7and8

The correct answer will garnish a coveted, "You got it right."

8 and I where in a shoe store today. I was taking a lot of time picking out my new kicks and 8 was entertaining himself with a number of activities.

The saleswoman comments that he is a good kid. I thank her because he was behaving himself very well for such a visit. She says, "We get a lot of kids in here,...a lot. Yep, he's a good one." This coupled with the shell-shocked or maybe flashback look on her face told me that: 1) she doesn't have kids, and 2) there had been a real stinker in that store recently.

This post is one that proves this wonderful BLOG isn't written by bored Hollywood writers fishing for comments on plots. That and my grammar is hideous.

The other night I got scared, really scared. I can freak myself out pretty good but this was fight-or-flight inspiring, hair raising, spidey sense triggering fear; maybe even terror.
The wife was out of the country which is no different than her being out of town but it feels different. I guess I sit pretty still when relaxing in front of the TV when she is gone because when I move or get up to get something the dogs jump up and run around. This gets me on edge because they start making noise and the last thing I need during a 168 hour stretch of just Daddy is a couple of kids who wakeup and don't rest well.
I finally get the dogs calmed down and turn in for the night. I know I sleep lighter when she isn't home, its a raised awareness thing. So this NOISE wakes me up. I interpret it as someone pounding violently on the glass slider in the kitchen. I'm up and on my feet and my heart is racing. The big dog is sleeping like a baby and the little dog is somewhere else in the house but not stirring or barking. I hear the noise again and am firmly in the shitting myself realm (although I did not shit myself). I decide to investigate and that no one is harming my kids unless its me and we are in the cereal isle at Shaw's, but I'm not dying with no pants on, so I throw on some jeans. This starts the 'stop freaking out' conversation in my head. I am finally able to reason now that I have my jeans on. I reason that if anything like this was really happening the dogs would be going ape-shiz-diddy, like when the doorbell rings, they hear the Jeopardy 'ding' when someone rings in to give a question or someone knocks on anything.

It turns out the sound was the little dog scratching/digging at the couch before doing that dog turn around 3 times nesting thing. It was really strange but I'll be a monkey's wrench if it didn't sound just like a psycho-chainsaw-wielding-testicle-eating maniac pounding at a glass door.

I don't remember being this terrified in my adult life. Like I said I sleep better when the wife is home or at least in the country.

On Monday morning 8 comes downstairs after waking up. He's crying one of those whinny 'if I whine like this long enough your brain will liquefy and seam out of your ear' cries.
I gently ask what is bothering him so much.
He whines at me, "My pants are boring."

I know you can't read this. I found it in a stall at the grocery store. It says, "This is going to be on the internet." There is a smiley face next to it:)

The wife is taking a long plane trip. So she buys one of those travel neck pillows. She is cutting the 'do not remove under penalty of law' tags off and notices another warning. "Not intended for sleeping. For decorative purposes only"


Look through your car manuals for the "Driving strictly ill-advised" scape-clause.

The man that showed me that being an at-home-dad is as challenging and cool as it sounds, Jason Embury, has been named the new color artist for Shadowhawk.

It took me a while but I put a link to his blog on the sidebar.

Tell your retailer to order it and then buy a boat-load of copies (Dude has mortgage).
If you don't collect comics... please start because dude has kids too.

Thus ends my humble shout-out to the 'Grill rats' and the '501st'

I shaved my beard and moustache this weekend. Here is what 8 had to say:

"Your head doesn't look like that."
"Daddy, you don't like Daddy. You look like...somebody."

I'm growing it back because I like being Daddy more than being somebody:)

I've been waiting for 10 min and staring at the ass end of this trailblazer. Ah, but the order speaker is in sight...

Well, a new record for me anyway.
So I got a new bike (bicycle) and have been letting it put me through the paces. Out on a quick ride today I hit a down hill stretch and must have caught a tailwind too because the bike computer showed my new max speed was 37.7mph! The previous record (on the old bike) was 34.6mph.

That the sun will come up tomorrow.


Speaking of which. What if Star Wars was just an interpretation of the Annie movie subsituting the main character with Ani? Both orphans, that bearded body guard could be a wookie stand in. The fancy car the mellenium falcon? Daddy Warbucks, Darth Warmonger (Sidous). Does anyone know Lucas' ties to broadway?

We went to 7's author day this morning. He was very proud to show is writing and illustrating. 8 and I went for a walk while 7 and mom read. I saw a lady employed by the school in some fashion walking in with her lunch bag and book tote. The book tote was a freebie from a drug company. What product was it advertising you ask?

I volunteered at the school on Saturday. I worked the consession table while the kids where having sicencerama. I go to the front door to pick up the pizzas when a lady hands me a very heavy and rather old electric typerwiter. I take it to the 'deconstruction' table so that kids can; take a guess, yes take it apart and see all of the innards. They had computers and TVs, phones and microwaves to take apart.

A couple of very young Freshmen where working the station. I asked where they wanted it, as I was looking forward to putting it down. They look at me and say, "What is it?" They didn't seem to believe me when I told them.

7 got his yellow belt recently. Along with the new belt came a patch of the Dojo logo to be sewn onto the ghi over the heart. So I had to use a skill I only know through dog toy repair and having watched my mother use 25 years ago (OK she used it a lot 3 boy scouts x 80 merit badges = pricked fingers).

I put it off because it scared me. I hardly knew how to do it and I knew it wouldn't be pretty. I struggled through it and made some hairy artwork on the inside, but since that doesn't show I'm not going to worry about it. I did my share of cussing from sticking my finger.

This little lesson reminds me that we don't know what we are capable of until we have to do it. 7&8's puppy dog eyes are motivating too.

Don't get me wrong, the following observations don't even come close to the ways in which I am aware I've embarassed myslef. I'd hate to find out about my oblivious moments.

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We went to a Barbecue once. The hostess had a 7 mo. old. An old friend of the couple came in, greeted the hostess and then the host. Privately the old friend said with a knowing smile and a friendly nudge, "So, it looks like she's expecting again. Good job." As you might have guessed she wasn't expecting.

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The other day was beautiful. It seemed everyone in town was out for a walk or on their bikes. A gentleman peddled past wearing his bike helmet backwards. I've seen this done before but not by anyone over the age of 6. I decided not to say anything.