I remember a New Year's Eve long ago. I was standing at the bottom of the stairs, getting ready to head up to go to bed. Dad shut off the dining room lights and then he shut off the living room lights as well. It felt strange to be downstairs when everything was dark like that.
We climbed the stairs together, up out of the darkness and into the softer glows of the nightlights in the hall and the bedroom. As Dad put me into bed, I remember he said, "Well, I'll see you next year."
How long ago was that? How many New Year's Eves have passed? I don't know. Maybe fifty or more?
Funny how I remember something like that.
Every year, on New Year's Eve, I say the same thing, usually to Sam. I don't know that he thinks it's especially clever, but I say it anyway.
And I remember...
I hope that the year past has treated you reasonably well, and I hope that the coming year treats you even better.
Thursday, December 31, 2015
At the Movies
Jake, Sam and I managed to see the new Star Wars movie together today. This was showing at the local theater, the same one where I brought the kids to their very first movie years ago. Jake has seen this movie, I think twice before today. For Sam and I, it was the first time.
Even though I read about the movie before going, including spoilers, I had a good time. It was made even better with the woman behind us repeating every third line that was in the movie and when she wasn't doing that, she was helpfully stating the obvious throughout, as though she were somehow directing the whole thing. No doubt doing she was doing this as a public service for those of us that go to the movies even though we are not only hard of hearing, but also blind.
As an added enhancement to the entire experience, one of her little spawns felt it necessary to be constantly kicking the back of my seat. I didn't mind it so much when there were explosions going off on the screen. But for pretty much the entire rest of the movie, it got to be a little, shall we say, annoying.
Still, I had a good time- a good movie and even better company. We'll have to do it again next year.
Even though I read about the movie before going, including spoilers, I had a good time. It was made even better with the woman behind us repeating every third line that was in the movie and when she wasn't doing that, she was helpfully stating the obvious throughout, as though she were somehow directing the whole thing. No doubt doing she was doing this as a public service for those of us that go to the movies even though we are not only hard of hearing, but also blind.
As an added enhancement to the entire experience, one of her little spawns felt it necessary to be constantly kicking the back of my seat. I didn't mind it so much when there were explosions going off on the screen. But for pretty much the entire rest of the movie, it got to be a little, shall we say, annoying.
Still, I had a good time- a good movie and even better company. We'll have to do it again next year.
Post Christmas Post
The Christmas repeat at Grandma's was everything I expected (almost) and more, way more- more people, more volume, more food, and more people. The only thing I got wrong from my previous post I think, is that Rachael went along for the Family Fun-time Activity. This year, it was rollerblading!
Sam stayed back at Grandma's with me and even though I didn't partake, it was still exhausting. It was a long, long day.
Sam stayed back at Grandma's with me and even though I didn't partake, it was still exhausting. It was a long, long day.
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Over the River and Through the Woods...
We'll be off today for Christmas, Part II- the annual event that's held at Grandma's house. Over the years, this event has grown as the family has grown. Years ago, when the kids were small, the place was packed- but somehow manageable. Now, depending on who can make it, the place is either bursting with people, or nearly exploding with people.
It reminds me of when I was a kid and there would be the occasional visits to my grandparents in Worcester- the ones where the extended, extended, extended family would show up. I would spend at least half of the visit trying to figure out who all these people were, while simultaneously trying to avoid them. By the time I developed some small level of comfort with all of them being squeezed along with me into the small house, it would time to for us to go home.
I think this year is a Nearly Exploding year. To make matters worse, it's raining outside. Years ago, snow would often be on the ground, and the snow offered a respite from the indoor claustrophobia by allowing the kids and some of the adults to go sledding and maybe have a hike through the woods. Today will be too wet and rainy for any of that. And anyway, it's been too warm lately- meaning that the bears that occasionally lumber out of the woods in the summer to have their way with Grandma's bird feeders, are not yet asleep- and therefore, they would instead be having their way with us (and by "us", I mean "not me"- so maybe a walk is not totally out of the question).
In years past, with the now snow-less ground, the now grown kids would go out for a Family/Cousins/ Who Are These People activity. One year, this was bowling, another year it was indoor rock climbing. This year, I heard mention of some possible rollerblading- but I know Rachael, at least, will not be attending. She has already told me that if the others go out for an activity, she plans on taking a nap. While I would like to chalk this "nap" idea up to her carrying on our proud family tradition, it has more to do with her having to catch a bus home from New York at 6:00 in the morning, for the second time in four days.
But no matter what happens, I expect it will still be fun, at least for a little while. Fun, that is, for almost everyone except maybe Grandma. While we all get to leave at the end of the day and go home to our quiet abodes, Grandma will already be home- and be left to deal with whatever people inevitably leave behind- such as my ten pounds of smoked kielbasa which I have no intention of bringing home if people don't eat any of it.
So, as we speak, Rachael is on her bus, heading back home for the visit to Grandma's, and soon we'll be on our way too- over at least one river, but not through the woods - not today anyway - unless it gets real bad in Grandma's house. But if it does get bad, I wonder who I could encourage to go on a little walk, and I wonder if any of those bears would like some kielbasa?
It reminds me of when I was a kid and there would be the occasional visits to my grandparents in Worcester- the ones where the extended, extended, extended family would show up. I would spend at least half of the visit trying to figure out who all these people were, while simultaneously trying to avoid them. By the time I developed some small level of comfort with all of them being squeezed along with me into the small house, it would time to for us to go home.
I think this year is a Nearly Exploding year. To make matters worse, it's raining outside. Years ago, snow would often be on the ground, and the snow offered a respite from the indoor claustrophobia by allowing the kids and some of the adults to go sledding and maybe have a hike through the woods. Today will be too wet and rainy for any of that. And anyway, it's been too warm lately- meaning that the bears that occasionally lumber out of the woods in the summer to have their way with Grandma's bird feeders, are not yet asleep- and therefore, they would instead be having their way with us (and by "us", I mean "not me"- so maybe a walk is not totally out of the question).
In years past, with the now snow-less ground, the now grown kids would go out for a Family/Cousins/ Who Are These People activity. One year, this was bowling, another year it was indoor rock climbing. This year, I heard mention of some possible rollerblading- but I know Rachael, at least, will not be attending. She has already told me that if the others go out for an activity, she plans on taking a nap. While I would like to chalk this "nap" idea up to her carrying on our proud family tradition, it has more to do with her having to catch a bus home from New York at 6:00 in the morning, for the second time in four days.
But no matter what happens, I expect it will still be fun, at least for a little while. Fun, that is, for almost everyone except maybe Grandma. While we all get to leave at the end of the day and go home to our quiet abodes, Grandma will already be home- and be left to deal with whatever people inevitably leave behind- such as my ten pounds of smoked kielbasa which I have no intention of bringing home if people don't eat any of it.
So, as we speak, Rachael is on her bus, heading back home for the visit to Grandma's, and soon we'll be on our way too- over at least one river, but not through the woods - not today anyway - unless it gets real bad in Grandma's house. But if it does get bad, I wonder who I could encourage to go on a little walk, and I wonder if any of those bears would like some kielbasa?
Friday, December 25, 2015
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Saturday, December 19, 2015
From the Waiting Room
Friday, December 18, 2015
Looking Forward
Thanksgiving is behind us and Christmas is almost here. And except for a couple of stragglers, I have almost all of the presents, such as they are, wrapped and ready. I’m looking forward to Christmas this year- not for the presents, but for the company, and the opportunity to relax for a little bit.
I've been fairly swamped these last several weeks. It hasn’t just been the holidays, it’s also been dealing with issues having to do with Sam. “Issues” really isn't the right word for it. It makes it sound like he’s some kind of a problem, which he certainly isn’t, but for lack of a better word, that's what I'll use for now.
All of these “issues” have to do with Sam’s special needs and his transitioning into the so-called world of so-called adults.
Most of this started several weeks ago with some outside testing done through his school. I think I mentioned it, at least in passing, in one of these posts around here somewhere. On my end of it, it consisted of filling out just shy of a dozen questionnaires, totaling somewhere around 1500 or so questions. This, along with thorough testing by Sam, resulted in a lengthy and detailed report that talked about many aspects of Sam- his strengths and his areas of difficulty.
It's the kind of report that someone like me has to treat like eating a big meal- I read it, and I have to step away from it for a while, in order to digest it- and then I can come back to it and do it all over again. The difference between this and a big meal is that I often lose a lot of what I had done before. It takes me a lot of readings to be able to absorb and really understand what’s in front of me. This report, the hope is, will be helpful in whatever educational services are left for him and hopefully, it will be helpful in whatever transitions lay ahead.
Along with all of this testing, I've started meeting with the Mass Rehabilitation Commission or, MRC. Don’t ask me what the MRC is because I don’t know enough about it to answer the question. Yes, I’ve looked it up, and yes, I’ve asked, but much like with the report, I’m still in the process of learning and absorbing and hopefully, understanding.
Sam had one intake meeting already, and I went along, and I’ve had several conversations with the coordinator. This, in turn, has led to more forms and questionnaires for me to fill out- some for the MRC and some that the MRC has given me for something called the DDS.
The DDS is also something I'm also not familiar with. About all I know of the DDS so far is that in order to apply, I need to get Sam an official state ID. This, naturally, has become quite a process as well. To get Sam the State ID, we'll have to go to the state RMV, and we'll need to bring certain specific information to meet their very specific requirements. There are three categories in which he needs to provide information. He needs proof of his date of birth, proof of his residency and something that bears his signature.
While these categories were easy enough to find on their website, finding out what meets their very specific requirements was more difficult. As difficult as they were to find on the website, it turned out that they're easier to find there, than it was to try calling the RMV and ask someone for some help- that is, unless you have about three hours of time to waste.
I made the mistake of trying to call the RMV and I got locked into their automated “Help” system. Naturally, none of the options they gave me met my questions, so after several tries down the wrong rabbit hole, I unfortunately had to attempt to talk to an actual person. When I finally managed to get to the correct automated operator, I was instructed that, because of the “backlog” they suggested leaving a callback number and the best time of day that I could be reached. This was given with directions on how to punch in the numbers for the time of day, after which I was supposed to press the pound key.
For some reason, every time I got to the point of punching in the time, it brought me back to the previous, previous menu, and I had the start all over again. Eventually, I managed to get out of that loop and reach another menu where I attempted to once again reach a real human, only to be put on hold. A recording told me that due to the current backlog, the wait time was approximately an hour and 45 minutes. I went back to the website.
Back at the website, I finally found what it was that I needed in order to prove that Sam actually existed, and it turned out that now that I know where to look, it’s pretty easy to find.
Of the three categories of required information, finding something that met their requirements for a signature was the most difficult. He doesn’t have a Merchant Marine Card and he doesn’t have a Marriage Certificate. He also doesn't have a Firearms Card, a Passport or a Lease or Loan Contract. It said he could use a cancelled check, and normally I would think that this would be the easiest to provide. But the problem is, he can't get a checking account because he doesn't have an official ID.
They will accept a Social Security card, as long as it has his signature on it. We found his Social Security card, unsigned, and so I made a couple of copies and I had him practice his signature a couple of times before signing the official card. He did fine on the copies, but he hit a bump on the official card when he started to misspell his last name. Panic set in- for both of us. Visions of now having to apply for a New Social Security Card as well were not something I wanted to add to the mix. But I think we got the signature fixed well enough, and after the holidays, we'll see how this goes at the RMV. But in the mean time, I still need to fill out their forms, and then it will be back to focusing on the forms for the MRC.
The woman at the MRC has been asking for a questionnaire that was sent home with us from the intake meeting. Sam and I had been struggling to get through this double sided, poster sized form over the course of three nights. When I told the woman that we went as far as we could go, and how I thought that it wasn’t a very good fit for Sam, it came out that this wasn't the questionnaire that she has been asking about. This double sided, poster sized form was only if Sam found it to be "helpful" (he didn’t) and the one that she’s been asking about is one I can’t find. I suspect that I filled it out already- and handed it in with the other questionnaires to the woman who did his previously mentioned testing. So now, the MRC will be sending a new copy and I can fill out all over again.
While waiting for that to show up, I'll continue to muddle through the RMV forms and Sam and I will go onto the DDS forms.
Along with the DDS and the MRC, I've been told that I should sign Sam up for Social Security. Like everything else, I don't really know what this means. I know what Social Security is, at least I think I do, but I don't understand the whole process or have a good grasp on what the expectation is. As I did with the RMV and the MRC, I went on their website, but it was too much for me- at least until I get these other things out of the way.
We're also exploring options for his next year of education. It's looking like he's not going to be at the same school where he has spent the last five years and I don't know exactly where he will be in the fall. There is another program, this one a year long, that we’re looking into, but I'm told to wait until the end of January and then call for a tour and an interview. We'll see how that goes.
At some point soon, it will be time for another IEP meeting.
And while all of this other stuff is going on, I’ve had to back-burner the issue of guardianship until some of these other things can be cleared out of the way- but it's on my mind a lot.
On the bright side, in a semi-panic, I called up a local agency to see if I could get some direction and help in prioritizing all of this. They had some suggestions and if nothing else, it sounds like waiting on the guardianship until after the DDS process is further is along is a good idea. I have no idea why, but at least it puts things in some kind of semi-order.
So, I'm still buried in questionnaires and forms and acronyms- RMV, MRC, DDS, IEP,- it’s all one big morass. But in the end, I figure it has to be worth it.
I think the thing that bothers me the most about all of this isn’t the time and the work. It’s that I have no idea what I’m doing. I feel like I am feeling my way down a dark, empty hall and there’s a fire somewhere behind me- and when I eventually reach a door, I go in- even though I don't know where I am or what to do.
But this, like usual is just me complaining. Thank goodness Christmas is almost here and I'll have a little break. I’m really looking forward to a little company.
I've been fairly swamped these last several weeks. It hasn’t just been the holidays, it’s also been dealing with issues having to do with Sam. “Issues” really isn't the right word for it. It makes it sound like he’s some kind of a problem, which he certainly isn’t, but for lack of a better word, that's what I'll use for now.
All of these “issues” have to do with Sam’s special needs and his transitioning into the so-called world of so-called adults.
Most of this started several weeks ago with some outside testing done through his school. I think I mentioned it, at least in passing, in one of these posts around here somewhere. On my end of it, it consisted of filling out just shy of a dozen questionnaires, totaling somewhere around 1500 or so questions. This, along with thorough testing by Sam, resulted in a lengthy and detailed report that talked about many aspects of Sam- his strengths and his areas of difficulty.
It's the kind of report that someone like me has to treat like eating a big meal- I read it, and I have to step away from it for a while, in order to digest it- and then I can come back to it and do it all over again. The difference between this and a big meal is that I often lose a lot of what I had done before. It takes me a lot of readings to be able to absorb and really understand what’s in front of me. This report, the hope is, will be helpful in whatever educational services are left for him and hopefully, it will be helpful in whatever transitions lay ahead.
Along with all of this testing, I've started meeting with the Mass Rehabilitation Commission or, MRC. Don’t ask me what the MRC is because I don’t know enough about it to answer the question. Yes, I’ve looked it up, and yes, I’ve asked, but much like with the report, I’m still in the process of learning and absorbing and hopefully, understanding.
Sam had one intake meeting already, and I went along, and I’ve had several conversations with the coordinator. This, in turn, has led to more forms and questionnaires for me to fill out- some for the MRC and some that the MRC has given me for something called the DDS.
The DDS is also something I'm also not familiar with. About all I know of the DDS so far is that in order to apply, I need to get Sam an official state ID. This, naturally, has become quite a process as well. To get Sam the State ID, we'll have to go to the state RMV, and we'll need to bring certain specific information to meet their very specific requirements. There are three categories in which he needs to provide information. He needs proof of his date of birth, proof of his residency and something that bears his signature.
While these categories were easy enough to find on their website, finding out what meets their very specific requirements was more difficult. As difficult as they were to find on the website, it turned out that they're easier to find there, than it was to try calling the RMV and ask someone for some help- that is, unless you have about three hours of time to waste.
I made the mistake of trying to call the RMV and I got locked into their automated “Help” system. Naturally, none of the options they gave me met my questions, so after several tries down the wrong rabbit hole, I unfortunately had to attempt to talk to an actual person. When I finally managed to get to the correct automated operator, I was instructed that, because of the “backlog” they suggested leaving a callback number and the best time of day that I could be reached. This was given with directions on how to punch in the numbers for the time of day, after which I was supposed to press the pound key.
For some reason, every time I got to the point of punching in the time, it brought me back to the previous, previous menu, and I had the start all over again. Eventually, I managed to get out of that loop and reach another menu where I attempted to once again reach a real human, only to be put on hold. A recording told me that due to the current backlog, the wait time was approximately an hour and 45 minutes. I went back to the website.
Back at the website, I finally found what it was that I needed in order to prove that Sam actually existed, and it turned out that now that I know where to look, it’s pretty easy to find.
Of the three categories of required information, finding something that met their requirements for a signature was the most difficult. He doesn’t have a Merchant Marine Card and he doesn’t have a Marriage Certificate. He also doesn't have a Firearms Card, a Passport or a Lease or Loan Contract. It said he could use a cancelled check, and normally I would think that this would be the easiest to provide. But the problem is, he can't get a checking account because he doesn't have an official ID.
They will accept a Social Security card, as long as it has his signature on it. We found his Social Security card, unsigned, and so I made a couple of copies and I had him practice his signature a couple of times before signing the official card. He did fine on the copies, but he hit a bump on the official card when he started to misspell his last name. Panic set in- for both of us. Visions of now having to apply for a New Social Security Card as well were not something I wanted to add to the mix. But I think we got the signature fixed well enough, and after the holidays, we'll see how this goes at the RMV. But in the mean time, I still need to fill out their forms, and then it will be back to focusing on the forms for the MRC.
The woman at the MRC has been asking for a questionnaire that was sent home with us from the intake meeting. Sam and I had been struggling to get through this double sided, poster sized form over the course of three nights. When I told the woman that we went as far as we could go, and how I thought that it wasn’t a very good fit for Sam, it came out that this wasn't the questionnaire that she has been asking about. This double sided, poster sized form was only if Sam found it to be "helpful" (he didn’t) and the one that she’s been asking about is one I can’t find. I suspect that I filled it out already- and handed it in with the other questionnaires to the woman who did his previously mentioned testing. So now, the MRC will be sending a new copy and I can fill out all over again.
While waiting for that to show up, I'll continue to muddle through the RMV forms and Sam and I will go onto the DDS forms.
Along with the DDS and the MRC, I've been told that I should sign Sam up for Social Security. Like everything else, I don't really know what this means. I know what Social Security is, at least I think I do, but I don't understand the whole process or have a good grasp on what the expectation is. As I did with the RMV and the MRC, I went on their website, but it was too much for me- at least until I get these other things out of the way.
We're also exploring options for his next year of education. It's looking like he's not going to be at the same school where he has spent the last five years and I don't know exactly where he will be in the fall. There is another program, this one a year long, that we’re looking into, but I'm told to wait until the end of January and then call for a tour and an interview. We'll see how that goes.
At some point soon, it will be time for another IEP meeting.
And while all of this other stuff is going on, I’ve had to back-burner the issue of guardianship until some of these other things can be cleared out of the way- but it's on my mind a lot.
On the bright side, in a semi-panic, I called up a local agency to see if I could get some direction and help in prioritizing all of this. They had some suggestions and if nothing else, it sounds like waiting on the guardianship until after the DDS process is further is along is a good idea. I have no idea why, but at least it puts things in some kind of semi-order.
So, I'm still buried in questionnaires and forms and acronyms- RMV, MRC, DDS, IEP,- it’s all one big morass. But in the end, I figure it has to be worth it.
I think the thing that bothers me the most about all of this isn’t the time and the work. It’s that I have no idea what I’m doing. I feel like I am feeling my way down a dark, empty hall and there’s a fire somewhere behind me- and when I eventually reach a door, I go in- even though I don't know where I am or what to do.
But this, like usual is just me complaining. Thank goodness Christmas is almost here and I'll have a little break. I’m really looking forward to a little company.
Monday, December 14, 2015
Rude Awakening
Today was the second Monday in a row where I woke up thinking it was Sunday. Last Monday, I woke up before my alarm went off, and I glanced over at the clock, pulled the covers up, closed my eyes and thought about how good it felt to be able to sleep a little longer. Gradually, it kind of dawned on me that something didn’t quite feel right.
Despite my best efforts, I slowly started to recount the things that I did over the weekend- which wasn’t difficult because I never do a whole lot. It began to dawn on me that the math wasn’t quite adding up. I gave into the idea that it was indeed Monday and my five A.M. alarm was set to go off in another twenty-five minutes.
A similar thing happened this morning, except this time, the alarm actually went off. I slammed down the snooze button and closed my eyes, disgusted at myself for setting my alarm on a Sunday. As soon as I closed my eyes, I thought, "Wait a minute..."I think it's going to be another long week.
Friday, December 11, 2015
That Time of Year
I know I've said this before, but I really love this movie. I skipped it last year because it's not Sam's thing, and I wasn't going to make him watch it- but I didn't feel like watching it alone. I don't feel like watching it alone this year either, but I would like to see it again.
So, here's the thing. I'm going to post it here and you can watch it, or at least, I'll pretend you're watching it, and I'm going to watch it too.
And I'm going to pretend we're watching it together.
So, here's the thing. I'm going to post it here and you can watch it, or at least, I'll pretend you're watching it, and I'm going to watch it too.
And I'm going to pretend we're watching it together.
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Friday, December 4, 2015
Monk Night
Sam and I started to watch monk together- probably somewhere around two or three months ago. It started out as me watching it, while Sam was on the computer. After some time, Sam started to notice. At first, Sam would occasionally turn around in his chair and look over for a minute or two, then turn back to the computer.
After a couple of weeks, he would get up, approach the edge of the living room rug, and watch for a few minutes, sometimes asking a few questions- before returning to the computer. When this became more of a routine, I suggested that maybe he think about sitting down next to me and watching some of the show.
Part of the idea behind this was to expose Sam to something that was a little bit more mature than some of the shows he was currently watching, but was still safe and wasn’t threatening. “Monk” seemed like a perfect show for this.
The other part of the idea behind all of this was that I enjoy spending time with Sam and this was a good way to do it.
Sam joined me and it became a routine. I think we were 4 or maybe 5 weeks into this routine when they stopped showing this on TV. Both of us were disappointed. I decided I was going to go online and look and see if I could buy the entire series somewhere.
As luck would have it, my luck anyway, the series was no longer available. That led me to eBay where I bid on a brand new set of the entire series- which I won. But in my desperation, I way overpaid for it. Also, as my luck would have it, the exact same set was available on Amazon about two weeks later- as a Lightening Deal, no less.
Still, it was worth the sacrifice. The set showed up about a week after ordering it, and the very next Friday night, Sam and I were back in business.
Since then, every Friday night, Sam and I turn it into an event. Actually, it really starts on Thursday night. On Thursday night, when I'm putting Sam to bed, he reminds me that "Tomorrow is Friday. That means “Monk Night!”
So, on Friday nights, after we take our showers, Sam and I have popcorn. I sit at the end of the couch with pillows at my side. Sam lays down against me, munching on his popcorn and commenting all the way through the program.
Sam and I are somewhere about half way through the fourth season- which puts us close to half way through the entire series. I have no idea what we’ll watch after we’re all the way through this, but I’ll have to come up with something. I don't want to lose out on our Friday nights together.
I would post an episode here, but I'm having a hard time finding one of any quality. I'll keep looking, though. In the mean time, here's a short, but interesting clip of an interview with Tony Shaloub...
On another note, I'm happy to report that there are currently limited sets of the series available on Amazon- and they are not only considerably more than their Lighting Deal, they're also considerably more than what I had paid on eBay. I'm feeling pretty good about that. Buying the DVD's when I did was a good investment after all- for a lot of reasons.
After a couple of weeks, he would get up, approach the edge of the living room rug, and watch for a few minutes, sometimes asking a few questions- before returning to the computer. When this became more of a routine, I suggested that maybe he think about sitting down next to me and watching some of the show.
Part of the idea behind this was to expose Sam to something that was a little bit more mature than some of the shows he was currently watching, but was still safe and wasn’t threatening. “Monk” seemed like a perfect show for this.
The other part of the idea behind all of this was that I enjoy spending time with Sam and this was a good way to do it.
Sam joined me and it became a routine. I think we were 4 or maybe 5 weeks into this routine when they stopped showing this on TV. Both of us were disappointed. I decided I was going to go online and look and see if I could buy the entire series somewhere.
As luck would have it, my luck anyway, the series was no longer available. That led me to eBay where I bid on a brand new set of the entire series- which I won. But in my desperation, I way overpaid for it. Also, as my luck would have it, the exact same set was available on Amazon about two weeks later- as a Lightening Deal, no less.
Still, it was worth the sacrifice. The set showed up about a week after ordering it, and the very next Friday night, Sam and I were back in business.
Since then, every Friday night, Sam and I turn it into an event. Actually, it really starts on Thursday night. On Thursday night, when I'm putting Sam to bed, he reminds me that "Tomorrow is Friday. That means “Monk Night!”
So, on Friday nights, after we take our showers, Sam and I have popcorn. I sit at the end of the couch with pillows at my side. Sam lays down against me, munching on his popcorn and commenting all the way through the program.
Sam and I are somewhere about half way through the fourth season- which puts us close to half way through the entire series. I have no idea what we’ll watch after we’re all the way through this, but I’ll have to come up with something. I don't want to lose out on our Friday nights together.
I would post an episode here, but I'm having a hard time finding one of any quality. I'll keep looking, though. In the mean time, here's a short, but interesting clip of an interview with Tony Shaloub...
On another note, I'm happy to report that there are currently limited sets of the series available on Amazon- and they are not only considerably more than their Lighting Deal, they're also considerably more than what I had paid on eBay. I'm feeling pretty good about that. Buying the DVD's when I did was a good investment after all- for a lot of reasons.
Thursday, December 3, 2015
My Nemesis
Grey Kia is back. I don't know where she's been, and frankly, I hadn't even missed her. I didn't even realize that she was gone- until this morning.
This morning, I was traveling along my dark, winding and rainy route to work, and I was thinking about how, as much as I don’t like the rain, how I’m glad it’s not snow. The commute is long enough, but when it’s snowing, my fifty minute commute can turn into a seventy minute commute.
So, I’m driving along and I'm pretty much alone- at least for the first half of the nearly hour long trip. But somewhere after my half way point, I get behind another fellow commuter and eventually that commuter comes up behind someone else. No big deal.
But then things start slowing down.
One by one, more cars gather behind me. In front of me, the trail of red brake lights stretches far ahead, snaking over the rolling hills like a slow motion roller coaster. “What is going on?” I wondered. “We’re past the point of getting stuck behind a school bus.” I strain my eyes, looking through the rainy darkness to see if I can make out the head of this slow moving snake. And then it hits me. "Oh no! Grey Kia!"
Sure enough, I could make out the dark outline of that cube shaped snail at the head of this bottleneck and I knew I would be locked into a slow motion commute for the rest of my way to work.
One by one, the cars in front of me dropped off- each making their escape to their different destinations. And with each car that escaped to freedom, I got closer and closer to the head of the snake. Eventually, it was just me and Grey Kia- and the fifty or so cars stuck behind us.
It had been months since this last happened. I don’t know where she had been this whole time, but seeing her again stirred up an abundance of mixed emotions within me- emotions like dread, hostility... and dread.
I took this photo of grey Kia many months ago, intending to write a little something about her. But I never got around to it and eventually she completely dropped off my radar. And the thing is, I hadn't even realized it. It's a little like having a festering splinter in your finger that bothers you day after day until one day you realize that it's gone and you can't even remember when it popped out. But this festering sore has apparently popped back in.
Now, I was once again stuck behind Grey Kia, putting along at an extra safe 10-15 miles an hour below the speed limit.
I thought again about the impending winter commute and I wondered how it would be possible to go even slower and still be moving. And I feared that, unfortunately, I'll probably have the chance to find out.
This morning, I was traveling along my dark, winding and rainy route to work, and I was thinking about how, as much as I don’t like the rain, how I’m glad it’s not snow. The commute is long enough, but when it’s snowing, my fifty minute commute can turn into a seventy minute commute.
So, I’m driving along and I'm pretty much alone- at least for the first half of the nearly hour long trip. But somewhere after my half way point, I get behind another fellow commuter and eventually that commuter comes up behind someone else. No big deal.
But then things start slowing down.
One by one, more cars gather behind me. In front of me, the trail of red brake lights stretches far ahead, snaking over the rolling hills like a slow motion roller coaster. “What is going on?” I wondered. “We’re past the point of getting stuck behind a school bus.” I strain my eyes, looking through the rainy darkness to see if I can make out the head of this slow moving snake. And then it hits me. "Oh no! Grey Kia!"
Sure enough, I could make out the dark outline of that cube shaped snail at the head of this bottleneck and I knew I would be locked into a slow motion commute for the rest of my way to work.
One by one, the cars in front of me dropped off- each making their escape to their different destinations. And with each car that escaped to freedom, I got closer and closer to the head of the snake. Eventually, it was just me and Grey Kia- and the fifty or so cars stuck behind us.
It had been months since this last happened. I don’t know where she had been this whole time, but seeing her again stirred up an abundance of mixed emotions within me- emotions like dread, hostility... and dread.
I took this photo of grey Kia many months ago, intending to write a little something about her. But I never got around to it and eventually she completely dropped off my radar. And the thing is, I hadn't even realized it. It's a little like having a festering splinter in your finger that bothers you day after day until one day you realize that it's gone and you can't even remember when it popped out. But this festering sore has apparently popped back in.
Now, I was once again stuck behind Grey Kia, putting along at an extra safe 10-15 miles an hour below the speed limit.
I thought again about the impending winter commute and I wondered how it would be possible to go even slower and still be moving. And I feared that, unfortunately, I'll probably have the chance to find out.
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Brief Recap
I don't know whether I am tired from Thanksgiving or whether I'm tired in preparation of Christmas. Most likely, I'm tired because I'm always tired in general.
Thanksgiving was hectic, like it usually is, and like it usually is, it was hectic in mostly good ways. It was all so hectic in a few not as good ways, but that's not worth spending any time on.
There is nothing I like better than the family being together and I like nothing more than cooking a big meal for us to share and them to enjoy. Along with celebrating Thanksgiving, we also managed to squeeze in getting a Christmas tree on the day before Thanksgiving, and decorating it after the meal was over.
I was going to say we decorated the tree the next day, but I then checked the photos I took and saw by the date that we decorated it Thanksgiving night. That's the kind of weekend it was.
Somewhere in the all of that we also managed to squeeze in some visiting- visiting with each other and visiting with Grandma.
Like a lot of these holidays, they go by in a whirlwind.
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