After being called to pick-up my shotgun, then going downtown only for them to say they couldn't find it, I called back the next day (Friday) as instructed, but the guy I was told to call was not in. So I called again on Monday. Still not in. Finally, today I called again. They still haven't found my shotgun. He says they THINK it was accidentally taken to court as evidence.
Wow. I'll not further comment, as the situation speaks for itself.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Monday, January 30, 2006
The streak lives
Tags:
NBA
It started out as a hectic Monday and continued that way much of the day with three meetings and assorted busy-ness. Just as I thought the day was winding down, Steph calls with last minute Hornets tickets. How could I refuse? So I called Darby at school and told her to have her homework done by the time I picked her up (in less than an hour) if she wanted to go to the game, or else I would take my brother instead. She did have her work done when I picked her up, so we grabbed a quick bite, dropped Shelby off at my dad's, and headed to the game.
It was a pretty exciting game. While the Hornets led most of the first half, they fell behind in the third period, and BARELY pulled ahead (by one point) with .1 seconds left in the game. So, knock on wood, the Hornets have won all three games we've gone to this season, though I was sure for awhile there that we wouldn't pull back ahead.
It was a pretty exciting game. While the Hornets led most of the first half, they fell behind in the third period, and BARELY pulled ahead (by one point) with .1 seconds left in the game. So, knock on wood, the Hornets have won all three games we've gone to this season, though I was sure for awhile there that we wouldn't pull back ahead.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Dodged
Darby was invited to a birthday party at Maximum Dodgeball this evening. Man, talk about a parent on the edge. I couldn't leave the court area. Most of the time it was girls against boys, and the boys significantly outnumbered the girls. AND, the boys were not holding back in their ball-velocity.
It was a lot of fun in the end, but Darby did get hurt a little. At one point she got stepped-on, which made her fall, and then a bunch of other kids tripped over her. She had to have an ice pack on her head for a bit, and it looked like she'd have a black eye for a minute there, though it looks to be clearing up okay now. I'm a little bit surprised they don't have the kids where helmets at a place like that.
If you're into beaming people in the head with a "gator skin" ball, they have adult leagues, too.
It was a lot of fun in the end, but Darby did get hurt a little. At one point she got stepped-on, which made her fall, and then a bunch of other kids tripped over her. She had to have an ice pack on her head for a bit, and it looked like she'd have a black eye for a minute there, though it looks to be clearing up okay now. I'm a little bit surprised they don't have the kids where helmets at a place like that.
If you're into beaming people in the head with a "gator skin" ball, they have adult leagues, too.
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Hoodwinked2
Took the kids to see Hoodwinked this evening and was a little hoodwinked out of some cash myself. It was a decent, and funny, movie, but VERY short. And the CGI... well, not terrible, but it could have been better. I'm thinking they should have given a bit of a discount for the running time alone (1 hr 23 mins). Shoot, I think Pooh's Big Movie had a longer running time. I'm just not sure it met the minimum requirements from the bang-for-buck perspective.
Where were you 20 years ago?
If you're my age or older, you have this image (courtesy NASA) seared into your memory like the generation before has the film of Kennedy's head going "back, and to the left" seared into theirs. Heck, it's difficult for me to even believe that I'm old enough for there to be adults alive today that weren't yet born when the Challenger exploded.
Well, as most my age I'm sure, I distinctly and irreversibly remember exactly where I was, and exactly how I felt, when the disaster was announced. The experience was almost literally heartbreaking when it happened. Since the 2nd grade, when my school in Barstow, California had a guest speaker from NASA discussing with us the early shuttle missions, I dared to dream that maybe someday I would get to go to space. But I knew, instantly, upon seeing the cloud of destruction on TV, while in the 7th grade in Philadelphia, that the odds I'd get to go to space in my lifetime would be severely diminished, if not eliminated.
When the Challenger met with injustice, I was in Dr. Fink's class at Benjamin Rush Middle School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Science class. Appropriate if there was such a thing. I remember the principal making an announcement on the PA system that all teachers were to turn on their TVs, as there had been a horrible disaster. The principal gave no clues over the PA as to what had happen, but it wasn't necessary. Before the announcement was even over, Dr. Fink had the TV on, and the aforementioned image was at that time imprinted onto our minds.
I say the Challenger met with injustice because we now know that the fundamental reason it was destroyed was because management failed to listen to their engineers. Sure, there were many other things that went wrong, but the bottom line is that if the managers listened to the engineers, the Challenger would have lasted a little long, if not indefinitely.
Of course, the shame of it is that it wouldn't be the only shuttle disaster seared into my memory. 2003 would bring another terrible scene of disaster in the sky. I'm not sure it met with the same injustice as Challenger, but it was injustice nonetheless. I think it's fair to say if we need to learn one thing out of all this, it's that we should at least give due credence to what our engineers tell us. They're not generally trying to stand in the way of truth, so much as illuminate the path to it. Out of respect for the memory of the crews of Challenger and Columbia, I hope I'm not the only one that feels this way.
Well, as most my age I'm sure, I distinctly and irreversibly remember exactly where I was, and exactly how I felt, when the disaster was announced. The experience was almost literally heartbreaking when it happened. Since the 2nd grade, when my school in Barstow, California had a guest speaker from NASA discussing with us the early shuttle missions, I dared to dream that maybe someday I would get to go to space. But I knew, instantly, upon seeing the cloud of destruction on TV, while in the 7th grade in Philadelphia, that the odds I'd get to go to space in my lifetime would be severely diminished, if not eliminated.
When the Challenger met with injustice, I was in Dr. Fink's class at Benjamin Rush Middle School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Science class. Appropriate if there was such a thing. I remember the principal making an announcement on the PA system that all teachers were to turn on their TVs, as there had been a horrible disaster. The principal gave no clues over the PA as to what had happen, but it wasn't necessary. Before the announcement was even over, Dr. Fink had the TV on, and the aforementioned image was at that time imprinted onto our minds.
I say the Challenger met with injustice because we now know that the fundamental reason it was destroyed was because management failed to listen to their engineers. Sure, there were many other things that went wrong, but the bottom line is that if the managers listened to the engineers, the Challenger would have lasted a little long, if not indefinitely.
Of course, the shame of it is that it wouldn't be the only shuttle disaster seared into my memory. 2003 would bring another terrible scene of disaster in the sky. I'm not sure it met with the same injustice as Challenger, but it was injustice nonetheless. I think it's fair to say if we need to learn one thing out of all this, it's that we should at least give due credence to what our engineers tell us. They're not generally trying to stand in the way of truth, so much as illuminate the path to it. Out of respect for the memory of the crews of Challenger and Columbia, I hope I'm not the only one that feels this way.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Take your fraud alerts seriously
Last week I had a fraud alert message from a credit card company on my answering machine. I've gotten those before, but everytime in the past they've been false alarms, so I didn't get around to calling them until today, when I looked at my statement and saw 14 unauthorized transactions totaling $463. So, yeah, that card has been cancelled. And now I have to go through the dispute process, which will be annoying, notarized legal affidavids and all. But what's more annoying is that I'll likely never know which website that I use had their security compromised for my card info to have gotten "out there". Yes there are other ways for the number to have been compromised, but this particular card is mostly used for online transactions, so it's much more likely that someone was hacked and either didn't know it or didn't announce it. Bastards.
The Pawn Court?!?
The reunion with my shotgun has been delayed. I got to the downtown OKC police station at 7pm, put a dime in the parking meter (just in case), giving me six minutes to get my goods and go, which I would have thought to be plenty of time for a quick pickup. However, after 30-minutes of waiting, I had to leave empty handed. THEY COULDN'T FIND IT! Grrr. So now I have to call them back tomorrow, ask them to look for it again, and then go back downtown once they say they've found it, even though they called me to begin with on Monday and said come and get it.
BUT, believe it or not, the fact that my firearm was lost was NOT the most unbelievable thing I heard while at the OCPD property management office. The person in line before me was picking up his recovered stolen goods as well, only one item was missing. It was something high-dollar, so he was told he'd have to go to "Pawn Court" to get it back. They said that because it was recovered at a Pawn Shop, and because that Pawn Shop had money tied up in the high-dollar item, he had to go to court so a judge could decide who got to keep the item and whether the Pawn Shop would get compensated or for their loss.
Holy crap! It's HIS merchandise! I was completely astounded at finding out such a crazy scenario to be possible. As a fellow burglary victim, I sympathize with the guy here, and am not quite sure how I'd react in that situation. One thing is for sure... they ought to consider adjusting their process to not return firearms at the same time they are informing someone of their non-right to get expensive items back to protect the profit of a pawn dealer.
BUT, believe it or not, the fact that my firearm was lost was NOT the most unbelievable thing I heard while at the OCPD property management office. The person in line before me was picking up his recovered stolen goods as well, only one item was missing. It was something high-dollar, so he was told he'd have to go to "Pawn Court" to get it back. They said that because it was recovered at a Pawn Shop, and because that Pawn Shop had money tied up in the high-dollar item, he had to go to court so a judge could decide who got to keep the item and whether the Pawn Shop would get compensated or for their loss.
Holy crap! It's HIS merchandise! I was completely astounded at finding out such a crazy scenario to be possible. As a fellow burglary victim, I sympathize with the guy here, and am not quite sure how I'd react in that situation. One thing is for sure... they ought to consider adjusting their process to not return firearms at the same time they are informing someone of their non-right to get expensive items back to protect the profit of a pawn dealer.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
New employee
I finally got my 7th team member today. So it was mostly a day full of orientation. It's good to finally be fully staffed, but we've got a bit of a hill to climb.
Monday, January 23, 2006
Long lost shotgun
I got a stranage call today, from the OKC police department. Apparently they found the shotgun of mine that was stolen during the burglary of my house in November 2004. He says they've had it since May, but this is the first I've heard of it. So I'm to pick it up sometime this week, though I must admit I'm a little torn about it. What if the thing was used in another crime?
Saturday, January 21, 2006
"Daddy-Shelby Day"
Darby had plans this evening, which included going to a hockey game with her best friend, as well as then staying over at her friend's. I made an agreement with Shelby that if she didn't say a single word about her non-participation in the aforementioned activities that I'd take her to do whatever she wanted. She came up with "it's Daddy-Shelby Day" on her own.
So what did she want to do? Not a movie. I tried that several times. She wanted to go shopping (yes, she's only 8). She wanted to go to the mall and spend away her Christmas gift cards. So, we went to the mall for a few hours, where she got some good deals on girlie stuff. She also got herself a haircut. I think she was reasonably happy with the quality of her evening in comparison with that of her sister. No compliants so far.
So what did she want to do? Not a movie. I tried that several times. She wanted to go shopping (yes, she's only 8). She wanted to go to the mall and spend away her Christmas gift cards. So, we went to the mall for a few hours, where she got some good deals on girlie stuff. She also got herself a haircut. I think she was reasonably happy with the quality of her evening in comparison with that of her sister. No compliants so far.
Friday, January 20, 2006
More side-work
Considering I had an 8am meeting, and that I was still working past 11pm, it's no understatement to say it's been a long day. Sure the last four hours was for a side-job, but it was no less mentally tiring. I setup some firewall extensions this evening for my friend's business, including a web filter to keep employees from abusing their new-found internet connectivity. I also established a minimal-but-better-than-nothing backup strategy for the file server.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Beat-up by a kindergartener
Last night I noticed a small abrasion on Darby's forehead, right between the eyes. I asked what happened, to which she responded that a kindergartener threw a pinecone at her at recess and it hit her in the head. As she continued to explain, she started crying. Apparently she told the parent of the girl, who arrive shortly after, though tried only briefly to get an apology from her daughter. Darby never told a teacher, so this morning when we got to school, we reported the incident in the event there was another. It was odd to be reporting that a kindergartener made my ten-year old cry, but then again, I supposed it would be worse for it to be the other way around, for Darby to be in trouble for beating up a little girl.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Web spammed
Funny, this last week I've been actively researching an update for the site, using CAPTCHAs so that I can get my feedback page back online without the form-spam I had been getting. I thought I wasn't going to have to consider implementing it for my blog comments because I've fortunately not gotten all that much comment spam, but then I get another on this entry today. So now I'm wondering if California has anti-spam legislation, and whether I can invoke it in this case.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Monday, January 16, 2006
New album
I've moved away from the completely manual photo album I've had for years to using a new tool to generate it instead. I've then spent a good deal of time integrating the tool with the site. There's still much work to be done, such as captions and re-ordering, but I've gone ahead and gotten it online anyway. Check it out and give feedback.
Working day-off
Though it was a holiday, I put about six hours in on a consulting job for a friend's small business network. We setup a linux firewall, got a bunch of machines online that did not previously have internet access, and did a bunch of infosec housecleaning. The network is not in its end state by a long shot, but it made some giant leaps today.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Party days continued
Today's birthday festivities were... prosperous for Darby, but tedious on the rest of us. Forgetting for a moment that the restaurant we chose to have dinner at wasn't ready for us at the previously reserved time, it was also quite packed, and so the selection and service were not quite as good as is typical. I'll not even get into the cake issues, lest my ex-wife burst a blood vessel.
I'm thinking we'll need to do things somewhat differently next time around. While Darby's birthday is still painfully close to Christmas, I'm so glad Shelby's birthday isn't until August.
I'm thinking we'll need to do things somewhat differently next time around. While Darby's birthday is still painfully close to Christmas, I'm so glad Shelby's birthday isn't until August.
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Party days
Darby had altar service training this morning at church, but after I dropped her off and went to get gas, she called me from the church saying it was cancelled. And by the time I got back there, she was alone, except for the deacon. Grrr. I'm a little peeved about that whole scenario. I'm not keen on leaving the kids stranded anywhere.
As much as I didn't like the way the morning went down, on the plus side, it probably helped us out quite a bit. Darby's birthday party was at 12:30, and we found we weren't having to rush around since the church thing got cancelled.
Darby's party was at Xtreme Mini-Golf, which you might call "Cosmic Mini-Golf", as it's dark, with a glow-in-the-dark course and equipment. I've got some pictures all ready to go, but the offline photo album is in disarray while I rearrange it. I need to get it fixed locally before I can upload it.
After the party, Darby and I saw a movie and went to dinner with our friends that came down from Tulsa for Darby's party. Shelby, meanwhile, was taken by her mother to her second birthday party of the day, that of a classmate.
So overall, it was a rather festive day for the kiddos. I think everyone had lots of fun, but everyone is also very tired, and there are more birthday festivities on the agenda for tomorrow.
UPDATE
Photos are now online.
As much as I didn't like the way the morning went down, on the plus side, it probably helped us out quite a bit. Darby's birthday party was at 12:30, and we found we weren't having to rush around since the church thing got cancelled.
Darby's party was at Xtreme Mini-Golf, which you might call "Cosmic Mini-Golf", as it's dark, with a glow-in-the-dark course and equipment. I've got some pictures all ready to go, but the offline photo album is in disarray while I rearrange it. I need to get it fixed locally before I can upload it.
After the party, Darby and I saw a movie and went to dinner with our friends that came down from Tulsa for Darby's party. Shelby, meanwhile, was taken by her mother to her second birthday party of the day, that of a classmate.
So overall, it was a rather festive day for the kiddos. I think everyone had lots of fun, but everyone is also very tired, and there are more birthday festivities on the agenda for tomorrow.
UPDATE
Photos are now online.
Friday, January 13, 2006
The vomit bug is all around me
While at my dad's house tonight, he started vomiting out of the blue. Similar to Shelby's experience last weekend. I think he has what she had. I am just SO hoping I can avoid this bug. I hate the vomiting experience like anybody else, but managing two kids while having to vomit frequently is not something I look forward to.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Tree strife
I have a big open field behind my house, once separated by a half-dozen trees, of various sizes, and my chain link fence. Supposedly there was once a wooden fence there, but the previous owners put the chain link fence in so they could have a better view of the trees and field. The previous owner also said that the trees were technically on this property, even though they were outside the fence, and that the city had tried on many occasions to remove the trees, but that she had stopped them.
That was almost 9 years ago. I hadn't thought much about it until I got home tonight, looked out my back window, and noticed that the view had changed. Instead of having to peer through my trees to see the field behind my house, I had a clear view of the field. The trees were gone. All of them.
Yikes, huh?!? I'm not sure how to feel about this because there are pros and cons with this situation to be sure. I'm rather conflicted. Of course, my initial reaction was, those bastards cut down my trees! But on reflection, there are some not so bad aspects of the situation. Thus my confliction.
Some pros:
- Clear view of the field.
- House not as obstructed when viewed from the field, so maybe less of a burglary target.
- No more powerline worries. All of the tall trees touched powerlines above them. They were responsible for at least one power outage for myself and my immediate neighbors over the years, so they were a constant external stress factor for me on windy and/or stormy days.
- No more over-ripe mulberries covering the yard.
- No more tree-trimming maintenance.
Some cons:
- They were MY freakin' trees!
- They didn't ask. At all.
- Not quick/easy to replace. If I ever wanted them back, it's not like even another 9 years is enough to grow new ones. And planting larger trees would be expensive.
- Less privacy. In the summer, all the foliage created a "natural fence", so the frequently used field behind my house didn't have such a good view of my back yard. Now I sort of want to put the wooden fence back.
- They didn't take the mimosa! I have a dreadful mimosa in the back yard that I would have gladly let go of had I know they were already at it.
I'm thinking my grounds for complaint are non-existent because of some kind of easement. Also, with the recent brush-fire danger around here, they may have been "clearing brush" around nearby fields of grass. I'm not sure I'll ever have the answers I seek without stirring up some mess for an issue that can't be undone.
That was almost 9 years ago. I hadn't thought much about it until I got home tonight, looked out my back window, and noticed that the view had changed. Instead of having to peer through my trees to see the field behind my house, I had a clear view of the field. The trees were gone. All of them.
Yikes, huh?!? I'm not sure how to feel about this because there are pros and cons with this situation to be sure. I'm rather conflicted. Of course, my initial reaction was, those bastards cut down my trees! But on reflection, there are some not so bad aspects of the situation. Thus my confliction.
Some pros:
- Clear view of the field.
- House not as obstructed when viewed from the field, so maybe less of a burglary target.
- No more powerline worries. All of the tall trees touched powerlines above them. They were responsible for at least one power outage for myself and my immediate neighbors over the years, so they were a constant external stress factor for me on windy and/or stormy days.
- No more over-ripe mulberries covering the yard.
- No more tree-trimming maintenance.
Some cons:
- They were MY freakin' trees!
- They didn't ask. At all.
- Not quick/easy to replace. If I ever wanted them back, it's not like even another 9 years is enough to grow new ones. And planting larger trees would be expensive.
- Less privacy. In the summer, all the foliage created a "natural fence", so the frequently used field behind my house didn't have such a good view of my back yard. Now I sort of want to put the wooden fence back.
- They didn't take the mimosa! I have a dreadful mimosa in the back yard that I would have gladly let go of had I know they were already at it.
I'm thinking my grounds for complaint are non-existent because of some kind of easement. Also, with the recent brush-fire danger around here, they may have been "clearing brush" around nearby fields of grass. I'm not sure I'll ever have the answers I seek without stirring up some mess for an issue that can't be undone.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Another tenth anniversary (one of the last)
It's one of those aging indicators, the "tenth anniversary". The decade mile(stone) marker. As soon as they start hitting, you start feeling... less young. More well-traveled (through time). The more of them that pass, the more non-young you feel. Well, I've had some of these in recent years, but they're almost through. Soon, there will be fifteen-year anniversaries. A sure sign that my grasp of youth is, well, empty-handed.
They started for me in 2001, of course. My ten-year high school reunion. Also the ten-year anniversary of my move to Oklahoma.
There have been several "job related" tenth anniversaries of late. Ten years of HTML, the web, e-commerce, etc. The tenth anniversary of the first commercial firewall.
2005 was the tenth anniversary of my marriage. The tenth anniversary of my "first real job out of college".
2006 will see a few decade milestones as well. Soon, for example, will be the tenth anniversary of my college graduation. And today is a milestone as well. Today is the tenth anniversary of the birth of my first child.
Yep, Darby is ten years old today. Can you believe it? Double digits. She's so excited. "Only three more years," she says, until teenagedom. Bleh, I say, to that. Though I do say "Happy Birthday!" gleefully to my first child, thinking not of which it is.
Darby was actually slightly bummed this morning, when I didn't immediately acknowledge her birthday. But then I told her, hey now, give me a break. Ten years ago you were still in your momma's belly. You weren't born until 2:53pm, so happy almost birthday. She thought that was pretty funny and cheered right up.
When I picked her up from school, she was glowing, with the flowers and balloon in hand that her mother had sent to the school. I gave her a big, fat, birthday hug, and took her to the restaurant of her choice for dinner and ice cream. It was officially a celebration. There goes another ten years. Hoo-rah. There will be more reminders this weekend, when we have her actual party.
In other Darby news, she lost what I believe to be her last baby tooth today. How symbolic, huh? Of course, she RIPped it out, she says, but it had been loose for quite awhile and was dangling by a thread of gum today, according to her.
They started for me in 2001, of course. My ten-year high school reunion. Also the ten-year anniversary of my move to Oklahoma.
There have been several "job related" tenth anniversaries of late. Ten years of HTML, the web, e-commerce, etc. The tenth anniversary of the first commercial firewall.
2005 was the tenth anniversary of my marriage. The tenth anniversary of my "first real job out of college".
2006 will see a few decade milestones as well. Soon, for example, will be the tenth anniversary of my college graduation. And today is a milestone as well. Today is the tenth anniversary of the birth of my first child.
Yep, Darby is ten years old today. Can you believe it? Double digits. She's so excited. "Only three more years," she says, until teenagedom. Bleh, I say, to that. Though I do say "Happy Birthday!" gleefully to my first child, thinking not of which it is.
Darby was actually slightly bummed this morning, when I didn't immediately acknowledge her birthday. But then I told her, hey now, give me a break. Ten years ago you were still in your momma's belly. You weren't born until 2:53pm, so happy almost birthday. She thought that was pretty funny and cheered right up.
When I picked her up from school, she was glowing, with the flowers and balloon in hand that her mother had sent to the school. I gave her a big, fat, birthday hug, and took her to the restaurant of her choice for dinner and ice cream. It was officially a celebration. There goes another ten years. Hoo-rah. There will be more reminders this weekend, when we have her actual party.
In other Darby news, she lost what I believe to be her last baby tooth today. How symbolic, huh? Of course, she RIPped it out, she says, but it had been loose for quite awhile and was dangling by a thread of gum today, according to her.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
"Am I more than you bargained for yet?"
I just heard that tune on a TV commercial and it so fit the context of this entry. Sure, I own the CD, but hadn't listened to it since the Arizona trip in November. The original title of this entry was "Shelby and Goliath", but really both titles fit just as well.
The girls got their report cards today, and Shelby had her worst ever set of grades. I was expecting 3 Cs, but instead I got two Cs and one D (I'm attempting to not notice so much the two "S-" grades). Have I mentioned the eighty-two (82) tallies? Okay, so that's tally tally for the semester, not the quarter, but still... Yes, yest, her tallies for the second quarter (32) were actually down from her first quarter all-time high (50), but I just can't get over this 82 thing. E-I-G-H-T-Y F-R-E-A-K-I-N T-W-O people!!!
To her credit, she did get 3 Bs and an A, whereas she had no As last quarter. Also, her semester averages are all Bs, so there is some hope of a recovery. However, the downward potential lies in the fact that her class starts on science this quarter, which will likely prove harder for her than history, the subject in which she received a D. I'm crossing my fingers, because science WILL be Shelby's scholastic Goliath. If not, the 82 tallies will certainly get to her.
If the words weren't enough, and you need a "Shelby and Goliath" visual, here's one from her fencing lesson today.
Lest I forget to give Darby her due, she continued her honor roll ways with five As and two Bs. For comparison, her semester tally total... 20. More than I'd like, but not 82.
The girls got their report cards today, and Shelby had her worst ever set of grades. I was expecting 3 Cs, but instead I got two Cs and one D (I'm attempting to not notice so much the two "S-" grades). Have I mentioned the eighty-two (82) tallies? Okay, so that's tally tally for the semester, not the quarter, but still... Yes, yest, her tallies for the second quarter (32) were actually down from her first quarter all-time high (50), but I just can't get over this 82 thing. E-I-G-H-T-Y F-R-E-A-K-I-N T-W-O people!!!
To her credit, she did get 3 Bs and an A, whereas she had no As last quarter. Also, her semester averages are all Bs, so there is some hope of a recovery. However, the downward potential lies in the fact that her class starts on science this quarter, which will likely prove harder for her than history, the subject in which she received a D. I'm crossing my fingers, because science WILL be Shelby's scholastic Goliath. If not, the 82 tallies will certainly get to her.
If the words weren't enough, and you need a "Shelby and Goliath" visual, here's one from her fencing lesson today.
Lest I forget to give Darby her due, she continued her honor roll ways with five As and two Bs. For comparison, her semester tally total... 20. More than I'd like, but not 82.
Monday, January 09, 2006
Back to "normal"
Shelby was feverless this morning, ate breakfast, and went to school like normal. As much as it stunk to not have had much of a weekend, it could have been worse had her illness seeped into the beginning of the week. On the downside, she didn't finish her classword, but lied about it. She was up until eleven working on her classwork and homework.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
And now a fever (so much for a weekend)
Shelby finally hit the sack around 4am, and she hasn't had any stomach issues since (he said crossing his fingers), but now she has a fever, which she didn't have last night. She still won't eat, and she won't take any sort of medicine (she's afraid they'll just come back up).
It's a shame, really, because between yesterday and today it's ~70 degrees and we could have done some outdoor activities.
UPDATE
Shelby did finally take some Motrin. Her fever is down and she finally seems to feel better, though all she has had to eat is some french fries. Her and I both had lengthy naps thanks to our wee-hour vomit escapades. Now I just have to cross my fingers and hope that it's not Darby's turn tonight (or mine for that matter).
It's a shame, really, because between yesterday and today it's ~70 degrees and we could have done some outdoor activities.
UPDATE
Shelby did finally take some Motrin. Her fever is down and she finally seems to feel better, though all she has had to eat is some french fries. Her and I both had lengthy naps thanks to our wee-hour vomit escapades. Now I just have to cross my fingers and hope that it's not Darby's turn tonight (or mine for that matter).
If I knew then what I know now
Shelby had herself an run-in with the hurl-monster. She came to my room about 2am saying she felt like she had to throw-up. I sent her to the bathroom, but she didn't make it by about two steps. So I spent a good fifteen or twenty minutes cleaning vomit from tile and carpet. Had she gone straight to the bathroom she would have made it fine.
It took me so long to clean up because I've got a weak stomach myself, so I had to clean in spurts, holding my breath, leaving the vicinity frequently for a good clean fresh breath of air. Shelby had lots of cheese to eat today, she says. And then there was the cake and ice cream from celebrating her mother's birthday. Which was followed by the pizza at dinner. Had I known it was coming back up, I wouldn't have fed it to her.
Now I have her all setup with a small trash can and a clear path to the toilet. She gets to sleep with her light on and the bathroom light is on as well. And she's already had to utilize the setup three more times. The pepto I gave her after her first full-tummy spew? It came out the second time around. And she's dry-heaved so much since that she says her ribs hurt.
It's not been since Darby was three that we had such a major vomit issue at the house. A few minor scuffles, but nothing quite like this. Shoot, I nearly lost it more than once while cleaning up Shelby's gut-remnants.
It took me so long to clean up because I've got a weak stomach myself, so I had to clean in spurts, holding my breath, leaving the vicinity frequently for a good clean fresh breath of air. Shelby had lots of cheese to eat today, she says. And then there was the cake and ice cream from celebrating her mother's birthday. Which was followed by the pizza at dinner. Had I known it was coming back up, I wouldn't have fed it to her.
Now I have her all setup with a small trash can and a clear path to the toilet. She gets to sleep with her light on and the bathroom light is on as well. And she's already had to utilize the setup three more times. The pepto I gave her after her first full-tummy spew? It came out the second time around. And she's dry-heaved so much since that she says her ribs hurt.
It's not been since Darby was three that we had such a major vomit issue at the house. A few minor scuffles, but nothing quite like this. Shoot, I nearly lost it more than once while cleaning up Shelby's gut-remnants.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Kryptonite necklace
Anyone that knows me well enough to have had a meal with me knows that one of my most hated food products is the dreaded pickle. Well, it's not just pickles, it's the pickling process. The vinegar I suppose (which is ironic because I like Italian dressing), is a key component. The bottom line is that pretty much anything pickled turns my nose up in disgust. Pickles themselves, perhaps because of their name, but I'm sure mostly because of their smell, just happen to be the stereotypical, representative token poster-product for my anti-pickling near-phobic mania. And in case you hadn't picked up on it by now, I can outright do without pickles in my life. I'm a proponent for a pickle-free society. Death to pickles. Nevermind the fact that both of my kids LOVE pickles.
So this morning, at my dad's house, when my step-mother asked me to open a jar for her, and it turned out to be a jar of pickles, well, I wasn't too keen on it. However, how can I really say no in that situation without being ass-like, so I opened it. Which turned out to be a mistake. Apparently the jar was brimming with pickle juice just waiting to leap out at me. The pickle juice got all over the front of my jacket and on my jeans. But not just anywhere on my jeans, on the front pockets, and in a way that everything IN my pockets now smells like pickles. My keys, my flash drive, my hanky. Pickle-taminated. So I'm walking around smelling quite profusely of one of the most rank smells on earth. I feel like Superman burdened with his necklace of Kryptonite.
The wonderful irony in all this? My dad owns one of those $20 jar-openers that my step-mother has just never figured out how to operate. Further irony is that the only person in my dad's house that has ever needed assistance opening a jar is my step-mother. So on top of having to tolerate this putrid smell, I've gotten to participate in the waste of $20. Perhaps more if considering the time I'll need to pour into de-smellifying my jacket, pants, and pocket-contents.
What a great start for a weekend.
So this morning, at my dad's house, when my step-mother asked me to open a jar for her, and it turned out to be a jar of pickles, well, I wasn't too keen on it. However, how can I really say no in that situation without being ass-like, so I opened it. Which turned out to be a mistake. Apparently the jar was brimming with pickle juice just waiting to leap out at me. The pickle juice got all over the front of my jacket and on my jeans. But not just anywhere on my jeans, on the front pockets, and in a way that everything IN my pockets now smells like pickles. My keys, my flash drive, my hanky. Pickle-taminated. So I'm walking around smelling quite profusely of one of the most rank smells on earth. I feel like Superman burdened with his necklace of Kryptonite.
The wonderful irony in all this? My dad owns one of those $20 jar-openers that my step-mother has just never figured out how to operate. Further irony is that the only person in my dad's house that has ever needed assistance opening a jar is my step-mother. So on top of having to tolerate this putrid smell, I've gotten to participate in the waste of $20. Perhaps more if considering the time I'll need to pour into de-smellifying my jacket, pants, and pocket-contents.
What a great start for a weekend.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Back to business
Well, that didn't take long. Shelby got a tally today, on the second day back. Worse yet, report cards come out next week, and, based on papers that have come home, I fear the three Cs she had on her last progress report will have endured through the second half of the quarter (the eighth?).
It was a crazy kid-shuffling day to boot. On a typical Thursday, Shelby's mother will pick her up from school and take her to fencing, while I then pickup Darby after piano lessons and take her to Shelby's fencing practice so that the kids can go home with their mother. Today, however, I had to leave work early to pickup Shelby and take her to fencing, as her mother had an appointment, and then my step-mother picked-up Darby from piano. The ex-wife then picked-up Darby from my dad's house and met Shelby and I at fencing. Oh, and we passed each other on the highway while she was on the way to get Darby and I was taking Shelby to fencing. See, crazy, huh?
It was a crazy kid-shuffling day to boot. On a typical Thursday, Shelby's mother will pick her up from school and take her to fencing, while I then pickup Darby after piano lessons and take her to Shelby's fencing practice so that the kids can go home with their mother. Today, however, I had to leave work early to pickup Shelby and take her to fencing, as her mother had an appointment, and then my step-mother picked-up Darby from piano. The ex-wife then picked-up Darby from my dad's house and met Shelby and I at fencing. Oh, and we passed each other on the highway while she was on the way to get Darby and I was taking Shelby to fencing. See, crazy, huh?
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Back to school
The girls started back to school today. So far, so good. I was expecting lots of problems after them being away for two weeks, but I was pleasantly surprised.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Hmm... less geeky than expected
I am a major geek, or so says the Geek Test. But I expected to be determined a far bigger geek than the result. Strange. Perhaps I should analyze this result. :)
No need to be alarmed
I've had two relatives call to ask about our status with relation to the recent wildfires in the Oklahoma City area (PDF). For those that haven't called, but were wondering, we're all okay, and none of the many fires pose any threat to our home or safety at this time. Oklahoma City is a sprawling city of 600+ square miles, so much of what is going on is ten or twenty or more miles away from us.
That said, when I walked out of my building at work today, I saw a rather large plume of smoke in the distance, and heard sirens. Shortly thereafter I saw several fire trucks heading in that direction. Not sure if it was related, but wouldn't be surprised if it was.
So... not so close. But maybe not exactly so far. Fortunately, only one small lawn fire remains my sole brush with flames in recent weeks.
UPDATE
Okay, so maybe I was a little off. In looking at a list of fires, there was one that was 5 miles away from us, to my surprise. Still, no need to be alarmed. For now.
That said, when I walked out of my building at work today, I saw a rather large plume of smoke in the distance, and heard sirens. Shortly thereafter I saw several fire trucks heading in that direction. Not sure if it was related, but wouldn't be surprised if it was.
So... not so close. But maybe not exactly so far. Fortunately, only one small lawn fire remains my sole brush with flames in recent weeks.
UPDATE
Okay, so maybe I was a little off. In looking at a list of fires, there was one that was 5 miles away from us, to my surprise. Still, no need to be alarmed. For now.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Throw her in with the tigers
As part of her birthday gift from her mother, Darby got to be thrown in a cage with a couple tiger cubs for eight minutes. She had a blast she says, though I think maybe not as much as she would have had were the cubs less tired from a days' worth of eight minute sessions. They mostly laid there and let her pet them whereas we saw them be much more active for others before hand.
Farewell Oh-Five
I'm not a big partyer, even with due cause, so my principle goal when it comes to year end celebrations is for the kids to have fun. And I think I was successful in the provision of fun. We went to a friends' and, along with several other kids, my kids got to enjoy a mix of dancing, balloon fighting, karaoke, keepsake video testimonials, games, and hourly toasts as each timezone released its grasp on 2005.
It was something like 2am when we finally got settled down, and then I was rather zonked. Having helped an uncle move during the first half of the day I was more tired at 2am than typical, so we crashed where we were. I think everyone slept until about ten before enjoying breakfast by our kind hosts. Were it up to the kids, who were still having fun, we'd have stayed a whole other night.
It was something like 2am when we finally got settled down, and then I was rather zonked. Having helped an uncle move during the first half of the day I was more tired at 2am than typical, so we crashed where we were. I think everyone slept until about ten before enjoying breakfast by our kind hosts. Were it up to the kids, who were still having fun, we'd have stayed a whole other night.
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