Oh look. Another blog about stuff. Wonderful.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Shool days

So in a month, both of my kids are going to be in school. Shane will be in preschool somewhere, and Delaney will begin her real-life scholastic journey in the Big K. How did it all come to this?

I'm not normally the nostalgic type. I tend to get lost in whatever moment I'm in, and when I do venture out of my cave, it is often to peer into the crystal ball of the future (and even that is usually just to see what cool new movies or games are coming out)
Oh dear. Well, that's rather ominous

So trying to process the school genesis has made for an interesting journey these past few weeks. At summer's beginning, I didn't think about it too much. After the debacle that was my job last summer, I was determined to milk Summer 2011 for all its worth. I even set up photo albums on Facebook, determined to take tons of pictures to document all the fun we were having. And gosh darnit, it worked! We've had a blast- and there's still a month left (including a trip to the cabin).

But all that fun has a price, and the price is Time. Now it's August- which means that school starts next month. And I've started thinking about it (just a little bit, mind you) and what it means for us. And the truth is, I really have no freaking clue.

Our lives are about to receive the most seismic shift they've seen up until this point- school. Say it with me, in your most deepest, ominoustest voice- SCHOOL. I feel a little bit like the Fellowship, when they heard the drums pounding in Moria, except these Orcs pick their noses and pass gas and make fun of the Orcs who are different and teach other Orcs (who are actually Elves who just played in the mud) inappropriate phrases.

It wouldn't be so disorienting to think about if Shane wasn't starting preschool this year. Shane has always been our anchor to the good old days. Delaney has grown up in a heartbeat it seems, but it hasn't shook us too badly because Shane has always been right there- little Shane, tagging along with his thumb in his mouth and blankey over his shoulder. Little Shane, mispronouncing his 'R's and mindlessly repeating nonsense phrases.

Except that Shane is going to be 4 in less than two months. Not 3. Not even 2. 4. 4!

I'm trying to wrap my head completely around what this means- and I can't do it. Not even close. I mean, sure, I know that there will be some cosmetic changes. The kids will start being gone during the day. They'll start to make friends, and have teachers, and learn new stuff, and we'll have to buy (gasp!) clothes that match.

But the ramifications of all these surface level changes- they're huge! Sara and I have been the buffer between our children and the world. We've been their window. Their door. We've been able to (largely) protect them from what we think they should be protected from and teach them what we think they should be taught.

And they've loved us for it! They love spending time with us. We're superhero rockstars to them. Heck, for all they know, their dad is the biggest, strongest dude out there! And mommy cooks the best food in the whole wide world!

Now, that's going to change. They are going to realize that when some kids says 'My dad can beat up your dad', that kid is probably right. I think we still have a few more years of 'my dad is pretty darn cool'...but it's never gonna be the same, and my fear is that 'Dad is cool' will eventually wane to 'Dad, stop talking to my friends- you're embarrassing me!'. (Which won't actually stop me from talking to their friends, but it might slow me down...a little)

Plus we're putting their education in the hands of strangers. Granted, strangers who have gone through 4+ years of post-secondary education to learn how to be education-doting strangers, but strangers nonetheless. Perhaps more frightening is the thought that we're putting their social education in the hands of their peers- who have been influenced by their parents. Trust me folks- I'm a parent, and I know that parents are bad influences on kids.

Up until this point, we've had control over their friends and social relationships. Play date didn't go so well? We'll just 'lose' that phone number. Things getting testy outside? 'Hey kids, time to come in for...um...well, it's time to come in!'. Or, 'hey, I like hanging out with that set of parents, we should totally go over there again and make our kids play together'.

Not in kindergarten though. We drop them off (of course I'm dropping my kids off- do you know what kind of shenanigans go on during a bus-ride? Public transportation is the cesspool of morality!!!) into a sea of potential deviants and miscreants and probably kids who like to torture ants. We don't know what they're parents were thinking, but we will surely find out soon.

Of course, part of me is overreacting. In case you haven't noticed (or if you tend to just skim my blog and look for cool pictures), I tend to overreact a lot. It's part of living in the moment I guess. I imagine that there are scores of other parents out there who feel the same way, and I know we'll get through it.

And they'll meet new people. Make new friends. There's lots of good kids out there, waiting to be blessed by knowing my seed. This is but the first step in a lifelong journey of changes.

It's just hard to think about the changes that are going to start happening in a month. Not all at once...but a slow, gradual slide as I cease to be the focal point of their lives and move into a position of servitude. It's difficult to see the joy and light on their faces, so innocent and naive, while I lie in bed at night, knowing that in one short month, life is going to change- forever.

Delaney and Shane, I know you'll read this one day (because that's just how I roll- you're my kid, you read my blog). I just want you to know that I love you very much. It's been a wonderful ride these past five years. I've been blessed beyond blessed to have been able to spend so much time with you. I know that I have made my share of mistakes, and I sometimes get distracted by stupid things easily. But you are both the world to me, and I would never trade a single moment of these past five years for anything. I look forward to seeing where God takes you in life- you both have the talent to do whatever you want.

Now about keeping that room clean...

Pic:http://www.thepaltrysapien.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Palantir_Stone.jpg

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Fantasy Football post, except it morphs into something quite different

Well, after a long summer of 'he said, she said' and legal mumbo-jumbo, back-and-forth, football season is nigh upon us. And so I am starting the preparations for Fantasy Football: Season 3.

I'm feeling ambiguously torn.

Make no mistake- I do enjoy Fantasy Football...well, at least I enjoy the aftermath. I am somewhat of a numbers junkie, which means that Fantasy Football is somewhat of an opiate to me. I also have a weird fetish about picking up the pieces of my ridiculous obsession and parading them around on my blog. It soothes the masochist in my soul, I guess.

But the actual 17 week process is often painful. It's painful because of how much of myself I pour into it. And it's a ridiculous amount, compared to how much I should actually care. I'm not a player. Or a coach. Or an owner. Or a spouse of one of those people. I'm not even really a fan- at least, in the fat-guy-wearing-no-shirt-in-Green-Bay-in-December definition of fan.
Which can be considered either healthy or unhealthy, I guess

Competition is something that is written on the pages of my Y chromosome- but it's not actually me competing. It's me pretending to compete. I sit there on Sundays, watching other dudes compete, checking box scores and submitting myself to crappy football because I happened to spend a 12th round draft choice on Seattle's kicker and I'm losing by 6 points.

I'm probably a couple years away from looking like this guy (warning- it's not a pretty picture).

Haven't I been over this before (answer- yes)? Isn't the definition of insanity to keep doing the same thing over and over, but expecting different results? So why do I keep coming back? Why keep playing?

It's because I'm American.

I don't know if Kurt Cobain was prophet or pusher when he (allegedly) uttered the immortal phrase 'Here we are now, entertain us'. I say allegedly because, if you listen to 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', you're not really sure he's saying anything at all. It's just too bad he overdosed before he learned how to speak Human.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately...how much time I spend doing stuff just to entertain myself. I read books. I play video games. I listen to music. I play games. I check my smart phone. I watch movies. I check my smart phone again. There is so much frivolity in my actions, in my thoughts. But I don't really do anything about it- because I'm American. And I don't have to. There are entire sectors of our economy that do nothing but cater to my childish indulgences. And other parts of the economy that are dedicated to filling my brain with subliminal messages about more childish indulgences.

I actually wanted the lock-out to drag on into the season. I was really hoping that there would be no NFL this season. I wanted one less thing to have to worry about occupying my entertainment palette. Obviously this is a selfish thought- I know that there are people's livelihoods that depend on football (and no, I'm not talking about the athletes or the owners- I'm talking about the guys that work for minimum/near-minimum wage doing the dirty work), but it was a thought there was there.

And the worst part of all is, I'm a perpetuator of the system! I give it power, I cause it to be, I am the reason for its existence (me and people like me).

I wanted football to be dead because our country has a problem. And that problem is that we live in a society that exists on fluff. Think back to early civilizations- or even a few hundred years ago. There was no Netflix to peruse. There wasn't time for repeating Angry Birds levels just to get a higher score. They didn't have the energy to spend most of their time on luxury. They were too busy getting chased by dinosaurs.

Based on actual events

I just wonder if human beings were meant to have this much downtime. Aren't we better suited to hunt and gather? Are our brains supposed to have access to this much entertainment and comfort? In pursuit of our own assuagement, do we misuse brain cells that could be used for more important things?

Technology has afforded us many amazing advances. Having witnessed two childbirths, I can honestly say I am glad that I didn't have to put on my Michael Landon hat and be 'all hands on deck' for that whole process.
Actually, you can include the pants and shirt in that statement as well

I was perfectly content to run down to the snack bar and grab an ice cream cone and chocolate milk. And Lord knows how much more difficult it would be for me to include all these snazzy pictures and hyperlinks in my blog if I had to transmit it by telegraph.

So even though I rail against technology, I am not at a point where I am ready to completely give it up. After I post this blog, I'll still have a PS3. I'll still have a smart phone. I'll still mindlessly surf the internet, and I'll still play Fantasy Football. Not all technology is bad, and even video games, blogs, and smart phones have their place.

The truth is- I'm just complaining. Because that's the American way.

Pics:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOOVoPVXy9rAaQFwuhP9aYyr2TftxoP0Wxi4QPqjSFzddjUm9KZFU3XpiOFIOgNfqR51IgPPL-3dQar9VlSA4CqU8a253zFYZz4gd4rpQfTb90yE5K0XFr-DpE2OyCyxuhmUg6nid37aA/s1600/pg2_a_packersfan_slobbo.jpg
http://www.movieprop.com/tvandmovie/reviews/caveman.jpg
http://images.allmoviephoto.com/1974_Little_House_on_the_Prairie_%28TV_series%29/1974_little_house_on_the_prairie_003.jpg