Good morning

Everyone was out of bed before me. I feel very tired still. I need to go to bed earlier. Except for tonight. It's new year's eve! We'll see if Korbin can make it to midnight.

Boffa

I checked out our African destination on google maps this morning. It seems like such a small town. The whole country of guinea seems to be made up of small towns and enormous strip mining operations. I'm looking forward to the trip on the ground. I've already traced our probable route from google's satellite imagery. I will be taking pictures nonstop.

Name change

I'd been wondering when I should start encouraging Korbin to call me Dad. I realized that if he calls me by my first name I respond as if he is a friend instead of a son. I am less likely to make the necessary sacrifices for Korbin if I don't regard him as my son. So yesterday at church he comes running up calling out Daddy! And so begins the transition. I will remind him that I am daddy now instead of John. I think it's good for both of us.

Presents

I remember the best part of Christmas seemed to be showing off your new stuff amongst your friends the next day, or the next week. I still like that abundant feeling of having a grip of new stuff. All that newness distracts me for awhile. Like a mood enhancer. I can understand why some people are shopaholics just like some are alcoholics.

Christmas

We had a nice rowdy time at the family get together. The gift exchange was a hoot. I stole the twelve pack of Sam Adams from uncle John. Erika stole the nice wooden tea set from my wife. I hit her with a beer bottle. Just kidding. It was fun. Much more comfortable for me than last year when I didn't know anyone.

Party underwear

I am wearing my Christmas sweater. It came in the mail with several other items from American Eagle. There was one pair of pants that I like a lot, one that I hated a lot, a pea coat that is too large for me, and this sweater that fits ok. And a sweater for my wife that is too short for her torso. What a bust. I hope their return policy is not too hardcore.

Heat wave

It was 27 degrees when I left home this morning. Sure beats the super low temps over the weekend. Today is funeral day. I'm only working for 3 hours, then going home for the rest of the day. Much time with the in laws ahead.

Bath time

I left the dog outside for about an hour on accident. It started to snow while she was out there. When I finally let her in, all frozen and covered with snow, her soggy ear grazed one our mouse traps. The sudden snap scared her half to death. She went skittering across the laminate floor as fast as she could, dragging the trap with her into the kennel. I laughed. And I felt bad for her. The mouse trap had only caught a few hairs on her ear and didn't hurt her, but she sure had a good scare.

Cool

Aside from the negative temperatures this morning, I also discovered that my boss is pretty cool. I am a pall bearer for my wife's great grandmother tomorrow, and my boss is letting me be absent as long as I need. Without pay, of course, but i'm still pretty grateful.

Christmas #1

Down at the Vermeulen house for the first Christmas get-together of the season. It's such a homecoming when I walk in the door. Many good memories here. Many new ones to come

Friday slump

Making small headway on my project at work. Many people are gone today since we had two inches of sleet last night. What crappy stuff to try and shovel effectively. So i'm listening to the NPR all songs considered podcast and eating beer bread while I slowly code little buggy functions in my database.

Death of capital...ism

It's not fun being broke, or facing the prospect of being broke. Our family has a strangely suicidal relationship with our bank accounts. If we live to work, we die to spend our wages. It's not a sustainable lifestyle. Makes the whole house go haywire. We go and go and go without stopping to plan beyond the current week. Dumb!

Little guys

A while ago I went with Korbin to the coffee and comic shop. He bought a spider Man comic with his own money. Today he wants to go back and buy a quartet of small figurines that he saw a month ago. He ran around until he found his wallet and put his extra dollar in it. After his nap, we'll go get the toys.

Dead mouse

It's about time one of the snap traps worked. My wife called to tell me, she was as excited as I am now. The mice have had it pretty easy for the past month. Now it's time to go! There's still at least one or two others waiting to make a misstep. I'll be vigilant until they are all destroyed. Compassion for all forms of life... Still working on that one.

Snur

It's another cold day. Colder than it should be, I think. A bit of snow is falling. Small flakes wizzing down and across, coating the streets and sidewalks, but leaving the dead grass poking up through the thickening cover. I like to watch the snow fall. To see it slowly amass on the ground, despite it's fragile nature.

Pop

Work starts whether i'm there or not. I feel somewhat complacent about my duties of late. The same thing over and over. It wears thin of course. I don't feel like i'm moving forward at the moment. I guess this is a lesson in patience.

Set build

This afternoon finds us once again at church, building the set for our play. I am nervous that my wife, the director, will find fault with the layout and want to change it all when she arrives for practice in three hours. Ah well. I accept my obligations to criticism from time to time.

Play practice

After a long sabbatical, I think it's time to resume. We're practicing our church play this morning. Everyone is having trouble getting warmed up. I hope I don't get a crippling case of nerves on the day of the show. In my mind, I see the act as it should be. If it translates at all in real life, I'll be satisfied that we haven't wasted the past 6 weeks.