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The best part of today was not that he loved his presents, nor the happy dance that he did when saw some of them, nor even that he let me take a nap this afternoon while he played a computer game. The best part was that somewhere in the middle of playing with him, he and I had spontaneous conversations about what he wants to be when he grows up, and why his mom and I are not together. That last one was hard to handle at a second grade level while neither dodging the issue nor being disrespectful towards her, but I think I handled it well.
The worst part of today was later having to drive to a bar with him to get some of his presents from his mom out of the trunk of her car. It’s not as bad bad as that sounds, nor as bad as it could be, But neither is it a thing that made me happy. In fact, during the 15 minute drive there, it had me ruminating on the word “furious”, and how fury differs from mere extreme anger or rage. (If you’d like to know the difference, just mess with my kid and I’ll make it perfectly clear to you,)
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Favorite Part, 9/03/2011
Talking with my son about his Halloween costume being the TARDIS.
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Favorite Parts, 6/29/2011
- I got a sweet email from a sweet friend
- I got another sweet email from another sweet friend
- I played with Barkley, aka Chewbarka the Yorkiee. He lost a puppy tooth while we were playing. Again.
- I talked to my doctor about my concern about sleep apnea, and he referred me for a sleep study. If anybody is ready to study sleep, it’s me. Bring it on!
- Tackled some stuff I had been avoiding, by doing just 5 minutes at a time. Didn’t finish, but I made good progress.
Good things. Little things. Sometimes, that’s all that matters. Had a good day.
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Favorite Parts, 6/6/2011
- Reading about the D-Day veteran who played bagpipes on the beach unarmed during the invasion. Balls. Of. Steel.
- Getting a new prescription for Adderall XR. Now I just need to find a pharmacy that has the generic in-stock. That’s tomorrow’s boondoggle.
- Another day in the life with my kiddo. I find that I appreciate him more when his friends come over, and I realize just how smart he is. (Whoever said “There are no stupid questions”, *please* come spend some time with a couple of 7-year-olds that I know.) Though I don’t have much energy for getting anything else done right now, at the end of the day, I’m grateful for the time we’ve spent together so far this summer. He got pretty busy with friends and school the last few months, and it’s nice to just hang out together.
- This one was really late last night, but it crossed over midnight, so I’ll count it for today: Watching an episode of the new Doctor Who for the first time. And by “new” I mean that the last Doctor I saw was number 8. So I downloaded “The Doctor’s Wife.” Sometimes I forget just how much ass Neil Gaiman kicks as a writer. The answer: All. He kicks all of the ass. Also, I may be hooked now.
- Quality time with the puppy, Barkley, who I am now calling, variously: Barkles, Sparkles, and Sparkley. Laughing hard watching him run around the room while two 7-year-old boys make barking sounds while he tried to figure out where the other dogs were. It appears that he is a dog who, when he gets confused, instinctively tries to outrun his confusion. Hilarity ensues. Have you ever seen a Yorkie try to run on a hardwood floor without any traction?
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Favorite Parts, 6/5/2011
- Playing Legos with my boy. He got a new set with his allowance, and he’s really excited about it. It transforms between a vehicle and a mech.
- While my boy is outside playing with a friend, I can play Legos by myself
- Home still smells of last night’s spaghetti sauce. Mmmm, garlic….
- Peanut butter frosting on chocolate cake. Put it on your bucket list, people. (If you’re allergic to peanuts, just put it as the very last item on your bucket list.)
- Blueberries are in season. I had some for breakfast. They were delicious. If my boy hadn’t been in a hurry to get to Target and buy some Legos, I would have eaten the whole quart of them.
- Though the day was hot, the evening is just right… to walk outside for a few minutes then come back in to the A/C.
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Favorite Parts, 6/4/2011
- My son is having his first sleepover at a friends house. So far, all the sleepovers have been at our house.
- Gonna make homemade spaghetti sauce tonight, inspired by how indeedly makes it.
- Also, cake. This one from the grocery store bakery, not homemade, better than I could make it anyway.
- No Adderall withdrawal symptoms, despite being really tired most of yesterday. I’ll be getting a new prescription Monday.
- Puppy!
- Seeing lots of people doing “Favorite Part” posts. Recognizing that there are things to be grateful for every day is something I wish the whole world practiced.
- FREE TREADMILL. Okay, I may have to pass it on to someone else in a month or two, but I’m hoping to drop 10-15 pounds before than, and keep going afterward.
- Remembering some advice that I heard a long time ago, but didn’t fully understand at the time. Putting it to use despite my ego wanting to do it another way, and finally “getting it” on a new level. (It’s this: “It’s not all about you.” Those five words have enough depth to take on new meaning over and over for a lifetime.)
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Favorite Part, 06/02/2011
Besides the visit from some of the nation’s finest, I got a break from summertime parenting, thanks to my son’s grandma. We’ve been having a good time together, and it’s been easier than I expected. He’s not as hyper as he has been coming home from school the past couple of months. It seems like he gets riled up on the bus ride home.
Now he’s over at a friend’s house, but he’ll be home soon and we’ll start getting him ready for bed. He usually wants friends to come over here — he’s kind of a homebody, like his dad — plus, all the cool toys are over here.
So today has had a nice balance of quality father-son time and quality father-is-alone-and-enjoying-the-quiet time.
In another week and two days, he’ll be off with grandma to visit her family in Michigan, and feed the animals on the farm. He has fun every summer with Aunt Sue and the kids back there. He’ll be gone almost a month. What ever shall I do with myself??? ;^)
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Favorite part, 05/29/2011
I looked at some pictures I took on Friday, and found an incredible shot of my son looking adoringly at a girl from his first grade class whom he went over to play with. When I have something more than the attention span of a gnat, I’ll crop it so I can post the look on his face.
My other favorite part of today is discovering that my old friend, naproxen sodium (aka generic Aleve) — which I also take defensively at the first sign of the aura of a migraine — also seems to ward off the headache of Adderall withdrawal.
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Favorite part, 5/27/2011
I’ve stayed up too late, so this’ll be short:
My favorite part of today was that the first day of summer vacation with my son was almost entirely stress-free. (Except for half an hour near the end….)
Lots of “I love you” and “You’re the best daddy ever” and quiet, calm, contented play. Sweetness.
Maybe I’ll go into more detail tomorrow. Good night, Tumblr.
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Favorite part, 5/19/2011
My favorite part of today was being able to genuinely help a dear friend who was just reaching out to vent.
Sometimes all a person needs is to be heard and have their feelings respected without you trying to fix their problem.
And other times, that’s bullshit, and you can surprise someone who didn’t think there was anything they could do about their situation. It helps to be a geek who remembers just enough to know what to google in order to find the answers.
Any day that I can help someone, make something they enjoy, or just make someone smile, is a good day.
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Favorite Part, 5/18/2011
This may only make sense if you’ve been in Arizona in summer. (Yes, I know it’s still Spring.)
My favorite part of today was being able to leave the door open every minute that I’ve been home, feel a cool breeze, and sometimes listen to falling rain.
After a bajillion sunny days in a row, an overcast sky is a treat.
After days where just being outside for a few minutes mean I’m ready to down a whole quart bottle of Gatorade, feeling a chill is a delight.
Walking in the rain, even if just to take Orion’s friends home in the neighboring condo complex.
Reflected light in the night, on wet concrete.
Birds staying out to sing longer, because there’s no heat to chase them away to their cooler hiding places.
Knowing that for a couple of days, the desert gets to come alive.
And in a tie for first place, Hi! Sometimes that really is all it takes.
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Favorite part(s)
My favorite part of today is that there were too many good things to pick one favorite part.
- Feeling things move me almost to (happy) tears
- Being well enough to be awake, alert and focused for most of the day.
- Reaching out to friends for no reason other than to chat, and feeling connected and loved.
- Having lunch with a friend that I had worked with for 13 years. Bonding over the issues of life as a computer nerd.
- Playing with a puppy who makes me laugh *so* hard sometimes.
- Taking a nap because my son is spending the night with grandma and grandpa.
