was given a George Foreman Grill as an end-of-the-year PSR class gift. (PSR stands for Parish School of Religion and was a class that I had to go to as a kid every Monday night to learn about the Jesus. It was because I went to a public grade school that I had to go to PSR. Actually, it was because my parents made me.)
The Jeanners' super crazy busy time at work is over, thank god.
Sam continues to transform from a baby to a little boy. He's running around and falling and jabbering and seems to be doing OK.
We've been trying to get little things done around the house during the summer (we've made a list of things we want to get done by the time I have to go back to work in September) and I am amazed at how long each little job takes. For example, in order to put the trim up around one doorway, these are the steps (and when paired with the hurdles of watching Sam and only working around Sam's sleeping schedule, each step takes about a day or two):
1. Strip the door jambs.
2. Put jamb extensions on the door jambs.
3. Clean up and sand the door jambs.
4. Strip the trim.
5. Sand the trim.
6. Prime the trim.
7. Paint the trim.
8 Install the trim.
So that's about 8-10 days of work for 1 doorway. And really, it's still not done then because you have to go back and fill all the holes and caulk and then repaint everything with another coat. So anyway, it's kinda sucky. And the work isn't bad, it just takes a long time.
Sam seems to be taking craps about every 3 hours. I'm getting very tired of cleaning up poopy butts, including my own. I'm putting the boy on an all-cheese-and-bread diet.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
BJ Party
Today, myself and the fam will be heading to a BJ party, which does not stand for 'blowjob party,' but rather is a party for one Benjamin Joseph and his betrothed. Should be a good time, although it's balls hot and there is potential for a storm this afternoon.
Been a relatively uneventful week. Jeannie's been busy at work, I've been watching Sam, we've been trying to get some shit done on the house in the evenings. This week we got the door jamb between living room and dining room stripped of paint, and also the basement door sanded, primed, and halfway painted. Tonight or tomorrow hopefully we will finish the basement door and get it hung. We've got a schedule to keep, dammit! Next up on the list is making a little built-in desk and bookshelves in the rear bedroom.
I have no idea where Jeannie and Sam are right now, other than that they went there on foot. I went in to take a poop and when I came out they were gone. Was I in there that long? I hope Jeannie has not decided to leave me. My guess is that she has busted out the stroller and taken the little dude to the park.
Been really enjoying the latest CD by The National (Trouble Will Find Me) over the last few weeks.
I bought some new sheets for our bed, and they were supposed to be the good kind -- high thread count and all that -- and they feel like sleeping in a burlap sack. I believe I also likened them to sleeping inside of a Treader Joe's bag. Which, maybe it's not like this near you, but the Trader Joe's that I go to uses fairly heavy, rough brown paper bags. Hence the humor.
Today my severance period is officially half over.
Been a relatively uneventful week. Jeannie's been busy at work, I've been watching Sam, we've been trying to get some shit done on the house in the evenings. This week we got the door jamb between living room and dining room stripped of paint, and also the basement door sanded, primed, and halfway painted. Tonight or tomorrow hopefully we will finish the basement door and get it hung. We've got a schedule to keep, dammit! Next up on the list is making a little built-in desk and bookshelves in the rear bedroom.
I have no idea where Jeannie and Sam are right now, other than that they went there on foot. I went in to take a poop and when I came out they were gone. Was I in there that long? I hope Jeannie has not decided to leave me. My guess is that she has busted out the stroller and taken the little dude to the park.
Been really enjoying the latest CD by The National (Trouble Will Find Me) over the last few weeks.
I bought some new sheets for our bed, and they were supposed to be the good kind -- high thread count and all that -- and they feel like sleeping in a burlap sack. I believe I also likened them to sleeping inside of a Treader Joe's bag. Which, maybe it's not like this near you, but the Trader Joe's that I go to uses fairly heavy, rough brown paper bags. Hence the humor.
Today my severance period is officially half over.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Good Times
Hi-lite of my day yesterday: lying on the living room floor amidst toys and books, listening to Jeannie feeding Samuel some dinner in the kitchen, listening to new-ish Greg Brown on the stereo, watching the ceiling fan spin, thinking of Seanyboy, and half falling asleep.
Also, I forgot to mention in my last post that the groundbreaking ceremony was pretty danged awesome. Definitely in the Top 10 Days of My Life list.
Also, I forgot to mention in my last post that the groundbreaking ceremony was pretty danged awesome. Definitely in the Top 10 Days of My Life list.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
"Blue Train, Bitches - Suck It" (or something like that)
The groundbreaking is over and went well. We were able to get the A/C in the building turned on an hour before the event started. The Mayor spoke. Nobody got hurt. Good press was pressed. Many people complimented me for doing an amount of work that I didn't actually do. That kinda seems to happen a lot. People say, "Wow, thanks for all your hard work! Everything went really well thanks to you!" when I really didn't do all that much hard work. Maybe 4 or 5 hours worth. But anyway, it beats selling Member Cards, fishing turds out of urinals, and chaperoning half-naked homeless people while they take makeshift showers in B&N's bathrooms.
Jeannie's older brother came for a visit for a few days, which was great except for the fact that Jeannie was working all of those days so she only got to see him in the evenings. But he had not met Sam before (he travels a lot), so it was nice that they got to spend some time together and get acquainted. I think they took to each other nicely.
I'm expecting to not get to spend much quality time with my lady friend for the next few weeks. She's getting a little crazy busy at work, and probably will stay that way until the end of the month. So I'm resigned to it but not looking forward to it. Maybe we could sneak in a date night somewhere.
Jeannie's brother discovered a decent Indian/Nepali restaurant a mile and a half from our house that has free delivery and is relatively cheap. Score.
The title of this post was said by my wife last night while playing the family board game "Ticket to Ride."
Jeannie's older brother came for a visit for a few days, which was great except for the fact that Jeannie was working all of those days so she only got to see him in the evenings. But he had not met Sam before (he travels a lot), so it was nice that they got to spend some time together and get acquainted. I think they took to each other nicely.
I'm expecting to not get to spend much quality time with my lady friend for the next few weeks. She's getting a little crazy busy at work, and probably will stay that way until the end of the month. So I'm resigned to it but not looking forward to it. Maybe we could sneak in a date night somewhere.
Jeannie's brother discovered a decent Indian/Nepali restaurant a mile and a half from our house that has free delivery and is relatively cheap. Score.
The title of this post was said by my wife last night while playing the family board game "Ticket to Ride."
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Monday, July 08, 2013
Mayor McCheese
Wow, it's been a long time since I've written. But weirdly, things have been fairly busy, considering I am smack in the throws of blissful unemployment. Jeannie was out of town, and then she was in town but working a lot, and then Gena B. came to visit, and then the Schluetermetz' stopped in for a quick visit, and then we had the fourth of Joo-Luy, and then a couple of days that were actually free, and now Jeannie's brother will be coming in tonight for a visit. And then tomorrow is the groundbreaking down at the new building and the Mayor and other biggus wiggus folks will be there. And we've had trouble getting the air conditioning on at the new building so it might be warm.
So anyway, that's what's been going on here. All of the visits were fantastic, it was great to see Sam getting to interact with folks other than me and the missus, and of course getting to catch up with long-term friends.
Also, I built a set of the game 'Washers.'
Only 7 weeks left of free money!
Time for dinner.
So anyway, that's what's been going on here. All of the visits were fantastic, it was great to see Sam getting to interact with folks other than me and the missus, and of course getting to catch up with long-term friends.
Also, I built a set of the game 'Washers.'
Only 7 weeks left of free money!
Time for dinner.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
This Is Why I Love Jack Kerouac's Writing
THIS IS AN OLD DINER like the ones Cody and his father ate in, long ago, with that oldfashioned railroad car ceiling and sliding doors - the board where bread is cut is worn down fine as if with bread dust and a plane; the icebox ("Say I got some nice homefries tonight Cody!") is a huge brownwood thing with oldfashioned pull-out handles, windows, tile walls, full of lovely pans of eggs, butter pats, piles of bacon - old lunchcarts always have a dish of sliced raw onions ready to go on hamburgs. Grill is ancient and dark and omits an odor which is really succulent, like you would expect from the black hide of an old ham or an old pastrami beef - The lunchcart has stools with smooth slickwood tops - there are wooden drawers for where you find the long loaves of sandwich bread - The countermen: either Greeks or have big red drink noses. Coffee is served in white porcelain mugs - sometimes brown and cracked. An old pot with half an inch of black fat sits on the grill, with a wire fryer (also caked) sitting in it, ready for french fries - Melted fat is kept warm in an old small white coffee pot. A zinc siding behind the grill gleams from the brush of rags over fat stains - The cash register has a wooden drawer as old as the wood of a rolltop desk. The newest things are the steam cabinet, the aluminum coffee urns, the floor fans - But the marble counter is ancient, cracked, marked, carved, and under it is the old wood counter of late twenties, early thirties, which had come to look like the bottoms of old courtroom benches only with knife-marks and scars and something suggesting decades of delicious greasy food. Ah!
The smell is always of boiling water mixed with beef, boiling beef, like the smell of the great kitchens of parochial boarding schools or old hospitals, the brown basement kitchens' smell - the smell is curiously the hungriest in America - it is FOODY insteady of just spicy, or - it's like dishwasher soap just washed a pan of hamburg - nameless - memoried - sincere - makes the guts of men curl in October.
-Jack Kerouac
From Visions of Cody
Monday, June 24, 2013
Home Alone 3 (or, SHOWERPUFF DOWN!)
The Jeanners has left for the day, and she will be traveling to Atlanta, where she will be spending the next 3 days. So I am home alone with the little dude, left to fend for ourselves with no feminine assistance. Here's what I am predicting:
1. A decent amount of time at the Y.
2. Lots of Civilization III playing after the dude has gone to bed.
3. Probably not a lot of leafy greens goin' on.
4. Attempts to clean the house and get it ready for a week's worth of visitors that will be commencing on Thursday.
This morning I made a mosquito trap. It will hopefully decrease the number of mosquitoes in our yard as the number of mosquitoes inside the trap increases. I am skeptical, but hopeful.
I think I have been settling into unemployment nicely, thank you very much. Although to be honest, being unemployed from B&N doesn't feel all that different than being employed at the B&N. In a weird way. I just don't have to go there anymore. But really, for a good chunk of the week I didn't have to go there during the day, anyway, and then there were lots of nights that I didn't have to go there, either. So think that my schedule there was just erratic enough that it makes the absence of the schedule seem not that different. Don't know if that makes any sense.
It's taken me like 4 hours to finish this blog post. I hope the time and effort shows in its well-craftedness.
1. A decent amount of time at the Y.
2. Lots of Civilization III playing after the dude has gone to bed.
3. Probably not a lot of leafy greens goin' on.
4. Attempts to clean the house and get it ready for a week's worth of visitors that will be commencing on Thursday.
This morning I made a mosquito trap. It will hopefully decrease the number of mosquitoes in our yard as the number of mosquitoes inside the trap increases. I am skeptical, but hopeful.
I think I have been settling into unemployment nicely, thank you very much. Although to be honest, being unemployed from B&N doesn't feel all that different than being employed at the B&N. In a weird way. I just don't have to go there anymore. But really, for a good chunk of the week I didn't have to go there during the day, anyway, and then there were lots of nights that I didn't have to go there, either. So think that my schedule there was just erratic enough that it makes the absence of the schedule seem not that different. Don't know if that makes any sense.
It's taken me like 4 hours to finish this blog post. I hope the time and effort shows in its well-craftedness.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Separation Anxiety
Been working on getting Sam to be OK with being away from Mom and Dad for any period of time. There's a little daycare at the YMCA and he pretty much just screams and cries the whole time he's there. And then when I get back there after a 20 minute workout or run he comes tear-assing over with tears streaming down his face and gives me a look that says "How could you leave me like that? Don't you like me anymore?"
So that's what we've been working on.
Aside from that, having a Y membership has been awesome. Totally gives me something to do with him every day, if I want or need to. Cause he really likes the pool, and being in the pool with him is easy and fun, and kills an hour or an hour and a half.
Jeanners has entered her busy season at work and has been putting in a lot of hours this week, so I've been on Sam patrol more than usual. It hasn't been too bad. Tomorrow I've got a meeting down at the building, and I'll be taking him with me, so I hope he stays calm and quiet. I'll have to bring some books and tows and stuff.
What else? I'm currently watching Pretty in Pink, which I have never seen. I think I was pretty much Duckie in grade school and junior high. The whole "riding your bike by a girl's house a hundred times" really rings a bell. I think I had graduated to Blaine by high school, though.
Not working has been fun so far! I feel like Jack Kerouac, except with a kid. I guess the kid kinda ruins the whole free-wheelin', On the Road vibe, though. Oh well.
So that's what we've been working on.
Aside from that, having a Y membership has been awesome. Totally gives me something to do with him every day, if I want or need to. Cause he really likes the pool, and being in the pool with him is easy and fun, and kills an hour or an hour and a half.
Jeanners has entered her busy season at work and has been putting in a lot of hours this week, so I've been on Sam patrol more than usual. It hasn't been too bad. Tomorrow I've got a meeting down at the building, and I'll be taking him with me, so I hope he stays calm and quiet. I'll have to bring some books and tows and stuff.
What else? I'm currently watching Pretty in Pink, which I have never seen. I think I was pretty much Duckie in grade school and junior high. The whole "riding your bike by a girl's house a hundred times" really rings a bell. I think I had graduated to Blaine by high school, though.
Not working has been fun so far! I feel like Jack Kerouac, except with a kid. I guess the kid kinda ruins the whole free-wheelin', On the Road vibe, though. Oh well.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
All Done
No more working at the B&N. End of chapter.
We joined the YMCA last week, and took Sam for his first swim this morning. He seemed to like it a lot, splashing and shrieking and occasionally trying to drink the pool water.
Now it is nap time! Where's Jeannie? Doesn't she know it's nap time?
We joined the YMCA last week, and took Sam for his first swim this morning. He seemed to like it a lot, splashing and shrieking and occasionally trying to drink the pool water.
Now it is nap time! Where's Jeannie? Doesn't she know it's nap time?
Thursday, June 13, 2013
The Beginning of the End
3 more shifts left at work. Tonight's my last closing shift. After tonight I will never again say:
The Jeanners and I have joined the YMCA. Gonna try and have a healthy summer and get the lil' dude exposed to some poolin'. Also, as I told Jeannie this morning, the Y is the "perfect place to lick d**ks."
What else? Not much. Just counting down the days. Sam is cute, and walking more. Sometimes across the room. He's also been pooping on the floor when Jeannie lets him crawl around without a diaper.
We've been getting a lot of rain. Before we got all the rain, we used our rain barrels to water the garden, and it worked perfectly. Which is nice, because if it didn't work I would've been sad because the rain barrels were expensive and, really, if you can't water your garden with them then they're kinda just useless and ugly.
Thassall for now.
Attention, B&N customers. The time is now 9:45 and B&N books, music, and cafe will be closing in 15 minutes. We ask at this time that you bring any final purchases to the registers on the upper or lower levels. Once again, the time is now 9:45 and B&N will be closing in 15 minutes.I was always pretty good at that. I've got a good voice for overhead announcements.
The Jeanners and I have joined the YMCA. Gonna try and have a healthy summer and get the lil' dude exposed to some poolin'. Also, as I told Jeannie this morning, the Y is the "perfect place to lick d**ks."
What else? Not much. Just counting down the days. Sam is cute, and walking more. Sometimes across the room. He's also been pooping on the floor when Jeannie lets him crawl around without a diaper.
We've been getting a lot of rain. Before we got all the rain, we used our rain barrels to water the garden, and it worked perfectly. Which is nice, because if it didn't work I would've been sad because the rain barrels were expensive and, really, if you can't water your garden with them then they're kinda just useless and ugly.
Thassall for now.
Tuesday, June 04, 2013
Changeover
Worked my last changeover at the Nobes today. That probably means nothing to anybody who hasn't worked in the music dept. of the Nobes, but changeover is like the one day a month when I actually had to do work, when I had to be organized and move quickly and tell people what to do. So I guess I've done about a hundred of them over the last 10+ years. No more for me, and I might miss them a little bit but not too much. I'm guessing the new job will have many more opportunities for me to do work, be organized, move quickly, and tell people what to do.
Not much else going on. I had another dentist appointment yesterday, and I took the magic drugs that feel like they're not doing anything, and then you go home and sleep for 4 hours and when you wake up it seems like everything that happened at the dentist was a dream that you had 5 years ago. It's pretty nice. It sucks that it makes a dentist visit waste an entire day for me and for Jeannie (who has to drive me around and then take care of the kid all by herself on a day when we're both off work), but awesome that I can now 1) go to the dentist, and 2) go to the dentist without freaking the fuck out or feeling like I would rather die three painful deaths than go to the dentist.
I don't have a plan for tomorrow, which sometimes makes for a bad Sam-watching day. The days always seem to go more smoothly (i.e. less whining) when there is a plan and an activity and some get-out-of-the-house time.
Jeannie's reading in bed next to me. I just ate some cheese and crackers. We just watched an episode of Paul and Jamie, and I just drank a G&T. Life feels pretty good.
Not much else going on. I had another dentist appointment yesterday, and I took the magic drugs that feel like they're not doing anything, and then you go home and sleep for 4 hours and when you wake up it seems like everything that happened at the dentist was a dream that you had 5 years ago. It's pretty nice. It sucks that it makes a dentist visit waste an entire day for me and for Jeannie (who has to drive me around and then take care of the kid all by herself on a day when we're both off work), but awesome that I can now 1) go to the dentist, and 2) go to the dentist without freaking the fuck out or feeling like I would rather die three painful deaths than go to the dentist.
I don't have a plan for tomorrow, which sometimes makes for a bad Sam-watching day. The days always seem to go more smoothly (i.e. less whining) when there is a plan and an activity and some get-out-of-the-house time.
Jeannie's reading in bed next to me. I just ate some cheese and crackers. We just watched an episode of Paul and Jamie, and I just drank a G&T. Life feels pretty good.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Home Alone 2
The J-Dog is in Chicago (well, she's not there yet, but she's on the way) for work until tomorrow night, and the Sambone and myself are left alone to hold down the fort. What is on the agenda? Perhaps a trip to Robert E. Lee State Park, a trip to the bank, maybe T. Joe's, Anything to keep the boy out of the house and non-whiny, really. Tonight I'll be dining on chicken breasts and scalloped potatoes made from a box.
11 days of work left at the Noble. Woo-Hoo! Can't wait. Yesterday I gave my official letter of resignation to my boss.
I'm about midway through 1Q84 and still enjoying it. For awhile I was reading so much at work that it was giving me headaches, so I've had to slow my pace. Now I'm only reading when I take shits.
Speaking of taking shits, I think Sam is doing exactly that right now. Also, he (I'm assuming it was him) pooped on the floor yesterday during his "naked time," but Jeannie didn't find it until a few hours later. Ha! The downside of having a heavily-patterned living room rug: you don't find poops until several hours later. They never tell you that sort of thing in the store....
11 days of work left at the Noble. Woo-Hoo! Can't wait. Yesterday I gave my official letter of resignation to my boss.
I'm about midway through 1Q84 and still enjoying it. For awhile I was reading so much at work that it was giving me headaches, so I've had to slow my pace. Now I'm only reading when I take shits.
Speaking of taking shits, I think Sam is doing exactly that right now. Also, he (I'm assuming it was him) pooped on the floor yesterday during his "naked time," but Jeannie didn't find it until a few hours later. Ha! The downside of having a heavily-patterned living room rug: you don't find poops until several hours later. They never tell you that sort of thing in the store....
Thursday, May 23, 2013
16 days
16 days left at the Nobes. Still weird. Still exciting.
I should really just stp now and go to bed. I don't really have anything to write about, and I have to work tomorrow morning.
Today I was outside pushing Sam in his swing, and one of our neighbors asked me if I was on vacation. I've had a feeling that our neighbors wonder what in the hell our worklife situations are in our house, because I'm always home during the day at weird times, and then Jeannie's home during the day other times, and it all probably looks weird from the outside. So I explained that Jeannie goes into work during the day on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and that I go into work in the evenings on those days, and that I worked during the day on other days. I also explained that I would be switching jobs at the end of the summer and that I would have a bunch of time off this summer.
Sometimes when I get off work at night and I'm walking to my car, I imagine our little dude asleep in his bed and it makes me feel like everything is right with the world.
I should go poo and then go to bed.
I should really just stp now and go to bed. I don't really have anything to write about, and I have to work tomorrow morning.
Today I was outside pushing Sam in his swing, and one of our neighbors asked me if I was on vacation. I've had a feeling that our neighbors wonder what in the hell our worklife situations are in our house, because I'm always home during the day at weird times, and then Jeannie's home during the day other times, and it all probably looks weird from the outside. So I explained that Jeannie goes into work during the day on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and that I go into work in the evenings on those days, and that I worked during the day on other days. I also explained that I would be switching jobs at the end of the summer and that I would have a bunch of time off this summer.
Sometimes when I get off work at night and I'm walking to my car, I imagine our little dude asleep in his bed and it makes me feel like everything is right with the world.
I should go poo and then go to bed.
Monday, May 20, 2013
18 days
18 days left of working at the Nobes. Weird, weird feeling. I have worked at the Nobes pretty much the entire time I've been in Baltimore, minus a month at the beginning. Another weird thing is that I'm feeling tremendously excited to start working for ChesShakes. Like, so excited that I'm not really even thinking very much about the delicious, paid, two-and-a-half months where I don't have to work at all, I'm just thinking about when those delicious, paid, two-and-a-half months are over and I get to dive into this unknown job for which I am probably totally unprepared and unqualified, but which I get the chance to do anyway. Some things that frighten me about the job:
1. The skills that Lesley and Ian think I have (designing, building, organizing, etc) are actually skills possessed by my wife and not by me. My guess is that there is probably some truth to this fear, but not as much truth as my head is currently assigning to it.
2. The fact that I've never really had a job that required me to put a lot of myself into it. I've always been happy working not-very-hard jobs for not-very-much money. And then going home and focusing on the stuff that I really enjoy, i.e., LIFE OUTSIDE OF WORK. And this job has the potential to be a job that I will actually enjoy, and WANT to put a lot of myself into, and WANT to put a lot of time and effort into. Which I think could have the potential to be tough for the Jeanners, and maybe tough for Sam, and maybe tough on me. Because none of us are used to having to share/split my attention or interest. So there might be a period of adjustments at the beginning, and figuring out how everything needs to work in order for everybody to be happy.
3. This third one is both the biggest fear in my head right now and kind of the easiest one to think away: I WILL HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING. AND IT WILL BECOME EMBARRASSINGLY CLEAR RELATIVELY QUICKLY.
Enough about jobs right now.
After a brief attempt at another re-read of Infinite Jest, I have decided that I might be done re-reading it for awhile. I was kind of missing the language and mood of Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, so I decided to pick up another Murakami book at work and started 1Q84. So far I have found it to be more engaging than W-UBC and have been really enjoying it. I worked all weekend (and tonight), and ended up getting over 250 pages of it read.
Was there anything else I've been wanting to write about? Probably, but I know some of it is work-related so I'll save it for another day....
1. The skills that Lesley and Ian think I have (designing, building, organizing, etc) are actually skills possessed by my wife and not by me. My guess is that there is probably some truth to this fear, but not as much truth as my head is currently assigning to it.
2. The fact that I've never really had a job that required me to put a lot of myself into it. I've always been happy working not-very-hard jobs for not-very-much money. And then going home and focusing on the stuff that I really enjoy, i.e., LIFE OUTSIDE OF WORK. And this job has the potential to be a job that I will actually enjoy, and WANT to put a lot of myself into, and WANT to put a lot of time and effort into. Which I think could have the potential to be tough for the Jeanners, and maybe tough for Sam, and maybe tough on me. Because none of us are used to having to share/split my attention or interest. So there might be a period of adjustments at the beginning, and figuring out how everything needs to work in order for everybody to be happy.
3. This third one is both the biggest fear in my head right now and kind of the easiest one to think away: I WILL HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING. AND IT WILL BECOME EMBARRASSINGLY CLEAR RELATIVELY QUICKLY.
Enough about jobs right now.
After a brief attempt at another re-read of Infinite Jest, I have decided that I might be done re-reading it for awhile. I was kind of missing the language and mood of Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, so I decided to pick up another Murakami book at work and started 1Q84. So far I have found it to be more engaging than W-UBC and have been really enjoying it. I worked all weekend (and tonight), and ended up getting over 250 pages of it read.
Was there anything else I've been wanting to write about? Probably, but I know some of it is work-related so I'll save it for another day....
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Magooby's Knuckle Masks
Saturday night, as a little pre-mothersday activity, and thanks to the generosity of my co-worker Abbey who last-minutely agreed to come over and babbysit, Jeannie and I went to Magooby's Joke House (worst name for a comedy club ever? Or best?) to see Paul Reiser, aka Paul of Paul and Jamie (aka Mad About You, aka Jerns' favs TV shows). It was weird (cause he's basically the same wacky, nice dude that he was in the 90's but in an older man's body), and funny, and we enjoyed it. We were, however, definitely on the younger end of the age spectrum of people in the room.
The board of ChesShakes has voted to go ahead and start construction, which means that I am now 98-99% sure that I will have a job come September, which is pretty darned good.
Today I am off work, and have numerous errands to run with toddler in tow ( I think he's maybe a toddler now -- he definitely toddles...). Grocery stores of all varieties except health and halal, liquor store, who knows where else. He is currently hanging out in his playpen cooing to himself.
I had a dream the other night that featured knuckle masks, a concept that, I'm pretty sure, nobody has ever thought of before.
The board of ChesShakes has voted to go ahead and start construction, which means that I am now 98-99% sure that I will have a job come September, which is pretty darned good.
Today I am off work, and have numerous errands to run with toddler in tow ( I think he's maybe a toddler now -- he definitely toddles...). Grocery stores of all varieties except health and halal, liquor store, who knows where else. He is currently hanging out in his playpen cooing to himself.
I had a dream the other night that featured knuckle masks, a concept that, I'm pretty sure, nobody has ever thought of before.
Wednesday, May 08, 2013
Mr. Wind-Up Bird
Just finished The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. Weird book. But I liked it. And strangely enough, it seemed to fit perfectly with all the stuff that's been happening in my life recently. It's a book that feels a lot like a David Lynch movie, with shifting identities and seemingly random pieces and stories running through it. And at the moment, being a relatively new parent who's about to end a 10+ year job and start a new one, I feel like I'm going through a somewhat major identity shift -- I think when I'm old and look back on this time I will mark it as the beginning of my adulthood. Is that good or bad? Probably bad! Ha Ha. Who knows. Probably neither.
Oh, I should mention that I spoke to Lesley the other day and we set a starting date for me at ChesShakes for the beginning of September. Which means I will be leaving B&N on June 15th, taking the severance package and getting paid through the end of August, and then starting the new job in September. So really, it all is working out pretty perfectly, or at least it seems to be at this point. Tomorrow I'll probably find out that the ChesShakes building has burned down or that B&N has yanked away the severance offer or something like that.
The lil' dude was a bit annoying this afternoon, but in his defense he was sick with a fever and highly snotty and, by all appearances and signs, just not feeling very well. But I was very happy when Jeannie got home from work and was able to take over and I could go in the other room and fold laundry and not listen to him whine. Luckily, days like this a few and far between. I guess that's why humans have lasted this long.
It is very very weird to me to think that I won't be working at B&N in just a little over a month. I feel a lot like a passenger on the Titanic who has just been very politely offered a lifeboat.
I kinda feel like Wind-Up Bird has gotten me in the right headspace to re-read Infinite Jest.
Oh, I should mention that I spoke to Lesley the other day and we set a starting date for me at ChesShakes for the beginning of September. Which means I will be leaving B&N on June 15th, taking the severance package and getting paid through the end of August, and then starting the new job in September. So really, it all is working out pretty perfectly, or at least it seems to be at this point. Tomorrow I'll probably find out that the ChesShakes building has burned down or that B&N has yanked away the severance offer or something like that.
The lil' dude was a bit annoying this afternoon, but in his defense he was sick with a fever and highly snotty and, by all appearances and signs, just not feeling very well. But I was very happy when Jeannie got home from work and was able to take over and I could go in the other room and fold laundry and not listen to him whine. Luckily, days like this a few and far between. I guess that's why humans have lasted this long.
It is very very weird to me to think that I won't be working at B&N in just a little over a month. I feel a lot like a passenger on the Titanic who has just been very politely offered a lifeboat.
I kinda feel like Wind-Up Bird has gotten me in the right headspace to re-read Infinite Jest.
Monday, May 06, 2013
Big Fucking Q
I'd write more, but I'm too busy flushing the toilet, brushing my teeth, and drinking all of this Nyquil.
G'night!
G'night!
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Change!
Tonight at work I was told by my boss that, as of June 15th, the company would be eliminating my position company-wide. This is a move that I've been expecting, but I didn't think it would happen quite this early. I'm not really panicked, because the CSC job is waiting in the wings, however the timing of things could be a little tricky, depending on CSC's fundraising and construction schedule. Although, actually, it's also possible that the timing could work out quite perfectly and I might end up getting a severance package that I wasn't expecting to get. So we'll see. I always try not to worry about things until I have to worry about them, so I'm gonna try and keep on the sunny side of this one.
In other news, it is just about time for my little boy's first birthday. Sam, please allow me to be the first to wish you a very happy birthday, and congratulate you on your many accomplishments during the past year. Seriously, though, I can't imagine having a child that I like more than I like him. I am a very lucky and a very grateful man.
In other news, it is just about time for my little boy's first birthday. Sam, please allow me to be the first to wish you a very happy birthday, and congratulate you on your many accomplishments during the past year. Seriously, though, I can't imagine having a child that I like more than I like him. I am a very lucky and a very grateful man.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Labor Day
I heard When in Rome's "The Promise" on the way home from work a little while ago and it made me think of Eric and Catherine.
Also, I just caught a whiff of something that made me think of steak and now I want a steak.
One year ago, right around this time of night, just as we were getting into bed, Jeannie started going into labor with Sam. Wow! Who would've known that he would be as awesome as he is. Today he and I were running errands, and I would look back at him every now and again, and he would just be chillin' back there in his car seat, head turned to the side looking out of the window. He's a fun kid.
The wind seems to be picking up outside. Rain in our future?
Also, I just caught a whiff of something that made me think of steak and now I want a steak.
One year ago, right around this time of night, just as we were getting into bed, Jeannie started going into labor with Sam. Wow! Who would've known that he would be as awesome as he is. Today he and I were running errands, and I would look back at him every now and again, and he would just be chillin' back there in his car seat, head turned to the side looking out of the window. He's a fun kid.
The wind seems to be picking up outside. Rain in our future?
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
The Drugs Don't Work
I went to the dentist yesterday for the first time in a long time. And I took drugs (legal, prescribed) in order to do so. When I got out of the dentist office I said to Jeannie that I didn't think that the drugs actually did anything, that they just made me stumble around a bit and that was it. Today, however, as I look back on the events of yesterday I'm realizing that there are large chunks of the day that are missing and that there are times when I remember that I was talking about something but I have absolutely no idea what I was saying or doing. I am fairly certain, though, that I didn't do or say anything that was inappropriate or embarrassing to anyone, and for this I am thankful.
I think that the drugs were probably the equivalent of drinking about 5 or 6 of my homemade G&T's, but not nearly as fun as drinking 5 or 6 G&T's. Much more boring.
Time to watch some Paul and Jamie. That's Mad About You for all the non-initiated out there.
I think that the drugs were probably the equivalent of drinking about 5 or 6 of my homemade G&T's, but not nearly as fun as drinking 5 or 6 G&T's. Much more boring.
Time to watch some Paul and Jamie. That's Mad About You for all the non-initiated out there.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Turd flinger
I accidentally dropped one of Sam's turds on the floor yesterday. That's why I'm a turd flinger. Luckily, it was pretty damned solid and only flattened a little bit, rather than splattering. Splattering would have been bad.
I'm experimenting with a two-nap day today. Lately, he's only been taking one nap a day, and it's been going pretty well -- he's been sleeping through the night for about 12 hours at a stretch. But he's been sick with a little cold for the last few days, and he seemed really tired this morning, so I put him down at around 9:30 rather than his usual 11:30-ish slot. He just went down a little while ago for nap #2, and hopefully we won't sleep very long and it won't screw up his nighttime. We'll see. Enough nap talk.
By Thursday evenings I'm usually tired of not getting to hang out with my ladyfriend very much, and I'm usually a little depressed. Today seems to be no exception. Work tonight could suck, although I have work to do to keep me busy, and also the manager that I think I'm working with tonight is one that turns a blind-eye to Wind-Up Bird Chronicle reading. The book has gotten better, although it seems to be more of a simmering pot than a boiling cauldron. Not that I prefer boiling cauldrons or anything.
Been trying to get our garden started lately. Also, we put up a swing for Sam in the front yard. I think he's going to love being outside this summer. Also, if you stand him up in front of you, he will totter 1 or 2 steps to get into your arms. I think he'll be walking very soon. When he stands up on his own in front of me, it makes my heart beat a little faster and makes my breath feel short for a breath or two.
I'm experimenting with a two-nap day today. Lately, he's only been taking one nap a day, and it's been going pretty well -- he's been sleeping through the night for about 12 hours at a stretch. But he's been sick with a little cold for the last few days, and he seemed really tired this morning, so I put him down at around 9:30 rather than his usual 11:30-ish slot. He just went down a little while ago for nap #2, and hopefully we won't sleep very long and it won't screw up his nighttime. We'll see. Enough nap talk.
By Thursday evenings I'm usually tired of not getting to hang out with my ladyfriend very much, and I'm usually a little depressed. Today seems to be no exception. Work tonight could suck, although I have work to do to keep me busy, and also the manager that I think I'm working with tonight is one that turns a blind-eye to Wind-Up Bird Chronicle reading. The book has gotten better, although it seems to be more of a simmering pot than a boiling cauldron. Not that I prefer boiling cauldrons or anything.
Been trying to get our garden started lately. Also, we put up a swing for Sam in the front yard. I think he's going to love being outside this summer. Also, if you stand him up in front of you, he will totter 1 or 2 steps to get into your arms. I think he'll be walking very soon. When he stands up on his own in front of me, it makes my heart beat a little faster and makes my breath feel short for a breath or two.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Candy Beans
The Jeanners and I have returned from a week-long trip to St. Louis that, in my opinion, was pretty great. The highlights for me include (but are not limited to):
1. Meeting the family of Jeannie's long-lost cousin, as well as the relatively new husband of Jeannie's aunt.
2. Running into, entirely by chance, our old friend J. Sparks. She was Jeannie's best friend growing up, and I dated her briefly in high school, and we haven't seen her in about 12-13 years.
3. Getting to hang out with Eric and Catherine, who were thankfully available without much notice, and who entertained us with their discussion of nocturnal foot-position. (mine stick out to the sides, by the way, like a very wide "V")
4. Taking a solo day trip up to Kirksville to hang out with Ron and Randy and visit the past a little bit. I was mildly surprised by the few things that have changed and greatly surprised by the many things that haven't. But it was great to see Ron. Also enjoyed the drive. Through Columbia, Moberly, and Macon on the way up, and then back down through Edina and Hannibal on the way home. Had some CD's of Car Talk, This American Life, Prairie Home Companion, Taylor Swift (no joke), Tegan & Sara, and Trixie Whitley for the ride.
5. Getting to hang out with Uncle Rico, who was also thankfully available on short notice (I guess we like to spring things on people), and who I am sending positive refi vibes to. And you should, too.
6. Getting $850 worth of Southwest Airlines travel vouchers for agreeing to let them bump us off our flight and taking a later flight. The nice thing is is that the later flight left only 20 minutes later and only added maybe an hour and a half to our travel day. Which means we made $566.67 an hour. Which is more than I make at the Nobes.
During the trip, Sam had some exciting foods for the first time. Ice cream, soda, cake, and probably others that I'm forgetting. All given to him by grandparents. He seems to be a lot older than he was just a couple of weeks ago. Very curious, into everything, very close to walking, and his hair is growing curly in the back. Lets listen to him laugh:
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