Category: Of Being Dad

Fatherly posts.

Posted on by — 5 Comments

I had a blast at the Orchestra!

Multimedia message

Let me tell you. Maestro Lucas Richman is cool! I mean he’s just fun to be around. Stand beside him and you just feel better. Hug him and you won’t need your Prozac for a year! Top all that off with an energy on the stage that is captivating to watch. (I did joke with him that I thought there were a couple of times he was just plain having fun and perhaps channeling Jack Black.) Today’s featured performer was Jeffrey Biegel. He’s a pleasure also. He has personally worked with two of my heroes, Pete Fountain and Jerry Louis! To be in the same room with such talent as Maestro Lucas Richman and Jeffrey Biegel is very humbling. To banter with them almost felt like a breach of social protocol but we did get to share some laughs.

Multimedia message

I have an official review of my evening at the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra to get from mind and paper to blog post but I think I am a bit too tired to be coherent tonight. If you don’t want to wait, in short, if you don’t make time to go see the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, you need to make the the time! I can come up with all sorts of reasons to not go-the kids, money, deadlines, blah blah (just excuses!)-, but honestly, what a great way to spend an evening! Details tomorrow (or maybe Saturday).

Bloggers I saw tonight included Frank Murphy (review), Lissa Kay (review), Rich Hailey, Doug and Faye McDaniel, Byron Chesney (his review), Tish, Craig Thomas and Noah Caldwell. Who did I miss? The bloggers had 50 tickets allocated!

Posted on by — 3 Comments

Getting Cultured Tonight – How many ways?

Thanks in part to Frank Murphy, Noah and I will be participating in the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra‘s blogger’s night.

Afterwards, thanks to Barry, in response to Cathy, I may be further cultured or drugged or just working.

Noah is particularly interested because of his new found love of percussion. I really hope he gets to interact with some of the percussionists during the post-concert reception. Noah will certainly be the youngest blogger in the crowd but I assure you, he will blog about it! In the realm of "it don’t get smaller than Knoxville" Frank Murphy performs with Einstein Simplified. I was one of the founding members of Einstein Simplified and performed at Manhattan’s for 2 years before life got in the way.

Posted on by — 1 Comment

Break into a Dodge Caravan? No problem.

Today we took the children to church. Typically the younger four go with the grandparents while the heathens, Cathy, Tommy and I, stay home where I work on client projects or the house while taking the Lord’s name in vain; everyone sins right? When Tommy was younger, multiple churches requested that he stay away so he never formed a church habit. My religious upbringing is a different story culminating with me tending to keep my religious views to myself. Tommy has discovered that he is comfortable at Two Rivers Church’s youth group and goes there on Wednesday nights although conflicts have kept him away recently.

the ol' pry open the door and use a coat hanger trick
(Read more)

The grandparents enjoyed the UT Vols game in the stadium last night so we had the responsibility of getting the children to church this morning. Tommy chose to stay home of course. Cathy and I dropped the children then looked at Sunday school options for ourselves finding 4 possibilities for our age group. The one we picked at random turned out to be the group devoting themselves to getting the word out through activities like car washes and entertainment at festivals; anything to get an audience then try to get them to convert or accept the Lord. That directly conflicts with my "keep religious views to myself and let others make their own decisions" mindset.

After class, I went to the van to get some Alavert and Cathy joined me to get some Tylenol. I opened the tail gate for the medical supplies. Cathy took the keys and let herself into the car for a drink to wash her medicine down. I close the tailgate. Then I see someone waiting to get into their car and tell Cathy she is in the way. She jumps out of the way and closes the door. I ask for the keys and her face goes blank. Then she giggles. I think I’ll start carrying two sets of keys for the car! Cathy’s father came out to help me which is good otherwise God and I might have had a lively discussion.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Of Being Dad

I jumped on the trampoline with Amy today. We had a blast! My poor head and body didn’t handle it that well. We become sedentary and our bodies uncomfortable with such motions. I’ll have to do it more often! We then went exploring the property and discovered a hole in the ground that we guess must be where a raccoon or skunk lives. We walked down into the dry creek for an inspection. Amy has never done that before and was very amused! While I was inspecting the largest tree on our property, I disturbed a nest of ants and got bit by something. I think they are carpenter ants. Looks like I need to call the Agriculture Extension Agent for a recommendation on a tree doctor. I’d hate to lose that tree! I think I’d cry then sell the house.

Amy and I had a great time outside and she cheerfully requested another exploration and "hike" tomorrow.

Posted on by — 2 Comments

SuperDad

Tonight was the elementary school’s open house. It may have been only the kindergarten open house but the cub scout troop was meeting so there were enough cars at the school that a couple of people parked on the lower branches of some of the trees and a couple of SUVs managed to find some space on the roof. Cathy went early and helped sell year books. I caravaned the children around town as we picked up Sarah, Sarah’s friend, and Tommy from high school activities. We ended up at McDonald’s having dinner with some cub scout friends of ours. In due time, we dropped Molly and Tommy off at the house with hopes Tommy would do some chores and the rest of us deploy to the school. Look out! Chaos coming!

We had a wonderful time, saw some friends, had pleasant chats with teachers, Sarah fell chasing Evan and bled all over the new kindergarten rug, and Amy was able to show off her school. As we came to a close, I noticed the volunteer form horribly empty so I inquired and put our names down. In that time, already-over-volunteered-Cathy stared on in dread as I swiped another bit of time out of her life with a few strokes of a #2 pencil. While she was entranced with my unsanctioned scheduling, Sarah and Evan departed, followed shortly by Amy. As the ever confident Amy found herself alone in the hallway, she took it upon herself to walk out the front of the school, through the dark parking lot, and off to the playground. The parents got a frowny face tonight. Sarah and Evan took one hall of the school. Cathy raced to the gym. A couple of scout dads joined in the search with one commenting "my child is missing too…but he’s old enough to walk home!" The teacher joined the posse. Amy was found on the playground and as she was walked into the school, her name blared across the school intercom so that all visitors became away that the McCaughans lose their children.

Didn’t Noah go with us? Anyone seen Noah?

Posted on by — 5 Comments

Last Night’s Dream

I remember two dreams. Both involved Tommy. One was about camping. But this post is about the other one.

We are in a car. I am in the back seat against the door on the passenger side. Cathy is sharing the seat with me just to my left. Some girl is in the middle but it is kind of like an opening to another row of seats so perhaps she is in the back-back and leaning forward to the middle row of seats; she is holding an unlit joint between her thumb and index finger but mostly concealing it in her hand. Then a shadow of a person is in the other middle seat on the driver’s side. Tommy is driving. A police officer pulls him over. We all sit there stunned. We make no attempt to get the girl to conceal her illegal substance as the officer approaches the car and makes eye contact with her. He comes to my side of the car and takes the joint from her, makes a comment and hands it to me. As he walks away Cathy points out that the police officer is going to arrest me so I eat it.

Now I ask you, what the hell was Tommy doing driving?!

Posted on by — 1 Comment

More On The Differences Between Men and Women

Men and women see the world differently. Noah has school pictures today.

Cathy: "How did Noah look this morning?"
Me: "I’m pretty sure he went to school."
Cathy: "How did Noah look this morning?"
Me: "I emphasized to him that he really needed to turn in his check for pictures."
Cathy: "How did Noah look this morning?"
Me: "Umm. I know he was wearing clothes."
Cathy: "How did Noah look this morning?"
Me: "I don’t know. Give me a hint!"

Update: Apparently Amy had school pictures yesterday too. Mom is less than thrilled.

Posted on by — 3 Comments

I’ve got a butt!

Uncle Jim has a great song that the children love (and I do too!) called "I’ve Got a Butt" on his Let There Be Fun CD. Go listen to track 8. Hit the XMKids request line at XMFan to get the full song played.

Jim Mayer, aka Uncle Jim, is an award-winning children’s music performer who has been playing children’s music since 2002. The term “Uncle Jim” is not a figurative one; Jim has twenty nieces and nephews and he knows what kids like! [Source]

He’s a Tennessean! Living in Nashville. Now which child needs to join the fanclub?

Posted on by — 1 Comment

Lull Them to Sleep

Evan’s crib lives in our bedroom. It has a nook. So that Cathy and I could watch television we would leave it on when Evan was put in the crib for the night. This way he wouldn’t go from a total black, quiet room to a bright, noisy lighted room. When I noticed him watching the television after I would put him in the crib, and I noted that the programs were sometimes violent, or Ophraish, or foul mouthed comedians, I started to question my parenting.

Having Comcast’s digital cable, I started setting the television to classical music. Of course, Cathy will put the music on the 70s channel when she puts Evan down for naps or sleep. Between the two of us, he’s now being flooded with music that encourages big hair, high libido, and a serious coke habit (have you ever actually watched Fantasia?).

It didn’t occur to me that we had ingrained a ritual into the poor boy’s head until the cable went out today. Evan went down for a nap and complained that the tv was "broke" and demanded his music. What? Use a boom box or radio?! Pshaw!

Posted on by — Leave a comment

The Boy Scouts tried to kill me today

Sarah passes her swim test with photographic evidence

I was debating not going on next month’s boyscout outing. I enjoy the outings very much! But they can be expensive and money is heavy on my mind right now. I came to my senses and decided not to deny the boys. As a matter of fact, I’ve offered to include Sarah in the weekend’s activities. So next month, Tommy, Noah, Sarah and I will go to Camp Pellissippi for a canoe derby. We will have canoe racing and see how many people we can fit into a single boat and so forth. It should be much fun.

Scouting is very safety conscious. To do activities like this in scouting requires a medical form stating one is in good health. Water activities require a swim test within the past 6 months. My test was this morning. Just before I got in the water I slammed down my last swig of coffee. I had to do 6 laps with power strokes and then 2 laps with a resting backstroke. I was doing fine and had the lungs and strength to do a lap without even raising my head although my 2nd and 3rd lap included taking breaths just to not wear myself out. At the end of my 3rd lap, it hit me! A feeling like indigestion! I couldn’t get a full lung of air! What I wanted to do more than anything in the world was a world class belch! Have you ever had one of those? Maybe you just chugged a carbonated beverage and then you feel the need to burp but its stuck in your chest just below your sternum? If you can only work it out, the reverberating bass tones emanating from your mouth surely would shake walls and register on the Richter scale. Those last 3 laps were horrible. I wanted to be polite and not burp but I wanted to be able to get some air and not look like I was struggling to do a simple swim. What a terribly uncomfortable feeling!

I passed. I blame the coffee for the tough moment!

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Such an inappropriate dad

Tommy's first backpacking trip

Tommy missed his bus this morning so I had to drive him in. On the way to school I asked him about his camping trip this past weekend and how he was feeling. Now I like esoteric humor and double entendre and often for my own entertainment include references in my conversations that simply are missed or go over people’s heads without changing the flow or meaning of our discussion. I entertain myself this way. I asked Tommy if he used the latrine in the woods then to be clear I added, "Did you shit in the woods?" I was making a reference to this book and realizing that Tommy would not have a clue I corrected myself, "Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that." and Tommy interjected, "There’s a book with that title." He got it! He caught the hidden reference! Tommy never ceases to amaze me.