A Fool and his Words are Soon Parted

One of my friends puts it this way:

My role as a parent is to make myself unnecessary.

Is that really my role? I have to admit, it’s hard for me to argue with that, even though my heart wishes it were otherwise. I certainly want my sons to continue to talk to me, but if I don’t teach them to operate in complete independence, am I crippling them for life? What will their lives be like when the day comes that I’m gone?

At the time of this writing, my oldest son is 20 years old, and my youngest is 17. If something were to happen to me today, both of them have enough basic life skills to survive in the society that exists today. In that regard, I could probably claim that my work, as a parent, is finished. (more…)

Yesterday, I saw a mother reading a story from children’s book to her young son. This reminded me of the hours I spent (and a few I didn’t) reading to my sons.

There are many fond memories I have of my sons’ childhoods. Reading to them is near the top of that list. (more…)

I love to drive. More specifically, I love to drive fast. Because of this, and because I was 40 years old at the time, I bought a bright-yellow 2001Honda S2000.

If you have read my blog for any length of time, you’ve been assaulted with pictures of me behind the wheel, mugging for the camera like some drug-crazed lunatic. I do not apologize for such behavior, because driving this car is a mind and mood altering experience, on par with any drug I’m familiar with.

However, this car is not for everyone. In fact, many of the attributes of this car that make it so attractive to me, are likely to be the very things that would cause others to walk away (stiff suspension, low to the ground, and so on). What if these attributes are attractive to you too? Does that mean you should rush out and snap up an S2000 from the nearest Honda dealer? Not necessarily.

Here is a quick review of what I believe to be this car’s weaknesses. Based on my discussions with other S2000 owners, I’m not alone with these complaints. Read on, and you can decide for yourself if the short list of annoyances is enough to push you toward a different car. (more…)

Given the number of times I’ve been to California, you would think that my first earthquake experience would have been there. It wasn’t. My first was lying in bed, right here in Kentucky.

Thankfully, it doesn’t seem that it was a movie-worthy event. (more…)

I promise to you, dear reader, to stop posting blog entries complaining about my crappy, less-than-desirable phone, the now infamous PPC-6700, manufactured by Audiovox, and sold through Sprint. I promise to do this soon.

Real soon now.

I promise.

Really. (more…)

Tiffany tagged me with this, and I found it somewhat intriguing. The challenge is to write your own memoir in six words.

This is difficult for me, since I can’t decide if I should write the memoir that represents what I really am, or how I would like to be remembered. I’ve been thinking about this for several days now, and I still can’t fully make up my mind. (more…)

Twenty years ago, at this moment, my wife and I were wondering if sleep would ever come on this night. It had been an eventful day, a crazy evening, and every indication was that we were looking forward to a night that might not yield any sleep at all.

Twenty years ago, we were awaiting the birth of our first son. No other single event in my life has changed me the way becoming a father changed me, and for that, I am unbelievably grateful. I’m grateful for the things I’ve experienced, and grateful for who I’ve become as a result of becoming a dad.

Proof can be found here.

I’m currently having about four discussions with friends about where to go to watch Thunder Over Louisville. Thinking that this may be a common question, here’s “The Fool Plan.”

Clicking on the link above will take you to Google Maps, and will display a zoomed-in version of where my family usually watches the fireworks. Parking is a completely different story, but can’t be generalized because it depends so much on where you’re headed after the show.

If you’re there Saturday, and see someone who looks suspiciously like me (accompanied by some women and a couple of large young men–my nephews), say “Hey.”

Yes, bad weather is looming, but the thunder I’m looking forward to is strictly man-made.

You have probably seen a fireworks show before. However, if you live in the US and haven’t been to “Thunder,” you’ve basically seen a grown-up version of what your neighborhood association might do for the 4th of July.

From the official site description:

After more than a decade, the show remains the largest annual pyrotechnic display in North America. Seen by millions worldwide via a July 4th rebroadcast on the Armed Forces Network to more than 150 countries, it is the state’s pride. A Discovery Channel documentary on fireworks shows says it best, “Thunder is the Grand-daddy of them all!”.

The pic above shows both barges, which launch mirror-image shows on either side of the 2nd Street bridge across the Ohio river. Because of this (and the natural amphitheater the banks create), even the biggest crowds (upwards of 800,000 people) can have fabulous seating for an amazing show.

Oh, and this year will add a bonus: The countdown and ignition of show will be assisted by some “offsite” folks.

I am jesting, but don’t call me “Shirley.”

Some time back, a friend of mine compared me to a court jester. I think he was trying to give me a compliment. Court jesters of the Middle Ages, according to Wikipedia, were “thought of as special cases whom God had touched with a childlike madness—a gift, or perhaps a curse.” When I read that, my immediate reaction was “but of course!”

However, that paragraph continues with, “Mentally handicapped people sometimes found employment by capering and behaving in an amusing way.”

This could explain a number of things…