Category: blood

Family, easy!

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digitizing

Hi guys.Monday, a holiday in the US… so I’m not at work.

Why, then, am I sitting here working?  I’ll tell you why, because it’s annual review time.

And, that’s what I did all morning, review stuff.  Sufficiently frustrated, and not sufficiently self-flagellated, I chose to take an afternoon break from reviews and do our taxes instead.  Much frustration and a few raised-voice exchanges about receipts with Sharaun later I’d completed at least one arduous annual tribulation today.  Tomorrow work will be about finishing up the other, and getting all reviews taken care of.  I spend so much dang time on the things… demanding a level of perfection in writing nothing like sounds familiar has ever seen.  Get it… it was knock on my writing here…

The other day Sharaun showed me some old scanned-in images one of her new Facebook friends had posted on the internet.  Her new Facebook friend being an old real-world friend, the pictures were of them together back in their youth.  Seeing them made me smile, and also made me think about how neat it would be to have the old family pictures in digital form.  The only real way we look at and/or use pictures now is on the computer, and I think it’d be so neat to have “forever” copies of those old printed images stored digitally for generations to come.

So, I asked my Pop if he’d be willing to ship down all our old family photo albums.  Not wanting to scan in what could potentially be thousands of pictures one-by-one, I instead found a reputable (well-reviewed, at least) place to ship them off to where they’ll be bulk-scanned for pennies a print in no time at all.  If and when I get the albums, I plan to go through them, put the good ones into logical bundles, and ship them off in bulk.  When the resultant DVDs come back I’ll look through and post some of the better ones here after touching them up a bit (the place just does raw scanning, no post-processing).

Could be a fun thing to do, I think.  I’m looking forward to flipping through some photos Pop… so get them in the mail, OK?

Moving on, a quick note about Sunday.  After church we joined friends for a BBQ in the rain and some Daytona 500 watching.  Was  great time, but towards the end of the day Keaton started making more-than-regular trips to the potty – and her #2s became less and less, ahem, “solid.”  Fearing more of the same, we left the get-together a bit early and retired home.  Good thing too, once at home we played around for a while until it was Keaton’s bedtime.  Once she was down I headed to the gym, and upon returning found Keaton out of bed and in a freshly-run bath and Sharaun washing puke out of her bedsheets.

Poor girl.  She lost her stomach another time that night, and Sharaun and I were both by her side to see her through it.  Breaks my heart to see how much it scares and frustrates her; she just stands and wails between heaves, shaking her hands in protest and asking to be held.  I can remember how scary it used to be to get sick, the fact that’s it’s totally beyond your control, the overall awfulness of it all, and the added bonus that you can’t breathe while it’s happening.  She took it like a champ though, and never did develop a fever or any other symptoms.  Monday she was fresh as a daisy and had her regular appetite, so I guess it was something she ate.

Let’s hope, at least.

Goodnight folks.  Wish me a better week writing, OK?

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inclusion

Just grant me this..

Welcome to 2009, readers.

New Years Eve day was another (nice!) slow one around the homestead.  Sharaun and I cleaned up a little more of the leftover Christmas mess (and foodstuffs lingering in the fridge, in my case).  Keaton got a deluxe edition DVD of Mary Poppins from our next-door neighbors, and, surprisingly, ate up the film (all that singing and dancing, she’s just a sucker for it); so we watched that in the morning.  The place was looking tip-top (as tip-top as our place tends to realistically get) long before noon.  And yes, I am shooting for most use of parenthetical notation in a single paragraph (get it?).

Right now I feel like I haven’t been to work in ages.  Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised to see my shoulders visibly sag were I looking in the mirror as the thought of going back this coming Monday enters my head.  To be clear, it’s not that I’m dreading it, but it seems I’ve been taken by the strangest “bug” lately… this insanely strong inclination to cling to family.

Thus the time spent here at home with Keaton and Sharaun, the week my folks visited over Christmas, and even going back to the nice long jaunt we took to Florida to visit Sharaun’s family back around Thanksgiving: All these things have created a snowball of emotion inside me… an almost physical urge to “family up.”

And, to mention this new desire within me without also mentioning my newfound desire to better integrate “church” (used here, I think, as a generic word for religion, introspect, tradition, spirituality, closeness, etc.) into my family would be impossible (the expressed concept of “ownership” of what is truly our family is actually intentional here). I know that may sound odd, or maybe random and untied to the whole “family” concept I mention above… but in my head lately they are tied so tightly together that I have to finish the thought here.

I’ve typed and typed (and deleted and deleted) about this family/church concept over the past couple weeks, but find I’m still not ready to put what I’m talking about into words… so I’m going to leave it (for now) with this (admittedly lacking) summary: At some point recently, I’ve “decided” that the things which are most important in life are those which, as a father and husband, I should be working to surround myself and my immediate family (Sharaun and Keaton) with.  Chief among those things, I’ve decided, are our relationships with extended family and our sense of “church.”

Right now, I can’t explain why this doesn’t mean we’re going ultra-religious (or scary-religious, however it strikes you), but it doesn’t.  It may read that way (so be it).  I think, basically, it means I want to spend more time with my family as a family, connected spiritually together through a common set of belief and faith (if that makes sense).  And, among other traditions and experiences, I want us to, together, enjoy and share this “church” thing I’m on about.

What it means… practically… I’m not 100% sure.  And, it may not even be blog stuff (there’s plenty of stuff that doesn’t make the blog, and it tends to be the more personal… so this might qualify for that exclusion… who knows).  I do feel better, however, for writing about it finally… and while the explanation is poor (by my own judgment), perhaps it’ll help cement, for me, what I’m even feeling – and maybe put some action around the concept.

I don’t know guys, I just don’t.  I do feel, though… so that’s something.  So hey, don’t read this and assume I’m making drastic wholesale changes.  But, then again, I guess don’t assume I’m not.  Realistically, I’m in early concept-phase here… so it’s a wonder I even put this much around the idea.  OK?

To lighten the mood before I go, here’s Keaton and I dancing to “Brothersport.”  (And, for real, you need to get this new Animal Collective album…)

[flv:https://blog.pharaohweb.com/video/mpp2.flv 320 240]

Goodnight.

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our white day

Trip to the snow.Tuesday and I took the day off (or something…) to take Keaton to the snow with her friend Matthew.

Matthew’s dad arrived shortly before 9am and we set off to the local “waffle” prefixed breakfast joint (y’know, the ones with the cat-head biscuits).  Ordered me a meat++ omelet ripe with fatty jalapenos and cheese and all kinds of sausages that had all kinds of different names.  Whomped that on down in sequential bites comprised of equal parts omelet and “homestyle” potatos.  Keaton and Matthew split a ham and eggs plate, and left their hasbrowns untouched (blasphemers).

We were on the road up the hill just after 10am.  Up a winding mountain road, we found the perfect patch of as-yet untouched-by-humans snow just before noon (had to stop for a couple kiddie potty breaks and to separate the car seats to prevent hair pulling and ear-poking).

The snow sat in thick drifts, but the sun was out and the weather was don’t-need-a-jacket warm.  Kevin (Matthew’s dad) and I ventured out into the snowfield first to see how deep it was.  My first steps and I was in to the knee.  Laboring, step-aerobics style, I lifted my foot to take another – and ended up just as deep.  We test-dropped Matthew onto the surface: guess being 15% of my weight is an advantage in deep snow – he and Keaton just dropped in a couple (manageable, as far as locomotion is concerned) inches.

Keaton whined for me to carry her for the first five minutes (that child is, through and through, one-thousand percent girl, being innately scared of everything).  After some time though, she was tromping off faster than knee-deep Daddy could follow along – quite independent.  Before long she was eating snow and peppering me with the balled-up stuff, like any good kid in the snow should their dad.

We dug holes; we built a sorry, sorry snowman (the snow wasn’t wet enough to hold shape); we pushed the kids once or twice in the saucer-sleds before they let us know they hated that; we ate white snow like ice cream; we had adult races to see who could move the quickest with each foot sunk in snow (I lost, face-down freezing-hands style).

For me, it was a Dad’s day with his daughter – and I loved it more than words can tell you about.  Here are a couple pictures, maybe they will help explain:

Gosh, those weren’t that good at all; and I look straight bald in one of them.  But, that’s it.

I didn’t even intend to write, but I had this in my head and the new Animal Collective album played loud (Sharaun’s out, Keaton’s asleep, and it’s my roost to rule for the time being) shook it loose onto the internet.

Love you, goodnight.

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heralding the end

A merry Christmas for me!Christmas is winding down here at our house.

Heralding the end: My folks took off Sunday for home, and Sharaun and I are beginning to get the house back together.  The tree and various bits of house-decoration will go back in boxes tomorrow and be put up in the shelves of the garage for another year.  It’s always a little sad when the holidays end… the return to work and the loss of all the “feel good” stuff that comes along with the season.  But, all’s well that ends well, I suppose.

And as far as things going well, Chrismas in fact did just that.  Keaton, particularly, made out like a bandit, garnering a generous amount of gifts from Santa and family alike.  Her favorites, ranked in order of how much playtime recieved since finding or unwrapping them beneath the tree, would go something like this: 1) Pop-up play tent/barn thing; 2) Fully functional salon chair and styling implements for her many babydolls; 3) Play computer with real monitor, keyboard, and mouse; 4) Her new rollerboard suitcase/backpack; 5) Play cash register with fake money.  She got a lot more, mostly clothes and various toys – and we’re working to get it all into her “play room” now that Grammy & Grandpa have vacated it as the “guest room.”

In other news, it’s almost 2009 and that means I need to get busy posting my “best of 2008” music review list.  No worries, it’s nearly done, just putting the finishing touches on the formatting and doing a couple democratic listen-off contests to make my final decisions on what lands where.  Oh, and in between that I’ve been completely sonically preoccupied with the new Animal Collective album, Merriweather Post Pavilion, which leaked on Christmas day.  And, more about that album this week too… for sure.

For now though… I’m outta here.  Hope you all had a great Christmas, and I’ll try to resume a respectable posting schedule as I ease back into the routine here this week.

Goodnight.

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optioning tradition

Another hump-day.  Right now I’m simply counting down until my folks get here.  I’m actually not taking any “true” vacation while they’re in town, but I have high hopes that work’ll be light enough that I can phone it in for a good portion of the time.  End of year is typically quiet, so cross your fingers for me.  OK, go.

A couple of bloggers I read regularly lately wrote nice little bits about what they termed “Christmas tradition.”  I found their timing (while ultimately probably predictable, taking into account the season) quite, well, timely.  See, Sharaun and I had decided that, with Keaton nearing an astounding three years old (proof, in my opinion, that time is a cruel, cruel thing), it’s time we started a Christmas tradition that’s based around our little family.

Mostly this just means that we’re going to try and do Christmas at our home and not travel each year.  It was a hard choice, as we both love being with extended family – holidays or not – but I think it’s a good choice.  Now, neither of us is opposed to traveling on occasion, but for the general case I think we’re going to start doing Christmas at-home.  Of course, family can come to us – that would be great – and, in fact, this year my folks are going to celebrate Christmas at our house, which will, I think, be the first time since way back in college I’ll have been able to wake up on Christmas morning with them there (neat).  But, again, an at-home Christmas as a family is something I feel is important, and that’s the real goal here.

So, Sharaun’s been in charge of getting us some family-type Christmas traditions.  Sounds funny to say we’re “creating” or “starting” tradition – but, really, what else is it?  A young family with no history of the time together and a need to inject something static to build memories and enjoy the occasion.  I’m not really sure what she’s got planned, and we are in fact marching closer and closer to the holiday with nothing established as-yet.

To be fair, we did just get back from our Thanksgiving vacation late last week, and our tree is still in some 25%-done state due to busy evenings and busier days (boxes and Christmas flotsam currently litter our living room, and, as much as I love the holiday, the mess is killing me).  We hope to have things up and cleaned by the weekend – but who knows; things need to at least be in cheery Christmas order by the time my folks arrive, I say.  And, if we’re diligent, we should be working on establishing some Christmas rigor for the family to boot.  Let’s hope.

Anyway, I think it’s interesting to hear bloggers of a similar age and family-status mulling the same things.  Perhaps there’s hope for our generation after all, and maybe we won’t end up a bunch of MTV and reality-TV –suckled ne’re-do-wells.

Nothing more today, I’m out.  Goodnigh.t

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counting the hours

Last night in Florida; this one’ll be a dirge.

We went to dinner with the family, sans a couple members who are down and out with a stomach bug.  We got together with a friends from years past who we haven’t seen in years (and, our kid played with the kids of our friends, in a series of surreal “Oh crap, I’m totally old” moments).  Sharaun and I even split up one night to canvas acquaintances, since we’ve got so many folks we like hanging with down here.

All in all though, and I know I’ve said this as many times as I’ve written over the past few Florida days, the visit felt as long as it was – which is actually a good thing, as we often end up feeling like we had too little time, even though the days numbered enough.

And now, back at the inlaws’ rambling ranch-style Florida, built strong in the old days with cinderblock and copper pipe and thick walls, Pop-pop started a fire to push the cold air back outside.  That’s right: It’s cold tonight in Florida.  In fact, the news said lows in the upper 30s, I think.  For the central Florida coast – that’s chilly.  It’s a pungent coastal oak burning, but the chimney has a good draft and all we get is a slow-moving comfy warmth.  Keaton’s fascinated by the fire, which isn’t entirely unexpected given her lineage.  Upon returning home, sated and loose, we all took turns warming while staring into the flames – it’s primal, you know, staring at fire… in our blood from those very first days.

It’s comfortable here; I’m beginning to wish we could stay longer still… because, really, what’s to get back to?

But, reality calls… it’s back to work on Thursday, and I won’t lie and say I haven’t been checking e-mail on the iPhone – because I have.  Even sent a response or five hither and thither.  It’s hard for me not too, I’m so connected to the place… umbilically tied to the sawmill, stuck at its teat even when away.  With the holiday week, doesn’t look like I missed much – so the ramp back into things shouldn’t be that bad.  Although, returning to the mill alone will surely defeat my vacationing spirit; just suck it right out and stomp on it.

And with that I think I’ll hang up the hat for tonight.  With thoughts of one more morning of Florida sun to wake to, we bid you adieu.  Goodnight.