Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Now I am angry...

Now I am angry! We have money owed us and it is still not here! It seems like if I am one second late paying anything, then everyone is down my throat, but…BUT…when I am owed, it is just fine for everyone else (the corporate world that controls all the money) can take their leisure and apply their rules of standard operation to delay paying what they owe. So much for the Thanksgiving feast…

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Glued Her Head Back On...

Well today started out all well and good. We had some contract work finally come in and while in preparation to head out, our three year old tripped and fell against a dresser and busted her head. There was blood everywhere and when I finally got everyone settled down, she settled down as well. She was actually quite the little trooper. It was very evident that she would need stitches so off to the emergency room we go.

On the way to the hospital we had to travel a rural highway and as par for the course, there was a road crew working and traffic was at a halt, but I was able to talk to one of the workers who managed to get us through without much difficulty. In the meantime, the good wife is sitting in the back with the baby to keep her calm…in reality I think it was the other way around. The baby was sure taking advantage of the attention.

One thing I was happy to see at the hospital was that they have finally gotten with the times. For years, I have been using super glue to mend cuts and such (works wonders on paper cuts), and it was such a relief when they gave a similar option. Stitches on a conscious child are tough, let alone when they are in the face. This turned out to be one of the least traumatic trips to the ER we have ever had. On the way home, we stopped and got her a corndog and completed the day for her. She actually enjoyed how things turned out. I think it was due to the fact the she didn’t have to compete with her siblings…She also was quite proud of the fact that they could, “glue her head back on.”

All in all, a bad day was turned good. Now, trying to figure out when we can get the contracts fulfilled…I hate that money has such a grip on my family…some day…

Sunday, November 20, 2005

Crappy Morning...

I woke up this morning feeling fairly crappy, which was not too bad; I determined it would be a good day! I would let my good attitude be the captain of my day. I get out of bed, rub each of my kid's on the head, trip over the cat and give my wife a kiss.

She, the good wife, would soon be heading to a neighboring town to fulfill some contract work that needed to be done today, and me, the good husband, decided to help her out. I went out and loaded the van with all the supplies she would need for the day, and then, only after it was loaded, I notice it had a flat tire. A "crappy" flat tire!

Being the resourceful guy I am, and following the "good attitude" captain, I move all the stuff to our other van and was quite proud that I had managed to deal with the crappy situation without losing my cool.

Now, being that it was the coldest morning of the year (27 degrees) I decide to have the van warm for my wife, so I jump in to start it and, "click, click, click," went the crappy other van! The crappy battery was dead! I didn’t mention that my wife was inside making pancakes, light, fluffy, golden brown butter soaked pancakes; the kind that always soaks up the perfect amount of syrup. I also didn’t mention that I initially intended to be outside for a couple of minutes that I was barefoot and wearing only a T-shirt & my lazy sweat pants (no drawstring).

So here I am freezing to death in a crappy dead van that is parked next to a crappy lame van and all I want to do is be inside eating those pancakes! I decide that I needed to warm myself by setting both vans on fire…but no, the good captain attitude kicks in and say’s, “today is going to be a good day,” so I get out and decide what a good husband would do…better yet, what a “smart” husband would do. Because no “real” redneck would ever allow his wife to be seen driving around in a vehicle with one of those “donut” spare tires mounted, I would have to pull one of the good tires from the dead van and put it on the lame van, and then drive into town and get the flat fixed and have it mounted back where it belonged at the station. I would then drive back home and put the borrowed tire back on the dead van. In all truth, I could have just sent her on her way with the borrowed tire, but redneck pride wouldn’t let me suffer having my good wife being seen driving a vehicle with a wheel that didn’t match.

In my new direction, I head back into the house, walk past the inviting pancakes, reassure my wife all would be well, and put some shoes and jacket on. I then head back out past the pancakes and commence the operation. I jack up the dead van and remove a tire and position it for placement on the lame van. I then jack up the lame van and half way into the process it slips off the jack, which becomes pinned underneath. Now I am really mad! My only choices were to either place the borrowed tire back on the crappy dead van and borrow it’s jack to raise the lame van so I could retrieve it’s jack, or dig the trapped jack out. I chose to dig the jack out because a good redneck never does the same work twice.

Now with the jack back into position I remove the crappy flat tire and the stupid jack slips again! So back I go digging the jack out and once again, raising the vehicle, and finally I get the borrowed tire put into place. I have never, ever, had a vehicle fall off a jack like this!
Now that the vehicle is mobile, I drive to the station in town and get the tire fixed. I wasn’t able though, to get fixed tire placed back on the van because the station’s crappy jack was in use elsewhere…I would just have to put the right tires back onto their rightful owners back home.

Back home, I jack up the lame van and put the right tire back into place and then move to put the borrowed tire back onto the dead van when it’s crappy jack falls! So…I get the jack from the repaired van and go to work on it when “that” jack falls! Now I have both jacks trapped underneath the crappy dead van. An hour later I have them dug out and place them both under the vehicle and finally get the stupid crappy borrowed tire back into place.

Oh, being that it was freezing cold, it would figure that I would have my lazy sweat pants on which resulted in the constant battle of plumber’s pants syndrome…crappy sweats!

I have never had such a crappy morning! But, when I went back inside, the good wife makes me a stack of pancakes that would bring Paul Bunyon to his knees…I have never had such a good morning either…

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Money...Money...Money

It is a rough one this morning. It seems that the hardest time of the day is the morning. Everything hurts. I did manage to get to sleep around 3 am, so that was good.

The good wife is out and about early this morning on a job that should last her throughout the day. Hopefully I will get a couple of writing assignments so I can add to the money puddle. I like that; Money puddle instead of pool. I do hope that things pick up. Surely they will.

I do so hate that money has become such an issue to us. I never would have believed if someone had told me ten years ago about the me of today. Money, or the lack of, has too strong a hold on the world. Wouldn’t it be great to have access to all the money one could ever need? I would go out daily looking for people to bless. I would try to find nobody in particular, but people who have the look in their eyes that could use a break, you know, strangers. I would just send the people I know a pile of money anonymously so no thanks could be given and no chase taken up. I would also not want anyone to know about my setup. Money, money, money…

Anyway, back to the real world. Might write more later…may not.