Marty August 26th, 2008
After the “Vacation From Hell” we had last week, I was really looking forward to having some time to get out and relax — God knows what we both needed it. But Blair had to go back to school, and there were a TON of things that needed to get done around the house. So, instead, I became domesticated — which actually worked out since I got a lot done around the place that has been hanging out there for a while. I painted the front door, patched and painted the back door, fixed the shelf in the garage, replaced the front spotlight, mowed the lawn, did some errands around town and worked for a few hours. Yeah, it wasn’t a weekend watching the beginning of fall migration, but it was really satisfying to get all of these little things done and see the house get that little bit nicer.
Hopefully, THIS weekend - with 3 days - will provide at least one day of respite among the 1,000,001 other things that really should get done around here. I know that the dogs would appreciate it. At least they had a good time down in NC…
Marty August 7th, 2008
She’s taking FOUR pets to the vet today: 2 dogs and 2 cats. Among the things going on (oh, this is going to cost us):
- Check-ups and shots for all 4
- New puppy prozac for Miles
- Preventative antibiotics for our trip to the beach (the dogs got hot spots the last two years)
- Antiseptic spray and lotion in case of hot spots this year
- Checking a lump on Miles (not cancer, not cancer, NOT cancer…)
- Checking Miko (cat) for weight & hair loss and puking
I think I’ll pick her up a medal on the way home.
The 3 days until vacation list
Marty July 31st, 2008
This past weekend was a good one - I got a lot of stuff done that’s been just nagging me: got my car inspected, weeded the gardens, mowed the lawn, filled the bird feeders, fixed our sidewalks. But the single best thing Shari and I might have done all weekend was go to see my grandfather. And that one thing paid in spades: because I got to see the man that I had known most of my adult life again. Continue Reading »
Marty July 28th, 2008
I wonder which is worse - having a kidney stone … or watching someone you love have a kidney stone. Actually, I think I know the answer but it’s still tough to watch Shari go through this. We’re just hoping that it passes soon - although from what she said about last time, that a real bitch to go through, too.
Update 7/31 - she passed it (finally). Now she can be on the road to recovery…
Marty July 22nd, 2008
Well, HOlympics V is over. This past Saturday, our annual celebration of sports athletic-like endeavors occurred, with 11 of us getting all-too-close to the top of that hill guys congregated at Bloser Arena (that is, my buddy Jim’s place) to compete, drink and talk a LOT of shit to and about each other. Like the four previous events, this one was full of more mouth than prowess, more beer than common sense and some truly spectacular displays of ‘recreational activities’ (c’mon … you can’t call darts a ’sport’, can you?). Continue Reading »
Marty June 26th, 2008
She’s got a great sense of humor. (even after the dog has been snacking).
Marty June 19th, 2008
THIS is why my wife is such a good photographer. I mean, who would have thought to get a shot like this at a wedding. But I think it’s hysterical. If you like it, be sure to check out her other shots from the wedding, too.
Due to some family qualms about these images, they have been taken down. Some people just can’t take a joke.
Update 6/26: here are the pictures again. Long story.
Marty June 18th, 2008
Well, my cousin got married on Saturday, and it took a whole weekend to fit in all of the festivities. With relatives pouring in from everywhere (most of her mom’s family is from Florida, my sister and family live in Georgia, and her sister had to come back from the Peace Corps in Ecuador), they made the most of having everybody being in the same place. The party started with post-rehearsal munchies and pool time on Friday night, ran through the wedding on Saturday and concluded on Sunday afternoon with the post-wedding brunch. It was great to see everyone, but man am I exhausted. I can only imagine how much Erin and Chas needed that honeymoon in Puerto Rico at this point. Continue Reading »
Marty June 13th, 2008
My sister, brother-in-law and nephew are all up in PA this week for my cousin Erin’s wedding, and for weeks I’ve been trying to figure out the schedule so that a) I could get to see them and b) we could take them for the ethnic dinners we promised when we visited in April (for some reason they can’t get good Indian or Thai out in rural Georgia - go figure). As the days grew closer to their arrival, I tried to get an idea of the schedule and worked with my father to figure out what would be the best days to go to the Franklin Institute and the Natural History museum across the street with Caleb who’s 2 1/2 going on 5. Two weeks ago, it was fairly set we would go on Friday. A week ago, it appeared it would be Monday. Last weekend it was back to Friday (aka today). Last night it was “probably tomorrow” (again, aka today).
This morning, it was 10:30 and they still hadn’t left the house. They were still going to see my grandfather, which meant that instead of meeting in Philly by noon, they wouldn’t be there until at least 1 or later. And we still had to go to the rehearsal party at my aunt’s tonight - leaving scant time for doing the Franklin Institute, let alone that AND the museum. My father is notoriously late and takes an hour to get ready for anything, so I’m a little frustrated. Why?
Because it’s frickin’ 12:30 already and they still haven’t started moving toward Philly yet. Suddenly, my ONE day with Caleb - a day I took off of work for - is becoming the ‘hi Caleb, bye Caleb’ event. At this point, Shari can’t even go because she has to go to the rehearsal dinner to take pictures.
I really wish people would get their frickin’ acts together sometimes.
Quite of the Day
“It’s not that I don’t enjoy getting involved in a great story, or caught up in an engaging article, but I have the attention span of a cat at dusk, cranked up on Shrimp Medley, during a massive bird migration.”
– from Coudal Partners
Marty May 23rd, 2008
It was a long 48 hours - 48 hours that saw my grandfather step to the brink of death and back again. The good news - he’s alive and doing (relatively) well. But it was a roller coaster ride that started on Tuesday evening. Continue Reading »
