Kevin's Watch

The problem isn't your eyes, it's your brain. (Everybodies brain.)

--A

It happens also if you focus on one pic instead of the middle.

That's freaky, Murrin.

How's your noggin, Sarge?


Just survived a two week visit from my father. Last week he came home from visiting Manhattan to see an old girlfriend he was dating while he was 'married'. (I use that word very loosely.) He walks in the door and decides to unload on me about the past. Tells me all kinds of terrible crap my mother did to him, all kinds of insanity he did to her. Crazy stuff. Then he says "I feel better now that I confessed". And as usual I say nothing and just swallow it. Clearly he was not concerned how it would effect me, just narcissistic ramblings. I had the sense he was proud of all the infidelity and domestic violence from both of them. Anyway I haven't slept well since. I survived my mothers attempted suicides and finally successful suicide and now I am all whirling in it again. The thing I find most hard to swallow is the reminder again that my father is not an intelligent man. It takes more than knowledge of little factoids to demonstrate intelligence.

One thing I know for sure. I always wanted kids, but am sure it is better for society as a whole that my genetic line dies with me and my two brothers. Parenting is a skill you can't put on a resume and I for one admire all good parents. I raise my morning coffee to you!

Mya (helldog) has an injured leg and I am sad.

Where is Jenn?
Where is Ali?
Where is Cambo?
WHERE IS EVERYONE?

, lorin. I didn't know what sort of "ick" it would be. Sorry; I don't know what I'd do there.

lorin wrote:...Parenting is a skill you can't put on a resume...

Though once, in The Simpsons, it was tried... but phrasing everything in different terms.
Marge aka mom was a little uncertain. She looked at the resume her daughter had put together for her and was like, "Large animal zookeeper? I don't know about this..."

But, more seriously, yeah... People outside a family never know what goes on within. As far as both the good and the bad.

As far as how I'm doing.... I'm kind of nervous about stuff I've gotten behind on. That's a problem.
Though happy cause I'll get to see my hubby's parents later today. They just flew in last night and are staying with friends. (they are awesome.)

gah, lorin.

As for those you listed, I tend to see them more often on Facebook.

ali just had two short stories for the kindle, which are part of a short story trilogy that will bridge the gap between The Pipe Woman Chronicles and her next series, offered for free on Thursday and Friday on amazon. Did I miss a post from her here on the Watch about it? I learned about it from her Facebook.

Ah Lorin. That is way outside my experience.

Parenting is not easy, but grandparenting in a way is harder. I'm sure I wasn't so strict with my two as my son is with his three, but my two seem to have turned out OK. On the other hand, grandparenting is getting the love without most of the aggro.

I for one can't wait to meet you next year. You don't sound as if you turned out so bad either, in spite (?) of the parenting.

Lorin.

Family is so often a strange and messed up thing. I'm still struggling with something I learned about mine a couple of years ago.

Menolly wrote: As for those you listed, I tend to see them more often on Facebook.

gag I hate Facebook. I hate everything it represents. Ah well, I'll just wait for them to visit. Eventually they will come home to roost and I will be here with a big serving of Jewish guilt to heap on their plate.

Iolanthe wrote:I for one can't wait to meet you next year. You don't sound as if you turned out so bad either, in spite (?) of the parenting.

Thanks, me too! Truth be told I am a bit off kilter. (well maybe a little more than a bit)

Sorus wrote: Family is so often a strange and messed up thing. I'm still struggling with something I learned about mine a couple of years ago.

Come to the next fest and we can compare dysfunctions.

Linna Heartlistener wrote:Though happy cause I'll get to see my hubby's parents later today. They just flew in last night and are staying with friends. (they are awesome.)

I don't suppose they are looking to adopt a 58 year old burned out social worker with mommie and caddie issues?

BTW - I missed you Linna. You always cheer me up.

I finished my trip Wednesday evening.

Since I had brought it up earlier upthread, I'll give an update of what I finally decided to do.

I had a nice Laotian dinner with Ali in Va. Monday evening, Luci couldn't make it. We had an interesting evening of conversation, discussing the coming release of The Last Dark and the under appreciated Adam West Batman movie.

I decided on my last day to go to the Chancellorsville battlefield, which I took in over about an hour and a half. I took there a great picture that is now my FB cover photo: A vulture was circling around a field where I was standing. I thought it was 150 years too late and took a couple of quick snaps with my phone. One shows it from the back soaring with the waning moon visible in the background of a clear blue sky.

I left Chancellorsville for my next stop, Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home. Five minutes after leaving I saw a sign for James Madison's home, Montpelier. It was on the way, so I stopped there. A great tour, but anti-climatic. They have refurbished the house to a pretty close approximation of what it was like in Madison's day with one exception, his office where he formulated his ideas on a constitution. It was empty with white painted walls and quotes from great political thinkers on the wall. The guide said that they had gathered enough period decor to redo it, and that it should be done by Christmas.

Monticello was all I thought it would be, a very interesting home, fitting for Jefferson.

After I was done there it was about 5 pm so I pointed the car home, as I had to be there by Wednesday night. In Indiana the next day I saw a sign along I-70 for the Wilbur Wright Birthplace and museum. I decided to stop. Wilbur was born there, spent the first two years of his life there before they moved to Dayton, OH and he never returned. It was actually a pretty nice museum, with a lot of late 19th century items. I spent more time there than I thought I would.

A good getaway.

Annoyed. I've been furloughed, for all intents and purposes. Stupid government. I do get to use vacation time, which is a bit over a week, so hopefully this nonsense wraps up quickly.

Cagliostro wrote:Annoyed. I've been furloughed, for all intents and purposes. Stupid government. I do get to use vacation time, which is a bit over a week, so hopefully this nonsense wraps up quickly.

Annoyed isn't the half of it. I was 'furloughed' twice with NYC. Sucks. You can apply for unemployment after the vacation runs out. Not that that makes up for it. Hang in there. Take the family camping and get it out of your mind. Enjoy the fall colors while the Fediots work it out.

Feeling... weird. Slightly tired, slighty dizzy, odd tingling sensation on one side of my scalp. Doesn't seem too bad, but came home from work early anyway.

Sounds viral or neuralgia/migranous Murrin. R&R should help. Hope you feel restored soon.

My father died two days ago and as no doubt is often the case in these situations, family skeletons are making things a hundred times worse than they should be. Totally ridiculous - shame on us all.

pete the ageing savage wrote:Sounds viral or neuralgia/migranous Murrin. R&R should help. Hope you feel restored soon.

My father died two days ago and as no doubt is often the case in these situations, family skeletons are making things a hundred times worse than they should be. Totally ridiculous - shame on us all.

I am sorry for your loss, Peter. Family 'stuff' can be a nightmare.

lorin wrote:

pete the ageing savage wrote:Sounds viral or neuralgia/migranous Murrin. R&R should help. Hope you feel restored soon.

My father died two days ago and as no doubt is often the case in these situations, family skeletons are making things a hundred times worse than they should be. Totally ridiculous - shame on us all.

I am sorry for your loss, Peter. Family 'stuff' can be a nightmare.

Appreciated Lorin.

first big thank you to Savor Dam for the Moxie - thank you! now I need the brown bread, baked beans and corned beef.

lorin - the wound on my head is (mostly) healed. and the headaches had stopped, until last night. got a blinding headache that forced me to bed early.

work shift still sucks.

go to inservice in two weeks. (I think)

Sonny (our dog) had a bad ear infection, causing him to lose balance. the meds are working and he is feeling better.

that's it for now.

Hi, everybody! In reverse-ish order:

Sarge: Glad you and Sonny are both on the mend.

peter: Sorry for your loss. Family-of-origin crap sucks.

Murrin: Hope you're better by now...

Cag: Those bastidges! Fingers crossed that you're back to work soon. Magickmaker's company's contract is with the PBGC, which is funded with insurance payments from employers and not from tax dollars, so she's still on the job. (Phew.)

Damelon: nanananana BATMAN! I had a good time at dinner, too, and sorry luci stood us up. I've never been to Montpelier but I'd heard about the project -- I guess the place needed a ton of renovation. Might have to go down there at some point, after it's all done.

lorin: Jewish guilt delivery received. Sorry about your father the jackass. My dad, too, had a habit of saying stuff he should've kept to himself....

Menolly: Yeah, I didn't announce the short stories here. Truth be told, I didn't expect them to sell very well -- short stories often don't -- so I haven't made a huge deal out of them. There's one more coming later this month. Then I'm gonna bundle them together in an anthology, which I'll promote along with the first book in the new series. So yeah, that's my life right now -- throwing stuff against the wall and seeing if any of it sticks....

Linna: hope you had a great visit with the in-laws.

during the days my head feels ok. but at night the blinding headaches show up. fatigue?

had a moxie and milk to calm my stomach. (thank you again SD!)

speaking of stomachs... Julie found a lap band doctor who will do the procedure for $2500. if we only had a spare $2500...

pete the ageing savage wrote:My father died two days ago and as no doubt is often the case in these situations, family skeletons are making things a hundred times worse than they should be. Totally ridiculous - shame on us all.

Ah, sorry to hear about your Dad, Peter. It wasn't that long ago that mine died. Personally, I take comfort in the fact that whatever else, the deceased has no more problems.

As for the bad behaviour, I think most aspects of grief are selfish, which is what leads to stuff like that.

--A