The Sweetens

All grown up, but still my baby

2011-06-30T19:24:00.000-05:00

It still amazes me how quickly time has passed by (although some physicists would have us believe time is an illusion). I can still remember bringing Emery home from the hospital. And here he is, getting bigger and thinking he's an adult.

Like father, like daughter

2011-06-30T19:17:00.002-05:00

Emma's newest favorite activity? Playing salon. She has been rebuffed by her brother, however, to be her first customer.

The Dating Game

2011-06-10T08:17:00.002-05:00

As the song goes, I've got a girl...Or in Facebook parlance, I've updated my status from divorced to in a relationship. Pretty happy right now. Of course it's much too early to say where the ultimate end to this relationship will go, but all things being equal, we've got some long term potential.

An editorial change

2011-05-31T00:02:00.001-05:00

I'm sure everyone has abandoned me at this point, as I post with the same frequency as old people have sex. But I'm going to change things up a bit. From now on, I'll be cross posting a lot more things that I also post on Facebook. Maybe I'll get some cross-pollination and people here will friend me there and vice versa.

Just some general ramblings...

2011-02-15T21:16:00.004-06:00

There isn't a topic here, just some general thoughts.

I really like my job. I'm sure you've gotten that point by now, if you're a regular reader, but I really do. I get to meet new people and then change those new people for the better (or at least their hair). How many people can say that about their 9 to 5?

My kids continue to crack me up on a daily basis. The wonderment and joy they find in the simplest things are of no small amusement to me.

A good hair day

2011-02-14T20:43:00.003-06:00

I had me a good day of making people pretty. It's so very rewarding for my soul when I can make someone's day by giving them a new look or great style. Specifically, I got someone ready for a wedding (well, two of them actually. And no, she wasn't getting married in both of them).

A perfect fit

2011-02-13T20:38:00.003-06:00

Have you ever had one of those moments where the universe seems to come into perfect alignment? You know what I'm talking about...Everything you do and everything that happens to you is just...perfect. I had me one of those moments this weekend. Actually, I had a 48 hour series of those moments (I also had a series of putting my foot in my mouth moments....more on that in a bit).

I used this analogy this weekend: You ever have that pair of pants or some such that just fit perfectly? You put them on and you feel like royalty? What if, instead of pants, you found someone that fit you perfectly? Someone that, from your perspective, was the perfect counterpoint to you, physically and emotionally. How rare is that? I mean, I've been on dates before that I thought had potential, but they fizzled in the end (or I just had gas). But this weekend? This was like a continual high (not that I would know what that is...how about the perfect alcohol buzz that didn't end?). And it just kept getting better with each passing moment! Regardless of how long I walk this earth, this weekend will always be one that I will remember and cherish for the rest of my days. That's right, it was that special. I can only hope that everyone has an opportunity to experience something this special. Your life will be that much richer for the experience.

Oh, and the foot in my mouth part? If you know me, you know I can be...exuberant. Evidently, I was a bit too exuberant, because I kept making these dumbass comments. Fortunately, she didn't seem to hold it against me (I'm hoping that's the case, anyway). Still, I'm going to have to see both an orthopedic surgeon and a dentist because I managed to get both of my feet lodged firmly in my mouth.

But even with my verbal gaffes, it was still one for the record books. And it never would have happened if I hadn't been following my new life motto: "Swing for the fences". The last 48 hours are living proof that motto can be life changing.

look ma! snow!

2011-02-09T10:01:00.004-06:00

This was the view from my front door about 4 days ago.

Taking some advice

2011-02-09T01:30:00.001-06:00

Someone gave me a bit of advice recently. They said I should post more things. So here are things...being posted. Actually, this is more like a PSA advising you that things will be posted. In the near future. Stay tuned....

2011-01-02T16:57:00.001-06:00

Emma's pearls of wisdom: my tongue always cleans my mouth"

I have an insightful little girl

Assorted photos

2010-10-30T22:02:00.007-05:00

The kids live for Halloween. They would wear their Halloween costumes every day if I let them.

Emery's first day of Kindergarten. He had a rough start to school, but after consulting with his doctor, we tried some medication to see if it would help. It did and now he loves school.

Emma being a ham. She's got a pretty mischevious personality but it hardly ever shines through.

Emma was all set to ride her bike. Helmet on, ready to hit the door. And then she laid down and fell asleep.

I don't know how many times I find them like this. Emery has a pathological aversion to sleeping by himself. So just about every morning, I find him asleep next to his sister in bed. Fortunately, she's a sound sleeper.

Having fun

2010-10-14T19:32:00.002-05:00

Had some fun doing Emma's hair today. I've always wanted to curl her hair to see what it would look like. Thankfully, my daughter indulges me.

I write like

2010-07-19T18:52:00.002-05:00

So there's this new website that analyzes your prose and will tell you which famous author your written word resembles. In my case? Stephen King. I'm curious to try out some of my other writings to see if there is consistency their analysis.

Something to think about

2010-06-05T17:05:00.002-05:00

Ok kids, here's a little grist to chew on: I ain't cheap. Okay, let's back up a bit. If you come to see me for hair services, you can expect that I'll do my absolute best to make sure you step out of the salon looking like a million bucks. You come to me for world class service, I'm going to oblige you. But for the love of peanut butter, don't sit down in my chair and expect me to hand over my time, energy and talent to making you look good and not be willing to give me fair compensation. Notice the word fair in that sentence. There are some places where it costs the equivalent of your mortgage to get your hair done. I don't work in one of those places. But I also don't work at Pro-cuts (no offense to people who do work at Pro-cuts, but people aren't exactly beating down your door for the quality of your work).
You can go to a fast food joint and get a hamburger and fries. Or you could go to Chili's and get the same. The difference? Quality. And you will pay a bit more for the quality of service at a higher end joint because you know that you're going to get more. The same analogy applies here.
What's got my dander up? Someone came in for a variety of services today that involved about three hours of my time and effort (not to mention product). And then they wanted to nickel and dime me for the cost (when they didn't just outright ASK me for free add on services). Please. I might not be the world's best stylist, but I've only ever had ONE person leave my chair unhappy with the results. And it was the second person I ever did professionally, many moons ago. No, I don't expect a tip for my work (you want to tip? That's greatly appreciated but NEVER expected). I do, however, expect that if you walk in looking like death warmed over and you leave looking ready to stop traffic, don't give me a hard time about the cost.

Cowgirl Emma

2010-05-03T20:57:00.001-05:00

Emma put on Emery's boots and paraded around the apartment calling herself "Cowgirl Emma". She even added a couple of "Yee-haws" for emphasis. Seriously, I have no idea where she gets this.

Unemployed

2010-04-20T18:32:00.002-05:00

So...today I became unemployed. Being unemployed isn't exactly earth shattering news, in this day's economy. No, it's pretty much old hat by now, almost passe. "What? You're just NOW becoming unemployed? Dude, that was so last year." But I wasn't let go (or canned, as I like to phrase it...sh*tcanned when I'm really in a mood). Nope, I was ter-muh-nat-ed. Am I going to delve into the details of the termination on this public forum? No (not until my lawsuit is over, anyway). But I will say that I was not at fault on this one. Didn't punch someone in the nose, didn't make fun of another employee's overweight mother, didn't even give someone a bad haircut. Let's just say it was corporate shenanigans (until my lawsuit is over, anyway. Then I'll spill the beans, pending a non-disclosure agreement).

Anyhoo, don't feel bad for me. As my mother said, "When God closes one door, He opens another." So, I'm out looking for my open door right now (well, not literally). But it is a bit discouraging, considering that under my watch the salon had it's best year on record, sales gains practically every day, an increasing clientele and very happy stylists. It's like "what do I have to do to get some respect around here?" But I'm moving on. Looking back is fine for high school reunions and reminiscing about old girlfriends, but I'm on to bigger and better things (I hope).

Easter!

2010-04-09T21:10:00.004-05:00

I really need to post more often.

Anyhoo, we had Easter at my mom's. The kids had a blast. The pics are blurry because they are taken on my blackberry. But really, when you think about it, we can now take fairly high res pics from our phones. Seriously, that was the purest science fiction 15 years ago. Now, my phone does everything but make me breakfast (and wouldn't that be a neat trick if it could).

Healthcare

2010-03-23T13:27:00.002-05:00

For everyone bitching about the healthcare bill, think about this: Now, you can't be denied coverage because of a broken foot when you were a kid (true story). Now, your parents can't be denied coverage because of blood pressure medication (another true story). Now, your insurance company can't kick you off the policy because you got sick (way too many true stories). "But now people are forced to buy health insurance", you cry. People are forced to buy car insurance too. "But people can choose not to drive", you cry some more. Yes, but people can't choose not to live (well, I suppose they could just kill themselves at that...hopefully, one of those people will be Glen Beck). No, there won't be any effin' death panels or rationed care, nor will the country become a socialist state (as if the previous administration didn't do enough to make that happen). It amazes how some people will believe anything told to them by a "famous" person like "Sarah Palin" (the air quotes were meant to be facetious both times). People were up in arms over medicare, too, when it was enacted in the 60's, talking about the end of our society. Well, just try and get medicare repealed today. That's a political death sentence. You don't like the healthcare reforms? Great. Move to Canada. Oh wait, they have universal health care too. Um, England. Nope, they got it too. Sweden? Same story for most of Europe. In fact, for those of you that state "We have the greatest healthcare system in the world!"....well, we don't. We're generally ranked in the low 30's amongst developed nations in healthcare (We are beating the Russian Federation for all you neo-cons out there). We spend far too much money and get far too little in return. Is this bill going to fix everything? Prolly not. We'll likely have to revisit the issue again. But it gets the ball rolling in the right direction. Which is something those Republican nay-sayers NEVER did. Thanks for reading, you can now return to your regularly scheduled blog reading.

warmer weather is here

2010-03-08T20:22:00.003-06:00

It was relatively warm Saturday. We went to the park with some friends and enjoyed the first warm weather of the year. We are definitely an outdoor family when the weather is warm. I can't wait till summer

2010-02-08T22:09:00.001-06:00

So, I decided to put some ads on the blog in an effort to see if my ramblings will generate some income. You aren't required to click on anything, reading about me and my kids is still a free enterprise.

2010-01-23T01:07:00.001-06:00

FYI - cold chicken nuggets? Not that good...

2010-01-22T23:52:00.001-06:00

Out with some friends. While I don't see the benefits of making this a weekly excursion (I worked in a bar in my younger days and I don't miss it) I could do this on a monthly basis (well, every other month)

Potty Face

2010-01-12T21:55:00.006-06:00

I mentioned in the last post that Emma makes a face when she doesn't want to go potty...

Pictures are worth a thousand words, so I'll let them speak for themselves....

Various pics

2010-01-06T19:57:00.007-06:00

I finally uploaded pics from my camera that had been collected dust since Thanksgiving. I thought I'd post a few....

Emma and my sister. She really looks like her mother in this pic

Humorously enough, Emma makes this same face when I ask her to go potty (we're in the middle of potty training and it's not going well. This face is generally followed by the phrase "I don't want to")

We were playing around with the camera this morning, taking pics as we got ready. My little cut-ups. In the second pic, Emma is holding her favorite Christmas present, a harmonica. She is very musically inclined. She will burst out in song at the drop of a hat. It's like I'm an extra in a musical.

Another milestone

2009-12-29T20:51:00.003-06:00

Emery has started calling me "Dad". Not "Daddy"; "Dad". Not even a long, drawn out "Daaad". Just short and simple. I keep looking over my shoulder expecting to see him standing there asking to borrow the car. At least Emma still shouts "Daddeeee!" (yes, with the exclamation point) every time I pick her up from daycare.

2009-12-19T21:56:00.001-06:00

We are having our salon christmas at chilis. Its nice to hang out with my stylists outside of work. Its also nice to have a beer with adults :)

2009-11-27T09:00:00.001-06:00

Happy commerce day! Y'know, if they are going to keep annointing this day with an aura of holiness (for shopping) then I want all the trappings of a full blown religious holiday. I want a nativity scene with wise men presenting credit cards and T-bills, a money tree decorated with overdrawn bank account notices and a fat guy in a suit laughing at us...for going into debt.

Emma's 3rd Birthday

2009-11-15T19:54:00.006-06:00

I always wanted a birthday party at McDonalds when I was a kid. So it was with some relish that I threw Emma a McDonalds birthday party. She has been looking forward to this for some time now. And she was VERY excited that it was at McDonalds (she loves chicken nuggets).

I invited all of her daycare class and none of them showed up. Fortunately, some friends brought their kids, so it wasn't another party with people she was related to. Having had no nap beforehand, she was a bit cranky to start the party, but quickly turned her frown upside down. She laughed and played and generally had a good time. Her favorite part of the party? Blowing out the candles. She has been asking me if she can blow out the candles on her birthday cake for at least two weeks.

My new ride

2009-11-14T14:23:00.004-06:00

What you see below is the culmination of a very stressful week. My Jeep died last Saturday. Just up and died. I shouldn't put it like that, though, as the ol' girl served me well for a very long time including a trip to Chicago and back. Still, her time had come. After much scrambling and phone calling (and not a little praying), I was able to secure a new ride. Shiny, isn't she? (I always refer to my vehicles as females. They are tempermental creatures and you have to pamper them or they will leave you high and dry). Very clean and MUCH better gas mileage. The kids like it too because they can get in and out of the car without having to put on climbing gear (my Jeep sat a little high off the ground). More bells and whistles than I can possible figure out in one sitting. And very fun to drive.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T20:21:00.005-05:00

My kids embraced Halloween this year. They have been asking about it for at least two weeks. We made our usual trip to the mall for Halloween (it's indoors and much safer than wandering the streets).

I took Emma to the salon so I could fix her hair. My mom made her a Snow White costume and I wanted to make sure she looked the part. Their grandma came to help with sheparding the kids through the mall. Emery was Optimus Prime. Of course, he didn't want to wear his mask, so he just walked around with his costume on while I held the mask. They had fun though, as Emma proudly walked up to every person and said "Trick or Treat!" Emery just held out his bag (he even tried to sneak back in line a few times). I limited them to just a few pieces of candy so I didn't have to deal with hyper active children all night.

On the board

2009-10-19T19:48:00.002-05:00

So, I got an interesting phone call today. Cindy Meyers, the woman who runs the cosmetology department at the vocational school here in town, called with a proposition. She had an opening on the advisory board for the cosmetology dept. Her next words shocked me to my toenails. "Would you be interested in filling the position?" Would I be interested? You bet your sweet ass I am interested! How effing cool is this? I've been graduated from cosmetology school for all of 15 months, I've been a salon manager for 6 months and now I'm being asked to sit on an advisory board for a cosmetology school? Talk about an ego boost...

So what does the advisory board do? Good question, and one I had to ask myself. Turns out, the advisory board helps to shape the direction of the curriculum and training by, well, advising on the subjects. And they want little ol' me to help them with that? Oh boy, I'm practically rubbing my hands in anticipation. Granted, I'm prolly making it out to be more than what it is, but to me, this is a pretty big deal. Since I've made the decision to get a cosmetology license, everything seems to be falling into place (professionally, if not personally) for me. It almost makes me wish I had started this years ago. But better late than never, right?

I'll be getting my "official" letter of invitation in the mail in a few days, instructing me of the times and places of the meetings (I believe she said the words "open bar", but I was too excited to catch everything). And you better believe this little tidbit will be making it's way onto my resume!

Psst, I've got a secret

2009-10-09T11:44:00.002-05:00

How do you tell someone you've got a past? (Everyone has a past, but I mean a really big instance that could be a relationship changer) When is the appropriate time, right up front or after you've known them for a while? It seems like whichever way I go, I can't win for losing. Even if the weather were cooperating (which it's not), this is a very depressing day.

2009-10-07T22:23:00.001-05:00

Watching the baseball playoffs. What is it about the postseason that makes sports more exciting? Is it that every game has more importance? Or that each team is playing for a title? Is post season play just more exciting? Anyhoo, the yankees won, which is always good

Disney on Ice

2009-10-05T19:03:00.003-05:00

We went to see Disney on Ice yesterday. Sorry, no pictures of the event as I forgot my camera. The kids had fun. Emma especially; she was laughing and clapping during the whole event. One word to sum up the whole thing? Cold. If you ever go to an icecapades show, wear layers...and a coat. I snapped some pics of the kids (my sister and nephew went too) on my phone before it started.

My Mother's 50th

2009-09-21T19:07:00.005-05:00

My mom had her 50th birthday yesterday. It's weird to think of my mother as old, considering there is only 17 years difference in our age. The kids had fun though, as did my mom.

Emma was a being a camera ham. Emery, in a rare display of shyness, didn't want his picture taken.

Our latest pics

2009-09-21T18:51:00.007-05:00

We had some pictures taken a few weeks ago. My mother wanted family pics of us for her birthday. I got us all coordinating outfits and voila! Thankfully my children are very cute and photogenic which makes pictures with me more palatable.

I snapped a few "before" shots as we were getting ready to leave. As you can see, some people were more excited about getting their picture taken than others....

2009-09-07T10:00:00.001-05:00

Happy labour day (yes that's very british). So I'm at work, all by myself today. The stylists either called in or I told them to stay home because its so slow today. Oh, and we have no hot water. Good times....

Anyhoo, everyone have a safe and fun labour day

Happy Birthday!

2009-08-22T14:00:00.005-05:00

We had Emery's birthday party today. Officially his birthday was Wednesday, but middle of the week birthday parties are kind of hard to plan. Given the turnout, however, I should have thrown the party at midnight. I invited all of his friends from school (more on that on a later post), but only one little boy showed up. Still, Emery had fun, which is the important thing.

Eating pizza. Man, can they eat.

Emma wanted to help blow out the candles. Actually, I think she blew out the candles and he just sat there.

He is big on Diego. I got him a toy, even though my mother thinks he has too many.

My sister got him his first computer. He's play with it as I type this up

His First Day

2009-08-13T19:23:00.005-05:00

Emery's first day of school was yesterday. He was really excited, right up the point where I left. Then, not so much. It's an adjustment for him, being in a more structured environment. He got in trouble for not listening to his teacher (better now, than in ten years, I guess). A very funny moment happened when I picked him up from daycare to take him to school. As we were walking out the door, he realized that Emma wasn't going with us. He immediately asked for Emma, saying "Where's my sister?" When I told him that Emma wasn't going to be going with him to school, he responded with "But I need my sister". Awww, now if only he will be that close to her when he's 16....

2009-08-09T17:10:00.001-05:00

Doing a charity event right now. Giving free haircuts at the park. There are about 4000 people here right now (no I don't have to cut them all)

Amusing themselves

2009-08-05T20:08:00.001-05:00

This is what the kids do to amuse themselves after we get back from the pool. This will also be used for my amusement when they bring their dates home in 13 years or so...

2009-07-27T18:18:00.001-05:00

So....how big of a tool am I? I locked my keys in my office (car keys, house keys, office keys). Ordinarily this wouldn't be a problem except that the only spare was at home with her kids. So I had to call my sister to pick up the kids and ferry me home.

My little fish

2009-07-19T19:47:00.004-05:00

I've posted before about how much my kids love to swim. We go swimming at least 4 times a week, for about an hour or so. They could stay in the pool for far longer than that but Daddy has an allergic reaction to getting sunburned. Anyhoo, I decided to bring my camera this time (I haven't used the thing in over a week and I paid too much money for it to just sit on the computer desk). You can also see Emma's new 'do. I have wanted to give her a short bob cut for the longest time and finally decided to do it. Way cute. So, if you ever come over and we don't answer the door, check the pool. That's prolly where we'll be.

2009-07-18T18:29:00.001-05:00

So I've met my future date (this sounds like an arranged marriage) and she is HOT!!!! Whoa!! (Uh oh, 90's flashback). So yeah, I'm really glad I spent half my rent on fetticini alfredo (in all fairness, it was pretty good)

2009-07-18T18:23:00.001-05:00

Eating dinner in another fancy upscale place (surprisingly, enid is full of them). This time, however, I have a reason for being here (beyond eating, duh). I have something of a blind date on monday night. And the chick (prolly not the best of terms) works at this upscale joint)

Happy Anniversary to me

2009-07-11T13:40:00.002-05:00

So, yesterday was my one year anniversary. That's right, one year ago yesterday, I graduated from Cosmetology school. And now, I'm the supervisor for one of the more upscale salons in the area. It's been a very long and winding road between the two. A lot has happened to me in the past year, both good and ill. But I do have to say that I am at a very content place in my life. Oh, things could always be better...but considering how things used to be, I'm not complaining too much. But with as much as has happened this past year, I'm almost afraid to see what will have happened a year from now.

just keep swimming

2009-07-09T20:21:00.002-05:00

We went swimming tonight (something we are doing more of recently). I got the kids some floaties so they wouldn't have to cling to my neck (which they did for a bit anyway). Once I could convince them that weren't, in fact, going to drown, they were all over the pool. I had to chase them down a few times because they drifted toward the deeper end of the pool. They had a blast though (I don't have pictures because, well, I just bought the camera and I didn't want to ruin it with exposure to, you know, water). The best part? They are out like a third rate boxer in the second round. I think we'll be spending more time in the evenings at the pool.

2009-07-08T13:04:00.001-05:00

Eating lunch at a swank upscale place. Of course its only lunch so I'm not breaking the bank. But its nice to be able to enjoy some of the nicer things in life

Riding around the neighborhood

2009-07-06T22:38:00.006-05:00

My kids are such camera hogs. We were outside playing today when I decided to snap a few pics with my new camera (it's very cool). Anyhoo, I no more than walked out the door when they ran up to me asking to take their picture. I actually had to tell them to get on their bikes so I could take some pictures of them riding. And as soon as I took a picture, they both came running up to see how it turned out. Still, it's nice to know that my kids are way more photogenic than me.

Grilling, day 2

2009-07-02T22:34:00.001-05:00

So here is what we cooked tonight....pork, also known as the other white meat (a title that has been used to refer to me from time to time). I know, I know, these are pics of what I'm cooking on my grill. I'm sure you're all excited. Hey, I'M excited! It's been forever since I've grilled. These last few days have been warm ups for tomorrow night's masterpiece, t-bone steak. They are marinating in my fridge right now.

more kids pics

2009-07-01T20:37:00.004-05:00

The kids waiting for dinner. We will be spending a lot more time outside this summer whilst I grill.

my new grill

2009-07-01T20:29:00.004-05:00

I love to cook out. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to do it in some time because, well, I haven't had a grill. But now that I have a substantial increase in income, I decided to take said income out for a spin. Exhibit A on the tour is my new grill. Feel free to stop by for brats, burgers and whatever else I decide to cook. Bring your own refreshing beverages.

new pics

2009-07-01T19:44:00.002-05:00

I'm starting with the posting with a vengence. Here is the latest "posed" pic of my kids. I say "posed" because these are done professionally (as opposed to my ham fisted amatuer attempts) I'll have more later (as in tonight)

catching up

2009-07-01T19:43:00.004-05:00

Man, I have been remiss in not posting anything recently, but that is about to change. I have set up my phone so I can post from there now, plus I got a new camera today (a nikon coolpix). So get ready for regular posts coming up over the next few weeks. I've missed this

2009-07-01T19:43:00.001-05:00

My first post from my phone. This could get addicting

A new position

2009-05-31T11:19:00.002-05:00

It's official! I am the new supervisor at the salon! YAY! I've actually known I got the position for about two weeks now, but I had to keep it under wraps until they started announcing I got the position. This is huge for me and my kids. This will let us be very financially stable now (news I'm sure my mother appreciates). And this is a very big validation for me. For a while now I have been wondering if I had made the right career path in going to cosmetology school. Oh, I love what I do but I have been struggling for some time. Now I know that I did, indeed, make the right choice. So join me in a big huge "Whoo-Hoo!" I'm jazzed...oh yes, I am

Very exciting news!!!

2009-05-24T18:49:00.002-05:00

Sometime this week, I will make a very exciting announcement!! Okay, so maybe I'm being hyperbolic, but I am so jazzed about this!!! This will literally change mine and my children's lives forever! This is the best thing to happen to me since that one thing that was really good that happened to me. So what is this announcement? I can't really tell you yet. I'm waiting on a few things to line up first. But expect something no later than Thursday (or Friday...possibly Saturday. Definitely by Sunday). This is big, people. Huge. Don't say I didn't warn you

Coming out of the closet

2009-04-19T23:22:00.002-05:00

I have a dirty little secret. I have tried to hide this secret for some time now, but I simply can not keep it to myself any longer. So, today, with my kids sitting on my lap, I came out of the closet. The "I'm a fan of Amy Winehouse" closet (what? you thought I was going to say I was gay? HAHAHAHAHA...I like women just a bit too much for that, dumbass). They play an Amy Winehouse song, "Back to Black", at work in the loop of canned music they pump through the speakers. And for some reason, that song really speaks to me. Anyhoo, today, I looked up some Winehouse videos on youtube and rocked out with the kids. Emery wasn't a big fan and went on to watch some TV. Emma and I rocked out for over an hour, however. She is quite the music lover. Her favorite song is "Rehab". She even sang along with the chorus after the 3rd time we played it. So, there it is. I've admitted it to the world that I am an Amy Winehouse fan. I'm sure that I will be shunned by friends and family for being an open Winehouse fan but I'm at peace because I'm finally honest with myself. Plus, my daughter approves of Daddy's choice in music.

How we roll....again

2009-03-18T18:24:00.002-05:00

Emma takes her playing even more hardcore than Emery. Don't believe me? Take a look at these pics....she doesn't even wear a helmet. Now that is REALLY hardcore playing (actually, I was holding it while I took the pictures. My mother would have kittens if the kids rode their bikes without helmets).

How we roll

2009-03-18T18:18:00.003-05:00

The weather has been perfect for playing outside and we have been taking advantage of it. And we are hardcore when it comes to playing outside. How hardcore? Emery wears his helmet backwards. That's right...Hardcore with a capital H!

an auteur in the making

2009-03-10T14:19:00.005-05:00

Emery managed to sneak the camera and shoot some pics of himself. Ah, my little shutterbug. Granted, he still has a lot to learn about lighting, composition and such but I think he's well on his way to becoming a polished photographer. And yes, that is chocolate on his face in the last one (he's a messy eater)

hey, its me!

2009-03-10T14:13:00.002-05:00

I haven't posted a pic of myself in a long time so I thought I would correct that error (for those of you who were wondering if I was nothing more than a floating head with fingers). This is me, getting ready for work. Amused grin included at no additional charge.

Photos on a lazy sunday afternoon

2009-03-08T15:51:00.002-05:00

Haven't done much today. Got some donuts for breakfast and frozen pizza for lunch (hey, when it's the weekend, I have to save my energy for tea parties and horsey rides). They were playing in the kitchen while I was busy with some cleaning and I managed to snap some pics.

trendy

2009-03-06T19:10:00.004-06:00

Here we have Emma modeling the new spring line of hats from McDonalds. Notice the purple backpack (or "pack-pack" as she calls it) that she uses to accessorize the ensemble (she's been begging for a purple backpack for weeks. Must be a Dora thing).

Seriously folks, I have no idea why she does these things. She came up with this one on her own.

A very well deserved thank you

2009-03-03T21:34:00.003-06:00

This, if you didn't know is Darrell, affectionately known as "Pops". Darrell is my mother's husband. I know that sounds like an odd misnomer, but there is a reason I call him that. Darrell is a great guy. He loves my mother and treats her with respect. He is the most wonderful grandfather you could ask for (well, Emma is still holding some reservations about him) to my kids. But, and this is a very large but (hee hee), I'm just too....old...to have a dad. My sister thinks of him as a father, and honestly, in some ways, I do as well. But the first two fathers I had barely qualified for that name and so I kind of just shut off the idea of having a father. I know, it sounds like I'm digressing here, but stay with me, I have a point.

Anyhoo, Darrell made me an offer the other day that made my mouth fall open, literally. He offered to get me cable and pay for it for a year. I know that some of you are thinking, "That's not that big a deal". Let me explain: I haven't had cable for two years. At first it was cut off because it was too expensive with me being in school. After I graduated, I never got it turned back on because I couldn't afford it by myself (and don't worry about my kids...they have enough spongebob, dora and diego movies, among others, that I should start renting them out to the neighborhood kids). Big game on? I would try to squeeze it into my schedule to go to my sister's or my mom's house. But I never really missed having cable. In fact, it almost became a point of pride to say that I didn't watch TV.

Then Darrell made his offer. He listed his reasons for doing so, none of which I'm going to go into here. But they were generous and very touching reasons, I assure you. And much like a tee totaler who's fallen off the wagon, I suddenly relished the thought of catching Sportscenter and watching the late night news. That's when the real impact of what I had been given hit me. I was going to get a sense of normalcy back into my life. I was going to be able to do something as mundane as turn on the TV.

And it's all thanks to Darrell. I prolly still won't call him "dad" (I'm not going to prostitute my feelings that much). But I certainly feel like I have a dad now, for the first time in my life in a very, very long time. And it's not because he was generous with his money. It's because he wanted me to feel like I wasn't failing in life because I couldn't even afford to have something as simple as cable TV. And for that, I give him the utmost thanks on the biggest stage I have in my possession.

A dream come true

2009-03-01T17:27:00.005-06:00

Have you ever had one of those nights where you had a dream come true, like the entire night was like one long fairy tale? Me neither. And then last night happened. Correction, last night going into this morning. 5 am this morning, to be exact. And get your mind out of the gutter, you disgusting sicko.

Oddly enough, I have some tangentially related pictures but I'm not going to post them. Call it...protecting my karma. Think of this post as something akin to what the Israelites did on their journey through the desert. They would build these markers made of stone to indicate a passage of some importance or crossroad. So, this post is my stone marker denoting a...new direction, let's say.

Anyhoo, for everyone out there that's never had a secret wish fulfilled...? Don't give up hope. I have a real life example of what happens when you, as Disney says, wish upon a star.

home cookin'

2009-02-25T19:35:00.002-06:00

The kids and I made some chocolate covered pretzels tonight (no, I don't have pictures because, well, I made a mess and messy pictures just aren't very pretty). Anyhoo, I have never made chocolate covered anything, let alone pretzels so I thought it would be fun to do something home economical with the kids. Their contributions consisted mainly of licking the spoon and eating the completed pretzels, but they did that with gusto.

And the pretzels didn't turn out too bad either (although I would have to be the world's worst cook to eff than up). Come by sometime and we'll whip you up a batch (this one is pretty much gone by now).

In Remembrance

2009-02-07T21:58:00.003-06:00

Heather's maternal grandfather died today. I know some of you are thinking, "wow, that's an odd thing to post about". Considering the circumstances it is prolly a bit unusual but since it's my blog, I can post about the GDP of Sierra Leone if I like. Anyhoo, where was I? Yes, Heather's grandfather, George Washburn (or "Warshburn" as he said it in that quaint southern dialect that my grandmother would use to say "yaller" instead of yellow).

I always liked George. He was immediately accepting of me as a grandson-in-law, a fact which made me feel even more welcome. He was a bit on the reticent side, however. Oh, he would talk, but he never just strolled along with a conversation for the sheer sake of speaking. And, although I don't know if this was his intent, it made people stand up and listen when he did speak (I know I did).

You always hear or read about people having a twinkle in their eye or a mischievous grin. George possessed both. He always had this look like he was in on a joke I wouldn't get but was indescribably funny. This also had the effect of adding to his "grandfatherly" look. It was though he was sent over from central casting for the part of "obvious grandfather".

He was also a huge football fan. Every Christmas when we would travel to their house for the holidays, I could rest assured in the fact that I would always have a football game to watch. He would even announce the start of the game to everyone in the house, as though it was a curtain call for the last show of "Aida" or some such. Actually, watching football was when I saw him get the most talkative. Oh, he didn't start rambling or cursing the screen, but rather he would pass on an anecdote that would start something like this: "You know, they say that old boy is...". And if there was a Dallas Cowboys football game on, you can bet he was watching it.

Sadly, I never got to sit down and have a nice long chat with George about things he had done and seen in his life. This was something I always wanted to do. The man just exuded a sense of history. Oh, not like "he's old", just that you could tell he had seen and done things that I would never dream about. And the snippets I did learn in passing from others only whetted my appetite for more. I'm sure that if I could learn even a fraction of his life story, I would be even more in awe of the man than I am now.

So, why did I write this? (I'm sure you've asked yourself that question). A tribute, perhaps? Not really. No, it's something more. A remembering of those people who have influenced your life in some way. There is, in my mind, no greater eulogy than to remember daily those that have passed on, keeping their spirit alive by reflecting on them in the course of your daily life. Or, as Damon Runyon put it: "You can keep the things of bronze and stone and give me one man to remember me just once a year." Hopefully, I can in some small way do that here with this post. So as you finish reading this, think not of just George Washburn, but all of those people who have gone on before you. Keeping their memory alive keeps them alive.

Tea, anyone?

2009-02-01T15:59:00.002-06:00

Emma got a tea set for Chrstmas. And she's starting lining up her baby dolls and "feeding" them. Sometimes, however, the baby dolls aren't hungry and she will seek out the next best thing, namely me (her brother will take the spoon from her and run). So I get to sit and let my daughter "feed me" from her tea set. She will stir her spoon around the cup, take it out, thrust it to my mouth and say, "Eat it." Of course, I must eat it as she will not take no for an answer. I had a mental image today of me sitting around a miniature table, having a tea party. Yes, it is fun to share in these experiences with my daughter. On the other hand, I sometimes wish she would develop an interest in playing Xbox like her brother.

My new toy

2009-01-28T18:22:00.002-06:00

So I have a webcam now. That's right, you can view me to your heart's content whilst I browse the web. Don't get your pulse up though as I A) will hardly ever turn it on and B) you have to know where to go to view it. Still, it's always fun to have a new toy to play with.

random pics

2008-12-20T14:54:00.001-06:00

Random pics for your viewing enjoyment

Emma's Second Birthday Party

2008-11-09T20:13:00.003-06:00

Her actual birthday isn't until Friday, but I had the kids this weekend so we celebrated Emma's second birthday on Saturday. It was about as low key as you could get. Lunch at Western Sizzlin' (my mother chose the eatery) and then cake, ice cream and presents at my sister's house (it's bigger than my apartment). I was running the camcorder so the pics weren't that impressive. So I put together some footage and added some music and voila! I didn't have anything birthday related for music so I went with the most appropriate thing in my library (to me, at least). Anyhoo, here's Emma's second birthday party. Enjoy.

Watch this video

2008-10-30T09:33:00.002-05:00

Okay, I've posted this on the PL blog but I thought I'd post it here too. Watch this video and make sure you vote on November 4th.

My Buddy and Me

2008-10-24T20:05:00.003-05:00

Man, he looks just like me. Which is very...something...as I look just like my father (like the faux hawk he's sporting? That's right, I do kids hair too). Much like Emma, his personality is really starting to shine through. He will talk up a storm and he's sharp as a tack. He's my buddy and my life has been forever changed with him (and Emma) in it.

My favorite girl in the whole world

2008-10-24T19:27:00.006-05:00

My little girl is getting big. In exactly three weeks, she will be 2 years old. 2 years! Man, where does the time go? She's talking up a storm now and her personality is starting to come to the fore. She's got quite a temper when she doesn't get her way (I'm sure that I am a guilty party to this as I spoil her mercilessly). But she's my favorite girl in the whole world and I wouldn't trade her for anything.

my, um, state of my life address or some such

2008-10-23T18:49:00.000-05:00

It's Thursday night, which means the kids are at Heather's (huh? wha..? Seriously people, buy a newspaper. Heather and I are divorcing). This means that I'm home alone, searching for something to do (I can only clean my apartment so many times. It's sparkling clean as it is). Tonight I decided to treat myself to a few movies, namely The Incredible Hulk and the new Indy movie. Still, I miss my children not being here. But I have them this weekend and we are going to have some fun. Football on Saturday (GO POKES!) and, if the weather cooperates, the park on Sunday. Since this whole joint custody thing has reared it's head, I have come to cherish the times I have with my kids. It really sucks not having them here every night.

If all days could be like today

2008-10-21T22:51:00.000-05:00

I had a good day, financially speaking. VERY good. Things have been rough the last few weeks, so much so that I have been forced to leave the shop and work from home as I couldn't make my booth rent on a consistent basis. However, today was a good day (to quote the poet Ice Cube). I didn't quite make CEO level money, but I prolly scored close to doctorate level money (and I only worked a total of about 3 hours). Now, if only EVERY day could be this productive.

Getting ready for bed

2008-10-20T19:52:00.003-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while but things have been...unusual...around here. Anyhoo, here are some pics of the kids from tonight as we were getting ready for bed.

A geeky dream come true

2008-09-21T20:55:00.002-05:00

I got to do something very, very cool today. I got to watch Star Wars with my kids. I know that most you are scratching your heads, going "So?" but Star Wars is one of those movies that impacted my life in a very real way (indeed as it did with most people my age). I'm a big fan of science fiction because of that movie. And so, it was a real treat to see my children's eyes grow wide when they saw the Star Destroyer roll across the screen for the first time, to hear their intake of breath at the sight of Darth Vader, to cheer on Luke as he took on the Death Star. Reliving nostalgia is fun, but it is exponentially more enjoyable when I can do it with my children who are living it for the first time.

On a side note, there will be a dearth of pictures on the blog for awhile. I no longer have the digital camera (consider it a parting gift for a contestant that left the show) so unfortunately, until I can gather enough funds to purchase one, you will have to use your imagination to go along with my words (unless, of course, someone wants to be very generous and get one for me).

A reflection of change

2008-09-15T16:37:00.003-05:00

I found this poem today in the doctor's office. I had no idea how famous it was. But it struck me as quite relevant. Y'see, things are changing here at the sweetens. No, you'll still get updates every now and again and you will still have my smart ass humor. I meant at the sweetens personally. Am I going to go into it? Prolly not because if you are a regular reader (or even semi-regular) you will already know what's going on. Maybe someday I'll share the news. Maybe. Until then, enjoy this poem.

Desiderata
Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let not this blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams; it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful.

Emery's 3rd Birthday

2008-08-16T22:49:00.008-05:00

We celebrated Emery's 3rd birthday today (his actual birthday isn't until Tuesday but Tuesdays just aren't a good day to have a birthday party). Emery had fun (Emma did too) and he made out with quite a bit of stuff considering that it was pretty much a family only affair. Of course, I have pictures.

We decided to have the party at McDonalds (less to clean up). The kids enjoyed playing in Playland. Every minute Emma wasn't eating she spent on the slides. Judging by how much fun they had, I might start taking them to McDonalds Playland more often.

Emery LOVED blowing out the candles. So much so that he did it twice.

Hmmm, cake. Emery had been asking about when he was going to have his birthday cake for weeks. "It's gonna be my birthday soon?" was a question I heard every night before he went to bed since the first of the month, at least.

After the cake was done, Emery tore off for the slides until Heather asked him if he wanted to open presents. That stopped him dead in his tracks. He flew back into his seat and practically quivered with anticipation. My mom got him some clothes. While he was throwing out the tissue paper that topped the bag his presents were in, he picked up a package of socks. He looked at them for about 1.5 seconds before tossing them in the pile of tissue paper. Truly classic moment.

My little boy is 3. He's not so little anymore but I can still remember holding him when he was born. Where does the time go?

How much is your blog worth?

2008-08-14T20:49:00.005-05:00

My blog is worth $0.00.
How much is your blog worth?

My blog's worth a whopping $0.00. Yep, that's just the way I like my women too: cheap. (I'm kidding...no seriously, I'm kidding...Heather is expensive)

Yipee Kie Yay, Mother F*****

2008-07-30T19:01:00.003-05:00

I DID IT!!!! HAHAHAHAHA, I passed my state board exams. And with far better results than I anticipated. Not that the final score really matters. You could pass with a perfect score (a near impossibility) or barely scratch out a passing score (75%) and it's all the same. But I passed! I'm officially licensed by the state of Oklahoma to jack up, er, cut and style hair for profit. Click on the image above to read the relevant portion of my letter from the state board office.

Test Taking

2008-07-25T18:39:00.002-05:00

So I took my State Board examination yesterday. I wasn't really worried about the exam as I did very well with the mock exam the school gives us before we graduate (there was one minor detail that had me up at night but thanks to the school's owner, I got that wrinkle ironed out but good). And my spirits were still high after taking the written portion of my examination. There were only 3 or 4 questions that I didn't feel completely comfortable with in answering. Everything else was a walk in the park. However....

My practical exam left me with a bad case of irritable bowel syndrome. I wasn't nervous while taking the practical, nor did I have some kind of break down during the test. It was only afterward, when I was replaying everything in my mind's eye, did I start to have doubts about my performance. And those doubts have multiplied in the last 24 hours. But the bitch of it is that I won't know whether or not I passed until I receive my test scores in the mail. And that can take 2 to 3 weeks (I'll have a psychotic episode if it takes that long to reach me).

But I have a special celebration planned when, and if, I get the good news. Let's just say I won't be in any kind of position to go to work the next day (or operate heavy machinery)

Where I work

2008-07-17T22:23:00.004-05:00

This is late, sorry. I didn't edit any of this. And it prolly isn't my best work. But it does show everyone where I work and who I work with. I'm slowly but surely building a client base. Two haircuts today, a highlight and a couple of shampoo sets tomorrow (as of right now). Hopefully I can call what I do gainful employment by the end of next month.

My first day

2008-07-15T21:12:00.003-05:00

I don't have pictures this time around, but tomorrow I will have video.

I started to work today. I need to update everyone on the work situation. I know I said I had a job at SmartStyles but it turns out I didn't. Without going into the particulars, I was forced to look for employment elsewhere. I spent all morning Friday looking for a place to work, focusing on local barber shops. That was a bust as there were no openings to be had. There were a few booth rent opportunities but nothing caught my fancy until I wandered into a little salon called Heads Up next to Hastings. The owner was very friendly and the booth rent price was very affordable. I thought about it all weekend and decided to get some more info from the owner on Monday. She was very helpful and the situation felt right. So I signed on and started today.

It was a bit hectic at first, simply because I had to make multiple trips to the supply shop as I kept forgetting things. But I did land a haircut and a perm today, which netted me a whopping $70. Not bad for three hours work. I even have several appointments lined up over the next few days. The best part was knowing that I wouldn't be working my butt off for a few dollars in tips. I was practically laughing with excitement when I realized how much I made today. I know that $70 isn't much but when you figure that it was only my first day, it was like I had won the lottery.

Marketable Skills

2008-07-11T19:00:00.003-05:00

Sexy, ain't it? Damn sexy.

There is a unique sense of pride and empowerment knowing that I now have a skill set that will serve me for the rest of my life. Further, I will be in a field that will never be outsourced, shipped overseas or subject to trade agreements. Yessir, I'm feeling rather giddy at the moment. Share in my enjoyment if you like. I have more than enough to go around.

Today's the day

2008-07-10T08:06:00.003-05:00

Well, I graduate today. I'm about to leave for my last day of school. I have mixed feelings about everything. On the one hand, it will be nice to be able to use the skills that I have acquired in a "real world" setting (plus making money won't be too shabby either). One the other hand, there are people that I will dearly miss seeing on a daily basis. But I guess everything changes and we must change with it.

Making the paper

2008-06-22T09:00:00.002-05:00

Well this is a first. I made the newspaper, only this time its not on the police blotter (just kidding...that only happened once). But it is kinda cool to have my achievement chronicled in the local paper.

Pretty as a picture

2008-06-21T17:42:00.001-05:00

The kids spent the afternoon with Grandma. They had fun until Emery got his finger shut in the car door. Emma escaped unscathed, as you can see here.

Graduation Luncheon

2008-06-17T19:52:00.004-05:00

I had my graduation luncheon today. This is not my actual graduation, merely a luncheon in honor of the upcoming event. Think of it as Senior Day. Anyhoo, this is me (in the middle, as if you needed the help) with my instructors and Lois, the owner. From left to right: Lois, Susie (she's the Jimminy Cricket of my ego; whenever I think I've finally got this whole cosmetology thing under my belt, she comes along and quickly deflates my ego), Kathy (she's the salon manager), me (duh!), Brandi (she is in charge of new students) and Connie (she alternates with Brandi with new students). Collectively they comprise the instruction staff at the school. I have to say that they are a great group of women and darn good instructors to boot.

Roll Call. From left to right: Tracy, Me, Nikki and Chrystal. All of these folk have been featured in my blog before. Tracy will graduate first amongst us, about the 1st of July. I'm next on the 8th and then Nikki and Chrystal fight it out for who goes last. Why don't we all graduate together? Unlike a regular university, where you get hours for classes even if you miss some days, we only get hours for actual time attended. So, since we've all missed days at different intervals, we all graduate on different days. And yes, I'm wearing my cheesy grin. Seriously folks, I simply don't smile. And no, I'm not that tall, these girls are simply that short.

Birthday party overload

2008-06-14T21:20:00.012-05:00

Man, am I birthday partied out. We celebrated Courtney's birthday today at Incredible Pizza. It's one of those fancy pizza parlor/arcade venues. And it's also in Oklahoma City. So after an hour and a half drive, we got to dine on some interesting pizza and watch the festivities. I do have to say that they put on a good show. One of the interesting things that they do is gather everyone in the hallway and then toss tickets (redeemable for prizes) and candy in the air then watch as the kids scramble like mad to gather them up. Then it was off to the arcade. Emery and Emma had a blast though.

Then it was back in the car for the drive back to Enid for my nephew J'son's party. We dropped off Heather so she could go to work then it was over to my sister's for hot dogs, hamburgers and pinatas. They got J'son a jungle gym/play house for his birthday and the kids climbed over that thing for at least an hour. Emma in particular spent most of her time going down the slide. Emery tried his hand at the pinata (with very limited success) and we finally said goodnight. Man, am I beat.

The results are in

2008-06-11T21:31:00.003-05:00

Emma had another evaluation yesterday for her hearing. This one was to determine her eligibility for a speech development program. While she is fine in most areas, there is enough of a development lag in others that the therapists felt she would benefit from the program.

So, in the near future, a therapist will be coming to the house to work with Emma on things like speech, coordination and such. She is starting to vocalize more (She can pronounce Spongebob and calls out her Aunt "Coco" by name) so this therapy should help catch her up with kids her age.

Of course, this just means that now, instead of screaming in a shrill voice, she'll be able to say, "Emery, NO!" when her brother smacks her on the head with something.

Well, I'm glad that's done

2008-06-11T21:08:00.004-05:00

I got a job and I haven't even graduated yet.

We had our senior field trip yesterday, whereby those of us that are about to graduate take a tour of several salons in town to both get an idea of where we want to work and make possible employment inroads. After cruising through several salons (and cruising is the operative word as most of those places barely offered the time to glance in our direction), I decided to take up the salon manager at SmartStyles on her offer.

A few weeks back I ran into Rhonda, the aforementioned manager, at Walmart (curiously enough, this is also where SmartStyles is located). She basically offered me a job on the spot but I deferred until I was closer to graduation (Not to sound narcissistic, but men in the cosmetology industry are in high demand. I could completely suck at cutting hair, which I am proud to say I don't, and still make money). Hers was not the only job offer that I entertained either as at least one other salon made an offer of employment directly to me. But after looking over my prospects, I decided to take the SmartStyles job for a variety of reasons.

First of all, they came to me. That speaks volumes in terms of sincerity. Rhonda laid it out pure and simple: she wanted me to work there, no questions asked. Most other places practically told me to put up a security deposit before they would even consider interviewing me.

Second, the foot traffic is very, very high. I stopped by there the other day and, at 9 in the morning, there was a line of people waiting. This is a very good thing. High traffic is one of the key ingredients to success in this profession.

Third, and this ties into the previous reason, I stand to make a ton of money. Like most places, SmartStyles works on commission sales. Which, if you are fresh out of school, can be a huge detriment. But since they have enormous traffic (and its on a first come, first served basis), I'm am assured of staying busy. Combine that with my ability to bust out a really nice haircut in about 30 minutes and I will pull in the equivalent of about $30 an hour.

Finally, I can build my clientele. I will own my own barber shop one day and to have any kind of success with my own business I need clients. And it takes about 6 months to a year to build a steady reliable client base. There are some opportunities right now where I could purchase an existing barber shop and make it my own. But I would run the risk of going under before I even got a chance to start because I won't have a large enough client base to support even my most basic expenses. This way, I can build up a hundred or so clients and then have them follow me to my own place.

So, the job search is over and I really didn't even put in that much effort. I signed the paperwork today and will start two days after I graduate. Now, how often do you hear that in the post graduate world?

Bedtime Monster

2008-06-05T18:53:00.002-05:00

I have a little monster in my bed. Every morning, around 4:30 AM or so, he creeps into my room and burrows himself into my back. I no longer have a need for an alarm clock as this little monster wakes me, without fail, at least an hour before my alarm clock goes off.

Here is a picture of the little monster, relaxing in his natural habitat.

Watching Spongebob

2008-06-05T18:44:00.004-05:00

My kids love Spongebob Squarepants. Love him. Almost an entire shelf of our DVD rack is devoted to Spongebob videos. Without fail, the best way to calm them down and pass a quiet hour is to put on a Spongebob video.

Emma's New 'Do

2008-05-30T22:34:00.003-05:00

The picture didn't turn out as good as I would have liked (I took it with my camcorder) but here is Emma's new haircut. Really it's just her fringe (that would be bangs for the lay person) that I cut but it has been bugging me for some time now.

Anything you put in her hair to hold it out of her face will be pulled out within five minutes. So I decided to give her a trendy little 'do. Actually her haircut is extremely popular right now (there are scores of models with the same fringe cut...it's called fierce bangs) plus it keeps her hair out of her face. Fashion setting AND functional. Yep, I can cut some hair.

Blogging is like free health care

2008-05-30T18:40:00.002-05:00

And you thought I was doing this as an existential exercise. News from the medical world shows that blogging can actually help to keep you healthy. Read all about it here:

http://www.switched.com/2008/05/30/blogging-may-offer-health-benefits/

My hyperlink isn't working so you'll have to copy and paste.

Hungry, hungry children

2008-05-27T18:17:00.003-05:00

I fixed some pork cutlets tonight for dinner (The George Forman grill makes a mean pork cutlet). Evidently my children have a hollow leg with a hole in the bottom as they ate practically ALL of the pork (and every last one of the green beans too). I actually had to fix something different for myself as there wasn't enough left for me to do more than look at. If this keeps up, we are going to have to start a farm just to feed the kids.

Better than a tip

2008-05-27T17:57:00.002-05:00

There is a saying that goes something like this: "Satisfaction is it's own reward". I got to experience that first hand today.

I had a perm scheduled for this afternoon. At this stage in the game, perms are old hat for me. I can knock them out in about two hours. The woman I had this afternoon was older (actually, I have yet to do a perm on someone younger than 50) and pretty much blind. She had a ton of hair too. The perm she wanted rolled was on yellow rods, which are about 1/8 of an inch in diameter, in other words, really small. Combine that with a ton of hair, it was all set up to be a LONG afternoon.

I got started and we chatted amicably whilst I was rolling her hair. After I was done, I set her under a dryer for a few minutes while she called her son to come pick her up. Turns out her son got called away for work and wouldn't be able to pick her up for several hours. The soonest she would have a ride was when her daughter-in-law got off work around five.

Here is where the satisfaction part comes in. The woman wanted to pay with a gift certificate she got as a present (the school offers gift certificates...they are actually quite popular) and give me the difference as a tip (It would have came out to about a five dollar tip). Well, the school has a policy that prevents cashing out a gift certificate in exchange for money. So, I got no tip. When I informed the woman of this, she was crestfallen. Then she asked me something that actually brought a tear to my eye. She wanted me to sit with her while she waited on her ride. It was about 3:45pm at this point in time and her ride wasn't due for at least an hour. I didn't even hesitate to say yes.

I have a brother who is blind and my own eyesight is slowly but surely going south. So I can relate, on some levels, to not being able to see. As I sat with this woman, we chatted about books we had read and TV programs we watched (I was surprised to learn that she was an American Idol fan...where does the reach of that insidious program stop?). Several times in the conversation, she asked me for my name and address so she could send me a tip. Each time, I politely declined. Finally, about 10 to 5, her ride showed up. As I escorted her to the door, she told me that this was the best afternoon she had in a very long time.

So, yes, a tip would have been nice. But the satisfaction of making a nearly blind old woman's day was more than any amount of money would have equalled.