Summer has really really arrived! Random Tuesday Thoughts

Man has it been freakin' hot here in the Sacramento Valley.  I have to laugh at the Nation's Weather Map as so often it doesn't give a clear picture as to how hot it really is for the majority of our state.  Sure it's in the 70's along the coast (San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco), but move inland a few miles and we're approaching or are experiencing triple digits.   I suppose no one cares too much, however,  as our neck of the woods might as well be considered the final descent after leaving the fly-over states.

This past weekend Mom MD and I drove about 90 miles north to our college alma mater in Chico, CA for a "Late 80's/Early 90's" reunion (& of course our wedding anniversary).   Catching up with friends and acquaintances was totally awesome.  80's night at LaSalles was especially fun even though I didn't partake in any adult beverages as a result of hopping back on the wagon from a tough morning that followed an even rougher night.

One benefit of not drinking in a college town was how inexpensive if not free sodas (pops for you in the Midwest) were.  Designated drivers must be difficult to recruit and retain, so they're showered with freebies, and treated like royalty in the college town.  In all seriousness, returning to my old haunts was quite surreal.    At least one memory or story for almost every place we went, but as time keeps slipping into the future, it seems like the events that unfolded some twenty years ago are less significant and pale in importance to what my life is right now.

As some of you saw, I posted a few wedding pics from 17 years ago this month.  What's interesting to note about me then was that I was the heaviest that I had ever been or have been since.   Knowing that I was so fat on my wedding day has always been difficult for me.  Just one of those times in my life that IF I could go back and make a change, I  most certainly would.   To think that I was both unemployed and fat....what was future Mom MD thinking?

I swear I'm working on some new stuff...I just can't finish.  Sister of Mom MD is here this week with her kidlets, so it's quite the zoo.  I can't wait for the 4th of July.  I enjoy everything that it represents and all the events that will take place on Saturday within the boundaries of this glorious country.

Happy (17th) Anniversary Mom MD!

You know I had to start with your favorite picture from our wedding album.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with the story.  We had a buffet at our reception.  Notice how much I pilled onto my plate?  Was I nervous or just worried that I wouldn't get enough to eat?

Wow, has it really been seventeen years?

All my love, R.E. Dad

Twitter is lame

I'll admit that I've been away for awhile. I mean mentally, not physically. In fact, I haven't ventured more than 10 miles from home in a few weeks. I have that bizarre feeling like I often experience in heart-pounding nightmares where I'm in college, I stop going to class, and then have to play catch-up the last week of the semester, write term papers and cram big-time for finals.   Ultimately, I fail.

In other words, when I drift away from the blogosphere after a period of just a few days, the effort to return to "form" would be a swimmer's equivalent of swimming from Fisherman's Wharf to Alcatraz and back while doing the butterfly with one arm in 20 degree choppy water (You get the idea).  Of course when I don't post, then I don't feel worthy to visit fellow bloggers' sites.  Yadda yadda yadda, you get the gist. 

So in the past few days while avoiding the blogosphere, I did venture over to Twitter.

You've heard of it, correct? - the latest and not-so-greatest social networking site.  If you had been watching CNN the past several days (prior to yesterday), ALL that you would see were the "tweets" reportedly coming out of Iran.

Anyway, so my daughter asked me to join up.  I refused for a couple weeks as I truly wasn't interested.  Seemed like Twitter had taken over for what cell phones had become in recent years...the "Hey, yep, now I'm driving through Mickey D's and ordering a freakin' Happy Meal...and I was just blowing my nose"  - like I really care.

So I caved and joined and jumped through this hoop and that hoop.  Finally came time to add people and guess what?  I found two people that I know.  I didn't look too hard, but geese!  Now after a few days, I have something like eight people "Following" me who I do not know...so I'm wondering why?  Guess why? Wonder why?  Here's why....they decide to follow you, and when you go back to see who the heck they are, they share a website to market some product.  

What is the Twitter name for "spam?"  Twam?  Interestingly enough if you check out one of your followers, you'll notice that they have NO one following them and they are following 900 people......I think it's beyond creepy.  

Even beyond creepy, and a bit frightening, I wonder if people are actually "Tweeting while driving?" OK, perhaps I'm being a bit harsh.  Maybe, not.  For now, until I can find a use for Twitter, I'm just going to call it "lame."

Mom MD's quote...was she talking 'bout ME?

Mom MD made the Sac Bee again......here is the link..."Birthing centers make room for Daddy"

I played around with the Share This button for a good hour and couldn't figure it out.  Pretty lame, I know.

Dear So and So.....Numero Uno

Good morning to all creatures in the Blogosphere - I'm going to grab an idea from Kat and try out the "Dear So and So" on this beautiful Friday.

--------------------

Dear JuJu,

Oh why do you get up so early? Daddy, Mommy, your siblings and the preschool try so hard to wear you out the previous day with the hopes that you'll sleep in past 5:30AM. Even so somehow and someway you are so determined to crawl out of bed, tap the rooster on the shoulder and hand me the remote to turn on the Disney Channel.

Hugs and Kisses (and perhaps a big present if you sleep in tomorrow)

R.E. Dad and Mom MD
--------------------

Dear (Former) life insurance company,

Thank you so much for advising us in such a kind and pleasant tone that you were denying our request to reinstate our term life insurance policy that was cancelled in error by our financial adviser's office. Honestly, it made me feel so much better that your representative over the phone explained that we could have just allowed our premium payments to lapse for six months and our policy would still have been in place. That's a great lesson for the kids. It's OK to be irresponsible towards your obligations, but when an error or mistake is made by someone else....consequences are nonnegotiable and severe.

Thanks for nothing, Jackass Respectfully,

R.E. Dad and Mom MD
--------------------

Dear Hermie the Crab,

I love taking you out of your cage and letting you crawl around on the kitchen table. I've noticed that when I'm holding you in my hand that sometimes you like to "pinch me." Is it because I'm stressing you out and you would prefer to just hang out on your plastic plants instead. Please let me know. Maybe you just don't like me. Either way, please let me know because it might not be too late to beg Mommy and Daddy to get me a better pet.

Your Pal,

Alec
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Dear "Golden" State in which I reside,

Thank you so much for reducing the allowable exemption for dependents by $210 per child. Honestly, I was beginning to feel a tad guilty about the piles of money that I was receiving in tax refunds each year. So, with the higher taxes that we'll be paying, am I to assume that our schools will improve and perhaps that you'll hold the line on state college tuition increases?

Signed,

Big Daddy with Big Family in Big State.
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Done for now.

The story BEHIND this dress.

If articles of clothing had the ability to communicate, this dress could tell one helluva a doozy tale. Since this is quite impossible, R.E. Dad has volunteered to do the honors.

This morning 5-year old Vivi and I were rummaging through the girls' closet in hopes of coming to a mutual agreement on today's wardrobe. R.E. Dad, knowing that the Vivster epitomizes the "girly girl" when it comes to fashion suggested a dress...

R.E. Dad - "How 'bout this one Viv? Looks like a winner" (I didn't recognize the dress - remember I wash the clothes - I don't buy 'em)

Vivikins - "Dad, that's Brenna's old dress, but it fits me"

R.E. Dad - "OK, put it on so we can go downstairs and have breakfast"

Vivikins - "Yes Daddy" (She quickly and quietly puts on the dress)

So on the way down the stairs the triplets and I pass by the built-in bookshelves that contain all the old photo albums....for some reason and she's never done this before...I hear the sweet voice.....

Vivikins - "Daddy, can you get me the album with the leaves on it?"

R.E. Dad - "OK" (I pull it down, open it up and take a look to see which album it is - it's the
album when big sis Brenna was roughly around the ages of late three to early five.
I give the album back to Vivi and we go downstairs)

Vivikins - (Sitting eating her breakfast and looking at the album) "Dad, Julia...look at these
pictures, Brenna is wearing the SAME dress!"

R.E. Dad - "Wow, what a strange coincidence!"

Now the story BEHIND the dress. Brenna wore that dress at her 4Th birthday party...which she celebrated with about 8 of her preschool (girl)friends at our blue colonial house in West Hartford, CT on May 11Th, 2002. Holy crap, that was more than seven years, four homes and three babies ago!

I remember so much about that day including what a beautiful bright sunny Spring day it was. I remember Mom MD and Bren's Godmother spending some incredible sum (like $90) on the candy, decorations and party favors. I remember setting up a small party table in the sun porch. I remember the girls playing musical chairs and duck duck goose on the grass behind the house. I even remember getting the final whack on the pinata.

Yes, I remember lots of details about that day. Brenna remembers some stuff as well, but it's what she forgot to do that headlines THIS story. When she went upstairs to change into her dress before the party, she did not put on her panties! She went pantiless all the way through the party and no one noticed until after the party ended. Tell me how this happens? The girls ran and played on the grass, and we had lots of adults around as well.

I had videotaped the party (which is my excuse for not noticing) . So after the party was over, Mom MD and I immediately hooked-up the video recorder to the TV. We were very curious to see if the video showed any hint of a pantiless child. HMMM, maybe at duck duck goose or sitting on the couch unwrapping presents? No, not really...videotape was clean and harmless. Bizarre and unexplainable...perhaps Brenna did have panties on throughout the party and for some reason took them off just before the party ended? Theories abound.

Since then I don't believe Brenna has ever forgotten to put on her panties, but what about Vivi and JuJu? Are they remembering? I have to confess I don't believe I've ever asked them. So on our walk to preschool this A.M.

R.E. Dad - "Vivaroo are YOU wearing panties?" (motions to lift dress and get visual).

Vivikins - (Moving away at light speed) "YES DADDY!" (With the preschooler look of WTF)

I suppose next time I should just ask..........

Summer has arrived: Random Tuesday Thoughts

Summer has arrived for R.E. Dad....basketball and hockey have both crowned a champion, FINALLY! Perhaps next year one of my teams will stumble into the playoffs. Yeah, believe me I'm not going to hold my breath for ten minutes or even worse pre-purchase seats from Ticketbastard. By the way, the grab button has been provided today by "The Un Mom." Drop by her blog and say "Howdy."

I've been considering re-naming my blog "The Blog About Nothing"......think about it. Come on, Sunday my post was a Gummy Bear video.

I have a new Melman in my life....the keyless remote for my car requires about 1 million PSI to do its thing. My thumb ain't strong enough to make the unlock and lock buttons respond in a timely manner. I've received some very undeserved and quite hurtful stink eye from members of my own family, Mom MD included.

Do you think that people who go out to dinner in the Netherlands really whip out the pocket calculator after the bill arrives, and say "I had the chef salad and iced tea, here's my money and I won't pay one euro more! I'm Dutch and proud of it!"

California parking lots are terrible. Compact spots abound, but most of us still drive minivans, SUV's and larger trucks. Tight spaces, poor visability and perpetual headache are the norm. What REALLY is the point? All I get are dinged doors and more aggravation. Hey, an idea...how 'bout we pretend that it snows so we get one huge blacktop with some painted lines? We don't need more trees in parking lots. This just creates more opportunity for birds to crap on our ride.

Speaking of California. The state lawmakers recently banned hand held cell phones while driving. Guess they thought that this was a major distraction which could have dire consequences. Perhaps, but why not go further...ban children while driving. Any parent will tell you that it's easier to eat with chopsticks while driving than having kidlets bouncing and wailing behind you.

Speaking of kids. Do you think toy companies calculate how long it takes the average parent to cut, tear, stab, rip and mutilate that hard plastic packaging that holds their little darling's newest toy hostage? At our house we probably lose an hour of our Christmas morning opening those damn things. Someone find a toy representative. Ask them if a parent has ever gone postal or worse tossed a Susie-poops-a-helluva-lot in the fireplace attempting to pry open that dreaded packaging?

Speaking of crabby. The hermit crab IS still alive. In my opinion, we're pretty decent hermit crab keepers. Recently a letter to the editor in our local paper blasted the people who were allowing hermit crabs to be used as prizes at the Strawberry Festival saying that they are "delicate creatures" and need a great deal of care (not to be taken lightly). Huh? So, should all potential hermit crab owners be required to obtain a permit? What about babies? Any idiot can have one of them without a license.

Finally, the triplets have evolved from "potty talk" to "body talk." Yes, we're talking about private parts almost as much as Howard Stern.

So much for "Random Tuesday Thoughts" - welcome to Summer '09.

Gummy Bears!

Youtube has become the family's latest destination for entertainment. Bren found this gem yesterday,

played it for the rest of us, and now NONE of the family can extract this bloody tune out of our heads.

See what you think. I bet you can't play it just once.

Six Word Saturday

Chilly June, thought this was Sacramento!

Hey it's R.D. Daughter! Comment?

Hey it's me Brenna, R.D's daughter!! Today was my last day of 5Th grade! yay!!! At the end of the day, the results for voting for future predictions were in! Everyone was given three words that described them, and their classmates' predictions for the future! Now, can you guess what they said?

1. What three words (accumulative)do you think that classmates used to describe me?
A. funny, trustworthy, understanding
B. creative, smart, healthy
C. shy, kind, respectful
D. generous, energetic, flexible
E. playful, kind, silly

2. What do you think I was voted most likely to be?
A. author
B. doctor
C. singer
D. actress
E. talk show host

If you think you know the answers (based on what my dad has told you about me or if you know me) guess! the first person to get both right will be acknowledged in a future blog! or if no one gets it right, I will let you know!

**NOTE:  I had nothing to do with this one, but it's OK.  My own fault.  I had left the laptop on downstairs, logged-on to blogger, and went upstairs to take a nap.

Random Tuesday and 3/4

I just couldn't allow the clock to strike midnight before getting my next post written. I swear sometimes I get into one of those ruts that serve not only as a barrier to writing, but keep me far away from the blogosphere all together. This would be analogous to skipping missing a college course for a couple weeks and then desperately playing catch-up.

I do have an explanation for my time way. I was in Vegas baby! No, it wasn't for a weekend of all night Black Jack followed by drunken taxi rides to the nudie bar 5-cent video poker. I was with my family visiting my in-laws in nearby Henderson swimming in their new in ground swimming pool. The triplets and Bren Bren had a marvelous time, and we even celebrated Mom MD's 39th Birthday for the 3rd time.

Sunday's departure from the Vegas Zoo Airport was quite entertaining even for Sin City. The family had finally made it up to the check-in ticket counter when an agitated 20-something bimbo in like 10 inch stiletto heals whose "girls" were poised to make a most untriumphant appearance upset younger woman walked straight up to our ticket agent and began dropping the "f-bomb" like we were in a high school locker room using choice words to explain how the airlines had made a slight mistake affecting her immediate travel plans. All we adults could do was pray for security to take her down stare, but the triplets couldn't have cared a less, and all Bren could do was snicker.

Am I the only one who is disappointed in Facebook? Way too many gimmicks, quizzes, and adds. Who in the heck could have 200, 300 or 400+ friends? Maybe someone like Nancy Pelosi? Seriously, last time I checked I had about 125 and of those maybe 50 are a combination of relatives, close friends, high school/college classmates and former work colleagues...the remainder are friends of friends or friends of friends of friends. Yes, some of my friends are more Mom MD's friends say from med school or residency, but I knew them too. Mom MD actually "de-listed" someone from her Facebook account a couple weeks back. I'm way too chicken to do that.

Was anyone actually surprised by Adam Lambert's admission of his sexual orientation this week? Does anyone actually care? He is a fantastic singer/entertainer and I do predict that he will one day takeover lead singing duties for "Queen." Interesting!

Did I tell you that we now have season tickets to the worst team in the NBA? No, not the Clippers or even the Wizards. I'll give you a hint......the team name is somehow related to the word in quotations from the previous paragraph. Crazy isn't it, but like the stock market the goal is to buy low, sell high.

Triplet news......nothing much new, really. They still love to beat on each other, and they love to argue about who between the three of them will be a certain character in the TV show or movie that they are watching. For example, tonight I put on the lame human version of "Scooby Doo" so no freakin' surprise both girls wanted to be the lovely "Daphne." JuJu then proceeded to argue her point that Vivi should be "Velma" because she is "short and has glasses." Of course, lost to her is the fact that "Velma" is also the most intelligent and tends to solve the most mysteries.

Out

A few words on "Wordless Wednesday" - Happy 5th Birthday Triplets!

I so can't believe that you're now 5!

'Just yesterday you were 4 at the Sac Zoo.

One time you were 3 at the Train Museum.

3 years ago you 3 were 2 at our old house.

Oh boy, and girls. Mostly bald at 1!

My oh my, so tiny yet so ready to face the
world that late spring evening 3 June '04!

Happy Birthday A, J & V!!!

Love, R.E. Dad

School Bullies, what to do?

I'm thinking bullying started about the time Eve coerced Adam in to taking a bite of a bright red apple. Speculation aside and truly no laughing matter, my oldest child is being harassed by kids in her 5Th Grade class. Yes, my sweet intelligent, yet shy and a tad quirky 'tween has been subjected to behavior that Mom MD and I consider unacceptable.

Without going into too much detail, a girl has decided to make my daughter's educational experience miserable not only while in class, but at lunch, in line, and on the playground with continuous verbal abuse. Another boy approached her immediately after school and basically told her that he loathes her and she is a female dog...nice huh? Unacceptable.

I was bullied as a kid. Many of us were at some point between Kindergarten and high school graduation. I was an overweight kid. My tormentor was actually my age and a teammate on my Little League team. He lived on the next street over sometime between the 6Th and 8Th grades. I still remember the morning at the bus stop that he punched me in the face (I believe I was wearing my retainer) just because I wouldn't let his friend cut in line. I'm thinking that this was the same morning that he grabbed a cat by the tail and hurled it over a wall....nice huh?

The neighborhood kids were elated when he moved to Texas sometime before high school. I didn't hear of or from him until about 8 years ago when out of the blue I received an e -mail that said "Hey D, it's your old friend J.." I so wanted to fire back a nasty e -mail and say "You were NO friend of mine....you were the neighborhood bully and I'm surprised that you're not in prison!" I didn't respond.

Back to the present, and our daughter's situation. Even though this hasn't escalated into anything physical, Mom MD and I are not willing to let this behavior continue. We made the decision tonight to take action and write an e-mail to her teacher with a cc to the principal. We didn't go into specifics in the e-mail, but instead indicated that we'd put a handwritten letter from our daughter detailing the various incidents in the teacher's inbox tomorrow.

In addition, we requested that the teacher, principal, and school provide us with what actions were being taken to discipline these kids. Kids always need to know when their behavior is inappropriate. What they're doing is hurtful, degrading and utterly unacceptable! Are we taking the proper stance with an acceptable course of action? Should we have contacted the parents directly? Any personal experience, remedies or suggestions would be much appreciated.