End of the dog days of summer

The weather has been cooling down around here from a hot 110 degrees down to a freezing 62 degrees. 62 degrees! I don’t know how people survive in such cold climates. If it ever drops below 60 I for one am calling in sick to work! Okay, I am off my rant. Anyway, with the cooler weather it is now possible for Onyx to accompany me in the car on my outings. This is something she loves to do. Although at the end of every summer, due to a dogs VERY short attention span she tends to be skittish the first few times. I went to take her out a few days ago and at first, when I called her, she went blazing for the front door expecting a walk – when she saw me by the garage door her ears dropped and she went scrambling for her crate, the one safe spot she knows she is safe from vet appointments. I tried to talk calmly to her, explain to her that, had it been a real vet appointment I would have closed her crate door before she knew what was happening. She put her head between her paws clearly not buying my weak explanation. She was not coming out. I went to the closet where I stored her leash and rattled it. I looked over and her head was peering out from her crate – but she was NOT coming out. Remember what I said about a dogs short attention span? Maybe I was wrong. I used that trick when she had to take medicine awhile ago, apparently she remembered. So I decided to just wait until she put her paranoia away. I was in no hurry so I put the lash away and sat on the couch to read for a bit. About 10 minutes later she came wandering out and jumped up on the couch with a very smug “HA I beat you” expression on her face. I smiled at her and waited for her to get comfy. THEN I POUNCED! She tried to run but I already had her and she knew it. Once again her ears dropped and she calmly awaited her fate. We went out to the car and I put her in the front seat with the window rolled down. She quickly perked up; I mean after all there was an open window and lots of wind to deal with! I decided to stop at a local fast food restaurant to grab a burger and when I pulled up to the window and got my food Onyx went nuts. I could just see her mind thinking (WOW, you just pull up to this little window and they hand you delicious smelling food!! SIGN ME UP!!!!) LOL. Then we went off to run a few more short errands and headed for home. Needless to say she was much more accommodating when I needed to go out the next time. (although she looked a little crestfallen when I kept passing the fast food place!) Going to the vet next time is going to be a breeze!!!



I hope everybody had a great Halloween!

"I better start procrastinating on writing this paper or I will never get around to putting it off until later."

Jump on through

WOW! It has been a busy few weeks. I guess the big news is that I started work on my roof and as soon as I did a big storm hit. Sheesh! My living room was yet again a tropical rain forest but I also added a swamp in my garage. The storm ended yesterday so hopefully they will be able to finish by the end of the weekend and I will be waterproof again. The kids have been very busy with school too but both are doing very well, all A’s and B’s. GLEE!

Last weekend we went to Jump Street and I was able to bring my camera. It was pretty dark so I had to use my flash which I generally detest doing but if you want to capture quick action in very low light there really is no other way.

Mutant peace out.

Baby steps

Hi all,

This weekend I didn’t really do a lot but I did manage to clean the house somewhat and then I decided to listen to what I had been telling myself and relax. I watched a few episodes of Castle (which I LOVE!) and some White Collar (A very clever and interesting show). I also spent some time working on my photography and reading photography magazines. I also cleared some more junk out of my house. Okay, maybe I didn’t TOTALLY relax but I still had fun. Baby steps, right?

Oh, I also got to play some World of Warcraft with my good buddy Ted! YAY! With his wedding coming up he has been UBER busy so it was a real treat to get to game with him.

I am keeping this one short as I didn’t really do much but I did want to close with some brand new pictures of my golden boys.

I have Attention Deficit...Hey, look at THAT!

Wild west weekend

This was a wild weekend! The boys and I spent Saturday at the “Lost Dutchman ghost town” wandering the old western streets. We enjoyed peeking through the museums, saloons, post office, and mines and a variety of other stores I didn’t know really existed back then. It was enjoyable and they both bought rubber band guns much to their delight and, I’m sure, the great consternation of our little target, I mean dog, Onyx.

The next day we went to a place called “Jump Street”. This is a place that has very large areas filled with trampolines. The trampolines are square and they are fitted edge to edge with padding covering the railings. They have also put trampolines against the walls so it is impossible to fall off and hurt yourself. Now add 30 raving, maniacal kids cranked up on sugar and add 20 large balls to the mix. This gives you an insane game of ultimate dodgeball! The kids insisted that I join them so I gave up the opportunity for some world class action shots so I could wail on a bunch of children alongside my boys. (you would have done it too, admit it!) I must say I had a blast but, WOW, what a work out! Try jumping constantly and throwing one ball after another as hard as you can for a solid hour. Now add to that getting hit repeatedly by large balls and you have an indication of how I felt. Also, I discovered that, being the only parent in the room, I was the designated target. It was still fun and I can’t wait to do it again! I think the funniest part was when the young male teenager who worked there walked into the court to tell us something. Just as he was opening his mouth some kid kicked the ball at him as hard as he could and hit him right in the family jewels. You could hear the pop clearly across the room. Needless to say he went down with a high pitched girlish squeal. He was down for a good 10 minutes whimpering until he finally managed to crawl out again. He never did get to tell us anything. (I think he was going to tell us to stop kicking the balls but I guess I will never know)

Next time though I am bringing my camera!

The only substitute for good manners is fast reflexes.

Plugged in

This weekend was a weekend without my boys (until Sunday night that is) and I woke up and went right to work cleaning, doing laundry, picking up, etc. I usually try to do this stuff while they are at their mom’s house so when they are with me I can give them my full attention. I really didn’t have that much to do but I kept trying to find more stuff to keep me busy. I discovered that I really have no idea what to do with myself when my kids are gone. I told myself to relax and simply read a book on the couch. That worked for about 15 minutes. Then someone in the book mentioned cooking something or cleaning something and I thought “yeah! I should do that!” and up I got to go back to work. I stopped and told myself that I really owe it to myself to just relax. Take a whole day and simply take it easy. Let me tell you know that I found it impossible. I couldn’t sit still for more than 15 minutes. I felt like I was plugged into a 250 volt socket. I was spastic with energy. I really need my kids to expend that energy. When we are together it is always fun and exciting. We goof around, joke with each other, go places, eat meals together, play games together. It is so much fun! I am useless alone. I did cook up some great chili though! I called it “dad’s nuclear meltdown, back blast afterburner special”. Jimmy wouldn’t eat and Nicky braved down about two thirds of a bowl before he gave up. I ate it all. While sweating profusely! I made a huge quantity so I am set for lunch all week. Next time I will have to back off on the half cup of hot peppers, the habanera sauce, the Red Devil sauce, the jalapenos, the chili powder etc. Too bad I never use a recipe. I usually just brown the meat throw it into a pot and start adding stuff pretty much at my whim. Just open up the fridge and the spice rack and go to town. So far I have been lucky and all my meals have been edible. It is fun to me and I find recipes to restricting. Kind of like rules. Rules are like plates, they are made to be broken. Thus ends another pointless meandering by Laser T. Swift.

"Be quiet Brain. Or I'll stab you with a Q-tip."

A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.

So I touched on chess in my last post but I really think I need to delve deeper into the subject since it is a very big part of my life right now. I usually play/practice at least an hour a day and often longer. I always have at least 2 games going online and often play pick-up games on Chess.com or Instant Chess. For pick-up games Instant chess is really my favorite since you simply click on it and you are instantly in a game with a complete stranger somewhere in the world. The games are short with the clocks randomly set at between 5 minutes and 15 minutes which I really like. Longer games can bore me. I also study tactics on Chess.com and, at this time, my rating is a hovering at just over 1000 which is awesome since when I started it my rating was around 700. I really feel like I am becoming a stronger player since I have been practicing/studying tactics. Unfortunately my official USCF (United States Chess Federation) rating is still at just over 600. I felt like my game had really leveled out so I stopped playing in chess tournaments so I could study for a bit. Now I feel stronger so I am ready to play again. The first tournament is coming up in a few weeks. With luck (and hopefully skill) I will be able to raise my official rating. Wish me luck!


I also meet a group of chess players that play in Scottsdale every Saturday and went to play for the first time last Saturday. It was really fun! The first person I played was a beginner who was trying to learn the game. She knew the basics but need real work on her tactics and strategy. She was very nice and we had a great game. The next person I played said he was a novice but I could tell after a few moves that he was more than that. I asked him and he said he played a long time ago but has not played in many years. His first game I beat him fairly easily but the second he came on strong and really should have beaten me. Unfortunately he accidentally blundered his queen away and I pulled out a win. I really enjoyed playing with him and we traded numbers so we can play again soon. The only difficulty I have with this group is that they don’t use clocks. All tournaments use clocks so I need to be proficient at using them. I have heard many horror stories about players who forget to punch their clock after their move and end up losing on time because their opponent simply lets it run while pretending to think about their move. I am going to ask them next time if they would mind using a clock while we play so I can get in the habit of punching it after I make my move.

And one of the best parts is that my kids enjoy playing chess with me! GLEE! How fun is it to have a favorite hobby that also includes your children!

Following is a picture of one of my favorite travel chess sets.

Someday, we'll look back on this, laugh nervously and change the subject.

Tropical Rainforest

Its Tuesday – My mind is in a spin again – The last rain dropped a lot of water right into my living room. Into my living room. Sigh. It’s not supposed to rain INSIDE your living room. Worse was that when it came in it hit my ceiling fan and was nicely spread out in a wide area. Forget a bucket to neatly capture a single drip. No, I needed an ice chest and SEVERAL buckets to capture the water in my indoor tropical rainforest. Sheesh. Oh well. I suppose there are worse things to worry about. At least it doesn’t rain often in Arizona and it only caused a stain on my carpeting, no other property damage. (That I know of at this time)


In other news, I have made it to round three in my first online chess tournament! To be honest I never really thought I would make it past round one! I won the first round legitimately but the second round I won because my opponent dropped out halfway through our game. I thought that I would face some serious chess monster in the third round but, as it turns out, I am facing someone who is about 100 points lower than me! Glee! I can’t help but wonder if his opponents dropped out too… Is it mean to think that way? So far I am winning the game but, in chess, things can turn bad with only one blunder so I am cautious but hopeful.

While I was pondering my trials and tribulations this morning I was watching my kids play Lego wars together. They were having SO much fun! It is really hard to stay blue about a leaky roof when you have such angels smiling and laughing next to you. Their joy in so infectious.

Once I found my missing happy voice under the chaise lounge out on the porch.

Slow and meaningful

It’s Friday. FINALLY! It has been an interesting week. The kids had homework all week and I have had to get all the forms filled out that are typical of a new school year. TONS of forms. One form alone took me about a half hour to fill out. I think, without exaggerating, that I must have had to fill out about 15 – 20 forms. Sheesh! But it is done, the week is done and now it is time to play. We have a movie to watch together, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (which I have jokingly called Steven the Storm Stealer all week just to annoy the kids!) which we plan on watching tonight. Probably with junk food! In addition we will probably head to the mall for our weekend tradition of getting a cheap toy at the Lego store and then eating at the food court. This is usually followed by wandering around towards the pet store to watch the playful puppies and then ending at the bookstore which the kids usually try to rush me through. Okay, so I like to browse the bookstore! For hours! Sue me! Actually they are getting better at this since they are getting into reading more and more and they have also picked up a love for blank books and doodling from me. And Barnes and Nobles has a DELICIOUS selection of blank books. A whole WALL of them. GLEE! I have been writing in my journal a lot lately. Jotting down quotes or random thoughts I have. Doodling, pasting in photos or clippings from magazines etc. It is something I really enjoy. Keeping it short today folks.

Have a fun, film filled, fantastic, freaky weekend!

And remember - It’s not worth doing something, unless you are doing something that someone somewhere, would much rather you weren't doing.

Jack, the worlds meanest fish

I haven’t written in awhile and I think it is because my kids have been gone. They are most assuredly my muse and always fill my head with wild imaginings. This is the way it is with kids. They think so freely and without reserve. They revel and joy in life’s simple pleasures and in that wonderful sparkling mirror they bounce that blissful spirit to all of those around them. They come back today and I can’t wait.

In the meantime I think it is time to introduce jack, the world’s meanest fish. We originally got him to teach some other fish I had a lesson. You see, I had two minnows and two goldfish all in the same tank and the minnows proceeded to kill my goldfish. Okay, fine. I happened to have a Siamese fighting fish (betta) as well and promptly put it in the tank with the minnows – and watched in horror as the minnows began to pick away at my betta. I quickly got him out of there (to which he was eternally grateful though a little ashamed) and went back to the pet store. Once there I asked for a new fish that will teach my bad boy minnows a lesson. She led me back to a dark corner of the pet store where no others feared to tread. Alone, in the dark, was a small colorful fish. Maybe two and a half inches long. I laughed and she quickly ushered me away. “Don’t laugh at it” she said fearfully, “it really doesn’t like that.” I glanced back at the tank and it appeared that it was looking at me… and glaring. I really didn’t like how it was looking at me. “What am I doing” I thought “it’s a FISH, and a small one at that.” I told her I would take it. I happened to be there with my mom and my boys but they were busy looking at other fish at the time. I waved them over just as she opened the lid and tried to capture this devil fish in a net. It fought, HARD! It struggled and thrashed and bit at the net. She finally got it in a plastic bag but it fought so hard that my boys didn’t want to hold it. My mom, always the trooper, stepped up and took it since I was driving. On the way home it never stopped struggling and thrashing. It actually punctured the bag trying to get out. We were all a little rattled by the time we got it in the tank. The minnows saw it and started to approach but even they had second thoughts and hid behind a rock. At first the new fish did nothing, but eventually it took out its anger on the minnows and chewed them to little pieces and swallowed the bits. We got more fish, bigger fish and he killed them all and ate the bodies. He was quickly named “Jack” for Jack the ripper. He has now grown to almost five and a half inches long anf very thick.

As a side note I went to clean the tank today and he jumped out and landed on my carpeting. I went to grab him and found out that his fins hide nasty little spikes. He hurt my hand pretty bad when I grabbed him. I had to go get a towel to grab him and throw him back in the tank. You’d think that might shock him but nooooo, he was right there at the front of the tank looking at me like he wanted to go another round - which I wisely declined.

 

A day without kids is like a fish without a bicycle - it has no meaning.

Dancing madly backwards on a sea of air

My brain is on fire. Too much cascading through my cerebellum. First I am content and sated – peaceful in my cotton brains of infancy. Then something slams into me and I am in an insane race to solve whatever disaster looms upon me, whatever strangeness I called down. Then it’s over - I take a few deep, gulping breaths and settle back on the warm knowledge that I can once again enjoy life. Trouble is I think I am going mad ricocheting in between. But the music is on full blast and brings out the warrior in me. Strong and sure I face the tribal drums and wait. I never have a problem with decisions and I wield them like a surgeon. Think fast, think sharp. Move with the grace of a dancer and the sureness of a cat.


Tranquil fire
Burns bright and hot
Silky caresses
To a mind
Numbed by overload  

I wish I had taken this but I didn't. 

None of my pictures seem to fit my mood today.  I will have to work on that.

Have a day.

Chaos incarnate

This morning I woke up early, worked out, made my lunch for work, had breakfast and was relaxing on my couch waiting for my golden boys to show up so I could take them to school. Onyx is curled up next to me snoozing while I read my Shutterbug magazine.


Suddenly – BOOM – the door blasts open and my dual Tasmanian devils EXPLODE into my house. Backpacks go flying across the room, shoes eject from their feet to land near the tv and near the couch. I duck for cover and Onyx yelps and bolts for her crate. A lunch bag lands near the stairwell and their booming voices shout out a what I think might have been a primeval war cry (or maybe it was a weird hello – not really sure) as they head for the playroom to grab some toys and flip on video games. Then the cries of FEED ME reverberate through my previously quiet home along with cries of “HEY, THAT’S MY TOY – GIVE IT BACK!” and of course the follow up cries of “IT IS NOT, I GOT THIS FOR MY BIRTHDAY” then, of course the predictable add on of (in stereo) “DAD!!! HE’S BEING MEAN TO ME!!!”

I looked at my watch. Only 20 seconds had passed. I looked around at the destruction of my, previously, clean home. I was stunned. How is this possible? There was no WAY I was like this as a kid! (Mom, you keep out of this!) I sat for a few seconds longer in quiet awe. Then Nicky came around the corner to see why I hadn’t yet catered to his every whim. “DAD” he said, WHY HAVEN’T YOU MADE ME MY MEAL, GOT MY TOY BACK, FOUND MY SHOES, AND… (I still don’t know why kids can’t speak below a dull roar…)

Then he saw the look in my eye. That slow, smoldering feral look that speaks volumes. As they say, beware the wrath of a quiet man. He stopped in his egocentric tirade. He stepped back a few steps. “uh, Dad?” I said nothing. I just looked at him and my face slowly split into a maniacal, evil smile. A little more urgently “UH, DAD? DAD?!” Then he actually came up with a good idea. He ran. He ran screaming at Jimmy. “HIDE JIMMY! DAD’S GONE CRAZY AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHY!!! I came off the couch like a shot. They made it to the kitchen before I got my hands on a nerf gun. I came around the corner with both barrels blazing hot spongy death. They shrieked with laughter and ran for their own nerf guns. Thus started the first, post school, nerf gun war of Aug 2010. It was bloody and ran for some time. But was it worth it? Oh yes my friends, it was. It was.

Kids make life worthwhile!! And here is my golden boy Nicky trying to water ski.

Have a fast, fun and frothy day!

Magic Monday

Well, I took the kids to school today for their first day. It was like 110 degrees out but I knew it was going to be crowded at the school being the first day and all so we decided to walk. What a mistake. By the time we got there we were all dripping in sweat. But then I looked over at the parents trying to find a parking space so they could get their kids to school on time and I could almost smell their frustration. People walking at a snails pace blocking the front of their cars, no parking spots left, one bozo blocking the lanes waiting for someone to leave, five minutes before the bell, etc. They were nice and cool but I was moving unimpeded and I was going to be on time. I figured we were even and maybe I even had the edge so I just laughed and walked on. Until I realized that in all the excitement I had forgotten one thing. Nicky's lunch. Dang. I rushed back home, whipped out a quick lunch and ran back to the school. But the kids were already in class. Double dang. I went to the office and of course it was a total zoo. I had to wait. In a line. A LONG line. With all the parents I had been laughing at when they were stuck in their cars. And somehow they knew. With a quick glance back at me (accompanied by a hidden smirk I am sure) they then proceeded to ask long unimportant questions designed to delay things as long as possible. One lady was even quizzing them on the nutritional value of the school meals and then decided to make NUMEROUS suggestions on how they could serve alternate meals and even offered to coach the school lunch lady. I swear that lady could have turned Mother Teresa into an axe murderer. Finally it’s my turn. I hand the lady Nicky’s lunch bag with a simple request to have it delivered to him prior to lunch. She said sure and then let me know that I could have just handed it to the lady on the far side of the room. The lady with no one near her. With no line. No one. I could have been out of there in like two seconds. I swear I think I blacked out for a second. The lady that was helping me even took an involuntary step back at my expression. I forced a smile and carefully walked out the door. I knew it was going to be a long Monday.

But in the end I still have my golden boys so all is good with the world. He is a picture of my Jimmy Bear taken this weekend.

Swim free, little squirrel!

Somber Sunday - school starts tomorrow

So, this is it.  School starts tomorrow.  This is the end of summer my friends.  The kids are in a blue, somber mood.  I was worried.  I didn't know what to do.  We had gamed, we had eaten junk food, we had watched movies, we had wild nerf gun wars, we had stayed up till all hours.  The summer was a smashing success.  Yes there was still the looming darkness of homework hanging over their heads.  What to do, what to do.  Then it hit me.  The final solution.  The power...  I had to hit them up with one last massive sugar blast to insure their elation would ride them through the rest of the final day.  Ahhhhh Skittles, what would we do without you!

Endless Summer

Onyx - my little black rocket!

I feel remiss in my duties.  Here I have this shiny new blog and no post about the princess of the family - Onyx.  She is a bundle of raw energy which she uses to greet us each and every time we enter the house.  It does not matter if we have been gone for 5 minutes or 5 hours.  She greets us like we are the greatest thing ever to grace her life.  She frantically wags her little stub of a tail, she madly wiggles her sleek body, she licks, she paws, she smiles, she yelps and all in a frenzied way designed to garner the highest degree of attention possible.  She is our little black rocket!

Have a furry, fun and friendly day!

Last days of summer gaming!

As the last few lazy, hazy days of summer were coming to a close my golden boys were itching for some serious gaming.  So we called up our good friends, the McCarthys, and set up a game night.  Tonight we had bad jokes, good munchies and hair raising, pants wetting adventure in the caverns of ultra perilous stinky doom.  The fearless adventurers battled, fire imps, lava lizards, critical failures, bad dice rolls and, of course, the most dangerous predator of all - their fellow team members.  They rallied to cries like "I got tagged, I'm out of here" or "Wait, shouldn't you be attacking him instead?!" and of course "Where's the cleric!  I lost TWO hit points!"  Wild fun was had by all.

And now, without further ado and brough to you by Urgent Haircut Productions is a rare photo of the intrepid souls who braved that merciless night.

May all your hits be crits!

New blank books!

This week has been a flurry of back to school activites which can be fun but draining.  We got paper, pens, highlighters, yarn (no idea but it was on the list) post it notes, protractors, rulers, etc.  Pretty basic.  But the highlights are that there are always great sales on stuff.  Target had composition books on sale, in assorted colors, for 25 cents each.  For a writer like me that was awesome!  I only got 4 but it only cost me a dollar!  Glee!  I also found some new blank books with cool designs.  Each had my favorite elastic closure device and all but the Micky Mouse one had a pocket in the back for misc stuff.  And I got all 3 for under 15 dollars.  The one with the Apple sticker on it is my current beloved Moleskine.  I just added it to the photograph because I really like it.  It goes everywhere with me.

I hope everyone is having a safe and sane back to school season!

Creative chaos

As many of you know I am really into creativity.  I love to doodle, draw, cartoon, create, photograph, write, dream, meander cerebrally, uh...  Okay, you get the picture.  So last night, when the boys and I were getting ready for bed, I pull out one of my old sketch books while waiting for the kids to finish getting ready and Nicky sees it.  His remark?  "Wow Dad, you used to be a good artist!"  I looked at him for a long moment with one eyebrow raised.  Smart kid that he is he immediately backpedaled and added that I am still really good but must have practiced more back then.  LOL  I chuckled and and told him he was right.  (I always tell them that if they want to be good at something they need to practice, he promptly threw that right back at me - like I said, smart kid.)  Then Jimmy came in and saw it and really liked it too.  Needless to say we abandoned reading last night for drawing.  We all gathered in my bed with a simple blue pen and a large biggie sketch pad and all happily drew until it was time for bed.  Glee!

The following picture is of my creative spot in my loft.

Have a great and creative day everyone!

Kids back to school

My kids start school next week so this week we had orientation.  WOW.  They actually gave me HOMEWORK!  What is up with that!  I thought the homework is all for the kids.  Yeesh!  I have to write a paper and hand it in to Nicky's language arts teacher.  The sins of the father?  Is she going to judge Nicky based on what I write...?  Or could it be something more sinister...!  Clearly the illuminati is involved!!!  I must be cautious!

And here are my golden boys!

My first follower!!!!

Thanks Ted!!  You are AWESOME!

Here is an old photo of some of my gaming buddies.  We used to game together all the time but now, since we are so far from each other we either just talk or we play World or Warcraft.  But I tell you this, those were some seriously fun times!!!

See you all later!

Welcome to Rusted Pipes

Hi all!

Since I know someone will ask...  the title, Rusted Pipes, comes from my cartoon strip which never really took off.  I wrote several strips but they sit in my journals gathering dust.  LOL  I have always been good a creating but horrible at publishing/executing.  Oh well.  I have always believed creating is the fun part anyway!

Here is a pic of the author-

Have a good one everyone!