Hi, all. Had my doctor’s appointment follow-up to the ER visit today, then we hit the grocery store on the way home before my wife had to rush to the airport for a 4-day long business trip in Vegas. High winds here have delayed her flight, but this means it’s just me and the kids most of this week.
The new house has been staked but ground has yet to be broken. That’s supposed to happen sometime in the next few days, but in the interim, I’m spending a lot of time trying to entertain a toddler and talk to contractors to get post-build reno bids on countertops, tile floors, built in shelving units, etc. It’s mentally taxing.
I’m feeling mildly better than I was the other day, and I was able to make it to Satch’s tournament this weekend — enduring a two hour drive only to find he had one other kid in his bracket, and it’s a kid he’s beaten like a drum for the last few years, including the previous two weeks. There just aren’t many 49-50 lb 10-year-old wrestlers on the eastern plains, it seems. The next weight bracket up was 57lbs, so I had the tournament director add him to that bracket as well, because driving that distance for two matches wasn’t working for me. That meant Satch would have to wrestle back to back on occasion, but he was up to it — winning all five of his bouts to take first place in both brackets. It wasn’t until the finals of the 57lb bracket that he gave up any points, and that was against one of his teammates. Satch weighed in at right around 49.6 that morning.
Anyway, that’s where things are around here. I’m slowly getting things back in order after the passing of our dog and my health issues, but the travel schedule my wife’s been keeping at the onset of her new job has been tough on us both, particularly now that Tanner has entered his terrible twos prematurely.
Thanks to Darleen for keeping things lively in my absence. I hope to be back to “normal” soon. Also, thanks to Dan K for the donation at the tail end of last month’s fundraiser. I had already taken the post down and have been meaning to give him a shout out.
So. Shout out!
Also, here’s a video one of the parents put together of the tournament Saturday. The takedown Satch got to win the finals is near the very end:
Sounds like wins all around. Keep on pluggin’!
Just please watch your health more closely, Jeff.
What Bob said. :-)
speaking of health
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I’m watching a DVR of the new Cosmos.
It’s kind of dumb. Very much about SCIENCE! more than science. I need to go back and watch the original and see if it was as dumb. And dated.
update 2:
I lie to make people think I don’t live in a van down by the Willamette River, even though nobody buys it, because it’ss all I’ve got anymore.
Speaking of ‘kind of dumb’…
Hey. My dog did end up dying. Good job praying for that, “Miley”!
Best hope that the universe truly is the way Marx envisioned it. Or a piece of human shit like you is going to be riding the barbed cock of Satan for all eternity.
Me, I forgive you. Satan, on the other hand, he just likes to get all up in that. So nothing I can do to help.
I’m taking the view that Darwin predated Marx and his theories have held water, unlike Karl’s.
Miley should see that SMoD is headed for the party of D and mend its ways before it’s too late.
Or not. I don’t really care.
Jeff, how is Satch holding up over the loss of his/your dog? Will you get another after you move to the new house?
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Satch is holding up well, leigh. He’s been busy with school and wrestling, so it hasn’t been much on his mind. For me, it’s been okay, but a bit rough from time to time when I look down and see some of her hair in the carpet still, or expect to have to dodge her as I get into and out of bed in the dark.
We have her ashes and a paw print they take and put in plaster for you. I keep them by my bedside for now.
An update on that nutty UCSB ass. prof I linked earlier..
Sorry for your loss, Jeff. Whenever we’ve had a dog die (and I’ve been through a lot of them; not out of neglect but just because I’m an old, privileged male who loves to have at least two dogs in the house at all times.), I am reminded that pets are not just a part of our lives, they also teach us about life.Our last wolf hound died on my son’s 12th birthday, and it really tore him up. And I think those emotions shocked and humbled him a bit. So especially during a loss of a pet we’re reminded of our own vulnerabilities. That, and how dignified they pass…not like some whiny scotch-soaked Senator who can’t keep his fly shut and his car on the road. Good luck with the contractors. Despite all the media-perpetuated hype about conniving builders, most of the folks I’ve worked with over the years have been stand-up, eager to please professionals. Gotta demonize those trades you know.
That’s nice that you have her paw print, Jeff. I never thought to make one of my last dog when she died suddenly. They really are like losing a family member.
It’s good that Satch is busy and doesn’t have time to dwell on it and that Tanner is so young.
Wow. You’re in for a wild ride. Try and stay sane.
Regular, old fashioned house buying is stressful enough, but building can be much worse. The end result is usually worth it, though. Mrs cookies and I bought a builder’s lot, spec house plans and had an architect change everything but the footprint right at the top of the market. So in the middle of the drywall shortage and the house flipping craze we were trying to get subs out that could read plans. If my wife wasn’t a saint, I’d be in prison now. I remember one day I was in Toronto in a borrowed cube in some client’s office and I absolutely LOST MY SHIT on the phone. If I had been on the other end of that call, I would have lit the G-D house on fire and walked away. I’m still not allowed in Canada without placing a behavior bond, and I’m required to see an anger management specialist before renting any type of motorized vehicle in a Commonwealth country. On the other hand, that floor outlet in the great room was MUCH more useful on the other side of that joist. (not that I ever used it)
Sold that house 18 months later, made the taxes and commission back and bought an old, dark, cramped ’70’s style 2-storey with a bad yard, crummy laundry and terrible garage. But I paid too much, so I got that going for me.
My father was a commercial and residential builder when I was growing up. One of my favorite things when I was a child was designing imaginary homes and using his templates to make sure the doors swung the right way. He designed and built all our homes when I was growing up. I feel right at home in lumber yards, brick yards and building sites.
If you buy an older home with good bones, you can really make something of it. Unfortunately, most people in that market have unrealistic expectations of what can be done with hundred year old homes. Or 40 year old homes, for that matter.
Oh, and nothing smelled better than a blueprint shop.