It no leap, it's a calculated 400 mph jump.

Now that my duties within our little baseball league are all but at a standstill until next year, my job duties have exploded. I have had a total of 1 day off in three weeks, but I hope to enjoy a full 4 days off this holiday weekend if all goes well. Although my job drives me crazy at times, I get to meet some very influential people, from all across the spectrum. I was offered a job in the “desert”, and again from our customer more local. Companies like these can send you almost anywhere you would like to go. But, it’s hard to be a ‘super parent’ when you’re not around. Someone told me once that life is full of choices; finding a balance between hesitation and haste is the hard part. On a basic level it makes perfect sense. Wait too long and your window closes, choose to quickly and you make an irrevocable mistake.

Having said this, I leave you with these somewhat undefined quotes. These quotes are from people whom I ether work with or for. I only with I could give you the prelude to most of these.

$ “Well, you ARE an impressive woman…”

$ “…yes, I am an impressive woman, and this impressive woman will make him…”

$“I have leaking tires on both of our four wheelers, but different tires…”

$“I just can’t take it anymore, Jeff. I’m gona punch him right in the mouth.”

$“Calm down sport, he’ll kill you.” (guess I wasn’t very supportive on that one)

$ “I haven’t tested a tank since I almost blew up the last one, I haven’t been asked to…”

$“Apparently your instructions still haven’t sunk in, he’s still trying to…”

$“Far too many people are just too damn serious!” (that's mine)

$“It’s nice to work with someone that is not only willing to help, but also knowledgeable. Seriously, it’s hard to find. “

$“We have a plan here. It’s a good plan, it just isn’t going to work.”

I only wish I could write down all of them as they happen. I forget almost all of them as my mind is on other items.

Ahhh, the leap of faith……

Yea, my son wanted it!!! FORGET IT!

This morning seemed like any other Monday morning, except that I had no weekend to speak of. I drove the same way as I do every other day, I even stopped at the same convenient store as every other day, but that’s where the usualness ends. As I walk up to the door, I see this kitten outside the building, walking along the outside wall. I think little of it and walk inside. As I make a b-line for the coffee, an all too familiar voice practically screams at me. She comes out from behind the counter, ranting to me about this cat that someone had dropped off at the store about an hour or two ago. She pleaded with me to take the poor thing with me to work and find it a home. I am not the quickest thinker at 6 AM but I had asked her why she didn’t take the thing. This, coupled with the fact that I am somewhat of a humanitarian, led to my giving in easily. If you want to take advantage of me, look me up before 7 AM as I must be easy prey.

Being the foreman, project manager and supply person at a medium sized fabrication and engineering company keeps my days a bit fast paced. It was a usual busy day today, but the cat was content as hell being there. With doors wide open all day, she left the building only a few times, constantly moving to wherever people were. She was surely a former house cat and well cared for as I could tell. She was only about 6 or 8 months old and loved being held or scratched. Throughout the day, besides becoming the day’s newest joke, I found her asleep on workers prints and paperwork tables. Every time I picker her up to move her to a safer location, she purred to no end. Although some loud noises sent her running for cover several times, she sprang back without hesitation, into the company of whomever she could find.

I tried my best to pawn her off of everyone I came across today, every worker, every office person, every truck driver, every delivery person, and yes, even my boss. I ended up bringing the poor thing home with me. Knowing what was going to happen, but needing to try nun the less, I attempted to introduce my 90+ pound to her. Well, that went bad, plus my wife wanted nothing to do with the thing, even after meeting her once she got home. I called every possible prospect I know of to get rid of the cat. Dean, Sadie would have loved her; Carnealian, you missed out! I even tried my friend chuck while I was measuring and estimating a job for him. I should have known better there.

Finally, my neighbor’s daughter was the sucker. In just over 18 hours, I turned a lonely young animal into a loving pet. I know she will be well taken care of. Sidney is very good with animals and has several cats already.

So life goes on.

This year's last function

I tried...

This evening Dorman and I took the kids for a walk up to the fields where I hunt, or at least the kids minus one. Staying at home playing video games with a friend proved to be more important for one. I expected to take a nice walk up in an area that is somewhat remote, teaching the kids about some wildlife. This is not what our trip turned out to be about, to say the least.

First, I usually drive up an old access road to the first field. I didn’t want to do this as it is a very overgrown road and it would have scratched the hell out of Dorman’s new chariot. Instead I chose to park up at my buddy’s property, next to his workshop. He does not live on the property, but rents out a small trailer in the front and operates a small wood mill in the back. Arriving at the property, we had to drive around a few poorly parked cars to get out back. Behind the trailer, we found Chuck’s tenant walking his dog, if you what to call it one, staring us down with the look of death as if saying, “who are you and why the hell are you driving in my yard?” As soon as I parked the truck beside Chuck’s workshop, I called him. In kinder works, he said, “whatever, forget him”.

I rarely gut up to the fields this early in the season so I was somewhat surprised at what we found. First of all, both 100 Plus acre fields were full with soybeans. I tried to find the best path through the lower field, trying to cause as little damage to the crop as possible. I know the owner of this land, but am unsure of who is farming the crop this year as he subs his land out to local farmers. Once we found our path up to the next field, we found the path a bit overgrown and the kids were (ok, my kid was) complaining about the briers scratching up some legs. Once we go up top, we found another field, a larger one, filled with soybean. It turned out that the only wildlife that could be found was a few groundhogs. If I had taken a rifle, the farmer of this field would have been one or two vermin less. It seems as though nothing I try as of late turns out good.

So our short trip proved a bit on the useless side. My two were at each other on the way down, proving that when you add just a minute amount of boredom, they are at each other like cats and dogs.

I have to do a bit of research to find a name of a type of apple that the dear love to eat. Kudos to Dorman’s kid on finding another one of the trees. I may have to change my spot this year.

Reflection:

I have met so many people this year, people as in kids and people as in parents. Some would ask why choose to make the distinction between the two as they are totally and completely related. I have been told that a child is whom his or her parents make him. Although this has some merit, I choose not to believe in it. Yes, it is true that if a child does not receive loving care in his or her ‘critical’ stage in live, IE: very young, the poor kid could be damaged for life. But that’s not the case with most parents, or at least the couple of thousand that I have come across in my few humble years as an adult. Most everyone loves to cuddle and touch a baby; after all, they are so cute. But, what about when this baby grows up a little and starts to get his or her own mind? What happens when this baby turns into a child who you actually need to work with to teach them things? What happens when sitting on the chair, watching your baby swing in the living room isn’t enough? What happens when your child wants you to go out and through some ball around, play heard outside, camp out, have friends over, want their own things, ask for another and another snack before bed, want to pick our their own cloths, want everything they see on TV? What then, I ask!!!

Let’s say little John wants to play football, just as an example. You have tried your best to teach him how to catch the ball while running, yet he just doesn’t quite get the concept. So you choose to do what most parents do, sign him up for football camp. Hey, that’s a great thing. Not only has it been proven that kids learn better and faster when surrounded by other kids, learning the same thing, but you have employed a ‘professional’ to finish what you have started. Well, here’s a wake up call for you people, 7, 8, and 9 year olds are not coached my this so called professional, who gets paid to teach the game! At this level, this camp is run by volunteer parents who have decided to step up to the plate to help the kids. These coaches are not coaches, in an adult sense. They are mostly mentors. They are people who have taken upon them selves the daunting of working with the kids and making them players, team players. Teaching the kids to work as a team, teaching them to forget what is better for them and to remember what is better for the team, as a team, together. (ok, her goes my rant) These coaches are just parents that have stepped up to the plate to make a difference in a few kid’s lives. So you sign your kids up to camp and sit on your foldable chair and watch other people take care of them! Get off of your ass and help! It’s your fucking kid, not mine!!! Why do you choose to use this youth training ground as a way out being a parent for an hour of two? This is the most precious time for your kid, and you choose to sit back and chitchat with your girlfriends about the latest neighbor, or soap opera, or tool, or …….? Oh, then you people who choose to drop your 7 year old girl to her sports function, only to return 2 hours later, over and over again… fuck you! There is a special place in hell for your fat ass!

Ok, I leave you with the words of TOOL, explaining how I feel far better than I can.

Tool - Aenima Lyrics
Some say the end is near.
Some say we'll see armageddon soon.
I certainly hope we will.
I sure could use a vacation from this

Bullshit three ring circus sideshow of
Freaks

Here in this hopeless fucking hole we call LA
The only way to fix it is to flush it all away.
Any fucking time. Any fucking day.
Learn to swim, I'll see you down in Arizona bay.

Fret for your figure and
Fret for your latte and
Fret for your lawsuit and
Fret for your hairpiece and
Fret for your prozac and
Fret for your pilot and
Fret for your contract and
Fret for your car.

It's a
Bullshit three ring circus sideshow of
Freaks

Here in this hopeless fucking hole we call LA
The only way to fix it is to flush it all away.
Any fucking time. Any fucking day.
Learn to swim, I'll see you down in Arizona bay.

Some say a comet will fall from the sky.
Followed by meteor showers and tidal waves.
Followed by faultlines that cannot sit still.
Followed by millions of dumbfounded dipshits.

Some say the end is near.
Some say we'll see armageddon soon.
I certainly hope we will cuz
I sure could use a vacation from this

Stupid shit, silly shit, stupid shit...

One great big festering neon distraction,
I've a suggestion to keep you all occupied.

Learn to swim.
Learn to swim.
Learn to swim.

Mom is going to fix it all soon,
Mom is coming round to put it back
the way it oughtta be...

Learn to swim.

Fuck L Ron Hubbard and
Fuck all his clones.
Fuck all these gun-toting
Hip gangster wannabes.

Learn to swim.

Fuck retro anything.
Fuck your tattoos.
Fuck all you junkies and
Fuck your short memory.

Learn to swim.

Fuck smiley glad-hands
With hidden agendas.
Fuck these dysfunctional,
Insecure actresses.

Learn to swim.

Cuz I'm praying for rain
And I'm praying for tidal waves
I wanna see the ground give way.
I wanna watch it all go down.
Mom please flush it all away.
I wanna see it go right in and down.
I wanna watch it go right in.
Watch you flush it all away.

Time to bring it down again.
Don't just call me pessimist.
Try and read between the lines.

I can't imagine why you wouldn't
Welcome any change, my friend.

I wanna see it all come down.
suck it down.
flush it down.