there is
NOTHING TO SEE HERE
so what are you looking at?
What makes me happy
my wife
my son
writing
books
listening to music
comic books
movies
fantasy football
man's exploration of space
law & order
unemployment
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What I dislike
Working at uninteresting, unfulfilling, jobs
My wife on PMS (hey, at least I'm honest about it)
Ignorant people who are unwilling to learn
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One current obsession
Trading Music CDs For $1
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Sequential artwork I've recently read
**** out of *****
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If I were single, here's who I'd like to ask out and inevitably be turned down by...
Sanaa Lathan
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Serialized television viewing
DEADWOOD
****1/2 out of *****
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Recent posts
Terrible Weekend of Newspaper Throwing
Sydney Harbor Pic / Intelligent Design Takes A Hit / Why Men Don't Work
Weird Home Stuff / More New Home Stuff / Lala.com
Sunday Morning Shuffle 6/25/2006: Ultimate Playlist
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Sites I visit regularly
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Reading or Read Recently
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Listening
**** out of *****
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Cooler than a penguin's feet
Venus and Earth
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(most recent article on top, earlier articles on bottom)
August 14, 2006: 0544 hours
STILL HERE, IF ONLY IN SPIRIT
I'm still around, although no one could discern that fact by reading this blog. Since the birth of our daughter (our second child) on the third of the month, I haven't had the opportunity to post anything. The main reason, of course, if the new addition to the family. The ancillary reasons are varied, though related.
For one thing, although I promised to take a week or two off from throwing papers to enjoy and help out with the new princess, I haven't done so. One of the managers at one of the papers I regularly sub for is in such a bind with down routes that I found it impossible to turn down his pleas for assistance; of course, turning him down was made all the more difficult by him sweetening the pot with a little extra cash above what I would normally charge.
So, instead of throwing no papers in the ten days since the baby was born, I've thrown the last nine days straight and will probably throw the next nine or ten days straight. That's going to put a hefty chunk of change in my pocket, and I need that to replenish the war chest I've been raiding with regularity lately.
Another drain on my time is the number of guests and phone calls we've taken in the past two weeks. My mother-in-law and her boyfriend stayed with us the weekend of the baby's birth. Their presence was a huge aid in that it allowed me to leave my son in their care while I spent most of my time at the hospital, and a couple hours a night throwing newspapers.
On the other hand, every moment not spent at the hospital was spent dealing with them and their various requests. My mother-in-law's (MIL) car was experiencing some mechanical difficulty so they didn't want to drive it around town. That meant I had to drive them to the hospital to visit my wife and daughter, then I'd return home to rest or go out to run errands, then return to the hospital to pick them up, then run them around to buy cigarettes or food or whatever, then take them back to our house, then return to the hospital to be with my wife and child for a few hours, then rinse and repeat.
Aside from them, we've had a non-stop stream of guests and phone calls. Yesterday, Sunday, went like this.
02:30-07:30 - Throw paper route, following three hours of sleep.
08:00-09:00 - Nap
09:00-11:30 - Take care of kids' needs while making pathetic attempt to tidy the homestead
11:30-12:15 - Prepare food and bottles for adults and kids
12:15-13:30 - Surprise visit from my mother and stepfather, who bring a large order from a fast-food chicken place, and a wonderful rocking chair for my wife.
12:50-15:00 - Around-the-corner neighbor, who I've never met before, walking her 2-year-old son stop to chat with my son who's playing in the front yard as my stepfather and I chat. She asks her son if he would like to play with my son then begins chatting it up with me. After my parents leave, she and her tyke hang around for a while.
14:15-14:35 - Across-the-street neighbor, an older man nearing retirement, walks over, introduces himself, and joins the gathering.
14:25-14:40 - A friend stops by and brings a huge dinner for us, clothes for the infant, and toys for our son. She joins the conversation on the front porch for a while before leaving to go to her second job.
15:00-18:00 - After attempting and failing miserably to convince our son to nap after the barrage of activity, my wife and I feed the baby, tidy up a bit, wash some clothes, eat dinner, shower and change clothes in preparation for a late-afternoon "lazy" drive and visit to a friend's house. I wanted to cancel this visit, but it had been pre-arranged and my friend's wife desperately wanted to see my wife again and our newborn.
18:00-21:15 - Pack up the kids and extra gear for outing to friend's house. Lively conversation, but my attention span is approaching nil due to brain and body fatigue. Finally we leave for home.
21:35-22:15 - Once we return home, I don't even pretend to help my wife much with the kids before I lay down in the bed. It's only three hours and change before I have to awaken to throw the days paper routes (notice the plural signifier!)
What may be surprising is that this listing is fairly typical for how wackily busy our days have been for the past couple of weeks. The frightening thing is that I'm adjusting to such a routine that leaves little time for me to explore personally rewarding activities.
I know I can't keep this up forever, it'll be fun to see how long I can keep this up. [NOTE: I made numerous typos while typing the last couple sentences and sort of dozed off a couple of time.] Right now, it's time for a nap.
Next time, a baby picture . . . maybe.
nothing to see here
Overworm is a writer available for work and/or agent representation. I write mysteries, tales of suspense, and African-American fiction. I also write articles for web and print, and marketing collateral.
nothing to see here