Christmas Returns

What better way to kick off the new year than to stand up for your rights and be a man? As part of my retail duty to spur the economy, I did some last minute Christmas shopping, and as everyone knows, when you don’t plan properly, you suffer accordingly. Since I didn’t have time to ponder different gift ideas and shop wisely, I opted for the “buy now, return later” approach. This works up to a point, but it entails returning to retail hell to get your money back, which isn’t always a smooth transition.

When you’re pinched for time, however, you do what you gotta do. In this instance, I had several things to return, and some instances, the salespeople were not warm and fuzzy. This makes me uneasy and want to just leave well enough alone, but first off, they should treat the customers properly, and secondly, as a customer, I need to be aware of my rights.

I had several returns to go to Walmart, and I knew they would be easy because they are good about returns, it’s just that they are crowded, and deep in the heart of retail hell. Sure enough, when I got there, the line was huge, but it moved pretty smoothly, and the staff was very friendly. Welcome to Walmart!

I somehow ended up with four Lava Lamps (one back to Walmart), don’t ask me how, and had to return one to Newbury Comics. The receipt even said no cash returns, only credit, so I was resigned to this even though I never go there, I’m way too old and square. I was pleasantly surprised, however, when the manager said she could give me a refund. This is a good example, and one which I try to teach our kids, that things are not always as they seem. You really have to go out and find out for yourself, because a lot of information is not accurate. I think it’s designed to scare and discourage you from standing up for your rights. It also teaches you that it doesn’t hurt to try, because the worst that can happen is they say no.

Anyway, I ran into a bit of a hitch with my photo collages. I get our digital pics printed at Walgreens, and they do a great job and have great deals. The kids and I make collages of the big events in our lives, often involving travel, and it’s a lot of fun. It’s also a gift that mom really loves, because she’s a photographer, but also because it’s all about us as a family. This time around the pics came out really dark, to the point where you couldn’t see our faces, at all. I took them back to get them redone and the woman behind the counter was in “bad attitude” mode. She said it wasn’t their fault (implying it was my fault),and that if the lightness was adjusted, it was wash out the pics. In other words, just shut up and deal with it. I could tell she hated her job and was having a bad day, but I wasn’t about to give up, even though this was exactly the kind of situation where I feel like I’m being a pain.

Now bad attitude girl said the machine was down but she’d give me a call and tell me if my pics were still in the system. If they weren’t I’d have to resubmit them online. Fair enough, but she never called. I went back (Walgreens is at the gates of retail hell) and basically said I want these redone. This time around the woman was very friendly, and said no problem, but I’d have to do it online. They would simply exchange them at the time of pickup.

This story is a lot longer than it needed to be, but suffice it to say it worked out beautifully. The pics came out great, I had to deal with some bad attitude but acted like a real man, and even though it required a little leg work and courage on my part, there were important lessons to be learned.

I love when that happens.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Edward Virtually for the pic.

A Year of Goodbyes

The end of the year can be a time of mixed emotion, but with the weather and the new year, it can sometimes be a bit melancholy. Factor in a bunch of farewells, and it can get downright depressing.

I just got word that one of our favorite restaurants is closing. Stella’s is moving on to bigger and better things, what a bummer, we love that place. They are an institution, and now they’ve sold the place and are relocating. I’m not sure what they’ll call themselves, but what a bummer.

Our library director left, and various hockey board people have indicated that they’ll be gone by the end of this season. Not only board people, but certain coaches will probably be gone, not to mention assorted players. It’s definitely going to be a time of change in the next year.

Oh well, life goes on, right? I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t bummed, but like many things in life, you have to just keep plugging on. Change is what makes life move forward, even if it’s uncomfortable and scary. That’s how we grow as individuals, and it definitely makes for a good story.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to ruminatrix for the pic.

Maintaining Contact

If you can believe this, I’ve been in fairly regular contact with my mom, and it’s all pretty much been initiated by me. I’ve even contacted my brother, which is even more amazing, but more on that later. A couple of months back I called my mom, after I’d heard there were big fires in an area where she lived. She gave her usual sarcastic response upon hearing my voice, but all in all, it was fairly civil. Then, when I called her back a couple of weeks later, the sarcasm started to wane, which I for one appreciated.

There are moments when she turns the screw a little and is almost begging for a fight, but part of the responsibility for keepings things convivial is on my end, and I didn’t bite. By the new year, we’d spoken half a dozen times, and by the end it was downright pleasant. She even sent us a Christmas card with a Macy’s card attached. How can you beat that?

I have to confess, I’d like to be on better terms with my mom, and I’d like for her to get to know her grandkids better. I am extremely wary because things are never that simple with her, but sometimes you just have to take what you can get and make the most of it. I think things in her life are going fine, she is alone, but she has a large circle of friends and is pretty active.

She said she wants us to come out there to visit, and at the very least, she wants me to come out alone and take care of my stuff that is still in her house. That includes two surfboards. I know that if we all go out there, things will get dramatic and probably a bit ugly, but maybe as an adult you just have to face the music. I’d like to think that her attacks don’t bother me, but they do. She also wants the kids to meet their cousin, and uncle (i.e., my brother).

Now my brother is a whole other story. I won’t get too into it, but let’s just say that beneath the smooth and charming exterior is a scheming individual with pathological tendencies. Trust me when I tell you that things are not as they seem.

Oh well, maybe it’s time to face the music. Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to MatthewBogart for the pic.

Happy New Year, Part 2

I’m not much of a fan of celebrating the new year, but I will say this, it’s much nicer with snow on the ground, and we’ve got lots of it. Also, as I’ve mentioned, I’m not going to be as cynical about new year’s resolutions, and I’ve got a few that I won’t bother you with. I’ll just keep them to myself for now.

In the meantime, we had a nice new year’s day, and sort of did the things we wanted to do the night before. We woke up and I made farmer’s breakfast, which is a nice break from our usual celebratory breakfast of pancakes. Don’t get me wrong, we love pancakes, but have them a lot on weekends, especially before hockey games. We hung out by the fire and even did necessary chores. SH even showed up to work on the barn, but more on that later. I went to the store, which was thankfully open, to get some stuff for supper, and noticed that Stella’s was open, so we decided to go there for lunch. We strapped on our XC skis and headed on over. It was a beautiful, albeit chilly day, and skiing over is a great way to have a meal in town because you get to work off all those calories, especially after the chocolate cream pie, which is a must. We also saw friends over in town, including HH.

The ski back was fun, it felt good to be outside, and then we were scheduled to have a hockey practice, but we opted out. It was too early, and we were still tired from a late night. We chilled out, the kids went outside and worked on their snow tunnels, and by the afternoon I got working on supper. Now normally on a special occasion like this, we would have roast beef or turkey, or maybe salmon. All good things.

After taking a house poll, however, the general consensus was that everyone wanted tacos. Sounds good to me. In the past, we used to make ground beef tacos, and let me tell you, they are a family favorite. In our quest to lead healthier lives, we are cutting back on red meat, so we’ve been eating more fish/tofu tacos, which are amazing, as well. For the record, we also do chicken tacos. Either way, the request was made that we make an exception for new year’s day, so we made beef and fish tacos. The beauty of tacos is that it’s a lot of fun to assemble them.

We had a glorious new year’s feast, followed by chocolate mousse and fudge cake from Lou’s, then settled down to watch a movie. My kind of evening.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to 2012bea for the pic.

Happy New Year, Part 1

Happy new year to everyone, hope all is well in your neck of the woods. We had a nice and somewhat spontaneous new year’s eve, and as we all know, spontaneity always throws us for a loop. Usually we have social options which we generally opt out of in favor of spending a quiet new year’s eve at home, eating junk food and watching a movie, or playing a game. I enjoy it that way but realize it’s not a fun and glamorous option. Then again, who needs fun and glamor when you live in a small town.

For the past five years we’ve been invited to MK’s new year’s bash, and have politely declined because let’s face it, we’re just not party people. I feel bad, it’s so nice of her to think of us, and she’s a super nice person not to mention a pillar of the community, but I’ve gotten too old and boring for parties, and the kids are too young to stay out so late. Sure, we could leave early, but when does that ever happen?

That day N and I were returning home from skiing and saw our good friend HH who mentioned that not only were she and her mate going to the party, but that it was her daughter A’s birthday, and that she’d love to see A. Now if A had been in the car, she would have lobbied hard to attend, but she was chilling out at home after a brutal hockey weekend, so it was just N and I. N, like myself, was not as thrilled at the prospect, and even said not to tell A.

Well, it turns out that that was not even necessary, because at some point in the day, the phone rang and it was our good friends the S’s who wanted to invite us to another new year’s bash, though this was more of a day gig. Now this got to be a little awkward because now we were being invited to a party by someone other than the host, whom we were friends with, but had not been invited by. It was also one of those situations where they initially invited the kids (their daughter is buddies with A) but then said, “Of course, you’re invited, too.”

Hmm, what to do.

As I mentioned, we are friends with the host, so I don’t doubt that we could have gone, but it was still a little weird. Plus, they have a pretty strong social network, so we were “sort of” outsiders. Either way, R and I were a little pensive, but the kids were all for it. So this is what we did. I took the kids over there and hung out for a few minutes exchanging pleasantries, then headed out. The plan was for the kids to play all day, then have some supper and probably play Wii. Standard M.O. for the modern child.

R had to attend to some work/personal stuff, and I went on a mission to return all my Christmas stuff that didn’t work out. That’s a story in itself, but suffice it to say that I succeeded in about 90% of it. After my errands, R and I had a bite to eat, then I went over to get A&N, which is never a simple thing because you have to stay and chat with friends. I felt like we were intruding a little, but there were ulterior motives. Their daughter was the oldest one there, so inviting A helped in that area, and it made life easier for the adults because they could get some babysitting from A and E while they sat around and ate and had cocktails. So I guess I shouldn’t feel that guilty.

Now the kids didn’t want to leave, but were very good about getting ready when I asked. I love when that happens, it makes me proud of them. The reality is, they just wanted to stay so they could all play Wii, which I think is a complete joke, but that’s why I’m a big boring dad. Plus, it was clear that the group was mainly young kids whom neither N nor A can really relate to. It’s the video games that they wanted to play.

I sat and talked with the adults for a bit, but again, it was a little awkward, then finally dragged the kids back home around 7:30. That gave us time to hang out and have some snacks. We were originally going to make supper, eat junk food, and watch a movie, but as you can imagine, that plan fell through. Instead we had a snack and listened to the Dartmouth hockey game streaming live on the Web. That’s what everyone wanted to do.

The kids were a little stressed out, maybe over-stimulated, something I naturally attribute to video games. It was a bit of a battle getting them in bed, but they finally went to sleep, and R and I could ring in the new year like we usually do, asleep in bed.

Thus ends 2012, and we have 2013 to look forward to. I’ve decided to be less cynical about the whole resolution thing. In the past, I always thought it was misguided to look at the New Year’s Day to start something new because it’s just another day, right? Well, it’s just as good as any day to start something new, isn’t it?

Either way, happy new year to all, and thanks for reading, and thanks to joli sourire. (OFF) for the pic.

Team Fun and Crazy Weekend

One of the reasons I thought hockey would be nice for the kids is that, besides a love for the game, it would be a good chance to connect with other kids, especially in an environment where they share a common interest. That seems to be happening, as both A and N are connecting with assorted kids. It’s a little slower for N because he’s the youngest on the team, and boys seem to be more distracted and on the go, especially at that age.

For A, it’s a little different because not only are girls more social, but they’re also older and more mature and grounded. What’s nice about it is that a lot of the girls, and for whatever reason it’s the girls, live in the neighboring town and play for the same team. There is a huge contingent of them, and they are a really nice . Best of all, they’re close by, and we like the parents. Childhood is so complicated.

Since we have so many things going on, I was hoping to turn to these guys if we ever needed transportation assistance. I broached this a few times and got several thumbs up, but never really actually went for it, at least until this weekend. A had two travel games, both pretty far away, and N had a game at the same time. This meant that we were going to be pulled in different directions. Throw in a massive snow storm, and the fact that R had things to do with work and home, and we were in a bind. I asked DB if he could give A a lift, and he was happy to. His daughter, who is a really sweet kid, asked if A could sleep over, and A was thrilled.

So we had another one of “those” crazy weekends. On Saturday R took A to her game and hour and a half up north while I took N to his practice, for which nobody showed up. After practice we were going to go skiing, but it was snowing hard, and we were only going to get about 45 minutes of ski time, so I changed the plan we just went for pizza, which was N’s request.

Now A was up north with the team, and DB said he’d give her a ride home, so R drove home alone with A’s gear. DB and the girls stopped in the capital to get some food. After that, she was going to sleep over at KB’s (DB’s daughter), so the plan was to meet up with them and hand off her hockey gear and toothbrush. Then on Sunday, they would go up to her game way up north together, and then come back that afternoon. After that, we were planning on going to the Dartmouth hockey game. How’s that for insanity?

And let us not forget that N had a game on Sunday, as well, and we wanted to go skiing. This is where it gets amazing. N’s game was in the morning, so we headed over with all of our ski stuff, and he played his game. Then we quickly headed out and went skiing for a few hours, then went back home and awaited A’s arrival. R had to stop by work and the gym, so she headed out separately while I went to get A over at KB’s. From there, we drove out to the Dartmouth game, met with mom, watched the game, and then came home.

Wow, even I think that’s crazy. The kids were gassed, and then there was New Year’s Eve to deal with. That’s a whole other story.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to hzreking and fimonfabre for the pics.

Taking a Chance and Scoring

I’m always telling the kids not to be afraid of taking chances, not just in hockey, but in life, and in a way we walked the walk with getting their ice skates. I know, I know, big deal, right? Well it is when you're a parent.

First, some background. The kids had an early morning practice last week, and everyone was dreading it. N’s practice got rescheduled, and though he was relieved, I think life would have been easier if we’d just bitten the bullet and gone, but such is life. Some things are beyond our control.

Either way, N got to sleep in and A and I headed over. There was a pretty good turnout, and since it was right after Christmas, you could see a lot of the kids had new hockey equipment, A included. She got new skates, and was in the process of breaking them in. Fortunately, she was able to try them out at open stick and now practice before an actual game. It’s good to know if your skates feel okay before a game situation.

When I first used my skates, I wore them to practice and they hurt my feet. I was bummed, but then I wore them the next day at a game and not only did my feet ache, but they chafed my legs to the point that they were bleeding. I know, probably too much info, but man did it hurt.

Anyway, at open stick, A mentioned the balls of her feet hurt a bit, which is what happened to me, as well, but I told her that her feet were adjusting. All in all, she did well, and wore her skates the entire practice. A few of the other kids did not fare as well, and at some point during the drills, they skated off the ice and changed back into their old skates. I completely understand, but from a parent’s POV, it’s a complete bummer when you take a leap of faith on a present and it doesn’t work out. That’s what happens when you try to surprise your kids with ice skates, something they should really be fitted for, and they will outgrow in a year or two. Trying to save a little money complicates it even further, because skates are probably the single biggest expense for a player. You can usually get better deals online, but you can’t try them on... sort of.

When I got A&N’s skates, I did exhaustive research and in the end, I think I got lucky because so far, so good. I was able to get them at clearance prices, as well, which speaks volumes to my frugal nature. I’m just glad they like them, because when you’re young, there is the “coolness” factor to consider. I know most people don’t even notice, but that never stopped me from being neurotic about it.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to cakebuds for the pic.