Ultranormal

Category: family

  • Jen’s dad is on his

    Jen’s dad is on his way home. We had a great time while he was here, and Max loved it. I wish he could have stayed longer.

    I took the day off on Friday (hence my silence here). We decided to go find this German restaurant in West Virginia we missed going to last time Jen’s dad was here. We took a great drive down Route 7 from Leesburg to West Virginia through the rolling hills and the pastoral beauty of changing leaves, farmland and small towns.

    We made it to the the Bavarian Inn and Lodge in beautiful Shepherdstown. It sits on a hill high above the Potomac River. The view was gorgeous. Since it took us less time to get there than we thought, we let Max stretch his legs and run around. He took off over the well-groomed lawn, climbed up and down the stairs, and explored the grounds. Then, we had lunch, which was kind of a disappointment. We we seated and instantly became aware of the fact that Max was the only patron sitting in a high chair, and that Jen and I were the only diners under the age of 45. There were matronly old ladies wearing hats, old men in sweaters and their middle aged children leading them around by the hand saying, “Yes, mother, the ladies’ room is this way.”

    The food fell into a category I’d call “upper-class cafeteria”. The food was “ok”, but bland and not up to a setting like that.

    To make up for it, we stopped on the way home and picked up a freshly made apple pie from an orchard on the way back.

    On the way home, I felt more like a father and protector as I ever had before. They slept, and I drove. Their safety was in my hands. It was a strange feeling to realize that Jen and Max are my responsibility to provide for them, keep them safe and healthy.

  • Random Childhood Memory

    Today’s been a crazy day, so I decided to wander down to the comp’ny store and grab a bag of Gummi Bears. They’re the same brand I used to eat when I was little. They triggered a childhood memory. Here it is:

    When I was 5, my dad was stationed at Ramstein, Germany. We used to go shopping “on the economy” all the time (that means not at the BX or Commissary). I remember this knick knack store in Kaiserslattern that used to hand kids little bags of Gummi Bears as they walked in the door to keep their little hands occupied and off the merchandise. It was a great idea. My little brother and I loved going to that store.

    They had bins of cheap plastic toys at ground level that we’d sift through while mom perused the nutcrackers, cuckoo clocks and other German trinkets. We’d usually get to pick out one to take home with us (after mom paid for it of course, which never crossed our minds back then). It was a great little world I lived in back then, with bins of plastic cars, airplanes and animals immersed in the bonging and chirping of a thousand cheap cuckoo clocks.

  • Jen’s dad made it here

    Jen’s dad made it here safely. Max put on quite a show for his Grandpa, making a mess at dinner, running around the house naked after his bath and saying “Bye!” to everyone and everything. What a cutie.

    He’s asleep and Jen and her dad are upstairs watching JAG, which I can’t bear to watch. It’s just so… CBS. There’s something wrong with most shows on that network. They’re too sappy, goofy and simple for me. Especially JAG. What a piece of crap.

  • Max is the coolest kid

    Max is the coolest kid ever. While he’s having trouble speaking, he’s finally catching on the to whole sign language thing. He was sitting at the window watching the rain. When I asked him what he was doing, he turned around and did the sign for rain. He’s been doing the signs for mine and “more” (“mine” is a lot cuter as a sign than it is as a scream, let me tell you). When I woke up from my nap, he signed “daddy sleeps”, like a question. It was so cool! He’s a genius, I tell you, a genius.

  • I forgot to tell anyone,

    I forgot to tell anyone, but we now have pictures of Max’s Room up. They’re small, but give you some idea of the artistic talent that went into creating it. Check out the monkey. He’s the crowning achievement of the room, I think.

  • Oh, and I posted pics

    Oh, and I posted pics of Max’s biggest birthday present, the mural his Aunt Heather and I painted.

  • Max’s birthday pics will be

    Max’s birthday pics will be online Monday. Grandparents have been alerted.

    I took Thursday and Friday off for Max’s birthday. What fun! Max is the coolest kid ever. No, really. I got to see a speech therapy appointment Friday morning, and take Jen to a nice restaurant last night. Max is over at my fam’s having a sleep over (that’s to make me feel better so I’m not calling it baby-sitting). It was nice being able to sleep in and not have to worry about Max waking up early.

    I’m still not awake yet, so this’ll be short… and that’s it.

  • Max is two!!

    Max is two!! Today’s his birthday. So, what did we do? He went over to my mom’s (after going to the pet store, which is more fun for him than the zoo). Me? What did I do? I took the day off and, with my little sister, painted a mural on his bedroom wall. We did a monkey, a dog, two birds, a bi-plane, a kid on a bike, a hot air balloon and a box kite, plus almost a dozen clouds. I’m pooped, and we haven’t even had the party yet!! There will be many pictures for grandparents up tomorrow (I hope).

  • I went out with the

    I went out with the guys last night. Yeah, me. Do you believe it? It was supposed to be a going-away shindig for my manager who’s retiring and moving off the Missouri to do nothing (that’s what he says anyway… don’t believe him). It ended up being a congratulations party for the guy who took his place. Whatever. It was just an excuse to go out, dish dirt, watch people drink and flirt and laugh.

    I haven’t done anything like that in a long long time. Not since Tucson and the TV show. It was great. I work with great people, and they’re fun to hang out with. Now, if only I can get rid of the smell of smoke…

  • I have a lot of

    I have a lot of thoughts about what’s going on in the world, but there are currently too many people using their first amendment rights at the moment. When they’re done, I’ll say something important. Until then, it’s trite drivel and useless crap about my life! I know, you can’t contain your joy, can you?