Category: Daily Life
Ramblings, often stream of conscious, journaling the events of my life.
Working for yourself – no such thing as 8 to 5
I like to talk about the greener grass. Every now and then I see how much greener the grass is over at Corporate World. Now is not one of those times. I’m enjoying working for myself very much right now. Of course, it is not without its stresses. Last night my workday ended around 11:30pm (and that’s only because my eyes wouldn’t stay open and my forehead proved inept at hitting the correct keys on the keyboard). I arose at 3:00am and got right back into coding. Freelancing means doing anything to get the job done! Now, that’s not to say the corporate world is dissimilar. I’m no foreigner to sleeping under a desk in a cubicle. Which I guess brings me back around to that greener grass. When corporate folk start thinking, "I should quit and go work for myself because …" and when freelancers start thinking, "I need to go back to the corporate world because…", they both really need to remember that each path has its perks and drawbacks. Just pick and stick to it.
Time to get back to my other job…herding children toward the bus stop.
Whew!
Rather covered up at the moment.
Face meet dirt
Neuter this man – save the world!
When did these walls get so close together?
I’m starting to feel a little squeezed! Man I need a laptop!
And I fall to sleep…
I want to keep programming…but alas, I cannot code another line. I must sleep.
I saw Sweeny Todd
I had the pleasure of seeing Sweeny Todd this weekend with my wife and two good friends. I don’t think I can match the poetry in Rich’s review (warning! spoilers in this link!).
SSDD
The children have returned to school. Yesterday the cost of the Boy Scout ski trip that Noah and I are doing this weekend roughly doubled plus I committed to driving which means I have to put new tires on the van ($$) and maybe a brake caliper ($$) and Noah needs outfitting ($$) so I am focused on my programming although I’d kill to sleep another couple of hours. Hello 2008! (It is going to be a great year!)
The zombies have risen!
I’m heading downstairs to lock myself in the basement and have a nervous breakdown.
From the mouths of babes
Evan asks: "Is there a mama?"
Dad: "Mama is asleep."
Evan furrows brow and almost growls: "Oooh Man. I want to go {grabbled}. Noah."
The interesting thing about Evan’s speech right now is that it is clear he gets his thought together but sometimes it takes a bit to get out. Noah is often "No" pause "ah"
Just want to play with the children today
I want to be building forts, playing games, and laughing with the children today. My brain isn’t working at full capacity today. But I remain focused on my work because before I can play with my children, I must provide for them.
Parents are obliged to provide food, shelter, clothing, medical care, education, and spiritual development for their children. Theoretically, each of those should have equal importance. In reality, they have to be prioritized based on the situation at the time. Single parents amaze me. I do not know I would manage a family without Cathy! That is not entirely true. If I were a single parent, I would build a support system around myself of friends, family and services. As a matter of fact, we have such a support system already. I imagine that as a single parent I would have to use that support system a little heavier.
It is difficult to meet any of those obligations without money. Unfortunately, the amount of money you make/have is rather proportional to the quality of care you can provide your children. That is not to imply that a poor person is a bad parent or cannot give their child a quality education; however, a greater amount of money makes it easier to provide quality services. For instance, food choices are often governed by making ends meet. The quality of services you receive at the doctor’s office can be determined by your insurance carrier. I have observed people on TennCare having longer waits than people on private insurance. Those on TennCare may get interns while those with private insurance get the nurses and doctors. Money definitely impacts the quality of shelter which can be provided. Quality clothing can be had from consignment stores, hand me downs, and sales; however, money may determine how often clothing is purchased. Even spiritual development can be impaired by money problems since time to give spiritual guidance has to be allocated to earning money.
Whoops. This post was supposed to be about how much I love my children. Didn’t mean to slip into "I want to see poverty abolished" (even if I do).
2008 as usual
The evening here is pretty typical. The boys are locked in a 9×11 foot room having a pooting contest. It’s eye watering in there! The youngest two are tearing a room to shreds as my wife cleans a different room and hollers threats to the older children that they should be cleaning. The teenage girl hides in the open and pretends not to hear. I am downstairs cursing at my computer because I can’t type faster. The usual.
It could at least snow
For those who do not work outside, you may like to know that it is ridiculously cold! Wait a minute… I don’t work outside. Brrrr.
Got them post-Christmas blues
Household seems a bit irritable. Too many late nights for the children? Too much time together? The rain? I don’t know.. but for my own sanity, I’m taking the wife for some shopping therapy.
