Randoms

My kids are doing the things that kids do... grow up. In no child is that more apparent than the baby. Which really, she'll be 2 in October, but she has the benefit of being the youngest, so she'll always be my baby. Anyhow, she has a seat in the dining room, (no more highchairs) it is like a booster seat at a restaurant, except it it is secure in that it straps to the chair, she can't flip out of it. But what she can do is a "Dukes of Hazzard" climb out the side. It is funny. She can't push the chair once she is seated, so when she decides she is done, and nobody is paying attention, this is the way she bails.

The Songbird is growing her mind more than anything these days... she can sort of read... not really, but she knows some words. So each night we read 2 or 3 books and it is amazing how much she has progressed.

The teenager is struggling, maybe not so much struggling as she is coming to grips with the real world of high school work, honors/AP work at that. And this year both the teenager and Songbird have soccer practice. That means my Saturdays are a wash, and two week days are long. That's ok, but man I miss having nothing to do.

Back to the little one, we went to Jekyll Island, and paid a visit to Summer Waves water park. She saw all the chase lounges around, and the women laying out getting a tan. Which all seems fine. Then our baby says to me, "Go night-night" and "awwwwww." Basically she was wishing them a good sleep, as they were laying with eyes closed, so she thought they were going to sleep.

Drop Down Low

So there really wasn't a hurricane, or tropical storm, or whatever. All we had at my house was a gentle rain and some wind (emphasis on "some") Oh what are we to do? Anyway, like Y2K, there was pretty much nothing. Oh well.

I'll tell what has been dropping like a hot potato, and that is my 401K. It's taken a back seat to other things lately, but I'm still monitoring it. Yesterday it lost $500 the day before $150, and the day before that $175. It is hard to take, but I know to think long term. Still, my contribution, 10% of my income, is for the most part not going anywhere. It's bad when it loses money, but at least I can add to it when I get paid every two weeks. Even that isn't helping, it's losing more than I put in it now. Hopefully this means in 5-10 years, I'll be rich beyond my wildest imaginations, or I could be just as broke.

There was a time when I couldn't even fathom putting 10% of my paycheck to retirement. So I guess I'm not that bad off after all.

Traditional

In case you didn't already know... School starts tomorrow for all you traditional folks out there. My daughter (the big one) came home last night. Wow you'd not think that much would change in 6 weeks, but it did. She has an appreciation for what we have, and how much better it is.... or at least she acts like it. She's also gained some weight. I'm not really one to gauge a girl's weight, but I do think she's at that time where how and what you eat has a greater affect on you, i.e. Puberty. Anyway I think it'll be good to have a different viewpoint, though obviously not concurrent with my own. She's home and safe and not pregnant, also she's sleeping so life is pretty quiet right now, but that's not a bad thing, not a bad thing at all.

Randoms

So I did manage to do more with my weekend than cookout, swim or attend parties. And man was it ever hot. I woke up about 6:45 Sunday, the sleep the night before was probably the best I've had in recent memory, anyway, about 7:30 I decided to cut the grass, and I should have did it even sooner. The air was thick, it just gets like that here. It took me about an hour to cut the grass... with my ghetto-redneck bungee corded lawn mower.

My wife gave me an early present in that she saw a cheap hammock at the World Market, and I put it together. It is nice, and not made in China, so it already has me stoked. We also bought some wine, because honestly they do have a pretty big selection. Later we took the kids to Kung Fu Panda and now it's pretty much all my 2-year-old can talk about. Panda this and Panda that. The movie was pretty good, I still hold that Iron Man is better... but we still have a long way to go this summer.

They are Attacking!

I'm just driving to work one day and I notice the Ohio car tag (Ohio is like the #1 or #2 tourist here) Anyway I'm looking at it and I wonder... is this a flag of sorts?




That's the flag for Croatia and either I'm just full of it (very likely) or they (Croatians) have taken over Ohio and are now moving into South Carolina. You heard here first kids.

A Real Life Friday Funny

Most times, truth really is stranger (or funnier) than fiction. I was at the gas station this morning filling up, which in and of itself is an exercise in masochism. There I was, jockeying for a spot between day laborers, construction contractors, and lawn service folks, singing the song from Sesame Street...

One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn't belong,
Can you tell which thing is not like the others
By the time I finish my song?

That would be me, by the way. But that’s ok, I’m used to it.

So as I’m settling up with the station pump and fumbling around with the gas cap I overhear three black men laughing and carrying on as they walk back to their truck. Just before they get in the vehicle one of them says,

“She was too old for R. Kelly, but she was too young for me.”

I’ll admit it... that was pretty damn funny.

A Case for Smelling the Roses

I work around life and death. Almost everyday there’s a new tragedy, death, birth, or simple moment in time that changes someone’s life forever. With so many of these kinds of situations unfolding in front of me, it’s easy to take things for granted.

I found myself walking along side two co-workers. One is an older woman in the twilight of her working career, far from her 1st rodeo, defining her as “well seasoned” would be an understatement. The other is a younger woman, closer to her high school graduation than that point we all reach when the bartender or checkout clerk doesn’t bother to ask for ID anymore.

The younger woman was frustrated with the stress of her day and eventually blurted out “I can’t wait for this day to be over” and trudged away. The older woman looked over at me and said, “When you get to be my age, you learn to like the wait”.

That one sentence hit me like sledgehammer. Life really is entirely too brief to shortchange ourselves. There are many ways the younger woman could have made her situation better. Hopefully she’ll figure it all out before she runs out of days to rush through.

Here’s to making the most of your day...

Wednesday Ramblings

Gosh it’s hot. It certainly doesn’t feel very “Octobery” outside. Still, I find solace in Summer’s reprieve. While I do look forward to cooler weather, there’s something about swimming other outdoor activities in a time when others areas are supposed to be bundling up. It’s one of those “love it or loathe it” deals. 4 seasons would be nice, but I’ll take 80 degrees and a sunny day at the beach... if I must.

I’ve come to the conclusion that big media isn’t satisfied until they’ve completely removed your every reason to live. Scary must sell great. Between the housing market (that scares the bejesus out of me personally) or terrorism, or global warming, or hurricanes, or god forbid, the presidential race... we’re all scared of something. There’s a lot to be said for being blissfully ignorant.

With the coming holidays (even though the weather isn't exactly cooperating) I start to think about get-togethers with family and friends and that of course requires food. I admit to being a bit of a Food Network Junkie, mostly because my "crap tolerance" pegs out within 2-3 minutes on most other shows. Somehow watching other people cook is more tolerable to me. Anyway of all the shows on the Food Network, Good Eats is the one I like the most. Alton Brown mixes entertainment with pertinent information like no other and his knowledge and presentation make me more apt to try his recipes (which have all been great so far). At least they aren't trying to scare me on the cooking shows... yet.

More Monday Ramblings

What a weekend. Ok, not really. Most of my weekend was spent attending to a sick child and/or running in-between raindrops. I had every intention of going to TGI3F, especially since it was to be the last performance of Amos Hummell's "In Living Color" show, but sick kids and crappy weather plotted against me. Saturday I managed to be somewhat productive (between sick kid naps) and painted our old wine rack to match our new dining room furniture (flat black). Sunday was dedicated to gathering up groceries during fever-free periods sponsored by Motrin cocktails. Sounds exciting don’t it? Well we can’t all have the James Bond lifestyle can we?

Moving on…

Watching the news is nothing more than an endurance test crafted to analyze one’s tolerance level for stupidity. I’m good for maybe 5 minutes (including commercials). Print news isn’t much better. After reading some of his stories, I question whether one local reporter graduated middle school, or even realizes the concept of using facts to support a story, instead of just making it up as you go or inserting completely non-related facts into a story for no apparent reason. I’m not calling names, yet, but the fact that such poorly written stories ever see the light of day speaks volumes for much more than just one reporter. There is a project I’m working on to effectively and fairly address this issue, but I’m still going over the semantics (doing it right is better than doing it fast).

But Enough of That…

The first installment of the LowCountry Institute's Master Naturalist workshop for teachers took place over the weekend. A friend of mine emailed some pictures (along with an account of the class) and I must say I’ve already learned a few things I didn’t know about the area including the abundance and diversity of living organisms in our waters (periwinkle snails, sea squirts, and ghost shrimp... oh my!).

Speaking of education…

Today begins year-round calendar intersession. Hopefully this extra help over the next two weeks will give under performing kids the help they need to improve their academic standing.

Monday Ramblings

There’s not much in the way of (real) news going on today.

Well there is the whole school capacity debacle and some very astute blogger input on the issue, but that’s more of the same, and for today at least I really don’t have the energy to properly address it. Check out the links if you have time or gumption and decide for yourself.

Football season is cranking up and the NASCAR circuit is winding down, none of the teams I pull for have done much of anything, so I find myself pining about next year already. About the only thing good going on in respect to my old stomping grounds is Brett Farve has seemingly caught on fire. Too bad he’s not playing for a different team... or that Kiln Mississippi doesn’t have one of it’s own. **sigh** Maybe next year.

It’s mid-September and just a few days ago I smacked my forehead and cried, “a month with an R in it!” This means oysters (do they really still follow that rule?) and how I love me some fresh oysters. Around these parts you can obtain fresh out of the water, locally harvested oysters at very affordable prices.

Local + Cheap = Happy!

Everybody wins in this deal, so go get yourself a bushel or three, fire up the grill (or eat them raw, I like `em either way) and devour all the oysters you can, because they aren’t only good, but good for you and good for the local oystermen who pull them out of the pluff mud too. This is pretty much as good as it gets when it comes to fresh seafood around here. I wholeheartedly encourage anyone within driving distance to take advantage of this unique local resource.

Random Thoughts

I’ve been busy. Well not so busy that I haven’t been able to get online, but busy enough that I haven’t been able to formulate my thoughts concisely enough to warrant a full-fledged post.

Beaufort County School Board Meeting:

I only caught the back half but a few things came up worth mentioning.

Smart boards are good. I’m a big fan of the technology, but I wonder how/why it costs just over $1,000 per room for installation. I’m not talking about purchase price, because the units have already been procured. I’m referring to mounting the projector and wiring the unit to a computer/ providing electrical power. Over a grand per room, to the tune of 86,000 (and change) for 72 units seems a bit much. Not millions and millions like other projects, but still…

Fred Washington, the board chair seems hell-bent on getting out early. I’ve no doubt that those folks work hard and would like to get home to the family, but incessantly telling everyone to be brief only seems to cheapen the efforts of anyone who actually bothered to show up and make a comment/present a report. If it’s important enough to be brought up at the school board meeting, the only openly public meeting related to our schools most citizens have the opportunity to get exposed to, is it asking to much to demand more than the Cliff notes?

Moving on... It’s hot.

Miserable hot. The wife keeps mentioning something about Satan and buttocks creases. Anyway, many an air conditioning system is having trouble keeping up with the demand of the heat outside. I almost became a heat casualty over the weekend while working in the yard. The key is not over doing it, and as much as it pains me to say it and I’m not that old, but I’m not as young as I used to be. The bones and joints and tolerance to temperature extremes just aint what it used to be.

While organizing my Ipod play list…

I rediscovered the Black Eyed Peas. The band’s panache certainly isn’t for everyone, but their commercial success and the retooling of their songs by corporate America means they must have gotten something right. There’s just enough ghetto vernacular to make the Black Eyed Peas adult only fun, but they ride the line just enough so as to not seem juvenile. Regardless the licks are catchy, in fact they’re damn near infectious. I call it a guilty pleasure that only our free society can provide. Everybody get stoopit’ just not in the school board meeting (unless only briefly) or in the direct heat of the day. Just sayin…