Just too dang polite

Posted on 04/30/2009 by RLW3

My son drove the Honda to wrestling practice last night. It is about 50 miles for the whole trip.

When he got home, he was thoughtful enough to tell me that the car was almost out of gas rather than letting me discover this fact when I left for work this morning. I don’t know why he didn’t put gas into the car. Anyway…

I told him that was fine. I had to take the truck because I couldn’t figure out how to fit three tires inside the Honda.

I had been home for about 45 minutes when my phone rang…

“Hello…”

“Hey, Dad…where are you?”

“Home.”

“I don’t know what happened but the car didn’t tell me and it ran out of gas.”

????????

“The light never went on!”

I didn’t think that work but I was never willing to drive to the end of the tank to find out. Now I don’t have to. My son had done my exploring for me.

“Dude, you told me last night that the car was out of gas.”

“I know. Can you come help me?”

I had just started heating water for my before bed cup of tea. I was actually looking forward to getting to bed on time for the first time this week.

But, NOOOOOOO…

My son needs me to come and help him because he must not have listened to HIMSELF when he told ME that the car was out of gas!

Where are our gas cans? We had three of them when we lived in LA…

Down to the storage facility…

I hope I can get in…

Great…

Where are our gas cans? I don’t see any of them. Shoot! Come to think of it, I don’t remember seeing them in the fourteen times that I have reorganized our stuff.

Over to Walmart…

To the area with the “Cars and Trucks” sign over it…

I don’t even know how to describe the stuff that was there but it had nothing to do with cars and trucks.

I went to the area that where the “Cars and Trucks” sign formerly was hung.

Ah, there it is.…WHAT IS THIS????

The gas can comes with operating instructions! I am not kidding.

I AM NOT buying a gas can that I have to learn how to operate! Just give me one that I can fill up and pour out! That’s it!

My phone rang…it’s my son…

“Dad, I don’t know how it happened but I just decided to start the car and there is gas in it now and we are driving down the road at 70 MPH.”

“Where are you?”

“1/2 mile from home.”

My mind starts racing. If he is 1/2 mile from home, then he is driving 70 MPH on our street????

“Where are you?”

“1/2 mile from home.”

I am already not real happy that I am looking for a gas can at Walmart when I would have been asleep if only my son would have been a little less polite and eavesdropped on his own conversation with me last night. Now I am getting impatient.

“What street are you on?”

“The freeway!”

At this point, I lost a little of my ability to modulate the volume of my voice. Even though I was in the middle of Walmart, I didn’t really care all that much.

“How can you be 1/2 mile from home and still be on the freeway?” 

“Noooo. I’m a half mile from Holmes!”

I stayed on the phone long enough to hear him get off the freeway, run out of gas again and push the car with his friend into the gas station.

I’m going to bed!
Posted in Children, Parenting | Tagged | Comments Off on Just too dang polite

Never a doubt

Posted on 04/30/2009 by RLW3

I left work today with my last trip to Texas still on my mind. Internally, I  was warming my leg for the whole drive up just in case I needed to kick myself.

It was worth it.

I made the right decision.

The hour drive to Agency, MO proved fruitful.

I drove through some very beautiful country and learned quite a bit about farming.

Did you know that when diesel was $4.80/gallon, farmers were spending $1,000/day on fuel for one tractor?

Oh, yeah…the man was honest…the tires were like new!

And he gave me $10 off since I did all of that driving! Three nearly new tires for $80!

Posted in Cars, Money | Tagged | Comments Off on Never a doubt

Back in the box

Posted on 04/30/2009 by RLW3

My great plan was foiled!

My wife took Wild Bill to the tire shop this morning. They were going to take the four old tires and rims off and put the four that I just bought on for a grand total of $24.

My phone rang this morning. When I saw that it was my wife, I suspected that the news might not be good…It wasn’t.

The rims don’t fit! They go on but not correctly. Evidently, someone at Ford had a better idea!

“Let’s change the spacing just slightly so the old wheels WON’T FIT!”

Back to Craig’s List.

Well, look here. A guy in Agency, MO has three “nearly new” tires in the size that is currently on the truck for $90.

Where is Agency, MO?…

An hour away! Uh, oh…This is starting to feel familiar…I’ve done this before…

What if this guy’s idea of nearly new tires is like the guy in Texas with the “beautiful” car!

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Back in the box

It’s better outside the box

Posted on 04/29/2009 by RLW3

Wild Bill threw a shoe recently. When we (really my wife and kids) have had to use the truck, we have been driving on a spare.

My son, always trying to be helpful, went out of his way on several occasions to point out that two of the remaining three tires don’t look all that hot. He went so far as to actually get a price for a set of four new tires.

“Dad, we can get four new tires mounted and balanced for $300. Do you want to do it?”

How could I refuse? It is so-o-o-o much cheaper than the $800 whitewall tires he was pleading with me to buy just a few weeks earlier!

As you probably know, I have tried to move Wild Bill onto a different pasture on several occasions. However, finding a buyer for my faithful old steed has proved to be more difficult than I first imagined. So, when the tire blew, the last thing that I want to do is spend $80-100 on a vehicle that we barely use. Never mind $300.

I decided to hop out of the $300 box that my son was trying to squeeze me into and started thinking of an alternate solution.

“If I could find 16″ rims (it has 15″ rims), I could take the tires off of my SuperCrew and put them on Wild Bill. Then, I will only be buying new tires for our nice truck, which we will have to do at some point in the next year.”

I went on Craig’s List and found a set of 16″ tires and rims that fit Wild Bill. Price…$100!

Even though it was raining fairly heavily, I headed over to the seller’s house. Things tend to sell quickly on Craig’s List here.

After a quick check to make sure that the rims had the right bolt pattern, I gladly gave the man the money. Problem solved. I am getting used tires with good tread that will definitely last until I am ready to put new tires on the SuperCrew!

Noggin!

Posted in Cars, Money | Tagged , | Comments Off on It’s better outside the box

My self-induced Sisyphean challenge

Posted on 04/28/2009 by RLW3

I know why people don’t exercise: it’s hard!

and discouraging!

In January,  I was running a little better than an 8 minute mile pace for almost 4 miles. Now, just 3 1/2 months later, I can’t barely run 3 miles…

AT ANY PACE!!!

Man, decay happens!

and so quickly!

Why am I doing this? Oh yeah, because I want to rebuild my body for the second half of my life.

But if my body can go downhill so quickly when I stop…

I feel like Sisyphus pushing the boulder up the hill again!

I guess I looked at this like winding a watch. When I was younger, I would start working out to get in better shape and it would last for several years. I got in great shape when I was 30 years old and it took a good 10 years before it was nearly all lost.

Now, the watch is older. The internal working parts don’t hold the energy as long. The watch seems to need to be wound continuously.

So, instead of rebuilding my body for the second half of life, I guess I am looking at exercising for the rest of my life. The thought of becoming a couch potato is looking more and more attractive.

Posted in Goals, Physical | Tagged | Comments Off on My self-induced Sisyphean challenge

Soup on the half grille

Posted on 04/27/2009 by RLW3

I had dental surgery a week ago Friday. All of my lower front teeth are covered with some material called packing. That “packing” has a layer of aluminum foil covering it. So, I look like a rapper with my “grille”.

However, since it only covers my lower teeth, it has been dubbed by my co-worker as a “half grille”.

All of this paraphernalia in my mouth has limited what I can eat. For the past 10 days, my diet has consisted of eggs, oatmeal, soups, mashed potatoes and pasta. At work, lunch consists of a can of chicken noodle soup and a couple of slices of bread broken into very small pieces.

So when I pulled my can of soup out today, instead of oysters on the half shell, I had…

Posted in Work | Tagged | Comments Off on Soup on the half grille

Do you want to downsize that?

Posted on 04/26/2009 by RLW3

It’s getting windy again here in KS.

But I’m not just talking about the weather. The winds of change are visiting our family…AGAIN!!!

2 1/2 years ago, we had four children in our home. In less than four months, we will be down to one! My son graduates on May 16th. He will be leaving for college by the end of August.

If you remove one 18 year old male along with all of the food that he eats and all of the messes that he leaves everywhere, we won’t really need a large 3 BR apartment any more.

As I was looking at the layouts of the 2BR apartments, I had the had to keep reminding myself that I was looking for something for three of us. In some ways, it does feel a little like trying to keep your feet under you in a gusting windstorm.

The idea of moving again is not my favorite thought but $3,000 is a pretty strong inducement. That is how much we will save in the next year if we downsize. I will lose my office/library but that is not the end of the world.

Our lease expires at the end of May but I have to make a decision and notify them of our intentions by this Thursday.

Posted in Family, Money | Tagged , | Comments Off on Do you want to downsize that?

So that’s how you do it

Posted on 04/25/2009 by RLW3

It seems that if it’s Saturday, I am spending the day with my son at a wrestling tournament. Today was no exception.

He won again. This is his third tournament in a row.

However, he had a really tough second match. At a crucial point at the end of the first period, he picked his opponent up over his head and slammed him to the mat. He was awarded 3 points.

After the match was over, he asked the ref why it wasn’t a 5 point move. That would have automatically ended the match.

The referee then proceeded to explain that you have to arch your back when you throw your opponent in the air. In other words, there has to be a little artistic, aesthetic quality as you pummel your opponent. No arch, no 5 pointer.

So, the whistle sounded to start his third match. My son shot in got the guy’s leg, picked him up over his head and arched his back and threw him to the mat. 5 point move, match over. Time expired…4 seconds!

Posted in Goals | Tagged , | Comments Off on So that’s how you do it

Why did I come here?

Posted on 04/23/2009 by RLW3

I actually went to the mall today. It’s not the first time.

I guess I should say I went to the mall to shop! As we all know, shopping at the mall is different than going to the mall to buy something. Today I actually went to a mall not knowing what I was looking for.

It felt a little like trying to remember how to ride a bike after a long time. I remember that I used to do this, especially at Christmas but, man, how many years has it been?

You see, my wife has been buying the Christmas presents for the past…well, for quite awhile. When our children were very young, I did most of the shopping for gifts. But, responsibility overwhelmed me and I would find myself rushing out LATE on Christmas eve to buy something for my wife.

Well, today is my wife’s _ _ somethinth birthday. Since my youngest daughter got her wisdom teeth pulled today, my plans for a family night out have to be postponed until Saturday night.

When I got in the car to go home after work, I thought “I HAVE to give her something tonight. I at least have to get her a card.” (I know this sounds pitiful but it is the truth)

As I pondered where to get the card, the idea of a gift floated into my head.

“She is definitely not expecting an actual gift. Maybe, I could surprise her.”

Heck, the very thought was surprising me!

Thankfully, I got off work a little early today so I wasn’t in a hurry. That was a good thing because I didn’t have a clue what I was looking for. I just figured that the mall was the best place to find whatever IT was.

Once inside, all I could see were jewelry stores. I counted at least six of them and I wasn’t even looking for them. But then an idea popped into my head…

earrings! That’s a great idea!

I headed into Helzberg Diamonds. Little tiny diamond stud for ONLY $349-699!!!

The two women couldn’t understand why I wasn’t excited about spending $295 for diamond stud earrings that were so small they needed a magnifying glass to fish them out of the case to show them to me!

“See, this our brand new advertisement with our special Mother’s Day pricing!”

“Well, gosh, if that’s all they are, I guess I should buy three or four pair”…NOT!!!

Back out into the mall…

I remember why I don’t shop at these places!…

The air was slowly seeping out of my balloon. It was looking like shoes (???), clothes (“What size is she? Besides, once I know her size, that is going to be a lot of work!”) or…

more jewelry stores…

I texted my oldest daughter, the fashionista in Dallas: “Please call me. I need help.”

I resumed my aimless wandering. I was just killing some time until my daughter called and give me some fabulous idea that would save the day. After all, this is her home turf.

Another one of those dang jewelry stores…

The sign said 40% off…

“Yeah, right! That would probably put them right in there with the last place’s special Mother’s Day prices!”

Technically, I didn’t go into the store. I was still in the mall but I stopped to look at the outermost case. I saw a pair of diamond encrusted, pearl earrings!

I asked how much they were…

about twice the amount that I was thinking when I walked into the mall…

but…

less than half of the Mother’s Day special accross the way…

I bought them and put the box in my shirt pocket feeling like I had succeeded in doing a “Man” thing.

When I entered our apartment, I handed her the card and gave her a “Happy Birthday” smooch. She read it and when we hugged, I made sure that I gave her a good, firm squeeze.

Sure enough, she wondered what was in my pocket.

When she opened it, her reaction made me start wavering. She was so surprised that I began to wonder if she didn’t like them. She was really taken aback. She couldn’t remember the last time that I bought her jewelry. And they fit her ears perfectly and look great on her!!!

Anyway, I think I did good!

Posted in Marriage, Money | Tagged | 2 Comments

Actually enjoyable

Posted on 04/21/2009 by RLW3

How do you tell the man who started first and has conducted himself with honor and integrity that he probably won’t win?

How do you tell the first coach that thought your son was good enough to wrestle in college that your son is going to wrestle for another coach who just last week came to the same conclusion?

How do you tell the man who encouraged you to send the boy to the High School Senior Nationals because “he’s earned it” and because he wanted him to get all of the exposure he could get that because of that tournament, my son’s dream college is preparing to make him a scholarship offer?

How do you tell a man who has proven that he has your son’s best interest at heart that you have chosen another man to be coached by another man of whom I have heard good things but I do not know?

The discomfort of these thoughts hovered at the forefront of my mind while we ate dinner and chatted.

Then it came down to the business at hand. Instead of asking me a question, he went right to work on improving Baker University’s offer.

By the time that he finished, we had gone from having to come up with $13,000 per year to $8,000. If my son improves his test scores in the next 6 weeks, that could drop down to $5,000! That is manageable!

Then it was my turn. I decided to take the easy way out…I just told him the unvarnished truth.

Baker University is my son’s second choice. It has nothing to do with the wrestling program. Drexel just fits him better. I think that he already knew that.

I promised to keep informed.

It was an enjoyable evening. I think both of us left with even more respect and affection for the other than when we arrived. I just wish I could have relaxed a little more during the meal.

Posted in Money, Parenting | Tagged , | 1 Comment