mohawk

I'm not a huge fan of mohawk haircuts, but Dylan has been asking for one.  They are not allowed at his school.  When school was out he was in desperate need of a haircut, so I figured a somewhat tasteful one (not the wild spiked kind) would be fairly harmless.  I had to do a little convincing to let Jen allow it.  I cut it in a way that it would grow out and be able to be buzzed off in a few weeks.  He's not sure he likes it, but I think he was a little shocked that I would let him try it.  It's not my favorite cut, but I don't hate it as much as I thought I would.  Here are some pics.

4 nights for the price of 7

Having recently started a new job, I have no vacation time this year. Therefore, we decided to get away for a week to a state park near enough to work that I could go from there. Being veteran campers with young children, we made reservations and paid for seven nights. We lasted four!

Benny, being a lover of the outdoors, was surprisingly found to be a creature of habit who did not do well sleeping in a tent, away from his normal surroundings.

Lily, not really liking the outdoors, was not a fan of camping and spent much of the time bored and moody.

I, needing a decent amount of sleep each night to get up and go to work each morning, was growing more and more irritated by the fact that the twenty, or so, people on the two campsites next to us insisted on being extremely noisy until about 2 AM every night.

Jen, essentially a single mom camping with four kids, was running out of steam after part of a week.

Zachary, being an eczema sufferer, was having a great time but his skin was a mess from the lack of his daily home bath/ lotion regimen.

Dylan, being an avid fisherman, was having a blast.

It looks good in pictures, but it was not one of our better trips. We sacrificed three nights of camping fees, but it was good to be home… at least Jen and I thought so.

When's our next camping trip planned?  Well... anybody wanna buy a tent?

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whoopi cowboy!

Zachary turned eight last month.  He didn't ask for much this year.  What he really wanted was an authentic pair of cowboy roll-cap six-shooters.  Jen bought him the guns, then sent me on a quest to find the roll-caps to go with them.  Near where I found the roll-caps, I also found whoopi cushions and I couldn't resist.  Eight-year-old Zachary and a whoopi cushion... perfect combination!

Cowboy Zachary

employment update

After many months of unemployment (and a nightmarish 6 month stint of training and working as an over-the-road trucker), I have been employed for the past 2 months in the sales department at a prominent Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep dealer in my area.

It's not my dream job. I'm an introvert. It's a little out of my comfort zone. But, sometimes that's not all bad.

It's too soon to say how this opportunity will work out. I am giving it my all, trying to learn quickly, and getting good feedback from my managers and peers. The proof, however, is in the paycheck. It is a 100% commission position. I am told that it has good income potential, and I am off to a respectable start. The concern is whether or not I can grow my customer base quickly enough to solely support my family of six. Striving toward that goal!

I know car salesmen do not have the best of reputations... and many times for good reason. Fortunately, my dealership does not wish to hire stereotypical car sales personnel and we are often told that our approach is refreshing after customers visit some of our competition. Good for me... I don't think I could work at some of those other dealerships.

The hours aren't great. Some co-workers complain about them. I have an advantage here, though... I was an over-the-road trucker. Car sales hours aren't so bad when you've spent weeks away from your family and lived in the cab of a truck!

my side of the... argument

"I left New York in May. I had a penknife, a ball of cord, an ax, and forty dollars, which I had saved from selling magazine subscriptions. I also had some flint and steel, which I had bought at a Chinese store in the city. The man had showed me how to use it. He had also given me a little purse to put it in, and some tinder to catch the sparks." 13 year-old Sam Gribley came to life for many young minds like mine through the imagination and pen of author Jean Craighead George, in the pages of My Side of the Mountain. I was mesmerized as a young boy and still re-read it every several years as an adult... my favorite work of fiction of all time!

Published in 1959, it was made into a movie in 1969. I've deliberately never watched it. I like my mind's version the best. I have viewed the book's scenes in vivid detail with my mind's eye for over 30 years. I don't feel the need to watch someone else's version on the screen. Settled.

Or... is it?

Within the last year, I gave my 9 year-old son a copy of the book. An avid reader, he devoured it in less than a day. He's read it multiple times. It's now a favorite of his, as well. Great!

But, herein lies the dilemma... he's also a media addict. He is aware of the movie version and is begging to watch it. I say, no. Let the classic children's novel stand alone. My wife does not understand my stance. She says the movie is likely a wholesome one, so why deny him the chance to see it? But, its not about wholesomeness. Its about whether or not we even need a movie when we have such a classic children's novel?

Any opinions? Does my stance make sense, or am I damaging my children with my parental weirdness?

ADDENDUM 5/17/10: Dylan and I had a discussion about how things looked in each of our mental versions of the book. His descriptions were very different than mine. Thus, he decided to skip watching the movie, after all. But, I'm still interested in your opinion.

best gift ever

Zachary, soon to be 8, had a school assignment to write a story titled, "The Day I Received My Best Gift". Neither Jen or I knew anything about the assignment until he brought the paper home today, so the story was completely his original thoughts and words. Zachary writes:

"My best gift ever was birth. It was a Thursday night in Akron, Ohio. I feel really special now that I look back at it. But without Mom I wouldn't be here. If you stop thinking toys and gifts for your birthday, you'll notice something. Your best gift ever... birth."

His teacher really liked it. I must concur! (Although... I feel a little slighted in the whole "without Mom I wouldn't be here" part... after all, I helped!)

el sombrero loco

This week, as Right to Read Week fun, Zachary's 2nd grade class had crazy hat day. Jen bought Zachary and Dylan sombreros when she was recently in Mexico during her cruise. Do you see where this is going?

Zachary's ears perked up when the teacher announced crazy hat day.

Zachary to Mrs. P: "Is there a size limit for crazy hats?"
Mrs. P: "Just how big IS your crazy hat?"
Zachary: "About 3 feet."
Mrs. P: "I think the size limit is 4 feet."

Zachary thought his sombrero would look great with the cowboy boots that he is really into lately. He also got in the Halloween costume box and found the silky shirt and vest that Dylan has used in past years for his pirate costume. He went beyond the crazy hat and went to school looking like he should be playing in a mariachi band. I'm pretty sure he had a lot of fun dressing up. However, he did have to take the hat off in most classes... it's a little too hard to concentrate when you're sitting behind el sombrero loco!