"Murphy was an optimist!"
Of Being Dad – Smack Talk January 31, 2010 5:59 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Evan, Family, Noah, Of Being Dad , add a commentThere’s something wonderfully amusing in listening to the four year old talk smack with the thirteen year old.
add a commentMy Snowy Saturday…working January 30, 2010 12:45 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life , add a commentThe children are playing in the snow and taking breaks to warm in front of various video games from killing zombies, to fighting a Legoized Darth Vader, to playing songs with the Beetles. In the meantime, I’m day dreaming of working on the house while pounding keys on the computer. I just overcame one of my weekend’s technical hurdles. I think that calls for a lunch break. After lunch, I return to programming.
add a commentAnd if the crik don’t rise… January 24, 2010 11:27 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Family, House, Of Being Dad , 3comments
Rains have come. The creek out back has enough water in it that we can see the water from the house. I just checked the trench, wanna be French drain, that protects our basement from flood and sure enough, the sides have collapsed. We don’t have water in the basement yet but will if I don’t get out there and dig us out. I need to be programming every second of today but this has to take priority. Back to the Mosquito Coast.
Note: On the above video, after the first twenty seconds or so I figure out how to not have that obnoxious noise.
The creek in this video is at least 5 feet deep.
The roads are not safe! January 21, 2010 10:55 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Family, Sarah , add a commentMy daughter just passed her driving test. She’s licensed to drive sans parent! Congrats Sarah!
add a commentNot a good day…technically January 20, 2010 9:08 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life , 1 comment so farThe day thus far? Our Internet connection is down and my laptop won’t boot. I think I should go troubleshoot other people’s hardware.
1 comment so farFrom the mouths of babes January 20, 2010 8:14 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Family, From the mouths of babes , 1 comment so farEvan, 4.5 years old: "Dad. Can we buy a gold fish?"
Dad, thinking a gold fish is not difficult to care for: "I suppose. What made you want a gold fish?"
Evan: "I want to eat it."
Dad, realizing this isn’t about watching the wrong tv shows: "Oh! You want gold fish snacks."
Today’s Mental Forecast January 19, 2010 7:26 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life , add a commentTornado.
add a commentHow long have I been on the Internet? January 18, 2010 10:48 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Communications, Daily Life, Technology , 3commentsI’ve been on the Internet so long that I just went to a website that I had never heard of and tried to create an account only to discover I already had an account. So either my memory is worse than I thought or I’ve consumed so much of The Internet that I can now see the whole thing again and enjoy as if I was seeing it for the first time!
3commentsFrom the mouths of babes January 16, 2010 1:15 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Amy, Daily Life, Evan, Family, From the mouths of babes , add a commentAmy, 7.5 years: "Evan’s got a bloody nose!"
Evan, 4.5 years: "Dad! My nose is bleeding!"
Evan: "Oh, it’s just a boogie."
Annnd they’re off! (to a bad start) January 16, 2010 9:49 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Cathy, Daily Life, Family, Of Being Dad, Sarah , add a commentSarah has a portfolio review today near Nashville for a summer art program where she would get to live at a university and work with some very talented people. This is very important which is why I cringed when I saw Cathy’s tweet:
Why is the teenager dressed like a clown for her portfolio review? [Source, Twitter, @cathymccaughan]
After a grueling day yesterday, I failed to do the standard road checks last night. This morning as the girls were walking out the door, I found a nail in a tire. The same nail I found in the same tire weeks ago and forgot about. No problem! I could plug it in minutes only I was out of plugs. 30 minutes later, I had purchased plugs, discovered McDonald’s at Northshore and Pellissippi still has free air, fixed the tire myself, signed a conversation with an old friend, and had two very upset women driving to Nashville. Good luck Sarah!
add a commentJeep Unburied January 16, 2010 7:22 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Transportation, Travel , 3comments5 children, 5 schools, 1 car. Working from home certainly lends to making our lives function well. This week I find our schedule so unmanageable that we must have a second vehicle working. Knoxville public transportation fails to deliver a reasonable solution. This means getting the Jeep or the motorcycle roadworthy. Glancing down the driveway I’m embarrassed to see the Jeep with boards and pvc pipe piled on the roof, kites and other toys stacked on the hood, rusting bicycles lean against the bumper, a bent ladder waiting to be recycled rests against its side, and the whole mess is half covered in a blue tarp. What an eye sore!
Last night I unburied the Jeep. The odds that this vehicle will run again without major repairs is slim. But I shall try. In my mind, I have committed to converting this Jeep to an EV if I cannot get it running. I find thinking about Sarah driving to school for her senior year in a vehicle that doesn’t require gas someone amusing. For now, the Jeep is uncovered and the driveway looks a little better. Hopefully, I can find a key to the Jeep today and tomorrow I can try to jump start it.
3commentsToday’s Forecast: Brain Cloud January 14, 2010 8:15 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life , add a commentStress is so high it feels like someone is inflating a balloon in my head. I yawned today and saw shooting stars in my peripheral vision which was really cool. I can never get that on demand but its like having a little light show for 12 seconds or so whether the eyes are opened or closed.
Update: Looks like Stress could cause cancer.
add a commentUpdating the score January 12, 2010 9:58 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Family, Pets , 1 comment so farVisitor: Mrs. Frisby – 2
Home: Me – 1
Game over. I win.
From the mouths of babes January 11, 2010 12:14 pm
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life, Evan, Family, From the mouths of babes , add a commentEvan, 4.5: "I want a baloney sandwich with no crust and cut in the shape of a triangle."
add a commentAncient January 11, 2010 4:18 am
Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Daily Life , 1 comment so farFeeling old this morning.
1 comment so far
