After the August camping trip, Terri observed that my jump seats were great, but footstools were necessary. Not all criticism is valid, but there were a few reasons why this seemed like a good idea.
Category: Uncategorized (Page 2 of 2)
Sparky was being very patient as I worked on the bridge wall. Well, that’s what I thought.
When we built the stacked-bag wall yesterday, we hosed it down, but not so much that the paper bags fell apart. Every morning and evening, I will hose down the wall, with the hope that more of the concrete will get wet enough to cure. At some point, it will rain, and we will see what happens.
I like to bring Sparky along for outdoor projects. He keeps the rabbits and coyotes away so I don’t have to worry. I do have to watch that he doesn’t wander too far, but this time, for the 45 minutes it took for me to water the rocks, he sat patiently.
I hopped on the quad and started up the hill, but Sparky didn’t follow along. He’s pretty good about following the quad if he isn’t working on his own project.
I went back to check on him. See the problem?
It’s a mystery how he can get his leash stuck so easily.
Sparky was perturbed after being stuck for so long. There is disappointment in those eyes. I think Sparky bears some responsibility for not giving some indication that he was stuck, and I told him so. He remembered that he doesn’t speak English, so was unpersuaded.
My nephew Danny married Kenzie yesterday. It is his second marriage, so they kept it to a small gathering. I only got invited because Danny still has my steam cleaner.
This might be my favorite wedding ever. It was held at Kenzie’s parents’ house. The house isn’t big by Westlake standards, but nicely renovated with a comfortable backyard. Guests could eat peanuts and drink during the short ceremony. That alone kicked it up a couple of notches. Being at a house, rather than a hall, there were a dozen comfortable places to have a good conversation. That beats sitting at a table and talking over the band. The food was catered and fantastic.
A big advantage was that the cost of the whole show didn’t run into the mid five-figure range. They could afford it, but chose not to. I didn’t ask why. My reasoning would be that most couples, well, probably just brides, focus on staging a fantasy wedding that is completely disconnected from a comfortable and sustainable marriage. Kenzie was married where she grew up. Her and Danny will revisit the spot for several more decades. That counts.
I’m optimistic about Danny and Kenzie. I’m usually optimistic at weddings, but Kenzie is different from most of her generation. She knows what to do. Kenzie understands that social media and fantasies aren’t real-life.
Her dad, Walt, is an interesting guy. Walt is in the skilled trades, but it’s more like he lives the skilled trades. He’s a maniac. Between his actual job, side jobs and personal projects, it’s hard to keep up. Talking to him, I can follow the topic of conversation, but the big picture is hard to grasp.
Danny is just like Walt. Guys like that have a bunch of ideas, and take on all of them. Since Kenzie knows how her dad works, she can manage Danny. That’s what makes me optimistic.
Sparky loves a car ride and is liked by Anita and Jimmy. Everyone was too busy to play with him or to watch the door. Sparky thought that he might be working there now, so he took sentry duty. Those two people by the window got in, but no rabbits or coyotes did.
Newsweek: Which States Drink the Most Beer
It’s North Dakota, at 45.8 gallons per person per year. That’s a pint every two days. When you subtract children and non-drinkers, there have to be some dedicated drinkers really hitting it hard.
The Newsweek article has an interactive map with per capita beer consumption and most popular brand.
The most popular brand is more interesting. In Ohio, it’s 30.1 gallons per capita with Heineken being most popular. Heineken is a fine beer, but it isn’t what you’d buy for a party, and for an interesting beer, most people go with a craft beer. I don’t get it.
Sparkidemus is an homage to the pharisee, Nicodemus.
In 2014, district servers were too much of a pain in the ass, so I moved my class Moodle site to a privately hosted server. I was following a webcomic called Basic Instructions. I like the way Scott Meyer looks at the world. This was his logo, and as it matched my educational philosophy, when I needed a domain name, Big Stick seemed good.