Giving Thanks Twice

Thanksgiving is over - sort of. Like most folks, we're still living off leftover turkey but thankfully the sweets are long gone. Unfortunately a good portion of it went down my own gullet. We ended up actually celebrating Thanksgiving twice this year so it was a double helping of gut-busting food. I even made Sweet Potato Pie this year thanks to Alton Brown. I've recently discovered I actually enjoy cooking. I don't have the natural palette for it Lana does, but I know how to follow directions. I can't tell what needs to be added or in what quantities but if given good directions I get usually make something eatable. I've come a long way from paying my little brother to make me grill cheese sandwich.

Even with crazy schedules, we managed to get the Christmas tree up! I brought down all the boxes from the attic room with help from Marcel. We sat around the fireplace listening to Christmas carols streamed through the TV from our home network, watching our family photos on the slide show, while we hung ornaments. Livie decided they were all too nice to hang and it was a constant battle. We'd hang two and she'd take one off. It ended up being a pretty lengthy task but that's all right. I'm not sure how many more Santa years we're gonna get out of Marcel. I think that he already secretly knows who the real Santas are and it does make me a little sad. Maybe that's why he hasn't said anything. Normally I wouldn't give a kid that kind of credit for being that sensitive, but Marcel's that kinda kid. I'm a lucky guy and I have a lot to be thankful for.

So now we're on Santa countdown with the calendar. The kids move the little bear every evening together. Marcel reads the day's hint and Olivia looks for the spot to move the bear. It's really pretty damn cute. So at some point Lana and I need to finish our shopping. Olivia will be pretty easy but Marcel gets tougher every year. He claims he doesn't really play with his toys anymore but I can't help but notice the G.I. Joe's scattered across his bedroom floor in a very reminiscent fashion of a good ol' ass whoopin dropped down by his heavily armed and loved Halo figures. So I think maybe this year I'll grab a few Collectible action figures that he can continue to urmmm, "display" in his room.

I should go. The living room just got really quiet and when I rolled my chair out as a bluff move, I heard little feet take off running.

TINSTAAFL

I missed Veterans Day. I can't believe I forgot about it and let Marcel go to school. I'm not sure when it became okay for kids to go to school on Veterans Day but I don't send my kids to school but this go around I actually forgot. My father served in the Army and racked up four MOS's. One of his brother's served in the Army and had the privilege of becoming an Airborne Ranger. Another served in the Navy. I served in the Army as an Army Medic. So to say I felt bad about sending Marcel to school on Veterans Day is a little bit of an overstatement.

I was taught as a kid that we live in a country of incredible opportunities - if one's willing to do the work. Our country is based off the premise that the opportunity is provided for you to elevate yourself. Without going into my father's private life too much, he knew what it was to live in poverty and did something to change his life. He didn't ask for government handouts or welfare. He worked for it. I'm not sure what's changed in American mentality but I suspect it has something to do with the fact that most people believe that their government should provide for them what past generations worked for and earned.

Anyway, I felt bad about sending Marcel to school. So I picked him up from school early the following day and took the kids out. We had a little rehash talk on the road about his grandpa. I can't think of a better example of hard work and dedication than my own father's story. Marcel knew his grandpa's story already but I thought it important to remind him that the privileges most take for granted are not free. Not the freedom to express ourselves, to worship (or not worship) as we choose, medical care, welfare, social security, etc. Someone has to pay for it even if it's not you. Sometimes with a hit to our wallets, sometimes with blood. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

That was our little discussion on our way to the Houston Zoo. Of course, we talked about his newest girlfriend too but I know this stuff he'll remember even if he seems bored by it now. It was a fantastic day for a zoo trip too. The weather was absolutely perfect. It was cool enough that most of the animals were out and playing. This trip was made particularly easier since we had our iPhones loaded with the Houston Zoo App. Olivia makes friends everywhere she goes and at the zoo was no exception. She talked to the women sitting beside us as we ate, she made friends with the kids on the playground, and even charmed our waitress when we had dinner afterward. She kept Marcel and me pretty busy. Marcel and I were a bit disappointed that the Kipp Aquarium was closed but we did get to see the piranha at least. The kids were so worn out, they both fell asleep once they were in the car.

Fun and Games

With Halloween now behind us I find myself a little restless with nothing to work on that has a real deadline. Sure, laundry needs to be done every few days and the dishwasher has to be run every evening but nothing that really says, "Get Your Ass MOVING!" The kids enjoyed their candy far too much, Marcel's still running around wearing his mask, and Olivia still tries to squeeze her witch hat on daily. All the good candy is long gone but the kids (and me) are still chipping away at the left-overs. It's mostly tootsie rolls and suckers left now but we'll manage, I'm sure, to make sure none goes to waste.

I guess I just didn't realize how much taking them trick or treating together meant to me until there was the real threat Marcel would be trick or treating without us. He'd gotten invited to a really large Halloween birthday bash - with trick or treating to wrap it up. I guess I just kind of assumed he'd always want to spend Halloween with us. I guess I'm just being a bit too sentimental. He ended up trick or treating with us since the party was actually just going to do a group hayride but no trick or treating so we got him for one more year. We'll have to do something enticing next year to make sure he decides to stick with us on Halloween I guess. I'll resort to bribery, you're damn right.

So now I want to make something again. I had fun making the mask but honestly it wasn't difficult. I didn't do anything new. I made a plaster face mask, I sculpted the mask on top of it out of clay, then I made a mold from latex and plaster. From there I just mixed up a batch of milkshake and glassed the inside. Done. No real challenge.

With that said, I've decided to try my hand at making a few more poker tables. I'm going to give myself a deadline to make and see how it goes. To help the ball get rolling I went and sold the other poker tables I made to help grease the wheel and motivate me. I'm feeling more confident with my woodworking abilities these days. After making Marcel's wooden swords and tossing together a few push sticks for the table saw I'm ready for a new challenge. This go around I'm going to try to make pedestal bases. These poker tables are now attempt five and six. We'll see how it goes especially since I can't leave good enough alone. I've taken numerous poker table building plans and bastardized them into my own so there's no real detailed directions out there (that I've found) for what I plan on building. It's nothing too complicated other than a mishmash of a few plans but it will definitely be a challenge. The fun part is the planning right now. I'm using Illustrator CS4 to layout my lumber cuts and 3D Studio Max to visualize the dimensions. Does it get geekier than that?

It's nearly nap time, so I'm outta hear for now. I've got poker table plans to finalize and a workout to do while the little girl recharges.

Everyone Wins!

So Marcel and Lana have been doing the whole Karate thing lately. It's pretty neat and they really enjoy it. Yesterday they participated in their first tournament. So I canceled my gaming day with the guys and charged up the camera for a day with the family. I had fun watching them despite having to chase a crazy toddler up and down the bleachers. All things said and done, she was really well behaved and in a great mood. There were a few scary moments when I thought I'd get the stink eye from other spectators but thankfully her super power cuteness was too much for anyone to resist.

While Marcel was going through his Kata in front of the judges I made the mistake of pointing him out to her. She proceeded to yell at the top of her lungs.

"Hey Bubba! Hi Bubba! Whatchu doing Bubba?!..."

Then she decided to make a break for it despite being on my shoulders while I attempted to take pictures. When she saw her mom it was even worse because I made the mistake of getting in close for a few good photos. It was a steady stream of,

"Hiii Momma!! Whatchu doin' Momma?! Hey Momma!! Hey Momma, What u doin Momma?!!"

We were all of thirty feet away and my child was yelling at the top of her lungs while Lana did her Kata's in front of the judges. Luckily she trained for that too. Marcel took down a second place and Lana came home with first. I was very proud of em and 'Livie was too I think.

In other good news, while on the way to the tournament I found out my Owlcon logo won! I'm not sure which version they'll go with yet but I was stoked to know mine was picked. It's the second time I've submitted a logo and a second win. Not too shabby if I do say so myself. My first submission was back in 2004. So I'll get in for free this year and get my snazzy shirt for free this year. I'll probably end up running a game or two anyway though. I'm really excited about Owlcon this year and I'm already counting down. Until then, I need to learn 4th edition GURPS just a little better. I plan on hitting the conventions heavy this year. I got the gaming bug again. It's good to be roleplaying regularly again and even better to break out of my usual comfort zone to try new games. :)

I'm off to to a little touch up paint on Marcel's Halloween mask. He decided to be The Blue Spirit, from the Avatar the Last Airbender this year. It really hasn't been too difficult. The mask came along really well, I had plenty of scrap wood laying around for the swords, and I just had to sew a mask. It's been pretty fun putting together all the skills I've accumulated over the years and seeing results I can be proud of. Marcel actually made the comment that the mask is too shiny. My fiberglassing and bondo skills have come a long way :)

Halloween Spirit

Halloween has yet again snuck up on us. Honestly, I've been very disgruntled this year about Halloween. I know I shouldn't still be so bothered some asshole would sink so low as to steal something me and my family built together, but I have. I miss my reaper. More than missing my reaper though, I miss feeling that my home and the things I place in my yard are safe from losers with no sense of morals. I really hate feeling that way but there it is still. So I've decided to not put out my pimp headstones. I might change my mind later and just put them out a few nights before Halloween but as of right this very moment they're staying in the garage. Blaaah.

What really sucks about feeling like this is that I really absotively love Halloween. I love making stuff and Halloween is such an awesome outlet to really just have fun. So despite feeling upset every time I look at my unfinished reaper or headstones, I decided to make Marcel's costume this year. He decided to go as The Blue Spirit from The Avatar. Thankfully it's a pretty simple costume. The most difficult part is going to be the mask I think and I've already got that sculpted out. Next will be to make the mold the evening, cut out the swords, and shop for the black outfit. I think I can get it done in time but since I put off waiting so long I doubt I'll have time to do anything for myself or Lana. I'm sure with the boxes of costumes and props we can toss something together.

Taming the Yard

So it's been a while since I've posted. The monster that's been taking up a majority of our energy these days is our backyard. We finally got the dead tree that fell over on Father's Day taken care of. With that out of the way I was able to put the fence back up. Feeling a little feisty, I decided it was time to attack the backyard grass with the lawnmower. One thing led to another and we eventually ended up with a new gas weed eater but renewed eagerness to try another round at this gardening stuff.

With so many other distractions on our plate the past few months we let the backyard go a little wild and out of hand. I forget how big our yard is sometimes. We sit on two lots both on a corner so it's a bit overwhelming at times. The plan this following spring is to plan ahead and take it a little slower. I wasn't prepared at all last go around and my imagination was larger than my knowledge and skill base. Maybe this time around I'll manage to keep some of the plants I put in the ground alive.

Other than that, it's been pretty quiet around here if you ignore the chainsaw buzzing and lawnmower roar. Marcel's been home sick the past few days. I'm hoping we all dodge the bullet but I doubt we'll be so lucky. Poor kid is home from school and he hardly has the energy to take advantage of the Xbox sitting under the TV he's so exhausted. I even managed to beat him at a few rounds of Gears of War.

Well, it's time to clean the kitchen and dose Marcel up again so I'm outta here. Just thought I'd stop by and say whatup...

Return to Sender

I've been attempting to try my hand at gardening and so far have failed in almost every instance for one reason or another. I haven't given up though because I'm stubborn like that. Here lately I've been trying to successfully root clippings. I'm told it isn't that difficult. Well, it looks as though I might actually have gotten a few of mine to root! The one pictured to the right is a clipping I took from an apartment complex parking lot. It's a buttercup yellow single bloom Hibiscus. With Ribblette in the house, Hibiscus flowers are in high demand these days. Out of the dozen or so clippings I made it looks as though a few might take. Yup, that's a small bit of green growth branching out of my clipping. :)

Now I'm hoping my other clippings will yield a few as well. I've got clippings for triple bloom buttercup yellow and peach hibiscus so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Everyday we walk to check the mail, we grab a few blooms off the hibiscus we have in the yard. I'm hoping next year to add a lot more.

Speaking of checking the mail...