still wicked bored, gonna write a story

As Jane poured her coffee she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. She knew she was alone in the house today. Roger had left for work and the kids were at school. Her cat Winston was staring at her from the window but that wasn't unusual. The feeling she had was. She sat at the table and muttered to herself, "I'm just being paranoid".

Her thoughts fell to the dream she had that night. She dreamt about a series of underground tunnels populated by rats. But not just any rats. These rats were industrious.  They had little houses, not nests. Towns with shops and cobbled streets. Rats and mice scurrying about. Not in any particular hurry, but rather, that's just what mice and rats did, scurry.  She recalled that the rats seemed to be in charge and the mice were merely servants. Size has it's advantages. A mean streak probably helps too.

She put the thought of slave mice to the side and continued reading the morning paper. Roger had removed the sports section and one the kids had dribbled milk below the comic strips. No matter, she was after the Lifestyle section anyway. As she scanned an article about the latest trends in high end dinnerware, the feeling of being watched returned. She listened intently as she glanced at the windows. Nothing. And there shouldn't be. She and her family lived at the end of a long driveway in a house nestled in the 30 acres of towering evergreens. No neighbour kids retrieving errant soccer balls, no-one to look in the front window as they passed on their morning powerwalk.

Her coffee finished, she returned to her bedroom to get dressed. Winston followed. It was one of his favourite games to rub on Jane's legs as she tried to get into her pantyhose.  Captain Rickle gave the all clear and the rat commandos rushed into the kitchen. Desperate for supplies, the rats had been driven to raiding above ground human swellings. Desperation did not mean foolishness. Scouts had watched the comings and goings of the house so they knew they only had a few minutes to accomplish their mission. Sentries were placed by the hall to warn the rest should Jane, or more importantly, Winston, leave the bedroom prematurely.

Working quickly they swiped the coffee mug and the spoon. They emptied the cat's food dish, stole the laces from three shoes. The Captain signaled to start the retreat. A commando spotted a pen on the floor on the far side of the kitchen. As the team gathered at the exit point, he raced for the pen.  The Captain was forced to stay quiet for fear of alerting the cat but he would surely reprimand this young commando. As valuable as a pen may be to their efforts, the risk was one they should be taking. With the pen, the brash young commando narrowly made through the kitty door with the rest of the group just as Jane and Winston emerged from the bedroom.

 

I'm out of time! Your turn! Go!

I am SO bored!

Here's how bored I am: I tried to see how long I could rapidly blink. Like, to make everything look like there was a strobe light. Probably only lasted 15-20 seconds before I eyeblink muscles got too tired.

Yeah, that bored.

Sometimes I wish....

Sometimes I wish...

...that life were a little more like The Matrix. At least with respect to the thing they had were they could just plug it into your head and you would learn stuff. I don't really like learning, but I like knowing stuff. It would be so much easier to just plug in and BAM, I know all about astrophysics, or Mongol History, or I could play flawless guitar, or be able to do anything I really wanted! That would be stellar.

...that I could somehow stop my facial hair from growing in the places I don't want it. Like my neck.

...that I could magically make the hair on my head grow at an astonishing rate.

...I was a little bit taller. I wish I was a baller.

...I could speak Spanish.

...I could read faster.

...I could clone myself so I could be in two places at once and I wouldn't miss anything because of work.

...I could eat pizza for every meal.

...I wasn't so hairy.

...I could live in the woods away from all the distractions of the world. But with high speed internet.

...I quit my paper route a year earlier and tried out for the football team.

...I had found a way too keep playing hockey after age 12.

...I could go back and do high school over again because I am much cooler now.

Last couple days

Thursday was a rough day. I had to go to a wake for a 4 year old. It was the son of a friend I grew up with next door. He drowned in the pool. Well, the pool cover. Quite possibly the saddest thing I have ever seen. I cannot begin to imagine what the family is going through. It was awful. He was in this too tiny coffin, with all his favourite toys, with his little hat on and a copy of Kung Fu Panda. They were transporting his urn to the internment in Tow Mater. I couldn't bring myself to go to the funeral. It was just too much. The wake was hard enough. I came home bawling and sobbed into Becky's shoulder. I went and hugged Grace too. Amelia woke up in the night so I hugged her then. It really made me appreciate how much I have. I will try my damnedest from here on out to enjoy every moment I have with my family. It could all be taken away just like that.

On a lighter note, I would have been really embarrased if someone had seen (or rather, heard) me cleaning out the freezer and moving the new (to us) one into the backroom. I had Iron Maiden on the stereo and I was singin' along. Doing the best Dickinson impression I could. I am sure if anyone heard my falsetto it would have made their day! I did some gardening too. Scratched my arms all to ratshit trying to get all the leaves out of the bushes. Had burgers on the BBQ. yeah baby! Rode the scooter in to work. Got it under cover before it started to rain. I just hope it's not raining when it's time to go home!

Dribs and drabs because I am bored

I came up with a new saying with regards to dog poo/pee on the floor. "You
seen it, you clean it." It does NOT apply to general messes, dishes or
laundry.

Rain sucks.

I am all out of black tea.

Kylesa and Intronaut play Kingston in less than 2 weeks!! And Mastodon
might be there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Toxic Holocaust if playing there later this summer. Oh yeah!

I should really be concentrating more on work right now.

RIP Hunter

Good weekend

I think I blogged about Saturday already didn't I? Remote blogging and a
terrible memory don't go well together. I'll assume I did.
Sunday was another good day. Not only for us as a family, but for me
personally.
We went to Chad and Kelly's Saturday night. We had a very good time (sans
kids). They let us know that Kelly is pregnant!!! Cool. I took one beer
with me (St. Peter's English Ale. Try it. Organic and awesome) and Chad
gave me a celebratory one. It put me to sleep and I missed the end of the
movie.
We got home late and in bed by like 1. But we were up around 8 and all was
good. We got donuts. We took Tyler home and hung out there for a bit. Took
Amelia out to pet the calves and the donkey and see the chickens. Grace
played with Robyn.
Then we went for a little drive and spent the afternoon in the yard. After
supper we went to Dairy Queen and had some treats and played in the play
thinger there.
Girls went to bed great but Meel didn't stay down. She has a cold so she
was all stuffy and woke up.
Good weekend.

I had a beer last night

It was my first alcoholic beverage since January 15. That's a whole 93 days. I am proud that I could do it. Truth be told, I wasn't super impressed with the beer I had. I don't know if I have lost the taste. I don't think so. I think a) it wasn't cold enough b) Steamwhistle just isn't as good out of a can and c) Amelia was on my lap and not feeling well so I couldn't properly relax.

Pretty good morning

Becky went to work and I took Grace to gymnastics. Amelia behaved and didn't give me a hard time. I could tell Grace isn't 100% yet because she wasn't as into it as she usually is. After that, we went to the library to hear Peggy Collins read. She read her book In The Garden as well as a book she illustrated called Tallula's Atishooo! Grace drew a picture on a big sheet with other kids and planted a pea plant to bring home. Amelia played with some other kids. It was a good time. I took them to McDonald's after. Sort of as a reward but also cuz I wanted a burger.
As a side not, it was the first time I used the emergency brake on the van. I had never had to park it on a hill yet.
Amelia is napping now and I am going to try and tidy up a bit while Grace rests too. Grace and I have to make a Zoo board today. For her next reward, she chose the zoo. 5 weeks of blue tickets at school and good days at home and here we come, Zoo!!

Last night we took the girls to Chuck E. Cheese's. That is what Grace had worked towards as a reward. Both girls had a blast and Becky and I weren't stressed! The pizza wasn't that bad. We all had lots of fun and for little money. Grace is really good at the water gun game, Amelia does not like the rides that move, and Becky and I need work on our basketball skills. We will have to go again sometime. It was great!

I haven't had to snap on anyone's head! (yet)

Because I am a bit of a cynic, I thought that I would get some flack for riding our e-scooter to work tonight. (daymak.com  "Gatto")  I haven't, yet. I hope any detractors choose to keep their negativity to themselves because I have not in the mood for jokes or other non-supportive comments. Depending on what may be said, I am lible to snap on their head. Or just walk away. It's an environmental choice and I am proud of it. I'm reminded of a Slipknot song but I won't repeat the lyrics here. I've had positive comments from WW, JW, SC, and RB. Possibly a sarcastic comment from LM. Not sure.

I Give Up

Everything I try to feel better doesn't work. or it works for a couple days and then it doesn't anymore. Maybe I am just realizing that my mood and behaviour wasn't a side effect of being tired. Maybe I was using it as an excuse. The only thing I haven't done that I have wanted to is exercise but my knees are bothering me enough that I just can't.
I go to see the doc on the 27th and I will do whatever they tell me to. Drugs, therapy, anything.
I can't do this anymore. I can't be this person anymore. It's not fair to those who love me and it's not fair to myself. I wanted to fix myself by myself but I can't.
Good thing I have benefits at work.

We gots a new pupper

That's our new puppy Sara Princess Marie Hinch. Grace picked the name. She is a 9 week old Jack Russell/Beagle. Cute as a button. Likes to chew. Great. Getting pretty good at doing her business outside. We need to work on not shitting in her crate. 2 baths yesterday and 2 stinky hose-outs of the crate. BIG TIME cuddler.
She gets along with Leia very well. The cat, not so much. But Franki just goes somewhere else.
I'll have to do some reinforcements to the outside kennel. Just to be sure Sara can't wiggle her way out. Nevermind about the picket fence. She'll always be small enough to slip between the boards.

Amelia's Birthday and dual party

Sunday our baby turned 2. That was fast!! We had some relatives over for a little party on Sunday for a dual Grace-Amelia party. We won't do that again. Too much. They both got some great stuff. Problem is the sharing. They are sisters, what can you do?
It forced Becky and I to clean a little harder so that's a good thing. Now it's all about maintenance. I guess I'll just have to be a hard ass. haha (as I look at the disaster that is my computer desk)
5 and 2. Damn, where does the time go?

NHL no closer to team in Sin City

Bettman says NHL no closer to team in Vegas

They better not be!! Are you kidding me? Take a look at the team in the southern states. Phoenix, Tampa, Florida for example, are struggling to keep people in the stands. Why? Because hockey is cold weather sport! In the article it says they have no plans for expansion but if they did, how about Winnipeg! Quebec City! Hamilton!
If they ever put a team in Vegas, it would crash and burn.

Ya know what's awesome?

Grace loves science! That's awesome! She loves the show Sid the Science Kid. First time she watched it she comes running in to me all excited. "Dad! We can smell because of scent molecules!!!"

There is a show she watches at daycare called Adiboo. The video they have is about the circulatory system and Fiona says she eats it right up! I read her a book once about constellations and she talks about Ursa Major all the time. The other day she was watching Zula Patrol, she comes running into the kitchen, "Dad! Stars are held together by their own gravity!!" Maybe it's just me but it seems like she gets more excited about science then other stuff. Don't get me wrong, she like other stuff but you know what I mean. She really likes Super Why and Word Girl. Both are about reading. And Martha Speaks, which is about language skills. It's kinda neat. They use big words (bigger words) and then explain what they mean.I can't wait til she can read!

I am going to start reading a series of books to her. I had them when I was a kid. I call them the Value books. The Value of Determination, Understanding, Knowledge, Forgiveness etc. Each one is about a historical figure. Johnny Appleseed, Ben Franklin, Marie Curie, The Wright Brothers. There is pictures so that's good. hahah I hope she likes them.

When I woke up

Friday morning, I had a thought. (I know!! That IS hard to believe) But it's pretty deep. Why are they called Chinese? Why not Chinan? I can't think of another country that ends in "a" that refers to their people as "-ese". Most of the rest just add an "n". For example: American, Cuban, Australian, Bolivian, Indonesian, Slovakian, Russian, Algerian, etc. Am I right? There are other exceptions CanadIan, ArgentinIan. Where an "i" is added. But by and large if a country ends in "a", just add an "n". Not China. They follow a different trend. Like Japanese and Sudanese. Who decides on "n" countries? Whethere to go "-ese" or "i", or "-ian"? I better drop this train of thought before my brain explodes. Netherlands=Holland-->Dutch? WTF?! Are they called New Zealanders? Trinidad and Tobaggan?? HAHAAH I'm so easily amused.

Grace had a party!!

Grace had a party for her 5th birthday on Saturday. She had lots of fun. There was friends from school, friends from daycare, cousins and other friends. They did some crafts, decorated (and ate) cupcakes, played some games and opened some gifts. I got to meet some of her friends from school. Mixed first impressions. They made lots of noise and plenty of mess, but they had fun. It really made me feel like a dad. I do everyday but I felt like other people identified me as "Grace's dad". Nobody called me Mr. Hinch, so that's good. That would just make me feel old. Although, I did almost have one the parents convinced that TV was only in black and white when I was a kid. Almost.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

I just finished reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne. It about two boys on opposite sides of the fence. One in striped pajamas ( in a concentration camp) and the other the son of a high ranking Nazi. It is written from the perspective of the naive son of the Nazi official. It's a very compelling read. It explores the Holocaust from a very interesting perspective. We have all read about the horrors of the Holocaust but never in this way. It speaks to the innocence of youth even in the face of the unspeakable. It's even relavant to our time, without the blatant hatred of the Nazis. It demonstrates what we can learn from children. In the eyes of children, we are all the same. No matter our race, religion, ancestry or social standing, we are all people.

I highly recommend this book. It's a very quick read. Which is good because once you start, you won't want to put it down. In the notes at the end of the book, the author states that he wrote it in a week and half, but it doesn't feel rushed or half-assed.

It's almost time!!

The snow is gone. The flowers are coming up. Time to get outside. We went for our first after supper walk of the season the other day. It was very nice. We are now looking for a double jogging stroller. We used to have a double bike trailer/stroller but it was cumbersome and Grace hated it. Then we had a jogging stroller but we never used it. I think we sold it for as much or more than we paid for it. We want a jogging stroller because they tend to have bigger wheels and can handle uneven sidewalks better than normal strollers. We need the double to we can take both girls when we are alone. Finding a used one is not proving easy.

I am really itching to get outside.  I have a lot of work to do. Not to mention using the scooter!! I need to get some dirt and level out the yard in some places to make it so the fence doesn't look crooked (it's level). And to "freshen up" the dog's kennel. I can pick it all up but with the rain and stuff....

I need to strart doing some measuring and planning for my first project of the summer. I am putting a railing around the front porch. Need to measure to see how long of 2x4s I'll need and then plan for spacing of the 2x2 spindles and calculate how many of those I need. I'm going to get those holders I guess, that you screw onto the upright and then fit the end of the 2x4 into it. That is so much easier than trying to hammer the nails in on an angle and all that. When that's all done I will be building some window boxes but not for the windows. haha. They will sit on either side of the stairs. I am going to mount the numbers for our address on one of the boxes. Dad and Zena got us some really nice ceramic ones from a vendor when they were down in Chile. I haven't put them up anywhere yet because I wanted to do it right. If I get all that done, and we have the money, I'll be building a bigger deck. Not sure on the size yet but it will be bigger then the 8x7ft one we have now. At least 12x12, maybe 12x16. I have room for 12x20 but that might be a bit much. We'll see. I might even use the wood from the old deck to make a scooter port. hahaha Like a carport, but for the scooter.

Grace's birthday party is Saturday. There will be quite a few people at the house. I think 11 kids including Grace? plus Amelia, and the teenage cousin help. and parents. I just hope Amelia is well enough that she can be involved and we won't have to seclude her or take her somewhere else. Poor thing.

Saturday morning, I will find myself in Kingston. I have to get Becky the Best Buy exclusive Limited Edition Twilight DVD. It's got a bunch of extra stuff that is only on that version. It's sold out online. I need to call the store tomorrow and see if the are doing anything special. Like opening early or anything. Doubtless there will be hordes of teen girls there waiting to get it. Should be interesting. I hope I don't look like a creep and/or nerd. IT'S NOT FOR ME!!!!! hahaha

Grace's Birthday!

Grace turned 5 today. Well, yesterday. Fine! Wednesday.

She got a Peek-a-Boo Barbie and a Princess Barbie. A Tinkerbell balloon. A nice little toy bin and a Littlest Pet Shop Fitness CLub from us.

She got a Bratz Princess (she thinks it's Barbie) and a Camp Rock "Mitchie" doll (She thinks it's Hanna Montana) in the mail from Grammie and Poppa Rose. She's happy, that's all that matters. She was very excited to get mail.

She spent the day with us and her friend Makenzie. We went to the Pirate Park in Belleville then to McDonald's (with PlayPlace). When it was time to leave, Mackenzie went to get Grace and Grace screamed bloody murder because she didn't want to leave. My gawd was it loud! This horrible screech in a little acoustically resonant room was loud enough that federal safety regulations would have required hearing protection. Then we went back to our place and the girls played. I managed to nap in the next room with no problem. I wasn't THAT tired, and I doubt they were quiet, but I think I have myself trained.

Grace talked to or got birthday messages from just about everyone. It was good. She is going to have such a blast at her party on Saturday!

Hard to believe she's so old!! Next thing I know she'll be in high schooo. Please no! I'll stick with the fancy song she sang Grampa about how she'll be six and go to Grade One.

Can I get my hopes up yet?

No daily high temperatures in the minus until at least Monday. And the 14 Day Trend says nothing below 5 after that. That would be very nice indeed. I am sick of the cold.

I went to Value Village yesterday to grab a couple cassettes that I didn't get last time because I didn't want to use debit for $2.26 and they were gone!! Who else other than me would want a Megadeth and Rage Against the Machine cassette? crap.

I hope to do alot of cleaning up outside on Friday. The high is only 1 for Friday though. But sunny.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! and Happy Submarine Day!