Another small step

Posted on 06/10/2008 by RLW3

My son has a big wrestling tournament this Thursday. I was planning on going with him but something my wife said changed all of that. He is now going to travel with the MO-West Wrestling club.

Although I have cherished our time together during the last few tournaments, I think that this is the best thing for him. Another step of independence. Traveling and living with the guys will help put him in the right frame of mind. This is the regional freestyle tournament so he needs to be at his best.

I am excited for him!

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New Laptop: Round 2

Posted on 06/10/2008 by RLW3

My new new laptop (a little female ling there!) arrived.

Aaah! I’ll just plug it in, hook it up to my old laptop and let the Migration Assistant transfer all of my data to the correct location and start using it!

Not so fast, buddy!

It got hung up, AGAIN!

The last time this happened, I went to the Apple store and they told me to call Apple directly. So, being the smart man that I am, I decided to call Apple directly first. And what do you think that they told me to do????

GO TO THE APPLE STORE!!! He even made an appointment for me on the phone!

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A negotiated victory

Posted on 06/10/2008 by RLW3

As I began my run this morning, my legs felt great! However, all during the first mile, my lungs were threatening a violent protest! I glanced down at my watch to see what kind of pace I was setting and realized that I had PUSHED THE WRONG BUTTON!

But, that has its advantages…I will have to estimate! I could even lie to myself without knowing it!

In the second mile, my will negotiated a brilliant settlement: my legs slowed down to a pace that my lungs could support and my lungs agreed to work a little harder.

By the third mile, all three components were working in sweet harmony. I was on a very good pace. My legs felt good, my lungs were up to the task.

In the fourth mile, they were still in harmony…

“OK, we can make it up the hill…

to the next street…

to the light.”

My legs were dragging. My side was hurting. And my will had shutdown. It had already decided that we were going to finish the run and it refused to reopen discussions for fear that it would cave in.

My time…adding in the unclocked segment, was very good!

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Finally, an uneventful drive!

Posted on 06/10/2008 by RLW3

We drove the 9 hours from Nashville to KC without any major events! I was beginning to wonder if that was possible. The National Weather Service did release a severe storm warning. However, we encountered rain for about 10 minutes of the entire drive.

It was a very cozy drive with 6 adults (2 daughters of our friends in the Chicago area wanted to visit for a few days) in our 2001 F150 SuperCrew. But we had great conversations, some laughter and my son and my youngest daughter did a very good job handling most of the driving.

I’ll tell you, I have more than a little Dorothy in me. My heart was rejoicing as we approached our apartment. “There’s no place like home.”

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A Good Excuse

Posted on 06/09/2008 by RLW3

20 minutes after we had left the reception last night, my son realized that he had left his expensive aviator sunglasses on our table. After a few quick calls, we learned that the bride’s father had picked them up. He just happens to be one of my best friends so we had a good excuse to meet for breakfast this morning at the Cracker Barrel! We really haven’t seen each other face to face for over a year.

I told him that I had started blogging. Initially, he was polite but not all that interested. After all, he is a VERY busy man.

However, as we kept talking and more of my recent trials and foibles came up, there was just wasn’t enough time to communicate in detail all that has happened in just the last two weeks, let alone the last year so I found myself repeatedly throwing my hands up in surrender, saying “You’ll have to read the blog.”

That seems to be a recurring refrain recently. There is just no way to communicate the excruciatingly maddening (and entertaining) details while conversing. I grow weary of hearing myself tell them and I imagine that my friends would grow weary of listening to every-little-detail.

Thus the beauty of blogging. I can write out all of the stupid little details and laugh out loud while doing it and people can hopefully laugh out loud while reading (“listening”) for as long or as short as they want.

To be truthful, I have thought that my life seemed very dull and difficult, at times unusually so. I never thought that it was all that interesting…

until I decided to record it here.

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Not so super Target

Posted on 06/08/2008 by RLW3

I went to Target to buy the trashcan and saw something I have never seen before.

Since it was a SuperTarget, I decided to replace the groceries that my omnivorous (that means that we eat everything!) family has eaten. As I looked for bacon, I stumbled upon two employees vigorously tossing yoghurt into boxes.

I quickly looked at the the price: 10 for $5.49. I thought, “They’ve got to be a lot cheaper than that now.” 

“What are you doing with all that yoghurt?”

“We’re throwing it away.”

“Why?”

“Because the electrical circuits for all of the coolers went out last night.”

They were throwing away everything! Meat, chicken, dairy…everything.

Can’t buy any bacon here, I guess!

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Little brother hits a home run

Posted on 06/07/2008 by RLW3

The rehearsal brunch was great fun.

The couple getting married are superstars in the making. He was a national debate champion, a future lawyer, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

She, however, was also a national debate champion and a lawyer in the making. In fact, they had the same debate teacher and he said that the bride is the smartest student he had ever taught, and that included the groom! How in the world is the poor guy ever going to win an argument?!?!?!

Well, not my problem!

My oldest daughter, being one of the maids of honor, was asked to share her thoughts. She, being the fashion design major, went into an insightful, enlightening monologue on the color wheel and how complimentary colors bring out the best in each other and are more beautiful when they are put together than when they are viewed alone.

The best man, the grooms ‘little’ brother is a barrel chested tough guy in ROTC training that knows 5 languages and treats his mother and sister in such a way that makes all of the single women cry.

After expressing his heartfelt love for his older brother and sincerely honoring him, he shared that while growing up, he obviously couldn’t win an argument. He somehow even managed to lose the physical battles as well. Therefore, he was taking particular delight in the fact, and I quote, “that you are marrying someone who can kick your ass in both!”

I stood up with my arms raised! He knocked it out of the park!

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Smart, but still a blonde!

Posted on 06/07/2008 by RLW3

My wife was reading the directions while I drove us to the rehearsal brunch. When we turned onto the actual street, she informed me that my oldest daughter was already there and had called her and told her that the restaurant was “on the right side” of the street!

Really? And how does she know that?? Doesn’t that depend on the direction that you are heading???

She gives directions like her younger (and also blonde!) sister!

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I broke the trash can!

Posted on 06/07/2008 by RLW3

I sat at the breakfast table as long as I could watching Roberto eat. The longer I sat there, the less I felt like a heel. However, I was getting antsy. Then I had a good thought. 

“I’m going to throw my paper plate in the trash and minimize their clean up.” So, I did that.

But not without complications…

As I pressed the flap to release the top lid, it came off in my hand!

I thought that it must have just popped out of its mounting so I tried for the better part of a minute to fix it.

Now, keep in mind that I am approaching 50 years of age…My eye sight is not what it used to be, not that it has ever been that good, but I need to get bifocals. To see anything in detail, I have to move the object nearer until it is about 6″ from my eye.

Since I was unable to pop the handle back in place, I had to move my face close enought to see exactly how this thing is mounted. It was then that I started laughing out loud.

I can’t fix it! It really is broken. As if rushing to eat before my hosts sat down wasn’t bad enough, I now have thanked them by BREAKING THEIR TRASH CAN! There is no way to hide it! The evidence is still in my hand!

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A Fat First Impression

Posted on 06/07/2008 by RLW3

We are staying with some friends who recently moved to Nashville from LA, Roberto and Hope.

Roberto made a great pancake and egg breakfast. The only problem is that my wife and I were supposed to be at the rehearsal brunch at 10:30. The brunch location is a 30 minute drive from their home. We started eating at 9:50. 

Roberto was still cooking. I felt so bad, like I was being an opportunist…eating, complimenting his cooking and running out the door before the cook even sat down to eat himself! With every bite I took, I felt worse!

But, it wouldn’t be very polite to not eat the food that he just worked to prepare! I couldn’t win!

Roberto finally sat down and asked my wife is she was going to eat. She replied negatively. He asked her why. I was completely unprepared for her answer…

“I don’t want to make a fat first impression.”

When Roberto asked for a little further clarification, she said, “Well, if I eat now, my dress will be tighter and I will look fat when people first see me.”

You know, it actually makes sense!

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