News from the front

If I were to say that my luck sometimes is so ridiculously Murphian, it probably would come as no surprise to most of you. A perfect example is that I took this week of to continue building my garage. The Murphian twist is that there is currently a hurricane blowing through Florida which unexpectedly put rain in the forecast for the rest of the week.

A word about the garage. We made good progress on the first day of building and I had a good crew of help. Wayne and Richard broke their backs through a long day in the 90's and Gary and crew swooped in to do some heavy lifting that frankly I do not think we could have done without them. Sunday saw more work from the three amigos, but with less wood going up and more adjustments made. An hour spent righting the keel will make raising the mast easier.
In generallities, we all but finished the first floor framing on Saturday and began the second floor floor system on Sunday. I just about wrapped up the floor joists today but was cut short by rain. What? Who says your garage has to be a single story? It truly is cheaper to up than out after all.

Anyway, I have a picture of each days progress, or at least each significant milestone. I will post them in a few days when I have time to let the computer choke on the pictures. Dial up is grand.

Kelly, is it Photo Friday or Thursday Picture Challenge or both that i was tapped for? Either way, the squirrel in my computer and the little guys taping out morse over the modem permitting, here you go...

Looks like the telegraph line is down... in a couple days, perhaps.

Idiot...syncrasies

id·i·o·syn·cra·sy ( P ) Pronunciation Key (d--sngkr-s)n. pl. id·i·o·syn·cra·sies
1. A structural or behavioral characteristic peculiar to an individual or group.
2. A physiological or temperamental peculiarity.
3. An unusual individual reaction to food or a drug.


I have long noticed some idiosyncrasies in others and scoffed at how they could not break them. Lately, I have realized that I am as steeped in them as everyone else. Here are some examples...

On the softball field, I can not step on the foul lines until after the first pitch of the game. Even then it must be in pursuit of a hit ball or while running the bases. Otherwise, I am sure to step over.

Okay, that one is pretty common. If any to bats are crossed while they are leaned up against the fence, I must uncross them and insure that all bats have equal spacing before I can take my turn at bat. Crossed bats are badd joo-joo.

More? Okay, I never talk about buying a new vehicle, used vehicle or especially trading my current vehicle while I am in my current vehicle. I am afraid that if I do, it will here me and break down out of spite. I also pat the dash board and thank the vehicle on occasion just to keep my car karma in check.

If I am wearing a belt and trousers, and have to do business in the office, I will urinate standing and then sit to do the rest. If I am not wearing a belt, I will sit throughout. While on the subject, I will not urinate in a urinal unless I have no choice or it is one of those very low ones, like for children. Usually, I use the toilet.

I will get new ice after each glass of coke, even if I just poured it and drained the glass, unless I am at the dinner table in which case I will refill until the ice it totally gone before getting more. I will also continue using the same glass day after day until someone mercifully puts it in the sink, after which I can not bring myself to use it, even if it is the only thing in the sink and has remained upright the whole time. Even if I watch it get put in there, the moment cup touches sink, it is time for a new one.

On the eating subject, I can not stand smacking or the sound of teeth on fork. The worst ever is the slurping cheeseburger, you know... slurping to suck all the condiments in so it won't get on your shirt, which it alsways does.

I salt my coasters when I drink beer, but not coke.

Pumpkin is my favorite pie, cherry my favorite turnover, but when I think of fresh pie I think of apple, though I am not overly fond of it. Given an AYCE, I will forego all the others for peach cobbler.

Milk must be ice cold and served in a glass. I can not drink milk from plastic or ceramic of any kind. It must be glass.

I can not leave anything paused for more than a few seconds. DVD, DVR, CD.. doesn't matter, I can not let it sit paused for longer than your average sneeze without it worrying me to death.

It is not uncommon for me to walk around the house all night with one sock on.

Anyway, all this does have a point... we are all freaks. Every last one of us. Its not that some are bigger freaks than other, its just that some are more subtle freaks.

perfect examples....

Kelly; Diet Coke in a can or bottle?

Mom; How tidy is the crafts room?

Becca; Is the oven off?

Richard; Wanna shake hands?


My point is, freaks that we are; these things make us who we are. And to some, these idiosyncrasies become points of endearment (as are the ones mentioned). So next time you do something that to the world at large seems bizarre, remember that things like that make you special in a not so short bus kind of way.

Birthday Continued

Our family has a birthday tradition and that is the birthday boy/girl gets to choose what they want prepared for their birthday dinner. For mine, I asked for a Polish Feast. Probably not a wise choose to help my weight lose, 38 pounds and holding (until tonight, probably 5 now).

With recipes in hand I presented my desire to my lovely wife and she took them, gave me the fish eyed look I expected, and agreed to do her best.

Let me preface this by saying that my wife is quite a country girl, and ethnic food of any sort is a bit of a stretch for her (save Mexican.. Chicken Chimichanga please. Becca's 36 pounds were safe tonight needless to say). Be that as it may, she plunged into the dinner with gusto and pulled off the best Polish meal I have ever had.

Golabkis
Pierogis
Polish Noodles
Cucumber Salad
and a yellow cake with chocolate icing... all made from scratch.
a nice loaf of store bought Rye as well.

The kids were luke warm to it, getting one refusal, one impartial, and two supporters. The in-laws were the same. One refusal, one impartial, two supporters. My bunch, Mom and Busha naturally were supporters. Dad, in Atlanta will have to do with left overs if he is fortunate to see survivors. Anyway, damn the torpedoes, it was my birthday and I wanted Polish food.

The only notable missing was Kielbasa. Oh, we had some Pepperidge Farms in the fridge, but after a near miss with a butcher nearby, who claimed on their web-site to have Polish sausage but when I called to confirm got a lovely indian couple who thought I was threatening the life of their cousin Basa when I asked for kielbasa, I could not bring myself to desicrate this fine meal with such tripe.

Anyway 4 hours later I still have the full... over full stomach, and hell with have no fury like the gas I will pass tomorrow but God bless her she pulled it off.


Next year we will have a new birthday tradition.. the cook will choose the menu; or so I've been told.

I will probably still be full then.

Happy Birthday To Me

Today is my thirtieth birthday and I have to say I am more bummed out about it than I thought I would be. Strange as it may seem I feel like I am an adult now and have more responsibilities even though I have the same amount as yesterday. Oh well.

I think it only fair to take stock of my 30 years and 4 decades on this crazy rock.

I have a pretty good job. It can be rewarding and discouraging but is usually challenging and keeps bread on the table. So no real complaints there... None that need be here anyway.

I have a wonderful wife; beautiful, smart and funny. So dedicated and in love with me is she that she went and played paintball with me last Saturday. And for that she got my admiration and this...

I have 4 great kids that are intelligent, gorgeous, and I am proud of each. (I would post pictures but I am paranoid about putting their pictures on the net)

I have started my garage. The one that I said I would build when I was 30.

I have a beautiful house and my life is generally a dream.

For this I would like to thank my wife who has enabled me to fulfill my life and to grow each day; and my parents for supporting me and for not rolling their eyes whenever I tell them about my next cool scheme. Finally, to my kids, you are my driving force. The fule in my tank and the power that makes me go. I love each of you.