26 Miles

Doodle’s Low-Tech Twitter

// June 13th, 2008 // No Comments » // Life

My daughter is, like me, more expressive with a pen than with her mouth (contrary to her little brother, whose “vocal expressions” are only interrupted by REM sleep).

Some time back Sunshine hung a small white board near the door to the garage. This being the most public of the 4+ white boards we have in the house, it has become for Doodle the 6-year-old equivalent of a low-tech Twitter.

If you don’t know about Twitter, it’s a social network application/site that allows you to post “status updates” to let subscribers (presumably people you know) see what you’re up to/thinking/feeling at any given moment (Read it’s Wikipedia entry).

I love Tinkerbell

…and…

Happy Birthday Daddy

… have both been seen recently.

When our friends come over to visit, sometimes they’ll see a…

Welcome Coba, Phenah and Bananaface!

It’s also her forum for venting her displeasure with us or frustration.

The mommy won’t let the kid do anything

…or…

Crying is not OK

…accompanied by drawings of a little girl crying, tell us what she sometimes cannot.

…others, like tonights message, are simple and to-the-point…

I’m tired

…which greeted us tonight after an evening in the pool followed by ice cream at Granny and Grandpa’s.

I agree baby. I’m tired too.

She’s prolific with her drawings and tweets on the white board. They’re little windows into her thoughts and sensibilities. They’re easy to glance at and think nothing more of. But these postcards from her day — off-the-cuff dispatches from the play-by-play of her world — are priceless.

Was It A Crazy Straw That Broke The Camel’s Back?

// June 11th, 2008 // No Comments » // Life

We’re working to break Joe of his straw-dependence and learn to more skillfully drink from a cup. Timely I suppose, since he’s only four-and-a-half!!!

This morning “Little Kissinger” bargained to use his crazy straw “this time” and drink at least 3 drinks today without a straw, crazy or otherwise.

The funniest part of the whole thing were the circular hand gyrations and cartoon-ish rolling of the eyes to demonstrate that he wanted a “crazy” straw as opposed to a lame normal one.

Never short of opinion or moxie, his comic timing sometimes softens his argumentative nature and makes me laugh before I can get cross with him.

Another comedian…God…has reincarnated my Dad in this little person.

Think about it…

• They’re both adept at asking rhetorical questions to incite a discussion so they can take an opposing viewpoint
• They both believe that “no” just means “not yet”
• They’re both energized by the being around other people (instead of avoiding them, like me)
• And they both have a gift for making me laugh

…the similarities go on.

I think maybe it’s God’s way of helping me understand and appreciate them both in ways I might never otherwise.

That… or he just likes to stir-the-pot and watch me squirm.

A Walk In The Woods

// June 7th, 2008 // No Comments » // Life

Spent the day with my son, Dad and step-Mom going to visit a friend and look at a cabin for sale in east Texas. More than anything it was nice to have a day hanging out with my little guy, relaxing and not thinking about work.

The cabin itself wasn’t too bad really. Could use a little housekeeping but all-in-all not a bad place. Definitely good enough for weekend living which is what it’s intent would be. In this part of the country the most common recreation is shopping and eating. Aside from that you can play golf or have a boat. There are no mountains to climb or ski down, no beaches or surf, just mostly flat prairie and if you go a few hours some nice tall piney-trees.

One of the best ideas we’ve had is to someday just get a place an hour or two from town that’s small, has some water and trees, and is quiet that we could go on the weekends to get away from the city. This place would certainly fit that bill. The idea is right, but the timing could be better. Long-term though, I think doing something like that might be cool.

Tomorrow is back to the grindstone. But today, and I hope more like it soon, was glorious.

Life at 78RPM

// June 6th, 2008 // No Comments » // Life

If your old enough to know what I refer to in the title you’re old enough to recall life before the Internet, before iPhones and Wii’s, before working from home doing anything that paid money was common, and before the culture of instant gratification forced us to plan carefully, to save, to make tradeoffs, and to sacrifice.

My life these past few years has been a steady progression towards ever-more work. Squeezing in an email on the way to work, a call after the kids go to bed, a Saturday committed, a Sunday committed. That’s part of the reason I’ve been on a year-long blogging sabbatical — no time to write and no capacity in my mind for anything but the bare essentials of family life and projects. I feel I’m nearing the end of my ability, and my desire, to sustain this pace.

I ran across a timely article on CNN that describes a cultural movement I think I could subscribe to. The “Slow Movement” describes a loose confederacy of individuals and organizations campaigning for a slower approach to life than the one our modern society encourages.

The “movement” feels, among other things, that eating food made by local farmers instead of clowns, kings, or a deceased southern gentlemen, at home, with your family is, well, a good thing.

Those hippies can all rot before I’ll give up my Kentucky Fried Taco. But there’s a larger issue for me here. I’ve completely and utterly forgotten how to have fun. Even the fun things I used to do like play golf or go to the shooting range hold no magic for me. I can imagine that someday they might again, but for now even if I had time I wouldn’t bring myself to packing my gear and going.

Fun to me these days is getting to bed before midnight, that first Dr. Pepper in the morning, or just stealing a few minutes with my kids in the evening before they go to bed. Clearing my mind is all but impossible. I have trouble focusing on just one thing or person at a time. My attention is constantly divided by the present moment and what work I have to do next.

It will end. I’m not worried about that. I’ll make it so, one way or another. But in reading the article I felt not quite so alone. I’m one among countless compatriots taken up in the swirl of a life that’s kept me busy with things I’d just as soon set aside.

Splinters and Grandmother’s

// June 2nd, 2008 // No Comments » // Life

My Grandmother is known for her ESP, and she came through again tonight. Joe tried to show me his “bobo” when he got home on his foot but I was focused too much on my post-commute opiate (Dr. Pepper, on the rocks) to truly understand. Later, while playing on the floor with him, Sunshine noticed something on his foot. Investigation determined it was a righteous splinter, … or a blot clot, … or a small worm of some kind boring it’s way into his foot. Either way it was coming out, lest it get infected.

Despite his sister’s exquisite singing and reading of books, nothing could assuage the boy’s fear of the nasty medical implements. After 15 minutes of ear-splitting screams that most of the neighbors likely heard and must have tickled the sensors of the local authorities of children’s welfare (“NOOOOO!!! NO MORE POKEY!!!! NO MORE POKEY!!!!”) the phone rings and it’s my grandmother, right on time.

Sunshine explained the dilemma. Two instructions followed: soak in warm water for 10 minutes, then use tweezers to gently stroke the splinter out. 15 minutes later and only slightly more screaming and holding down of our #2 child and the splinter was liberated. Much chocolate milk and consolation ensued, as well as a cold-shoulder for Dad for holding him down. But all is well and we have only some very timely grandmotherly wisdom to thank for it (I thought you were supposed to make all your mistakes with the 1st child?).

I’m off to my alternate sleeping arrangement for the evening while both kids enjoy a sleepover with Mom (aka “the good parent”). Can’t fit us all comfortably into one big bed anymore.