The Modern American Househusband

Becky has been making jokes the past two weeks about how we're living in the 1950s, only with gender reversals.  She's been coming home to a cleaned house, with dinner on the table. I've been working on my annual summer home task, which so far has mostly just been cleaning and organizing.  That's usually my first project to get things nice and neat before I start working on larger projects. I actually did a list of projects this year and it's a lot smaller than it's been in the past.

I think the biggest project that I have on the schedule is to repaint the ceiling in the living room. We did it once when we first moved in, but I'm pretty sure when we did we just used primer on account of it being bright ugly orange.  It's not quite the right shade of white, but the bigger issue is that we have a little problem every year with Christmas trees.  Despite how we try to be sure to get one that is the right size, it always ends up too tall when we put it on the stand so we have probably around a half dozen marks for the tree tops scrapping against the ceiling as we put the tree up.  At least we are dependable.

I've been thinking about the projects that I want to get started on and I think there are three that I'm pretty focused on. The most important is the garage getting cleaned out. I don't want to have to scrape my car, or bush snow off, or have the cars out in the elements.  The biggest issues I think is the grill, it's a bit too long to fit anywhere very well, but if that's all we've got to figure out I'm sure we can Tetris it to the right spot.  The other thing I want to do is fix the paint job on the mantle.  It was also a hideous orange color, and the paint went on pretty goopy so it doesn't look as nice as it should. I am worried it will require stripping, which I don't think is going to be fun.  The final project I want to work on is our guest bathroom.  The sink in there is starting to rust out, and the floor is just linoleum, and I think it'd be good if we could tile it.  It's a nice easy rectangular room so it wouldn't require much to get it tiled, and most likely it'd be something that we could do ourselves. 

We're only three weeks into the summer, but I feel like I'm running out of time already and I"m not sure why. So, I guess I've got to get onto that list and get some stuff done.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 78

I was doing some yoga and Sal decided that she wanted to do some with me.  She was trying to watch the video I was watching and do what they were saying. She didn't do too bad, actually.

E-Wasted

Day two of Becky's trip did not fall on the most convenient time, because just earlier this week I found out that the county would be holding a clean up day. This is an event I've been waiting for because one of the things that they include is e-waste recycling.  Now, I've got a lot of trash that has been hanging around the place for quite some time now because I don't want to just throw it in the trash.  THere's a box the size of a coffin that's been sitting in the garage for over a year filled with old VCRs, Printers, Scanners, etc.  They used to do an event every year at one of the high schools in Ann Arbor, but a few years back they stopped because they said it was too expensive.

Luckily, earlier this week I was looking up information about how to get a rental garbage can and I happened to see that they had a flier up for this weekend.  They asked for donations, and even gave suggested amounts based on what you were bringing.  They also had a disclaimer that you should expect long lines due to the high demand.  So I got up early to get all the shit loaded into the car, and made sure that I had the tablet charged up so that Sal would have something to do while we waited in line and headed up to the recycle location.  However, when we pulled in there was not a line at all, and we were able to pull right up, pay the donation, and unload all the stuff. 

A little while later I was looking over some old videos and I noticed that there was a video of when we moved out of our first apartment back in 2004.  I noticed one of the things that was being packed was the printer I had at the time.  That printer was one of the printers that I had in the giant box of crap, along with three other printers that I had, two of which were dead before we even moved into our current house which was like a decade ago.  That means that crap has been laying around taking up space for way too long. They need to do these things far more often so that people can get rid of their stuff in a responsible way rather than just throwing it in the trash.  They make it too hard, and that's frustrating.  I want to be responsible, but it's not easy to do things in a way that is best for the environment.  I've got gallons of old paint that I want to get rid of, but it's $2 a can, and you have to drive it up to the recycling center, and pay $3 just to get in.  That's all well and good except there are like 20 gallons that need to be taken care of, which isn't cheap. 

The upside is that there is a lot less crap in the garage, so that by this winter I expect to be able to park in the garage. Small progress.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 77

Having some fun waiting for our friends to meet us at the hands on museum.  Always a good time!

Highlander Parent!

Well, this weekend I am like the highlander because it will only be me.  Becky and Sara decided that for their birthday they should do something fun, and so they decided that they wanted to go to Traverse City to visit some vineyards.  Because of that they left earlier this afternoon and headed up for a nice weekend getaway.  It's not really a big deal for me because it's only a couple days, though Becky knows some people who apparently would have a huge struggle if they were in that situation, which seems odd to me.  I think it's good for people to get breaks and have a chance to decompress and not have to worry about cooking, or parenting, or just doing the normal daily life things.  Plus, what could be better than wine and nice warm weather?

At home it's not been much of an issue at all.  There was a brief moment this afternoon right before Becky left that Sal decided she didn't want her to leave, but that was because I was "being a mean daddy!" The problem was that I wouldn't give her a cookie because she barely at her lunch.  She got over it once she ate more and I gave her the cookie.  We had some fun playing ice cream shop today, which is like her new favorite game.  She gets all these little toy ice cream things form her toy ice cream truck, sets them up, and then shouts "Ice cream! Ice cream! Who whats ice cream?"  Then we take turns "buying" the ice cream. Sometimes you have to be on the phone when the customer comes in so that the customer can ring the bell.

We also had a movie night, where Sal decided that she wanted to watch Lady and the Tramp.  She actually decided this the other day when we told her that Becky would be gone for the weekend.   She originally said we were going to watch Brave tonight, but she changed her mind at some point.  Tomorrow we're supposed to have another movie night where we watch The Lion King.  It also required that we have popcorn, because Sal says you can't have a movie without popcorn.  I'm not sure if we'll actually be able to watch The Lion King tomorrow because we're going to have some guests over, including one of her friends, so they might be too engaged in that to actually want to watch a movie.

Tomorrow may be a bit of a big day because I also want to try and get some electronic waste to a special e-waste event that they're having.  They say to expect long lines, which I really don't want to deal with, but I also want this shit out of my garage.  Then I was planning on doing some grocery shopping so that we don't have to worry about it on Sunday. Then guests starting around three.  It's going to be quite a busy day.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 76

I think this may have been the best student gift that I have ever received. It's so fun, and thoughtful for what I like.  This was a great student and I will definitely miss them next year.

Moving On

Tonight was the 8th grade graduation ceremony.  I think this is really a goofy thing, I mean no one doesn't pass 8th grade, so it's not like it's really an achievement. I suppose it's a milestone in the sense that you're moving into high school. However, it wasn't a big deal when I moved from 8th to 9th grade. There wasn't a ceremony, just the usual end of year awards ceremony that happened every year.  But no, we do the whole cap and gown thing and go through an hour long even with speeches and everyone walking across the stage, turning the tassels and the whole thing. I guess it's possible that for some of these students this is the only graduation ceremony they will ever have because they won't make it out of high school, at least not with the work ethic that they show in school for me.

However, it was a little bittersweet for me this year because I'm moving on some students that I have had since I started at the school. You really get to know students well after having them for three years in a row.  One really reminds me a lot of myself, which I mean in both a good way but also some of the flaws that I have, especially some things that I worry about and perhaps anxiety issues.  We talked about them a lot, and talked about it at parent teacher conferences. I hope they get under control so that it isn't a problem in high school. I'm also moving on some students that I really like. I have these two guys in my homeroom who are really freaking funny. One of them could make a great political in the future, though I worry as he watches too much Fox News, and so would be on the wrong side of things. I'm going to miss some of them.

It was actually the first time at a graduation where a number of students wanted to get pictures with the teachers.  Last year I'm not sure anyone did, and the year before it was maybe one or two.  This year I was there probably an extra 30 minutes or more just getting photos with all these students.  It was actually a nice change from the usual experience. I'm sure I'll hear from many of them since they are going to the charter High School that we visit every year. They also have to do community service and many of them come to our school to fulfill their requirements.  I hope they all do well as they move into high school. It'll certainly be different next year.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 75

The Peony garden was beautiful as always.  We seemed to hit it right at the peak bloom period because usually we don't see so many blooms.  Though, it is also possible that with all the rain we've been having it's been better for them.

Movie Review: Secret Life of Pets 2

Sal really enjoyed the Secret Life of Pets movie, and so when she heard that there was another one coming out she really wanted to see it.  The cutest thing about it is that she called it "The Secret Life Of Pets Number Two!" every time she refers to it.  Given that it was such a hit with her, we decided that we would take her to see it when it came out, and well, now it's out.  Going to the movies is always such a good time, and Sal just loves going.  She loves getting popcorn, and we let her get a soda (which is the only time really we let her drink any soda).  Though, she never really drinks much of the soda, just a few sips here and there.

The first movie was pretty cute, and was moderately funny. I think this one was ok, but perhaps it wasn't quite as funny as the first movie. I think the conflict was also not quit the most compelling.  Basically "tiny dog" develops anxiety, friggin' millennial dogs.  They go out to the country and he finds his inner dog voice and becomes less anxious. There are some highlights, such as the old grumpy country dog being voiced by Harrison Ford.  There were also some great bigs with the cat as always.  They even brought back Dana Carvey as the old dog. I think one of the issues that this movie had was that it had two separate plots, which I think weakened it as you had two groups of pets that really weren't working together plotwise until the end of the movie where they brought the two things together, though I don't think it worked very well.

Overall, it was an ok movie, and kids would certainly enjoy it. I wouldn't go out of your way to see it, but Sal had a good time, and I wasn't terribly bored. It just wasn't anything special. I'd say wait for Netflix.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 74

We took our 8th grade students to this go cart, mini golf, bumper cars place.  They provide lunch, where each student gets a soda, chips, and a piece of pizza.  That'd be all well and good if they didn't call these tiny slivers the size of half a slice of pizza as "one slice." 

Goals Update: May Edition

Holy crap! It's June!  Well another month is in the rearview, so it's time to see where things are at.

Goal Number One - Read at least 55 books: As of right now I haven't read anything else this year. I"m in that phase of not really feeling like reading after my brain was mush from reading.  I'm sure I'll start reading again soon. But the list so far is:

Leisure Reading List (total so far 1)

1. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, by Hank Green

Graduate Class Reading List (total so far 40)

1. Money, Trade, and Power: The Evolution of Colonial South Carolina’s Plantation Society by Jack P. Greene
2. Red Ink: Native Americans Pick up the Pen in the Colonial Period by Drew Lopenzina
3. American Colonial History: Clashing Cultures and Faiths by Thomas S. Kidd
4. Agents and Merchants: British Colonial Policy and the Origins of the American Revolution, 1763-1775 by Jack M. Sosin
5. The Revolutionary Frontier 1763-1783 by Jack M. Sosin
6. What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America 1815-1848 by Daniel W. Howe
7. The Dawn of Innovation: The First American Industrial Revolutionby Charles R. Morris
8. Beyond the Frontier: New Approaches to the Political History of the Early American Republic by Jeffrey L. Pasley
9. The Impending Crisis, 1848-1861by David M. Potter
10. Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789-1815by Gordon S. Wood,
11. Slavery, Law, & Politics: The Dred Scott Case in Historical Perspectiveby Donald E. Fehrenbacher
12. Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men: The Ideology of the Republican Party before the Civil Warby Eric Foner
13. Northern Men with Southern Loyalties: The Democratic Party and the Sectional Crisisby Michael T. Lanids
14. Half Slave & Half Free: The Roots of the Civil Warby Bruce Levine
15. Holy Warriors: The Abolitionists and Slaveryby James B. Stewart
16. Why the South Lost the Civil Warby Richard E. Beringer
17. Jefferson Davis: Confederate Presidentby Herman Hattaway
18. Patriot Fires: Forging a New American Nationalism in the Civil War NorthMelinda Lawson
19. Lincoln’s War: The Untold Story of America’s Greatest President as Commander in Chiefby Geoffrey Perret
20. A Great Civil War: A Military and Political History, 1861-1865by Russell F. Weigley
21. A Short History of Reconstruction, 1863-1877by Eric Foner
22. Reconstruction after the Civil Warby john H. Franklin,
23. Lincoln’s Plan of Reconstructionby William B. Hesseltine
24. In the Wake of Slavery: Civil War, Civil Rights, and the Reconstruction of Southern Lawby Joseph A. Ranney
25. The United States Army and Reconstruction, 1865-1877by James E. Sefton
26. The Great War and Urban Life in Germany by Roger Chickering
27. The Great War and Modern Memory by Paul Fussell
28. The Last Great War: British Society and the First World War by Adrian Gregory
29. The Silence of Memory: Armistice Day, 1919-1946 by Adrian Gregory
30. The Deluge: British Society and the First World War by Arthur Marwick
31. War, Law, and Labour: The munitions Acts, State Regulations, And the Unions 1915-1921 by Gerry Rubin
32. Sites of Memory, Sites of Mourning: The Great War in European Cultural History by Jay Winter
33. The Nazi Seizure of Power: The Experience of a Single German Town 1922-1945 by William Sheridan Allen
34. Nazi Germany by Jane Caplan
35. The Racial State: Germany 1933-1945 by Michael Burleigh
36. Reluctant Accomplice: A Wehrmacht Soldier’s Letters from the Eastern Front by Konrad Jarausch
37. The Hitler Myth: Image and Reality in the Third Reich by Ian Kershaw
38. Hitler’s Thirty Days to Power: January 1933 by Henry Ashby Turner Jr.
39. Model Nazi by Catherine Epstein
40. The Third Reich: A New History by Michael Burleigh

Goal Number Two - Lose 1 pounds per week: I seem to be going backwards, and have been increasing lately. I'm trying to get back to daily runs, and I've been getting about two a week.  I also had some mini goals, so here's where they are at:

• Subgoal 1: Close my three rings every day.  I missed 12 days this month directly after my exams, but then rallied at the end.  That means for the year I'm 65 days so far that I haven't closed all three rings. 
• Subgoal 2: Have at least two different activity style works out each week. Obviously not a win on this one either due to the no activity really this month except some walking
• Subgoal 3: Log every meal, every day, and doing the day of.  Win on this one! I am pretty good on this one, I'm real close to 900 days in a row on this one, if I keep it up I'll hit it in June.
• Subgoal 4: Complete a 5k race. I don't know if I'll do one this year, but there's still time. I need to do the entire training program, but it's hard to crawl out of bed early do run.
• Subgoal 5: Keep under my calorie goal - which means avoiding snacking. It's been hit or miss on this for the month. I need to be more careful especially with snacking.

Goal Number Three - Reengage Socially: There were a few events this month.  Nothing very planned.

Goal Number Four - Landscape the backyard: Well, I filled out some requests for quotes to get a deck done.  We'll see what comes of it.

Goal Number Five - Be more creative: I don't feel like I've really done anything creative this month.  I'm not even sure how to be creative really at this point.

Goal Number Six - Improve my interpersonal relationships and skills:  I found myself in a situation where I just feel awkward around everyone.

Goal Number Seven - Have Seven New Experiences:  For May there have not been any new and exciting adds to my experience list.  I'll have to think of some things to do.  I think for the first time in a few years I'm a little worried about hitting this goal.  So far I have:

1. Becky and I took Sal to see Daniel Tiger Live, which was a new experience for both of us.  While the show and process had much to be desired, the excitement and engagement from Sal was splendid.
2. Jasmine got me tickets to see the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, they were performing music from Harry Potter and it was fantastic!
3. Completed my exams and graduated with a 4.0 with my master's degree in history!

So that's it for May, only one more month left for the first half of the year,.

Picture(s) of the Day: 
Picture 73

I mean, at least it was in a complete sentence instead of, "IDK."