Tue, 08 Nov 2005
WSU Dad’s Weekend Survival Guide
I spent this past weekend with April in Pullman. It was Dad's Weekend, the first one I've been able to attend with her.
Although only 90 miles away, almost due south, the Washington State University campus is about 4 timezones farther west than home. With a different sleep schedule than April, I had some time while she was sleeping to do a little writing while I was there.
The WSU Dad's Weekend Survival Guide resulted from experience, observation, and a bit of imagination. I hope you enjoy it.
Wed, 29 Oct 2003
Coats aren’t cool
We had our first snow, today. Not much, just a brief flurry in a fierce wind that looked eerily like a snow globe scene.
On a brief afternoon walk from the office down the street for a coke, we saw the middle school kids headed home. Many were without coats. Coats aren't cool. I remember that all too well. My boys never wanted to wear their coats.
Here's my sure fire, guaranteed method to get your teenager to wear his or her coat.
Let them go to school without it. Shortly after school starts, show up
at the class room with your teen's coat. Interrupt the teacher.
Excuse me… Oh, dear. There you are. You forgot your coat!
NOTE: If your teen still refuses to wear a coat to school, have him tested, immediately. It may be a sign of a severe learning disability.
Blonde Coffee
I'm going to lobby for a name change. I'd like to see white coffee called blonde coffee. That way, Jenny's favorite coffee drink would sound even more like a personal ad that it does already.
Give me a hot, single, tall, skinny, blonde coffee mocha, please.
While we were vacationing, the farther south we travelled, the more difficult it became to find an espresso stand. And nowhere, after leaving Spokane, did we find white coffee.
Jenny made a point of requesting white coffee wherever she went, knowing full well they wouldn't have it. Then she gave them her sales pitch touting the benefits (as she sees them) of white coffee: no coffee flavor and 30% more caffeine.
Thomas Hammer, our local supplier of white coffee, may be getting inquiries from several western states wondering why the sudden interest in white coffee.
Sat, 27 Sep 2003
Lost in Translation
Attempting to build upon our success last week, we ventured out to the movies last night.
Based on a chart in the Friday paper indicating a thumbs up from all reporting reviewers, we picked Lost in Translation.
This movie sucked. If not for three cups of coffee, stretching dinner out long enough to fill time before the 9:40 start, I would have slept through it. If not for the fact that we were blocked into the center of our row, we would have walked out.
Here's my recommendation. Wait until it's playing at the dollar movies, give your dog a buck and send him to the show. That is, unless (a) you like your dog; (b) you value a dollar.
Sat, 20 Sep 2003
Matchstick Men
Last night, Jenny and I went to the movies for the first time in ages. We saw Matchstick Men and loved it.
We've filled our summer with cycling and haven't turned the television on for weeks, so we hadn't seen any advertisements, reviews or commentaries except for the brief blurb in the newspaper describing the currently playing movies while we made our selection. So, we had the pleasure of seeing the movie without having seen all the highlights in a trailer.
This one gets my recommendation.
Sat, 05 Jul 2003
While you were away…
April and I had
some fun. Family friends asked her to care for their animals while they
were away for the holiday weekend. They told her to feel free to use
the pool. So, even before they left town, we hatched a plan for a bit
of a prank,
Internet style.
Yesterday, we drove over with a grocery sack full of empty beer bottles as props and a digital camera. April took pictures while I modeled my swim wear. (No commercial offers, please — it’s just a hobby. <g>)
Our biggest problem was finding empty beer bottles. Where do you find them the day after trash pickup and a holiday to boot? Sad, but true, I dumped many good bottles of perfectly good beer down the drain. Our little project was more important at the time than our cooler full of beer.
You can see a few more of our favorite shots here.
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