A.W.O.B.

A.W.O.B.

That’s absent without blogging.

I don’t even have time to sleep!

The training on my new job has increased dramatically. I’m getting to the point where I’m reviewing in my sleep. And like I said I don’t get much time to do that.

Spring break came and went. We were able to send all three girls to their grandparents in Tulsa for a few days. Now I know what you’re thinking……. and your right.

Honey do’s

Or as my wife likes to call them “projects”. Wallpaper border in the girls bathroom, repaint the twins room, rearrange the furniture, and finally, repaint and put up border in our bathroom. All this along with the normal patching, painting, and fixing that has to be done to a house with a bunch of kids bouncing of the walls. You can always tell who made the mark by the damage done.

A scrape three-feet high, means a seven-year-old with a backpack

A gouge two-feet high, means a two-year-old with Barney banjo.

A crayon mark four-foot high, means my wife takes away my crayons.

I did break one of my rules last week though. I bought the twins a PS2. I’ve always been a little wary of introducing them to these games, because they do so good to spend their free time reading, coloring and writing stories, and generally healthy playing. I gave it to them with the understanding that they can’t spend all day playing it, they have to go outside, and all homework and reading come first. They are doing pretty good.

Lets hope their father can resist temptation as well.

Breaks over, gotta go learn stuff!

More Cheese Please!

I have a confession. I love cheese!

NO, not the Swiss kind, although I am very fond of pepper jack.
I’m talking the cinematic kind. I love cheesy movies, high-class cheese, of course. I’m not too big on gore, chainsaw, and slasher movies. I lean more toward action / adventure cheese, comedy cheese, and monster cheese.

Movies like:
Young Frankenstein
The Blues Brothers
Blazing Saddles
Army of darkness
Mystery Men
Most Godzilla movies.
Anything associated with, Ray Harryhausen.
Forbidden Planet (That’s adapted Shakespeare’s "Tempest" cheese)

And of course the Greatest, action, fantasy, kung fu, trucking movie of all time, "Big Trouble in Little China"

These are the movies that have at lease half a dozen good lines in them, that you can take with you throughout life.

Like; "Abby Normal", "The new Oldsmobile’s are in early this year." And the classic, "I’m here to chew bubble gum and kick a_ _; and I’m all out of bubble gum."

You may be wondering what has me on this little binge. It seems our local cultural Mecca; (Wal-Mart) is moving out the video store that had leased out the front of the Super Center. All current rentals were shipped to other stores in the video chain, but all previously viewed movies were marked down very, very, very cheap.

Needless to say in a moment of weakness I succumbed to the discount, thereby broadening my DVD collection, and reaffirming my wife’s opinion, that deep down I truly am a geek. (Unfortunately for her, our children show very similar tendencies. The twins can already hum the theme from "Raiders of the Lost Ark", and my two-year-old can stomp through a Lego city, with grace and efficiency.)

I’m always on the lookout for more flicks, to satisfy my need for good "B" movies.

What are some of your favorites?

A Responce

I recently got an anonymous e-mail from someone suggesting that if I wanted to have a successful "Dad Blog" I needed to follow a more structured format. I needed to decide if I wanted to focus on humor, or a more informative style.

Well now, …………..

I don’t know if "The Distance" truly qualifies as a "dad blog". It’s mostly filled with the internal combustion of my mind. Of course, most of that is a result of being a Dad and Husband.

"The Distance" is about the constant balancing act of being in a family. (With a substantially slanted view point…….mine.) As you may have guessed, I’m neither deep enough, nor overly intelligent enough to be a political activist; championing the cause of fatherhood. I think that’s a great and noble calling. And, I’ve got to take my hat off to guys like REBELDAD who can do it all. These guys are more than capable to be an advocate for Dads, stay at home, or otherwise.

They are the Escalades of Fatherhood.

Myself on the other hand, would be the older model F-150, with high mileage and good intention.

"The Distance" is where I can unload my rants, worries, and occasional triumphs. My life, like anyone else, gets messy from time to time. This is just how I deal with it. As a result, my posts get a tad self-centered at times.

The reason I put all this out there is that maybe others may see a little of their own mess here. Maybe someone can take comfort in the knowledge that good and bad comes hand in hand to everyone. Yes, that much-needed job may come through, only to have to face $500.00 in auto repair. That anticipated tax refund might have to go toward paying medical expenses instead the few extras you had planned on getting.

Regardless of good fortune or ill, your family is core. Stay at home Dad / Mom, or single parent (whatever the case) you do what you do to take care of your family. "The Distance" is about making the best of the short time I have with my children. It’s about an imperfect guy, trying to be the best father / husband he can be.

I need a break!

I seriously need a break!

As you probably have guessed from my absence of posts, I haven’t had a lot of time lately. I’m on break and had to blow off some steam. It is just one of those days where my head is anywhere other than where it should be. All day in training, I’ve been making stupid mistakes. Things I know how to do have just left me. And, it’s all just little stuff.

I’m sure the rest of the class would frown on me banging my head on the monitor, so I’ve tried to refrain for such physical exertions.

It doesn’t help that we just found out that a major test has been moved up to TOMMOROW!

You know the kind. Depending on how well you do on it will determine on whether or not you show up for work the next day, or revamp you resume on Monster. (Yeah, no pressure!)

I know the systems, I know the products, I know I have my head up my ___. For some reason I'm out of sync today.

Oh well, I still have the rest of the day to get it right.

Lunch is over, back to work.