Where did this 4-day go?

Howdy blog readers...sorry for the delay in posts. It has been a very busy 4-day. I can't believe in less than 12 hours I will be back to work. Well here is the run down.

Funny Sharkboy story: While Jen's cousin Lenny was installing our hardwood floor in the hallway, they were unable to get to the bathroom. Well he had to go. So, Jenny suggested they go out and pee on the bush. He was resistant, thinking he would get in trouble. So she made her case a little stronger and added the "Mommy said it's alright" clause to the deal. She went out with him and he peed on the bush. After that he was like a wild animal. I think, from the description Jenny gave, we should not have any animals taking up residence in our yard. Bushes Marked! So if you drive by the house and there is a little boy with his pants around his ankles facing a bush...have no fear, it is just Sharkboy marking his territory.

Ok...Monday was a part time gig day. I was a little bit of a slave driver, I think I almost killed Julie. I wanted to make sure that we were caught up for the week, so I just busted some ass and made sure that it wasn't the only one working that hard. Then in the evening I caught UNC's softball games. We (AAK and I) enjoyed cigars and beer at the game. After the game we hit Barnaby's for pizza.

Tuesday I worked the morning at the part time gig. Then it was off to the golf course with FiL. What an awesome time. I didn't play well on the front nine, but I really came to life on the back. I was very pleased with my performance on the back.

Wednesday was another day in the warehouse. It was swealtering...I am serious, when I left my jeans were soaked with sweat. It was absolutely gross...I wanted to throw up. Instead, I showered.

Today I went to QI/QA at the hospital. It is basically report and patient care review and audit. It was as always...pretty dry. But I need the hours for my recertification by Oct. 1st. Then I made my way to Lowes and picked up need materials for projects. Once that was complete, I picked up Sharkboy from the babysitter and spent some time with him. He needed some Daddy time. We did some grilling tonight, and now we are watching So you think you can dance. I am really so over all of this reality TV. What every happened to a summer of reruns...?

Well tomorrow I am back to work. Then Sat. and Sun. I will be in class, more of the recertification stuff. So it may not be until Monday until the next installation...so until next time.

Be Kind, Be Safe...stay cool in this heat.

Shalom my Peeps.

Those lazy days of summer...

Hey blog fans...not too many lazy days in my life this summer. Days off from the firehouse = projects at home.

Yesterday I was able to rip up the carpet in the hallway to make way for the hardwood floor. I managed to jab my fingers at least 3 times with the carpet tac strip. Now my finger is sore and so am I...now I know why I am not a carpet layer. Big projects still to complete include: Stain/Seal the deck and install Gazebo, replace brick molding around garage and paint and paint front porch...Need to get these done, because late summer/early fall I need to build a shed in the back yard.

Last night we went to the Silverhawks game. Sharkboy got a tiny bat from the nightly promotional give away. He loves it...Jenny not so much. She was dodging swings all night while he practiced his major league swing. He also had the honor of being the "Play Ball Kid". Going to a Silverhawks game is much like the games in the movie Bull Durham. Lot's of cheesy entertaining things between innings. Sharkboy got to go on the field during warm ups. After they did the player intros and the National Anthem he was the little guy on the field that yelled "Play Ball" to officially kick off the game. He was awesome...(one of those proud Daddy moments). He enjoyed a hotdog and some lemonade, and then pretty much didn't care about the game. He just wanted to go to the jumpy thing and play. Jenny and I each enjoyed a beer and ball park yummies...

Today was a firehouse day...while I was here Lenny(Jenny's cousin) installed our hardwood flooring in the hallway. From the sounds of it, it turned out very nice...other than than, not much to report from the firehouse. Just tied up some loose ends before the four day.

Couple things:

Scully...where have the blogs been. No word from you in the blog world. I am sure it is because you are having and awesome summer, but fill us in. How is the mineral house, and what is up with life on the "Left Coast".

Athena...I am sitting here in Indiana completely jealous of you. Sweden will never be the same after you leave. Have a blast...(I guess I don't need to tell you that part)

Jenny...your a saint, I am glad the floor is in and you approve. Now to just keep chipping away at the list.

Well that is it for tonight. I have a shower and bed calling my name. I will post tomorrow and hopefully if all goes well have pictures of the hallway to post. So until next time...

Be Kind, Be Safe.

Shalom my Peeps.

Sometimes you feel like a nut...sometimes your sweating them off.

Hey blog readers...today was a sticky one, and yesterday wasn't much better...

Well yesterday was a Part-time Gig day. I made my way to the south side before work and had Cassie cut my hair. Great job as always...Thanks. Then it was off to Indiana Supply for a long hot day of warehouse work. Nothing really monumental there. Just lots of moving heavy stuff around and sweating.

In the evening, we took some stuff out the Little Amigo and FiL's for their garage sale. After Sharkboy acquired a new brief case(to him, I think it is Circa 1980) and some stuffed animals, Jenny wrestled him to eat some dinner. Otherwise it was a nice night of Bombay Sapphire and Tonics and some chatting. (I sure hope you were able to figure out how to change the radio L.A.)

This morning's wake up came way too early. Not really any earlier than usual...just didn't want to drag my lilly white ass out of bed. Came into work and we did some training this morning. We had a house they are going to tear down, so we went and help the cause by cutting holes in the roof and various other break stuff drills. It was hot again today. I literally was drenched in sweat under my turnout gear...yucky. Well while at training we had a call...a doosie of a call.

We went out on an unconscious male. When we got there it was aparent that he was no longer unconscious. But he wasn't quite there yet either. Well when we went to sit him up, he began to fight us. I immediately attempted to subdue this man and he tossed me off like a rag doll. Now...so you don't think I am a sissy, this guy was 6'4" and weighed in around 350-375 lbs. On the other arm, the medic that was holding him got much the same treatment. Except, he was able to grab back on, slowing his fist down so I could move out of the way. At that point the police, who were outside catching up, came rushing in and we all jumped on him. He got a little dose of medicine to calm him down and it was all over. Come to find out, he was veteran that has flash backs from when he was shot in combat.

After that we came back to our station and have been working on little projects...after this blog, it is shower time.

Some things on the plan for tomorrow...hang with family, work outside, and go to silverhawks game w/Sharkboy & Jenny.

Some shout outs...

Athena...have fun on vacation. Good luck with your "Plan to catch a massuese"

Jenny...glad you and Sharkboy had a good evening, you guys are great.

Little Amigo...Hope the garage sale went well and you didn't get too hot.

UNC...you know what I am shouting out about.

Well that is about it for now. I have to go get cleaned up and head for bed.

Be Kind, Be Safe...

Shalom my Peeps.

How do you get rid of Monkey Tan lines on your back?

Hey blog readers...worked yesterday at the Part time gig. It was hot and humid...and just generally sticky. Today I spent the day in day 2 of my P.E.P.P. class(Pediatric Education for Pre-Hospital Professionals)and passed my tests with flying colors. So here is the run down of the past couple days.

Yesterday was our customer appreciation cook out at the Part-time Gig. Brats, Burgers and the fixings. Good times when I was able to break and do a little hob knobbing with the customers. Otherwise I was running around in our underventilated warehouse. I must have sweat off like 5 lbs. of water...yuck. Then in the evening I needed to attend an inservice that will assist me in recertifying in October for my EMT-I. While I was gone Jenny related a funny story to me...

Often when Jenny doesn't feel like cooking and I am gone she will order "Pizza Guy" Pizza. So named by Sharkboy in part because, well, it is delivered by a Pizza Guy and there is a Pizza Guy in one of his favorite cartoons. Well she said that when said Pizza Guy arrived, she was paying him and Sharkboy in a very serious(well as serious as 4 y/o can be...)tone of voice "I hope someday I can be a Pizza Guy". Jenny said the Pizza Guy was shocked at such a statement, and stammered..."well I guess you could be". You know...when I was a kid I wanted to be a fireman. Who am I to squash his dream.

Also yesterday I am sad to report that Sharkboy had his heartbroken by another little boy. He is a sensitive little thing...Well the way I understand it, there is a mean little boy in his soccer camp that he is attending. While on a bathroom break Sharkboy was doing his business. So imagine, 4 y/o little boys pull their pants down to their ankles when they go potty. They have little control of things and that is the best way to avoid "accidental dribbles". Well one of the older boys noticed he had football teams on his undies and started to laugh, point and make fun of Sharkboy. He took offense to it and it hurt his feelings. I am happy he didn't do what I most likely would have done at his age...and cracked the kid in the head and told the little brat to leave me alone, but it ruined his day. He was in a funk the rest of the day. Jenny and I did our best to try to cheer him up, but all attempts were futile.(clearly we are cooler parents for buying him football undies, so we needed him to understand this) He eventually dealt with it on his own and all seemed to be better by bed time. I have to add here: at bed time Jenny and I want to hunt this little "Devil Child" down, shake the living evil out of him and then do the same to his parents for not teaching their "Evil Spawn" to be a little nicer. But as "Grown ups"(and I use that term loosely) the consequences are too steep for such activity so we decided to just let it drop...Hopefully he is a stronger Sharkboy because of it.

Today I was at the firehouse. Well actually I was in class most of the day...but it was a firehouse day. My class, as with most EMS classes, was dry and bored me to almost tears. But it is a neccessary Evil. I in true firefighter fashion have put off my recertification until almost the last minute and now am scurrying to get caught up. I should be fine, but as always...I don't know why I do this to myself.

Sharkboy had swimming lessons today. He finally seems to be taking to some of the skills that he need to accomplish. I think the get him comfortable in the water part was a great plan...(way to go Ash).

Tonight my driver, Dan. Made some homemade Ice Cream(Thanks Jenny for helping with the ingredients). OMG...that was amazing! I haven't had homemade ice cream since I was a kid. It is so much better than what you get in the store...wow. Definately not "Diet" ice cream, but yummy in it's own little way.

Tomorrow...I have Part Time Gig, Hair cut(look out Cassie) and then a fun filled trip to Mimi and Papa(Little Amigo & FiL). Not really fore seeing a blog post tomorrow...but the potential is there for an entry should something come up that I can't resist.

So the answer to the riddle in the title...Pigtails, Pigtails cure Monkey Tan Lines.

Until next time...Be Kind, Be Safe...(and for goodness sake don't laugh at anyones undies)

Shalom my Peeps.

Fireworks, Wine, Friends and Family and WTF is with all the clowns?

Hey blog readers...I think I have completely recovered from the weekend, well other than the sunburn(more to come on that). So here you go...here is my weekend.

4th of July night managed to be uneventful for us. We listened to the war like sound of fireworks around us, but due to the fact that our station is located in a pit. We don't get to see anything unless it is right next to us, and our neighbors would never launch fireworks...so quiet night meant rested Jay for Red, White and BBQ festival.

Well we packed the truck with the EZ Up canopy, bag chairs and some little portable tables. Jen put together some munchies too. We made the voyage to Round Barn Winery for the Red, White & BBQ Festival. FiL and Little Amigo were there as well as Phil & Sherry (their Friends) and Tommy and Kelly(Firefighter friend and his wife). We as a group were able to polish of 9 bottles of wine. Jenny had an additional 3-16oz. Sangria's and a Vodka Slushy. I had an additional 2 beers. The day consisted of Drinking, story telling and fun. The only draw back was that there was this be-otch that told us we couldn't eat our munchies. They don't allow outside food during festivals. I think they should rethink this rule since we spent as a group close the $350 dollars and I feel confident that our munchies would not have changed that.(OK back to the happy) I don't think from the consumption that I need to tell you there was lots of inhibition reduction. The best part was we laughed a lot, and got to spend time in the beautiful weather with good wine and great friend(and family).

Sunday I woke up with a little bit of a headache, but I got up and headed to the golf course. UNC was playing in the Mishawaka metro and I met him when he made the turn. I was his "caddie". Which basically meant I rode in the cart and ride around the course while he played. It was fun...

Later on Sunday I went home and got out the power washer. I power washed the deck to prepare it for the sealer that I will apply in the next few days. I managed to burn my self to a crisp doing this. My neck and the tops of my feet are the worst. I actually think that the skin should start sloughing off very soon. I have been meaning to get some sun on the tops of my feet, but I definitely over did it. Sunday Evening UNC brought burgers over and we had an impromptu cook out.

The title eludes to a question that I have pondered over the last several days. WTF is with all the clowns? I don't mean this as a joke or description of otherwise normal people. I mean real breathing, big shoe wearing, red nose sporting white face clowns. While returning from the Golf course on Sunday I was trying to turn down a road and just prior to my intersection a van full of clowns cut me off and caused me to switch lanes, making me miss my turn. Well being a fireman I have a good handle on the streets and roads, so I created my own detour. I cussed under my breath at the clowns and went on my merry way(no pun intended). Well my detour took me through downtown South Bend. While traveling through town I was near a local television station...and what do you think I see? Another damn clown...wtf? So I continued home. I am an open minded person. I understand that around Christmas you will see Santa's driving around...I accept this. But clowns bother me. Honestly...I don't like their gloves(but there isn't enough time to go into that). Clown siting are rare, and 2 in one day seems to be odd. But I didn't let it bother me and I chalked it up to Karma since I cussed at the clowns after the unfortunate missed turn.

Today I had P.A.L.S. (Pediatric Advanced Life Support). It is a re certification course that I need to re certify as an Intermediate EMT. It really is dry material, but it is a necessary evil in my life(another reason, sometime I don't want to be grown up anymore). Well at the lunch break from class I decided to go see Jenny at her work. I don't often get to see her at lunch due to the geographic distances between our places of employment. Well I mentioned this to the instructors while I was leaving and they said they were sorry I had to do that. That bothered me...I really like my wife. She is great, and I don't want that to change. I told them, that if I was held at gunpoint and had to choose between going to class all day or hanging out with Jenny, it wouldn't even be a decision. Jenny would win out every time. So after class I was driving home. Enjoying a nice leisurely drive home. I stop at a light very close to my house. I am a left lane driver in town. I don't know why, but I am. So I pull up to the light. I have a habit when sitting at intersection I look into other vehicles and see if I know anybody. Well I look in the vehicle to my left (Left turn lane) and guess what...it was filled with 4 damn clowns. No Joke...They all looked at me and smiled. Now I am freaked out...

Well the rest of the week is work...part time gig Tues. & Thurs. I start my rotation on Wednesday. No big events on the upcoming calendar, so stay tuned to see what pops up(and if you know how to ward off clowns...please let me know ASAP...)

Be Kind, Be Safe...and don't piss off the clowns.

Shalom my Peeps.

4th of July...

Hey blog readers...second post for the day. Consider it a 2-fer.

Well today at the firehouse was filled with parades. 6 total. I really like the idea of the neighborhood parade. I don't know if it is just a Midwest/Indiana thing, but the neighborhood parade is awesome. The thought of a bunch of kids decorating their bikes, wagons or anything else the can peddle, push or drag is refreshing. The neighbors all sitting in their front yards waving and making it a big deal for the kids. One of those things that makes me proud to be an American.

Neighborhood parades usually bring neighborhood cookout at the end. I have had my share of hamburgers today. No more hamburgers for a couple days, if not weeks. The best part of the neighborhood parade is the show and tell at the end. Showing little kids the equipment and fire trucks is great. I love to see their reactions to all the "toys" we carry in our trucks.

Then there are the parents. I don't know if I am the only one that notices this, but the Mom's want to talk to the firemen. They have a hundred questions, mostly about the weight of our equipment and how we can handle all the stress(often accompanied by some sort of awkward touch). Then the Dad's want to see the cab, they always offer to drive. They also want to know things like how many PSI our hoses are and stuff like that(followed by a way too hard, trying to impress handshake). The kids...they just want to hear the horn and sirens, and look into the cabnits. All and all it is a time to offer them a perspective into our little world.

Well it sounds like we are having inter-neighborhood shelling. I guess the difference between us and other nations is we just sound like it, they are really shelling each other. So I am going to go make my bed and try and get some sleep...hopefully not haveing to go out tonight.

Oh...wait. Some shout outs. Little Amigo, thanks for the E-card. Looks like your reading the blog... Athena and Sister, hope you had a nice time in LaPorte. I forgot to tell Jen, but she wasn't feeling well, and now she has no voice. Jenny, I hope you get your voice back. It is really killing me not to be able to talk to you, but I understand your frustration and can't wait to hear your voice again. AAK hope your having a good time in Ludington...I am sure it will be a good weekend for you guys. Ash...Thanks again for helping with Sharkboys swimming lessons. I know he is being a pain in the butt, but he will get it...we just waited too long.

Well that is about it...

Be Kind, Be Safe...all weekend.

Shalom my Peeps!

"Times fun when your having flies"...Kermit the Frog

Hey blog readers. I hope this blog finds you all celebrating the 238th Birthday of our Great Nation in some sort of fun and safe manner. I on the other hand am working. I am in the midst of a 36 hour turn...but so far it is going well. Well it has been a few days since an update...so here we go.

Tuesday and Thursday were "Daddy Days"...our babysitter is in Fl. so if I wasn't at the firehouse, I was in full Daddy Day mode. He, however, was not ready for the week of running around that we did. On Tuesday we went to New Carlisle and helped FiL fix some things around that he had for us to fix. Then on Thurs, we went to Lowes and ran around town to get some things.

I had my review from the fire department. Nothing really monumental. Went much as I thought it would. I really like what I do. There is a saying in the fire service..."Best damn job in the world...Period" and I think that is true.

We just finished up a parade here at the firehouse for a local neighborhood. Good times. We get to play with the sirens and honk the horns. What fireman...I mean kid doesn't like that. I would be lying if I told you it didn't make a little happy place in my heart when you can catch some innocent bystander(kid) not paying attention with a surprise horn blast and they jump. It is the little things in life...

Jenny and I are getting the projects piling up. We are redoing the hall floor, removing the carpet, and replacing it with Hardwood (Lowe's Trip). Then I pulled the rail off of our front porch to open the front of the house up a bit, and now I need to paint it to make it look right. I also need to powerwash the deck and seal it because we have a new Gazebo(also Lowe's trip) I need to install on the deck.

So we are in the throws of the summer and enjoying every minute outside...Sharkboy has a new Super Soaker squirt gun that he enjoys chasing the dog with. He has been enjoying lots of play time with the neighbor kids. Biking and just plain old playing around like boys do. He is also taking swimming lessons (Thanks, Ash) but for some reason he is not real excited about them, so they are going to be a little longer than we thought. He refuses to try things in the water...so I think a new strategy is in the works...more to come on that.

Tomorrow we are heading to Round Barn Winery for their Red, Whites and BBQ festival. I am really looking forward to a day of wine, socializing and eating in the wine country of South Western Michigan. FiL, Little Amigo, Jenny and several others are planning to attend. So I am sure I will have more to report later.

So have a safe 4th. Please don't blow any hands or fingers off...or burning of your house to the ground.

Be kind, Be Safe (remember fingers and hands in place when done, house still standing)

Shalom my peeps!!!

Just a couple of quick random thoughts...

I have a new love...don't worry friends, it doesn't replace Jenny. I have never really been a car guy, but I have fallen in love with the Aston Martin DB9...OMG. When I win the lottery, there WILL be a DB9 in my garage, and I will be accepting appiontment to take people for rides in it...

Sharkboy and I have a ton of errands to run today...I hope he can keep up.

Work is long this week. Mon., Wed., Fri. Rotations stink...It is like working a real job.

I really need to blog tonight...Stay tuned blog fans.

Be kind, Be Safe and Be Patient(that is more for me shopping with Sharkboy)...

Shalom my peeps.