Maura received a book from Dayna’s friend, and she just loves it.  As luck would have it, a local community theater was doing a play based on the book. 

Dayna picked up tickets for she and Maura and they had a girls day out today.  Maura asked if Dayna was going to ‘dress up’ as she did; of course she did.

Maura got her book and had it autographed by the two leads.  I guess she waited in line rather well.  Most didn’t know it was a book, and all jealous that she had brought hers to be signed.

As you can see in the pic, they both look adorable (send Dayna spray on TAN soon!  Please, your donation CAN make a difference) and afterwards had girly food at Red Robin (where Mo did not share the desert except for the cherry)!

Had a crappy weekend with the car, about 400 in repairs between Friday and Saturday.  This morning I went out and the ol’ moron here (that’d be me) left the battery on, so it was completely d-e-a-d!

After all that I still love the thing.  I got in it tonight to run out and grab some prescriptions at CVS and I really noticed (that after marinating in that beautiful sun today) that it ‘smelled’ like a used car.  I found it to be a very comforting smell; don’t know that I could recognize all the memories that registered, but they all seemed to be good.

In a later, though chronologically previous, post I mentioned listening to the radio with Mo during Brod’s soccer game. 

It was his second soccer game, and he did learn one important point the previous week.  Goalie sucks!

The coach asked who wanted to be goalie, almost all raised their hands, dying for the chance to have balls kicked at their head…Brody not being one of them.

He ran almost the entire game, and I’d say his ‘running’ is much better than it was for baseball last year.  Really proud of him.

He and I played some more at home today; we really worked on it and he’s improving.  Have to say ‘Sorry’ to him though, as one ball I attempted to kick over his head hit him straight on in the face.  Even with little pentagrams on his face, he still didn’t cry.

Here are some pics from the game.

I had recently purchased the new Christina Aguilera CD and had left it on the computer desk as I was burning it for my ipod.  We were going somewhere, so I asked Brod to run up and get it.

There were several there and he hollered down asking which it was; I said the one with the pretty blonde on the cover.  He immediately knew which one to get.

Since that time, the ‘Back to Basics’ CD has been known as the ‘pretty girl’ album.  (NOTE: the use of the word ‘album’, as well as ‘video’ greatly disturbs our future-fundamentalists, as they are ‘CDs’ and ‘DVDs’ respectively)

Today, Maura was bored with Brod’s soccer game, but the playground equipment was too wet for use.  We went to the truck to talk; she sat in the drivers seat, I in the passenger seat.

We had a bonding moment as I taught her how to use the radio.  She ten pretended to be the ‘mommy’ and was quickly annoyed with her ‘pretend children’ who were constantly ‘pretend nagging’, asking for louder music, no music, different music and so on.  (No great imagination needed here, it was more of an homage’ or lampoon on her own behavior!)

Back on point here; she asked if we could listen to the ‘pretty girl’ CD and if she could look at the booklet.  Sure, no problem.

She asked some questions and again mentioned her appearance (personally, I’ve never really noticed…… ………… ………… …… ……… …….okay, you can laugh now). 

I asked if she wanted to look like her when she grew up.  Without hesitation she said ‘No.  I want to look like Mommy.’

Maura was in the check out line with Dayna, and as is standard right now, she was a little sassy.

As Dayna was discussing her ‘sassisity’ Maura stated quite plainly…

“I’m just a little cranky.  Because you and Daddy keep waking me up early; that makes me a little cranky.”

Tonight Maura walked into the bathroom and then came out, berating Brody for not putting the toilet seat down!

awwwwww

Brody and I had a great time practicing guitars tonight.  Like many, he quickly found practicing to be a bore, however tonight ‘practicing’ clicked for him.  It took a gameboy analogy (now remember how frustrated you got when you first got Lego Star Wars 2, and now you can do it with your eyes closed?), but he was far more dedicated.

When we were at our last lesson, he noted an $800 all steel or chrome guitar.  Tonight he asked that if he learned to play his current acoustic, and a future electric, guitar well, could he get the $800 one. 

Before I could inform him that he was welcome to do so post-college with his own money, he said ‘You better do it soon Dad.  I’ll be in college in a few years and that will cost you a lot of money; do it now while you still have it.’

??

Whew!  What a weekend! 

• Brody Soccer
• Maura Dance
• Brody (and me) Guitar Lessons
• Evening babysitting two additional children of the same ages as ours
• Promo event for kids at Dayna’s work for upcoming play

This isn’t anything like a family on TV….Where’s f*@#ing ALICE?

I won’t go into a lot of detail here, I rarely talk about work, but an exciting (for me) incident occurred.

Our company decided to enter the world of Virtual Communities.  I read a couple computer magazines and several business magazines.  Whenever I see some new Web 2.0 site, I enroll, join, log-in, whatever is needed to try it on for size (see my myspace.com page which I’ve never updated for instance); always looking for how the technology could be used for the identification of candidates (used to be a recruiter and a recruitment trainer).  This particular technology I had joined and used on occasion.

I got drafted to help on the initiative, which was backed (stuff needs an executive sponsor) by the CEO, (doesn’t get much more executive than that) and had the chance to work with the technology and marketing departments (the later a department I’d be someday interested in transferring to).

Long story short, we’re there, the launch was a success, it will make my resume look good (give the old man some street cred with Gen Y). 

The cool part was that I took ‘pictures’ in the community for internal use and several were used as part of the press release.  Pictures, of ‘me’, taken by me, are on business websites the web over. 

That is so freakin’ cool! 

Brody had his first soccer game on Saturday.  He was doing rather well but then he was asked to play goal.  Poor guy let two through and his team lost three to zero. 

Brody is a real sensitive kid and he was near tears when the first one came through.  Fortunately a team mate was there to yell at him and make him feel worse, berating him at the net. 

I went over to comfort him, help him focus on the game rather than hide in the net (flashbacks to when I did the same after a poor trumpet solo in church one time) and how to say ‘bite me!’ to the pudgy Mexican kid givin’ him a hard time.

By the end of the game he was doing better though I think we’ll ask the ‘coaches’ (in quotes as one is a 17 year old boy and the other, a 16 year old girl certain to accelerate the onset of puberty in the team) not to put him in too often. 

Notes to self: 

1)      Work with Brody on Goal Tending

2)      Work with Brody on ‘accidentally’ directing goalie kicks into the back of a teammates head

Maura wrote my name in a book I was reading.  She even wrote ‘Rob’ rather than ‘Dad.’  Have to tell you, that’s pretty impressive for a three year old (and much appreciated…I’d hate to accidentally pick up someone else’s copy of Artemis Fowl!).

I talk mainly about the kids (and myself) in the blog.  I don’t write as often about Dayna as I should. 

I just had to give her props (cause I talk like that in real life, yo); she is just amazing.  She has dropped, and continues to drop, pounds and inches…it’s hard to improve upon her level of hotness, but she seems able to daily.  She’s eating healthy, less, whatever and she is exercising regularly.

On top of this she has a butt-load (a metric measurement for any of you who are not Canadian) of papers to grade for work; as well as preparing for smart ass comments from young republicans and/or local youth group members as they discuss the environment and prepare for evolution.

Finally, she is working extensively on a program at EMU.  Serious research, papers, and reading.  I appreciate the example she’s giving the kids here, because she’ll easily pass, and for me, that was usually good enough; but for her, she wants to do her absolute best and get an A.  Given the competition to get into a good school these days, I hope the kids learn from her!

Thanks, and keep up the good work.  You deserve a break soon!  

Alright! 

Who told?

Somehow Dayna found out I bought a guitar!

C’mon…’fess up!

Who was it?

Yesterday Brody had his first guitar lesson. 

We arrived at the music store and Brody was insistent on wearing his guitar, in it’s rather cool case, over his shoulder.  Brody appears to understand that being a rock star is equal parts talent and attitude and appearance.  (We noted this phenomenom at a recent concert:  Danity Kane opened and was mostly attitude….Pussy Cat Dolls came next and were mostly appearance….then Christina Aquilera performed and she’s all talent!)  So Brody tried to wear it a few different ways till he found the one that was the coolest.  Of course, we were parked on the street right in front of the store, it was literally fives paces away.  J

We go in, say hi to Bob, the giant, calf eating sasquatch-mutt and wait patiently.

Jim, his instructor, is a nice, affable man in his fifties or sixties.  The room is small and covered in pictures of rock stars from the sixties on (and they looked like they were put there in the sixties); there are rock and roll cd’s everywhere and a full arsenal of guitars.

He shows Brody some moves, tunes Brod’s guitar, and then hands him a pick!  Brody thought he was da’ bomb once he had his own animal print pick!

Jim covered elementary fingering on the first string.  Brody did well, but he had some trouble concentrating; the bombastic room décor was somewhat distracting and the guitar (thankfully I got him the ½ rather than the ¾) was a smidge big when resting on this leg.

Jim had asked that I come in; he said many parents choose to sit and read or make calls but it really helps to have a parent involved.  So I was in the room and hopped over to help Brody.  Occasionally I would take the guitar from Brod and help.

It was fun!  Once done I asked if I got my hands on an old guitar if I could bring that in and do the lessons with Brod; I offered to pay more.

He declined the money but was excited by the parental involvement.  He said that if we practiced together Brody would learn so much more.

So the lesson ends, we go to the lobby (music store) and I asked the owner about used acoustics.  He said they don’t get those too often and asked why (long story short I tell him); he said informed me of some clearance packages they had.  Included the guitar, a case, strings, tuner and strap.  WTH I went and looked. 

Well I mulled and mulled and said out loud…My wife is going to kill me but I think I’m going to be a tad immature and impulsive here!  I picked up a solid black guitar (it had a picture of Johnny Cash by it and I LOVE Johnny Cash…late JC, not so much early JC). It was 50% off and came with a really cool case.

I figure I don’t splurge too often and it would be great to practice with Brody.  I love music as much as Brod and will enjoy playing anything. The employees also commented that when the parents are involved the kids are more likely to stick with it.  So I'm not doing this as some predictible manifestation of a mid-life crisis, I'M DOING IT FOR MY BOY! (dramatic music here)

So off we go, two men with guitars on their backs; Brody asked for some DQ, so we walked the couple blocks down there.  We got lots of nice stares and smiling ‘points’ from young and old alike. 

Brody thought he was the coolest thing on the planet. 

So today, Brody and I have to practice…and I have to tell my wife I bought a guitar.  Shhhhh….I haven’t told her yet. 

Maura has determined that she needs to stay up later and is trying a number of new stalling techniques.

Of course there is the standard, or novice-level, ‘I need to use the bathroom’ or the ‘I’m scared’ or plain ol’ crying and insisting that ‘I’m not tired!’

Well, she’s tried all those, but to no avail. 

She then moved on to ‘remembering something.’  ‘Mom, don’t forget Saturday is dance lessons’ (Thanks! It’s only Monday, but we’ll make another note!)  ‘Dad, remember to put oranges in my lunch tomorrow!’

That wasn’t working either, so she’s gone another route:  Tonight, after putting her to bed, she pulled the ‘bathroom’ (DENIED!); then the ‘I’m Scared’ (SORRY CHARLIE!); so then she went in her closet (making a big show) and said, she needed to learn her letters better.  She grabbed a stack of flash cards, sat down in bed and started: ‘A is for apple.  B is for baseball.  And so on.

Got to hand it to her for creativity!

I think we’re finally getting through!

We went to Dayna’s Mom’s for Easter and to celebrate Brody’s birthday. 

At previous holidays, where it’s customary to exchange gifts, Brody has been somewhat greedy and less than 100% courteous.  It certainly bothered us that he was so unappreciative and so we’ve been speaking to him abut that.

This week as he got gifts, he always remembered to read a card first (if one accompanied the gift) and gave colossal hugs afterward the gifts were open.

Have to admit I was a little proud.

Then tonight…Brody turned seven!  Amazing how fast it’s going and how tall he’d getting.  He sat on the couch with his gifts and instead of racing through them, only to come to the end in moments inquiring about more, he took his time.  He stopped and play with each present, several for many minutes, including a reading of a Star Wars book.  Again, this is such a departure from his earlier, greed-induced OGUI (opening gifts under the influence), that we’re quite pleased. 

The kids, when they choose to play nicely together, enjoy a good game of ‘pretend.’  Well their game had coincided with the bi-weekly arrival of my comics; as such, their pretend was somewhat infused with images, characters and events of the graphic novel genre.

At one point, as they decided to change characters, Maura suggested that she be Wonder Woman (and giver her attitude I see her more as Angelina Jolie as WW vs. the softer Lynda Carter WW) and that Brody should be Spider-Man (most people forget to hyphenate….read the covers people!)

Without missing a beat Brody says it’s a no-go as those characters are from different companies! 

*sniff* It’s moments like this that bring a tear to a Dad’s eye!