Religious Moly, it's July
Apologize for the long gaposis in memory licking. Internet connectivity has been sparse and I have been surprisingly busy at school here. I have to read a 300-page book by the end of August, a group of three of us have to write a 10-page paper, and we have almost nightly reading assignments. Some say it's only work if you do it, but since I really want to learn this schtoof, I've been trying to stay on top of it. So it's been up till midnights. Again.
Still glad that I'm close enough that I can drive home on the weekends, though. I got home for Ainsley's birthday on June 30th, as did her parents. She had an ottoman overflowing with gifts, and enjoyed some wine, and I'm sure her son went to sleep eventually.
As an extendo-present, her parents babysat and gave us a chance to go on a date the next day, so we enjoyed "Cars" at the movies and a quick meal before getting home to a son who had behaved as calm and collected as Chernobyl. *sigh*
On July 2nd we learned our friends the Parkers were in town so we invited them over for dinner; they have two boys, 5ish and 2+. We were glad Ryan had some playmates, until after dinner but before dessert, Ryan and Ben were sitting together in the living room and Ryan started crying very loudly. I noticed Ben had a fork in his hand, so I jokingly asked Ben, "What, did you poke Ryan with the fork?"
"Yeah," said Ben.
Oh my.
Kids are fun. Ryan had four little tine-shaped dots on his face for a few hours, but otherwise was just fine.
The dogs are still skittish around fireworks (except for Sir Griffin the Oblivious) so we didn't have any plans to go anywhere for the 4th. I still like sticking around the homestead since it's been such a rarity for me this year. Plus I had to leave around 8 to get home for school Wednesday morning.
Still doing the basic joint military definition thing, setting the tone for the rest of the class. We got to practice what we loint by taking a by-god field trip to Yorktown, not forty minutes up the road. I hadn't been there in 20 years, on a summer vacation with the 'rents and Will Deaver (Williamsburg and Busch Gardens included) but I didn't remember a thing. In order to discuss Operational Art and the military application of the battle, our instructor wanted some of us to role-play as the main protagonists (Washington, Cornwallis, de Grasse, Lafeyette) in order to discuss their particular perspective of the battle. I volunteered to play the Comte de Rochambeau, who had planned the Yorktown invasion with Washington outside NYC. I just enjoyed saying his full name in French, "Bon Jour! Je suis Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau!" I even sang La Marsaillese in the visitor's center theater before the movie started. Much to the confusion of the rest of the tourists in the room, I'm sure. At lunch, I was even expected to stay in character.
Lt Col Hanson: "How does Rochambeau feel about the menu?"
"Ptui!"
Commander Beauchamp: "What are you going to have to drink? Beer?"
"I weel just av a glass of meltid cheez-uh."
I seem to be have garnered a reputation as somewhat of a cut-up. I really don't know why. But I was pleased when the class voted for one of my four suggested slogans for the back of our softball T-shirts. ("Even Jointness Fall From Tree." It's a long story.)
Sadly, that's about the best thing about our softball team. We got beat this afternoon by a bunch of 45-year-old colonel-types, 13-2. But hey we had beer afterwards so huzzah.
The last bit of news is that we are down to a two-car family again. My cousins Christine and Jennifer flew in from Chicago Sunday, as I had offered to give the former my Thunderbird that I was going to give to charity anyway and hey she needed a car and she's family. I love my new car and don't have a bit of bitterswattleness for the T-bird; I feel great that someone I love will be driving it until it rots. It's just weird to think back on it. 143,000 miles. I bought it when I was 24. It's been in Canada, Turkey, Seattle, Atlanta, Hollywood, the top of Pikes Peak, and the Applebee's in Des Moines. And, as Ainsley reminds me, it got me from Dayton to Woodbridge with three hours to spare for the birth of my son.
It was a very very good car.
With a GREAT horn.
Still glad that I'm close enough that I can drive home on the weekends, though. I got home for Ainsley's birthday on June 30th, as did her parents. She had an ottoman overflowing with gifts, and enjoyed some wine, and I'm sure her son went to sleep eventually.
As an extendo-present, her parents babysat and gave us a chance to go on a date the next day, so we enjoyed "Cars" at the movies and a quick meal before getting home to a son who had behaved as calm and collected as Chernobyl. *sigh*
On July 2nd we learned our friends the Parkers were in town so we invited them over for dinner; they have two boys, 5ish and 2+. We were glad Ryan had some playmates, until after dinner but before dessert, Ryan and Ben were sitting together in the living room and Ryan started crying very loudly. I noticed Ben had a fork in his hand, so I jokingly asked Ben, "What, did you poke Ryan with the fork?"
"Yeah," said Ben.
Oh my.
Kids are fun. Ryan had four little tine-shaped dots on his face for a few hours, but otherwise was just fine.
The dogs are still skittish around fireworks (except for Sir Griffin the Oblivious) so we didn't have any plans to go anywhere for the 4th. I still like sticking around the homestead since it's been such a rarity for me this year. Plus I had to leave around 8 to get home for school Wednesday morning.
Still doing the basic joint military definition thing, setting the tone for the rest of the class. We got to practice what we loint by taking a by-god field trip to Yorktown, not forty minutes up the road. I hadn't been there in 20 years, on a summer vacation with the 'rents and Will Deaver (Williamsburg and Busch Gardens included) but I didn't remember a thing. In order to discuss Operational Art and the military application of the battle, our instructor wanted some of us to role-play as the main protagonists (Washington, Cornwallis, de Grasse, Lafeyette) in order to discuss their particular perspective of the battle. I volunteered to play the Comte de Rochambeau, who had planned the Yorktown invasion with Washington outside NYC. I just enjoyed saying his full name in French, "Bon Jour! Je suis Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau!" I even sang La Marsaillese in the visitor's center theater before the movie started. Much to the confusion of the rest of the tourists in the room, I'm sure. At lunch, I was even expected to stay in character.
Lt Col Hanson: "How does Rochambeau feel about the menu?"
"Ptui!"
Commander Beauchamp: "What are you going to have to drink? Beer?"
"I weel just av a glass of meltid cheez-uh."
I seem to be have garnered a reputation as somewhat of a cut-up. I really don't know why. But I was pleased when the class voted for one of my four suggested slogans for the back of our softball T-shirts. ("Even Jointness Fall From Tree." It's a long story.)
Sadly, that's about the best thing about our softball team. We got beat this afternoon by a bunch of 45-year-old colonel-types, 13-2. But hey we had beer afterwards so huzzah.
The last bit of news is that we are down to a two-car family again. My cousins Christine and Jennifer flew in from Chicago Sunday, as I had offered to give the former my Thunderbird that I was going to give to charity anyway and hey she needed a car and she's family. I love my new car and don't have a bit of bitterswattleness for the T-bird; I feel great that someone I love will be driving it until it rots. It's just weird to think back on it. 143,000 miles. I bought it when I was 24. It's been in Canada, Turkey, Seattle, Atlanta, Hollywood, the top of Pikes Peak, and the Applebee's in Des Moines. And, as Ainsley reminds me, it got me from Dayton to Woodbridge with three hours to spare for the birth of my son.
It was a very very good car.
With a GREAT horn.
posted by Dan at 8:06 PM
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