I know, it has been an obscenely long time since I've posted anything, and I think Facebook has spoiled me rotten. The short posts, the instant feedback, the audience... it becomes way more gratifying to stick a thought into Facebook than to compose drivel on the blog and have absolutely no dribble of interest from anyone. But I have remedied that little problem by tying my blog to my Facebook! Unabridged Nicky!
I'm coming to accept that Diego Mcnamara might as well be my second name, since there's virtually no anonminity to that name anyhow. And when my personal blog, my flickr account, my youtube account uses that name while my face and name is plastered all over, its moot to keep it any secret at all. Ignoring the advice of many tech journalists, my online life is pretty much an open book. I don't know, I don't think people really care enough about me to do anything about it. I guess I'm apathetic about my privacy like that.
Did a little bit or reorganizing to my desk area, and finally gutted out the area of junk that has been accumlating in the entertainment center that hasn't been very entertaining in a long time. It became junk central, just a storage dump where all my electronic crap went. A bookshelf now sits there and I still need to sort out the particulars in the contents, but otherwise it looks a load better.
I continue into my musical awakening not by learning an actual instrument or diving into music history, but by buying Singstar for the PS3. We have been captivated by ABBA's collection of 70s pop and boy, they have some of the funnest songs to sing, even if I'm not completely sure what I'm singing about. My singing voice is a cross between a nasal croak and a 60 year old smoker with retracted genitals, but at least my pitch is pretty good. Good enough to fool the game that I can carry a tune! I see it as good practice for Beatles Rock Band, because I can tell you now I'm going to sing the feces out of that game for sure, probably while playing the guitar as well. I love me some Beatles.
Thinking about "Spaced", a 2 season comedy from the early 00s that had Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in roles, as well as Edgar Wright directing episodes. That's right, the guys that made "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz". It's now streaming on Hulu, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is into absurdist comedy like I am.
Well, we will see if this links to Facebook. I guess I do miss being droningly boring in long form after all.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
I'm generally not one to listen to my own advice - my famous last words would probably be, "I thought it was the other pit that was filled with spikes and acid," or "told you that musket was loaded." So it served as no surprise that after I had warned my co-workers to never tell his spouse whether he would work overtime or not until he left the building, I broke the same rule and emailed my wife that I was, indeed, off work tomorrow. They mentioned we weren't needed, and there was no work. So I told my wife, no work. Within 20 minutes, while I'm still on lunch, my lead asks me to go to the warehouse in Bothell, and to do work there tomorrow as needed. Now this wasn't so much a punishment than a compliment, so I said, sure. I needed to pad my measley 32 hour week anyway.
I carpooled with Sergey, an Armenian guy that I work with quite frequently. He's a nice enough guy, although sometimes he's quick to frustration because of misunderstandings. But an okay guy. We drove in his car and although it was a short drive, we did get lost and I was about to hurl by the time we got there because I was getting carsick. It was right after lunch and Sergey kept turning around, making quick jolts with his wheel, and I was a shade of green by the time we got there.
While there, we just looked at some numbers over and over again, checking lot codes and making notations. Nothing exciting really.
But when it came time to go home, we got lost again, I don't really know how, and I was always late getting home for the changing of the guard with the kids.
So there you go. Lesson of the day, never ignore your own advice, and never be a passenger in a car. And stay away from pits reeking of acid.
I carpooled with Sergey, an Armenian guy that I work with quite frequently. He's a nice enough guy, although sometimes he's quick to frustration because of misunderstandings. But an okay guy. We drove in his car and although it was a short drive, we did get lost and I was about to hurl by the time we got there because I was getting carsick. It was right after lunch and Sergey kept turning around, making quick jolts with his wheel, and I was a shade of green by the time we got there.
While there, we just looked at some numbers over and over again, checking lot codes and making notations. Nothing exciting really.
But when it came time to go home, we got lost again, I don't really know how, and I was always late getting home for the changing of the guard with the kids.
So there you go. Lesson of the day, never ignore your own advice, and never be a passenger in a car. And stay away from pits reeking of acid.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
After today's Fourth, I could apply to be the entertainment director of a cruise liner. This is the only slow moment of the day, just us sitting on a bench outside the mall watching the park traffic empty out slowly. The streets are still clogged, with cars trickling out of the mall.
We started out relatively early, left the house at around 3 and came for the mall. We took care of purchasing movie tickets first, then walked over to the California Pizza Kitchen, had a Thai Chicken and a Garlic Chicken pizza, then headed down to the park where the kids found some inflatable goodness to enjoy. After gawking at some juggling fools and getting some weird swag, we went to see Star Trek.
The movie was pretty good, and I was actually a little miffed at a few of the comments heard on Filmspotting, about how they thought the story was servicable and that the villian was a throwaway. I thought the story not only bridged the old and new fans relatively well, but also managed to pay tribute to the old Trek while ushering in the new. How all the crew members get promoted into their roles seemed a little goofy, with a lot of off-screen folks buying it, but overall it was a fun ride.
Right after the movie we hustled down to the park, even though we probably didn't have to. We found a spot and gambled on it, and worked out perfectly. People were extremely pushy and inconsiderate but we enjoyed ourselves. We waited for the traffic for about an hour before heading out.
We started out relatively early, left the house at around 3 and came for the mall. We took care of purchasing movie tickets first, then walked over to the California Pizza Kitchen, had a Thai Chicken and a Garlic Chicken pizza, then headed down to the park where the kids found some inflatable goodness to enjoy. After gawking at some juggling fools and getting some weird swag, we went to see Star Trek.
The movie was pretty good, and I was actually a little miffed at a few of the comments heard on Filmspotting, about how they thought the story was servicable and that the villian was a throwaway. I thought the story not only bridged the old and new fans relatively well, but also managed to pay tribute to the old Trek while ushering in the new. How all the crew members get promoted into their roles seemed a little goofy, with a lot of off-screen folks buying it, but overall it was a fun ride.
Right after the movie we hustled down to the park, even though we probably didn't have to. We found a spot and gambled on it, and worked out perfectly. People were extremely pushy and inconsiderate but we enjoyed ourselves. We waited for the traffic for about an hour before heading out.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Madeline
There was a kid at the playground playing with Zoe earlier, by the name of Madeline or Madison or Maddening... something to that effect. At first she seemed like a nice girl, older than Zoe or Alex but somehow patient enough to play with Zoe. Before things got weird.
At first, it was just Madeline hanging upside down on some bars, and my wife was being polite, saying that was pretty cool. Then she got talkative on us, telling us that she went to school at a circus, and then she could do a lot of tricks and magic. Which was fine for a while. I was blogging on the phone and watching the kids when I realized that after she finished an act or made a statement, she would look at us for confirmation and acknowledgment. We would smile politely and then focus on our kids, but Madeline was persistent. Like a kid vying for attention.
She disappeared for a while with her mom, and while I was pushing Zoe on the swing she reappeared. Zoe was done and wanted off, so Madeline climbed on and as Zoe and I walked away, she looked at us and yelled, "Push me!" I ignored her, telling Zoe that her mommy needed to push her, and grown ups don't handle other peoples children. When we went to the fountain, Madeline demanded at the top of her voice to know where we were going.
Although we got a hitch-type attachment for Alex, whereby its like a tandem type deal that he could ride behind me, Zoe is still in a bucket seat that attaches directly on the bike. Zoe is petite enough to fit in the seat, but ever since we got Elaine her fancy new bike, Zoe has less room than before, with the bucket seat closer to the rider's seat.
When it came time to leave, we set off on the bike and Madeline saw us.
"Are you leaving?"
"Bye!" says Alex.
"ARE YOU LEAVING?!"
"Yes! Bye!"
As we rode away, she must have noticed the proximity between my wife's behind and Zoe, because she offered this nugget as we rode away.
"YOU'RE SITTING ON HER!"
At first, it was just Madeline hanging upside down on some bars, and my wife was being polite, saying that was pretty cool. Then she got talkative on us, telling us that she went to school at a circus, and then she could do a lot of tricks and magic. Which was fine for a while. I was blogging on the phone and watching the kids when I realized that after she finished an act or made a statement, she would look at us for confirmation and acknowledgment. We would smile politely and then focus on our kids, but Madeline was persistent. Like a kid vying for attention.
She disappeared for a while with her mom, and while I was pushing Zoe on the swing she reappeared. Zoe was done and wanted off, so Madeline climbed on and as Zoe and I walked away, she looked at us and yelled, "Push me!" I ignored her, telling Zoe that her mommy needed to push her, and grown ups don't handle other peoples children. When we went to the fountain, Madeline demanded at the top of her voice to know where we were going.
Although we got a hitch-type attachment for Alex, whereby its like a tandem type deal that he could ride behind me, Zoe is still in a bucket seat that attaches directly on the bike. Zoe is petite enough to fit in the seat, but ever since we got Elaine her fancy new bike, Zoe has less room than before, with the bucket seat closer to the rider's seat.
When it came time to leave, we set off on the bike and Madeline saw us.
"Are you leaving?"
"Bye!" says Alex.
"ARE YOU LEAVING?!"
"Yes! Bye!"
As we rode away, she must have noticed the proximity between my wife's behind and Zoe, because she offered this nugget as we rode away.
"YOU'RE SITTING ON HER!"
Sunday, June 28, 2009
It's been a rather disturbing weekend, with 50 something year old celebrities dropping off the face of the earth. Kinda makes one think about their mortality, and if I punch the ticket at 50, would I have much of a legacy to leave behind? Well, that's a rather disturbing thought, on to something else.
Alex is a bit of a gentle giant. A couple weeks ago Alex was walking up to us to tell us something when a smaller kid who was running ran into him and bounced right off him. Alex just glanced at him, slight annoyed, then continued talking to us. Kids at the playground can pick on him or lean on his comfort zone and all he ever does is take it with a nervous smile. We have to intervene often, telling him to express himself instead of being mowed over.
The hardest part of being a parent for me is trying to preserve the children's innocence as long as I can. I do this to a certain extent, I do warn them of strangers and things that endanger them, I'm mostly worried about the other stuff, like their emotional well being. How children decide their heirarchy amongst themselves, and how it seems so unfair at times. Its probably the natural order of things but it doesn't mean I'm comfortable with it.
Feeling rather lazy today, either I'm suffering from the allergies or its just a Sunday thing to do. Don't feel like doing much of anything right now, save relaxing and thinking about not much. Have this overwhelming urge to snack, but I really shouldn't.
Alex is a bit of a gentle giant. A couple weeks ago Alex was walking up to us to tell us something when a smaller kid who was running ran into him and bounced right off him. Alex just glanced at him, slight annoyed, then continued talking to us. Kids at the playground can pick on him or lean on his comfort zone and all he ever does is take it with a nervous smile. We have to intervene often, telling him to express himself instead of being mowed over.
The hardest part of being a parent for me is trying to preserve the children's innocence as long as I can. I do this to a certain extent, I do warn them of strangers and things that endanger them, I'm mostly worried about the other stuff, like their emotional well being. How children decide their heirarchy amongst themselves, and how it seems so unfair at times. Its probably the natural order of things but it doesn't mean I'm comfortable with it.
Feeling rather lazy today, either I'm suffering from the allergies or its just a Sunday thing to do. Don't feel like doing much of anything right now, save relaxing and thinking about not much. Have this overwhelming urge to snack, but I really shouldn't.
Randomness
So here are some rather random paragraphs that I was drafting for my "memoir", before I decided that my life after all, was decidely rather dull and uneventful. Interesting I suppose, to some people but largely stinking of being normal. So here it is, free of charge, on the blog. I better get working on my fictional story then.
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A co-worker who was breaking down boxes saw me passing by, and stopped me. "I have some feedback for you," she offered. As I placed my hand on my holster, she went on and expressed that the popular opinion, from what she gathered at least, was that I was a nice guy. I was always helpful, very considerate, genial. I thanked her, and as she walked away wondered what her name was.
I have a rather adaptive type of personality, which partially explains what I'm a Jack of most trades, Master of none whatsoever. Shifting the blame to that traumatic move to America, I realized quickly that it was either adapt and become communicable with the people around me, or jump off a bridge, which is considerably tougher since I didn't have a car to drive to a bridge and was too lazy to figure out bus routes. My accent was an awkward British-based, Chinese accented mish-mash that folks in my country dubbed Singlish, which stood for Singapore English. At best, the language sounded like a well-educated businessperson from China. At its worst, Singlish was nearly unbearable, with its Hokkien and Cantonese roots inflecting through the broken English to create a sing-songy, stringy tone that warranted the back of the someone's hand to whoever was emitting that sound.
It took a lot of over-the-air tv reruns of Bewitched, Hazel, and I Love Lucy episodes after school to soften my accent, although now that I think about it, I probably sounded a little old-timey to my school mates, saying things like, "Gosh" and "Fiddlesticks." Ridding the accent also required quite a bit of listening to what I needed to emulate, the language that circulated at lockers, classrooms, and the local Jack in the Box.
The accent got better through time, and even though my family members still have that discernable accent of a Singaporean TV reporter, I've morphed my accent well enough to fool friends who are unaware of my country of origin. When I was still doing weddings, I often wondered when they booked me if they thought a peppy blonde girl might be doing their videography, but instead this Chinese guy shows up.
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A co-worker who was breaking down boxes saw me passing by, and stopped me. "I have some feedback for you," she offered. As I placed my hand on my holster, she went on and expressed that the popular opinion, from what she gathered at least, was that I was a nice guy. I was always helpful, very considerate, genial. I thanked her, and as she walked away wondered what her name was.
I have a rather adaptive type of personality, which partially explains what I'm a Jack of most trades, Master of none whatsoever. Shifting the blame to that traumatic move to America, I realized quickly that it was either adapt and become communicable with the people around me, or jump off a bridge, which is considerably tougher since I didn't have a car to drive to a bridge and was too lazy to figure out bus routes. My accent was an awkward British-based, Chinese accented mish-mash that folks in my country dubbed Singlish, which stood for Singapore English. At best, the language sounded like a well-educated businessperson from China. At its worst, Singlish was nearly unbearable, with its Hokkien and Cantonese roots inflecting through the broken English to create a sing-songy, stringy tone that warranted the back of the someone's hand to whoever was emitting that sound.
It took a lot of over-the-air tv reruns of Bewitched, Hazel, and I Love Lucy episodes after school to soften my accent, although now that I think about it, I probably sounded a little old-timey to my school mates, saying things like, "Gosh" and "Fiddlesticks." Ridding the accent also required quite a bit of listening to what I needed to emulate, the language that circulated at lockers, classrooms, and the local Jack in the Box.
The accent got better through time, and even though my family members still have that discernable accent of a Singaporean TV reporter, I've morphed my accent well enough to fool friends who are unaware of my country of origin. When I was still doing weddings, I often wondered when they booked me if they thought a peppy blonde girl might be doing their videography, but instead this Chinese guy shows up.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Not entirely sure why I'm still blogging, seems like everyone I knew who blogged just stopped, either out of boredom, out of time, or just gave up due to a lack of audience. For me, Facebook has replaced it slightly, but of course that's not really a forum to air out everything. In a way, Facebook is a great social tool for keeping in touch, but also a soapbox for trivial information about people. Everything you never cared to know about someone, now on Facebook!
Finished reading "Manhunt", which chronicles the manhunt for John Wilkes Booth after the assassination for Lincoln, and it was just a fascinating read. This isn't some stodgy retelling or a fictionalization, but rather a painstaking account gathered from thousands of sources before that paints a detailed procedural of the 12 day pursuit. It is actually quite amazing really, that Lincoln was so easily accessible, that Booth was so ill prepared after his deed, and how his leap onto the stage ultimately played such a hugh part of his demise. And I also didn't know that assassinations were also in play the same day for the Vice president and a semi-failed one for Seward. It was just a really good read, and I hadn't read a book since Alex was born. Next book on the list is "When you are engulfed in flames" by David Sedaris. Yup, after all my gadgets I'm going to the paperback. What a weird turn of events. Perhaps the best thing about this reading business is that its inspired me to think about writing again. Certainly not at the level I've been reading but anywhere is a start for me. Maybe I can self publish and get enough people to take pity on me and purchase a few copies.
Finished reading "Manhunt", which chronicles the manhunt for John Wilkes Booth after the assassination for Lincoln, and it was just a fascinating read. This isn't some stodgy retelling or a fictionalization, but rather a painstaking account gathered from thousands of sources before that paints a detailed procedural of the 12 day pursuit. It is actually quite amazing really, that Lincoln was so easily accessible, that Booth was so ill prepared after his deed, and how his leap onto the stage ultimately played such a hugh part of his demise. And I also didn't know that assassinations were also in play the same day for the Vice president and a semi-failed one for Seward. It was just a really good read, and I hadn't read a book since Alex was born. Next book on the list is "When you are engulfed in flames" by David Sedaris. Yup, after all my gadgets I'm going to the paperback. What a weird turn of events. Perhaps the best thing about this reading business is that its inspired me to think about writing again. Certainly not at the level I've been reading but anywhere is a start for me. Maybe I can self publish and get enough people to take pity on me and purchase a few copies.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
It can be slightly confusing when there's 2 versions of the same movie out, especially when one is in 3D and the other isn't. We had to move things around because the 3D version of "Up" had already started, and we showed up for the 2D version. Despite that's it was actually 4 bucks cheaper, our screening is now at 1:50.
This weekend turned out a lot cooler than expected, since earlier in the week it had been record setting heatwave freaking us Northwesters out. Which I suppose is a good thing because that temperture, while it was nice, was a little crippling. So I spent most of the weekend being a uber geek, watching Ghostbusters on Roku, finishing up Resident Evil 5, a superb game with great cinematic moments, and doing the super geeky act of hooking up my Roku player to my Location Free unit. In laymen's speak? I can now what instant streaming Netflix movies on my computer (which was too slow to stream) and my PSP. Netflix on my PSP, dude.
Now with Facebook, I've had more interactivity with people and more audience with that so I don't blog as much. Facebook forces me to use brevity so I don't go on these long rambling tech babbles, but the ability to write about crap I like is still nice. The primary audience in all of this is still pretty restricted to me and my family. Although reading "Manhunt" got me thinking. People in the past wrote in great prose, choosing words rather carefully, and here I am, writing in disregard of grammar or spelling. I really should word my blogs with a little more care. It would certainly form better writing habits.
I was letting the children jump all over me yesterday on the bed and I think they sprained something of mine. Alex has gotten so big that I forgot he's something of a grown boy. When he jumps on me, he does cause some measurable damage to my weak physique. Now my shoulder feels out of wack and my neck feels like I've been in a badly executed chokehold.
Well, gotta go eat some Pho and see "Up".
This weekend turned out a lot cooler than expected, since earlier in the week it had been record setting heatwave freaking us Northwesters out. Which I suppose is a good thing because that temperture, while it was nice, was a little crippling. So I spent most of the weekend being a uber geek, watching Ghostbusters on Roku, finishing up Resident Evil 5, a superb game with great cinematic moments, and doing the super geeky act of hooking up my Roku player to my Location Free unit. In laymen's speak? I can now what instant streaming Netflix movies on my computer (which was too slow to stream) and my PSP. Netflix on my PSP, dude.
Now with Facebook, I've had more interactivity with people and more audience with that so I don't blog as much. Facebook forces me to use brevity so I don't go on these long rambling tech babbles, but the ability to write about crap I like is still nice. The primary audience in all of this is still pretty restricted to me and my family. Although reading "Manhunt" got me thinking. People in the past wrote in great prose, choosing words rather carefully, and here I am, writing in disregard of grammar or spelling. I really should word my blogs with a little more care. It would certainly form better writing habits.
I was letting the children jump all over me yesterday on the bed and I think they sprained something of mine. Alex has gotten so big that I forgot he's something of a grown boy. When he jumps on me, he does cause some measurable damage to my weak physique. Now my shoulder feels out of wack and my neck feels like I've been in a badly executed chokehold.
Well, gotta go eat some Pho and see "Up".
Friday, May 29, 2009
Vacation Continued
We've returned from Packwood but that doesn't mean that the vacation has ended. After reluctantly putting all our crap away, doing some grocery shopping and putting that stuff away, we retreated to the back patio, put a couple lawn chairs up, and let the kids be one with nature playing with their golf set and water pistols, while I read a little, watched some video podcasts, and tap away on the sidekick.
Its been really relaxing, other than the fact that the children have destroyed half their toys due to rough play and general chaos. But they're having fun, even if they are out a golf set.
Was at Freddys and saw inFamous on the shelf and was deathly tempted to get it, but I'll have to wait and pretend to save a little in order to purchase that. Played the demo and its a pretty amazing game, and I wouldn't mind supporting that game because is a pretty neat original IP, is exclusive for the PS3, and above all, fun as hell. There is nothing more fun than doing some free running/parkour in an urban setting, then using your electrical powers to blow stuff up.
Also downloaded the Rock Band Unplugged demo and that's a no-brainer. It has got a slightly different gameplay and while the single instrument warmup would've been fun, the track switching aspect of the gameplay makes it a true Harmonix game, one that's fun to play, tough to master. I look forward to rocking out on June 9, and I'm not even paid to say that.
Got 3 more days of this, and thankfully so does my wife, because even though she's been off since last Thursday, there really hasn't been much time spent together because we were constantly surrounded by people.
Should contemplate dinner shortly. Something about a balanced diet that sustains my childrens' health? Hmmm.
Its been really relaxing, other than the fact that the children have destroyed half their toys due to rough play and general chaos. But they're having fun, even if they are out a golf set.
Was at Freddys and saw inFamous on the shelf and was deathly tempted to get it, but I'll have to wait and pretend to save a little in order to purchase that. Played the demo and its a pretty amazing game, and I wouldn't mind supporting that game because is a pretty neat original IP, is exclusive for the PS3, and above all, fun as hell. There is nothing more fun than doing some free running/parkour in an urban setting, then using your electrical powers to blow stuff up.
Also downloaded the Rock Band Unplugged demo and that's a no-brainer. It has got a slightly different gameplay and while the single instrument warmup would've been fun, the track switching aspect of the gameplay makes it a true Harmonix game, one that's fun to play, tough to master. I look forward to rocking out on June 9, and I'm not even paid to say that.
Got 3 more days of this, and thankfully so does my wife, because even though she's been off since last Thursday, there really hasn't been much time spent together because we were constantly surrounded by people.
Should contemplate dinner shortly. Something about a balanced diet that sustains my childrens' health? Hmmm.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Packwood
Sunday
"Camping" has officially begun, and we are at a visitors center somewhere in the pass. I don't really even know what pass this is, but we are probably halfway to Packwood. There's no reception whatsoever. We stopped for the restroom and we're off again...
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Here at the shed, at around 2pm, so it was pretty good time. We didn't even get lost, which is fairly rare for me. The lot is a little overgrown, but not too bad.
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So I guess twice a year, Packwood has a flea market event whereby the food vendors and antique dealers come out and peddle their overpriced food. We spent 10 bucks for 2 corndogs and 7.50 for 3 sno-cones, one of which was actually a replacement for Zoe because gravity had claimed hers. Afterward, Alex looked like he had feasted on Smurfs, with his blue face and lips and streaks of blue running down his arm. We walked about a little and looked at all the stuff before returning to Carla's. We'll be here for the night and be helping out tomorrow at the lot and the yard.
Monday
We decided maybe to skip the hotel and just stay at Carla's so that we can save on some costs. Besides, Carla has a microwave and a fridge so that's a major plus. Not quite sure what we have planned for today but it might be a leisurely day. Tomorrow we will be cleaning out the RV shed and maybe doing some yard work.
Been trying to do a little bit of reading, maybe some writing , or maybe catch up on some podcasts but I'm trying awfully hard to be socialable as well. I'm not the chatty type, I'm usually secretly hoping that nobody sits by me at work so that I could be by myself. But I suppose a small part of me is grateful that people don't mind sitting with me, so I just surrender to my social responsibility.
The sun has cleared the morning fog and now Mt. Rainier is framed brightly with the morning sun and the forestry around it, and the morning air is brisk, a little cooler than what's comfortable, but I'm sure it'll be a nice day today.
Well, maybe i'll go snap some photos.
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After a detour of two due to roads being closed, we ended up picnicking at a mound near a scenic stop, which was alright. We also spent a little bit of time hanging out at La Wis Wis, this little spot where the glacier runoff streams past you. So we hung out there for a while before heading back to the lot.
Later in the afternoon, the kids and wife went swimming while I took some video and watched Garnette intermittedly. I was the killjoy that didn't want to swim but it was nice to get some videos of the kids in the kiddie pool and being so proud to be in the big people pool with floats. They just had the best grins on so it was worth it.
After a steak dinner we sat about the campfire for a little bit before I took the kids back to the house. The kids fell asleep to Hello Kitty cartoons and Jael and I had a really nice talk, probably the longest talk we've had ever. She's grown so much since she's left and it was nice to see that chatty side to her, and really seeing her adoration and love of Garnette come through her words. She really wants the best for her daughter and it really shows. So we talked for about an hour and a half, then Elaine joined in for another half hour or so before we got tired. I really did enjoy talking to Jael though, because she really opened up and it was nice to hear about the going ons in her life.
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Tuesday
Today was project day, and I pretty much accomplished what I wanted to today. I admit to not being the handy type whatsoever, I'm a bigger nerd than anything, and I have a relatively low tolerance for mechanical obstacles. Fortunately, the project today was clearing out some of the junk in and around the RV shed, so I can do hard labor just fine. We cleared out odd things like spare parts, rotten wood, even an electrical meter out of the back and made a big pile for the dumpster. The project took less time than I anticipated, and was a lot easier as well. After that we just chilled for a bit, before we split up and some went swimming, while Carla, Rocky and myself went driving balls at the range. Seeing how the last time I went I was four years ago, I did ok. Nothing impressive, just happy with getting some straight shots into the 100 yard territory was good enough for me.
After that, I went back to the house and had some quiet time, watching podcasts and dozing off on the couch with the warm afternoon sun. It was kinda nice, Carla read her book and I just watched watched silly little vids about games and such. It was just a nice break.
So now I'm just waiting for pizzas, and then back to the RV lot.
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Wednesday
We headed down by the river to play around, take some photos and just enjoy the time. Back at the house, sandwiches were had and then Rocky and Ramona were on their way, and the rest of us went down to the driving range again. Then I finally pinpointed where my aches were coming from, it was actually from swinging those clubs, and not bad food like I had speculated. After that it was more swimming, where I got some good photos and videos of the kids splashing about. I returned to cook some burgers and we just spent the rest of the evening chillaxing.
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Thursday
After cramming all that junk back in the trunk, we headed back to reality. Strangely enough, all night I didn't sleep very well because I kept having stressful dreams. About overspending and not being able to access my bank accounts to balance it. Having things due but they weren't ready... all sorts of stress related shenanigans. And indeed some of it was rather prothetic, I did end up bouncing a couple transactions because I had forgotten to check the accounts when I left.
Since I've gotten home I haven't been able to relax. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted.
"Camping" has officially begun, and we are at a visitors center somewhere in the pass. I don't really even know what pass this is, but we are probably halfway to Packwood. There's no reception whatsoever. We stopped for the restroom and we're off again...
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Here at the shed, at around 2pm, so it was pretty good time. We didn't even get lost, which is fairly rare for me. The lot is a little overgrown, but not too bad.
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So I guess twice a year, Packwood has a flea market event whereby the food vendors and antique dealers come out and peddle their overpriced food. We spent 10 bucks for 2 corndogs and 7.50 for 3 sno-cones, one of which was actually a replacement for Zoe because gravity had claimed hers. Afterward, Alex looked like he had feasted on Smurfs, with his blue face and lips and streaks of blue running down his arm. We walked about a little and looked at all the stuff before returning to Carla's. We'll be here for the night and be helping out tomorrow at the lot and the yard.
Monday
We decided maybe to skip the hotel and just stay at Carla's so that we can save on some costs. Besides, Carla has a microwave and a fridge so that's a major plus. Not quite sure what we have planned for today but it might be a leisurely day. Tomorrow we will be cleaning out the RV shed and maybe doing some yard work.
Been trying to do a little bit of reading, maybe some writing , or maybe catch up on some podcasts but I'm trying awfully hard to be socialable as well. I'm not the chatty type, I'm usually secretly hoping that nobody sits by me at work so that I could be by myself. But I suppose a small part of me is grateful that people don't mind sitting with me, so I just surrender to my social responsibility.
The sun has cleared the morning fog and now Mt. Rainier is framed brightly with the morning sun and the forestry around it, and the morning air is brisk, a little cooler than what's comfortable, but I'm sure it'll be a nice day today.
Well, maybe i'll go snap some photos.
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After a detour of two due to roads being closed, we ended up picnicking at a mound near a scenic stop, which was alright. We also spent a little bit of time hanging out at La Wis Wis, this little spot where the glacier runoff streams past you. So we hung out there for a while before heading back to the lot.
Later in the afternoon, the kids and wife went swimming while I took some video and watched Garnette intermittedly. I was the killjoy that didn't want to swim but it was nice to get some videos of the kids in the kiddie pool and being so proud to be in the big people pool with floats. They just had the best grins on so it was worth it.
After a steak dinner we sat about the campfire for a little bit before I took the kids back to the house. The kids fell asleep to Hello Kitty cartoons and Jael and I had a really nice talk, probably the longest talk we've had ever. She's grown so much since she's left and it was nice to see that chatty side to her, and really seeing her adoration and love of Garnette come through her words. She really wants the best for her daughter and it really shows. So we talked for about an hour and a half, then Elaine joined in for another half hour or so before we got tired. I really did enjoy talking to Jael though, because she really opened up and it was nice to hear about the going ons in her life.
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Tuesday
Today was project day, and I pretty much accomplished what I wanted to today. I admit to not being the handy type whatsoever, I'm a bigger nerd than anything, and I have a relatively low tolerance for mechanical obstacles. Fortunately, the project today was clearing out some of the junk in and around the RV shed, so I can do hard labor just fine. We cleared out odd things like spare parts, rotten wood, even an electrical meter out of the back and made a big pile for the dumpster. The project took less time than I anticipated, and was a lot easier as well. After that we just chilled for a bit, before we split up and some went swimming, while Carla, Rocky and myself went driving balls at the range. Seeing how the last time I went I was four years ago, I did ok. Nothing impressive, just happy with getting some straight shots into the 100 yard territory was good enough for me.
After that, I went back to the house and had some quiet time, watching podcasts and dozing off on the couch with the warm afternoon sun. It was kinda nice, Carla read her book and I just watched watched silly little vids about games and such. It was just a nice break.
So now I'm just waiting for pizzas, and then back to the RV lot.
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Wednesday
We headed down by the river to play around, take some photos and just enjoy the time. Back at the house, sandwiches were had and then Rocky and Ramona were on their way, and the rest of us went down to the driving range again. Then I finally pinpointed where my aches were coming from, it was actually from swinging those clubs, and not bad food like I had speculated. After that it was more swimming, where I got some good photos and videos of the kids splashing about. I returned to cook some burgers and we just spent the rest of the evening chillaxing.
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Thursday
After cramming all that junk back in the trunk, we headed back to reality. Strangely enough, all night I didn't sleep very well because I kept having stressful dreams. About overspending and not being able to access my bank accounts to balance it. Having things due but they weren't ready... all sorts of stress related shenanigans. And indeed some of it was rather prothetic, I did end up bouncing a couple transactions because I had forgotten to check the accounts when I left.
Since I've gotten home I haven't been able to relax. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted.
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