Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Sound-off Sunday: episode 2
Sound-off Sunday is a concept that I came up during an abnormally loud car ride. The shear volume of the car would have probably cause a normal person to lose their mind, but I realize that it is just part of the soundtrack of our lives. Each Sunday I will share with you an audio recording that will allow you a window into our chaos.
This is a recording from the car ride leaving church on Sunday. The phrase that is being uttered is "Hey big daddy! Want a house call?" You are probably asking yourself, where in the world would our kids have been exposed to a saying like that. For that, I have to take you back to my college days.
My wife Julie was a psychology major in a speech communication major body. She attempted to reverse the paradigm of men hooting and hollering from a construction site or car window in the direction of an attractive woman. She did this by using the phrase, "Hey big daddy! Want a house call?" yelled from a car window she would study the effect it would have on an unsuspecting male coed. Or at least that is what she told me ... I believe she just thinks that she is hilarious when she does it, providing her hours of good entertainment.
Fast forward about ten years. I am a college student again. We live close enough to the school that I attend that, as long as the weather cooperates, I ride my bike to class. One such day about a week ago, I left for class and was trudging up the hill leading from our house to the community exit, when I heard a surprising but familiar chant of "Hey big daddy! Want a house call?" from somewhere over my right shoulder.
It was funny, well timed and took me back to a time when life was just beginning ... but it has also produced this:
This is a recording from the car ride leaving church on Sunday. The phrase that is being uttered is "Hey big daddy! Want a house call?" You are probably asking yourself, where in the world would our kids have been exposed to a saying like that. For that, I have to take you back to my college days.
My wife Julie was a psychology major in a speech communication major body. She attempted to reverse the paradigm of men hooting and hollering from a construction site or car window in the direction of an attractive woman. She did this by using the phrase, "Hey big daddy! Want a house call?" yelled from a car window she would study the effect it would have on an unsuspecting male coed. Or at least that is what she told me ... I believe she just thinks that she is hilarious when she does it, providing her hours of good entertainment.
Fast forward about ten years. I am a college student again. We live close enough to the school that I attend that, as long as the weather cooperates, I ride my bike to class. One such day about a week ago, I left for class and was trudging up the hill leading from our house to the community exit, when I heard a surprising but familiar chant of "Hey big daddy! Want a house call?" from somewhere over my right shoulder.
It was funny, well timed and took me back to a time when life was just beginning ... but it has also produced this:
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Twin Tuesday part 1
Grammy and Pop-pop are in for a visit for a few days. Today we went to Sports Authority and A.C. Moore to pick up a few things (yes I had to go to the craft store). After leaving Sports Authority, Grammy walked Zoe, Zane and Zadie to A.C. Moore while Zach and I went back in to Sports Authority to scour the store for the sunglasses Zane apparently sat down somewhere inside. We didn't find them.
The story that I want to tell was relayed to me by Grammy and occurred on their sojourn from Sports Authority over to the craft store (I have taken the liberty of putting the story into my own words).
While we were walking, we saw a bug that looked a lot like a dragon fly, resting on the sidewalk. Zane was hunched down looking at the bug, saying hi, and really examining it. Zoe walked up, took a quick look at the bug and proceeded to step on it, killing it in cold blood. Zane paused, thought about the senseless killing that unfolded in front of him and responded by telling the bug "that's alright, you be okay". Zoe in her sweetest most delicate tone, soothed her grieving brother by chanting "no, he's dead, he's dead" and continues her trek toward the craft store.
The story that I want to tell was relayed to me by Grammy and occurred on their sojourn from Sports Authority over to the craft store (I have taken the liberty of putting the story into my own words).
While we were walking, we saw a bug that looked a lot like a dragon fly, resting on the sidewalk. Zane was hunched down looking at the bug, saying hi, and really examining it. Zoe walked up, took a quick look at the bug and proceeded to step on it, killing it in cold blood. Zane paused, thought about the senseless killing that unfolded in front of him and responded by telling the bug "that's alright, you be okay". Zoe in her sweetest most delicate tone, soothed her grieving brother by chanting "no, he's dead, he's dead" and continues her trek toward the craft store.
Meandering Monday: volume 1
Meandering Monday is a revival of my first blog attempt ramblingsofacommonman.blogspot.com where I write about current events, everyday occurrences, random thoughts, etc.
I don't know what to say about the spill in the Gulf. A horrible, horrible catastrophe that we will feel the impact of for a long time.
But I do know that a lot of people are going to use this as a springboard to diminish our use of fossil fuels (crude oil). When we think of uses for crude oil, the primary use that comes to mind is gasoline used for cars. But its uses also include Lubricants (oils and greases), propane, wax (like the ones used in frozen food packages), sulfur, tar, asphalt, plastics, polymers, solvents, chemicals, etc, etc, etc. What I am trying to say is, you may be drive a Chevy Volt, but the car body is made of oil, the road you are driving on is made of oil (asphalt), the oil for the engine is made of, well, oil, the stop light you wait at is made of oil (plastic), the cell phone you are texting on while driving is made from oil, the drive-thru speaker you speak into is made from oil, and on and on and on.
Before we look to demonize an entire industry for an accident (an accident of an unprecedented magnitude, but yet still an accident) think about what it could mean for our own lives. I know I didn't like it when gas was $4.30 a gallon. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. The products that we have become so accustomed to, that have become staples in everyday life (cell phones, laptops, cars, trains, planes, food packaging, cleaning supplies, the keyboard I am typing on now) would not be possible without that gooey mess that is spewing into the Gulf of Mexico.
Do companies need to better regulate themselves? Absolutely! Should we explore ways to limit our dependence on oil? Yes! Should we jump to make wholesale changes to an industry that impacts our lives more than we could probably fathom? I do not think so.
I don't know what to say about the spill in the Gulf. A horrible, horrible catastrophe that we will feel the impact of for a long time.
But I do know that a lot of people are going to use this as a springboard to diminish our use of fossil fuels (crude oil). When we think of uses for crude oil, the primary use that comes to mind is gasoline used for cars. But its uses also include Lubricants (oils and greases), propane, wax (like the ones used in frozen food packages), sulfur, tar, asphalt, plastics, polymers, solvents, chemicals, etc, etc, etc. What I am trying to say is, you may be drive a Chevy Volt, but the car body is made of oil, the road you are driving on is made of oil (asphalt), the oil for the engine is made of, well, oil, the stop light you wait at is made of oil (plastic), the cell phone you are texting on while driving is made from oil, the drive-thru speaker you speak into is made from oil, and on and on and on.
Before we look to demonize an entire industry for an accident (an accident of an unprecedented magnitude, but yet still an accident) think about what it could mean for our own lives. I know I didn't like it when gas was $4.30 a gallon. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. The products that we have become so accustomed to, that have become staples in everyday life (cell phones, laptops, cars, trains, planes, food packaging, cleaning supplies, the keyboard I am typing on now) would not be possible without that gooey mess that is spewing into the Gulf of Mexico.
Do companies need to better regulate themselves? Absolutely! Should we explore ways to limit our dependence on oil? Yes! Should we jump to make wholesale changes to an industry that impacts our lives more than we could probably fathom? I do not think so.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Sound-off Sunday: episode 1
Sound-off Sunday is a concept that I came up during an abnormally loud car ride. The shear volume of the car would have probably cause a normal person to lose their mind, but I realize that it is just part of the soundtrack of our lives. Each Sunday I will share with you an audio recording that will allow you a window into our chaos.
This recording was from a short car trip to Target. The picture does not match the audio (just one that I liked), but it does feature the two main players in the audio recording (Zach and Zane)
This recording was from a short car trip to Target. The picture does not match the audio (just one that I liked), but it does feature the two main players in the audio recording (Zach and Zane)
I was barely unpacked
I have been finding it hard to blog lately. I could blame it on time. I started my class, four kids to take care of, housework, homework, etc. I could blame it on being tired. Seems like most days it is a sprint from 7am (or earlier) to 9pm (or later). I wasn't able to put my finger on a reason why something that was coming so easy, now was so difficult. Then my brilliant wife said 5 words that helped shed some light on a possible reason why. "The honeymoon has worn off".
When I first began as a stay at home dad everything was fresh and exciting. I was seeing the kids through newly opened eyes. Spending all day with them brought me so much time for me to observe and explore their individual personalities. But the newness wore off and everyday life settled in, and somewhere along the way, I have forgotten to pay attention.
The "honeymoon" wearing off is a quite common occurrence for any new situation. It happens with new jobs, new houses and new relationships to name a few. This phenomenon gives me pause though. Why can't we just be content? Why does the newness and wonder wear off?
Have you ever met someone in their 40's, 50's or older who is working on their 3rd degree, masters, Phd? They have spent their life learning. They are constantly educating themselves in new fields, experiencing new insights and points of view. A lot of us look at those types of people as a bit crazy; we were just happy to make it through our schooling unscathed and with bright job prospects on the horizon. But I think they just may be on to something. Maybe learning, keeping your mind active, gaining knowledge is the secret to remaining youthful. Look into the eyes of a child when they are encountering something new. You see wonderment, intrigue, excitement, fear, questions, wanting, and on and on. New experiences for a child requires all the senses. They want to see, hear, touch, smell and sometimes unfortunately, taste every new adventure. So maybe the secret to remaining youthful is act as if you are youthful (flying in the face of the old adage, "act your age")
There is a line from a song, "the more I see, the less I know." There is so much to see and learn in the world. We have all only just scratched the surface. There is so much we can see and learn from books, experiences, traveling and interacting with the people right around us. Life can be tiring and stressful. We all have our reasons why we end up wading in the mundane. But we need to pay attention, to experience the joys that are all around us.
I am in the process of retraining myself to do this. I am going to start theme days for my blog to re-energize myself and force me to pay more attention. I have not come up with themes for all of the days, but I do have a few. I have Wordless Wednesday (which a lot of bloggers use), a day when you use pictures to tell a story (or more accurately, a picture that prompts the reader to derive their own story). Sound-off Sunday will give the readers a window into the soundtrack of my life (I have one that I will post later). Twin Tuesday will be stories past and present that show the trials, tribulations and triumphs involved with raising twins. The last that I have assigned will be Meandering Monday, which is somewhat a revival of my first blog attempt ramblingsofacommonman.blogspot.com where I write about current events, everyday occurrences, random thoughts, etc.
I will entertain other suggestions on theme days. Any suggestion must include a corny name like the ones I have come up with above.
Just a note: When I write things like this, they are not written into the direction of anyone but me. I use the term "we" for literary purposes.
When I first began as a stay at home dad everything was fresh and exciting. I was seeing the kids through newly opened eyes. Spending all day with them brought me so much time for me to observe and explore their individual personalities. But the newness wore off and everyday life settled in, and somewhere along the way, I have forgotten to pay attention.
The "honeymoon" wearing off is a quite common occurrence for any new situation. It happens with new jobs, new houses and new relationships to name a few. This phenomenon gives me pause though. Why can't we just be content? Why does the newness and wonder wear off?
Have you ever met someone in their 40's, 50's or older who is working on their 3rd degree, masters, Phd? They have spent their life learning. They are constantly educating themselves in new fields, experiencing new insights and points of view. A lot of us look at those types of people as a bit crazy; we were just happy to make it through our schooling unscathed and with bright job prospects on the horizon. But I think they just may be on to something. Maybe learning, keeping your mind active, gaining knowledge is the secret to remaining youthful. Look into the eyes of a child when they are encountering something new. You see wonderment, intrigue, excitement, fear, questions, wanting, and on and on. New experiences for a child requires all the senses. They want to see, hear, touch, smell and sometimes unfortunately, taste every new adventure. So maybe the secret to remaining youthful is act as if you are youthful (flying in the face of the old adage, "act your age")
There is a line from a song, "the more I see, the less I know." There is so much to see and learn in the world. We have all only just scratched the surface. There is so much we can see and learn from books, experiences, traveling and interacting with the people right around us. Life can be tiring and stressful. We all have our reasons why we end up wading in the mundane. But we need to pay attention, to experience the joys that are all around us.
I am in the process of retraining myself to do this. I am going to start theme days for my blog to re-energize myself and force me to pay more attention. I have not come up with themes for all of the days, but I do have a few. I have Wordless Wednesday (which a lot of bloggers use), a day when you use pictures to tell a story (or more accurately, a picture that prompts the reader to derive their own story). Sound-off Sunday will give the readers a window into the soundtrack of my life (I have one that I will post later). Twin Tuesday will be stories past and present that show the trials, tribulations and triumphs involved with raising twins. The last that I have assigned will be Meandering Monday, which is somewhat a revival of my first blog attempt ramblingsofacommonman.blogspot.com where I write about current events, everyday occurrences, random thoughts, etc.
I will entertain other suggestions on theme days. Any suggestion must include a corny name like the ones I have come up with above.
Just a note: When I write things like this, they are not written into the direction of anyone but me. I use the term "we" for literary purposes.
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