I Really Should Have Taken a Picture

I didn't know what I was doing though.

Seriously.

All I know is that I went downstairs to wake the sleeping teens at 11:30. Shocking, I know. I was trying to get young master Andy up so that he could deliver his application for another scholarship. I realized that it was probably a futile effort (waking him up, not the scholarship), so I left with the application in hand and three bags of clothing for Goodwill. I also told the boys that they needed to get up and start cleaning/picking up the basement, because I need to get started on the great basement do-over, as I have named it. Of course, I should just name it the get-that-ugly-carpet-off-the-floor-and-build-your-daughter's-room-already project, but it was a bit wordy - even for me.

While out taking care of Andy's application and the Goodwill drop off, I decided to go and get the oil changed in my minivan, since I was about five hundred miles overdue. No, I do not change my own oil, see previous posts about my inability to handle such mechanical functions. No links, because if you really cared to laugh at me, you will have to search them out yourself. Hey it's only about six hundred posts. I digress.

The oil change went quick, so I called home to see if the kids started lunch, or if the wanted me to pick something up. Jessie said that she already was making some Mac-n-Cheese, so I figured that I just saved a bit of coin, because my oldest daughter has some initiative. I also asked her if the boys were up.

Nope.

Two minutes later, my phone rings and it is Maggie telling me that she doesn't want the Mac-n-Cheese, and wants chicken instead. Are you serious? Fine. Then, lo and behold, Andy is on the phone requesting food. How do they always know? FINE! I ask if he has started cleaning up. Not yet. When will you be starting? Soon.

Uh-huh.

I get the McDonald's - I wanted a Diet Coke anyway, and get home to find. Benjy, still asleep and Andy taking a shower. Oh and the basement was immaculate, with everything in it's proper place. NOT! I think you might have known that already.

Daddy was not a happy man. No, not one bit.

What I did next, after waking the neighbors with my baritone, shocked even myself. I cleaned. I organized. I made it so that I have room to relocate some stuff while working on the great basement re-do. It actually felt pretty good even, kind of refreshing, even had a sort of calming affect on me.

Don't tell my wife.

Please.



“When making a fire people like to join you, when cleaning the ashes you are often alone” - African Proverb

That Fresh Clean Feeling

"Gain -- To smell it, is to love it."

So how is everyone doing today? I'm doing good, thanks for asking. Still haven't watched last week's LOST, but I've read all about it. Still would like to see it though. See how much calmer I am. :)

PITA has been rather painful. We have someone that wants to leave our service, but they have a contract through 2011, so they can't, unless they can find something wrong, service-wise. Now, it's coming down to a 'we said - they said' kind of battle, and they being the customer means that they are going to win, right? What sucks is all the extra work and hoops-jumping that we are going through. Oh well, we'll see what happens, at least I'm still getting paid, right?

A bit of a downer came yesterday, when Andy got his letter from Loras, telling him that he was not chosen to be a part of the Breitbach Thinkers and Leaders program at Loras. So, now we are looking into other opportunities. Not giving up, yet. Besides we have an overnight retreat there in two weeks, so we still have to give it our best shot. I wonder what there is to do in Dubuque? Any ideas?

Okay, I'm nodding off as I type, which means there will be a strange looking word, somewhere, if I don't just call it a night.

So, Night.


“No man should go through life without once experiencing healthy, even bored, solitude in the wilderness, finding himself depending solely on himself and thereby learning his true and hidden strength.” - Jack Kerouac

Saved By The Colleen

So Colleen saw that I was floundering in my efforts for giving you a high quality product, so I read her post from a couple of weeks ago, where she answered questions posed to her by Maria. Knowing full well that January is a bad month for me, creatively and otherwise, I asked Colleen to ask away.

She took me seriously.

So now what? I guess I have to answer the questions, right? I mean I don't want to get a reputation for not posting something that I said I would. (Krissa, I promise to get to that meme, someday.)

So here are the five questions from Colleen and answers from me. :)

1) If there's one thing you could "implant" in your children's brains - just make them know without having to teach it to them, or fight to get your point across - what would it be?

That's easy and I wish I had the same thing, at times, and that would be the ability to manage their finances. I can't tell you how many times they get a little bit of money, for their birthdays, Christmas, or doing some sort of job like babysitting. They want to immediately go out and spend it. I swear it seems like they just want to spend, spend, spend, and on what? Some cheap piece of plastic that they will forget about in twenty minutes. Of course, the apple didn't fall too far from the tree there, but I am getting better. I think. Heck, I'm not going to Disney this year, so that's a start, right?

2) If you could "undo" anything from your past, what would it be?

I would have never bought the Toyota Celica, that I surely couldn't afford, yet managed to 'steal' my own savings to get it. What makes this incident even dumber, is that I had just bought a new car about ten months prior, so I was majorly upside-down on that loan. Let's see, what else about that car, I bought it in Colorado where you don't really need AC, but I lived in Texas, where you do. That's right, I bought a new car with no air conditioning and it didn't even have a cassette player, nor a CD player. Yeah, I can pretty much say that was my biggest mistake. Ever.

3) What was your favorite game as a child?

That would be Risk. We used to spend hours and hours playing that game of World Domination. I still play it today, only on a computer because the play is faster. In fact, I wonder where my CD is for that game. I need to do some domination again. :)

4) Crocs - love 'em or hate 'em?

Believe it or not, I like them a lot. Heck I've even worn them this winter, outside, in the snow. I don't recommend trying that, but it shows how comfortable they are. I forgot that I was wearing them. Now my Crocs are special because they are Denver Broncos Crocs. :) Andy, who swore that he wouldn't wear them, tried mine and now owns a pair of Chicago Cubs Crocs. They were very comfortable to wear in Florida, and I actually preferred wearing them over sandals.

5) Your house is on fire. Other than your family and any pets, what are the three things you'd hope to save?

To be honest the only things that I would care about saving would be my family, but since you said that they were okay. Number one would be Jenni's grandfather's hat - I love that hat and I see it everyday. I would wear it, but it's a few sizes too small. Number two would be my external hard drive, since it has all my music and pictures. Maybe someday, it will even have my great American novel on it. Finally, I would make sure that I had my car keys and wallet since I will need them to get away from the flaming carcass formerly known as my house. :) I know, I'm quite the sentimental one.

Okay, those are my answers, now here is the BEST part!!

Now you can sign up for me to interview YOU! I know you're gonna want to experience my fine journalistic skills, and you know that it has been a dream of yours to have me ask you questions, as well. All you need to do is follow the following steps:

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Not LOST, but A Missed

I missed LOST tonight, and I hear it was AWESOME... Here's a tease

Now, I will go to bed and cry, or whine, or whatever.

I'll be better tomorrow.

Oh, I need to thank the Republicans in Congress for having some backbone and NOT approving the first step to socialism.

That is all.

Tuesday Night Blah

Okay, it's Tuesday which calls for an American Idol update, right? Uh, I kind of forgot to watch it. So no dice.

I have a new fluffy bunny story, but Jenni threatened me with bodily harm if I do that again. So that will have to wait until she's not going to be near a computer. Know what I mean? So, it may be a while.

FAFSA application is completed.

Taxes are completed.

Octuplets were born today, and Praise God, all are doing well. I find it amazing that in one felled swoop, they now have more kids than we do. Amazing.

Our new president is leading us down the slippery slope of socialism, and no one seems to be noticing. The USA is quickly becoming the USSA (United Socialist States of America).

Did I mention that I missed American Idol tonight? I'm not really caring, but more Americans do, and that is what is sad and so wrong lately with this country.

I'll put my soapbox away for a later date, when I spend more than eight minutes composing my thoughts. Or maybe I'll just keep venting until my first amendment rights disappear right before my eyes.

Seriously, I'm putting it away now.

And Then the Fight Started...

I saw these and thought of Damama, for some reason. Maybe because she already posted them, who knows. I just wanted a giggle or two, and since I couldn't take the picture of her wearing Danny's night time pull up on her head, these will have to suffice:

My wife and I are watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire while we were in bed.
I turned to her and said,"Do you want to have sex?"
"No," she answered.
I then said, "Is that your final answer?"
She didn't even look at me this time, simply saying "Yes."
So I said, "Then I'd like to phone a friend."
And then the fight started....

****

After retiring, I went to the Social Security office to apply for Social Security.
The woman behind the counter asked me for my driver's license to verify my age.
I looked in my pockets and realized I had left my wallet at home.
I told the woman that I was very sorry, but I would have to go home and come back later.
The woman said, 'Unbutton your shirt'.
So I opened my shirt revealing my curly silver hair.
She said, 'That silver hair on your chest is proof enough for me' and she processed my Social Security application.
When I got home, I excitedly told my wife about my experience at the Social Security office.
She said, 'You should have dropped your pants. You might have gotten Disability, too'
And then the fight started.....

****

I rear-ended a car this morning.
So, there we were alongside the road and slowly the other driver got out of his car.
You know how sometimes you just get soooo stressed and little things just seem funny?
Yeah, well I couldn't believe it....
He was a DWARF!!!
He stormed over to my car, looked up at me, and shouted,'I AM NOT HAPPY! !!'
So, I looked down at him and said, 'Well, then which one are you?'
And then the fight started.....

Have a pleasant evening...

My Wife's New Love

My wife has found my replacement.

Yep, it looks like I had one smart-Alec remark too many, and I have been replaced as the love of my wife's life.

The children are upset about it, as you can well imagine, except maybe Andy, because he really likes the new guy. Benjy seems to be warming up to him as well.

He has many great new features; I think the main one is that he doesn't need to be awakened after his alarm goes off, again and again. Hey, in my defense, I'm getting old AND tired.

Jenni also loves the fact that he can apparently be programmed to do things when she needs them done, as opposed to, say, whenever I get around to it. She can also program how much of his new guy that she wants. I mean I can be a bit too much at times, not the new guy though, when Jenni tells him it's enough, then it's enough. She always said it would be nice if I knew when enough was enough, but it's not really my style; I like to push her buttons. Now with the new guy, she's the only one pushing buttons.

Still, you would think that hanging around for sixteen and a half years would have been good enough. Nope, she went for the shiny and new guy. One that can perk her up, on command. Again, in my defense, I am getting older and more tired - maybe I should get involved in some more exercise. That might help, right? I guess she just wanted someone that was a little more fresh, you would think that after six kids and with one on the way, getting fresh would be the least of her worries.

So should I now start looking for a new love? I mean it's not like I started this whole deal, I have been loyal to the core, never wavering. Ever.

It breaks my heart, but I do have a picture of the new guy and I will share it with you. Please if you see this guy around, kick him in the shins for me, okay?



And to think that she didn't even like coffee when we got married. :)