So it has been a long time since I have posted, and for that I can only say that I am sorry. At this point, writing a blog may do nothing but get my thoughts out, for I believe that no one even checks my blog anymore, but thats ok. Lets see if I can organize my thoughts since last I blogged: Ahem, lots of throut clearing.
JOB: Presently still at Logan's Roadhouse in the thriving metropolis of Statesville, NC. Hey, we now have a Sonic DriveIn! I was the Kitchen Manager, but quickly moved out to be a Limbo Manager. Translation: Could not find a front manager who wanted to transfer to Statesville( which I can't understand, did I mention we have a Sonic?) but a K.M. from Kannapolis decided he would make the change, so seeing as he was already a K.M., and I am good at both front and back (nothing dirty there mind you) it was easier to move me to a position where I can help both departments. (Does this sound like another position? GM perhaps) Annnnnyyyway, now the KM is a surpremly buff individual who likes to do dangerous Thai style fighting, and apparently ensuring his arms are similar in size to toddlers balled up and attached to his shoulders, he now presides over the kitchen. And I am not bitter! no really. Just cause he gets 4 shifts a week in the morning, and one close. (something I never got) It does not bother me. They all keep saying they have big plans for me. But the moment they start talking, my higher brain functions take over, and all I hear is Blah, Blah, Blah, take care of guests, Blah, Blah, more money, Blah, Blah.
You get the idea.
Hobbies: The football season was dissappointing. The Panthers had a hard time deciding which Quarterback to use, who to sign, and who was supposed to score the points. I did however get to see the Dallas Cowboys play at the Carolina Coliseum on a Sat night. That was pretty nice. Thanks Kelly, for the birthday gift!! I'm now reading Harry Potter, since, I can't get to a decent book store ofter enough, and I really should focus where I spend my money considering......
WE ARE HAVING A GIRL!!!!: That's right. They all said it couldn't be done. They were nay-sayers. They didn't think it possible. But my swimmers apparently like variety. I like to mix it up a little. Keep people on their toes. Keep 'em guessing. We haven't decided on a name yet, but once we do, everyone will know. I will tell you that if William Harrison wasen't impressive enough, if for nothing than the syllables involved, then you can rest assured that HER name will be no less special and unique!
And if you read this, and are a constant visitor to www.innocuousramblings.com you will no doubt know that we lost our grandfather recently. And out of everything that has happened, short of the coming of my daughter, this was the biggest change of my life. I can't say that I got to see him enough, cause I didn't. I can't say that I told him I loved him enough, cause you never can. Can't say that I will stop missing him, cause thats impossible, but I do know this: He was possibly the greatest man I ever knew. He was the father I needed when our father was working. He taught me how to ride a bike, plant the field, mow the lawn, change the oil in my car, wash dishes, do laundry, play baseball, and how to relax when watching baseball. The fact that my son was able to meet him and get to know him on some scale was important. I hate he won't have the chance to meet my daughter, or her him. When my son looked at me and said after I told him, he would not see Gampie anymore because he died, was "I won't get to see him anymore", and it was difficult. It still is difficult. It will always be difficult. But he is better now,and he dosen't feel anymore pain. Done.
My sons birthday is coming up and for those who are reading this, we will be sending out invitations on monday. It will be on the 23rd of Feburary, at Logan's Roadhouse at around 11:30am.
For now, that is enough. Till then
~R
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Saturday, September 22, 2007
The Six P's
OK. ... I have been a little too laid back on these posts for too long. Well no longer. Now I am about to drop some info that I have known for sometime. What I am about to tell you is so simple, so well thought out, so user friendly, you may wonder why I have not given this information sooner. Was I holding out? Maybe I did not think you would be ready for this mind-blowing information. Did I hope some would figure it out for themselves? C'mon, who am I kidding. Do I reserve some shred of fair-play or think that this, in some form or fashion, is common sense. Again, I could keep this monologue up all day, but none of this is quite true.
I have held myself to the Six P's since college, when a Chef I worked for, Chef Ron, thank you very much, taught them to me. And over time I have pulled the S.P's out of the proverbial pocket to use as a teaching tool, and only in a teaching atmosphere does this come into play. Perhaps because that is how it was taught to me; perhaps it was something that is so ingrained into my very work ethic, I forget that maybe everyone else I am surrounded by, doesn't understand the very idiosyncrasies that make up its complex simplicity. Huh?
AAAANNNYYYYWWWWAAY.....
The Six P's. I will put them into verbal form, written here for all to read. If upon reading them, you find that they could be of no use, no matter what career, lifestyle, work place, pleasure procedures, you name it, then tell me how they are wrong.
The Six P's: Proper Planning, Prevents Piss Poor Performance. See, told ya it was simple.
Proper: to be true. Right, and expected
Planning: the act of being, or the honest attempt, at being proactive
Prevents: the process of stopping some act, or happening
Piss: slang : body liquid, most often used as a body of a punch line ie "I wouldn't piss down you back, if your butt was on fire". Or less than pure.
Poor: not rich, either in character, life, friendship, etc...
Performance: what ones work can be measured by.
With me so far. Good.
So taking into account the previous gospel, now put that into some perspective in the day to day life you lead now. Surely someone in your circle of work, play or other, has fallen short in some way or other, by not following this simple phrase to a T. Go on think about it.
Whether its a retail store, gas station, sports team, restaurant, grocery store, or enter item here. Hasn't their been a time when you witness something and your just like, "Idiot! How could you not have prevented that? How could you not have seen that coming? How could you not have prepped that? Bought that? Scheduled them? Cooked that? Fixed that? Anything other than standing their with that stargazing look of stupidity on your face. It would have been better had you not got out of bed, and laid around in your stained undies instead, then allow me to bear witness to your unworthiness!
Why such hostility you may ask? Well, are you asking?
OK, since you obviously want to know. I mentioned a couple of entries ago, that I work with some intellectually challenged individuals. The one who will get my angst today is the Kitchen Manager where I work. I have tried to be patient, I have tried to drop casual hints here and there. I have even attempted to push this individual into a direction where the percentage of success could almost be assured. But apparently the thickness of ones skull, is harder that the verbal pressure that I have applied.
Case 1: Saturday night, I close, run kitchen, sell the food, yada yada yada. I peruse the prep available to me for the night. I find that I am short in a number of areas. I ask him where this product is? His reply is the ol', " Did such and such not prep it?" Uh, were you not awake today? Wouldn't it be your job to ensure that the prep necessary for today's dining festivities to be done, properly, which would ultimately prevent any piss poor performance by this kitchen, and ultimately the restaurant, should we fall short in taking care of our patrons? Would that not be the Plan? See how that worked? Simple really. No thank you. No really.
Case 2: Tuesday morning. I open said kitchen. I have no dishwasher, nor do I have a bread maker. No dishwasher. Bread maker? you mean the individual who single-handidly controls whether or not we serve our hot, delicious yeast rolls to the hordes of people who come from Mooresville, to Hickory, Winston-Salem, and Wilksboro to enjoy there sweet Buttery goodness? The Dishwasher who ensures we have sanitary, clean dishes, silverware, and storage containers to serve up the tasty dishes on a person by person basis? How can this be. The schedule is done a week in advance. You were there 80% of the days leading up to this particular day when two of the most influential people in the kitchen are not present. Mistake? I think not. Scheduling staf-fu? Definitely. Total and complete lack of frontal lobe thinking, that results in numerous others suffering, due to the inability of one person making sure that all the i's are dotted and T's crossed. BINGO! And its no big deal. "I'm off today, so give him a call, to see where he is at. No the regular dishwasher is "On vacation" I asked Humberto to come in today. No I didn't write it down on the schedule, no I didn't leave it in the managers log, no I did not leave a paper trail to ensure that this would not, could not happen." "The bread lady, oh she's at court today, she will be here later on." (Never showed)
Case 3: Saturday night: I am in the dining room. Kitchen is running like a un-well greased machine. No direction being given by the KM. No audibles, in or out, of the pocket. No control. The kitchen is running him not the other way around. Result= Long ticket times, yours truly spends most of his time, putting out fires with dissatisfied guests as to why their food is late, steaks are burnt (literally) yet still served, or where their appetizer is. Not doing pleasant table checks, or chatting it up with guests. Just, "Run Forrest, Run".
Now, am I over-reacting? Put yourself in a similar situation, and now ask that question. It happens everyday, in every walk of life. It has happened to you, and countless others, and will happen again. That is why I live by this creed, the Six P's. To lessen, or avoid altogether this from ever happening to me. It happens, but by simply involving some planning is better than none.
I hope that I have touched some of you with this post. All four of you. If their are more, please forgive me, I have not had the pleasure of "meeting" you. I have not the following that Dhazy or Bhazy have. I am simply....here. Any and all responses to this are welcome. Perhaps you have a little "Sweetheart" that you use, and would like to share.
Until my next rant...
~R
I have held myself to the Six P's since college, when a Chef I worked for, Chef Ron, thank you very much, taught them to me. And over time I have pulled the S.P's out of the proverbial pocket to use as a teaching tool, and only in a teaching atmosphere does this come into play. Perhaps because that is how it was taught to me; perhaps it was something that is so ingrained into my very work ethic, I forget that maybe everyone else I am surrounded by, doesn't understand the very idiosyncrasies that make up its complex simplicity. Huh?
AAAANNNYYYYWWWWAAY.....
The Six P's. I will put them into verbal form, written here for all to read. If upon reading them, you find that they could be of no use, no matter what career, lifestyle, work place, pleasure procedures, you name it, then tell me how they are wrong.
The Six P's: Proper Planning, Prevents Piss Poor Performance. See, told ya it was simple.
Proper: to be true. Right, and expected
Planning: the act of being, or the honest attempt, at being proactive
Prevents: the process of stopping some act, or happening
Piss: slang : body liquid, most often used as a body of a punch line ie "I wouldn't piss down you back, if your butt was on fire". Or less than pure.
Poor: not rich, either in character, life, friendship, etc...
Performance: what ones work can be measured by.
With me so far. Good.
So taking into account the previous gospel, now put that into some perspective in the day to day life you lead now. Surely someone in your circle of work, play or other, has fallen short in some way or other, by not following this simple phrase to a T. Go on think about it.
Whether its a retail store, gas station, sports team, restaurant, grocery store, or enter item here. Hasn't their been a time when you witness something and your just like, "Idiot! How could you not have prevented that? How could you not have seen that coming? How could you not have prepped that? Bought that? Scheduled them? Cooked that? Fixed that? Anything other than standing their with that stargazing look of stupidity on your face. It would have been better had you not got out of bed, and laid around in your stained undies instead, then allow me to bear witness to your unworthiness!
Why such hostility you may ask? Well, are you asking?
OK, since you obviously want to know. I mentioned a couple of entries ago, that I work with some intellectually challenged individuals. The one who will get my angst today is the Kitchen Manager where I work. I have tried to be patient, I have tried to drop casual hints here and there. I have even attempted to push this individual into a direction where the percentage of success could almost be assured. But apparently the thickness of ones skull, is harder that the verbal pressure that I have applied.
Case 1: Saturday night, I close, run kitchen, sell the food, yada yada yada. I peruse the prep available to me for the night. I find that I am short in a number of areas. I ask him where this product is? His reply is the ol', " Did such and such not prep it?" Uh, were you not awake today? Wouldn't it be your job to ensure that the prep necessary for today's dining festivities to be done, properly, which would ultimately prevent any piss poor performance by this kitchen, and ultimately the restaurant, should we fall short in taking care of our patrons? Would that not be the Plan? See how that worked? Simple really. No thank you. No really.
Case 2: Tuesday morning. I open said kitchen. I have no dishwasher, nor do I have a bread maker. No dishwasher. Bread maker? you mean the individual who single-handidly controls whether or not we serve our hot, delicious yeast rolls to the hordes of people who come from Mooresville, to Hickory, Winston-Salem, and Wilksboro to enjoy there sweet Buttery goodness? The Dishwasher who ensures we have sanitary, clean dishes, silverware, and storage containers to serve up the tasty dishes on a person by person basis? How can this be. The schedule is done a week in advance. You were there 80% of the days leading up to this particular day when two of the most influential people in the kitchen are not present. Mistake? I think not. Scheduling staf-fu? Definitely. Total and complete lack of frontal lobe thinking, that results in numerous others suffering, due to the inability of one person making sure that all the i's are dotted and T's crossed. BINGO! And its no big deal. "I'm off today, so give him a call, to see where he is at. No the regular dishwasher is "On vacation" I asked Humberto to come in today. No I didn't write it down on the schedule, no I didn't leave it in the managers log, no I did not leave a paper trail to ensure that this would not, could not happen." "The bread lady, oh she's at court today, she will be here later on." (Never showed)
Case 3: Saturday night: I am in the dining room. Kitchen is running like a un-well greased machine. No direction being given by the KM. No audibles, in or out, of the pocket. No control. The kitchen is running him not the other way around. Result= Long ticket times, yours truly spends most of his time, putting out fires with dissatisfied guests as to why their food is late, steaks are burnt (literally) yet still served, or where their appetizer is. Not doing pleasant table checks, or chatting it up with guests. Just, "Run Forrest, Run".
Now, am I over-reacting? Put yourself in a similar situation, and now ask that question. It happens everyday, in every walk of life. It has happened to you, and countless others, and will happen again. That is why I live by this creed, the Six P's. To lessen, or avoid altogether this from ever happening to me. It happens, but by simply involving some planning is better than none.
I hope that I have touched some of you with this post. All four of you. If their are more, please forgive me, I have not had the pleasure of "meeting" you. I have not the following that Dhazy or Bhazy have. I am simply....here. Any and all responses to this are welcome. Perhaps you have a little "Sweetheart" that you use, and would like to share.
Until my next rant...
~R
Thursday, September 13, 2007
September - a helluva month
So September is always a busy month for me it seems. First, it means the coming of my birthday...9/11/1975, yep, 9/11. After that day, obviously things changed, at one point I even considered not celebrating my birthday on 9/11 just so we could focus on that day and not my birthday. Then I realized that what happened that day strengthened this country, gave us a re-focus towards what we need to be watching for, and it was bad, but was, in its own way, good. So I got over the not celebrating bit, and although, I still don't feel like I used to about my Bday, I at least observe it and respect it. Also in Sept, there is another Bday that is important to me, and that is the Bday of my little nephew, KHazy. This little firecracker, is an absolute trip, and he is a little power house of love. His smile is infectious, his lung capacity for belting out a good scream is impressive, and like all Hazy men, he is quite strong for a little person.
The birthday party was a great time.
I got to meet the newest member of the Charlotte branch of Hazys', GHazy. When it comes to dogs, I have always had a close relationship with dogs. Had them all growing up, in college, after college, everywhere I go, I am always making friends with dogs. Now, that doesn't mean that I walk into every situation thinking that I am automatically going to become best buds with any dog I meet, but I definitely believe that if you act like you are afraid of dogs, think that you are afraid of dogs, and really are afraid of dogs, then the dog in question will be able to tell and will react appropriately. Its one thing to be wary of dog(s), and another to be afraid of dogs. Enter GHazy. Now I knew that she was a Rottie, but I didn't have any idea how big a Rottie she was. As I saw her sitting/laying on the ground, I was impressed on how big yet beautiful she was. Having to acknowledge her almost first, since anyone, not known, showing up, could find themselves under most severe scrutiny. So I made a B-line for her, so that I could let her smell me, acknowledge me as a "no Threat" and move on. And I would advise anyone, who is semi-afraid of dogs, to think about that. Greet the dog, let the dog smell you, pet the dog, and you are done. I had a great time petting and loving on GHazy. I was very close to having her role over for more direct tummy rubbing time. Next time GHazy, next time.
And as everyone knows, Football begins in September. Usually right around my BDay. Usually my younger brother KSHazy offers the opportunity to take me to a game, which he did, but I could not go, but plan on taking him up on it in the future. Wedding season is still in effect during September, and not to mention the finale of Top Chef, the beginning of a new season of HEROES, and the getting ready for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
So as I begin to focus on my fantasy football league, you may begin to see less of me or more of me, it all depends on how well I am doing. But as I stated in a earlier post, I will still try and post.
~R
The birthday party was a great time.
I got to meet the newest member of the Charlotte branch of Hazys', GHazy. When it comes to dogs, I have always had a close relationship with dogs. Had them all growing up, in college, after college, everywhere I go, I am always making friends with dogs. Now, that doesn't mean that I walk into every situation thinking that I am automatically going to become best buds with any dog I meet, but I definitely believe that if you act like you are afraid of dogs, think that you are afraid of dogs, and really are afraid of dogs, then the dog in question will be able to tell and will react appropriately. Its one thing to be wary of dog(s), and another to be afraid of dogs. Enter GHazy. Now I knew that she was a Rottie, but I didn't have any idea how big a Rottie she was. As I saw her sitting/laying on the ground, I was impressed on how big yet beautiful she was. Having to acknowledge her almost first, since anyone, not known, showing up, could find themselves under most severe scrutiny. So I made a B-line for her, so that I could let her smell me, acknowledge me as a "no Threat" and move on. And I would advise anyone, who is semi-afraid of dogs, to think about that. Greet the dog, let the dog smell you, pet the dog, and you are done. I had a great time petting and loving on GHazy. I was very close to having her role over for more direct tummy rubbing time. Next time GHazy, next time.
And as everyone knows, Football begins in September. Usually right around my BDay. Usually my younger brother KSHazy offers the opportunity to take me to a game, which he did, but I could not go, but plan on taking him up on it in the future. Wedding season is still in effect during September, and not to mention the finale of Top Chef, the beginning of a new season of HEROES, and the getting ready for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
So as I begin to focus on my fantasy football league, you may begin to see less of me or more of me, it all depends on how well I am doing. But as I stated in a earlier post, I will still try and post.
~R
Monday, September 3, 2007
Soooooo, was I in rare form?, I even embrassed myself
So I got to meet my mothers new squeeze a week ago, this past Sunday. (again the tirades of me not doing this more often can begin now) Mike is a really good sport. And I say this because of a couple things...
1) He was put in a situation, somewhat aware of what he was about to face, but not really knowing until it happens.( think, you have to speak to somebody about something that you really don't want to discuss, but you have to, because you have to. example...firing somebody, telling a loved one you have anal leakage, that you experimented in college and it wasn't with drugs...) you get the idea.
2) He did it with dignity, courage, and finally CLASS. I can be a real sarcastic a$$ when I want to be. Whats that? Aww you know its true. But I appreciate you protecting my feelings. I found myself, trying to simply get information, but it ended up a lot different than that. (Spanish inquisition meets Meet the Parents/Fockers)
3) Now I said that my mom told ol Mike that I was probably going to try and embarrass him, and I think I succeeded in that by making him uncomfortable. And that's where the story really takes off.
After our meeting, I started to think: Man he was really a nice guy. He answered all my questions, without getting offended, he even started to joke around as I was asking the questions. Now a normal individual would have probably backed off a little, but not me. He even bought the entire meal we had, and boy did I feel like a jacka$$. I spent the rest of the day/night, and the better part of the week, thinking how much I could have ruined the day had I kept on going. I mean, if the boys Khazy(shout out to you my dog) and Hhazy(you my boy!!) hadn't needed to go beddybye, then their is no telling how far I would have gone.
All said and done, I am truly glad that Mike was a good sport, because I would have felt absolutely terrible had I scared him off. So Mike if you read this, I am sorry again if I offended you, or made you overly uncomfortable at our first meeting. Thank you for dinner, and I truly look forward to seeing you again in the future. Mom, well I am sorry a little bit for what I did, but hey, you admitted that I was going to do it, so since you expected it, then I can't really be blamed by you that much. But much, much love.
Now that I have gotten that out of the way, I can move on to other pressing matters....
So I work with idiots. Huh? Didn't see that coming? Well let me tell you. I work with a great GM. And I truly mean that. He's got a temper, but overall, his focus is on the prize, A well run restaurant. We are beginning a ying/yang relationship, which is beneficial for everyone. But the rest of the yahoos, well, lets just say that sometimes its hit or miss. Personally, if I am a manager in a restaurant, the last thing I would want to do, is stick around after my shift and get Poop-faced in the bar. I mean even after we have closed, still there. To me, it kind of defeats what you are trying to accomplish. That's one of them. Another likes to bring her children there when they are out of school and let them terrorize the place by making a mess all over the place. Yet another is a pot head, and I found this out while I was in training, and he liked to stay locked up in his room, getting smoked out. And finally, the KM is a fella that does not understand food, does not understand ordering, and does not understand how to run a line. All very frustrating things for me. But I keep my comment s to myself, and the staff sees these things, but I am behind my team 100%.
When coming from my background, and moving to a different restaurant, there are going to be subtle differences, but some things you can't ignore. Instead of smoking a cigarette, run some food, seat some guests, manage, anything!! But then again, maybe I am expecting too much from these folks, I mean I live where I live, and the workforce pool is a little shallow.
Finally, I would like to leave you with one thought. If you have a high bar cost (all your purchases for beer, liquor, wine - all bar stuff sold = bar cost) and you have managers that like to stay behind late, after the place is closed, don't you think there is a good chance that something fishy is going on. What do you think? The beer is just evaporating. Please!! And no one thinks its happening.
1) He was put in a situation, somewhat aware of what he was about to face, but not really knowing until it happens.( think, you have to speak to somebody about something that you really don't want to discuss, but you have to, because you have to. example...firing somebody, telling a loved one you have anal leakage, that you experimented in college and it wasn't with drugs...) you get the idea.
2) He did it with dignity, courage, and finally CLASS. I can be a real sarcastic a$$ when I want to be. Whats that? Aww you know its true. But I appreciate you protecting my feelings. I found myself, trying to simply get information, but it ended up a lot different than that. (Spanish inquisition meets Meet the Parents/Fockers)
3) Now I said that my mom told ol Mike that I was probably going to try and embarrass him, and I think I succeeded in that by making him uncomfortable. And that's where the story really takes off.
After our meeting, I started to think: Man he was really a nice guy. He answered all my questions, without getting offended, he even started to joke around as I was asking the questions. Now a normal individual would have probably backed off a little, but not me. He even bought the entire meal we had, and boy did I feel like a jacka$$. I spent the rest of the day/night, and the better part of the week, thinking how much I could have ruined the day had I kept on going. I mean, if the boys Khazy(shout out to you my dog) and Hhazy(you my boy!!) hadn't needed to go beddybye, then their is no telling how far I would have gone.
All said and done, I am truly glad that Mike was a good sport, because I would have felt absolutely terrible had I scared him off. So Mike if you read this, I am sorry again if I offended you, or made you overly uncomfortable at our first meeting. Thank you for dinner, and I truly look forward to seeing you again in the future. Mom, well I am sorry a little bit for what I did, but hey, you admitted that I was going to do it, so since you expected it, then I can't really be blamed by you that much. But much, much love.
Now that I have gotten that out of the way, I can move on to other pressing matters....
So I work with idiots. Huh? Didn't see that coming? Well let me tell you. I work with a great GM. And I truly mean that. He's got a temper, but overall, his focus is on the prize, A well run restaurant. We are beginning a ying/yang relationship, which is beneficial for everyone. But the rest of the yahoos, well, lets just say that sometimes its hit or miss. Personally, if I am a manager in a restaurant, the last thing I would want to do, is stick around after my shift and get Poop-faced in the bar. I mean even after we have closed, still there. To me, it kind of defeats what you are trying to accomplish. That's one of them. Another likes to bring her children there when they are out of school and let them terrorize the place by making a mess all over the place. Yet another is a pot head, and I found this out while I was in training, and he liked to stay locked up in his room, getting smoked out. And finally, the KM is a fella that does not understand food, does not understand ordering, and does not understand how to run a line. All very frustrating things for me. But I keep my comment s to myself, and the staff sees these things, but I am behind my team 100%.
When coming from my background, and moving to a different restaurant, there are going to be subtle differences, but some things you can't ignore. Instead of smoking a cigarette, run some food, seat some guests, manage, anything!! But then again, maybe I am expecting too much from these folks, I mean I live where I live, and the workforce pool is a little shallow.
Finally, I would like to leave you with one thought. If you have a high bar cost (all your purchases for beer, liquor, wine - all bar stuff sold = bar cost) and you have managers that like to stay behind late, after the place is closed, don't you think there is a good chance that something fishy is going on. What do you think? The beer is just evaporating. Please!! And no one thinks its happening.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Opinions are like....
As I finished my last post, I took a moment to reflect on some of my past entries, and the comments made there-of. Before you read any further, please understand that I appreciate any comment left because deep down inside, I care what you think. I want to make each of my readers so proud. I want to leave a legacy of earth shattering, ground shaking, mountain moving, sexually driven orgasmic literature, behind me, so as to be remembered for not who I was, but what I offered. I am more that a pretty face. So when I don't leave a post, every day, or once a week, it is truly for a number of reasons ( and in no certain order):
1) I have absolutely nothing worth writing about. And as we all know, the proverbial writers block must not be present for great feats of literature
2) I am busy spending time with my wife and son.
3) I am busy reading my book of the moment in my special place
4) I am working
5) Or finally, I just don't have the time to sit down a give a dissertation on what idiots surround me on a regular basis.
Honest but true, but for the needs of my viewers, I will try and make a conscious effort to leave a entry at least once a week.
And for my mother, cause I know she will read this, I must first say that I am sorry for not calling on a more regular basis, but you are dating somebody, and you didn't even want to tell me yourself?? How rude. I am truly happy for you, and I hope he knows just how lucky he is, but I thought I was special......
Anyway, Keep leaving your comments.
1) I have absolutely nothing worth writing about. And as we all know, the proverbial writers block must not be present for great feats of literature
2) I am busy spending time with my wife and son.
3) I am busy reading my book of the moment in my special place
4) I am working
5) Or finally, I just don't have the time to sit down a give a dissertation on what idiots surround me on a regular basis.
Honest but true, but for the needs of my viewers, I will try and make a conscious effort to leave a entry at least once a week.
And for my mother, cause I know she will read this, I must first say that I am sorry for not calling on a more regular basis, but you are dating somebody, and you didn't even want to tell me yourself?? How rude. I am truly happy for you, and I hope he knows just how lucky he is, but I thought I was special......
Anyway, Keep leaving your comments.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
My son, growing up Part 1
So, it is without question, that I love my son. It can also be said, that if anyone were to ever, ever, everevereverever, try and hurt him, they would be the recipient of one of the most legendary a$$whippings to ever be seen, spoken, and written about. And I say this, not because I am his father, or because of my love for him, but because, to see any pain on his face, or the mere thought of some low-grade life's reject looking for kicks, touching him, sends into what I call the RED RAGE. Now over the past 4 and a half years I have seen this boy grow from a screaming, pissing, crapping, eating, thing of love to a larger screaming, pissing crapping, eating, thing of pure joy and love. He has just added other tricks to his repertoire. His ability to jump long distances, his balance is an uncanny thing, his strength, his ability to see something once and be able to duplicate it. But in addition to all that, he has other abilities like: to love; I have seen more uncompromising acts of love by this one child then I have seen my entire life. He will just do something that absolutely takes your breath away, and you are just not expecting it. I have seen this child walk up to anybody and just start talking as if they were the very best of friends. "Whats your favorite color, shape, number" are a few of the starter questions that you must answer before he will move on. I have seen him stop what he was doing to go over and talk with another child in the store and strike up a conversation. I have seen this same child, take a simple look from another adult as an invitation to be shown his transformers (whichever one he may have at the time, due to him having so many....AHEM thank you Mother in Law)....
So now we fast forward to his first official day of school. I'm nervous, so is my wife SHazy, and I am the first one up, so I creep into H-dogs' bedroom to wake him, and there he is, eyes open, just chillin' on the bed!! I ask him if he was ready to get up and get ready for school, and he hops up and says OK. OK!? You are OK with it? Bath, breakfast, prepping, primping, teeth brushing, hair combing, he didn't fight me about any of it. About three weeks prior, I came up with an idea ( I am digressing for a moment) and said well, if we are going to give him MORE toys, maybe we could, I don't know.......Learn something in the process?!?! So I drew up a calender, with all the days of the week and month for August. Everyday, he would have to cross out the previous day and learn the day and the corresponding number. He was doing really well, and I asked him what day school starts and he was able to reply, Monday the Twentieth!! Chalk one up for the DAD..... So it should have come as no surprise that he was ready for school. He had been prepped as well as any two parents could prep him as far as what to expect, and what he would get out of it. This is the same child that did not want to go to preschool a year ago. Would not , could not with a fox, would not, could not in a box. Now he is ready everyday to go. It is awesome!!
Other things he does, is want to help me cook. He knows how to shake the saute pan when you saute. How to stir the stew, chili, mixture stuff in pots (enter your favorite pot stuff here) how to season (although not as delicate as me) and many other skills like allowing the egg to slip through ones fingers. And nine times out of ten, he eats it better because he was evolved in the process. AMAZING....BRILLANT....Thank you.
His talking has improved, so as now he can carry on conversations and imply feelings, and thoughts on a much grander scale than when he was 3. Now I look forward to asking him direct questions, because I will get an answer, whereas before, I would most definitely have gotten uber -gibberish and stopped due to frustration.
All in all, I have been completely amazed at how quickly he has grown in the past six months, let alone the past three weeks, but at the same time, I hope that he doesn't grow to fast. I still want to teach him stuff while he is little, because you never know what will come out of his month as a response. Hopefully many of you will tune in at some of his upcoming accomplishments in pertaining to school. If not, that's OK too, because its one thing to read, but another to experience it first hand!!
P.S. Note to all with a young one, reading this, limit your child's computer time to as little as possible, and control what sites he visits (ie NOGGIN, and SPROUT, not JET IX and CARTOON NETWORK) there are some fairly violent games on the last two sites, and that leads to fighting, also, block what channels he watches, for the same reasons. It could be, that you already know this, but we didn't and we learned a valuable lesson. On one hand, Harrison is a whiz at surfing the net, but he is also at an age, where if you don't set boundaries then it could come back to haunt you.
Till next time......
So now we fast forward to his first official day of school. I'm nervous, so is my wife SHazy, and I am the first one up, so I creep into H-dogs' bedroom to wake him, and there he is, eyes open, just chillin' on the bed!! I ask him if he was ready to get up and get ready for school, and he hops up and says OK. OK!? You are OK with it? Bath, breakfast, prepping, primping, teeth brushing, hair combing, he didn't fight me about any of it. About three weeks prior, I came up with an idea ( I am digressing for a moment) and said well, if we are going to give him MORE toys, maybe we could, I don't know.......Learn something in the process?!?! So I drew up a calender, with all the days of the week and month for August. Everyday, he would have to cross out the previous day and learn the day and the corresponding number. He was doing really well, and I asked him what day school starts and he was able to reply, Monday the Twentieth!! Chalk one up for the DAD..... So it should have come as no surprise that he was ready for school. He had been prepped as well as any two parents could prep him as far as what to expect, and what he would get out of it. This is the same child that did not want to go to preschool a year ago. Would not , could not with a fox, would not, could not in a box. Now he is ready everyday to go. It is awesome!!
Other things he does, is want to help me cook. He knows how to shake the saute pan when you saute. How to stir the stew, chili, mixture stuff in pots (enter your favorite pot stuff here) how to season (although not as delicate as me) and many other skills like allowing the egg to slip through ones fingers. And nine times out of ten, he eats it better because he was evolved in the process. AMAZING....BRILLANT....Thank you.
His talking has improved, so as now he can carry on conversations and imply feelings, and thoughts on a much grander scale than when he was 3. Now I look forward to asking him direct questions, because I will get an answer, whereas before, I would most definitely have gotten uber -gibberish and stopped due to frustration.
All in all, I have been completely amazed at how quickly he has grown in the past six months, let alone the past three weeks, but at the same time, I hope that he doesn't grow to fast. I still want to teach him stuff while he is little, because you never know what will come out of his month as a response. Hopefully many of you will tune in at some of his upcoming accomplishments in pertaining to school. If not, that's OK too, because its one thing to read, but another to experience it first hand!!
P.S. Note to all with a young one, reading this, limit your child's computer time to as little as possible, and control what sites he visits (ie NOGGIN, and SPROUT, not JET IX and CARTOON NETWORK) there are some fairly violent games on the last two sites, and that leads to fighting, also, block what channels he watches, for the same reasons. It could be, that you already know this, but we didn't and we learned a valuable lesson. On one hand, Harrison is a whiz at surfing the net, but he is also at an age, where if you don't set boundaries then it could come back to haunt you.
Till next time......
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
A quick pass rather than a bomb....
I apologize that I haven't posted anything in a hot minute, but we are attempting to get our son into school, he starts August the 20th, and that paired with my job, and my wifes business, are keeping me a little busy. SO please bear with me while we go through this transition period, and I will be back to offer once again little tidbits of worthless knowledge that you may use at your leisure.
Oh yeah.........Logan's Roadhouse
Oh yeah.........Logan's Roadhouse
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