Growing Up

Last night, my son carved his own pumpkin. Guess old dad is on his way out, as being useful. When I get home, he no longer runs into the room yelling "Daddy". He walks through the room, real slow, points a finger and says, "Hey Dad" real low and slow. He's growing up.

It won't be long and he'll be independent. Driving. Working. Knowing everything.

But, eventually, he'll get his own house and then he'll have questions again. And I will suddenly become knowledgable again.

Guess I better start studying.

Disneyland

What a trip.

Oops, I mean,
"What a vacation".
Disneyland was great. But, boy am I tired.

Day 1.

We took the kids on a plane for the first time. Just getting them through security and the airport was an adventure in itself. And then on the plane. When it roared and we were pushed back in the our seats, and we felt the sudden lift, the kids looked at me with a mixture of excitement and fear.



I sat with the kids on the way to Disneyland, and my wife sat with them on the way back. But we were smart. We brought sticker books and a DVD player. They stayed happily entertained the entire way. But my daughter wailed as we landed. The cold in her sinuses made the pressure changes unbearable, but she wouldn't believe me that chewing gum would help. I mean, really, what does dad know?


The driver that took us to Disneyland was a maniac. I'm pretty sure I met his brother, a cab driver in London (I have two cousins who will know what I'm talking about). And I really didn't want to die. Not on the way to Disneyland. After would have been fine, but not before.


We finally reached Disneyland at about 5:00. As is traditional, we rode the train around the park first, to give the kids an orientation of the park. Then we entered. In just that first evening, we rode Bus Lightyear's Astro-blasters (excellent), Snow White's Scary Adventure (actually startled me), Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (one of my favorites), Pirates of the Caribbean (my favorite) and I can't remember what else. We slept really well that night.







The next days were amazing.



After a hearty breakfast (never get one of those wimpy continental breakfasts. Stay at a hotel with sausage, hash brown, eggs and biscuits and gravy) each morning, we entered the park early. I really like mornings in Disneyland. (And afternoons). Oh, um, and nights. I really like nights at Disneyland too. But mornings are nice too. (Have I made the point yet)? The bright morning light, the smaller crowd, the fresh clean feel and the cooler weather. Nobody's tired or grumpy yet. (Maybe Dopey or Sleepy, but not Grumpy). Everyone is smiling and dancing. Kids are happy (trust me, even at Disneyland, kids get tired and grumpily. Um. So do parents).



As the day went on, we would rush from ride to ride. After the second day, I got smart and brought the gameboy so the kids could play it while waiting in line. I even surprised them with two new Disney games (well, okay, two used Disney games, but new to them). We went from land to land. Adventureland (where the characters dress like me), Fantasyland (filled with characters that don't dress like me), Tomorrowland (filled with characters dressed as Jedi, how I wish I dressed), New Orleans Square with the music and the pirates, Frontierland (with characters that, yes, do dress like me), Toon town (with, well, places the kids liked) and Main street, a magical place.



California Adventure wasn't quite as much fun. The rides were still fun, but somehow the magic was missing. In Disneyland, even the walk between rides can be magical. In California Adventure, it's nothing really special. Most of it, anyway. Some of the rides are really incredible, though. Grizzly Rapids are amazing, if you don't mind getting soaked. Soaring over California was worth it, and Tower of Terror was so much fun, I laughed out loud. (Outbursts of happiness is not my normal mode). Monsters Inc was cute and the kids really liked it. And who can resist talking to Crush? (Both of my kids were called on by him). But my favorite was the Toy Story Ride. Not the Astro-blasters, but the 3-D shooting game. Guess I'm just competitive by nature. Gotta get that high score. Some rides were boring. But I went on every little kid ride, because my daughter was too short to go on alone. The boring rides. The rides that made me sick. Even the long-line boring rides. Sometimes you just gotta be a dad and do it.



One place C.A. does better than Disneyland is food. At least there is one area with a variety of food, some for kids and some for adults, near each other. Disney's foods are spread out around the park. If kids want hot dogs and parents want hamburgers, you're looking at a walk half way around the park to get each.



Ah, night is magical. The lights, the crowd, the music. Night is almost as much fun as morning. And many of the rides are more open. What is more fun then complete exhaustion, walking slowly (because you can't walk fast) and taking in the sights and sounds? Even the dark rides seemed darker, mistier. More dusk like. And walking Main street, with the lights, the entertainers, the window displays.



And the last night. Sad, but still happy. Looking at each sight for the last time. Greedily soaking in every image, every sound. And looking at the glowing castle, one last time. Melancholy. Walking slowly. Resisting leaving, even while so tired, long past midnight, carrying a sleeping child. You can't stay. But you sure want to. Like the end of an incredible meal. Too full to eat any more, fully satisfied. Remembering the flavours. Not ready to be done.



And then you pass through the exit. Into the night, the late-night crowds moving along with you, just as you have done each of the five nights. But tonight is different. You aren't going back the other way the next morning. You won't be walking this wonderful road again.



Maybe we won't wait 10 years next time. Maybe five.



Maybe I would rather move in.



Happiest place on earth.

Is it really only September?

I'm tired of working. I'm tired of school. I'm tired of fixing the house and the cars. I'm tired of volunteering. I'm tired of kids' parties. I'm tired of the cat peeing anywhere she wants to. I'm tired.

Okay, I got the rant done. What's the other part of the old saying. Let's see. "To rant and rave."

Um, how do you "rave"? Isn't raving, like, saying good things about someone? But, then again, there is such a thing as a "raving lunatic", Isn't there? Oh. So what I'm going right now is raving, right?

Or maybe rambling.

Well, time for work. Gotta hurry home after. I have a lot of homework tonight. I have my first mid-term this Thursday, and I'm still a week behind on my studies.

Oooo, am I raving yet?

Some Weeks

Some weeks are just more eventful than others. Here was this week...

1. Took the kids to visited Grandma out of town.
2. The kids started school this week. We also started a committement to walk to school more often. I've done a lot of walking this week.
3. I had a job interview. AND I got the job. (Woo-hoo and all that).
4. The dog got sick and started throwing up everywhere.
5. The kids found on of the vomit piles and covered it with... scoops of coffee, scoops of sugar, scoops of salt, syrup, Pam, cooking oil, other substances I can only imagine. (Experienced parents, tell me, what goes through kids" minds)?
6. In response to punishment for the above action, one child got angry and kicked the bedroom window, smashing glass and cutting his foot.
7. I learned how to replace a window pane.
8. Had a good day at church.

So the week started off great and ended great. Think I could have avoided a couple of the parts in the middle.

Gotta go buy some glass now.

Travel, School, Sickness

Wow. School starts tomorrow. (Well, for my kids, anyway. My university started a couple of weeks ago). Labor day weekend. The last few moments of fun before school starts. And, boy, did this one go out with a bang.
Saturday started off normal. The kids and I did some small repairs around the house. I baked a loaf of bread to surprise my wife when she got home from work. I was a little tired, due to the crazy driver roaming the streets the night before, blowing his horn madly at each intersection and then disappearing for an hour or so. The police cruiser trying to find him (or so I assumed) never did (far as I know). But, that's okay, I still had two more nights of the Labor Day weekend to catch up in sleep. The rest of Saturday went normal as well. Went to school for a couple of hours after my wife came home. Did some more work in the workshop (building a card holder out of spare wood) and then playing a board game with the kids. (During which, they bickered the whole time. I think it'll do them some good to be going back to school and being around more kids than just each other). Then into bed. Late, since I went back to school after the kids went to sleep. Around midnight. (At least once school starts, the kids will start going to sleep on time. Wow, where did that laugh come from?).
Sunday. We left really early in the morning to take the kids to Grandma's house. So, no sleep that night. The drive down was remarkable. Around Olympia we hit a massive downpour. The freeway slowed to 30 mph, visibility down to nothing. What a rush. Spent a wonderful day. The kids got to see Grandma while mom and dad went shopping at the outlet mall. My wife and I wandered through the Borst House. (If you've never been there, this is a great place to go. Click here to see someone else's experience and some pics from it).
We went back to Grandma's and all went out for dinner. Then we went back to Grandma's for a game of cards. (Hey, mom and dad get some time with Grandma too). The drive home that night was just as crazy as the drive there. Except it was late and dark. An adventure radio show put the kids to sleep, but kept us company all the way through the dark, awful squalls. We got home after midnight and were asleep by one. But that's okay. We had nothing going on the next day. We could sleep in and get caught up. Woohoo.
Sunday night was fraught with kids waking up from nightmares, needing water and who-knows-what-else. Broken sleep with sleeping in is still good. Monday morning, early Monday morning, we were awoken by the sounds of vomiting. A sick kid. Early in the morning. So much for sleeping in. Cleaning with bleary eyes is almost as good as sleeping. Yeeesh. Tired, tired, tired. Spent the day rearranging furniture. (The kids are getting their own rooms for the new school year, so the playrooom needs to be cleaned out). Moving furniture, cleaning the backyard, and all the rest of normal weekly chores, while taking care of sick kid and entertaining the now lonely bored other kid, while simultaniously going to school and every other possible problem. Sigh. Went to bed late.

Maybe I'll get some rest at work.

Camping

Well, another camping trip is done. All I can say is, "Dang, I'm glad to sleep in a bed."

Well, okay, that's not all I have to say.
I do enjoy camping, don't get me wrong, but boy do I hate camping. Incompatible statement? Let me explain...
When I used to hike with friends as a teen, I really enjoyed camping, because it let me hike.
When I used to camp at SCA events, I really enjoyed camping, because it let me stay longer at the SCA.
When I started seriously hiking as an adult, I really enjoyed camping, because it let me go deeper into the woods.
When I started camping with my wife and kids, I really enjoy camping, because it let's me hang out with my family.
But, camping itself? No. Why? Well, let's take a look...

1. Sleeping on the ground, with a hiking mat and sleeping bag, my back can only take three nights at most, then I'm not standing.
2. Cold. Cold nights trying to get warm. Cold mornings, trying to eat breakfast.
3. Mosquitoes.
4. Manually heating water for washing dishes and face.
5. Sand. Sand everywhere. In food, in eyes, in hair, in sleeping bag, in coffee. (We camp at the ocean beach).
6. Hike to the bathroom. The odd dude hanging out in the men's room. (The guy this year was really weird).
7. No internet. Aaaak. No TV. Aaaaaaaaak.
8. Trying to play card games in wind, rain and/or heat.
9. Cooking, with two small burners, in the wind, rain, heat.
10. A long drive there, a long drive back. Setting up camp, taking down camp. Loading the truck (at home and at camp), unloading the truck (at home and at camp). In one short word... Work.

But, okay, there are some great parts...

1. Sitting and reading in quiet. Real quiet. Just birds and other wildlife (and, of course, the ocean).
2. Sitting around a fire and watching the embers glow.
3. Breakfast. Oh man, do I love breakfast while camping. Bacon, eggs, toast, corned-beef hash, coffee. I could, of course, eat the same while at home, but, somehow it's easier when camping. Possibly because there isn't a microwave, so no matter what I make, it'll take work.
4. No TV. No iCarly. No Spongebob.
5. Watching the kids jump happily in the surf. (Not strictly part of camping, but a by-product, like the sand in the "bad" list.
6. Chatting with strangers you'll never see again.
7. Watching my wife and kids have so much fun. Huh, can't top that one.

Guess I'll do it again.

Randomn Thoughts Through the Heat

Okay, I'll admit. This is hot. I know, there are places on Earth that are hotter. Fine. But those places are hotter more often, so buildings and habits have been built with all that in mind. Our fair city, with it's temporate climate, is ill-prepared for extreme heat or extreme cold (both of which was proved this year).
It has, however, brought our little family closer together. Oh, not the touchy-cryee kind of closer together that you see on a Lifetime Movie of the week or anything. Nope, we're just closer together, period. Normally, when I get home from work, the kids are in the playroom, my wife is in the living room and I head to the kitchen to start dinner. Not so these last couple of days. We are all in the same room, the family room in the basement. It's a good 15 degrees cooler in there, but it's not a big room, and we've recently been using it for storage, so it's even smaller. And with all of us in there, and various electronics running, the temp rises a bit, so it's only 10 degrees cooler. But it's better then upstairs.
In preparation for this heat wave (sorry, HEAT WAVE), I ran some cable through the basement, then disconnected the cable from the splitter that runs to the playroom and connected it to the basement. So we have cable (on an itty-bitty TV) in there. And moved the card table in there, so we could have a place to eat when needed and the table can be folded while the kids played. Great plan. It means we have to all watch the same shows, but, hey, that's suppose to be good, right? (This was fine, because my favorite show, Wipeout, was on last night).
We're closer together at night as well. The main floor is way too hot to possibly sleep. The 2nd floor? Much worse. So we set up a tent in the back yard and camped out. Around 3 in the morning, the temp drops to around 70 and I can sleep a little more peacefully. Well, except when the dog saw the raccoon, but that's a different story. An 85 pound dog leaping on you while it follows an animal outside just doesn't encourage relaxation. So, what has all this family togetherness taught me? That I miss flipping through channels on the TV at night.

While lying outside at 2 in the morning, waiting for the blessed cooling around 3, without a TV to watch, or a book to read (the lights wake up the kids), I find myself wondering things. Here's one... My dad's generation took a shower once or twice a week. My generation takes a shower every day. Some of our nephews (old people in their 20s) take a shower twice a day. So, what happens with the next generation? Just how frequently can someone bathe? "Dang, it's been 2 hours since my shower. I must stink." Think of the effect on the environment, all that water to clean not-yet-dirty people.
Speaking of the environment, here's another thing I thought about. During the winter, where we had that massive snow fall that never went away. I joked, "Well, heck, where did the global-warming go? Sure could use some now." Well, hey, here it is. Guess I better not say something like, "Well, heck, where's that ice age that scientist talked about. Sure could use one now." Might happen. So I won't say it.

Okay, I'll leave on a public service message. A beat-the-heat drink. I know, some people say you shouldn't have caffeine because it dehydrates you. (This has been called into question in some of the hiking communities, but we'll leave that argument for another day). In reality, I like a certain amount of caffeine in a day. It is too hot, these afternoons and evenings, for a nice hot cup of Joe. So here's a recipe that cools me off to the core...
You will need sugar, soy milk and instant coffee. Oh, and a fridge with a freezer. Got those? (Feel free to substitute real milk, but I think milk doesn't get as cold as soy milk does). So, take a coffee cup ( a good stout one that can take freezing) and put in one rounded teaspoon of instant coffee. Pour boiling water to about a third of the cup. (Don't use a giant-sized cup-of-coffee-you-can-bathe-in kind of cup, just a normal old-fashioned coffee cup). Add 2 teaspoons of sugar (my wife takes one teaspoon, but she also likes unsweetened coffee. I suggest two). Stir. Put this in your freezer until the edges start to form ice crystals (but before it actually freezes). It takes about an hour and 15 minutes in my freezer. Then take out and fill the rest of the cup with soy milk. (Make sure you've pre-chilled your soy milk in the fridge, or this won't cool you off). Stir (yeah, like I had to tell you that part). Okay, now enjoy (yes, "enjoy" is part of the instructions). You now have a high-octane way to cool off that doesn't cost an arm and a leg at a fastfood place and requires no gas for the car.

Next year, maybe I'll look into air conditioning.

How the Mighty Have Fallen

My cousins and I grew up with Shogun Warriors. Great fighting robots of ancient lore. Mighty bold warriors. Armed with battle axes and swords, they would rush into battle. What can I say? We were boys. My Shogun Warrior was Dragoon, the giant red robot.

As you can see from the picture, my daughter plays with him now. Gone are the days of mighty conflict. Forgotten are the glorious quests. Today, he dresses in lace, plays school and tea parties. My daughter drags him everywhere.

On the other hand, he has a new generation of playing, instead of sitting alone in a box. That was the message of Pixar's Toy Story, wasn't it? That a toy is only happy when someone is playing with it.

But... White lace?

How the Mighty have fallen.

Vacation

I was thinking about vacations yesterday, while I was figuring out what to pack for an upcoming vacation. Several thoughts occurred to me. Let's see...

First, there were road trips. In the olds days, P.K. (pre-kids), I would load up the car (one bag, maybe two if I was camping), leave in the morning and have a great drive. You know what it's like. You pull out, move to the fast lane, sit back and enjoy. Drive for hours, stopping rarely, moving at the highest the speed limit will allow. (Or, um... maybe just a little beyond that. You know. Umm...

"Ahem"

Okay, so what happens nowadays? Load up the car, with multiple bags. Well, that makes sense, with more people. Then you pull out, move to the fast lane, sit back...

"Dad, I gotta go paawteeeee."

Oh, yeah. Of course. we reached 30 minutes into the drive. Just arrived on the freeway. Just made it to the fast lane. Just sat back, ready to make some miles. And then comes the opera voice... "Poooootyyyyy". It's never "Father, if you please, could you perhaps pull over and let me relieve myself." Or even, "Hey dad, I need to use the restroom." Nope. "paaaaaaatiiiii."

Now, you have to fight your way back across all the lanes, exit the freeway, drive around looking for a restroom ("clean" restroom) and unpack the kids (those of you who have kids know it isn't as simple as stepping out of the car. For one thing, you have to say, "Okay, we're here. Let's get out of the car". Not once. Not twice. It varies, between 5 and 8 times). Then, of course, there's all the time it takes to reattach the kids to the backseat, refind the freeway, move your way back into the fast lane and, finally, sit back and really move.

"Get your motor running, head out on the highway."

"Daddy, I gotta go potteeeeee."

Dang it.

A week in the life of... me

Monday:
First, an emissions test.

Should have been easy, right? Ha! I'll say that again. Ha! Okay, it started off fine. Made sure I had all the paperwork I needed, and the money. Got in the car and drove down there. Well, I forgot about the project to rebuild the freeway near the emissions place. I pulled off the freeway and straight into a closed road. I forgot they are tearing up the entire area, to build a new freeway next to the old one. The emissions place was straight ahead, only 6 blocks away. Too bad I couldn't go that way. The detour took us down a street to the left. Unfortunately, that road was being torn up as well. We drove at 5 mph through bumpy construction, searching for a right turn that wasn't closed.

We finally found a place to turn, a couple of miles down the road. Now we just had to turn right again to get back to the closed road. Block after block, closed for construction. Finally, a turn. I took it.

"Where the heck am I?"

It took forever, but I was finally able to find the emissions test place. Car passed without a problem. Then I had to get back. I resolved not to go back the way I came, even if I could remember all the correct turns. I had come from the North, but I left to the South. I know. You can already guess what happened next. I should have seen it coming.

First of all, this "main road" actually ends several blocks away. But not without going through confusing round-abouts, 5-way intersections and nonsense signs. Then the road ended. I turned around and went East (since West was a restricted road with a guard gate. At least I made one good decision). Eventually, I found a main road. Even a familar one. I used to work on that road. 25 years ago. Huh. Guess roads can change a little after 25 years. Apparently.

The area looked familiar. But all the businesses had closed over the last two decades. Then I entered a less-than-desirable area of the city. Seems it had gone downhill, as the businesses had closed. Dark, dirty taverns were the only places left. Open at 10 in the morning. Winos (I know, not a politically correct term, but accurate in this one instance. Very stereotypical. Passed out all over the sidewalks, holding bottles in bags. Just like an old movie), garbage blowing along the streets and not a moving soul. Finally, I found the street I needed. Unfortunately, not until after I passed it. Now I just needed to turn around.

But, of course, the street had turned into a small, barely paved road, running along the country. Mile after mile without a place to turn. Surrounded by wide open fields. Eventually, an airport appeared to my right. I realized, on the other side of that airport was the main road I normally use. If I can get there, I'll be home free.

About this time, I realized I should have eaten breakfast. And maybe found a restroom. Yeah. That would have been a good idea.

Well, that was a great theory. There was no place to turn. No way to cross. Not with a guard gate, anyway. Then, just as I was ready to give up, I saw it. A familiar building, I had been to often. And a turn light, aimed toward it. What could go wrong?

I know what you're thinking. Lots. But, contrary to the rest of the morning, it was actually easy. The road went through. I was able to get to the familar street, back to the small bridge and back home.

Just in time to get ready and drive to work. A quick run to the emissions building, an hour long project at the most, had taken three hours. Now all I had left to do was drive an hour to work, work 8 hours, drive an hour home and, finally, rest.

Well, actually, it's finals week. So I had to log in and work on a final report worth a third of my grade.

And that was only the first day last week.

St Patrick's Day

I love St Patrick's Day. Okay, I love corned beef and cabbage. Cooked with potatoes and carrots. With Irish soda bread. My wife cooked the best corned beef ever. I could have eaten my weight. It takes hours for it to cook. It's worth the wait. It's worth the weight too, if it comes to that. To top it all off, a co-worker baked a green cake with green extra sweet frosting.
What? Green cake isn't traditional? Do I care? It tasted good, tradition or no tradition. I could have eaten the entire cake myself (but my co-workers might have hunted me down).
I had extra helpings of everything (except the cake, but that was at work). I feel full. I feel good.
I need a nap.
Life is good.

I'll exercise tomorrow.

How things change

I'm sitting in an office, getting the oil changed in my car. I'm suppose to be doing homework, but I'm counting this as my "break". I was thinking about how things have changed recently. Not for the worse and not for the better. Just changed.

My youngest is now in school. It used to be, when I would get the oil changed in my car, I would bring the stroller along and walk my daughter around the neighborhood while the car was worked on. We had just enough time to get fresh air and visit our favorite stores.

Some of our favorite stores are closed now. The Christian bookstore that I used to stop at and see if they had any "classic" christian CDs on sale is gone. (Yes, yes, I know. I'm old enough to concider my music "classic"). The toy store is gone. The fruit store is still there (not bad). The donut shop is still there (WOO HOO!!). Sorry, some foods take priority over other foods.

Now I sit, writing about my life and wondering if anyone is reading it. I'm not getting the fresh air or the fun with hanging out with my kid and no exercise at all, except for my fingers. Still, as long as I imaging people are reading this, at least I can say I'm touching base with my friends.

See, it's not change for the worse, or change for the better. It's just change.

Now I should get back to homework. I've put it off long enough. I avoid homework, when I can. See, there's one thing that hasn't changed since high school 25 years ago. So, sometimes, there's no change.

But, where are the jet packs?

I contemplated a few things, while my dentist worked on my teeth. See, the reason I was thinking was because the dentist was leaning over and blocking my view of the TV. Isn't that the coolest thing? A TV, in the ceiling, with HD cable. Life is really good. But, here is what I was thinking. When I was a kid, I imagined the future, and I tried to remember what has come to pass that I had looked forward to...

1. A TV in the ceiling while at the Dentist. I apparently spent a lot of time at the dentist, staring up his nose, wishing for something more fun. And what was more fun, when we were 9, than TV? And, lo, it has come to pass.
2. A TV small enough to carry around. Sure, I got one of those back in the 80s. But it was black and white and not very usable. Now we have DVD players small enough to carry with us, with a color wide-screen TV. So, lo, it has come to pass.
3. A TV where you could look in the TV guide and choose what to watch, no matter what time you happen to turn it on. Apparently, I thought a lot about TV. Most of the future was comprised of watching TV. And, lo, On-Demand has come to pass.
4. A tape player small enough to fit in a pocket and carry a lot of radio shows. And, lo, MP3 players have come to pass. My MP3 can hold many hours worth of radio shows. And, lo, lotsa tunes have come to pass.
5. A tricorder (I did say I watched a lot of TV) that could be portable, so you could play video games anywhere you want. Well, we have laptops. Heck, we have cell phones with video games (I just added Yatzee to my cell phone and I'm thinking about Simcity). And, lo, we have gadgets.
6. The ability to look up facts for school reports without going to the library and lugging heavy books. Hey, we've conquered a lot of this. Not just the internet, we have databases with varifiable data. We can now carry several hundred books on a flashdrive the size of fingernail clippers and read them on a paperback sized device. And, lo, blah, blah, blah.

And I even go to school while at home. Don't think I ever hoped I would be going to school when I was in my forties. But, hey, now we can. Hmmm, not as much fun as watching TV though.

Busy, busy, busy - did I mention busy?

I realized, as it was snowing, that I haven't updated my blog since the last snow. There are so many things I'm behind in.

• I had a midterm last week and another next week.
• We have a group project due tomorrow in one class.
• I haven't logged into facebook in three weeks. I have multiple requests there, waiting to see me.
• I have more e-mail than I could ever read.
• Both of my kids have Science Fair projects due. I spent half the day sticking wires into a potato trying to make it activate a lightbulb. Didn't work. I used my volt-meter to check and a potato only has .35 volts. No wonder it didn't work. My daughter was able to make dancing raisins, though.
• Um - lots of stuff around the house and yard. Behind in too much to list.
• The cubs are collecting food for the local food bank. My kids and I walked, in the snow and wind, sticking door-hangers on countless doors. I spent half the morning walking around the neighborhood, leaving notes asking for food. Next week, we'll drive around the same block, collecting the bags of food to donate.
• We need to build three cars for the yearly pine-wood derby. Haven't even started.
• The (real) cars need cleaning. Best wait though, just in case of snow.
• Homework. So much homework.

So much to do. Should get to work.

Think I'll play Monopoly with the kids tomorrow.

Priorities, you understand.

Our Inflatable Penguin

Aaaaaaa!! The snow killed our inflatable penguin. Oh, the horror.

Okay, don't worry. We brought him inside and he recovered. Must have been magical New Year's Snow, like Frosty's Christmas snow.

Lessons for the new year

Well, here are a few lessons I recently learned...

1. The snow taught me something. Even a family that likes each other should not be stuck in the house together for that many days.


2. It's better to watch a comedy before going to bed, instead of a sad movie.


3. I'm the only person in my city who knows how to drive in the snow and ice.


4. A computer works better with more memory. I would probably work better if I had better memory.


5. I thought I took a lot of pictures when I used film. In one year of having a digital camera, my picture output almost tripled.


6. There really is such a thing as too many cookies. Dang, who would have imagined it?


7. I enjoy nature, until something small, furry and uninvited tries to get into the house.


8. I'm really happy when something small, furry and uninvited tries and doesn't succeed.


9. My dog isn't as dumb as she acts.


10. I actually can sleep 8 hours all at once, if given the opportunity. Who'd have thunk it?
11. If you take the time to enjoy it, a roll of smarties can last all day.