Board Game Shane

Sometimes, Shane cracks me up. He can make me laugh until my sides hurt.

Thanksgiving 2013 held one of those precious moments.

When John's two player impromptu demo of X-Wing with Matt ballooned into a six-person event, Shane was mesmerized. He sat at the table and parroted everyone. 

"I want to play too!"  "I have to move!"  "I have one!"  "I'm playing a game! A BIG game!"

I was already laughing when Patrick left to visit his girlfriend's family. One of the exchange students, Tati(?), rolled to attack Patrick's B-Wing. Shane was in my lap and had Patrick's defense die. He refused to relinquish them! 

I told him to "Roll for Uncle Patrick!" 

Shane rolled! He rolled well, too! 

The room erupted in laughter. It was the cutest thing. I have a new proudest moment with my son!

I'm really looking forward to teaching Shane board and card games when he's older. I want to have a family game night every now and then. I've got Dominion, Settlers of Catan, and a deck of cards is cheap if I can find a fourth for Spades.

I don't know if Shane's going to be interested or not, but a father can dream can't he?

Thanksgiving 2013

Thanksgiving 2013 was spent at Nana and Pop's house.

Carrie felt nauseous, so Shane, Roxy, and I cleared out of the house around noon to let her sleep.

The family crowd was a little lighter this year: Kathleen, Stu, and Cole are in SC, Megan and Billy are on the other side of the globe, and we didn't combine with the Jeffers family either. They were missed, but I'm sure they're enjoying the holiday where they are. They'll bring new stories for everyone the next time we gather.

My parents brought in some 'temps' to fill in empty seats. A family friend from years back, Carla, is an exchange student from Argentina at a state university. She brought a group of other exchange students (Brazilians all, I think) who had no where else to go. Home was too far and too expensive and the university dorms were shut down as everyone else cleared out.

I've always admired Nana and Pop's hospitality. They're willing to open their doors to those in need and I've met many interesting people over the years who've lived there for days, weeks, or years.

But, I digress: Thanksgiving was filled with lots and lots of food, family, and friends.

Roxy and Indy spent most of it running (and shivering) outside in the mud together.

Shane was a crabby customer until after his nap. Then he dragged Carla all over the house and insisted that only she play with him ("No Pop! No Daddy! Only Carla!" an actual quote from Shane when Pop and I tried to find him during a Hide and Seek game with Carla). Eventually, I figured out that unless I turned the TV on Shane wasn't going to let her go.

Carrie came over late, but still felt like crap. She was glad to make it out, at least. She plopped down on a couch in front of some football and didn't leave it until I drove everyone home.

Bruce, Reina, and Bryce are long-time family friends and I hoped Shane would have shown more interest in playing with Bryce (he's 1/2 year younger than Shane). That didn't happen, but it was still nice seeing them again.

Everyone ate a big lunch, but things slowed down afterwards. The exchange students went for a walk, naps were taken, Patrick retreated to his computer, and processing leftovers began. I tried to take a nap on the couch after I was done eating and failed. I helped some with the clean-up and chatted, but mainly stuck near Shane's monitor.

In my opinion, the real excitement started after my friend, John, arrived.

John brought X-Wing.

John used to be a staple at family gatherings. He had not been in recent years (there's a story there), and this was the year I coaxed him back. He doesn't live far from my parents, so I asked him to bring his new board game over.

We grew up being utter nerds together. It wasn't a hard sell.

Of course, Shane's nap ended moments before John arrived. I was back on Daddy duty. There were other nerds waiting in the wings, though. Patrick came down from upstairs and Matt came up from the basement to demo the game. Then the exchange students came back from their walk and asked to join in!

X-Wing is a fun game, but it's not really made for a large group of people none of which know the rules. John and I played one 10 minute demo session prior to him bringing it over. That was it. I couldn't help with teaching the rules or play, because I was chasing my son around (when he'd let me...I'm also a low priority when there's new and exciting people around).

The game last longer than expected, but was fun to observe intermittently. Renee woke up and she and Matt showed everyone another game afterward, Avalon. I didn't get to play that one either, but it was hysterical to listen to. Matt and John are both 'all-in' and excitable. The whole group laughed and reveled, but you could hear those two from rooms away! It was hilarious.

There was a great Shane moment in between, but I'll save that for another post.

It was a good Thanksgiving. It would have been better if Carrie wasn't sick, but the day hasn't lost it's position as one of my all-time favorite holidays.

Food, family, and friends? It's hard to beat that! Bring a dish if you wish, and focus on what you can be thankful for.

Amen!

Black Friday

On a random note: I am morally opposed to Black Friday.

Black Friday shopping sucks.

I might shop online, but I avoid retail stores Thanksgiving and the day after. Kudos to stores that shut down or have limited hours so their employees can spend time with family and avoid retail abuse. Props to all the emergency/essential personnel who don't have that option.

Once upon a time, I braved the crowds. It lasted about 5 minutes. I thought 6 AM would be "early enough." The line at Best Buy wrapped around the interior of the whole store twice! My friend and I gaped and then left. We figured our time was worth more than saving $20 on the leftover deals.

I've had other friends who have enjoyed the sales. They camped out overnight and made a party of it with the people around them in line. It wasn't my thing, but it at least sounded like an experience. Kinda like camping out overnight for a major concert only you're at....Target.

Meh.

Now Black Friday just seems like an excuse to be greedy, abuse retail workers, and forget about family. It's creeped up onto Thanksgiving day here and headlines like "Black Friday Brawl at Walmart!" proliferate news sites. There's the murder over a parking spot, the trampling deaths from last year, etc. etc.

If you did go out in the crowds today, I hope you came back with all of your limbs intact and managed to be a blessing rather than a bastard to those around you. I get that it can be fun hunting for a deal, but I figure the time would be better spent with family.

Or maybe your family is your wing/elbow-men helping you survive the crowds?

Okay, I take it back: Friday is a day better spent resting, relaxing, and bonding with family!

Houston, We Have Water

Our leaking water main is fixed. 

There's a reason all of the quotes were so high.

Classics

I'm getting cheaper and cheaper in my 'old age.'

I prefer to think of it as 'efficient' and 'not materially driven,' but I can foresee Shane using the ch- word when he's older (or even skinflint if he has a vocabulary!).

I've discovered there are many free classic ebooks in the public domain. They're not always the type of books I would search out, but they work out great for my current situation. I don't have a lot of time to read, these can fit on my phone, are free, and typically shorter than modern novels.

It can't hurt to get a little culture either.

There was a Dr. Who episode with Agatha Christie, so I decided to read The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Sherlock was always fun, so why not try Poirot?

Honestly, it was not my preferred type of novel. It was clear to me that Agatha weaves a nice, muddy tale. All the characters have their own ideas and agendas and not everything that seems related to the case at hand really is.

I went ahead and picked up Murder on the Oriental Express on Shane and I's last library visit.

Once again, it wasn't the most gripping, page-turner. The conclusion was where Agatha Christie shows she's a master of writing mysteries.

I felt pretty good about myself picking up on or guessing (if I'm generous) a quarter of the facts and idiosyncrasies.

The resolution was such that it was all or nothing. I didn't see it coming.

Some period and linguistic knowledge was present I would never have picked up on, but Ms. Christie does leave clues throughout the entire story. With good reason, the cover exclaimed "Her masterpiece!"

I'm working on The Dubliners right now, but I can't say it's a quarter as amusing. I find it ironic that ages ago an English teacher or professor might have forced me to read these and here I'm doing it because it's free and easy.

Welcome Home, Roxy

Saturday morning, we picked up Roxy.

It's official, she's one of us.

In my opinion, Roxy is "suspiciously good." I keep wondering when the other shoe's going to fall.

Yes, she has puppy energy and would love to chase Max, but that's par for the course.

What we really need is to fix/finish off the fence. Walks in the rain and cold get old fast. It would be nice to throw Roxy's butt out back and let her finish her business at whatever leisurely pace she chooses!

Shane was very excited to visit the "Puppy House" on Saturday. He was only interested in the dogs for the first five minutes before his interest shifted to exploring (I taught him how to crab walk and he crawled in both dog crates).

He's been Hot and Cool towards Roxy since. Sometimes he's gushy and says, "My doggy!" Sometimes he pokes Roxy's ears and giggles uncontrollably. When Roxy plays, Shane will watch, amused by definitely on the sideline. The rest of the time he seems comfortable she's around if not overly interested.

Shane does NOT like getting licked in his face. If Roxy does shoot him a quick kiss, he squeals and fake cries, "She got me!!!"

Thankfully, Roxy isn't a big licker.

I tell Shane to tell her no and "get over it" (basically). Sometimes a cold, wet nose sniffing him will cause a pout, but I don't show much sympathy then. Roxy is extremely well behaved for a puppy (much less one from her circumstances).

As Shane grows older, she'll calm down and I bet they'll be good friends. She can be there for him, love on him, and he can learn how to take care of her.

Carrie may already be dreaming of dog competitions (or at least cool YouTube videos). She's got the will to train and does research when Shane naps. Give her a month and she'll have learned enough to rewrite German Shepard Training for Dummies (side-income!). She's also thrilled to be giving such a sweetheart a second-chance.

I'm happy my family has grown again. Roxy seems like a really good fit. I love her already. She's sweet tempered, playful, obedient, has a non-sissy bark, and passed Carrie's muster.

Welcome home, Roxy. May we be as good or better to you than you are to us.

Dastardly Detoxing!

Plumbing problems and dog dilemmas weren't enough; I managed to get into a caffeine crisis.

Sorry, I seem to find alliteration amusing (see what I did there?).

I was late getting my morning dose and started to get a nasty headache. I love the taste of tea and coffee. With the cold weather onset, I must have over-indulged (even more than usual) and bumped my habit to the next level: addiction.

The headache annoyed me and now I've quit cold-turkey. I felt the withdrawal keenly over the weekend.

Today was the first workday without. I poured myself a cup of juice to fill the void, but it's not the same.

Maybe I'll detox until Christmas and have a nice hot cup to celebrate.

Before I go upstairs to pass out I figured I'd post a quick Shane video to fill the writing void.

I present to you: Shane, Lord of the Dance.

Shane had a few close dizzy calls, but I guess everyone's reactions are slower before the sun comes up.

Any embarrassment to my wife is collateral damage.  Blame the lack of caffeine, Carrie.

I know I do!

Tonight...

Tonight I have a headache and I'm going to turn in. Instead of a write-up I give you a longer than usual video with some reveals in it.

Near Misses

Max misses Carrie.

I'm the only human on hand, so she doesn't care that I'm allergic. She jumped on the back of the couch when I was reading and kept nuzzling my head. Then she followed me upstairs and claimed my chest.

Why do cats always put their butt in your face?

I like that Max has been so affectionate lately. She's a good cat. I do wonder if her tune will change when there's a dog roaming the halls...

I took an allergy pill.

Pray I survive the night.

Pop Post

Pop sent this email the other night. It had a couple of Shane stories I thought I'd share...

Take it away, Pop!

Poop Control

Shane has total bowel control.

Once Shane realized he got rewards for pooping in the potty, he was game.

Then his natural stubborness kicked in. He refused to poop in the potty for a couple of weeks and would yell kick and scream if I tried to sit him on the potty (or interrupt him in a hiding place).

I stayed calm. I held my ground.

Now Shane works the system.

Shane will poop a single turd, clam up, and ask for a reward. Once the reward is done he will run over to the potty and drop another tiny turd. Again and again, he will tell you he's "All done!" and demand to poop again when he wants another reward.

The kid knows exactly what he's doing.

Nana said it took 11 days to potty train me at 2 years old. Shane's almost 3 and he's got the poop down pat, but who's smarter: the boy who learned early or the boy who held out until the adults around him sweetened the deal?

I've had to rework the rules.

Big dumps = lots of YouTube videos + a brownie or some sort of treat.

Little dumps = a little bit of computer time (in direct proportion to the amount of poop)

Dingleberries = one video. Repeated dingleberries get a "Good job!" or maybe another video if it's big enough

Otherwise, the kid would be in front of the computer all day long with a gut backed up with crap.

He's sneaky, too. Shane will run over, pull down his pants, and hop on the toilet without assistance. If you're slow to empty out the dingleberry (because let's say a hyper-active, excited two year old sprints off the toilet half naked to the computer) then Shane will plop down on the toilet, jump up and say "I did it! I pooped!"

That's right, my son is still in diapers, but knows all about how to pull a fast one.

You'd think that bladder control would roll with bowel control, but it hasn't. Shane will pee his pants without a care, but he guards his poops until he wants something and has an audience.

He's started to work his scam over at Nana and Pop's. They used to offer him toys for going on the potty, but the number of poops Shane takes in a day has skyrocketed. Shane came home yesterday with a fancy helicopter.

"It was expensive!" Nana said.

I arched an eyebrow.

"To someone." She ammended and smiled. Nana loves garage sales!

We've made progress, but I think I need to read another book on potty training. Otherwise, my son is going to put Nana and Pop in the poor house and learn how to use a mouse and keyboard before I want him to.

Home Alone

Carrie is in Indianapolis for training. Shane is spending the night at my parents and set to visit Carrie's parents on the morrow. The dog isn't here yet and I'm....

Home Alone!

You'd think I'd be on vacation, but it's a bit lonely. In my head I'm more independent, but in reality it turns out I'm quite the family man. I miss them already. I get a lot of my energy and joy from my wife and child. I don't even watch TV unless Carrie is around to watch it with.

I would have gone over to my parents to visit and see Shane tonight, but I went home to meet the water damage restoration people at 4:30 PM. I proceeded to sit around downstairs for the next three hours. The fans were so loud I didn't want to leave the door area in case they came and I didn't hear.

Thankfully, they did come at 7:30 PM. All of the fans are gone. The basement was proclaimed "dry!" and the next step is to contact a contractor.

That's for tomorrow. I've spent enough time on the phone today between family and insurance.

Plot Lines

The real world is one convoluted mess of plots.

Whenever Carrie and I watch our nightly episode or I read a book I'm reminded: fiction stories are clean. There are normally a few plots intertwined, but resolution usually comes in a timely manner. Some threads may be left open for the future (cliffhangers and sequels!), but the number of threads is kept low enough that people can follow along.

Neat and tidy.

I'm probably pretty annoying to watch TV and movies with, because I like to try and predict what's going to happen. I'm also pretty good at it (which would make me more annoying!).

Real life follows no such guidelines.

Perhaps that's why so many people seem lost in it. It's big, it's huge, it doesn't have to make sense, usually doesn't, and sometimes does at the most seemingly random times.

Everyone is the main character in their own story, supporting characters (of varying depth) in the stories of everyone they know, and extras in the background of anyone the meet or have any sort of influence on.

Every time you've ever grabbed the last of something off a store shelf you've created a conflict in someone else's story. It could be the worn-out retail worker doing inventory, the stressed mother looking for Teddy Grahams, or some kid who wanted a snack.

Of course, the most important story to anyone is the one they're currently in.

Hopefully, it's the one they're living.

In my own life, I have dog-to-be, a growing boy, a happy marriage, my wife's job switch, plumbing problems, chores, work (and all the thousands of little stories that makes), friend stories, family stories, and things I want to do (like post my thoughts on a blog....).

I've never really stopped thinking "I'll write again one day," so I still think about this stuff from time to time.

I like to think.

You're only bored if you're not trying.

The Plumbing Problem Continues

"That's about the dumbest place they could have put it," the man said.

He worked for County Water, and it was a big tree.

A big tree that was planted decades ago directly over our water main.

It's grown since. The roots jut out of the ground and weave gnarled paths I have to steer the mower around. I've dug into them when gardening along the house. The mattock worked wonders when smaller tools could not prevail.

Carrie wanted to remove the tree before, but I said "next summer or spring."

Now that we have a leaking water main under it and a "fix in 14 days or we shut off your water" notice it's not going to wait.

Sherry, the plumber, was right.

Carrie collected quotes on what it would take to dig up and fix the leak. Insurance won't cover any excavation (aka fixing). The pipe is four feet down and under a tree and it's impossible to tell where the leak(s) could be without digging it all up.

The quote I heard was $5775.

Ouch.

There were others and we'll get a few more tomorrow. The quote in question involved running a new line to save time and money through bypassing the tree entirely.

Pop already loaned me his chain saw, so I'm thinking about going to work on it tomorrow. Carrie and Shane will be out of town and I'll need to keep myself busy. It may as well be doing something useful!

I need to talk more to our neighbors as well. The had a pipe burst in their yard last year. We talked to them today and heard that their other neighbor had a pipe burst on her the year before! That's three houses in a row.

My neighbor, Sheryl, said that the county had done some road work and then the pipes started busing. It could be coincidence since the houses on our street were all built at a similar time, or it could be being caused by something. Sheryl said something about the new copper pipes could be changing the pressure (I guess she heard it from the man who fixed her yard?), but I didn't really understand what she was saying.

I did clue in when she said "if two or three houses in a row get the same problem, maybe I'll talk to a lawyer." I'm not planning on moving for years to come, so we'll see where that goes down the line.

Sheryl and Lisa said they think the guy they used last year was cheaper than our quote, so we're going to keep shopping around.

Some of the damage in the basement (my guitar amp, the queen-sized futon, etc) will take a bite out of whatever we do pay. I like to think of it as we're stream-lining. Less junk to pay less for repairs.

I'm thankful that I have this sort of problem and not a "What will my family eat tomorrow" type of problem. Puts stuff in perspective, doesn't it?

Maybe I'll solve someone's "How will I put my kid through college" problem by picking them to fix the pipe!

I Never Knew...

...Buzz Aldrin took communion on the moon.

Cool.

Roxy

Carrie visited Roxy today.

She went through the last hoops in the adoption process and got to take her for a walk in a nearby park. I got to meet up and meet Roxy for the first time. Carrie and I have a long history of saying "I trust you." I agreed to buy this house and adopt Roxy sight unseen. Carrie's told me "I trust your judgement" on multiple occasions, too.

It was nice to see Roxy lived up to the hype.

She had a sweet, puppy-like demeanor. She was easily distracted and wanted to smell everything. That's pretty normal for a dog much less a puppy. Roxy had a friendly and calm manner. It was apparent when a bunch of little kids knocked a soccer ball right in front of her. She didn't shy away or move sharply. She thrust her nose out for a sniff, but didn't fight the leash.

And to think she was almost deemed un-adoptable.

Roxy started life in West Virginia. She was part of a litter all named after characters from The Waterboy. She was rescued/adopted by a family that renamed her and then didn't do any sort of basic obedience with her. They ended up sticking her in an outdoor kennel and left to waste away.

The rescue agency we used found an ad for her on craigslist and picked her up. They estimated she'd been left outside and alone for two months (age 6 months to 8 months). Roxy was extremely thin and her growth was stunted. I don't think she weighed more than 50 lbs when I met her.

The fear was Roxy missed out on a lot of important socialization and training time. Her foster mom was told "See what you can do, or we'll have to put her down." Thankfully, said foster mom was a professional dog trainer. She also runs a home school for some twenty odd kids, so Roxy has been super-socialized.

Roxy spent two months at her foster home before Carrie fell in love with her. Shane's sold as well.

She'll be coming home permanently with us next Sunday.

Originally it was supposed to be today; the rescue agency said so! We worked it out with Roxy's foster mom. She said she did not mind working with Roxy for another week (extra training!). Carrie's going to be out of town for training next week, so it would've cost us to drop Roxy off at PetSmart whenever I went to work.

I'm glad we worked all this out before our basement flooded. Life happens fast and it's rarely simple.

The Flood

Friday night.

Shane was asleep. Carrie and I went upstairs together but I had to run back down to turn off lights and lock up.

I ran down to the basement and was very surprised when I splashed off the last stair.

Our basement was flooded.

My brain lurched. Something was off.

Oh wait, I was standing on underwater carpet.

I yelled up for Carrie and then went into damage control: Where was the water coming from? I sploshed around, turned off the main water, and scratched my head. I couldn't find drip marks anywhere and the most likely culprit, the new water heater, was fine.

Carrie came down and had a nice brain lurch, as well. She unplugged everything electric and replugged in the sump pump while I called Dan. The water level receded and I took this video.

Carrie called insurance while I Googled "What to do when your basement floods."

The good news was the water we walked on was clean. It wasn't sewage.

The bad news was 4-inches deep in some areas and spread through all four corners of the basement.

Dan arrived before the emergency plumber. He confirmed what already had me confused: There was no obvious source of a leak. The walls were dry above the water line. He checked out the water heat, turned water back on to the house, and had me run the dishwasher and faucets to see if there was anything odd in the lines. He noticed that the sump pump was missing a check valve, but scratched his head as to where all the water had come from.

That's when it started to rain. Dan drove through rain on his way over. He asked me on the phone if it was raining, but it was barely sprinkling out. Barefoot, I walked around the house and checked our rain barrels. There was no obvious source of water from outside.

I bring this up, because the emergency plumber was equally befuddled. He clued in on the sump pump quickly, but there was a lot of water. It had to come from somewhere. He asked us when the last rain was and assumed that the water must have come from our basement being below the water table.The only thing he could do that night was turn off the water from the street to the house, but he didn't see what good that would do.

Saturday morning, the next plumber had another theory. She was a 30 year veteran and extremely thorough. She tried to turn off the street water just to see what would happen.

It didn't work.

She also opened up the sump pump and found that the pipe was cracked. It would run, but most of the water it pumped up spilled right back in through the crack. She replaced our sump pump with a new one (to the tune of $700 insurance doesn't cover) and gave us a theory: The sump pump went bad and the water may have come from a leaky pipe in the yard between the street and our house. Because the water is leaking before it reaches our meter, we wouldn't notice it on our bills or pay for it. However, it could saturate the ground enough that if the sump pump failed: WHOOSH!

The yard has never seemed particularly wet, but it's a theory. It's the job of the local water authority to check the street choke and she said we should call them. They're not open on weekends (of course) so we'll have to call on Monday.

In the meantime, the clean up crew hired through USAA came. Carrie and I took Shane out for errands while they ripped up the basement floor.

It took the team around four hours. The fans are very loud, but will have to be run for the next three days.

The situation is unfortunate, but not the end of the world. We're going to be out some money. Thankfully, we save what we can and buy second-hand and cheap where we can. I'm not very attached to anything physical and the relatively few things Carrie is attached to were safe.

We knew we'd need to replace the sump pump one day and we'd talked about upgrading the basement, so I guess the day came early. Maybe God figured we were well enough off and decided to let us help keep a bunch of people employed. I'm okay with that. Everyone who came by was great and I owe Dan for being willing to drive over late on a work night. Our next door neighbors saw the activity and texted to ask if they could help, too.

I'll add updates later on. Right now we're in fan-land and happy we acted quickly.

Basement Flooded

I was going to post last night, but our basement flooded.

Big surprise!

It's the challenge of the hour. There's always got to be something going on or life would be boring. We contacted insurance last night and are taking care of business.

Dog Update

Carrie loved the dog.

She and Shane went to visit Roxy today.

Shane told me "I want to see my puppy again," over the phone when I called.

How could I say no to that?

Carrie told me it was adorable to watch Shane and Roxy play. She talked to the trainer/foster and we will be picking Roxy up not this Sunday, but next. This will save us over a $100, because if the adoption agency forced us to do pick-up on Sunday we were going to have trouble finding "doggy coverage" while Carrie is out of town for training next week.

It's exciting.

I still haven't seen the dog, so I can't say I'm 100% excited and unconcerned. There's still plenty to be concerned about, but I do want to grow my family. Carrie's more than on-board and I think we've all got realistic expectations and an understanding of what needs to be done. Not much more you can ask for.

My family is scheduled to grow by one in less than two weeks. God's will be done.

The "Great" Recession

People always ask 'older' people "What was it like when..." questions.

I wonder if one day someone will ask me "What was it like during the 'Great' Recession?"

This is not meant to be a complaint post, but a reflection. My family has been effected, but we've been greatly blessed overall. 

Lickety-Split

I called Bill on the way home from work today. There was no real reason. I hadn't spoken with him for a while and figured it'd be nice to check-in.

"Hey Mikey! I've been meaning to call you and give you a hard time!" Bill said. Out of the blue, rescue dog organizations started calling him for character references on us.

Hmmmmm.....I wonder why?

I laughed and told Bill that Carrie moves quick when she wants to make something happen.

She moves so quick that as I spoke to Bill the final home inspection for our dog to be was less than a half hour away.

Caterpillar Horse Carrie

Shane is at the fun age where he has an imagination.

Sometimes that imagination can lead him to believe he's the boss and the world revolves around him, but most of the time it means he comes up with things only a child could.

Everything is new, exciting, and possible to a toddler. It's a mindset I wish could be bottled and passed out for free.

But I digress. 

Carrie crawled into Shane's tunnel. He vaulted onto her back and here's what followed.

Did you catch my quip at the end? There's some history to it. 

I loved the face my wife made! 

She'll probably make another face when she realizes I put the video up, but all's fair in love and parenting!

Marrow Update

There was a slight SNAFU with my email address, but I contacted the NMDP through their website. They got back to me the next day.

I gave my consent for further evaluation and it's time to "hurry up and wait." I was told it could take anywhere from a week to 60 days to hear back.

In the meantime, I figured I'd share another perspective. My dad forwarded me a short email a day after my post.

Backlogged Part 8: Down with Daylight Savings!

I don't know who said it, but they nailed it.

"Daylight savings is cruel and unusual punishment for people with pets or small children."

Shane has been rousing around 5:30 AM each day and making his wakefulness known.

We were able to transition his nap and bed time without much trouble, but he's decided to sleep for an hour less each night to make things difficult.

The last time I was fond of daylight savings time I was probably in college and glad for one extra hour of sleep. I've always complained about giving the hour back, so mentally it averaged out for me in the days of yore.

Now, I don't see the point. I'd probably vote for anyone who said they were planning on abolishing it.

Waking up in the dark to go to work seems natural to me. Driving to work staring into the sun the whole way does not. I'd prefer to drive home from work with the understanding there's some daylight left rather than night beginning at 5 PM, as well.

I'm sure it made sense at one time and probably makes sense somewhere, but I'd just as soon lay it to rest where I reside.

It's a Dog's Life

With the advent of Carrie's part-time job, her interest in a dog has rekindled. She's in full research mode.

The topic: German Shepard rescues.

Carrie knows I'm a dog person and she believes that Shane would benefit from growing up with a pet. Since a high-energy puppy with anxiety issues and two working parents didn't pan out well, she's proposed an older, settled dog in need of a permanent home to fit the bill. German Shepards are a breed Carrie has always respected (and almost owned before she knew me), so there're the first place she started looking.

We haven't agreed on anything other than "there's no harm in researching" at this point.

I don't know where all this is going yet. I bond hard and fast with dogs and Carrie knows that I'm not willing to start and stop again. She's still snooping around, though. I think that marks her as cognizant and serious.

I will say that my wife, and rescue organizations, move quick. Carrie filled out one application and the next day I got a text from Igor saying, "Glad to be a reference for you!"

Someone is coming over for a home visit today.

It helps that Carrie went on a cleaning rampage since 5 AM this morning. We didn't even know about the visit then, but Carrie has been a whirlwind. She reassembled the old office/Shane's bedroom into a new guest bedroom, scrubbed out all the bathrooms, vaccuumed, and cycled through loads of laundry. Go, Carrie!

The visit is scheduled for three, so Shane should be up from his nap. It'll be fun to see how he reacts to the interviewer's Shepard running around.

Jama's in the Hospital

Friday, Jama had to go to the hospital. It was a scary enough morning that Nana had to call 911.

The good news is Jama has gotten great care and will hopefully be discharged Sunday.

I'll update this post when I know more, but I wanted to throw up a placeholder in the meantime.

Prayers for Jama's are appreciated!

Backlogged Part 7: Halloween 2013

Halloween. You don costumes, eat candy, and meet your neighbors.

It's a recipe for a great night if you ask me! 

I could care less about the scary stuff. The witches, skeletons, gore, and scary stuff are the stuff I would happily leave behind. I'm all about meeting people, having fun, and showing off my inner nerd. 

I've started a new tradition wearing my red shirt to school each year. I get a kick out of the kids who shout, "Oh no! You're going to die!" Ha, ha! Once upon a time, I might have tried something else low-key like a Han Solo shirt and vest, but unless Lucas admits Han shot first and Disney puts Thrawn (and gets him right) in the new movies I'll stick with telling kids to "Live long and prosper."

Carrie's inner nerd shines the brightest. She decided to dress up as Korra this year. 

She found the base costume online, tailored it, and tinkered with it until she was satisfied. She hand-wove a medallion because the premade one wasn't 'accurate' enough for her.

To top it off, she cross-checked her outfit with her office's dress code. She told her boss she was wearing something "Asian-Eskimoesque" and showed up smiling the next day! Someone on the street even asked her for a picture.

That's my wife. She spreads good cheer! One of these days I'll take her to a convention for a geek-splosion.

After our work escapades (and Shane's parade) were over, it was trick-or-treat time!

Daniel and his parents were setting out at the same time we were, so we joined forces.

It was hilarious. Daniel had a death grip on his pumpkin bucket. The heavier it got, the slower he walked. He would not relinquish it to anyone.

As Daniel got slower, Shane got faster. Each handful of candy added speed. He got so excited, that we had to operate on a 'tether' strategy. Carrie would walk with Daniel and his parents and I would range ahead. Shane would race to me, exuberant. I'd cheer and then turn him around and say "Go get, [Daniel or Mommy]" Shane would roar back. Carrie would stop him from running through and past, and then redirect him with a "Go knock with Daddy!"

Back and forth, back and forth. It was tiring to watch! Shane slept great.

It was a fun night. Hopefully Shane learned a little bit about manners by saying "Thank You" and "Happy Halloween!"

He needs work on "You can take one."

Thankfully, everyone found him cute.

Thankfully, he was more into the thrill of the hunt than the candy itself.

Thankfully, he forgot the candy existed, because Carrie and I got into it.

I dumped the rest in my classroom bucket.

My students were thankful.

Come to think of it, Thanksgiving is not too far away! I love fall! Happy belated Halloween, all!

Backlogged Part 6: Cox Farms

Monday was a teacher workday for me. After I was done, Carrie and I scrambled to take Shane to Cox Farms. It's a farm/farmer's market turned lower-tech, mini-amusement park for kids.

Or at least I think it is. I misread the website.

I thought it said "late admission at four" and was expecting a deal. 

It really said "LAST admission at four."

It's okay, but it was free to visit the market and run around the parking lot. Shane had a ball and never realized he was missing out on anything.  I could see some attractions over a hay bale wall that looked great for 10 and unders, but Shane was mesmerized with rolling pumpkins and pushing wheelbarrows.

I have proof.

We spent and hour running around for free. I even bumped into some of my students! Their family came walking out and I shouted "Well, you all look familiar!" 

They ran over to see Shane and my wife. I introduced them, and one of the girls (bless her soul!) looked at Carrie and blurted out, "Do you know him?" She winced immediately afterwards as she realized what she said probably wasn't what she meant to say.

Carrie was a good sport. "I should hope so!" She smiled.

Shane ran off at that point and the kids barraged my wife with questions while I chased after him.

As they were leaving, the girl who blurted out earlier ran over to us and gave Shane a baby pumpkin. It was sweet gesture (I'll have to go easy on her next test). 

It was a fun mini-trip. We're definitely going to have to visit next year when the farm reopens! 

Right, Farmer Carrie?

Farmer Shane and Lackey  both agree!

And even if we don't go inside, there's always the parking lot.

Grandma Lois' Visit

Grandma Lois is in town! Her flight leaves tomorrow morning, so we made sure to visit tonight. She was a great sport when I plopped Shane down in the chair with her, got out a book, and then secretly pulled out my phone for a quick memory.

The end of the video is my favorite. It's really cute!

It was great seeing Grandma Lois again for me, as well. It's been over a year since Matt's wedding and I don't get to visit Lincoln as much as I used to. I want to take Shane and Carrie there one summer, but it will have to wait until Shane's older. I'd want him to remember the trip and not drive an entire plane bonkers!

Pop and I pulled out the cameras for some quick snap shots before we had to head home for bedtime! Here's one of the pics I nabbed of Shane with his elders.

Coincidence or God-incidence?

Pop-Pop's phone rang.

It was for me.

The National Marrow Donor's Program told me I was a potential match and wanted to know if I was interested in donating.

I said "Yes," and asked Pop to watch Shane while I wandered off to answer screening questions for the next half hour.

It's not set that I'll be a match, but I'm honored I may even have the opportunity to help.

The coincidences that led up to this are astounding. I only vaguely remembered signing up for the national registry when I was on the phone.

Pop had not forgotten. He filled me in after I hung up.

The 19 year old son of one of his friends at church died years ago. The church ran an unrelated donation drive in 2006, but mu family knew of the loss. My brothers and sisters and I all signed up to be marrow donors then. All it took was a quick cheek swab if I remember correctly.

7 years ago...and then they happened to call on Pop's cell # (which used to be my old number) while I was sitting right next to him. I'd almost gone home with Shane beforehand, too. I showed up to pick up Shane and spend some time with Grandma Lois while she was in town, but after a little bit everyone saddled up to go to a church dinner. Normally, I would have packed Shane up and gone home. Grandma Lois' presence changed my mind and had me on hand when the NMDP called.

I was already wondering about all the coincidences when the lady on the phone mentioned my potential match was a four year old boy.

Shane turns three in December.

Half an hour of questions later I was done. I missed dinner, but Nana packed me a to-go box!

Backlogged Part 5: No-Shave November

It's No-Shave November again! 

Other less manly males may do Movember, but unless you want to look like a cop or a math teacher you should grow a beard (Wait, I do teach one math class...NAH!). The more facial hair, the more men's health awareness it promotes!

Since I normally look like this...

I stopped shaving the last week of October and then trimmed down the middle with a #2. 

At the rate my facial hair sprouts I'll look like a caveman by December.

Oddly enough, my beard always attracts attention from my students. I answer questions all year long about "Why is your beard a different color than your hair/so red?" ("Because it is.") Some kids add beards to stick figure drawings of me and I've had random girls with fake mustaches drawn on their fingers run up to me in the halls. Some of it's a teen thing, I suppose. I normally offer to shave if "everyone gets a good grade" on a certain test or two once a year and that can create a furor. It's like the kids think my beard is a fixture when it's just a quick shave away. 

I find it amusing at least.

I never envisioned myself with facial hair as a kid. That was always something my uncles' had, but not my dad or anyone in my circle of friends.

I got lazy once in college and it stuck. 

It started as a "I don't feel like shaving" and turned into a "I wonder if I can..."

I've mostly worn it since. For one, it helps me to look my age. Otherwise, I can be mistaken for a middle/high-school student. All my past seventh graders have flooded me with "You look like one of us!" comments whenever I do a surprise shave or they all ace a test to fleece me. 

Once, a hall/parking-lot patrol tried to catch me being truant when I went out for lunch years and years ago. He screeched to halt in his golf cart, hiked up his belt, and sauntered over with a "Where do you think you're going?"

"To work."

Awkward! I cracked up on the inside. 

So, there you have it. I have a beard. It grows/has-grown on me and lets me give Shane wicked raspberries. 

At the end of the month, I'll throw up a Wooly-Mike photo for kicks. It should be pretty bushy unless Carrie decides to point out it's "No-Shave" November and not "No-Trim" November. 

Backlogged Part 4: Did a Month Really Pass?

Has a month really passed since Shane, Carrie, and I found that fancy new library? It feels like it wasn't THAT long ago!

Carrie discovered apple pears at the farmer's market in the parking lot while Shane and I went inside to be amazed.

Our county is trying to slash headcounts and hours at our libraries, but this one had people at desks in every corner of the place and fancy murals on the wall.

They even had PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii U games alongside their Blu-Ray collection! The place smelled of money to burn. It was high-tech with eBook browsing/check-out stations, terminals to swipe your credit card or phone to pay fines, and (Shane's personal favorite) elevators!

I took a bunch of pictures to send to my friend and former library co-worker, John, to try and blow his mind. I've always been a big reader and I spent four years working as a library page through college, so buildings full of free books will always hold some interest to me.

What was really cool was when Shane and I stumbled onto a "singing" class. It was a packed house. Most of the kids looked younger than Shane (babies through 24 months or so), but when the librarian started singing he was hooked. He laughed, he pantomimed along with motions, and sang along as soon as he got the tune. I expected to do a drive-by and pull Shane out before he became a distraction, but we stayed enrapt. Carrie eventually found us!

Lesson learned: Shane loves sing-alongs. We haven't stumbled across another one, but now that he won't get music class at day-care anymore we're going to have to keep our eyes out. Shane's become hot and cold with books, but he's consistently in love with music (just not anything I try to play).

Backlogged Part 3: Day-Care is Ending

Friday will be Shane's last day at day-care.

Carrie will begin working part time next week!

At first, Carrie will be have normal office hours twice a week. Shane's Elders+Dog Conglomerate (IndyPopPopNanaJama) will watch over him then.

Eventually, the job will transition to more evening work and Carrie will switch to a day-shift with Shane. Depending on when she has to report to work, I will either be coming home after four or Carrie will be meeting up with me at school for a hand-off.

It's all very much up in the air as to what will actually happen and what we will actually do.

The bottom line is: we'll make it work!

Shane will (mostly) be happy. He doesn't like going to day-care in the mornings, but he loves running over to the blocks when we get there. His teacher normally leaves them out for him. He often sings songs he's learned from music time, as well. Lately it's been "Days of the Week" to the tune of "The Adams Family."

Carrie and I won't miss paying $345 a week, though! Carrie will have to find local programs and play-groups to keep him occupied during the day!

Shane's going to play hooky tomorrow to visit Gran-Gran (a possible name for Grandma Lois?) and Thursday will be his last day-care visit from Georgeanne. She'll stop working with Shane on his third birthday this December.

Lots and lots of change is on the way. I think kids take the change quotient in your life, quadruple it, add two, and then square it.

Backlog Post 2: Halloween March

Shane's day-care scheduled a costume parade on Halloween at 4:00 PM.

Originally, I was slated to run Guitar Club until it started. My friend from work, Matt, had asked so that he could head home early to get his daughters ready for trick-or-treating. 

I figured that was that.

The plan changed.

Matt thought about it and decided he had plenty of cushion and could cover the club if I wanted to go to Shane's parade. I wasn't sure Shane would care, but I wanted to to try and make it. I suspected the parade was a clever scheme by the day-care to lure parents to pick their children up early, but I also wanted to be there in case it did matter to Shane.

I helped start Guitar Club, slipped out early, and found myself stuck in traffic way earlier than traffic had a right to start.

I took every shortcut I knew and scooted along as fast as I could without hopping medians or killing anyone.

I arrived late and was forced to park a block away. 

I missed Shane's first march through, but there was an encore presentation!

Shane noticed me and he cared. I'm so glad I made it! 

It warmed my heart when Shane ran over to me. I wanted to sweep him up in a hug, but I also wanted to get it all on video so I could show Carrie! 

On a side note, you may notice I was talking to someone off camera while I filmed. As I rushed in, I stumbled across one of my coworkers, Kim, and her husband! It was a happy coincidence to see them in the crowd! Their sons go to the same day-care as Shane. We've had a play date once and I need to arrange another one eventually.

Backlogged

As Nana pointed out, I haven't posted for a wee bit.

Part was being busy (at both work and play). The rest was technical difficulties.

A couple weeks ago, any video I pulled from my phone had it's colors distorted on my laptop.

It annoyed the crap out of me.

Backlog Post 1: Challenge Mode!

A couple of weeks ago, Shane went to Indy-PopPop-Nana-Jama's house to spend the night. 

I trust them implicitly with my son, but I decided to see how good they really were!

I dressed Shane in white-shirt, sweat pants, and 'matching socks' and dubbed it "Challenge Mode."  

How clean would Shane be tomorrow?

White shirts show every little bit of food, play-dough or dirt they come in contact with; Long-sleeves add more white to mar and cover the crucial elbow zones.

Sweat pants seem simple enough, but static cling causes them to pick up every bit of leaf they come in contact with. Nana and Pop have lots of trees, it's fall, and Shane lives to be outdoors. The pants stood a good chance of collecting dirt and mud, as well.

The socks? They were they only pair of socks that were clean. Go figure that they were A) matching and B) clearly demarcated as matching. Nana and Pop were sure to pick up on them and know something was afoot. I couldn't have planned it any better. It's just more proof (to me) that God has a sense of humor.

Warning: Gross

Nana told me that I hadn't written for a week and my last short one "didn't count!"

Ask and ye shall receive, but be careful what you ask for, though...

Shane dropped the biggest turd today (in his diaper sadly).

"No wonder he said his stomach hurt!" Carrie said.

It was so astounding I took a picture.