Two of my children have entered The Age of Bickering. Every parent knows it. No matter how inconsequential, these two find something to fight over. The seven year old knows how to push the buttons of the ten year old and enjoys doing so. The ten year old wants to control everything and sets up scenarios she know will get the seven year old going. My morning routine consists of constantly reminding them, "please don’t fight" "please get along." I have a quota and apparently I can repeat myself only so many times before the Hulk takes over. Then everyone cries and I feel like a cad for the rest of the day. It’s quite amazing how quickly a calm, happy morning can turn to disaster and tension. I have committed myself to becoming Zen Dad but I’m a far way from snatching any stones from palms.
Category: Daily Life
Ramblings, often stream of conscious, journaling the events of my life.
From the mouths of babes
Moe’s employee: "What can I get you brother?"
Evan, seven years old: "You’re not my brother."
Moe’s employee: "Little man, that just means I like you. We’re friends."
Evan: "But you’re not my brother."
Wanna screw?
Today I glanced down at my desk to see a tiny screw beside my headphones. I immediately assume a screw fell out of the headphones. Nope. All accounted for. I study the screw. It’s a tiny machine screw with a slightly rounded head. I have no idea what it belongs to. So, naturally, I come to the conclusion that I need to buy a small bag of tiny machine screws and start secretly leaving one or two beside people’s laptops and other electronic devices! This is the purpose of this tiny screw.
Knoxville just had an earthquake
The house shook. I wondered who was running on my roof. Sounded like a marathon detoured over the roof. Yes, Knoxville, Tennessee just had an earthquake.
The epicenter was 8 miles west of Whitesburg, Kentucky.
From the mouths of babes
Evan, seven years old: "Daddy, wanna know something? When you get too old, you get a goatee."
From the mouths of babes
Cathy: "Doug, practice your breathing please."
Best wife e’vr! Without Cathy, I’d be on the floor all blue in the face.
From the mouths of babes
Cathy: "Spit the cat out."
Death to electronics!
I held onto my Razr flip phone way too long. Eventually the battery soldered to the circuit board died and I was unable to replace it. Thus began my life with a smartphone and do I ever love it! So much of my life revolves around the applications in my iPhone 3GS that I feel uncomfortable without them. I joke that without my iPhone, my IQ drops 10 points. Last night, my iPhone died. The Apple Store says the hard drive failed or something internal died. I asked, "is it the battery?" They replied flatly, "No." I suspect it is the battery and ordered a replacement. We shall see in two days.
In other electronic deaths, my laptop’s battery has given up the ghost. Maybe I just need to return to the woods.
It’s the journey
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And we camped!
Evan and I just returned from our first camping trip to the Cosby Campground in the GSMNP. Greenbrier used to be my hideaway in the Smokies and is still one of my favorite spots. Cosby is on the Greenbrier side of the mountains and was a wonderful experience! Our scouts, their parents, their support, our pack, its support, the attitudes, the adventures and the weather were all great…better…they were perfect! This is one of those father/son bonding experiences that had so many precious moments that this trip will always hold a special place in my heart.
Time
The trouble is that by the time you are done with your 2nd and 3rd job, you are too tired to do all those things you want to do with the family.
From the mouths of babes
Me: "Who picked their nose and put boogers on the wall?"
Blushing child: "I sneezed."
What is a disenfranchised voter?
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Miniature weekend
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Booring
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