Summer 2005 is Circling the Drain...

8/25/2005

Tim-bo,

It looks like another summer done gone and went. Gone and went without you and me hanging out. This week I've been working on my classroom as well as trying to finish the DVD of my cousin's wedding in late July. Oh, and sort of getting used to the idea of being a two career family after two years of having a stay at home wife/mother. That last part blows, btw.

Wendi started her job last Monday. Everything about it is perfect except it's in South Tacoma so her commute is a bitch. She has a bit of latitude in terms of her schedule so she misses most of the bridge traffic but it still kinda sucks. I think Xander misses his mornings with mommy-what with watching Sesame Street and all. He's been going to Ms. Jana's daycare part-time since last April so this shouldn't be too much with the mind­ bending. Lil' X-man's been quite the little choad in the mornings though. Next week, when I'm officially back to work, Wendi will be worrying about taking him to day care.

In theory, we're going to start trying for the "spare heir" any day now but Wendi's kinda  like to drop a little weight before that. I'd like her too also but not just because of the dangers of pre-eclampsia. So we're at least trying to eat better: no caffeine or artificial sweeteners. Pretty soon, we're have to say good-bye to the hot baths. Damn.....

What else? My Dad and I are building a HUGE deck out back. We've worked two long weekends on it so far. It was my first experience with Trex. Though expensive AND heavy as hell, it's a dream to work with. We've got one more weekend to put the railings on. Eventually, we'd like to add a gazebo on one side, lights and lattice work for shade. But these things won't be this summer.

Dad's gotten his ego involved so this is gonna be the most economical yet beautiful

deck ev-uh! Sometimes, I think Dad doesn't know how my wife's mind works....

Las Vegas was fun though D (of D and V Fame) always seemed in a hurry  to get somewhere and do something. We felt the need to stick together which was probably a mistake. They've put in a monorail since our last trip so that made getting around a lot easier and cheaper. (That is, the City of Las Vegas; not D and V.) And, of course, meeting a Klingon at Quark's Restaurant Rocked!

The trip was in theory a bit of a let down since our expectations were so frickin' high; it being our first in about 3 years and the last in who knows how long?

This summer was also all about Podcasts. Holy Smoke, I listened to a lot of them on my iPod. It's an addiction. You joined the PodCult? You don't need an iPod to do so though how anyone could live without one is a mystery to me.

I had also hoped to finally, finally, after a few starts/stops, play System Shock2 all the way though. I picked it up from a bargain bin a few years ago and have been meaning to play it ever since. In July, I got off to a good start but then dropped it for a few weeks and when I returned to it last week, my laptop's all %$#! up. Won't boot up. What a pisser. Well, no time right now, anyway. It'll be tough when Civ4 comes out later this year, though.

Of course, with Wendi now working again, maybe I can get my monthly allowance  back. Then I can start saving up for something cool (in 2007).

Grandma Hardy finally died in late July. I say finally, 'cause she's been living dead for several years now. It was costing G'Pa $4K a month to keep her in an Alzheimer's home  and she didn't even recognize him. It was my first honest to goodness funeral though. (Mom just had a wake at the Winthrop Barn.) Those darn caskets are heavy!

Green Day's American Idiot rocks!! Listen and get pissed! (In a good way.)

I only got to see one movie this summer and that one wasn't that good: Dark Waters. I'd planned to see everything I'd missed over the past 2 or 3 months. Looks like I'll need to wait till DVD.

Teaching summer school wasn't all that fun. These special ed. kids were the biting,  screaming kind. I may just take a pass next year.

I'm still waiting to hear the reviews of my wedding DVD. It went into the mail so they (my cousins J and K and my Aunt B) should get them today or tomorrow. There were a few glitches that I just didn't have the time or energy to fix (a few credit font sizes being too small being the worst offenders), some video that could've been edited a bit more and a toast that I didn't tape. C'est la vie. If nothing else, the fact that this was going out to who knows whom meant I actually tried to polish it a bit more than my usual "45 minutes of Xander walking around" type effort. I certainly learned a lot about what not to do for the next DVD.

Ah, Xander got his first real haircut. You can see how bravely he took it.

Well, that's all for now. I gotta go fold laundry or something. Tell me about your exciting summer and plan a trip to lovely Silverdale. Maybe we could meet in Winthrop. You ever go over there anymore?

Chow.

B