It’s a Wonderful Dad’s Life

Thoughts and Things

In my basic surfing, I came across sad news of sorts. Shirley Manson’s mother died. It is strange that I actually was saddened by the news, considering I have never met Shirley or her family. Yet there it is. It does make me a bit sad to know that her mom has passed away. I guess it is easy to feel for someone who’s lyrics and music have been a huge part of my life for more than a decade (which in a way is amazing)

Anyway, there it is.

In other news.

It is getting close to the point where you should think about getting back into the stock market if you, like me have been sitting out for a while. The moment the dow drops below 7500 in earnest, it is time. Below 7500, the market is below the historic trend line.

In the mean time, it seems that now is a great time to get into oil. With a barrel of oil selling at or below 50 dollars, it is a steal. I believe the market forces are such that oil should be traded at or around 100/barrel. Why is 50/barrel too low. There are a multitude of reasons for this. First, demand outstrips supply. This equation has not changed, even with the downturn in the economy. Second, with China and soon America spending more than 1.2 trillion dollars combined on infrastructure projects, demand for oil should increase soon.

Why is the price so low. Two reasons. The election. Christmas season.

Yes, that is right. I believe that there has been market collusion to push the price of oil down for political gain. And by the end of the year, after the Christmas season, I suspect that the price of a barrel of oil will start to increase again. Back up to around $100/barrel.

Thus, purchasing oil at $50/barrel could offer a 100% return on your investment in a very short order.

Gold is a bad investment.

Euros, bad.

Bonds, bad.

Other than that, I don’t have a clue where to put your money. Which is one of the reasons I am in cash right now.

Anyway, I am off to bed.

Politics, Work and Taking Care of Business

I was born in the South,
Sometimes I have a big mouth
When I see something I don’t like
I’ve got to say it.

Cheryl Crow from Real Gone

Like Cheryl Crow, I have always been one to state exactly what is on my mind anytime I damn well feel like it. When I think someone is being a jerk, I tell them. When I don’t like a decision, I tell them. When I want to do something different, I just do it.

But not lately.

Maybe I am growing older. Maybe I am just growing up. Maybe I just don’t care as much any more. One thing is certain, I bite my tongue a lot.

Maybe, just maybe, I have figured out that if I keep my mouth shut, do the best job I can, work as hard as I can, I can finally move up the food chain and stop being the individual contributor that I have been all my life.

Maybe I am just thinking about the children and the need to both keep my job and grow my career both to bring more money into the household and to be a better role model for my children.

Maybe, I am just turning into a politician.

Whatever it is, I can live with it.

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving is not so much a day for cooking, as it is a day for showing off your organizational skills. As the cook, your job is to get a Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cassaroles, dinner rolls, drinks and everything else on the table while everything is hot. This is no small exercise, and in the past, I have failed miserably. It takes a long time to figure out how to get it right. 

This year, I think I have it down. 

I started yesterday. I made two pies, pumpkin and pecan. I made one mistake. The pie filling for the pecan pie was for an 8 inch pie, I used a 9 inch dish. So the amount of filling was less than expected. But other than that, the two pies turned out well. Good crust. Perfectly cooked. Considering my fiascos in pies a few years ago, this is a major accomplishment. 

I also brined the turkey yesterday. 

This morning, I ground flour and made dinner roll dough. Iti is currently rising. I will soon form the dough into balls and put the food in the refrigerator to wait for its time to cook (at 4 p.m.)

At noon, I will be getting the dressing ready and then stuff the turkey and place it in the oven. It will take 3 1/2 hours this year to cook the turkey, so it should pop out of the oven around 4 p.m., just in time for the rolls and other items to be placed in the oven while the turkey rests and is carved up for dinner. 

Once the turkey is in the oven, there will be a lull for a couple hours while we wait for 3 p.m. At 3, things get busy again with the peeling of potatos, salad making and other things as we get the rest of the meal ready for cooking once the turkey is out of the oven.

At 3:45, the potatoes start boiling so that they will be ready at 4:15 for mashing.

At 4, everything goes into the oven, the gravy gets made, the mashed potatoes get mashed, things start getting placed on the dinner table. 

4:30 p.m. We sit down, everything is on the table and ready to be eaten. 

At least that is the theory.

I will let you know how it turns out.

Once the turkey is out, everything else goes into the ovens, on the sto

Evening Blurb

Just a quick note.

Today Kat’s class had a Thanksgiving celebration for the parents. Each child presented the things they were thankful for to his or her parent. Kat wrote:

I am thankful for my parents.

First, I am thankful because you make me happy.

Second, I am thankful because you take me places.

Third, I am thankful because I learn from you.

Next Kat’s class made turkeys that had feathers with things that made them thankful. Kat’s reasons were:

You take me places.

You take care of me.

You make me happy.

You feed me.

I learn from you.

You love me.

I wasn’t able to go to the event because of work. But Melinda did go and took some pictures. Hopefully, I can get some of them on the site soon.

When I arrived home tonight, I was dead tired. The plan was to take it easy and pack.

The kids however wanted to take a walk, so we all walked to Jamba Juice. Kat and Will split an original size and then we walked back. After getting back, we did get packed, got the kids ready for bed and now as I finish this blog, I will be going to bed myself.

Tomorrow, we will be heading south as soon as I can get away from work and get the car packed up. Hopefully the kids will be fed and watered before we leave so that we can just get out the door quickly and not stop.

Anyway, as I said, I am tired. Talk to you later.

Morning Report

Will woke again at 5:30 this morning. Melinda and I heard him jumping up, crawling out of his crib and coming into our room. Melinda picked him up and put him between us. That worked for about 15 minutes, although he kept raising his head and then dropping it down on the pillow, and each time he did it, he managed to bang his haead against mine. Not the prefered way to wake up by any stretch of imagination.

After 15 minutes, he jumped up with a plan, ran to the living room and started saying Charlie Trash Truck. Melinda muttered that we should just put the video on the computer and put him back to bed. So I got up, grabbed the video and turned it on in the bed room.

Now you would think Will would be excited, he was getting his show. But no, that was not the case. It was different. He wanted it in the living room. However, we perservered and in a few minutes he settled down, albeit grudgingly. The peace however was short lived as he then decided he needed something extra. That something extra was Cheerios. So I got them with his assistance and put him back in bed.

This time, he was very happy. We propped him up with a pillow and he happily watched TV, eating Cheerios while Melinda and I got our wits about us. By the time the video was over, Melinda and I both thought getting out of bed wasn’t nearly as horrible a thought as it seemed only an hour ago.

Kat by this time joined in and all four of us headed to the kitchen where we made cinnamon toast. The toast was especially wonderful because it was made on fresh bread I had baked last night. Kat and Will both helped. I started teaching Kat the finer points in shaking cinnomon onto the bread without having large clumps form.

After we all ate, Kat and Will tore off, playing chase. Melinda and I seemed very appreciative of the happy belly, happy child syndrome that had befallen us and took the good fortune to make a Latte.

Today is going to be pretty busy. This morning I am repairing out dishwasher. Apparently, the circulation motor is leaking and causing problems. I ordered the parts this week and will be replacing seals and paddles. Hopefully that will take care of the issues we are experiencing.

I also have to go grocery shopping. I did that yesterday, but upon returning home, I inadvertantly dropped to bottles of milk onto the concrete driveway. One disadvantage of glass bottles is that they do break quite well on concrete. So I need to pick up more milk to get us through the week. I will also pick up some lamb chops for dinner. I also plan to grind some wheat and make freshly ground whole-wheat dinner rolls to accompany the meal.

I am also scheduled to take Kat golfing. She really wants to go without Will and get some one on one time with me. So we will do that this afternoon. Last week the three of us went, but really, I just spent the time running after Will while Kat fended for herself. She enjoyed golfing, but I am sure she would have preferred to have someone to share the experience with.

That is about it. Hope everybody is having a great day. Talk to you soon.

As the Dow Drops Below 7500

I think it is time to start getting back into the market. Anything below 7500 is below the historic trendline. Be fearless. Get back in.

Guilt

I am growing a love/hate relationship with work. I love what I do. I enjoy the people I work with. I like the feeling of being useful and productive and respected. At the same time, every time I sit in an assembly, or visit Kat’s school, or talk with her teacher, pangs of guilt engulf me. I feel as if I am losing touch with the children. 

I feel like I have abandoned my primary duty.

Picture Saturday

Earlier this month, Kat’s class presented Fun Town to the parents. During this time, we heard speeches from the mayor as well as other kids, kids hawked their wares and you got to see all the ways in which the class learned about government and commerce.

Kat and classmates presenting why fun town was a great experience.

Read the rest of this entry »

Kat is Feeling Ignored

As I was driving home from work, I gave Melinda a call which I often do so that we can chat while I am driving. When I called, Kat was very upset and crying. She was upset that one of the M&Ms, and M if you will, was dropped and now William got more M&Ms than she.

Melinda, being Melinda first tried to make her see the situation logically. It is just an M&M. Then when that didn’t work, she started moving towards the: if you are going to cry, you should do it in your room phase (and truth be known, I invented this methd, to combat whining.).

So I got Kat on the phone and talked with her. School was fine. All was fine. But she felt that William always got more than she. I asked her if she really just needed some special time with me. I offered to pick her up and take her to Starbucks tonight, just she and I. She liked the idea, but decided she would prefer to go miniature golfing this weekend instead.

“We can add that to the schedule,” I told her.

“OK, I am feeling a little better now,” she informed me. “By daddy.”

Immediately she handed Will the phone and walked away.

Oh, hello Will. I said. I am not sure he recognized me, but he got very excited when he pushed buttons and the phone responded.

When I got home, things were more or less normal, with both kids playing and pulling all the couch cushions down to the floor.

I hugged them both and then they kind of did their own thing, so I talked with Melinda, caught up on email and relaxed a bit before getting William ready for bed. I then held Will as he went to sleep while Melinda read Kat’s story to her.

Kat Got Her Report Card

Kat received her first report card today. Unlike the standard report cards that you expect from schools, Kat’s report card reflects a much more nuanced assessment of Kat’s strengths and weaknesses.

For example, Kat, while progressing sufficiently in Reading/Decoding, needs improvement in her ability to read aloud and with fluency. She also needs improvement in counting and grouping objects in ones and tens. We need to work on her addition and subtraction memorization. However, she shows good promise in Mathematical Reasoning, Algebra and Functions, Math, Listening, Punctuation and Grammer and Writing Conventions.

In terms of her attitude, in every subject she shows consistent effort and when appropriate, participates actively.

In short, I couldn’t be more pleased with Kat’s performance. It is clear she is trying hard. Kat and I can work on some of the deficiencies.

What I really like about this report is the fact that it isn’t a comparison of her against the others in her class. It is a comparison of her skills based on the overall skills she needs to master by the time she finishes first grade. In short it shows whether or not she is on track to complete what is necessary to graduate from 1st grade.