Ode to a dead goldfish

Okay...so I'm double dipping with posts today, but I just got home and something really funny happened...well...sad and funny.

I had been home for about five minutes and Goobs came up to me and said..."Tom is dead, Daddy." He then pointed to the small aquarium that houses two (now one) goldfish. Tom and Jerry had been around for two months. A store named "Petland" opened up in the shopping center right near our place. We took Goobs and the Bun there and got them fish. J and I figured(okay...to be totally honest, this was J that did the figuring. I was along for the ride) it was time to get them a pet, but something low key that wouldn't leave fur or hair all over. Fish were the perfect solution, so we tromped over to Petland, bought some fish and an aquarium, put it together, and voilla (Okay...I'm not French, so If my French spelling sucks...I'm okay with it), we had Goldfish..."Just Add Water..." and boom, we were pet owners. We originally had four fish, but lost two via a tank cleaning accident by J and Goobs. We were down to two until today.

I got a plastic picnic cup, scooped him out and took him to the bathroom. I suggested a viking funeral to J. The goldfish viking funeral would entail us making a paper boat, putting Tom in it, setting it on fire, and then flushing it. I thought it was a perfect way for Tom to enter goldfish Valhalla. J poo pooed my idea of the viking funeral, so we had to go with the simple, generic goldfish funeral in the bathroom.

I let Goobs take the casket (the plastic cup) with Tom in it into the bathroom. He did feed Tom every day and talked to him too, so it was only appropriate that Goobs was the lone pallbearer. He solemnly walked into the bathroom and dumped Tom into the bowl. I asked him if he wanted to say a few words before Tom was flushed. Goobs shook his head up and down and then said..."Bye Buddy" and then flushed him down. He then skipped out of the bathroom to watch Curious George. That was the extent of his mourning.

When the other goldfish, Jerry, expires, we'll do it again. I think we'll wait for a while before we get a kitten or a puppy.

Sushi with a smile!

I stepped out for lunch a little early. I was hungry and wasn't sure what I wanted, so I decided to take a walk in the skyways.

For those unfamiliar with the Minneapolis skyway system, it's a series of glass hallways that connect buildings across streets at the second floor level. These skyways are all over downtown Minneapolis, so basically you can take a walk from one end of the downtown to the other without stepping outside in the cold...It's pretty cool. There are restaurants in the skyway areas of a lot of the buildings, so people who work or shop downtown have many choices for food.

So there I was, getting hungrier by the moment. I work about two blocks away from the downtown Macy's and there are a few places between the school and Macy's in the skyway. I was on my way to Macy's and I saw that new restaurant had opened. I peered in and saw it was a sushi place. It looked good and I stuck my head in a little further. I saw the proprieter and two workers and I could hear Korean being spoken. Being the brazen guy that I am, I just walked in and in my most polite Korean asked him how long the store had been open...He said about two weeks...then...he realized the question was being asked in his own language. His eyes about bugged of his head. He'd never heard a white guy speak Korean to him...especially using chondae mal-polite Korean used when first meeting someone or to an individual of higher age or greater authority. He then broke out in a big smile, and had me sit down. It was cool because I was the only customer and he and I had a very nice conversation. Gosh, after five years of living in the states my Korean was really rusty, but it started coming back. One of the things I have been doing to keep it somewhat alive in my head was watching goofy Korean soap operas later in the evening about once in a while on AZN. I listen and keep an eye on the subtitles, just to see if the translation is somewhat close. I want to keep my Korean languge ability somewhat alive and not let it die. I've invested a lot of time into it...a year at military language school in Monterey, a term at Yonsei, and a term at Keimyong in Taegu, and the seven years that I spent in Seoul. It's important to me...sometimes J thinks I'm a little nuts with this-she doesn't like it when I watch the soap operas at times-it makes her a little crazy. She only spent one year in Seoul with me after we were married. She took some Korean classes and really had fun when she could start to read the signs on the streets. We both loved living in Seoul and sometimes would love to go back...but then reality sets in.

When we lived in Seoul together, our studio apartment was soooo...tiny. I can't think of what it would be in square footage, but if you know the Korean measuring system of house measurement, it was 13 pyong-about the size of the master bedroom in our townhouse. I would love to live in Korea, but let's face it. It ain't gonna happen. I could work at a university, but they would give me minimal space (okay if I'm single), but nothing that would be decent for a family man with a wife and two kids. I would have to find some sort of expat job with a company, and those are harder than hen's teeth to find. Even though J has a Masters from a university in the Philippines, that wouldn't do her much good in Korea. I also think about living in Davao, J's hometown. I really like it there...it's nice and hot and I wouldn't have to freeze my ever lovin' keester off every winter...like I do here. I've layed in my bed at night and dreamed of owning a business there and spending time diving...what a life that would be! Am I living in a fantasy world...probably, but hey...why not dream?

So...back to the sushi place. The owner is very nice and gave me a cup of nok cha with my sushi. His name is Abraham and he's been in the states since 92. He spent five years in the LA area and then moved to the twin cities. He told me that he thinks the people are nice here, but the winters are way too long. He has asked me to come back to talk on a regular basis to practice my Korean. He's a nice guy and I think I'll take him up on that. It's always nice to meet new friends!

And...the sushi was fantastic. If you are ever in downtown Minneapolis, get in the Skyway and find "Together Sushi" in the Highland Bank building, right before you get to downtown Macy's. Yes, it's a brazen commercial for the new restaurant, but I think it's worth it!!!

yada yada blah blah blah...

J is a pretty ebay savvy woman, which is a good thing because I'm a moron when it comes to that stuff. She got me a pair of used ski pants for about eight bucks-the shipping will be more expensive than the pans themselves. I'm not going to complain because I couldn't come up with something like that and would end up at The Sports Authority, spending a shitload of money if I did it my way. She's in the midst of bidding for a ski outfit for herself. I'm not getting involved with her online shopping. She is the master, and I...a mere online shopping village idiot.

Let's see... I didn't post yesterday. It was pretty uneventful, with the exception of one thing happening. I had to pee...which is a pretty normal thing, at least I think so. I, as most folks do when following the call of mother nature, walked down the hall to the bathroom. The restrooms are directly infront of the administration offices of our fine institution. The director of career services has her office in that little complex. She came out of the admin offices to see me walking to the restroom. I, being the social animal that I am, said "Hi, Becky." She didn't respond with, "Hi, Steve," but with "You know you're not supposed to be wearing jeans at school. You can't wear denim." I smiled and said "Hey, it's the day after Christmas...no one's here and I'm working on the computer in the office all day." She didn't even say..."hey it's okay, but make sure you at least wear something else tomorrow." Nooo...she continued by saying, "Steve...it's in the handbook...read your handbook." Yeah...it's in the handbook...and I'll tie it to my wrist and sleep with it from now on...GIVE ME A BREAK...Oh, and I'll put the right cover sheet on the TPS reports too...I HAVE BEEN ACCOSTED BY THE PANTS POLICE!!! I hope the common sense police give that woman a good whacking too!!!

I don't know about you folks, but we have a fridge full of leftovers. I'm going to be eating leftovers for at least two more weeks. The food's good and I have no complaints...I'm just eating good stuff over and over. We've got ham, ham soup, mashed potatoes, pizza, homemade chicken fingers, frozen chili, this awesome fruit salad (the stuffs got mangoes, pineapple, grapes, jackfruit, natte de coco, coconut balls, heavy cream and condensed milk), and other stuff I can't even remember that we've got stored in the fridge.

Okay, here's another thing about food...good food, new food, leftovers, and any other edible thing...my kids hardly eat anything. They'd rather run around the kitchen table, chasing each other, wrestling, and throwing stuff. Eating is really low on their list of priorities...in fact, it's somewhere between visiting the dentist and getting a shot in the fanny. We put food in front of them and they just ignore it or tell us it's icky. I am at a loss to know how they are growing, for indeed they are-seriously, I'm clueless about this. We've had to buy new pants and shoes for both of them. They're growing, but how they get adequate fuel is beyond me. One thing they clamor for on a regular basis is chocolate milk. We go through jug upon jug of the sweet, brown stuff. They suck it down and cry for more...and of course, J and I comply and fill up their glasses again and again. The beef and the potatoes grow cold as they run around...the chicken strips are half eaten and the veggies have na'ry a fork touch them as they lay dead on their plates. The pediatrician told us not to worry about it and they are fine. So, I guess we'll just put food on their plates and hope they eat. I usually scarf it up if it's sat for a couple of hours...I do that since we don't have a dog.

Well, that's about it for today. It's another day of high drama in the office during Christmas Break... I'm on pins and needles people!!!

A short note on gifts

Just a note to the person who gave my kids new fangled crayons and coloring books for Christmas. Yes, they did use their coloring books, but they also used the wall in the dining room. Just thought that should be noted... Gotta get back to the kitchen to help J with the dishes and cleaning up...if I stay another minute, my ass will be grass...

Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve in the Samok household. We spent the last couple of days snowed in with my folks, but made it back up to the old homestead around noon today. The kids got lots of presents from their grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins. We ate like starved swine...this included what most folks would call "sit down dinner food" and cookies, candy, and the like. Pulling on a pair of freshly dried jeans on this afternoon was a reminder of why we only eat like this a couple of times a year.

Goobs didn't nap well this afternoon, so our Christmas Eve is kind of in a Flux. We were prepared to go to a 7:00 Christmas Eve service, but he was so crabby at 5:00 that we laid him down and he's sleeping right now. We might just have to chalk this one up to a sleeping kid and eat our Christmas Eve dinner when he wakes up.

You know, we are trying to start our own Christmas traditions as a family. Everyone else in my extended family has two sides of the family to visit, be visited by, or just hang around with. We, the Samoks, have only my side here in the immediate area. J does have some aunts, uncles and cousins in Michigan, but that's quite a long trip for a short visit. We spend time with my family, and I've got to say that J has fit in quite well...we are a family who loves to tease and rib each other...and by gosh, the woman has really gotten in and taken part in the fun. She can poke fun at anyone of them and loves getting in the mix of it. She and my brother have really taken to "giving each other the business." It's fun, but because we only have half of what everyone else has for family, we are in the midst of trying new things to create tradition.

Let me explain. Christmas Eve focuses on the Filipino side of things. We went to "The House of Wu" today to get a couple of pounds of roast pork, so we can have Lechon Baboy today. We also stopped at an asian market to get tuna, shrimp, and a variety of fruit salad fixins' for dinner tonight. It's going to be a feast. We'll settle down and the kids will watch some Christmas Eve TV and J and I will settle down to our annual Christmas Eve scrabble fest. She usually kicks my ass in scrabble (she can see the board for future moves much better than I can). Then she gives me shit and asks me "who's the native English speaker anyway..." which pisses me off every year. Ah...hell I enjoy her giving me shit...so every year I get my ass kicked in scrabble...It's part of the tradition.

Tomorrow we'll open presents and have a big steak dinner. I'm going to take the kids sliding...and then we'll all be tired. To me...that sounds like a pretty good start of a tradition. I wonder if anybody else has some suggestions for us. I'm open to anything....

I'm about ready to go eat dinner...the food awaits. I do want to hear how some folks are spending their Christmases. Hey...give me a holler and I'll do the same for you...

Christmas stream o' consciousness

Okay...so the school is pretty much vacant and our offices are half full at best. I'm recording grades of the culinary students on my spread sheet and I'm bored out of my skull!!! I've got my headphones on and I'm listening to the "Mambo Kings" soundtrack...naturally, I'm bouncing on the ball. I suppose you could call that "doing the ball mambo" in the office. Sounds kinda dirty, but I assure you...it's not...just a little goofy.

So, we went to Goobs' preschool christmas party last night. Let me set the scene for you... about 150 people packed into a large room in a suburban community center. Over two thirds of the party attendees were preschool age or below (students and their small bro's and sisses ). Yes, moms and dads were there too, but their main purposes in the grand scheme of things were to herd kids, gather pizza, fuit, and cookies, stop kids from throwing said food articles, and make sure that nothing too monumentally disastrous occurred. The kids also put on a small music program and the guest of honor, Santa, showed up.

In a nutshell...there were way too many kinds of stimuli for the kids, and for a certain Samok Daddy...who just happens to suffer from adult ADD, to handle. Just getting pizza in line was a chore. The line crawled and kids chased in and out of it, making it even more of a pain in the backside. When we finally got situated to eat, the singing program started. Goobs rushed up front to join his kiddie cohorts, but got bored halfway through the second song and returned to our table. A couple of songs later, jingle bells were distributed to the kids who were singing...guess who didn't get a jingle bell because he left the group? He ran back up to join the choir again, but it was too late for a jingle bell...

After the singing finished, we waited for Santa. But of course, Goobs had to pee. J was next to him, so she decided she would take him to the bathroom. Timing has always been a problem with the Samok family, and this occasion was no exception for us. J and Goobs were gone an inordinately amount of time for what I deemed a simple "drop your drawers and do a pee pee." You can guess who came when they were off to the bathroom. Santa made his grand entrance. The Bun climbed on her chair and was saying "Hi Santa" and waving over and over again. Finally, J and Goobs returned. I volunteered to take Goobs up to see Santa, which I initially thought that he wanted to do...I turned out not to be the case. As we went up to Santa, hand in hand, Goobs tried to pull away and threw a major tantrum. He began screaming and stomping his feet...He made it clear he didn't want to see Santa...which was wierd, because he had never appeared to be bothered by Santa before. He was pretty tired and later went to bed right around 8:00, so I think that being a fatigued little boy could have been a big part of it.

Well, the Bun...that girl is like "night and day" as compared to her older brother. She wanted to get a piece of Santa. It was kind of odd though...she was in line and excited, but right before she got to Santa she decided to lay "face down" on the floor and didn't want to move. We finally got her on Santa's lap. By gosh...she was soooo cute on Santa's lap. I'll put a picture of it on the blog this weekend, so STAY TUNED!

I have to say that experiences like that tire both J and I out and we really were cranky with each other after the party. Only a few words were exchanged between us as we drove back home. You know...even if couples love each other very deeply, preschool Christmas parties can make happy pairs grumpy and growly. J sent me off to Target to get last minute gifts the moment we got home. That little time away did wonders and we were able to sit on a sofa together and watch Napoleon Dynamaite. I rubbed her feet and that was the evening...I still don't get Napoleon Dynamite. J says that it's not my type of movie...she said that I gravitate toward things like "Animal House." Okay, I like "Animal House" and I've seen it probably in the neighborhood of 60 times, but I'm not always "Mr. Lowbrow Neanderthal."

Okay...so that was my evening.

Our anniversary is coming up next month, as is J's birthday. In fact, they are only five days apart. We had been talking about going to this wonderful touristy town outside of the twin cities and staying in a Bed and Breakfast type of hotel and going all out. I was down with that...I really was... But, I got an email from J a couple of days ago that she wanted to try something altogether new. She, my dear readers, has gotten a wild hair up her backside. My lovely wife...beautiful filipina...child of the south sea islands...daughter of the heat...wants to go skiing.

We've got reservations for a weekend skii package at a hotel outside of a ski resort in the area. She is completely fired up for this and has been checking out ebay and other sites to find cheap ski clothes. She, my friends, is chomping at the bit for this opportunity. I have to admit, it's going to be fun.

Here's my thing...I tried to teach her to ride a bike in the Philippines. She didn't like my approach...I guess I was a little too dictatorial in my teaching methodology. We still haven't attempted swimming lessons for her yet...that's another story...Here's what I don't get with that one...How can someone grow up so close to the water and not be intimately acquainted with it? But, that's another post.

Back to skiing lessons...I think it's better left to the professionals at the ski school. When she first learned to drive, my stepdad took the lion's share of her instructional time. She didn't want me in the front seat with her, due to her experience with my instructional approach with bike riding. We did spend a little time together when she was learning to drive, but that occasion was marked by her "back ending" one of the local high school drivers' ed teachers in the drive through line at our Wells Fargo Bank branch (that's one for the ages). So, the ski instructors can work their magic with her for a couple of hours and then we'll try skiing together. I've done my share of skiing over the years, so it's going to be nice to just play while she's learning. I just have to remember to keep my mouth shut and let her have a good time. Besides...with my luck, I'll be the one in the full body cast at the end of the weekend.

Ramble of the day

I woke up this morning with a feeling of tightness and a dull ache in my lower back. I can attribute this to using the ball at my desk. Yes indeed, the ball is doing its job. I definitely want to continue with it, but I have a hard time controlling the urge to bounce. This could be a problem, especially if a student comes to me with a particularly sensetive issue and I'm boinging up and down. I'm going to have to work on restraint with this. It's going to take some practice. The Dean of Academic Affairs walked into the office when I was on the phone bouncing away. She burst out laughing when she saw me... I don't know how I should take that. Since we're on break now, I'm basically recording student grades in my quarterly spreadsheet while listening to my ipod. I can freely bounce when I'm doing that, so it's pretty darn cool.

I've received a new title from my oldest, Goobs. He ran up to me yesterday and said...
"Daddy, you're a poopie butt factory!" I wanted to respond somewhat sternly and tell him that "we don't talk like that", but I was too busy laughing. Score me a negative 10 in child rearing for the day.

Two nights ago I had already settled in for bed. J was still rummaging around the house, but I know that she would be quickly turning in too. She walked in the bedroom and asked me to get up and check on Goobs. He's been sleeping on the floor, next to his bed for the last month or so. He gets up in the middle of the night, takes his bedding with him and just lays down on the floor on the backside of the bed near the wall. Well, she looked over on the other side of the bed and didn't find him... so she came in to me and asked me to check if he was under the bed. I complied with her request, got up and sleepily moved toward Goober's bedroom. I looked on the backside of the bed and then got down and looked under the bed. Nope, the little guy wasn't there. A little burst of fear shot through my neural pathways..."Oh my God...He's gone!" I took a deep breath and took pause for a moment and then quietly opened the door to his sister's room. There he was, cuddled up and sleeping peacefully next to the Bun. I called for J, she came and was so taken with seeing the two of them sleeping next to each other, that she wanted to run for the camera. She thought better of that and just let them sleep in peace. I just think this is one of those snapshots that will forever be imprinted on both of our hearts (Oh gosh, I'm mushy about that stuff).

We have to get a new toothbrush for the Bun. She loves brushing her teeth. You can find her at any given moment with her toothbrush and her toothpaste. The problem is she will take either her toothbrush or her brother's special Thomas the Tank Engine toothbrush for her own personal amusement and they will end up in odd places around the house. We found Goobs' toothbrush below the TV yesterday, but we are at a loss to find the Bun's toothbrush now. We've had to double up on the toothbrushing this morning, so we've got to go out and get her another toothbrush today. I'm thinking of getting her a five or ten pack of brushes to be covered if she continues with this love of brushing...

The toothbrushing thing is odd because Goobs is just the opposite of her brother. She could brush her teeth all day. We have to hogtie the boy to make sure he brushes. I did mention this in the blog before...J and I showed him pictures of Meth addicts' teeth from a website and told him that these were kids who didn't brush their teeth. That only worked for about a week and it was back to the same old brushing battle. Oh well...that's just a small battle that we'll just keep on fighting. Aint it fun to be a parent???

The ones I love

As J left for work and to drop the kids off at daycare this morning, she gave me a hug and a kiss. I don't know why the hug and the kiss were special this morning, but they were. I've gotten that from her hundreds of times, but for some inexplicable reason it hit home today. The kiss left a warm glow in my core and I had to smile as I came in from the cold garage. She is my wife, partner, and the mother of my children...The gas in my motor, the boot in my rear, and the soothing balm for the ache in my heart.

As for Richard...aka Goobs. You are the sensetive one, who needs understanding, holding, prodding, and a dad to lay on the courch with. Even if I don't listen and respond in a timely fashion because there's some sort of idea floating around it Daddy's head, and I need for mommy to kick me in the seat to come out of the clouds, I love you...my little stinky boy! I will be there tonight to hang out, help you with the dreaded task of brushing your teeth, and lie down with you before you go to sleep.

Sami...aka the Bun. You're our little cyclone that won't quit. You wake us up early in the morning, steal toothbrushes, and physically harrass your brother (even though he's twice your size and could kick your butt...you just don't care). It's hard to chase you around when we are so tired, but it's just so much fun. Your mommy and I love it when you come to us for hugs when you are afraid of the big, bad pirate on TV when your brother is watching Sponge Bob (Hey, don't judge us if the boy likes Sponge Bob). Just say "No, no, no pirate!!!" Daddy will be there tonight to hug you and chase you around the house.

It's those times when you don't expect it that your family just crawls inside your being and you feel the love...

I'm experimenting in the office today. My coworker got a giant ball to sit on, rather than a chair and I'm using it this morning. I want to see if this is a good thing for me too. She blew it up with a pump yesterday afternoon and I expressed my curiousity about the whole "sit on a big ball" thing. She told me to go ahead and try it for a day and see how I might like it. If I do like it, I'll get my own big ball.

I haven't had too much experience with exercise balls. I see people in the gym sitting on them and lifting small dumbells. I know it's supposed to increase core strength and have you really focus on certain muscles when you're exercising. My wife also used a birthing ball when the kids were born...that looked like the same thing as I'm sitting on right now. I have seen TV reports about how schools are using the balls rather than chairs for elementary students. I guess they are getting some of their energy out by sitting on the balls...and also their posture has improved. I guess what I'm thinking is...what's good for third graders is good for me. I do have some tightness in my lower back, but I'm willing to forgo a little aching if it helps me physically in the long run. I do wonder if students will think their advisor is a dork if they see me sitting on a ball. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Oh by the way... I bought the chips, had lunch with everyone in the office and actually had a good time. It's a good thing when I forgo my pissy attitude, just keep going and become pleasant with those around me. It's amazing how that works on a regular basis...Duh...

Beginning of a week...again...

Here it is Monday and I sit here at my desk confused. I'm crabby and pissed and I really don't want to talk to anyone here at work. I can sit here at my desk and claim ignorance to my shitty mood, but you know what. I know why. I don't like to be wrong. That's the bottom line and it's really freakin' stupid...Ya know...when you're wrong and you know it.

I hate to admit when I'm wrong...and it's over two flippin bags of buns. I came in with the buns because we are supposed to having a little party in the office for one of our coworkers, who just got her BA this week. I couldn't remember, but I was sure I was to buy the buns...well, I guess I wasn't and was reassigned to the chips. I was a little vocal about the fact that I was sure about me and the buns, and one of my coworkers...one that likes to tell me when I'm wrong and has no compunction about pretty much telling me "how it is"...told me. I responded to her by saying that I didn't want to hear it and went back to my cube. You know, I wish I wasn't the only guy in the office. I would like to unleash a little of my male "inner me" and just say a few things that I could say amongst men. Yeah, I was wrong, I'm in charge of the damn chips... Here's your effin' chips!!!

Maybe it's Monday...maybe I didn't sleep that well last night...oh shit, I don't know...maybe I'm experiencing a male version of PMS... I don't know, but I don't want to talk to anyone in the office and I just feel out and out cranky and a little mean. It's really a shitty space to be in...sitting in my own resentment.

I want to tell my coworker that this wouldn't have happened if she hadn't have chimed in so bluntly that I indeed was supposed to get the chips...but that's not the point now is it? So what if I think she was wrong in the way she spoke to me this morning...Isn't it about how I behave? I can either respond immediately in an acidic tone and be an a-hole to her and everyone else in the office, or I can drop it and be decent to my coworkers. I have this spiritual mentor who asks me this question a lot..."Would you rather be right, or would you rather be happy?" Most of the time he asks me that when I'm angry about the way someone has treated me... and I'm sitting in the middle of it and stewing...thinking over and over again about what kind of a prick or jerk the person who said or did something to me was. In the end...I want to be happy. Being happy and getting pissed and resenting someone and steaming about it are really incompatible. They can't occupy the same little space in my brain.

The simple fact of the matter is this...I'm writing this because I know that be doing it, I'll be reminded of the simple truth that my answers don't come from someone else's apology. In the end, it's just me and the big man upstairs, who helps me through these little quagmires I like to drop myself in.

So, I guess I'll go and be decent and actually be nice to that particular woman. And...when it's all said and done, I guess I'll go buy the chips.

Something cool happened today...

I know that the title of today's entry mentions the word "cool." I was thinking that the weather is outright frigid today, so maybe using cool is kind of stupid, but I'll use it anyway. I was a witness of an act of kindness today that I want to share with you guys-and the act, in my opinion, was very cool.
I take a commuter bus from an outlying suburb here in the twin cities, called Shakopee. This is a very new bus service, therefore there are a very few buses in the morning and evening. The last bus in the morning leaves promptly at 8:05. If you miss that bus, you have to drive up to Eden Prairie to a busy transit station...it's a pain in the ass...I've missed my bus a couple of times. When I do miss it, I'm grumbling and cursing all the way to the other bus station. Usually, I'm on an earlier bus, but since the college I work for has a graduation ceremony today, there's not much going on. I decided to take my time and just jump on the late bus. This morning, I got to the park and ride about ten minutes early and just sat on the bus, plugged in the ipod, relaxed, and vegged out.

I gotta give you some background here...So, I have to move away from the timeline of this morning for a moment...forgive me.

The driver of the late bus is a gregarious woman in her late thirties or early forties. She is constantly joking and laughing with her riders. I usally sit in the first few seats, so even though I've got my ipod on, I can hear most of what she says. I have to say, she is a pleasant person that makes the most of her driving experience. She also drives the last bus home on Friday evenings...the passengers on that bus are always laughing and it's a great trip. If I'm on that bus, I would have had to work until 6:00 on a Friday evening...which also makes me "Mr. Crabby Pants." Here's the thing...I climb into her bus thinking like a cranky a-hole on a dark Friday evening, but by the time she drops us off, I'm laughing and joking with my fellow commuters. A few weeks ago, as we were getting off, she was giving us an airline safety briefing on the microphone...finishing off with..."In the event of a water landing, there is a vest under your seat..." So, you guys get the idea that she loves her job and working with people...

So, anyway...back to this morning...She spent the ten minutes before leaving talking to these two older ladies, who'd decided to take the bus downtown to do some shopping. They were new to bus travel downtown, so she gave them the rundown and was her usual fun self with them. The time to depart came and she pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street to begin the drive to downtown Minneapolis. She got about a hundred yards on the road when she saw a car that she knew was one of her regular riders. She stopped the bus, opened up her window and started talking to the woman driving the car...It turns out that the woman was dropping off her husband (the regular commuter) and she was late. I could see the woman was desperate to get her husband on the bus and she had that pleading look on her face. The driver just smiled, shook her head up and down (smiling all the time) , and opened up the door. The woman's husband rolled out of the car and climbed aboard and we were on our way. It was so nice to see something like that.

I have been the victim of bus drivers that have kept to their exact schedule. They've seen me running to their buses, screaming for them to wait or stop. They've just ignored me and driven on. This woman didn't do that. She knew she would be late, but she still took care of that woman and her husband.

So...what's my takeaway from today's little episode? Take the time...be the good guy...smile...and it can change how people feel for the day.

I am Mr. Electricity...

I never really bothered about static electricity in winter before. It was just a nonfactor in my daily life...but now, something seems to have changed with me. I guess it's just the dry air at home, on the bus, and in our building that combines to really get to me. By the time I get to my desk here at work, all my leg hairs are standing straight up and my pants are molded to my shins. My hair is defying the gel, which I am using to keep it down, and if you poked me with your finger, I'd probably give you the shock of your life.

So, as a remedy for that, I bought my first spray can of "static guard." The stuff is vile and my coworkers have asked me not to spray it in the office. So, I run into the bathroom to rid myself of the additional electricity I've accumulated while getting to work. The static on my legs was so bad the other day that I put the can down each of the legs of my pants and sprayed away. Just as I was spraying, one of the school's students walked in. He didn't say anything, but gave me a look that I was some sort of odd duck that should be avoided. I probably am an odd duck for spraying on the inside of my pants while still wearing them, but hey...the static went bye bye...and for that alone, I am truly happy.

Let's see...Am I in the Christmas spirit yet? I'm not sure...We've got the tree up and some presents wrapped. We've had some Christmas music going, but I don't feel it yet. Maybe I'll get a little more cheer in me this weekend. Right now, I kind of feel like I'm just going through the Christmas motions. Maybe I need to chew on a few candy canes and slug down some egg nogg. Perhaps I should throw some tinsel on my cube, put on a red santa hat and start singing carols in the office... I could bring in a cheese ball and give my office matess some goofy wassail-like punch...I might want to get some styrofoam antlers and a red bulb for my nose... The girls might think that I've lost my marbles... If I did anything to that degree, the lovely ladies in the bordering cubes might guess that the lone bearer of the male chromasome in the office has now slipped over the edge and gone completely completely yuletide bananas. If I did all these things...I could feel a little more christmassy...but then again...I could just be the guy with tinsel in his cube, a red nose, santa hat, and antlers... serving punch and cheese to coworkers. Right now, I haven't done a thing...but I just might. We'll see what happens.

Today's meanderings

First off...J laughed at me last night and told me that I need to proofread my blog much more closely. I guess my last big offense was my spelling of Zeppelin. Whoops, mea culpa. I guess I will have to give the blog a "once over" before posting. It's nice to know that I have another reader, but she only comments about the blog when we're sitting on the sofa together. My pride is always somewhat wounded when she comments, but I am grateful that she reads my stuff.

This upcoming weekend is actually one where I am totally free to give me entire attention to J and the kids. I am finished with my class and I won't be teaching for a month, so no lesson planning over the weekend. It's a time when we, as a family, can go somewhere or do something different. Gosh...I'm thinking a winter visit to the zoo or some time at one of the museums.

To top it off, the Vikings are playing a Monday night game against the Bears-I know this doesn't seem like a lot, but watching football on Sunday afternoon was the only real relaxing "me time" that I had for the past few months. The kids usually nap or are goofing around with playdough in the kitchen on Sunday afternoon, so J would actually sit down with me and watch. Even though she didn't grow up watching the game, she's picked up on the rules pretty well. She and her brother watched "football for dummies" on ESPN International when she lived back in the Philippines. There are still questions she has regarding certain rules, but she follows along really well. She does give editorial comments during the game, which are quite funny. If a player is laying down on the ground and seems injured, she does chime in with "Bayot!" (the term for girly gay man in Bisaya) She also yells..."Hit him...Hit him...Hit him!!!" when she wants a Viking player to tackle an opposing player with the ball. My wife actually likes football. In past years, she has told me that she doesn't like football because I've been told I morph into an idiot sometime in the beginning of September and slip out of my stupidity at the end of January-a parallel of football season. This year does seem to be different...I don't know why. Hopefully, I haven't been too much of a moron. Maybe it's because I have been so busy, I haven't had time to say or do dumb things. I'm excited because J told me that we're going to have homemade hot wings for dinner that night...a good football meal!!! I love my wife!!!

Also...I have to mention something about our daughter, the Bun. I don't know why, but she's decided that she likes to get up every morning between 4:00 and 4:30. She jumps out of bed, runs to our bedroom, throws the door open, comes up to either J or I, slaps one of us on the head and shouts either "wake up mommy" or wake up daddy!" At that point, she's revved up, ready to watch the Sprout or the Disney Channel and eat her raisins. That girl has a motor that just won't quit. We are trying to put her to bed a little later...say 8:30 or 9:00, but that hasn't made a difference at all. She still pops up, runs to our bed and rousts us. The girl is full of "piss and vinegar..." I guess that's just the way she is, and we'll just have to put her to bed at 10:00 or 10:30. Her brother, on the other hand, needs an atom bomb to blow him out of bed and into his clothes so they can leave in time. We have two completely different kids when it comes to morning routines.

Well... that's enough for now. Gotta be a worker again...

Led Zepplin and Elmo

So, I'm getting ready to leave for work and I've got the news on and I see that a guy in London paid $175,000 for a single ticket to the first concert in the Led Zepplin reunion tour last night. HOLY CRAP... I feel guilty when I spend an extra twenty bucks on something. That just floored me... I just wanted you folks to know that. I really want to take J to a concert coming up. I'm not sure who we'd see, but that's just something I've been kicking around in my head. She's a big Dave Matthews fan. I'm okay with Dave Matthews, but I think the Barenaked Ladies would be much more fun...but, if I'm taking her...I want to treat her. The only problem is that Dave Matthews ins't coming anywhere near here anytime soon.

There is a concert/happening at the Target center coming up soon that we could go to. Elmo and the gang are coming for an appearance within a month or two. Taking the kids to this might be the only concert experience we have for quite a while. It's going to be a different kind of feeling from concerts I have been to in the past. The overriding smell in the air at a Sesame Street concert will probably be of cookies baking rather than the sickly sweet scent of weed that would cover the crowd at a DMB concert. At this point in my life...the cookies sound sooooo much better.
I was kind of amused the other evening when we were watching PBS. It seems that included in one of their membership drives, is a backstage pass to hang with Elmo at one of the concert dates. I can't imagine what backstage with Elmo and the gang is like. Do they request fruit platters and Evian or does the band require buckets of bubble gum and pink lemonade? Do aging teen girls try to relive their youth by trying to sneak in and get a little time with the man and sing "Elmo's world" with him. Do kids attempt to get back there by saying to security "Hey, I'm real tight with Dorothy...let me in." Are there emergency calls to nurses and mommies when kids OD on sugar cookies, get hyper and then have complete meltdowns? What is a backstage meet with Elmo like? I don't know... My kids probably won't know either because you can only get a backstage pass with a $600 donation to the station. I'm not made outta' that kind of money, so I'll just get the kids another Sesame Street DVD and let it go at that... They'll get some cool stuff for Christmas, so backstage time with the little red phenom isn't going to happen anytime soon.

Gotta slow down...

Just a cold Monday here in the tundra. I sat down and realized that my problems are pretty small in the grand scheme of things. Let's just take a look at my morning and the slap on the side of my head that woke me up.
I got up on the wrong side of the bed and late. J. had already showered and was drinking coffee and shw had started getting Goobs ready to go. I grabbed the Bun, who was not in the mood to change diapers or clothes. She was in the middle of dancing to Christmas carols that were on. I picked her up and took her into her room to change. She had a small box of raisins she didn't want to let go. I changed my daughter as the raisins were flying all over. I finally her in a decent outfit for daycare and picked up a few if the raisins festooning the floor. The Bun, now free of her opressor, ran off to mommy. I then jumped in the shower and tried to get moving. I looked at myself once in the mirror, grunted, and said screw shaving.

J and I got the kids in their coats, mittens, and boots and strapped them in their car seats. J gave me a peck on the cheek and told me she'd see me tonight. They took off for the day and I had about ten minutes to eat and finish getting my stuff together for the day. I ate...I will say that. I stuffed my work in my "man bag" and got in the car, except that I had forgotten both my keys and my cell phone. I ran around the house like the proverbial chicken with his head cut off. First I found my keys, then I couldn't find the phone. I had to call my cell phone and locate the sound of it. Of course, it was in yesterday's pants. Why I didn't think of that, I'll never know. I ran down with my stuff, jumped in the freezing automobile in the garage, started it, backed out, closed the garage door, and drove to the park and ride. I will say that I did make my bus and I had a seat to myself this morning, so that was a bonus. I plugged in my ipod and pretty much zoned out on my way to work. I was getting off of the bus, when I realized that the awesome lasagna leftovers that I thought were in my bag, were in fact, sitting on the counter next to the fridge...arrgghghhhhhhhh....

I walked in with a scowl rather than a smile. I sat down and said "Hi" to one of my coworkers. I asked her how her weekend was. She simply said "shitty." She went on to tell me about her weekend. Her niece is suffering from a rare form of cancer and is surgically losing one eye in the near future. They had just found out that her conditioned worsened over the weekend. There is a possibility she will be completely sightless. Suddenly, I felt like a bit of a self obsessed fool. I offered my support, but felt powerless to change how my officemate was feeling. My silly little grousing about the day really appeared STUPID in relation to this.

Okay...time for me to be a bigger person than I am. Time for me to be grateful for what I have every day...Time for me to look outside of myself to be assistance to others, rather than growl about how crappy my day is... Time for me to give a hand rather than expect one given to me... Time for me to listen, rather than need to be heard... Time for me...just to relax and just forget about me for a little bit.

You know... if I do that...life will be pretty good. I think that's the way I need to spread a little Christmas cheer.

ah...the smell of the grass, the sound of the crowd, the smell of the squid...

Yes... to be thinking of the grand old game again. I picture myself here in Chamsil stadium, following my beloved Doosan Bears. I think about a warm night...watching cheerleaders...yes, boys and girls...cheerleaders...between innings rallying the faithful in racous cheers for the hometeam. The fans wave their flags and beat their inflatible bang sticks and chant names in unison. God it's fun...Plus, it's like ten bucks to sit in the box seats. Ya can't beat that can ya?
So, you're thinking to yourself...yeah, but it's not the major leagues. Who cares!!! I have more fun at the ballpark here than I ever had here in the giant teflon toilet known as the Metrodome. I love my Minnesota Twins... I do...I really do, but get me to Chamsil in a hurry to watch the Bears kick some Samsung Lion Butt!!!

Naked guys buying skittles

The news of the kid in Omaha shooting up a mall just shakes me to the core. What do these things happen over and over? I just can't wrap myself around it and understand. So, I need to laugh just to deal with the sheer horror of it. The only thing that comes close to making me laugh today in the news is the story of the two naked guys walking into a convenience store in the middle of the night. The way I read it, they sauntered in nonchalantly, picked up a couple bags of skittles, paid for them without incident, and left. I only have one question about the whole thing...Where did they put their change?

I have this fantasy

I love my life. Being a husband and a dad is really where it's at for me. I absolutely dig it when I get home and Goobs screams "Daddy" when I walk in the door. There is nothing finer than when the Bun brings me something, no matter what kind of mundane household item it is, and blurts out a whole sentence in absolute gibberish about it. It's wonderous when J and I settle down in front of the TV at 9:00 and do nothing but veg out with each other after a long day at both of my jobs. But...I still have this little nagging fantasy that rattles around in my skull. I think about a job...just one job that would really send me. I want Anthony Bordain's job on the Travel Channel.

Last night before settling down I watched him again and my imagination ran wild. There he was, in India, sitting down with the locals at some sort of ramshackle Indian version of a roadside cafe, eating and hanging out. He was eating all of this stuff, that he pretty much told himself was going to give him a massive case of the squirts, but doing it anyway out of the sense of adventure. Afterwards, he was part of a desert festival that had events like the "grow the most facial hair contest" , "The Miss Desert Pageant" and a strange game of wrestling mixed with tag.

Yup, in the secret recesses of my brain, I want to be that guy that takes a crew over to different out of the way places and just dives in. Yeah, I suppose I could also take Andrew Zimmern's place or be a part of the Globetrekker crew. I don't know about Andrew Zimmern though, there's some stuff that I probably just couldn't choke down, so I suppose his job is safe. I'm a wimp, so I don't want to do anything like Bear Grylls and be just me against hardass nature-I'd lose in a heartbeat.

I know that's not in the cards for me. I'm a dad and husband here in Minnesota. The closest I probably could come to a cultural adventure these days is going into a Lutheran church basement and sampling a lutefisk supper with the "church basement ladies." I guess I'll just count my blessings and keep my fantasy to myself. J would laugh at me uproariously if I let this one slip to her-or just roll her eyes.

But...I have done something. To win my mother-in-law's approval, I did try to eat Balut in the Philippines. Balut is an unfertilized duck egg that's had a few days to grow and then is hard boiled. It was gross and I did it! So...I suppose that will have to do. I'll look back and know that I was just a little bit of an adventurer. A man must be content with his memories.

So, that's that. I'll just keep watching the Travel Channel and dreaming.

Things I've got on My ipod...reasons I feel old and out of touch

I don't know about you folks, but since I've got my ipod, I need it to survive while on the bus to work. Yeah, it gets to me now. The silence, the occasional coughs, and the mindlessness of it all. By gosh, if I'm going to be mindless, I had better have music to at least make it pleasant numbness.

I was looking at my playlist and I really get it now. I am not hip. I'm not even close to cool. I'm an outdated older guy with streaks of pepper in his salt. I guess it's time to just recognize this and move on...just listen to your music, get over it, and just listen to what you like...even if it's all you know.

So, these are ten tunes I've got in my ipod.

1. My Old School-Steely Dan...That's a timeless tune that makes me think back to my own misguided youth and ridiculous behavior. Besides, those guitar riffs at the end just plain "do it for me..."

2. Eat the Rich-Aerosmith...Okay...Stephen Tyler is an old guy whose pacemaker is set on overdrive. If I'm not in the mood to walk into the office, I can put this on and the energy alone sets me up right. Plus, Tyler's burp at the end makes me feel juvenile again.

3. Secret Smile-Phish... At the end of a hard day ,when I'm sinking deeply into my seat, Secret Smile lets me know that the world is okay and makes me long to look at J to see her secret smile.

4. Brown Skin-India Arie...Okay...I'm lily white, but this song is just so damn sexy that I can't help but listen to it. Her backup band also plays sooooo tight! Besides, J.'s skin is a beautiful light cocoa brown.

5. Old Love-Eric Clapton...I have two versions of this tune...from "24 nights" and "unplugged." This one just goes on and on and you can just dive into the bluesy solos each of the players get time to do. This lasts probably for one quarter of my bus ride.

6. Your Latest Trick-Dire Straights...Mark Knopfler just oozes cool, besides...he paints this great picture of a late night city in his lyrics.

7. Get Here When You Can-Oleta Adams...I'm a romantic sucker and this tune just puts me in the mood and can bring me to tears.

8. Aint it Funny How Time Slips Away-Lyle Lovett and Al Green...These guys are the two coolest dudes on the block. Lovett gives hope to ugly men everywhere. The way they do this song makes it even more timeless than it was to begin with!

9. You'll be Satisfied- the Subdudes...I can't describe these guys other than they are one of my favorite bands. If you get a chance to see them live or just hear them, do it.

10. Kissing a Fool-Michael Buble...Okay, I'm just a cheesey old fart. That says it all.

What about you guys? What do you have on your ipods or MP3's? Give me some ideas of what I can listen to next... I do think I'll throw Bohemian Rhapsody on it next anyway...

Kid Diplomacy

The kids are out on the deck throwing snow at each other. It's cute, but I know it's going to end with one of them sobbing and wailing within a few minutes. It's a law of nature that two young siblings can only play nicely for a tiny chunks of time. It's a fact that's stood the test of time. I can recall that I would chase my brother around the dining room table, wanting to maim him. I could only play nicely with my younger sister for the shortest span of time before I wanted my GI Joes to kidnap Skipper or Barbie and decapitate them, and hide their heads in either the fridge in the kitchen or under my sister's pillow.

My kids will be doing the same thing. I'm not worried. It's the way of nature...the cycle of life...the law of the universe. I just have to remember that it's really no big deal. Just grab them...tell them they're naughty and then hug them and let them know that they are loved.