Barry’s Daily Web News

Not a Good Day

Today did not go so well. Ethan woke up this morning with a croup cough. He was coughing all over the place until we gave him some cough suppressant. I’m worried a stand a good chance of being sick.

Later, I heard a strange sound like gushing water outside the house. I went out to investigate, and discovered a shower of water in the front yard. It looks like the pressure regulator broke on the sprinkler system broke. It had a quick turn off valve, but I was still soaked with cold water before I could even get to it. I tried to repair the valve, but it looks like I will need a new one, which means no sprinkler system until I get it repaired.

That was really the worst of the day, but I was still in a bad mood for the remainder of the day.

The Heard Museum

Today, we went to the Heard Museum. This museum is supposed to have the best collection of Native American art in the country. The museum had some interactive exhibits to keep the kids occupied, but not enough to stay very long. Other than the interactive exhibits, they just wanted to run around and goof off. Even though Cortney and I were a bit frustrated with the kids behavior, both kids said they had a good time.

It was cold and raw out today, so we just stayed in the house and took it easy for the rest of the day.

A Cold, Rainy Day

I took Sean and Ethan to McDonald’s this evening to give Cortney a break. Other outdoor alternatives were ruled out the by the lousy weather — cold and rainy. Surprisingly, they did not want to stay long, so we came home to play Lego Star Wars. I’m started to get addicted to that game myself.

We did light a log in the fireplace, and after the kids went to bed Cortney and I enjoy a movie by the warmth and glow of the fire.

Another Good Meal

I guess Cortney liked my praise for the meal she fixed on Monday. She cooked another slow-cooker recipe tonight, this time with a pot roast, and it was just as good as Tuesday’s meal.

Princess had another training class. This class was a bit more crowded, and also had a couple of beginning dogs and owner. It’s a lot easier to see the progress Princess has made by comparing her to the dogs that have trouble with just the basic commands. And Princess is still doing well in the class, learning a bit each time I take her.

Slow News Day

Not much to write about today — a normal day at work, and a typical Wednesday evening, which included taking Sean to his gym class. Unlike last week, there were two other boys, so it was more like a normal class.

A Night Outside

We had really nice weather this evening, with temperatures in the upper 60’s, so I took Sean, Ethan, and Princess out for a walk. We stopped by both of the parks near us, and both parks had other kids playing. I had fun taking Princess on the playground equipment. I was surprised the she could jump up to a 3 and a half feet high surface. I was also able to squeeze in some training for Princess.

I suppose we could have chose some other activity, but it’s hard to beat fun playing and fresh air for an outing.

Cortney the Chef

Cortney fixed a really good meal this evening. I was skeptical when she put a ham in the slow cooker this morning, but I have to say the result was quite pleasing. The meat combined the best properties of ham and roasted meat, with the meat following of the bone and fork tender. And best of all, there is enough leftover for another meal!

A Big Breakfast

We went to breakfast at the kid’s favorite restaurant, Sweat Tomatoes. They are now offering a Sunday brunch on a trail basis. The food was good, but I could have used more protein in my meal, like sausage or bacon. We all certainly ate our fill.

This afternoon, Sean, Princess, and I went on a long hike. I was surprised that Sean enjoyed the entire hike, and did not get tired or soar at all, even after 3 and 1/2 miles.

After a big meal and some exercise, I’m just relaxing for the rest of the day.

A Trip to the Mall

We went to the Chandler Mall today. This mall is across town, but it is the only mall with a Williams-Sonoma store, and Cortney had a coupon she wanted to use. I pretty much let Cortney shop on her own, and I watched the kids. We managed to occupy our time in the play area and just a couple of stores. We were actually still having fun when Cortney said she was done shopping.

We also had the kid’s hair cut today. We just never got around to getting their hair cut over the holidays, and so the hair cuts were long overdue. The good news is that the kids are now old enough that hair cuts are no longer a big deal.

We also went out to dinner. We were lucky to get seated without any problems, because the area was completely mobbed with the crowd visiting for the BCS championship game. As we left, there were two cars fighting over our parking spot, and it took us some time to get through all of the traffic in the area. I guess this is all good for the local economy, but I will be glad when the crowds are gone.

Friday Night on the Computer

Ah, the first weekend of the year. It seems almost as sweet as a week of vacation. Well, maybe not quite. Still, the first week of work went well, and I can look forward to some exciting things to work on in the next coming months.

Sean had his choice of activities, and he chose playing Lego Star Wars on the computer. He really gets into playing in the game, and I had to call him on being a bit too vocal at times. And, Cortney had to call me on being to vocal as well. At least Sean and I (and Ethan watching) have a shared interest and passion in playing computer games.

Princess Gets Another Group Lesson

Princess had a tough time at tonight’s group class. I guess I should have practiced the “wait” and holding the “sit” commands a bit more over the holidays. She had a tough time with both tonight. At least I got some exercise, as I kept having to run back to get Princess where she was supposed to stay. I know she got a good workout as well, as she left a full food dish to sack out on the sofa.

A Trip to the Dermatologist

I was overdue for my yearly check at the dermatologist, so I wanted to make an appointment soon. As it turned out, I was able to get in on a cancellation today. I now have a blister on my arm where some skin was frozen off, and a slice of skin missing on the bottom of my nose for the trouble. I have to say that the shot of Novocaine into the bottom of my nose really hurt, enough to tear up in both eyes. Both items were just precautionary measures, so I don’t expect any long-term trouble.

Sean was the only boy in his gym class again tonight. I don’t mind, as we get out early, and it is the equivalent of a private lesson.

Back to Work Again

Things weren’t too bad at work today, after having taken two weeks off. I only had a couple of urgent items to work on, so I was able to catch up with some other work.

It was quite warm today, with a high of 73 degrees. On the way home from work, I was close to turning on the air conditioning in the car, as the car was warm from sitting in the sun.

After dinner, I took Sean to his gym class. I guess many families are still on vacation, as Sean was the only one in class tonight. Sean’s instructor said that Sean might be ready for level 2 soon. I guess I don’t see much progress with Sean from day-to-day, but he has been in the beginner boys class for nearly a year now, and he is certainly much improved since then.

Is It Really 2007?

While today is actually the first day of the new year, it many ways it seemed more like the end of last year. The end of the holiday season, for example. Or, the last day of the visit of the relatives.

For some reason, this holiday season was not that satisfying for me. I think it might have been more of a problem with my own expectations. I wanted to both relax, and also get a few projects down, and I ended up feeling neither relaxed, nor a feeling of accomplishment from completing projects. Perhaps I need to rethink about the idea of saving most of my vacations days until the end of the year. Regardless of how I spent the time, I can say I did have a satisfying time with the family, both Sean and Ethan, and my parents (who just left today).

I considered briefly taking off tomorrow from work, but I decided it would be best to get back into the workday-workweek rhythm as soon as possible.

Despite all of the heavy emotional thinking, which was even negative at times, it was actually quite a nice day today. I took down the Christmas decorations outside, and actually worked up a sweat doing it. I was proud of myself for packing everything neatly, so that the garage wasn’t any more cluttered than before I started.

I also took both Sean and Ethan to the dog park. The park was quite crowded, and there were a number of dogs for Princess to meet. I was really impressed with a large Great Dane, who was big enough to stand over top of Princess.

The kids did not want to stay at the dog park too long, so we walked to the nearby play area. Only when the sun started to set did it actually seem cold, so we stayed until the kids had their full playing. And hey — I can look forward to another five months of good weather, so we can spend even more time doing this.