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The world wants to spin

I can feel the dizzy spells wanting to come back. It would be a mistake to lean my head back and look up at the ceiling right now. I must calm myself. I had two cups of coffee this morning which aggravates the problem. I really don’t want to take the Meclizine. I’d like to see a chiropractor but that’s just out the question right now. Eating right would probably help. I’m certain diet contributes to this. Mostly stress. Ugh.

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You know that scene in Caddy Shack?

Time to reenact the pool scene from Caddy Shack, only we don’t have any Baby Ruth’s in this house. Where did I leave my Hazmat suit?

Update: They called me upstairs to deal with it. I donned my rubber gloves and found two small children still in the tub. Evan was holding a brown ball of the stuff! He gave it to me then Amy grabbed a fibrous sheet of it. Yuck! Evan had quite the blowout. Amy tossed her sheet toward me and I jumped back 3 feet as they laughed and swished around in the murky water. It was all in the bath water. I was repulsed. Amy and Evan laughed and swam. Cathy laughed so hard she started to tear. Then she explained that Evan took the card board tube from an expended roll of paper towels in with him. Belated April Fools on me! Now that was funny.

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It’s quiet…too quiet

I love state fairs. I still remember my first state fair in the way back in North Carolina. I think that’s where I was introduced to my first foot long hot dog and on another occasion a corn dog. For the past 5 years or so, every time the Tennessee Valley Fair was here and my family was going, I was either in Los Angeles or just too consumed with deadlines to join them. This is crunch week on a project that must show great results. Tonight is the night the grandparents wanted to take the kids to the fair. I just had to say no. The funny thing is the decibel level in our house runs so consistently high that until you are alone in the house, it is hard to appreciate just how noisy we are. My ears feel like they are filled with cotton. This is almost too quiet to work!

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Oops

Lost my temper with the twelve year old because he acted like a 12 year old boy. No! Not that. He was supposed to be watching the little ones while I did some programming and worked on the plumbing but he got drawn into his Playstation2, the one I told him not to play. I demonstrated anger, made 2 children cry, and now everyone (mostly Mom) is justifiably mad at me. Sometimes I wish I could roll the clock back just a few minutes and have a little do-over. Hugs, humility and apologies went all around. Tears were brushed away. But the damage is done. Self-flagellation ahead.

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Lessons of the night

In my plumbing exploits, which really should be documented on video, I’ve learned the following:

  • Brass fittings strip easily.
  • No matter how sure footed you think you are, when doing the splits between the top of a bar stool and a two by four bracing the hallway drywall suspended over a stack of paint cans and a mop bucket, applying torque to a monkey wrench that is above your head will cause you to fall down.
  • Swinging a two foot steel bar with your left hand against a drop forged pipe wrench (often mistaken for a monkey wrench) being held with your right hand is a mistake if you are not left handed.

Last time I did this, this plug came out much easier. Surely I’m doing something wrong.