Quiet

Mrs. BiW and I had dinner and a movie on Friday. It was nice to go out on a date and just be with each other with no distractions for a few hours.

Saturday, we took Heir No. Two to the doctor. Little guy has a double ear infection and a sinus infection. I feel awful for him,and with Mrs. BiW still getting over Bronchitis, it made sense to just stay at home.

Last night, we lost power for about two hours. Don't know why. I fell asleep around 11, which was fine because I had to go to work today. Little heir was awake and crying at 2:20 am. Mrs. BiW brought him to bed with us, and he would not stop crying. I woke up at 4 to hear her grumbling at him about going back to sleep and quitting squirming. When my alarm went off at 6, he wasn't in bed with us any more.

Sorry. Nothing exciting to report.

Batchin' It

Me and my guys today and probably tomorrow. I gotta run some errands this afternoon, haircut (for me), jeans (for Heir No. One), and some grocieries (the boys need their Pop Tarts, and Balogna, and I would like an adult beverage.) I might get one of the next Pirates of the Carribean movies while we're out to watch with the heirs tonight. There's a model train show in town that we might go to tomorrow afternoon. I have get some traquilizers so I can get them back out when its time to go. Anyone got a line on some Ketomine?

Happy Halloween

Heir No. One, ready for Imperial Service!

Heir No. Two was on my shoulders. He doesn't like wearing costumes, but he had a good time anyway.

Halloween

When did it start coming with all the damn rules?

I had to drive all over town last night because the 8 yr old can only dress up like a character in a book. Of course, he already decided to be a clone trooper, so do you think I could find a freaking Star Wars book?

Eventually, I did, and I managed to get him home and into bed before 10 pm.

And of course, true to form, the temps took a nosedive today, so he has to wear a heavy coat.

Sunday Morning Conversation

Heir No. One (who is almost 8) got in bed with me again this morning. Another nightmare. As he was telling me about it, little brother started yelling from his room. Heir No. One was not dissuaded. "Dad, I guess its time to get up. What's the plan for today?"

"Well, E, I need to get a shower because I didn't get a bath last night like you and your brother. I should probably shave. (5 days and counting now). "

*as he reaches up and grabs my face* "No way, Dad, I want to see you finish growing a beard."

"Hmmm. I'll tthink about it."

"Then what?"

"Breakfast for you and your brother, ironing clothes for church, getting dressed, going..."

"After, Dad, After!"

"Then home for lunch, I want you to do some homework, then you can play."

"Then what?"

"I dunno. Bed?"

"Daaaaadddd. You forgot dinner."

"I did?"

"Daaaddd!"

"We have to have dinner."

"If you insist."

Really, he makes it too easy sometimes. :lol:

Teriffic.

Goober just yaked his lunch all over the floor in the boys' bathroom. I don't know if he stuffed himself, or he's getting sick. He's running around like nothing happened. Good thing his mother isn't here. She's a joiner, and it was all chunky n stuff. Fries anyone? Oh well. If anyone gets bored this weekend, give a shout out. I'll be home with two sick boys, craving an adult conversation.

I woke up this morning...

...to heir no. one climbing into bed with me at 5:15 am. He had a nightmare. One of many lately. I didn't ask him what about. As fanciful as the stories are, I don't really believe that they are what he's been having nightmares about. As He snuggled in and I held him, I noticed he was a little warm. He had a 100.9 fever. Two tylenols before off to the In-laws. Then I got a call while driving into work. White spots in his throat. He goes to the Doctor this afternoon. I hope he doesn't give it to the little one. Having them both miserable at the same time is hard to deal with.

Did the Puyallup

For those out you who do not recognize that phrase, let me explain.

Every fall, Puyallup, Washington, hosts the Western Washington Fair, better known as the Puyallup. Rides, games, junk food, exhibits, sales, animals and more. Heir No. One gets more excited about this than he does about Disneyland.

I took a half day, left work, came home to Mrs. BiW who took the day off, and both heirs, and headed off. Another learning experience. Heir No. Two was a complete snot. Heir No. One did get to ride some rides, Mrs. BiW got her Elephant Ear and Roasted Corn, I got my empanada, and the boys got their lemonade. Heir No. One rode the scary ride, Mrs. BiW freaked out and got worried about him. Hopefully next year, the little one won't make it a chore for the rest of us, so everyone can relax and it doesn't end with everyone getting mad at each other. Hey, I can dream, can't I?

Almost There

I am soooooo ready to get on the plane Friday morning and fly to SOCAL with my beautiful wife. A weekend with her and the Mouse. No kids, and get to do the stuff we can't do with them. A nice dinner at the Blue Bayou on Saturday night, and then I fly back here Monday morning for a week of solo parenting while she works at her plant there. Is there a cure for vactionitis?

Golf Lesson No. 3

For anyone who cares, lesson 3 started well, but got a lot harder. I started---cold---with my 6 iron, set up, and hit it straight as an arrow for 150 yards. My teacher was standing behind me. His reaction? "Damn, Blackiswhite! You've had an hour of instruction and walked out here and did that cold. Moved up to the driver. Had some fun with it. Then came chipping. *^%$@!%^##$$$##

Next week? Putting.

Somehow I knew my shortgame would suck.

Golf Lesson No. 2

Nice evening, not too hot, not too bright. Hit with the 9 iron for a while, switched to the 6 iron. got very consistent very quickly. Before long, I was knocking them out about 125 yds, straight as an arrow. with a nice loft. If I screwed a shot up, I almost always knew why. The hardest part was keeping my shoulders level. I had nice clubhead speed, and when I connected right, I knew it.

Whew!

I am tired. Last night I was ready to shut the TV off and grab some Zs when I happened on to "Thank You For Not Smoking". Two minutes, and I ended up watching to the end. It's what I call a trainwreck movie. You don't like the characters, yet you just can't stop watching, same as a train wreck.

Got up by 8, went to the South Hill Wal-Mart, to get Mrs. BiW's Oil Changed. Bought the sheet sander that Dick said I needed. Came home, put laundry in the wash, sanded the spackle, applied the super-lightweight spackle, took the seats out of the van, took a bunch of stuff from the garage to the Goodwill. Stopped by the other house, can't see where Mom made any progress moving out ...ggggrrrrrrrrrr. Came home, swithced the laundry, went to McClendon's, bought 12 yards of beauty bark, came home, trimmed, and mowed the yard, finished the weeding, and put the beauty bark down. I could use another 4 to 6 yards, but it'll do for now. Then I got out the power washer, cleaned the sidewalk, which was really bad, and half the driveway, which wasn't much better, then took apart a bunch of the cheapo furniture that had been in the garage, showered, went to my in-laws, got their mail, then came home, cooked a steak and my last twice-baked potato, washed it down with a Hornsby's, and I will shortly do the laundry (Folding, Ironing, Putting it away, vacuum, and maybe clean the bathroom so she will just relax when she gets home tomorrow afternoon. Or not. Any way, the pix should speak for themselves.

Friday Night at Home

Tried to go to the Spanaway Wal-Mart and get Mrs. BiW an oil change for her car before she comes back. They're remodeling. The Oil and Lube Center was closed. Stopped at the Albertsons, got salad shrimp, cukes, vine tomatoes, romaine lettuce, black olives, blue cheese and Ken's Greek Salad Dressing. Oh, and a six pack of the new Hornsby's Crisp Apple Hard Cider. I may be alone here tonight, but I had a good dinner.

Why Do They Call It Vacation?

Got a call from Mrs. BiW this morning. Apparently, her mother has ratcheted her hen pecking up about five notches, and Mrs. BiW is squarely in her sights. Add this to a less than pleasant visit to her grandmother, who isn't doing well, and fatigue, well...she was pretty upset. The upside is that her sister is doing well and the boys are having fun playing with their cousins. In retrospect, I should have done all that I could to fly back with her and the boys, if only to be a shield for some of the inevitable unpleasantness. I know that her Mom is stressed, spending the week caring for a sister who is dying from the same awful disease that took her father, and her mother, who is fighting a losing battle with cancer, and had a penchant for being unpleasant on her good days. (But seriously, Mrs. BiW lived with her for years, I came to love the mean old lady too. I know how much it upsets her to see her like this.) Her Dad is upset because her Mom is upset, and therefore, the criticism, and the sensitivity to it both go up tremendously. She texted me later to say she was better, but I think this is going to be a very rough trip for her. I'll be busy when they fly back on Sunday trying to get her relaxed before the big meeting on Monday.

Today's Stuff

Got a nap, went to the golf lesson. Used the nine iron. Worked on technique. Wasn't hitting too bad by the end of the session, but I know I'll be sore tomorrow.

Came home, fixed Heir No. One's dresser drawers. The nails that held the bottom of the drawer in place and prevented them from moving around fell out, so the bottom would slide, creating a gap. A few nails later, and everything is groovy again.

Then on to the hole in the wall. I stuffed it full with paper towel, then applied spackle. Once it all firms up, I'll sand it and then that will be taken care of.

Batchin' It

Dropped Mrs. BiW and the heirs off at the airport early this morning. I may take a nap this afternoon. 4:30 am wake-ups suck.

Work today, into the evening, golf lesson, then home to two smaller projects at the house: fix the drawers on heir no. one's dresser, and patch a hole in the wall on the staircase. No real excitment other than the brief eyeful of the gorgeous Mrs. BiW this morning as she dressed and the text message she sent after I dropped her and the boys off and was almost to work.

I have a lot of projects to tackle in the next 4 days, and not enough time to do them.

And the Kitchen Sink!

Wednesday evening, while washing the dishes, I thought the sink lever felt a little funny. When I shut off the water, I knew why, because I ended up with this POS in my hand.

Thanks, MOEN, for ruining my weekend. (Buy it for life, my ass.) I was hoping to have just a little bit of time during the day to either do what I wanted, or to prepare for Heir No. Two's birthday party on Saturday evening. But thanks to the quality workmanship of MOEN, I have a project to take up my time. And it wasn't enough to replace the faucet. You see, I am married. Being married means never having to do the simple fix; instead, you get to UPGRADE. I mentioned something to Mrs. Blackiswhite Thursday about stopping at Home Depot on my way home to pick up a new faucet. The response: "You might as well wait. I want a new sink too." "Why?" "Because you can't put a new faucet on that old sink. It will look yucky." I took a deep breath. "And?" (Because I knew there was more.) "And because the one we have isn't deep enough. I can't wash the big pots in it." I sat silently, straining my brain to remember the last time I saw her wash any pot, let alone a big one. Those of you who have been married a while understand my conundrum. If you say what you are really thinking, you get to pay the consequences for a long time. If you get upset, you pay the consequences for a long time. Finally, I settled on "So you're taking a $75 repair job and turning it into a $450 dollar upgrade, and taking my weekend away at the same time?" "Yes." I hate the casual ease with which she can say that. Friday night, we went to the Home Depot, pcked out the Kohler 19 Gauge Stainless Steel with 8 inch deep sides, the Kohler Chrome Drains, and the Delta (That's D-E-L-T-A, not MOEN) Faucet, and casually dinging the plastic, I headed out the door.

Saturday morning, I climbed underneath the old no-name sink with some POS hardware attached, and did what I do best with tools: I took it apart. Naively, I believed that since the two sinks were the same size, the new one should drop right in. (You can insert the laughter here if you've played this game before.)

As it turns out, the first hole was never cut square to begin with, and then the self-rimming lip on the underside of the new sink is an inch longer and an inch wider than on the old one, so the beveled corners in the cutout are as useful as honesty in Congress.

Many adjusting cuts later, I have it so it is almost flat, and I think that once the clips are attached underneath, it'll be just fine. Tomorrow, I tackle the Plubming. Hooking the water up will be no big deal. The drains, and the dishwasher? We'll see.

Vacation is Booked!

Mrs. Blackiswhite and I booked our vacation to Disneyland yesterday. I swore I would never set foot in the state of Californiweird, but it is too much money and too much time to take the heirs to the mouse kingdom in Florida. I liked it there, but we just can't do it this year. Maybe next year. The good news is we got what looks like a pretty good deal.