Ok I am an official slacker. My membership card came in the mail today and everything. Today is Aug 27th and I can’t believe tomorrow it’ll be a month since I posted. Damn me to hell and back. Sorry. I’ve been busy, so shoot me.

What’s new? Well my MacBook Pro is trying to install my color printer so typepad hates me, and tonight I convinced my mum to get her butt on Gmail. Ha! Another convert. So the community college has been back in session a week now, and I picked up two more sections. UGH! Why me? I thought it’d be cake and an easy few hundred bucks a month, but NO NO NO. It’s not (hence me not being here.)

I also have taken on more leadership roles at the high school and dropped a few of my extra curriculars. Not because I didn’t like them, but because I am thinking globally. I also got my membership card to the in-crowd last week, which I am stoked about.

I think I am going to bed now. I have meetings tomorrow, Wed, etc… Just remember that emails from managers are always meant to be read and reviewed and understood, then people like me won’t get all pissy for the entire evening. (Yes, I know you want more updates but it’ll have to wait.)

It’s been odd not to have Claire here. I don’t know why I’ve not been more depressed and sad that she’s away for 3 weeks, but I’ve been thinking about it. Donna was stuck in Vienna airport the other day for 5 hours by herself, and I understood how upset she was about that, and believe me I was there to support her, but I couldn’t put myself in her shoes. I knew she was upset, I knew she was alone, I knew she was in a place she didn’t know, but I think I know a difference between us. I don’t mind being alone sometimes. Let me try to get this straight before you disagree. I’ve been in AZ for 3 weeks without my family (give or take 11 days), and I’ve been ok. I have my agenda, and I come and go as I please. Yes, I wasn’t alone. Look below and you see some of what I’ve done, but I know where Donna and Claire are, and I know they are safe. Don’t get me wrong, I am EAGER to see them tomorrow, but I am not counting the hours.

I am sitting here at Fibber Magee’s eating a fish sandwich for lunch, and I wonder how if I were stuck in Vienna airport I’d just sit and read for several hours. I’d shop and walk around. This is where I am like my dad. My mother laughs at me because I go places early and take a book. I can sit and read and do nothing else, but then I am a lot like her, too. I want to call people on the way home and can’t just drive without talking on the phone, talking to my daughter or listening to my podcasts. I just can’t. But I can sit in an airport for 5 hours alone, by myself. I am ok with that. I am ok with my family being away. I know it’s a gift for the grandparents to see her, and I appreciate offering that to them. And I am looking forward to seeing my family tomorrow. I don’t know. I was just thinking, and I hope that makes sense.

Since Devon mentioned it, I thought that I would elaborate…

Over the holidays, Devon and I watching an ESPN online gaming tournament.  It consisted of three games:  Bejeweled, Solitaire, and Zuma.  We watched as a young, female college student beat the competition to remain in the first seat and win a million dollars.  Again, a million dollars.  For playing online games.  Devon and I were amazed.  And jealous.

When we returned to Phoenix, we decided to download Bejeweled.  In the past week, I’ve put in many hours of play.  I’m on about the 67th board of the Endless game – which I started playing because I thought it would actually have an end.  I have almost made it through all the Puzzle boards, unless the final destination is just a porthole to another dimension of puzzles.  (I hope not).  I have not tried Action games, because the thought of being timed to play a game is not appealing.  And Classic games are OK – mostly appealing because I have a higher High Score than Devon!  Haha.

This is also why I make a habit of not downloading or playing games online.  They are obsessive and time-consuming.  Plus, my laptop burns my thighs.

Time is so strange.  Can you believe that another year has gone by?  I can’t.  It has been fast and furious and I have not had enough down time to catch up on life.  So much of our routine is predetermined that it is hard to figure out when to start a project – like renewing my passport or updating Claire’s memory book (both of which have been on my "todos" list for over a year). 

Working in education, life is broken down into semesters.  Devon’s work calendar is similar, and we tend to schedule our "real lives" around the high school and college timeline.  That means no traveling in August, mid-January, or mid-May through June.  It means no extended weekends over the holidays because that is not permitted at Devon’s school.  On the modified year-round schedule, Devon gets a two-week break in October and March, so he normally tries to travel or invite visitors to keep himself occupied.  This has all become part of the routine for which we have become accustomed.

I frequently look at the "todos" list that Devon and I keep to remember all the things we need to do.  So many of those items have been there for too long.  It is amazing to me how quickly time flies.  I prioritize everything I can that relates to Claire and her needs, and I’ve put off a lot of other important things.  At times I’m amazed that I remember to pay bills.

As the last day of the year approaches, my internal fire to complete every insane project deepens.  I feel obligated to clean the entire house, organize every nook and cranny, finish laundry, heck even arrange the junk drawer.  I’m not sure why I do this to myself, and those around me, but would they ever get done if these feelings didn’t surface every now and then?

Right now I’m just pleased that we have a two week break to look forward to so that I can attempt to finish these crazy tasks and possibly take a few minutes to relax and watch a movie.

It rained in Portland today and Emma got to play in the puddles. When we called tonight she told us that she’d see us next week at our house. She’s almost three, and it’ll take some time before she realizes she moved far far away. And this weekend we were going to see Claire’s friend Eli, and I asked her if she wanted to see Eli, and she thought about it for two minutes and then screamed "EMMA!" at the top of her lungs.

I wish our friends the best of luck up there, and even asked about James Kim. Turns out it’s a HUGE story there. And BOL didn’t even have a podcast yet. Just played some old James Kim stuff. I am half curious to jump ahead and check things out.

Today’s breakfast was a triple loaner. Just me, Claire and Donna at Mimi’s cafe. I had a student get food poisoning from there, but hey, their muffins rock!

We also had a holiday soiree Friday and Liliane now rolls and crawls. Wow! Dan and I played with out iPods and Jim just watched. The food was good, the company was good, and now another weekend ends.

I just don’t know where to begin. I just don’t know. Ok so
as I’ve said elsewhere, I listen to CNET podcasts pretty much everyday. My
favorite one is Buzz Out Loud, where I listen to Tom, Molly and Veronica. Veronica
has also been part of a MP3 Insider and CRAVE with James Kim.

Yesterday Donna came home from work and said she had been
reading the news online and something made her cry at her desk, and it wasn’t even
anyone at work. I had things to do and was moving about, then came in and
checked my news. CNN. And I saw an article about some lost person in the woods.
The title caught my attention because (as a Language teacher) it felt
syntactically incorrect to me. I opened the article and it caught her eye.

That’s him! She
said. And began telling me about this guy lost in Oregon, and how his family was stuck in the snow along some highway that was covered in the weather.

James eventually went
for help. By the time I read the article, they’d found his wife, Kati, and
their two daughters. They were alive and well, and Donna reminded me the
importance of breast milk, which Kati fed to her daughters for like 9 days in
the wilderness.

I got to the bottom of the article and it said James Kim was
a senior editor for CNET and I was shocked. I spend so much time listening to
CNET and being jealous that they all get to live in San Francisco, and I read blogs and go to the CNET forums all of the time. It almost felt like a friend was missing.

And I knew then that today we’d get the final word on if
James Kim was alive or dead, but I still wasn’t prepared when I opened CNN
after 3pm today. I typed in the web address with dread, and I was correct. They
found James three hours ago. This good natured man was dead, and his daughters
will never know their father. And these people who I imagine being part of are
in mourning for the loss of their friend. And I don’t know about Donna, but
today I cried at work.

To donate to the Kim family, please go here.

OK, who won the pool?  Probably noone, because how could anyone have predicted that Britney Spears’ marriage to Kevin Federline would have lasted this long?  I sincerely hope that this is a good move, that Britney doesn’t date any more stupid drug addicts, that Britney wins sole custody and starts behaving like a good mother, that Kevin fades out of publicity (he doesn’t deserve all this attention), that Britney produces a decent album and gets some good publicity – although doesn’t rocket back to the forefront of media stardom, that Britney’s kids end up with more common sense and common decency than their parents, and that we don’t have another post in a year about another failed Britney marriage.

I realize that I do not post as often as you, but I am also not attached to my computer at home, nor do I have the ability of posting when the desire arouses – usually on the potty, in the car or somewhere else inconvenient.  I tend to remember post topics as I re-analyze my day while laying in bed – a habit I choose instead of meaninglessly counting sheep at night. 

So, in response to your public request for more information from me:

Hooray for Janet!  Janet Napolitano is an awesome Governor and I appreciate the work she is trying to do in our state for education.  I hope her remaining in this post will benefit Arizona for the long run.

Democratic government.  It actually amuses me greatly to watch Devon delight in the overturning of the government to a Democratic majority.  Devon and I are not Democrats (OK, it says that on our voting registration, but only since the last Presidential primary).  We are not Republicans, either, although we both officially started out that way.  We are pro-education and anti-horrible, unintelligent, bad leaders.  Yes, we hate Bush and what he has done against America.  Within the last six years, world nations have grown to hate the US more and more and it is directly related to Bush.  I didn’t realize the importance of this vote for democratic leadership, until watching the news and realizing that the purpose was to limit Bush’s power.  Good for America!  Thank you for voting and realizing what Devon and I – and zillions others – have known for years:  Bush is bad.  Well, except Bush’s baked beans.  Those rock!

Nanowrimo.  I think that is the right abbreviation.  I’m not going to look it up.  Ha!  So, every November for the past three years, Devon has started the massive endeavor of writing a book within one month.  He has succeeded the past two years and I know he will again, even though he’s off to a slower start with all the distractions our life brings.  I read his first book, which was good, but I think too far-fetched to wow a publisher.  For some reason I haven’t yet read Devon’s second book; at first, he didn’t want me to read it, then time passed and I still haven’t seen it.  One day…   I hope to read the new book and will see soon if Devon lets me.  I also hope that Devon will attempt to have his writing published.

The Carvers.  I haven’t been as noticeably saddened about the Carver’s move as Devon.  Perhaps this is because it has happened to me repeatedly over the years.  Or because I’ve never had a best friend.  Or if I thought I had a best friend, I’d find out that they are best friends with someone else.  Nobody has ever prioritized me as such and I’ve become numb to the pain.  Friends come and go in our lives and only stay in our hearts and memories.  That is why I like to take a lot of pictures – to preserve the memories, because that is all I get to keep. 

The Carvers have meant a lot to Devon and me.  We have learned a lot from one another and been able to be there for one another when we’ve needed help.  We have watched each other’s family grow.  We have stayed together through the chaos and supported one another, even when we don’t actually agree with the other one’s philosophy.  We’ve broken bread and water.  We’ve fixed computers and retiled floors.  Essentially, we’ve created memories and that’s what we’ll keep in our hearts.

So sue me. This is stale I was told by the one person who I can guarantee reads it. And I already told my mommy, I would not be writing much in November. I never do. Actually I do, but not here. I am writing my book, and I wish I knew why my wife didn’t write more here since she seems to be a whitty soul.

Update I suppose. Last week I told the school kids to a diversity camp called UNITOWN in Prescott, AZ. I am speechless at how much they got from it. While I was gone, Donna had to drive Claire back and forth to daycare. She actually didn’t mind it, as much as I expected.  Neither did Donna.

Emma’s mommy and daddy move on December 1st. Damnit. Even while helping them pack, I can’t imagine them leaving in 19 days. NINETEEN DAYS. No more brunches, no more goofing off with Ryan and buying cool toys that he knows about. No more having long talks with Laura. No more watching Emma grow and knowing some of the things Claire will do in a year. No more going to their house and hanging out for WAY TOO LONG! No more Chicken Shwarma and all that other good food. No more rides to the airport or anything else. I am done. That’s it. UGH.

While in Pittsburgh for Grampap’s funeral, we often congregated at Grandma’s house with the family.  Little kids often lighten events like these, because they innocently are clueless to the gravity of the situation.

Claire was getting a kick out of running around to everyone in the living room and interacting on many levels.  At one point she stood up and ran about six feet – fast – right towards Uncle Ernie.  Now, Uncle Ernie is a big, shall we say teddy bear shaped man.  When Claire reached him, she immediately bounced off his belly and landed flat on her back on the floor.

After the initial daze, and as the entire room was cracking up, Claire stood up and stumbled back to the middle of the room.  As she gained perspective, Claire realized that we were laughing at her and that she must’ve done something amusing.  Loving the attention, Claire quickly turned and ran back to Uncle Ernie and, consequently, repeated her previous performance.

At this point, I’m laughing so hard that I’d damn near peed myself.  I think Uncle Ernie was a little embarrassed, though, because he got up a few minutes later and didn’t return to that chair for the remainder of the day.