Vegas, baby, at least for a few days. So far I have yet to win anything, but thats all good. I don't really expect to, so...
I've discovered that it is virtually impossible to sit at a video poker bar by myself - inevitably some dude will engage me in conversation. Can't these people see I'm focused on my game and drink? Sheesh!
Last night we saw Absinthe, which tried a little too hard at points but gets props for sheer jaw dropping stunts. Seriously - I think I had to pick up my jaw about three times last night. And the physiques of these performers just makes you want to hit the gym. Amazing.
Not sure what is on the agenda today, maybe a poker tourney and then we have reservations for Mario batalias (sp) restaurant tonight with the friends we are here with. One thing is for damn sure - we are eating well!
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Ahhhh.
Few things in life are better than a glass of good whiskey, a hammock on a cool, breezy night in May, and a couple of pillows and blanket. Wonder how long I'll be able to stay awake...
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
The Exercise
Four mile run tonight. I'm not sure it felt "good" while I was running, but it feels good to have it done. Perhaps the seconds and ice cream I had at dinner interfered with any "feeling good" on the run, but again - it was a run, and it's done. And I didn't puke - bonus!
Add No More
I picked up the book Getting Things Done probably more than a year ago on the advice of a friend. I got about 10 pages in, and apparently got distracted (hah, that's kinda funny) and didn't go back. The last few weeks have been a little slow at work, but there's been a ton of stuff going on that needs doing outside of work (A/C upstairs going out, coordinating the hunt for the brown recluse(s), yard stuff, life stuff). In light of all the things that need doin', I decided maybe I'd give the book another go this week. Fortunately, it's gotten more interesting, and I've made it to page 20 I think...progress, people.
I've also been thinking about different approaches to life, different philosophies, different ways to ascribe meaning to your life. Part of that comes from the frustration I have with feeling I just don't have enough hours in the day.
Somewhere in the reading I've done in the last week or two (GTD, Zenhabits, etc.), the suggestion was made that "stuff" and "clutter" take away energy from your life. This hit home because, ya know, some days I hardly have enough energy to make it to bed time. See also: last night, where I crashed on the couch for half an hour while the kids played, then wandered off to bed around 10. I'm not sure what triggers days like this, although last night I'm fairly certain it was a pain in the ass stubborn headache that won't go away, combined with sitting in 95 degree weather for the girl's softball game for an hour. But those reasons aside, there are STILL days where I just have no energy left at the end of the day.
I like the idea of things being streamlined, I like the idea of little to no clutter in my living area. When we were visiting relatives this weekend, their house was amazingly clear of extraneous crap. As J later pointed out, they have no kids. This is, of course, true; they are grandparents, retired, and they have pared down their belongings.
But I think it is possible to live with little to no clutter, even if you have kids. And it is possible to get things under control - or so I hear. I spent most of the day on Monday cleaning things out - one small area at a time. A large junk drawer in the kitchen (the coffee maker has a new home), the "toy bins" downstairs (hello large box to Goodwill), and the craft boxes in the kitchen where Halloween candy and old paper scraps go to die (trash trash trash). All in all, I nearly filled up the trashcan, which practically never gets filled. This is a start.
My goal at this point is to just "not add." And tackle little areas, bit by bit. Maybe by the end of the summer I'll have things where I want them...
I've also been thinking about different approaches to life, different philosophies, different ways to ascribe meaning to your life. Part of that comes from the frustration I have with feeling I just don't have enough hours in the day.
Somewhere in the reading I've done in the last week or two (GTD, Zenhabits, etc.), the suggestion was made that "stuff" and "clutter" take away energy from your life. This hit home because, ya know, some days I hardly have enough energy to make it to bed time. See also: last night, where I crashed on the couch for half an hour while the kids played, then wandered off to bed around 10. I'm not sure what triggers days like this, although last night I'm fairly certain it was a pain in the ass stubborn headache that won't go away, combined with sitting in 95 degree weather for the girl's softball game for an hour. But those reasons aside, there are STILL days where I just have no energy left at the end of the day.
I like the idea of things being streamlined, I like the idea of little to no clutter in my living area. When we were visiting relatives this weekend, their house was amazingly clear of extraneous crap. As J later pointed out, they have no kids. This is, of course, true; they are grandparents, retired, and they have pared down their belongings.
But I think it is possible to live with little to no clutter, even if you have kids. And it is possible to get things under control - or so I hear. I spent most of the day on Monday cleaning things out - one small area at a time. A large junk drawer in the kitchen (the coffee maker has a new home), the "toy bins" downstairs (hello large box to Goodwill), and the craft boxes in the kitchen where Halloween candy and old paper scraps go to die (trash trash trash). All in all, I nearly filled up the trashcan, which practically never gets filled. This is a start.
My goal at this point is to just "not add." And tackle little areas, bit by bit. Maybe by the end of the summer I'll have things where I want them...
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Enough Already.
I'm about over the headache that came with the spider bite and has yet to leave. Enough already!
Monday, May 28, 2012
Slower
I woke up around 6 this morning, unable to get back to sleep. Considering that I went to bed at 10 last night, I think it might mean that I'm finally finally rested. A memorial day miracle...
Saturday morning, I made a to do list that held about six or seven items. By the end of the day, I'd accomplished only one of those things, but when your day includes throwing a frisbee at the park with friends, spontaneous margaritas on the back porch (which is slowly being whipped into shape), tiki torches, and teaching the kiddos the joy of a late might trip to wal mart when you don't have to be anywhere the next morning? I'd say it was worth it.
Yesterday we hung at the lake with my sister in law and her family. Her husbands' parents have a house on a lake nearby, and with just an hour drive, we can make a pretty good day trip of it. On the down side, I have exercised hardly at all and have eaten far too well. That's what the holiday is for, right? Tomorrow will come soon enough.
Saturday morning, I made a to do list that held about six or seven items. By the end of the day, I'd accomplished only one of those things, but when your day includes throwing a frisbee at the park with friends, spontaneous margaritas on the back porch (which is slowly being whipped into shape), tiki torches, and teaching the kiddos the joy of a late might trip to wal mart when you don't have to be anywhere the next morning? I'd say it was worth it.
Yesterday we hung at the lake with my sister in law and her family. Her husbands' parents have a house on a lake nearby, and with just an hour drive, we can make a pretty good day trip of it. On the down side, I have exercised hardly at all and have eaten far too well. That's what the holiday is for, right? Tomorrow will come soon enough.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Reclusive Behavior
Last Friday morning at work, I noticed a small painful spot on my leg, on my right shin. At some point that morning, something had bitten me. Since bug bites don't usually bother me too much (mosquitoes find me unappetizing), I noted it and then ignored it. But as the day went on, the bite spot went purple in color, got more painful, and a red ring started spreading around it. Huh. That's a bit unusual.
The redness around it spread out quite a bit as the day went on, despite my best efforts to ignore it and not touch it. By Saturday morning, the purple color remained, the redness had spread, and I had a terrific rash as a bonus. On the plus side, the awesome bonus rash was entirely covered by shorts and a t-shirt, so I didn't look like a leper. But the bite site itself was pretty damn painful, as was the rest of my leg, and I'm pretty sure my leg might have looked a bit leper-like. Grrrr.
By Sunday morning, the redness had quit spreading and the bonus rash was receding. At that point, I figured the worst was over.
Fast forward to yesterday. By the end of the day, the place where I had gotten bitten a WEEK ago - and the entire surrounding area - itched like a sonofabitch. Seriously, I'm pretty spoiled in this area. Mosquitoes don't like me, and my skin rarely reacts to anything, so I don't typically get 'itchy' spots. By this morning, an area as large as my entire hand (base of palm to tip of fingers) was raised, red, and itchy as hell. Let's not even mention the fact that the itchiness woke me up multiple times last night. Not cool.
I threw in the towel and managed to get an appointment to see a doc this afternoon. Diagnosis?
Brown Recluse Bite, of the mild variety. Apparently I managed to brush him off before he got a good hold. There's nothing to be done, which is fine by me. I'm just glad the sucker didn't get a good bite; I can't even imagine how bad that must be.
The redness around it spread out quite a bit as the day went on, despite my best efforts to ignore it and not touch it. By Saturday morning, the purple color remained, the redness had spread, and I had a terrific rash as a bonus. On the plus side, the awesome bonus rash was entirely covered by shorts and a t-shirt, so I didn't look like a leper. But the bite site itself was pretty damn painful, as was the rest of my leg, and I'm pretty sure my leg might have looked a bit leper-like. Grrrr.
By Sunday morning, the redness had quit spreading and the bonus rash was receding. At that point, I figured the worst was over.
Fast forward to yesterday. By the end of the day, the place where I had gotten bitten a WEEK ago - and the entire surrounding area - itched like a sonofabitch. Seriously, I'm pretty spoiled in this area. Mosquitoes don't like me, and my skin rarely reacts to anything, so I don't typically get 'itchy' spots. By this morning, an area as large as my entire hand (base of palm to tip of fingers) was raised, red, and itchy as hell. Let's not even mention the fact that the itchiness woke me up multiple times last night. Not cool.
I threw in the towel and managed to get an appointment to see a doc this afternoon. Diagnosis?
Brown Recluse Bite, of the mild variety. Apparently I managed to brush him off before he got a good hold. There's nothing to be done, which is fine by me. I'm just glad the sucker didn't get a good bite; I can't even imagine how bad that must be.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Always Learning
Yesterday, my mom took the boy to the batting cages. I was coming home from work right as they were getting there, so I dropped in to help out and watch batting practice.
His hitting has drastically improved this season, mostly in terms of consistency. His power isn't there yet, but his hand-eye is great. His form, just like anyone's, needs some help.
So my mom fed him balls, and I stood behind for the first bucket and watched him hit, giving suggestions and directions. Shoulder up, step back from the plate, swing quicker, harder, etc. At the end of the first bucket of balls, we nearly had World War III. He didn't want to hit any more, he wanted to throw the ball instead, but we can do that in our yard at home, not necessarily at the batting cages. He wanted a drink, so I told him to hit the water fountain, and we'd just go home.
After a drink and a rest of about 5 minutes, he was ready to hit again. This time, I told him I wasn't even going to watch - I was just going to sit in the background and take care of other stuff. He was JUST FINE with that.
So I sat back for about 10 minutes and just let him do his thing. He seemed to be hitting well, so I got up and stood behind him again and watched him hit. He was hitting some good balls. I didn't say anything this time, and after about 5 minutes, he realized I was there and gave me a dirty look. I promised I wouldn't say anything, and I just stood and watched and told him "good hit" when he hit a really good one.
He hit really well, but more to the point - he enjoyed it a hell of a lot more when I kept my mouth shut. He didn't need my input on every single ball, nor did he need it most of the time. He had a great time just swinging at the ball, and his batting improved over the time we were there. In the end, he hit 5 or 6 buckets of balls, and had a great time. And I remembered that sometimes, just watching and cheering is all that is necessary from me.
Sometimes, it's better to be still.
His hitting has drastically improved this season, mostly in terms of consistency. His power isn't there yet, but his hand-eye is great. His form, just like anyone's, needs some help.
So my mom fed him balls, and I stood behind for the first bucket and watched him hit, giving suggestions and directions. Shoulder up, step back from the plate, swing quicker, harder, etc. At the end of the first bucket of balls, we nearly had World War III. He didn't want to hit any more, he wanted to throw the ball instead, but we can do that in our yard at home, not necessarily at the batting cages. He wanted a drink, so I told him to hit the water fountain, and we'd just go home.
After a drink and a rest of about 5 minutes, he was ready to hit again. This time, I told him I wasn't even going to watch - I was just going to sit in the background and take care of other stuff. He was JUST FINE with that.
So I sat back for about 10 minutes and just let him do his thing. He seemed to be hitting well, so I got up and stood behind him again and watched him hit. He was hitting some good balls. I didn't say anything this time, and after about 5 minutes, he realized I was there and gave me a dirty look. I promised I wouldn't say anything, and I just stood and watched and told him "good hit" when he hit a really good one.
He hit really well, but more to the point - he enjoyed it a hell of a lot more when I kept my mouth shut. He didn't need my input on every single ball, nor did he need it most of the time. He had a great time just swinging at the ball, and his batting improved over the time we were there. In the end, he hit 5 or 6 buckets of balls, and had a great time. And I remembered that sometimes, just watching and cheering is all that is necessary from me.
Sometimes, it's better to be still.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Graduation - Finished!
Ok, ok, I know it's just kindergarten. But they all take it very sewiously, so I am too. Here's my girl, a prelude to pictures that will be taken 12 years from now. 
Graduation
Alyssa graduates from Kindergarten tonight. Wow. We are out of the K years, and now officially in grade school. It seems almost unreal, but totally awesome - self sufficiency is a good thing.
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