Final Friday

This will be my last post. Do not grieve my absence. All good things must end. I think I got more comments than Jill does on average so I conclude that I am a superior blogger. I would ask for a poll but only 4 people read this thing so statistically it would not be very powerful. More people get attacked by armadillos each year than read this blog. I thought about posting something Saturday and Sunday but then I realized that I have a life. Actually, I don’t have a life but I am familiar with sunlight which is more than most bloggers can say. We are planning to go fishing at the coast. Syd wants to catch a flounder. I want to eat a flounder, Kayleigh wants to see a flounder, so it’s a good plan that might please all. Sunday we will clean the house and I will do laundry. We will take long naps so we can stay up late and see mom.

The week went ok. I wont lie and say it was great and lots of fun, it was long and I am tired. I am glad Im not a single dad. The kids did well. They liked being watched by different people. It kept them distracted. It's kind of depressing though in that they dont ask much about mom. If I had been gone they wouldnt ask about me either. Out of sight out of mind when your under 6 years old I guess. We did pray for mom though and they do want to pick her up at the airport every other day.

They didnt like me dragging them to the new house to do work on it though. Narnia week consisted of 3 evenings watching the 2 narnia movies while eating grilled cheese and pizza. We finished The Silver Chair book also. It was not a super-festive event. Im not sure I will attend next year.

The girls dont like to wake up before 7:30. Every day I had to drag them out of bed at 6:15, force them to eat breakfast, dress them (no their clothes never matched), then run off to a baby-sitter's house. I am so grateful for those who helped out (Vicki Abate, Amy Bangson, Nadia and Mindy of the Duriai clan). We only know about 4 families in OR and they all helped us. Many, many thanks.

It isnt easy to get pics from my phone which is why I posted lame internet pics and pics from years ago. But no doubt Jill will have lots of fresh pictures for all next week.

Here are some pics of the new house. Believe it our not your looking at the result of 7 hours of work already. Had to rebuild the mantle, rip out appliances, clean them (the microwave was so gross I kept debating whether it worth cleaning or throwing out.) Im replacing the countertops, they are battered, and the sink is stained and gross. But Im keeping the cabinets, appliances, floors, etc. Tore out the rug though as it was cat-pee stained and reeked.







Here is your final tip of the day: Always ask for the free chopsticks from a Chinese restaurant. They are useful for making garden signs, are biodegradable, can be used as BBQ skewers, and good for anytime you need a long and skinny tool for something (like getting Sydney's favorite rock out from between the seats in the car). Or you can make a basket (?):




Since it’s my last day here is one more bonus tip: I learned in Germany that mixing any beer with half a glass of 7-up tastes good. It is called a Radler and is not effeminate (so no comments stating such). Try it. If you use diet 7-up it cuts the calories in half.



Dont believe me?
Radler is a traditional German drink for cyclists. Google 'Radler' images and you will find a lot of spandex and bikes pictured along with beer. (Perhaps it is more effeminate than I thought).


Here is a news story for a British paper that Jill would never post, so I will (Wolfgang my old boss from Vermont sent it to me).



Graph of the day:




Strange toy. Hello Kitty with removable organs: (why are the Japanese so weird?)


Don’t believe me that the Japanese are weird? Explain these (yes, the fan is a noodle cooler). I also want to know what the kick-in-the-crotch Doritos taste like. The one thing I do like is the Japanese square watermellon (which costs around $80)




Obscure Jill hair picture of the day:
This was during her Seattle grunge phase. She just didn't care anymore (we had already been married for 7 years by then so she must have figured she could relax).


Since it's my last post I'll give you one more: This is a subtle variation on the broccoli theme we have seen before. I like this one because it features short-overalls, a neglected fashion that should come back. These high-waisted, floral overalls are unfortunately not in Jill's closet anymore (if they were we would probably have 3 more kids due to the sheer hotness of them). Also note that the wind-tunnel forehead look and overalls are contagious.





Final Random Pictures:





(We should have played 'guess the state' with these pictures.)