R & R in the NC

A family vacation?  What's that?

New Bern, N.C, riverfront.

It's been so long since I took some real time off from work I'd forgotten how nice it is to just get away.  This past weekend we drove down to North Carolina, along with Dad, and Reb &; his Cobbs, to spend time at a Cobb family reunion at Emerald Isle.  We all converged on a distant cousin's beach house, visited for awhile, and then headed down to the beach to play in the waves.  Evie Sue was intimidated by the Atlantic but had no problem throwing sand everywhere, and getting herself so sandy that we're still cleaning her off days later.  We also got to show the Button off to her Great Aunt's and Uncle's who had not had the pleasure of meeting her yet.  All in all it was a fun day.

Then, on Sunday, Father's Day, everyone else left the time share unit to return home and it was only us three; Sara, Evie, and me.  We were going to spend a few extra days on our own.  So nice!  (Well, the 1st day was a bit rough.  Evie Sue woke up in the middle of the night vomiting and spent half the day being sick to her stomach before finally just settling into a needy, whiny stupor.  Unfortunately, Evie's ill timed illness interfered with our Father's Day bbq lunch at Wilber's plans.)  The three of us were alone in the townhouse.
 

Early Morning Snuggles

Left to our devices we woke with the baby, spent the mornings at the pool, and then after a late morning/early afternoon nap we would head out to explore nearby towns.  We walked around downtown New Bern, the riverside Union Park, and grabbed a quick bite to eat at a local raw bar one day.  We drove to a roadside bar/attraction the next and sat in the beer garden sampling local beers.  We relaxed, we reveled, and then we returned home on Wednesday afternoon.

Not The Most Productive of Days

So today turned out a little differently than I originally planned.  I took Evie to daycare so that I could get some errands run and spend some downtime maybe reading a book, cleaning the house or any other number of things.  Sara is in NJ for job training.  Anyway, I made an appointment to drop the car off for an oil change at our mechanic.  Stupidly, I answered, "I don't need it right away," to the clerk's question. 

5 and a 1/2 hours later I was walking back along West street in the rain.  Again, in the rain.  It has rained all day long thanks to Tropical Storm Andrea.  Half my day I wasted waiting for the oil to get changed.  All of my plans went down the crapper.

Instead, I headed to Target and bought a $1 poncho.  The thing about $1 ponchos is that they suck!  The hood kept blowing off, water ran off and soaked my jeans and the poncho kept sticking to my wet clothes.  I killed some time in Whole Foods, drinking coffee, charging my phone, and trying to read my book.  I didn't get very far into the book.  I went to Union Jack's British Pub for lunch.  (Actually, that part of the day was pretty good.)  Then I decided to walk, in the rain down West Street, to Davidus Cigars and maybe relax for awhile and smoke a cigar.  As soon as I sat down and lit my stogie the mechanic called to tell me my car would be ready soon.  I played on my smartphone instead of reading, finished my cigar, and watched some Sportscenter.  Then I walked all the way back down West Street - not far in actuality but an immeasurable distance in the rain with a $1 poncho.

After I finally picked up my car I wrestled with traffic to get to daycare and pick up Evie Sue, and then fight the stream of brake lights, and bad drivers to get home.  Now here we are.  I have showered, cooked dinner, and am hoping to get the baby down for bed soon.  I wish my day had gone a little smoother but I guess it could always have been worse.

The rain just kept coming as I spent my day walking up and down West Street.

It's A Bird! It's A Plane!

No, it's a recent rash of Superman sightings in my life!  What?  That's right, suddenly Superman is everywhere!

• I started listening to the audiobook of Book of Lies by Brian Meltzer.  The book connects the story of Caine and Abel to, among other things, the creation of Superman by Jerry Seigel.  The point I am at in the book keeps discussing the 1st appearance of Superman in Action Comics #1 back in 1938.
• I'm getting to know my new Smart Phone.  I've been exploring the I Heart Radio app, and one of my stations randomly cycled through to a song by the rap artists Purple Ribbon All-Stars.  The song was entitled "Kryptonite".
• Another app on my phone plays old time radio broadcasts.  Last night on my after midnight commute I listened to the 1st two episodes of the Superman show!  I was shocked to find Superman stepped out of his spaceship as a fully grown man in the radio show, when every other version I know tells of the Kents finding and raising the little orphan from space.

All signs seem to be pointing me in the direction of the June 14th release of 'Man of Steel'; the latest Superman movie!  Now, admittedly I've been a comic book lover all of my life and although our current finances don't allow me to indulge much at the comic book store I do get excited about the superhero movies and try to see them on the big screen.  (The last movie I believe I saw in the theaters was 'The Avengers' close to a year ago.  I don't get out much either.)

I think that's what the universe is trying to tell me with all of these Superman things popping up in my life.  Maybe  I should go to the movies and support the last son of Krypton!

Or maybe I'll just pop in Kill Bill: PT 2 and watch David Carradine's monologue about Clark Kent Vs Superman.

A Picture Of Me In Metropolis, Illinois 2011.

This Dummy Just Got A Smart Phone!

What did I ever do before now?  Is this really necessary?  Can the government track my movements now with my GPS?  Does this thing get porn?  Do I have to get a Twitter account now?

So many questions. 

We are still a pretty low-tech family, and the new phones happened because Sara's job bought her an IPhone!  She got a company phone and I was on my own to handle my cell phone needs and apparently I needed a device with Facebook access, Fruit Ninja, and the Android operating system!

Time Marches On... Blindly

"I'll cross if you cross," the man said, appearing out of nowhere. 

I looked to my right surprised to find him there and said, "Excuse me."  He was an older African American male, not elderly but older than I, and he was smartly dressed in matching slacks and a button down short-sleeved shirt.  He held a folder in his right hand.

"This street always terrifies me.  There's no crosswalk."

The man was right, of course, the intersection at the Mall's entrance had no crosswalk and was not very pedestrian friendly.  The two of us waited for a gap in traffic and for the lights to go our way and then we crossed.  He was hesitant.

When we reached the far side of the intersection he admittd that he is walking to the bus stop from his Doctor's office.  He has to walk, you see, because he cannot drive.  Thirteen eye surgeries.  I acted concerned and he tells me that he lost his right eye, I then noticed the false one.  "It's just time catching up with me," he said.  He was very accepting and chalked it all up to glaucoma, which his daddy also had.  The thing that really got to him was the fact that he couldn't drive, but he realized he was a 'danger' to everyone else on the road.  He'd even had to get rid of his top of the line, tricked out F150.  Now that hurt.  A man gets a vehicle just the way he wants it and is unable to enjoy it.

We only walked together for about 50 yards or so, and all of this came out during our brief meeting.  I wasn't even aware of the man a few minutes before and suddenly he's unburdening himself on me, a total stranger.  It's the 1st time that this has happened.  I often have people decide that I must be a good listener of someone with a kind face, and a easy ear.  It used to weird me out how open some people are willing to be but nowadays whenever it happens I just nod my head, listen, and try not to stare at the fake eye.

The Color of My Thumb

 

Sunflowers growing from seeds.

It's that time of year again.  I'm attempting to garden some... just a little.  We don't have a lot of room outside, a yard, or a garden area.  All of my plants are potted and easily moved around to catch the best sunlight. Last year I did not fair so well.  My pepper plant wasn't very productive.  Nor my tomato vine.  My basil died early and everything else never really thrived.  In my defense, last Summer was very hot, I started a new job and wasn't very attentive to my plants. 

This year, so far, I have a tomato plant, & some spinach I bought from the farmers market.  I'm attempting to grow sunflowers, swiss chard, and jalapeno peppers from seeds.  Pretty soon I'll invest in a few herbs.  I always like to have basil around, maybe some cilantro.   We'll see.

My 1st casualty of the season has already occurred.  I put my Sunflowers (pictured) outside to catch some sun.  I left them out for too long, the night came and when I went to fetch the sprouts a slug had already viciously attacked them.  The beast was hanging on the bigger of the 2 plants, the stem had broken and the plant was a goner.  I was able to transplant the surviving flower, and I hope it recovers from such a traumatic experience.

So what will this growing season hold for me?  Will I be successful... fruitful even?  Or will my green thumb blacken and die like my many mini-crops?

Happy Birthday To Me!

Today is my birthday.  I am another year older and, perhaps, a little bit wiser.  In less than an hour I will have to leave for work and spend the rest of this day catering to others' needs and concerns.  I very rarely ask for the day off for my birthday, and, honestly, this one kinda snuck up on me.  Would I rather sit at home with my wife and daughter for rest of my special day?  You bet.  Would I prefer eating a sit down dinner ith my family to bagging groceries for the ungrateful masses?  Damn right!  Still, I'm off to work.

Friday, the day both Sara and I have off every week, we took Evie down to neighborhood beach/playground and played on the swing set.    Then, after nap time, we went downtown Annapolis and strolled around in the sun, and enjoyed the weather.  It was a fun day.  Sara gave me a gift basket with some cheesy 80's movies, good beer, a book light, and some flip-flops.  It was exactly what I asked for.  Thanks wife.  All in all it as a good birthday weekend... but no I have to go to work.  Here's hoping that it continues to be a good weekend.

1 Month Later

The last post still makes me smile.  Those things still make me happy.  Here we are 1 month after the post and I realize I haven't really been paying attention to blog.  Life goes on.  Work continues.  The days keep rolling by.

A Few things That Make Me Happy Right Now

In response to a question posed to me by a friend - well, I say posed to me but it was really the end of a blog post she wrote - I will now list a few things that make me happy these days.

1)  The Public Library -  Lately I have been able to find back episodes of television shows, and movies on DVD at the library.  I finally saw Dark Knight Rising.  Sara and I got the 1st season of Modern Family to watch.  Season 2 of Archer is hilarious!  Yes, I know the library has books but my bookshelf here at home is already loaded with books that I need to find time to read.  (Also, I sometimes get audiobooks of CD from the library for my commute.  Sometimes these make me happy and sometimes they do not!  I'm 6 discs in on a book right now and the disc becomes unreadable, and skips through pages and pages.  Frustrating.) 

2)  My couches - Recently, Sara and I had the good fortune of receiving 2 couches from a friend of ours.  The couches were free and are much nicer and more comfortable than our old futon.  Recently, I was laid low with a cold of sorts and spent many hours curled up in the fetal position on our couch!  It's nice having a couch the whole family can fit on.

  3)  Evie Sue's Expanding Vocabulary - I've written before about my daughter's attempts to communicate with signs, but now she's trying to talk.  She babbles non-stop!  Sometimes her voice is the 1st thing I hear in the morning.  Sara gets up early with the baby to let me get a few extra moments sleep and I awaken to Evie Sue's sweet little babbles from the next room, or her high-pitched squeals.  She has tried many times to say Mama, Dada, More, Ball, Please, and even to name the dog, although Tootsie comes out sounding more like a slow leak.

4) Jason Mraz's album We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things (2008) -  This is one of Sara's CD's but it has ended up in the car and I often pop it in when I need to stay awake on my commute or brighten up for a long day ahead.  Particularly Track 10 The Dynamo of Volition get's me moving.  The album itself is a nice blend of poppy songs, thoughtful lyrics, and sometimes surprisingly funky tunes.  This album, Sara's not mine, has helped on many commutes.

5) Half- Empty Diaper Boxes - 

Makes me smile every time!

Obviously, my wife and child top the list but these have just been a few things that brighten my day.  Now I'll pose the question to you.  What are somethings that make you happy right now?

The Crooked Cucumber says,

"As long as you depend on something special, something it is assumed you should depend on, you are not strong enough to go on by yourself.  You cannot find your way.  So first of all, know yourself and be strong enough to live without any sign, without any information - that is the most important point.  There is truth, you say, but there can be various truths.  The question is not which way you should go.  If you only try to go in one direction, or if you always depend on signs, you will not find your own way.  The best thing is to have eyes to read various signs."
                                                                       -Shunryu Suzuki

Recently, I have been reading a book entitled: Crooked Cucumber:  The Life and Zen Teachings of Shunryu Suzuki.  The passage above really resonated with me.