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December 31, 2005
Happy New Year
I was at PureMood's site yesterday writing something about New Year's and didn't mention a tradition that I had wanted to. For as long as I can remember the kids in our family used to ask my dad for his New Year's blessing every New Year's day (I mentioned in last year's post). This tradition goes back quite a way and is basically a way to acknowledge that it is a father's place to ask the Lord's blessing for his family at the start of each year. Yeah I know, in this day and age of equality of the sexes and political correctness this tradition may seem a bit chauvanistic but you know what, my wife still mentions it to the kids every year if they happen to forget and believe me, she's an equal partner in this marriage if there ever was one.
And speaking of New Year, the picture is of my mom and dad and another couple at a New Year's eve party at the Carrera Hilton Hotel in Santiago, Chile in 1965 (my parents are on the right). We were living in Chile at the time and the hotel put up a major New Year's eve bash with a big orchestra, food and drinks, expensive prizes, etc. Me and my brother were just kids so we stayed in the hotel room with a babysitter but my parents loved those parties.
My mom was quite a good looking woman and this has always been my favourite picture of her. My dad looks good too of course, although a tad inebriated.
Anyway, Happy New Year everybody.
And Happy New Year to you too mom and dad, I hope the New Year's eve bash in heaven is a good one.
Posted by OldGuy at 1:36 PM | Comments (14)
December 30, 2005
There's Nothing Like a Haircut and a Vacuuming to Make You Feel Good
Yesterday my wife mentioned that I needed a haircut as I was getting a bit scuffy looking so this morning I stopped in to the local First Choice and got that done. Now, First Choice isn't known for taking time with their customers, more like get em in and get em out and that's fine with me because I'm just in for a quick buzz cut anyway. Of course this also means I usually have to snip a few hairs that were missed when I get home but what the heck, I can live with that.
Today was different. I had a fellow who really took his time, paid attention to the details, which was great. When I got home nary a hair had to be snipped and I looked just great (well, that's my opinion anyway).
The one thing I don't like about getting a haircut though is having to come home and immediately wash my hair to get all the little pieces out, drives me crazy having to wash my hair twice in one day. Anyway, today I came home and started cleaning up the house as soon as I got in, pulled out the vacuum cleaner and away I went.
Then it hit me, vacuum cleaner, why not ? So I vacuumed my head. It worked great, got all the little hairs out in no time.
Anyway, if you ever decide to try this yourself just remember one thing, don't use any attachments, especially the one meant for carperts otherwise you may find yourself in the nearest emergency room having a conversation that goes something like this:
Doctor: "So tell me how you got the vacuum cleaner stuck to your head ?"
You: "Well, it all started when my wife said I needed a haircut."
Oh, and as New Year's day falls on a Sunday, as did Christmas, I may or may not be here so Happy New Year and do your own musing.
Posted by OldGuy at 2:45 PM | Comments (6)
December 27, 2005
I Love Christmas
So how was everybody's Christmas ?
I had a good one as always. I love Christmas. The people, the food, the presents.
Christmas eve was spent at home with the family. My wife's grandmother usually comes out Christmas eve and stays over until late Christmas day but this year she couldn't make it so it was just the four of us. We had fajitas (the kid's choice) and thoroughly enjoyed them. My wife makes her own tortillas, and we do up some chicken, onions, and green peppers. With some nachos and salsa the whole thing makes an excellent meal. After dinner we puttered a bit then, after the princess went to bed, my wife and I and our son wrapped a few last minute presents and set the table for breakfast before going to bed to await Santa Claus.
In the morning the princess got up around 7 a.m. and she and her brother emptied their stockings. Then it was time to open presents. Following that we had an excellent breakfast of eggs Benedict, champagne and orange juice and coffee with chocolate-dipped cinnamon sticks.
The kids played with their presents for a few hours then we went to my wife's grandmother's. We had the traditional turkey dinner, opened more presents, then spent the night. On Boxing Day we all went to a restaurant for dinner (our family, grandma, my wife's brother and his wife, and her aunt and uncle). After dinner it was back to grandma's for more presents and we finally drove home late last night, tired but happy. Well, except for the princess, who seems to have gotten a flu and was ill last night and probably will be today.
So what did everybody get for Christmas ?
I got a bunch of stuff; the last Star Wars movie, which I hadn't seen yet, a new watch (which I definitely needed), new robe and slippers (most definitely needed), and a few other things, last but not least of which is a book on HTML and CSS I had asked for. I'm very excited about that gift as I want to really learn this stuff so I can play around on my blog some more.
So, I hope everybody had a great Christmas and got as spoiled as I did.
And the greatest thing of all is that I'm on holidays until after New Year's so I get to rest, relax, and spend time with the family.
Anyway, it's still early morning so I'm going back to bed. See you folks later.
Posted by OldGuy at 6:43 AM | Comments (11)
December 23, 2005
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
I probably won't be around for a few days so here's wishing everybody well. I hope you all have a great holiday.
BTW, the door's open and there's booze in the cupboard, help yourselves.
Just don't trash the place. :)
Posted by OldGuy at 10:52 AM | Comments (9)
December 22, 2005
That's Amore
Please rise for the singing of the Italian national anthem.
When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie
That's amore
When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine
That's amore
Bells will ring ting-a-ling-a-ling, ting-a-ling-a-ling
And you'll sing "Vita bella"
Hearts will play tippy-tippy-tay, tippy-tippy-tay
Like a gay tarantella
When the stars make you drool just like a pasta fazool
That's amore
When you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet
You're in love
When you walk down in a dream but you know you're not
Dreaming signore
Scuzza me, but you see, back in old Napoli
That's amore
When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie
That's amore
When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine
That's amore
Bells will ring ting-a-ling-a-ling, ting-a-ling-a-ling
And you'll sing "Vita bella"
Hearts will play tippy-tippy-tay, tippy-tippy-tay
Like a gay tarantella
When the stars make you drool just like a pasta fazool)
That's amore
(When you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet
You're in love
When you walk down in a dream but you know you're not
Dreaming signore
Scuzza me, but you see, back in old Napoli)
That's amore
Lucky fella
When the stars make you drool just like a pasta fazool)
That's amore
(When you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet
You're in love
When you walk down in a dream but you know you're not
Dreaming signore
Scuzza me, but you see, back in old Napoli)
That's amore, (amore)
That's amore
Thank you, you may be seated now.
So, why this old Dean Martin classic ?
Well, like so many men (and women to maybe ?) I don't like shaving, mostly because I usually mange to nick myself at least once. It's the acne. Yeah, I'm pushing 50 years old and I still get zits, what can I say.
Anyway, this morning I'm shaving and I'm being real careful and everything is going along smoothly (get it, smoothly, I got a million of em) and it's like I'm Dean Martin ya know. I'm debonair and I'm singing and life is great because I'm Dino and he's the coolest guy that ever lived.
Then suddenly I feel that old familiar sting, the one that says "sorry, you blew it, game over."
And now I'm not Dino anymore, I'm his little buddy, Jerry Lewis, and I'm shaving for the first time and I'm terrified and I'm fumbling with the razor and there's no toilet paper to stick on my face and I'm not cool, I'm a geek, and geeks never get the girl, at least not the hot one, and the day is shot to hell.
Ah well, maybe I'll be Dino tomorrow. Anyway, enjoy the song, those of you who can remember it that is.
And ladies, enjoy Dino.
Posted by OldGuy at 9:44 AM | Comments (2)
December 20, 2005
A Tree House Christmas 2005
Twas Christmas eve in the tree house and OldGuy was snoring
The tree twinkled brightly and a fire was roaring
In the background Christmas music was playing
And on the old battered couch OldGuy was laying
Outside the tree house more lights twinkled brightly
He’d strung them with care and fastened them tightly
He’d had quite a scare when the ladder started to tip
And he fell out of the tree and almost broke a hip
Suddenly a great clatter arose in the night
It awoke OldGuy and gave him a terrible fright
He looked outside and what did he spy ?
A great big sled flying through the sky
Holding the reins at the head of the sled
Was a jolly old fellow all dressed in red
His beard was white and his hair hung in curls
And his sled was pulled by eight tiny squirrels
“Santa” OldGuy shouted with glee
"I’m right down here as you can see”
So Santa pulled up next to the tree house
And stepped right down as quick as a mouse
"Santa" said Old Guy "Where are the reindeer ?"
"Couldn't they make the big trip this year ?"
"Did Rudolph get sick and his nose cease to shine ?
"Or did Dasher and Dancer get into your Christmas wine ?"
Santa replied "I knew you liked squirrels so I sent the reindeer to lunch"
"Scoured the forest and found this crazy bunch"
"Sprinkled them with Christmas magic and lo and behold"
"Now they can fly and they go where they're told"
"Santa" said Old Guy "I have milk and cookies I think"
But Santa replied, “After that flight I could use a stiff drink"
So OldGuy took down some snifters he kept handy
And poured two double shots of his very best brandy
They toasted their health then Santa opened his bag
And gave OldGuy a gift with his name on the tag
“Don’t open that until I’m gone" Santa said
Then out he went and got back on his sled
OldGuy waited until St Nick was out of sight
Then opened the package and squealed with delight
For inside was a bag tied with a lovely red bow
Filled with the marbles he'd lost long ago
Posted by OldGuy at 1:23 PM | Comments (10)
December 19, 2005
Making the Rounds
I made the rounds of the folks on my blog roll today to wish them all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. It had been a while since I'd visited some of them so it was nice to get reacquainted with their blogs, I must make an effort to visit more often. I used to try to do that but got out of the habit when I was away. Anyway, if you're on the blog roll and I didn't stop in it's either because I couldn't comment on your blog or forgot my password so have to get a new one. Mona, your blog was one that I couldn't comment on so I've requested a new password, think I tried to set up a new account too. Yeah, I'm such a putz sometimes.
You have to check out the pictures of Christmas ornaments at The Shuttered Eye, they are just beautiful.
So, only 5 days till Christmas, is everbody ready ? I'm not, but then I'm always a last minute kinda guy that way. Actually I'm pretty lucky though, my wife does all the shopping and the baking and a lot of the decorating which leaves me with cleaning the house and buying her present. Sometimes she even buys her own and just gives it to me to wrap.
Romantic eh ?
I promised you folks a story about a dragon a while ago and never got around to writing it, so I'm gonna work on that. I also have a few other ideas I'm kicking around so stay tuned to this station.
I decided to try out the Rent My Blog thing from Blog Explosion. My landlord is Mr. Mike Marinaro of Ramblings and Rhetoric and he's given me a full page spread over at his place. Thanks Mike, you're a gentleman and a scholar. Now I'll have to reciprocate and put my blog up for rent. I'll do that this week.
Finally, that is the princess up there. This photo was taken at our office childrens party last week. Cute kid.
Posted by OldGuy at 3:07 PM | Comments (9)
December 18, 2005
Sunday Morning Musings
I put the Christmas lights up at home yesterday so while I was at it I figured I might as well put some up around the tree house too. My daughter said they just looked like little dots because you can't see the wires so I told her "Of course you can't see the wires, I hid them, just like I did the ones on the house." And if you're wondering about the lack of snow, given that I live in eastern Canada and we just got a pile of the stuff a few days ago, the tree house is in Hawaii.
What ??? You thought the tree house was in Ottawa ?
So Christmas is a week away and that got me thinking about past Christmases, and where I was living at the time. We lived in Chile for a few years when I was a kid so Christmas day it was quite hot, in fact we spent part of the day at the beach. And if you think Ottawa, is cold, I lived a few years on the north shore of the St Lawrence River in Eastern Quebec. Now that was cold, especially with the winds coming off the river. It was nothing to have snow banks 10 feet high by Christmas.
My family is originally from Northern Ontario, Shania Twain country, and that's another cold spot. Here's a remembrance for ya. In my mom's home town there was a lake that froze over in the winter and it was at the bottom of a big hill so in the winter we kids loved to go sledding down that hill and out onto the lake, especially as it was a really big hill and by the time you got to the botton you were really flying. Funny thing though, nobody went near that lake in the summer, must have had something to do with it's name which was Le Lac a Merde. That's French for The Lake of Shit, or Shit Lake for short. Yep, the city dumped raw sewage into that lake for years so it was sorta stinky and dead. But in the winter it froze up just fine and you didn't smell a thing and we kids spent hours on it
.
BTW, did you notice how exotic the name sounds in French ? French makes anything sound good.
Nothing Christmasy about this little tidbit, just something I saw on tv this morning. I was watching an old movie this morning, goodguy vs. bad guy thing, and in one scene the bad guys are blasting away at one of the good guys in broad daylight in the middle of a crowded street. Yeah, silly but the part that was completely over the top was when the good guy got away the bad guys look around, realize where they are and what they've been doing, and they quickly put their guns away and you know they're thinking "I hope nobody saw us." Ah, Hollywood.
Back to Christmas. The princess was on the computer this morning composing her letter to Santa so she could e-mail it (yeah, gotta love technology). Anyway, she turned to me and asked for help because she couldn't find the send button on the page she was on.
Here's what she'd written: "Dear Santa, for Christmas please cure my brothers diabetes."
She told me afterwards that she wanted an X-box too but that this was her most important wish and the one she really wants. Kids are amazing aren't they ?
I may not be around the tree house next Sunday so I'll wish you all a Very Merry Christmas right now, may it be a good one for you and yours. If I get a chance I will drop by otherwise there'll be fresh coffee and cookies, help yourselves and enjoy the day.
Posted by OldGuy at 3:04 AM | Comments (3)
December 16, 2005
The story submitted below
Okay, the idea jar wasn't quite empty today after all, I just needed to get more fully awake.
This isn't a happy story so sorry about that but it is quite personal and I've debated about writing it a long time. Last night in the middle of the night I decided to go for it because, well, it's part of my life.
Posted by OldGuy at 2:34 PM
Another Long Night
He was having the dream again.
In the dream he was watching his family leave him, walking away from him as though he didn't exist. A few moments ago they had been enjoying a picnic together, eating, talking, laughing, and now they simply got up and walked away. He called to them to come back but they just kept going and after a few moments he started to cry because he knew they weren't coming back.
At that instant he awoke with tears in his eyes and as he reached up to wipe them away the pain slammed into him like a freight train, dropping his arm to his chest so fast he bruised a rib. He'd feel that later but right now it was barely noticeable.
His left shoulder was an agony of fire, the pain starting near his neck, running down his arm, and across the top of his back. His wrists also hurt and that added to his predicament because now he'd have to get out of bed without using his hands or arms too much.
He carefully rolled over onto his left side, trying desperately to ignore the pain this caused, he'd done this many times before, he'd do it again, then swung his legs out of bed. Then, holding onto his left arm with his right hand so that his left arm would move as little as possible, he straightened up and stood. Damn, his ankle was acting up too and he almost dropped to the floor but at the last second he gritted his teeth and fought to stay upright.
He walked slowly across and out of the bedroom in the dark and stopped at the top of the stairs. Then, turning around so he was facing backwards, and leaning against the railing, he descended the steps. There was no way his ankle would take the pressure of going down the steps the normal way tonight.
At the bottom he turned around then shuffled into the kitchen towards the medicine cupboard. He let go of his left arm, then, keeping it as still as possible, he reached up with his right hand and got the Tylenol down, opened the bottle with some difficulty, and spilled two pills out onto the counter.
He then opened the next cupboard, got out a small plastic glass, walked over to the fridge and got the orange juice out, again without using his left arm. He walked back to the counter, threw the pills in his mouth, poured and swallowed the orange juice and walked slowly out of the kitchen, making his way down the next set of steps to the family room, again taking the steps backwards.
In the family room he turned on the light, saw that the pillow and blanket he had used earlier this evening were still there, as well as the other stuff, and was glad nobody had picked them up otherwise he would've had to go back upstairs again.
He sat down on the couch, took a deep breath, and picked up the elastic bandage and liniment he had left there last night.
Now for the hard part.
Using only his right hand and his teeth he opened the liniment bottle, rubbed some all over his left shoulder and upper arm then wrapped it up. The bandage slipped out of his teeth when he was almost finished and he had to start all over again.
That done he settled back onto the pillow, picked up the convertor and surfed through the channels looking for something good to watch.
Reruns, reruns, reruns.
It was going to be another long night.
Posted by OldGuy at 12:35 PM
A Shameless Reprint
It's Friday and I was at an office party last night and the idea jar is empty but I've wanted to put this one on the front page again for a long time. It's a little poem I wrote for a friend of mine who maintains a web site I enjoy. Hope you like it, it's called:
Lilliebet's Lair
Welcome friend to Lilliebet's Lair
Come on in and pull up a chair
The owner Liz and the barkeep Bill
Have put on a fire to ease the chill
Leave your worries at the door
And have a pint or three or four
Love and laughter can always be found
And food and drink aplenty abound
The band comes in on Friday night
They're not the Stones but they sound alright
The rest of the week it's your turn to sing
Tell a joke or do the highland fling
This ain't your place if you winter in Spain
Drive fancy cars and sip champagne
But if beer and buses are more your style
Then come on in and sit a while
Posted by OldGuy at 10:29 AM
December 15, 2005
A Little of This, A Little of That
I have a love-hate relationship with winter.
On the one hand the cold gets into my bones some days and lingers there for hours, causing my arthritis to flare up and making me wish I was at home nestled safely on the couch in the family room, with the heat cranked up and the aroma of a nice cup of coffee filling the room, enticing me to take a sip, go ahead, you know you want to.
On the other hand really cold days can be magical in their own way, like today. It's so cold out right now the air is as crisp and clean as it ever gets. There's no smog, no haze, to muddy the air and you can see for miles and everything stands out in sharp, clear detail. While waiting for the bus this morning I was looking at the trees along the road and thinking that on a day like this, if you had the time and the patience, you could count every single branch, right down the the teeniest tiniest one from hundreds of feet away that's how clear the air is. And the rooftops of the houses stand out in sharp relief against the skyline, cutting through it like knives. I later got off the train and the spires of a church several blocks away stood out so clearly I could have been standing inches away. And even though it's deathly cold, the mist rising from cars and from people's breath is kind of neat to see too, like little patches of warmth here and there, reminding you that yes, there is life out there somewhere.
And have you ever smelled the smoke from a fireplace in the air on a frosty morning ? It just makes you want to turn around and go right back home and put on a fire yourself and stay home all day.
Or maybe, there's a major snow storm coming, like there is now, and you know it's going to be hell on the roads tomorrow but you also know that on the weekend your little princess will look outside when she gets up in the morning and shout "Dad, can we go sledding ?" and you'll go, and you'll both have fun and afterwards you'll come home and have hot chocolate and you'll go to bed that night tired but happy, and it'll all be worthwhile.
Ah well, love it or hate it, winter's here to stay for the next several months.
On another note, we went to Toronto a few weeks ago, first class all the way, as my wife won a trip on the radio. It was great fun but the part I enjoyed the most was the train ride, because we'd never ridden first class in a train before and it was quite pleasant to be treated like royalty for a few hours.
Imagine the following scene if you will (yes, I'm exagerating a little but work with me here).
"Would madam care for a drink with her dessert ?"
"Yes, a Grand Marnier please."
"Excellent choice madam, so few people appreciate it's delicate boquet. And if I may be permitted a small indisgression, you have lovely eyes madam."
"Why thank you, Charles is it ?"
"That's correct madam. And for you sir ?"
"I'll have a brandy please.
"Another excellent choice. You sir are a man of breeding and culture."
"Thank you my good man. Here's a little something for you."
"Thank you sir, that's quite generous of you."
"Mama, will be in Toronto soon ?"
"Yes, dear, we'll be arriving shortly."
"Thanks you mama. By the way, you look radiant this evening. And you father are as handsome as ever."
"Thanks you princess. And I must say the light reflects wonderfully off your silken hair."
"Thank you papa."
"My son, are you enjoying the trip ?"
"Yes, father, it is quite pleasurable."
And lastly, a few changes again. I decided to move the smilie over and down a bit because it was competing with the banner, simply couldn't have that, very unseemly. And the Rimz moved up a bit, figured they deserved that. Oh yeah, put the calendar back too, it just looked right.
Posted by OldGuy at 9:45 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
December 14, 2005
A Few More Changes
Well, I added a smiley that I'd had for quite some time, it's there on the right side. It was originally a blinking smilie but the blinking was driving me crazy so by resizing it and resaving it I was able to stop it from blinking. I put it in place of the calendar, which I'd been contemplating getting rid of for a while anyway.
Also, when I was in the Shout Box today somebody mentioned that they thought I lived in the United States, which made me realize that when I last downloaded the clock on the right I'd forgotten to put the city name back in so now it's there. I'm from Ottawa, Canada, and it's cold as bejeesus here today. And the maple leaf in the Rimz is Canadian, that should be a hint.
Finally, as I've said before, Movable Type is weird sometimes. I've got frames around all the images, did this in the stylesheet, but for some reason it wouldn't put the frame on the Rimz when I put em up last week but now it's there, in fact for a while I was getting a double frame effect, which, although it was kinda neat didn't fit it with the other images, so now it's the same frame on all of them.
So, just farting around and tweaking stuff again.
Posted by OldGuy at 6:43 PM | Comments (1)
A Shout Box Christmas
OldGuy and Seawave are dancing a tango
Mike Marinaro loves his new Dodge Durango
The Capn is making Rimz and having a ball
And PureMood is taking pictures of it all
Bio's here and she's brought her pole
She's dressed up like Mrs Claus and enjoying her role
She's got all the boys sitting on her knee
And asks each one "What can you do for me ?"
Joobeky's in the back putting on sun tan cream
His wife and her friends love the stuff it would seem
Now he looks like he's been in the sun too long
For a Christmas party the look is all wrong
Ender is waiting for someone to ask her to dance
Or better yet take her to spend Christmas in France
Illoluv is in the corner making a Christmas card
And Fuzzbuck is making a snowman in the yard
ParaTed got some new toy soldiers this year
He's so happy playing he's missing the party I fear
Croaker started the party on a major roll
But now he's face down in the punch bowl
The tree is up, the lights are glowing
The food is ready, the booze is flowing
The music is playing, the bells are ringing
It's a Shout Box Christmas and the place is swinging
Posted by OldGuy at 10:14 AM | Comments (6)
December 13, 2005
The Christmas Gift
Jake was two years old when his dad abandoned him and his mom and their little appartment in the city.
Now, here it was Christmas Eve three years later and Jake wanted to get his mother a Christmas present but he didn't have enough money because he didn't get an allowance. His mom barely made enough money to pay the rent and put food on the table and it looked like it was going to be a meagre Christmas again because they just didn't have the money for lots of presents and big fancy dinners like the uptown folks. Still, he loved his mom and she him, and they were mostly happy because they had each other and that was what counted.
So what to do he wondered , how to get his mom a present that would show her how much he loved her ? He was pondering this question on the way home from the park just down the street when something flashed in the corner of his eye from across the street.
Jake wasn't supposed to cross the street but he'd seen something and he was excited and just had to see what it was so he crossed and walked down a block or so to where he thought he'd seen whatever it was.
When he got there Jake discovered a beautiful yellow flower growing up from between the cracks in the sidewalk and he knew he'd found his mom's Christmas present. He picked the flower, took it home, and put it in a little glass jar to present it to her on Christmas morning.
The next morning, Christmas, Jake couldn't wait to give his mom the flower and was tickled when she told him it was a dandelion and definitely the prettiest one she had ever seen. She said she would add a little sugar to the water so that it would last all day and promised to put it right on the centre of the kitchen table so they could admire it during their little Christmas dinner, which she did.
As she did the next day, and the next, and the next. It soon became apparent that this was no ordinary dandelion because it didn't die, ever, it just stayed bright and yellow for the next several years, and every day his mom would put it on the centre of the table and it brightened up their little home .
Years later when Jake had grown rich and famous and bought his mom a big fancy house she still placed the little dandelion on the centre of the kitchen table every day to remind her of the love and pride she felt that Christmas morning, and sometimes she wished they were back in their little apartment together, just the two of them. When she died her dying wish was that her little dandelion be buried with her, and Jake made sure it was.
And when she went to heaven and was given her "mansion in the sky" imagine her delight when upon entering it she discovered it didn't look like a manson inside at all, rather it looked just like her little apartment, the one she and Jake had spent so many happy hours in.
And when she placed her little dandelion in the beautiful vase that had been left on the table it turned into a magificent red rose, more beautiful than any ever seen on earth. It was of a red so crimson as to almost, but not quite, hurt the eyes, and the petals were furled just so, and scalloped perfectly. And it was covered in a soft glowing dew, as though diamonds clung to it, and she knew once and for all that her little dandelion had indeed been a gift from God, left just where her son could find it that long-ago Christmas eve.
And lastly, she saw her son's little blue chair in the corner of the kitchen, the one he had sat in for endless hours while they chatted happily in their little kitchen and she knew that someday he would join her once again.
Posted by OldGuy at 11:07 AM | Comments (4)
December 12, 2005
I Created an About Page
I created an about page, which is something I've been wanting to do for quite a while. It's there just under my picture.
Of course, as I'm always looking for the easiest way to do things, I just created it as an oridinary entry and changed the date on it, so it looks like it was the first entry created, and as I didn't assign it a category to it shows up on it's own page.
Hey, whatever works I always say.
Posted by OldGuy at 4:16 PM | Comments (2)
December 11, 2005
Sunday Morning Musings
I was watching a movie with the princess Friday night, a fluffy piece about a couple of ditzy chicks, as opposed to Dixie Chicks, who are trying to make it in Hollywood. My apologies for the language ladies but when a line works, well, it just works.
Anyway, the action is moving along nicely, they're doing their thing, nothing to worry about. Now, I have to admit the movie was rated for 14 year olds and the princess is only 7 so I was keeping a pretty close eye on it but there was nothing to worry about until about 3/4 of the way through, when one of the girls is on a date suddenly the guy asks her if she would like to have sex and of course she says "yeah, sure, sounds like fun.". So now I'm hopping for the converter and changing the channel and telling her she can't watch the rest of the movie, which was too bad because up till that point she was really enjoying it. But the story doesn't end there. The princess was laying with me because her mom was out shopping and we always do a movie together on Friday night. Anyway, a few minutes later I turn out the light, and just as I'm falling asleep she asks me "Dad, wanna have sex ?", to which I immediately respond no, that would be silly and besides I'm too tired anyway. Well, damn, I had to say something didn't I ?
Another bus story, happens all the time. I get on the bus Friday night and I'm trying to make my way to the back because I just want to sit down and I know there are seats back there because I saw them when the bus was pulling up. I get about 1/2 down the aisle and there's 3 people standing there who refuse to move. I even politely asked one of them if I could get by and this nitwit just mumbles and hunkers her square shaped head further into her neck. I tell ya, what buses need are fewer emergency exits and more emergency cattle prods.
ZAP ! "Oh, that hurt, well, next time maybe you'll move when I'm trying to get by. Have a nice day"
What if Santa was a member of the Mafia. Yeah, Yeah, I know Tony, there's no such thing.
"Listen kid, you ratted on your brother 3 times this year and Santa don't like stoolies so here's a lump of coal. Better luck next year."
So I painted the kitchen last week. You've heard me talk about painting before, I enjoy it about as much as I enjoy sticking pins in my eyes. And I'm slow at it too. My wife has learned to double any estimate I give her of how long it will take to do a painting job.
"So how long will it take to paint the kitchen dear ?"
"Oh, three to four days."
"So, a week then ?"
"No, 3-4 days."
"So, a week ?"
"Yeah, yeah, about a week."
Hey, I finally got my Rimz up, they're just under the monthly archives. Hope you like em. Cap'n Platy drew em and PureMood put em on the beige background and put the lovely brown frame around em.
"Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends."
We're all still pretty sick with the cold and now the princess and I seem to have gotten a stomach flu. Last night around midnight she woke up and threw up all over the place and I, well, let's just say things found another way out.
Ah well, that it's for another Sunday so cheers, play nice, and don't take any wooden nickles.
Oh yeah, one last thing. My blog should be yellow. Thanks for the link PM.
| Your Blog Should Be Yellow |
 You are a great storyteller, and the first to post the latest funny link. You're also friendly and welcoming to everyone who comments on your blog. |
Posted by OldGuy at 9:36 AM | Comments (11)
December 9, 2005
There's Always Someone Worse Off Than You
So I was having a tub this morning, warm, lots of bubbles, just the way I like it and sipping my morning coffe when I got to thinking.
We're all under the weather again, seems the cold just won't go away at our house, my wife has it, I have it, the princess kinda has it and last night my son came home from school early because he was feeling lousy.
And what I was thinking was how when my son gets sick it's tougher on him than any of us (well, sorta cause we have to get him through it). See, with his diabetes, when he gets feeling lousy it becomes a game of getting him to take sustenance and getting the insulin just right and maybe he needs less insulin tonight because he doesn't feel like eating or maybe he needs extra insulin because sometimes when he gets sick his system plays a trick on him and processes imaginary food and it needs insulin to do that. Or maybe he needs to go down on his insulin because his body isn't functioning like it would when he's well so it thinks it isn't getting any sustenance at all, even though his mother just fed him chicken soup. Or maybe he needs to go up on his insulin because sometimes when he's sick his system gets stressed out and needs extra insulin to process any sustenance he gets. Or doesn't get. I think.
Damn, and I thought I had it tough.
Posted by OldGuy at 11:03 AM | Comments (6)
December 8, 2005
Happiness is a Warm Tree House
There was an old man who lived in a tree
An odd old fellow unlike you and me
He didn't have a place he could call home
So every day the forest he would roam
One day in despair he started to cry
"I don't have a home, please tell me why"
When lo and behold a fairy appeared
And said" little old man do not be afeared"
I'll build you a tree house all lovely and warm
So you can take shelter from the storm
I'll hook up the lights and get you cable for free
And put in a 52 inch plasma tv
Soon the old man was in his new place
A song in his heart and a smile on his face
So happy was he that he blew all his cash
And invited his friends over for a humongous bash
Posted by OldGuy at 10:43 AM | Comments (4)
December 6, 2005
My Return, the Redesign and Stuff
Well, I'm back.
It's been a while since I posted to my blog and I've really missed it. As I said in my last post though (which was almost a month ago) none of us here on the range were feeling too good. My wife was quite ill (she's better now although suffering from a nasty cold at the moment), and my son, the princess and I all had rotten colds that dragged on for the longest time. Also, with the cold weather setting in my arthritis started acting up; if anybody ever tells you that pain is all in your head give em a swift kick in the ass and see if that makes em rethink their position.
Work also got quite busy there for a bit as we were going through our annual billing period and to make matters worse the organization introduced all sorts of new procedures over the last few months. Good thinking guys, change the way we're supposed to do things when it's really freakin busy.
Can you say "DUH ?"
And finally the redesign. As you can see the Tree House is looking brand new and all spiffed up.
Okay, not so brand new but definitely spiffed up.
Okay, okay, it's just a little different.
Geez, cut a guy a break will ya !
Seriously though, although I haven't made any major changes I've added a brand new banner, moved the sidebars around (my stuff is on the left, your stuff is on the right), changed the background, and generally made the place more fun to look at. I kept most of my original colours because I happen to like em and it's my place so there.
When I first started I didn't have a clue what I was doing, but fortunately a few very nice people came to my rescue (more about them shortly). I soon learned though that if I wanted to actually do something other than change a colour or two I'd have to learn some HTML and CSS and that was the hardest part. I'm no expert by any means but at least now I can look at the stuff without my brain hurting, So, after a lot of studying and many mistakes later I understand what most of these templates do and I'm not afraid to try stuff. Hey, you know what they say, as long as you have back-ups you can experiment all you want.
I'd like to thank a couple of people who really helped me out. First Jerzey Girl who created the images used in the banner. Next Jennifer who put the images together into several different banners for me to choose from. I've kept em all Jen, and might even swap em around on some of the other pages. And lastly, my friend Liz who has always there for me when I need help with coding or just get frustrated and need to rant.
Wihout you ladies I'd just be an old man sitting in a tree playing with his nuts and wondering what might have been.
Update - as some of the pages don't have sidebars (e.g. the individual entries page) I used the smaller version of the banner so it fits better.
Posted by OldGuy at 9:46 PM | Comments (14)