Splurging For Quality

My Mentor and the Amazing PR Man would be proud of me because I went out and splurged for quality rather than employing my standard MO of going cheap. Granted, it was only for windshield wipers that cost about $18, but it was a still a bit of a leap for yours truly. Normally I buy cheap wipers for the car, and they work fine, but they do tend to fall apart within a year. I think the experts recommend changing wipers every year, so it's not such a big deal, is it?

The biggest issue I run into is when the wipers stop doing their job, which is a regular occurrence with cheap wipers. When the smudge and smear the window, it drives me crazy. Now I don't know if this is more common with cheap wipers, but I've decided to go with higher quality to see if it tempers this situation. If not, then I'll go back to cheap wipers. How's that for good logic?

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

Halloween Fun

Okay, trying to get back in the swing of things with the writing and if I get this entry it will be two days in a row. Talk about a sizzling hot streak. Last weekend was Halloween and the timing was, like everything in our lives, a bit chaotic. The kids had just returned from being away, I was working crazy hours, and we entered into the evening without much of a plan. We had to scramble a little to first decide what the kids wanted to do, then coordinate with friends on the logistics of the evening. To complicate the matters further, I had to work that evening, which was really lame because I told them I couldn't come in until later in the evening. I'm beginning to get a better idea on how the system works over there and will have to act accordingly, but that's a topic for another time.

There was a bit of conflict in the early goings because A was a little torn between doing the usual or hanging with her new HS friends in the big city. As you can guess, this would greatly impact N's plans for the evening, not to mention dad's. We talked it over and decided she should stick with the old and traditional plan, mainly because it was more doable for us, but also because it would be more fun for her brother, though the days of hanging with big sis are coming to a close, no doubt. Plus, it worked out beautifully because their friends were planning on doing the same thing and HH said she could fit A&N in her caravan both to and from the festivities, which included a scary dance over at the school. For the record, even though A wanted to hang in the big city, she saw a bunch of her HS buddies at the dance so she had a good time.

I, on the other hand, had to work. As I mentioned I told them I wanted to come in later since it was Halloween but there was a lot of work to be done because it was a big party night and they were actually hosting a wedding. I was bummed and bit disgruntled, but again, I'm learning. I went in and worked my shift and at some point late in the evening I told them I had to go. I wanted to get home to see how the kid's evening went, and I had to be back at work at 7:00AM, so they understood. They are pretty understanding about flexibility and this one situation was not necessarily the norm, thankfully.

All in all it was a fun evening for the kids. They met up with friends, went trick-or-treating, and hit the dance floor. What more could you want? Actually, A said her friends were going to the midnight show of Rocky Horror, but I don't think that was going to fly with mom. Maybe next year?

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Kevin Dooley for the pic.

Cinematic Happenings

As if we needed more things on our plate, a few weeks back mom and the kids entered into the annual Halloween movie competition, or Halloweenathon, over at CATV. Mom was very enthused about the idea and the kids were more than happy to help out with their expertise. I didn't have much to offer (what else is new?) other than craft service, but at least that's something, right?

Anyway, it took some logistical hoop-jumping to pull it off, including "borrowing" a friends dog as well as another neighbor's truck, but the film slowly came together. It really was a culmination of mom's vision. Since the kids have a lot of knowledge regarding filming and editing, they were of course conscripted into service, and over the course of a couple of weeks the film was made. A&N helped out with the editing and music, and all that hard work paid off at the actual event, which was last night, where they took second place in the adult division. They even made some money off of it, but that's secondary to the experience, which mom really enjoyed and the kids probably "sort of" enjoyed. I had a good time though I didn't have to do as much as the rest of the crew.

Congrats to all involved, they did a great job, the movie was really well done and in my personal and completely unbiased opinion, I thought it was best. In fact, I didn't agree with a lot of the awards and happen to personally know one or two of the judges, which might go a long way to explaining things. Then again, nobody cares what I think, right?

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

Market Done

Time to relax.

The market is finally over and I (we?) was counting the days until it ended. That is somehow relevant to my peace of mind and should be factored into what we do next year. As of now, I feel like I am done with it all. I have zero interest in doing it again, though admittedly I feel like this every year. This year seemed particularly challenging, for a number of reasons. First off, we are busy as heck, especially with A in school and N embracing more challenging academics. Secondly, both mom and dad are exceptionally busy with our respective jobs. And lastly but not "leastly," the market has been somewhat disappointing, and believe me when I tell you that just a tiny bit of disappointment with something you don't necessarily enjoy doing can be the kiss of death to any endeavor.

I'm not sure why, but this year the market was exceedingly slow. Maybe it's the economy, but people just aren't coming out. I've spoken with several other vendors and they all have said the same thing, so it's not just me. It seems like an ideal location with all the college folks milling about, but that has not translated into mega-sales. I think every year our take has increased until this year, where it definitely dropped. On our last two days, which previously had been very profitable, it was amazingly slow. Part of the problem is selling prepared foods to a student body that is forced to buy a meal plan at the school. Why eat anywhere else? Then again, these are kids with money, so it might not be an issue.

The other problem is the weather. On more than a few occasions we got socked with bad weather. We skipped the entire month of June and I was told it was slow and rainy. We skipped August, as well, which was slow and miserably hot. You just can't win. At some point you have to question whether this is worth it, and as of now, the answer is a resounding "no." I think the kids would agree. It's nice doing something with the whole family, and I think we really got a lot out of the experience, but they are getting older and I think there are better uses for our time. Then again, we'll see how we feel next year when the registration materials come in the mail.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Giulia Geraci for the pic.

Fun at Ultimate

I think UF is finally done, but we've had a good year with it. A large faction has dropped off the face of the earth, which is a bummer but in the end, it's their loss. It is a bit unfortunate because we had a hardcore group of players who went until the snow fell, and most of them have stopped playing, obviously for various reasons, all of them legit. The way I see it, however, is that they had a chance to not only have fun, but to get some fresh air and exercise and do something that's good for their health. That's physical and mental health, because pushing yourself not only helps your metabolism, but it has profound psychological benefits, as well. More on this at a later date.

For now, our group has shrunk but we've managed to have some fun games, nonetheless. N is dedicated as always, and he's the primary motivating factor for myself. Without his interest I would probably skip out, as well. With the weather getting colder we've stopped playing with bare feet, and it's just a matter of time before even the hardcore stop coming, which is fine. It's winter, after all, and other things are coming up to take our time, like hockey and work. I'm guessing a fair number of people want to stay at home to watch the big football game, but I won't hold that against them. Don't get me wrong, there are a ton of things I could be doing instead of running like a madman on the field, including firewood and the barn, but I have found it rewarding to get out there and challenge myself, especially against people who are superior to me in size, speed, and ability. How often do we ever put ourselves into this sort of position?

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

Back on the Ice

Hockey season is back, and it's been a bit sporadic and inconsistent because life is busier than usual. The season actually started two weeks ago, but mom and I have been working so much that we didn't have time to get him over to the rink. For all it's worth, many of the kids were still playing soccer so they weren't there anyway, so it wasn't all bad. In fact, we made it to one of the practices and I think 5 kids showed up. Last week thing began in earnest and once again we missed out on the entire week with N at camp and me working in the salt mines.

The kids had their first game this weekend and even that was a bit of a challenge in terms of time, mostly because it was Halloween and we had things to do in the morning. I had to go off and do poster boy work and then met up with mom and the kids to get our flu vaccines. We had lunch in the cafeteria and then it was to home to get ready for his game, which was a good one. N had a great game, they won the game pretty handily, and it felt good to be back. I don't think there was too much of an adjustment getting back on the ice.

After the game, we came home, the kids had some supper and I headed into work at the Inn. I have to say, work is becoming a tad bit overwhelming, and I'm not sure what to make of it, but more on that late. It worked out because the kids hooked up with their friends and had a blast (more on this later, as well), and our good friend HH volunteered to do all transporting, which was a huge help for all of us.

It really does take a village, doesn't it? Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Ken Tsoi for the pic.

Lost My Mojo

As many of you may know by now, I've been busy as heck the past few weeks and though it's been nice making some dough, I not only have time for little else, but I'm exhausted. Being the excuse-making whiner that I am, I of course use this as an excuse to explain why I haven't been writing this blog. Then again, this is not without merit. Last week when the kids were away I was literally doing 12-13 hour shifts, working until 1:00AM, waking up, and going in at 7:30AM. Talk about crazy. I figured since the kids were away my domestic duties would be light, but working that long sure takes a toll.

So much so that I've lost steam and just getting a little writing done in the AM is a challenge. It's not just about fatigue, I've somehow lost my mojo and need to find my footing once again. I'm not too worried about it, mainly because things will slow down work-wise and I can feel the need to write tugging at me. The question is when exactly that will be, but I'm sure eventually it will be.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Fabio Polimanti for the pic.