Mondays Gone By

It occurred to me that my life has really changed a lot since 1998. In 1998, I was only Megan's father and Alex had not been born. I was working @ a company that had ~5 employees in the Cedar Rapids branch. The company was having $ problems and we'd sit around the lunch table and hope that the mail person would bring us a check from a client so that payroll could be met. The president of the company used his personal funds to help make payroll during that epoch.

As it turns out, I became very interested in finding a new position that would hold more security for my family. That led me to my current employer, where I have stayed since 10/1/98. Twenty-two days after starting, Alex was born.

Another aspect that is different is that I used to be hopelessly devoted to watching what is now the WWE. It was called WWF then and there was a competitor, WCW, that I watched as well. I attended more than one live wrestling show at what is now the US Cellular Center. I saw at least one Nitro, one Thunder, the WCW PPV "Souled Out," and at least 2 different WWE shows. At one of the shows, Kane and the Undertaker were a tag team. At another, John Cena made the crowd go nuts.

I caught a glimpse of WWE Raw tonight and, frankly, I wasn't impressed. At the PPV last night, Chris Jericho made Shawn Michaels bleed and then proceeded to kick the holy crap out of him. There was blood all over. It was sickening. The product has changed so much since the days I watched it. I refuse to let Alex watch it, though he saw a little bit tonight. It is still a "Daddy Show" in my eyes but I am getting old enough to question, "Why do I even care about it anymore?" The product is not as appealing to me as it used to be.

Part of it is life. I spent time with Alex tonight, demanding that he practice his piano for his lesson Wed, then doing 20 minutes of flash cards, then reading some of a book called "Children in Hiding." Finally, I tucked him in his bed, told him I loved him, and talked about how he will spend every day, for the rest of his life, reading and doing math. I declared that I was not doing reading and flash cards to be mean to him, that I thought the more he practiced them, the easier they would become. I pointed out that "tomorrow" used to be a hard spelling word for him and now, he rattles it off. He memorized it and has it entrenched in his brain. I want 5 x 9, 6 x8, 25/5, 21-9, and 8 + 9 to all be in his brain to the degree that he doesn't have to think about it - he just knows the answer.

If I go back another 10 years, I was a newly graduated senior in high school, about to enter Mount Mercy College. I think, by this time, I was no longer dating the girl I was hung up on all through high school, but that doesn't mean I didn't have strong feelings for her. I remember taking her out to lunch to Carlos O'Kelly's. On the way home, my car died. We pushed it to a median and a nice stranger took us to the Twin Pines golf course. I called a tow truck - I didn't know what else to do - and she said to me, "I don't know how you'll get me home so I'm going to find a bus." At the time, I hated golf and being stuck in the clubhouse was hell. I hated it and I hated the fact that this girl I liked left me - abandoned me - when I was in hell. So much for her, eh?

Rather, I went to college, thinking about her all the time and kind of hung up on her. In fact, when I first met Karen, I remember talking about this girl all the time. Then, Karen and I got serious and I didn't think about her. Then Karen broke up with me, shattering me. On New Year's Eve 1988, I met up with her at a party and she gave me a ride home. We tried dating again - I brought her up to a Mount Mercy College dance and I remember introducing her to Karen. I didn't do that to be mean, though it may have seemed that way at the time. That fizzled out and on 2/14/89, Karen and I started talking about getting back together again. We talked a lot during those days, and our conversations would last and last.

Fast forward 20 years and we're coming up on our 15 year wedding anniversary, we have two wonderful kids, and the rest of our lives to share with each other. The point, I guess, is that life changes when you consider the changes in life in 10 year increments.

Goody for me

I had a good day. We went to Alex's baseball team's barbeque @ 1. We stayed until ~3:30. Then, as we were walking home, Alex noticed the neighbors were out so he went to their backyard to play. Karen and Megan went shopping @ the mall for clothes - I assured them I didn't need to go - and so I laid down on the couch and closed my eyes. Around 5:30, I woke up, folded the laundry and then went over to see what Alex was doing. I stayed there until Karen and Megan returned. Then we ordered pizza and, as we ate our pizza, we watched "Bridezillas" on the WE network. HOLY COW!

What was the funniest is that a groom-to-be was being trained to say "Yes dear" after she said something. That's what I say to my wife when she tells me to do something. Now saying "yes dear" has a link to Bridezillas.

It's 11:16 and I'm done.

Contract Status

Project A is to proofread a Help system - this project ended on Friday. Will be paid tomorrow!
Project B is to edit/rewrite a Getting Started guide - this project also ended on Friday. Will be paid this week.
Project C is to write/update an online Help system. I have had Project C as a freelance gig for nearly 5 years. Will focus on Project C for this week after my wife and kids go to bed.

Dip to the archives

Before I ever started writing this blog, I met someone famous (gasp). I interviewed Jeff Pilson, who was the bassist for Dokken at the time. For the pic below, Dokken drummer Mick Brown showed up.
Here's proof.

Currently unavailable...

Home

It is Sunday AM. Last night, we got home after a nearly 2 hour ride from Elkader to North Liberty. Our original plan was to come home today.

But around 7, one of Karen's cousins asked us if we had heard about the approaching storms. I suggested going home. We looked at the weather on KCRG and decided to pack up and go.

We got south of Manchester and WHAM! Rain, lightening, and high winds. It was hell to drive home, especially with 2 scared kids and not being able to see very well.

So we finally got home, all safe. We had to stop at my work and get my car as Karen had picked me up from work on Friday.

I am glad we are home. We would've spent a lot of time in the campground's bath house, which would have been a lot safer than our camper but it still would have been not a lot of fun.

In the thick of it again...

It's already Tuesday and, already, this week seems long. I have three projects that I'll call A, B, and C.

Project A is to proofread a Help system.
Project B is to edit/rewrite a Getting Started guide.
Project C is to write/update an online Help system. I have had Project C as a freelance gig for nearly 5 years.

I'm making a major push to complete project A by 7/31, which means working from 9-1 (an hour past my normal bedtime!) to get more work done. I figure 35 more hours of work are required to complete this project.

Project B is wrapping up. I predict only 1 more hour on that project.

Then I have to move on to project C. I expected project C to be long done. There were delays beyond anyone's control and I got project C while I am working on projects A and B. I only went out to find projects A & B only because project C kept being delayed. Then, as you might expect, I suddenly have 3 projects competing for my time.

No one really writes about that - what do you do when you have 3 authentic number one priorities? Blah blah blah "time management" blah blah blah "diligent work habits." But HOW do you split your time in 3? I was not able to do so. Project C has sat for a couple of weeks. I had thought I would be able to start last night, but project A has taken over.

Back to work.

What the ...more drums

The set in the next clip is visually amazing.

---

---

And... wow. If you hate TS, you don't like me much today. BUT... this video is worth watching because AJ Pero kicks butt in this song. Truly, a classic song for drummers.

---

---

More Reviews!

I have been busy writing reviews for http://www.dailyvault.com.

This is my Offspring review - http://www.dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=5552 - & this is my Bret Michaels solo release review - http://www.dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=5557.

More to come in the near future.....

Working for Free...

I would like to say that this weekend was pretty good. Not only did the weekend go well, I also have no inkling as to what is awaiting for me tomorrow AM when I return to work. I am a Logmein.com user and when I signed off of my PC Thursday PM, I thought I was rebooting my PC. Well, apparently, someone turned off my PC b/c I cannot log onto my PC - it says it is "Offline." Which is great. It's fantastic.

Why?

I would do work for free tonight for my employer. I would log on to my PC and do work and then not log those hours as hours I worked. What do I do when I log onto my PC? Check e-mail messages for things that come up. Thursday PM, a Support rep couldn't find information about something so I, quickly, located it and replied back with a link to where the information she was seeking is located.

Simple requests get my attention. "Can you add "The sky is blue" to the "Item File Maintenance" topic?" Sure. It's 10-15 minutes and I make my reader happy.

Yet... I am working for free. Free. As in "I'll do the work and you don't have to compensate me for my time." Free.

How freaking stupid is that?!?

I have to stop.

And the funny thing is ... I've said this before. In the early days of working @ this company, I would explore the Internet and download WinHelp files, on my own time, decompile them, on my own time, and inspect their .hpj file, on my own time, to figure out what that Tech Writer did to get their WinHelp file to do whatever functionality had captured my interest. Early on, it was the CB macro, which would create a user-defined button that could go anywhere, that captured my attention. Then, it was adding menu options to the right-click menu.

Then, it was the fact that I could have a single file with all these startup macros stored and by adding or removing a line and recompiling all the WinHelp files, I could ripple my changes through all my projects. But even before that, it was figuring out how to write a DOS batch file and compiling all my projects without ever opening my Help Authoring Tool (HAT).

All these things I would explore and figure out on my own, sitting at my PC in my den, and relishing as I expanded my knowledge. I became a WinHelp guru and one of the last to leave the format. I remember one day posting that as much as I loved the format, I was no longer going to write WinHelp files. I had joined the HTML revolution.

And even with HTML, I am in the midst of learning. And learning. I got turned on to Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and am now in the midst of converting from a layout that uses tables to control formatting to using CSS to control my formatting. It is a strange new world. I've learned about how to add color and depth to various tags and laughed myself silly as I watched the changes to a single line impact over 1000 HTML files.

But even with all that, it is hard for me to distinguish between work and play, between work for which I should receive compensation for and work that is for my own knowledge.

I think it boils down to this: I cannot work for my employer for free any longer. If I log onto my PC, I need to track that time. Period.

Writing that may seem like common sense, but it feels like a boulder off my shoulder...

A Good Deal... On to Elkader!

Time goes by so fast during the summer. We were home Monday night and we leave tomorrow AM with our kids. Additionally, Joel and Jamie, friends of Alex and Megan respectfully are going with us. The forecast is for rain so hopefully that will pass by quickly.

I am glad, though, I was home tonight. A local car dealership has opened up a service garage. A guy came around tonight selling a card worth $350 for $39.95. With this card you get 4 free oil changes, an evaluation of a "Check Engine" light, air conditioning refresh when you buy a pound of freon ... hell, two oil changes will pay for the card and, frankly, I was thinking about my ex-neighbor who runs a heating and cooling company. A couple of years ago, I went with Bill to have him put some freon in my air conditioner. The freon has since been used up or something because there is no cool air coming out of my car when I turn on the air conditioner. On top of that, my driver's side window doesn't go down - well, it does, but there's a part that, if it broke, would cost ~$200 to replace so I don't even roll that window down - so I rely on rolling my back windows down to create a cross breeze. On 90 degree days, it sure would be nice to have air conditioning for the 1/2 hour ride home. So, I convinced Karen to purchase this card. I usually have my car work done at a place in CR but I can't pass up using this local guy.

The guy in CR has been very good to me so I feel like I need to stop in every so often and see him. One time, he told me he had rotated my tires. I asked him what I owed him and his reply was, "I just did it." No charge. He replaced my starter, has replaced my battery, has charged my camper battery, has fixed my driver's side window when it first broke, and has changed my oil for the last year or so. If something goes wrong in CR, I'll definitely go see him. Otherwise, I plan to use the local guy.

Anyways, the point of this post is that we are leaving tomorrow AM for Elkader so I won't be writing over the weekend. If, by chance, the forecast is for rain Saturday night, we may pack up and return home Saturday, but since we're not going up until tomorrow AM, staying only one night seems like a waste.

The other big news is that my in-laws purchased a camper. You'll recall about a month ago, their camper was in the flood in Elkader. Their camper was totaled. They ordered a replacement camper yesterday. Good for them.

On to Elkader!

Waiting...

Waiting...
I keep waiting...
Waiting for some chick to go ...

Yeah. Okay. If you ever have the chance to listen to Cousin Oliver, listen to the song called "Head" on the (818) release. I don't know why this band has never released a follow-up that got into my mailbox in North Liberty. I can only hope it was an oversight since I gave (818) a very glowing review.

To get back on subject, I am waiting for

• a check from the realty company for mowing my neighbor's yard
• a package with memory to put in my PC
• a babysitting reimbursement check from my wife's employer

In the meantime, http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=100585 is a good read. I'm not responsible for any potty language you read on that page.

Bye.

Spiderwick, Cleaning My Gun, and Cactus

I think I may be the last person on Earth to have seen "The Spiderwick Chronicles." Alex and Megan went to see it in the theater and we rented it last night. I liked it. I understand the storyline but I was disappointed with the DVD's "Bonus Features." I wanted to see how the movie was made - how they coordinated the human actors with the computer effects. How long did it take to animate the Griffin? What about the climatic battle when the troll is chasing the kid up the house? What about when the cab runs over the monster in town? How were those shots made and what amount of time did it take for them to be made? Also, I didn't get a clear sense as to whether there will be a sequel.

On to other stuff. Megan and I were the only 2 awake when that movie ended last night. We had planned to be in Elkader until today but since the forecast was for rain (and we spent Sunday night in the camper during a storm), we were ready to come home. Alex had a birthday party/sleepover and coming home meant he could go there. Since we were on the Sycamore Mall side of Iowa City, we went to Carlos O'Kelly's for supper. By the time the truck was unloaded and the phone stopped ringing, it was after 9. Karen fell asleep and Megan and I watched the movie.

On to other things: I really am not a country music fan, by definition, but I really like Rodney Atkins' "Cleaning My Gun" and "If You're Going through Hell" songs. I also have liked, and continue to like, the band 1997. Pollstar revealed to me today that they are going to play @ the Maintenance Shop in Ames, IA on Friday, October 17.

Finally, I am not really a 'plant' type of person - as much plant person as a 'country music' person - but I just noticed that I have been able to keep my grandmother's cactus alive in the den. I don't even know what kind of cactus it is - it's not a prickly dessert cactus b/c it doesn't have prickly things. It has flowers and doesn't get very tall.

In other final news, I am still anxiously awaiting Metallica's Death Magnetic. The Internet says Tuesday, September 16th, is when it should be released, but until I see it officially... I'm not in line @ Best Buy for it yet. I do plan to buy it the night it comes out. In fact, if I remember correctly, it actually was in stores on the Monday night.

My review of the Offspring's new CD is @ Dailyvault.com

America

I love America and I'm proud to be an American.

Tomorrow is Independence Day and, frankly, I'm glad that I can enjoy the freedoms that exist in the country. Is this country perfect? Of course not as only God is perfect.

I am leaving from work for Elkader. I will be there until 7/9 @ night. I can't predict whether I will update this blog that night or if I will try to extend the "Vacation from the PC" one more night.

I know I have plenty of technical writing contract work to do - and that I will also need to mow the yard down the street on Tuesday so I hope it is not raining.

I hope you, reading this, understand that America is a great country. I hope you have a beer and a brat to celebrate.

New Review

http://www.dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=5533 is a review of the new ZZ Top DVD.

Mowing & Catching Up

I enjoy mowing the yard. I find it gives me time to focus on things I need to think about. There have been many mornings when I have gone into work, energized or curious about some thought that occurred to me while mowing. I run through issues in my head related to work and a lot of times I figure them out while pushing my mower. We purchased a new mower in May (May 2nd I believe) so I'm happy to report the mower is working fantastic. Tonight, I mowed the yard two houses down from us. Our neighbors moved to Oklahoma and now the realtor is paying me $ to mow their yard. I got my first check from them today in the mail, as a matter of fact. That's sweet. So, tomorrow night, I'll send an invoice for tonight and get another check within a week or so. It's awesome.

In other news, Megan's team is the champion of their league. The other team stupidly walked our best batter then hit two of our next batters, then the next batter drove in the winning run.

The team that had beat Alex's team 3 times ended up winning the overall championship of the league. We gave them a tough go of it so it's a credit to our team to have done so well.

I am in North Liberty tonight through Thursday AM. Then we are heading back to Elkader for 5 nights (Thur, Fri, Sat, Sun, & Mon) and then we'll come home Tuesday.

I played golf today and shot a 65 for 9 holes. My father-in-law shot a 66. I was ahead by 6 strokes early, then 4, then 3 then 2 then ended up beating him by 1. I needed a good tee shot on the 9th hole and it went where I wanted it to go. Then I was on the green 4 shots later, then putted. Whew!

Finally...

Unfortunately, Alex's team lost their game last night 5-4 so the Rays season is over. We played the Royals, who had beat us twice previously 5-4 so it was fitting that our season was ended by the team that we couldn't beat twice before.

Megan's team, however, won and plays for the championship game tonight. If they lose their first game @ 5, they have to play again b/c it would be their first loss. If they win their game @ 5, then it's over and Megan's team are the champions of their league.

Alex's team only played 1.5 innings on Wednesday because there was lightening. I was asked what I thought about the weather and I said, "Keep the kids safe. If there's a storm, I don't want any kids on the field." I think the person that asked me that wanted me to say, "Let the game go on!" but I didn't feel that way.

Karen made the comment that next week, when there are no games, she will have so much free time, she won't know what to do. I think our nights will get filled up with various other things - we don't have "free time" any more. For me, I have some TWing contract work to get done and many, many CD reviews to write.

Right now, I'm listening to Spitalfield. They have replaced Count the Stars as the band I can listen to over and over.

I haven't been able to find a release date for Metallica's "Death Magnetic." I just know it's September. I can't wait! I will buy it on the day it is released, in the same way I bought their "St. Anger" release on the day it came out.

It's 7:20 AM. I have a busy day @ work ahead of me. Lots of projects, lots of stuff piled up on my desk and not nearly enough time to do it all. There are 3 major projects that I need to get done and they all are going way too slow. I need to put Spitalfield's "Remember Right Now" in my CD player, put on my headphones and tap tap away...

A Momentary Lapse in Pausing

Alex's first tournament game was tonight. His team lost 6-5. We were ahead 5-2 but then the other team scored, obviously, and beat us. Megan's first tournament game was also tonight. Her team won. They are the #1 seed in the tournament and, frankly, some predict they will win the tournament. Both tournaments are double elimination. Alex's team and Megan's team are both playing tomorrow night.

It is 11 and I am exhausted. I haven't felt my legs hurt this much in months. I mowed the front of our yard tonight, then showered and went to Megan's game. I am weary from camping. I hope to regain my strength and endurance soon.

I did see the new Indiana Jones movie. I liked it.

A Day @ Home

I love my kids unconditionally and always will - what parent denies this?

Yet, I'm amazed at the number of stay-at-home dads that lose their patience with their flesh and blood. I see this often times in the strangest of circumstances. A father cannot make it to work so he is able to sit in his den and do his work from home. Because of Mother Nature, the kids' normal babysitter cannot come to the house so this father inherits daily chores, such as taking the kids to their swimming lessons, instructing them as to what chores they need to accomplish, and feeding them. This father treats each of these simple tasks with apprehension, mainly because the kids are able to question the father's authority and talk back to him. He sequesters himself in his office and does his job, shutting the door, not really giving a rat's a$$ what his own kids are up to. Did they go outside and play? Did they fight with each other? Did they accomplish their assigned tasks?

And time marches on...

How High's the Water Mama? Six Feet High and Rising... - Johnny Cash... I think

I hate blogspot. I had written the best post I've ever written on this blog about my life, about the floods, and about how my freelance contract work is getting going in a positive direction. Clicked "Save Now" and I get an error. Can't return to the post to copy it to my clipboard or anything. So that brilliant post is gone and you're left with this garbage. Have a nice night.

Camping

We're not camping in Elkader this weekend. I found this on You Tube:

---

---

It is utterly crazy to watch, even if you are unfamiliar with the town. When they show the bridge with the water underneath it and a gate - when there isn't water gushing by, you can go down some steps. Alex and I throw rocks in the river sometimes.


My in-laws camper is on the above page. If you look in the left corner, there is a cabin. My in-law's cabin is about 5 campers 'up' from the cabin. They can't get to the camper to investigate the damage but all assumptions are that the camper is totaled. Their current thought is that they will not purchase a replacement camper, which effectively ends their summer camping excursions to Elkader where they have had a permanent spot for at least 4 years - maybe longer. There is a lot of revenue being sucked out of Elkader. I question whether we will actually camp in Elkader this year. I don't think the water will go down as quickly as an optimist and think that the water will still be an issue 2 weeks from now. God can feel free to prove me wrong...

Supposedly, the movie theater has water in the basement and so does the bank that is on the corner. The bank's computer system is in the basement so I hope they have a good backup!

My hope is that the predicted rains hold off.

Marching On...

Karen has walking pneumonia and feels like crap. It works out okay when she wants to go to bed early because I don't feel guilty for going downstairs to the den and working on some (paid) hourly side work. I'm currently proofreading a software's online Help. I have a meeting on Friday with a client, and I expect another client to have work for me yet this week. All of these are side ventures that do not interfere with my day job, but they all have to do with my writing and proofing skills and sharpening them by doing work outside of my daily job.

I did get to edit a couple of marketing brochures yesterday, which was a nice change of pace. I hope to continue to do that.

Back to Karen going to bed early. I picked up some hamburgers @ Fareway and grilled them. They tasted really good. I put some of my Rendezvous barbeque sauce (from Memphis 2007) on it and that made it perfect.

It's 12:20 AM so off to slumber I retire.

The Grind

A day into the grind and wow. Last night @ Alex's game, we were told the game was called. We told that to the other team. Then, a couple of minutes later, the umpire said that the game was delayed, not called. When we told that to the other coach, he said his players had already left. So, Alex didn't play.

We went up to Megan's game, where there were a couple of rain delays before the game was over with her team winning. She made the last out b/c she was playing 1st base, the ball was hit, and she caught it. The ump called the batter out.

The worst feeling in the world is having stuff break. When we got home, Karen told me about how the garage door opener is acting up. You have to hold the button in for the door to close. What a pain in the a$$. I hate stuff like this. I used to get all in a tizzy about it, but now I have a different attitude, one of "Okay, there's a reason this is happening. What is it so I can fix it?" It's part of being a homeowner that after 14 years and two houses, I'm finally catching on. There's still the "you've got to be kidding me' gut-level instinctive reaction I have to something 'broken' or 'not working' like the garage door, but I'm more positive about it. I think it through and try to figure it out. It used to be my first instinct to immediately call the 'expert' and have them look at it. My experience is that there is rarely good news when it gets to that point. Kind of like the mower in May - by the time it gets to 'this doesn't work,' it's already too late.

Only a game tomorrow night for both kids. Megan has a double-header - Alex has one game. Thursday is North Liberty Days, Friday is leaving for Elkader and this weekend is relaxing.

One sub-plot brewing is that Karen is battling a horrendous cold - she's staying home today. I told her that I didn't care about camping - sitting around the campfire in the cold air isn't going to help her feel better. While I like camping, I think there's more important things in life that.need attention - her health! She is going to the doctor today. I'm putting our chances at 60% we will go camping. Based upon what the doctor says, that number may dip below 50% later today.

Boston in Iowa

According to Pollstar, Boston is coming to Iowa on Friday, July 18, 2008 @ the Jones County Fair. It would be really neat to see them play, even without the original members all present.

Seventh Day

Last night was Anthony and Jess' wedding. We stayed at the reception until 11:30. It was a good party. One of my friends was the DJ and one of my co-workers was the security guard. There was a lot of alcohol consumed - 3 kegs plus bottles of champagne, a bottle of Crown Royal, a couple of 40 oz Bud Light bottles, and some cases of beer that were purchased after the last keg went dry. Since I drove home, I had one beer.

It's 7:20 AM. I know we have a lot to clean up in the house - yesterday's prep for the wedding has left the house in shambles as far as stuff laying around. It is going to be a day of cleaning up, I think. The mountain of laundry has multiplied magically and I have a suspicion that we will start thinking about next Friday, when we leave for camping in Elkader.

So Anthony and Jess start the next chapter of their relationship. On the way home, Karen mentioned that the next 'milestone' in our circle of friends will be Megan's graduation from high school in 2015 and Alex's in 2017.

I can tell you that I would need as long as I can get to prepare myself for even considering the prospect of walking Megan down the aisle. I can't conceive that situation - I'm not ready to even admit that day is even a possibility. I'm in denial that she will be a nun, something she assures me she will *not* be.

In the meantime, life will go on and she will grow older, wiser, and more sure of herself. She and I danced to some songs and ... I'm just not ready.

In other news, the sun is not out yet. It is cloudy and I saw lightening earlier.

Really, it's okay that it's Raining Today but...

I really hope it does not rain tomorrow. Jessica and Anthony are being married and I *SO* want a beautiful day for them.

I want sunshine, but not heat.

I want winds, but not gusts that will mess up her hair or play havoc with anything.

I want the rain today but not at the risk of causing traffic issues in getting from North Liberty to downtown Iowa City. Dubuque Street was closed yesterday so that means having to go out to the Dodge Street exit in order to go downtown. That means taking longer to get from the church to the reception at the South Slope facility in North Liberty.

I want the start of their marriage to be perfect, even though I admit, marriage is not perfect. A $2000 knee surgery bill is unpredictable and has impacted an otherwise perfect world. In my vision of a perfect world, there would be no $2000 medical bills. By itself, it's not terrible, but add in other expenses and you get a lot of ...

Was I digressing from my point?

I really hope the day is gorgeous for them. Karen is going to South Slope ~2 to help decorate the reception area. I think that's when it'll really hit.

My job at the reception is to pour the drinks. While I did that @ Travis' reception (Travis is Jessica's brother), this time, I am going to have a bucket that says "Tips for Anthony and Jessica" for when people come up.

Thur

Bill and I fixed the door on Tuesday night.

I got a $2000 bill from the hospital for my knee surgery. Do I look like I have $2000 laying around?

Megan's team won last night.

Alex plays tonight & Megan is going to an "End of the Year" party / sleepover so she will miss tonight's game.

Life is good. Except the $2000 hospital bill part. That is not so good.

Tuesday is Sad

There was a plane crash in Iowa City today. You can read about it @ kcrg.com. A two year old little girl had surgery for her club foot in Iowa City and was being flown back home to Georgia. The plane crashed shortly after take-off and the little girl died. Think about how tragic that is. Then, turn off your PC and go hug the ones you love. Did the mother of this child know it would be the last day for her to hug her daughter? Nope. Now get off the PC already and get to work, loving the ones you care about in your life.

1 Door Down

On Sunday night, Karen noticed our bedroom door screws were loose. I went and got a screwdriver and, like Tim Taylor on "Home Improvement," screwed up what should have been a simple project. I over-tightened the screws and made the hole larger than the screw. Therefore, when Karen went to close the door, one of the screws came out and all the other ones were loose. The solution was to take the door off the hinges because the screws wouldn't tighten. Now, with two kids, you need a door for privacy.

So, I went to the toolbox and found some plastic sheaths that I thought I could pound into the frame and then screw the screw into those. Well, I didn't have the correct size plastic sheath so I couldn't do anything with it.

Yesterday, I stopped at the local hardware store and asked the guy that worked there what I should do. He said that my plastic sheaths wouldn't work. The hole needs to be deeper so that it can expand. He suggested putting some epoxy in the hole and screwing the screw into that. So, thinking I had epoxy at home, I didn't buy anything there.

On the way to CR, I called Karen to tell her about that. Then, the more I thought about it, I wanted a second opinion so I called Bill. Bill and I used to be neighbors and I was the DD for the van he rode in on Saturday night for his future son-in-law's bachelor party. So I explained the situation to Bill and he suggested putting toothpicks into the hole with epoxy, letting it dry and then screwing the screw into that. He then said, "If you're going to work on that, maybe I'll come over and help you."

So, tonight, Bill is coming over to help me hang our bedroom door. Karen and Alex are getting haircuts so Bill and I will be able to hang the door easily. Bill said it was a 5 minute job but my jobs are never - ever - as simple as that. There are always complications and misconceptions about expectations and reality.

Are you like that with household projects? It seems like what starts simple never ends up that way and what I think will be complicated is effortless. The Saturday I found the blinds in the rafters of the attic and decided to hang them - that should have been more complicated than it was - yet, they went up easy. Screwing the screws in a door - that should have been simple and yet, Bill is coming over tonight to help me.

The Race Continues

Yesterday, we had some neighbors come over to enjoy the patio and our company. It was a good afternoon - we were sitting outside for ~5 hours. The sun was gorgeous. I like sitting in the shade, though, and there was enough for me to sit in.

Other stuff: back to baseball / softball tonight. Alex is in Coralville; Megan is in North Liberty so that means I can't watch her and Karen can't watch Alex. I would much prefer to have all of our games in NL so that there is a more likely chance we can see both kids play in their game.

Work is going to be crazy. I have a lot of tasks to do to prepare for something that has to be done most likely this week. I am going to start on them when I arrive at work and, hopefully, be able to get all of them done today.

Gotta go.

3 AM is the new Midnight

I was up until 3 AM Sunday AM and up until 3 AM on Saturday AM. I guess 3 AM is the new midnight, which is my self-imposed stop what I'm doing and go to bed time of the day. I find that if I stay up past midnight, I tend to be slower to wake up in the AM - and I consider myself a die-hard AM person.

Yesterday, I drove by the two houses that are close to my parents' house and neither one of them are anything I'd be interested in.

It's 11:10 and I need to leave @ 11:30 to grab the kids from my mom and dad's house in CR. That's why this is short.