Raul Frogashrew and pneumococcal pneumonia vaccination

I've been meaning to post this for a while. The other night I rediscovered a bean bag frog given to me years ago by my brother. He did that because I had such a delightful time hiding his bean bag frog in his wrist supports he uses to help prevent his RSI getting worse. I found it very amusing. I must have been tired.

I looked at Spawn and asked what to name the frog. Mind you, we don't use profanity, or profanity proxies around her. We're reading Redwall books together, so shrew was going in there. Raul was the frog's name from years back. She dubbed him Raul Frogashrew Friggin'. I think she was just playing with sounds for that last name, but it made me laugh pretty hard, so she likes it, even if she doesn't know why I was laughing.



Bubbles and I also went ahead and got pneumococcal pneumonia vaccines. I understand they're good for something like 10 years. Seasonal flu vaccines, which we normally get yearly, aren't available due to the H1N1 panic going on (people are getting any vaccine they can that says "flu." We figured although any flu is very uncomfortable, most people who die from them die from secondary infections, especially pneumonia, so this gives us some layer of protection, and long-term protection, too.

Lost tooth!

Spawn lost her first tooth yesterday, with a little help from mommy, of course. I think she had anticipated something much worse than what actually happened. She was mesmerized by the tooth and stopped mid-moan to go, "Oooh!" No more pain after that. She went and rinsed out her mouth, all the while checking out the new gap in her mouth.

The Golden Rule

According to Spawn it says, "Treat others as you would have them treat unto you."

Sweet Child

Earlier she asked me, "When am I going to know who I'm going to marry?"
I said, "Oh, when you're all grown up Heavenly Father will help you to know."
She said, "He has to be a nice person. And he has to go to our church."

My Baby's Faith

We try to teach our little one how our faith has blessed us and helped us be happy in life. When Bubbles' car wouldn't start after installing her stereo (an admittedly small life problem), I was very worried and went upstairs and prayed about it. Not long after, I had an idea of what I should do, I went and did it, and the car did start. We still had to have a professional do a permanent fix, but at last we could get it to one without a tow. I explained all of this to Spawn.

Friday night, I'd been sick. I had a sore throat, I was congested, and not sure I was up to travel. That wouldn't have been a problem, except we wanted to go to a baptism on Saturday about 2 hours from home. It was going to take place at a building on the grounds of the temple where Bubbles and I were married and where we got engaged. Spawn really wanted to go.

The next morning I woke up and found the soreness almost entirely gone, and the congestion much better. When Spawn woke up, she immediately came to me and asked how I felt. I told her how much better I was doing and she smiled and explained she had prayed for me to feel better the night before, because she really wanted to visit the temple and see the baptism.

It's funny how the pure faith of such a small child can have such a potent impact. Naturally, we went to the baptism, and we showed her the place where Mommy and Daddy got engaged, walked around the lovely temple grounds and spent time in the visitor's center.

I am delighted to see my little one's prayers answered and her faith growing in response.

Spawn's First Goal!

Spawn has been doing soccer this year. It's only been a month or so, and though she's not a world cup player yet, she's learning the basic skills pretty well. When she's not picking flowers or pretending to be a penguin, that is.

Every Friday night is game night for the under 6 group, and we were delighted to see her really engaging in the game yesterday. Even more exciting was when she gave the ball a good hard kick, broke away from the puppy pile of kids surrounding the ball and headed for the opposing team's goal. Despite my sore throat (I'm a bit sick right now), I couldn't help but start cheering her on. At first I didn't think she was going to make it. She got a bad kick in and an opposing player got out in front of her. Spawn was determined, however. She kicked the ball hard enough that the opposing player failed to stop it and then she continued on through the goal. We were very impressed.

She got a little possessive about the ball after that, but we figure it was just the excitement. I've only seen a couple of kids take the ball most of the way down the field to score a goal, so naturally I'm a very proud father that mine did just that.

Those Gallstones and More

I know, many of you were anxiously awaiting the release of the photographs of my gallstones. Wait no more. The little monsters are here for you to view.



I can read your very thoughts. "Monkey, that's nasty." Yes, yes it is. My sister-in-law in fact said, "Oh, that's gross," when I showed her the jar and then took it to look closer. Is that like saying, "This food is nasty! Here, have a taste!"

Humans are weird sometimes. That works out perfectly for my silly self.

Friday was Bubbles' birthday. We had lots of fun. We got up and took Spawn and a friend to school and then sallied forth to visit California Family fitness for Free Fridays this month. Unfortunately, they wanted me to talk to the sales guy after working out, so I said, "No, thanks," and we headed back home. I prepped a Gospel Doctrine lesson for today, which was a marvelous experience.

Oh, and the best thing ever is that my brother found out Thursday that after approximately a year of being unemployed, he now has a job offer on the table. This is very, very good news.

Bubbles also did some tutoring Friday while I did my lesson. Once it was all done, we rested for a bit and then went to pick up the girls from school. Straight from school we went to Fresh Choice for a lovely dinner and then home to get ready for the soccer game. Spawn's team performed marvelously and slaughtered their hapless opponents, the Electric Eels.

Shortly after we got home and bathed the sweaty little Spawn, my brother and sister-in-law arrived as planned and we all chatted for a bit and then Bubbles and I went to do some playing. We were chatting with friends in Ventrilo and suddenly got pulled in and had our administrative rights added back in with a group we used to play with. That was a surprise, but a fun one. We'd noticed their game servers needed some active admins. We're happy to help.

Yesterday was good, too. Dangermom (my previously mentioned sister-in-law) went to go do some training at a local museum so she can so something fun with her home-schooled little ones (DangerSpawns 1 and 2) later in the year. Dangerdad mostly did work on his netbook and followed a bit of the coverage of the 9/12 protests.

The day was very nice.

This morning Spawn and I started the day by finishing up reading Redwall together and watching a bit of Planet Earth. The day looks to be lovely again and very pleasant.

Bathroom Humor

So yesterday we took one of Spawn's friends home after school. On the way to her grandparent's house, they were playing with a green monkey Spawn got from school as a reward. They were calling it diarrhea.

Then we went and had dinner at Fresh Choice (for my birthday). On the way home, Spawn started telling us how her friend has a yellow monkey named peepee and a brown monkey named poopoo. I asked if her friend had a green one. Spawn said, "Yes, she has diarrhea. She has all of them." Monkey said very calmly, "She has all kinds of diarrhea?" Spawn said yes.

Cards

So Spawn has discovered the joy of index cards. She found a small pile of them and wrote "index" on the lined side of all of them and put them on my desk as gifts for me. I just turned one over to use it to make a shopping list, and found my name written on the back, with a heart drawn under it. I checked the rest of the cards and they all have my name with a heart. My name is spelled correctly on all but one, where she added an extra e before the i. She's such a sweetie.

Days 4 and 5 post gallbladder surgery

There's not a lot more to say on the gallbladder surgery. Soreness continues to recede day by day. Today is certainly more reduced today than it was yesterday. I see no potential problem working an 8 hour day tomorrow.

My computer had surgery, too. On Thursday afternoon my NVIDIA 7600 GT graphics card died. We replaced it with the now inexpensive NVIDIA 9800 GT model. I couldn't drive and was still pretty sore, but Bubbles went forth and purchased the card and I was able to very carefully get at my computer and replace it. I reinstalled my operating system while I was at it to clean up a software conflict or two.

Everything seems to be running smoothly, though I've had a couple of minor errors since installing Open Office. I don't really think it's Open Office's fault, that's a fantastic office suite. I think as one adds complexity to the system, occasional errors are bound to crop up. Still, with a brand-new video card, I get a little worried when I see any error at all, even when it doesn't seem to be related in any way. That's just me. I'm a worrier.

Day 3 post gallbladder surgery

Today isn't a whole lot different than yesterday. The soreness has to have decreased, but subjectively it feels about the same because I stopped taking Norco (basically Vicodin, but with less Tylenol involved). I was due for a dose at 12:30 AM this morning. I slept instead, and find the discomfort very manageable this morning, so I won't be taking more. I don't like to take narcotics if I can help it, and the moment I no longer need them, I'm done. I don't know what addiction feels like, but I don't want to find out. Plus, the less you take, the better it works when you do need it.

So, I'm excited. The discomfort is still enough that I wouldn't try going to work today, but I don't see a reason I won't be going by Monday. I just need to rest lots as I've been doing and I think everything will be fine.

Most discomfort at this point is around the navel, where the largest incision site is. The soreness is above and to the left and right of this incision point, but it's not horrible. The other incision sites are tender to the touch, but otherwise don't bother me at all. There is a deeper in discomfort in the area where I'd guess my gallbladder was (behind the liver). I think that's a very real sensation, though I know there aren't a lot of pain receptors in that deep.

Overall, I'd say my condition today is much improved. Mobility is undeniably better. Soreness must be better, because I'm no longer on pain medication and at least as comfortable as I was yesterday. My night's sleep was fantastic (I'm up a bit because I'm still making sure to drink plenty of liquids), much of it in my customary one side or the other positions.

I'll keep updating in case anyone's interested, but this whole process had been just amazing. I can't believe you can take out someone's gallbladder and have this little discomfort and difficulty. I'm not saying this is an operation you should go have done for fun (as though you could), but if you have gallbladder attacks, this is significantly less uncomfortable than one of those.

Day 2 post gallbladder surgery

What a difference! The first 24 hours after surgery were marked by nausea, but not a lot of pain that I noticed. Day two was much more bearable because the nausea was gone. Soreness, especially around the navel, was more pronounced, but I still had great mobility when needed. Sitting, lying down or standing and walking were all comfortable with only minor discomfort. The transitions were what hurt, so I minimized them, planning what I intended to do.

I also had soreness in the neck and shoulders on day 2 that I hadn't noticed a lot of on day 1. Sleeping was much more comfortable last night. I have slept on my sides for years, so I'm most comfortable that way (if you sleep on your back, you have a real advantage after this surgery!). Night 1 was okay with a pillow under my knees (thanks for the tip, Cyndy), but I still found myself awake a lot and switching between bed and recliner.

Night 2 was much better. I'd been drinking a lot of fluids, so ended up still waking up fairly frequently, but was comfortable very carefully arranging myself on my sides, so I slept much, much better.

Overall as day 3 starts I feel like my soreness is less than yesterday, though some people felt day 3 would be the worst. Also, since it's been 48 hours since surgery, I got to shower, which felt heavenly. I'm a be clean all the time kind of guy, so two days without a shower wasn't very happy for me.

If you need a recommendation for a general surgeon in the greater Sacramento, California area, I heartily recommend Dr. Michael Aguilar. I know I'm experiencing less discomfort than many friends have reported. The man is clearly skilled and takes time to discuss the procedure with you. He's just plain good.

Day 1 post gallbladder surgery

I can't believe I'm actually sitting at my computer. The first 24 hours after surgery (in fact, 24 hours ago I was on the operating table unconscious) are no walk in the park. The soreness and pain weren't as bad as I'd thought they'd be. In fact, they weren't as bad as a gallbladder attack. That's not to say they can simply be dismissed. It's not comfortable, but that wasn't the worst part.

Whether from the general anesthesia or from the shock associated with being cut open, movement and being upright for any length of time caused dizziness and nausea. That just wasn't any fun. That's almost gone today, which is why I can be upright. The soreness is a bit worse today, but one expects that the day after, as with any injury, accidental or surgical. Still, with the nausea almost gone, I feel much better despite slightly increased abdominal discomfort.

I did have the laparoscopic procedure, and all seems to have gone really well. I do have some discomfort in my neck and shoulders, but I'm not sure if that's from the position of my recliner where I spent most of my day and the night, or from the time on the surgery table.

In any case, I'm very, very pleased. This is not as bad as my first gallbladder attack, which was misdiagnosed as acid reflux and took me 4 days to heal from, 2 of them in mind-numbing pain. The last attack, on July 26th if memory serves was much, much more severe than this. If you have gallbladder attacks, I heartily recommend the surgery. Get rid of the sucker!

Exciting Day Tomorrow

I'm starting to get a bit nervous. I had a great meeting with the surgeon last Monday to discuss having my gallbladder out. He'd had a cancellation, so he asked if I could do surgery tomorrow. I'm glad there wasn't much of a wait, but it is kind of sudden. Still, I'm excited at the prospect of having this done. Much like having my tonsils out 8 years ago, this will make a real quality of life difference for my family. I know they encourage one to move around, sit up, etc. following surgery, so I'll try to do a bit of stream of consciousness or something to chronicle my experiences. Reading other people's experiences helped me understand what to expect and how to manage recovery, so I'll contribute to that body of knowledge the best I can.

11 Wonderful Years

I love my wife and my family. 11 years ago today, we were sealed in the Oakland temple, beginning an eternal journey that has made me the happiest I've ever been.

That morning 11 years ago, unlike a lot of grooms, I was perfectly calm, if a little excited. I wasn't nervous or anxious. I knew I was doing the right thing. I'd prayed about it, read my patriarchal blessing and contemplated that, and went with Bubbles to the temple to pray about it. It was a good match, and we knew it. The Spirit had confirmed it. When we were married, we felt the strong promise of that same Spirit that the ceremony was accepted by God, and we were sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise.

So, it comes as no shock that 11 years later, I still know she's the one for me, she still brings me joy, I still love to be near her, to hear her voice and to feel her touch. Save eternal life only, there can be no greater blessing than a loving spouse. I'm very grateful for mine.

Happy anniversary!

Pain and Blessings

Last night, around 11:30 PM, I woke up in a tremendous amount of pain. It was the same thing that had woken me up at 4:00 AM the day before, but that had been minor. This one was much worse, akin to an attack that I had a year and a half ago that had me home from work for a week. That had been diagnosed as acid reflux, and knowing we wre going to be a bit less careful on our diet with visitors this weekend, I had already started Prilosec OTC. It didn't help. I spent the night in agony. As a religious man, I pleaded with my Heavenly Father to take the pain away. It sometimes lessened a little, but not enough to let me sleep.

Bubbles, the amazingly sweet and supportive wife she always is, went and got Pepto for me at 5:00 AM when the first store opened. It didn't help. Finally I consented to go to the emergency room at 6:00 AM, and away we went.

I explained the acid reflux thing, but they weren't sure. After all, acid reflux can have the same symptoms as a gall bladder attack, but the things I'd done should have calmed acid reflux.

Thankfully, they gave me strong pain killers (narcotics through an IV can really take care of severe pain quickly). I had to remember to breathe because my body didn't want to do it automatically, but the pain was subdued.

The doctor had some blood work done and ordered an ultrasound. It turned out, as he put it, that I had more gall stones in there than he could count. How's that a blessing, you might ask.

Well, first of all, nothing was inflamed or infected, so no emergency surgery was required. I'll be able to schedule a surgery. That's a blessing, because although most surgeons do great work any under circumstance, a prepped laporoscopic procedure means a rested surgeon ready to work and a quick recovery.

The second blessing was how my prayers were answered. I was pleading to have my pain taken away, and I meant right then. As usual, Heavenly Father had bigger, better plans. By allowing me to suffer for a few hours, I got the proper diagnosis and will have my gall bladder removed, ending these attacks forever. I'll still watch my diet because I should anyway, but instead of having to watch out for acid reflux the rest of my life, I'll have a simple, routine procedure and never have to worry about these hideously painful episodes again. He didn't answer me by taking away the pain of one incident. He answered by making sure the proper diagnosis was procured and after a surgery, I'd never have this problem again. Now that's an answer to prayer.

I also appreciate that our trials are not more severe than they are. I'm so grateful I'm not handed more than I can bear. A gall bladder? That's a trial I can handle with His help. There are much worse things from which He has kindly spared me.

Fun weekend

I had my annual performance review at work this week. That was fantastic. I'm always very stressed beforehand, but the review went well. My boss is a great guy. I work hard, so I'm glad it's noticed. It really all comes down to feeling like I owe honest work for the pay I receive. I'm not content to get by with the minimum.

This weekend we got to play host to the only family we're really close to. It's been nice. They've been having some stress, so we planned to make things very relaxed for them--we're making sure they don't have to worry about anything if we can help it.

My brother and I also finally made something happen we'd talked about. My family has a great internet connection, and my brother and I use a small remote-access server for a few minor functions. He has one located at his home, and he's on a DSL connection, which is great. Ours is a fiber-optic connection, so it turns out to be significantly faster than DSL. So, we grabbed some RAM and a switched out a hard drive and made an old machine into a local server here to do some of the jobs taking advantage of the excellent connection. It's all noncommercial stuff and small, so nothing powerful was needed. I'm excited to have it working.

A great day

It's been a great day. Not for the usual reasons. Well, some of the usual reasons. It's good to be home with Bubbles and Spawn.

The reason things are so great at the moment is spiritual. Yesterday I got some bad news, not about my wife or child, but about close family undergoing some financial tribulations. I immediately started to fast. It's been the best fast I've had in a very long time. I've been driven to my knees again and again pleading with my Heavenly Father for loved ones.

Who knew you could be humbled and grow spiritually through someone else's trial?

Chats with Bubbles

I mentioned to Bubbles she should post this because it's touching. She forgot. Spawn is a sweetie. This was Thursday July 16.

12:53 PM Bubbles: As I was making my sammich I was telling Spawn about Swiss cheese and how yummy it is and she said she didn't like it and I said,"You don't know what you're missing." She said, "I know what I'm missing--Daddy."

Some days I wish I was really wealthy, retired at a young age and playing with my child. Still, work is good, and I'm very blessed to have it.

Father's Day

I was treated to a special breakfast this morning. I feel so special. I was really tired, so this morning was one of the few mornings I actually slept in. Not that that kept Spawn from taking precautionary measures to make sure I didn't come out early and see the special breakfast. She built one of her special stuffed animal walls to keep me sequestered.

I wanted to try to get a photo before she knocked it down, but when I woke up at about 7:35 AM I spent a few minutes reading, then headed into the bathroom to shave. Breakfast was ready while I was shaving (bad timing on my part), and Spawn knocked down the wall. Here's the architect in the middle of her freshly destroyed creation.



And the component parts:



The breakfast itself was amazing. Bubbles is a sweetheart. She doesn't care for breakfast, so making something like this was a big sacrifice. I feel loved. You can see a freshly cut rose (which was delicious), tomato juice (love it!), orange juice (also a favorite), home made waffles (no mixes), cheese and bacon scrambled eggs on toast, bacon and sausage. Artery clogging goodness. Given that we don't do this almost ever, it's a real treat that shouldn't do us any harm.



I feel loved. What a great day!

Grasshoppers and breakfast

No, they're not related. I don't eat grasshoppers or steal their breakfasts.

This morning I went forth to brave the heat and mow the lawn. Mother nature had a nice surprise for me: no heat! She knows I don't like it, so she's being kind so far this Summer. Could be the lack of sunspot activity noted in the news, because apparently the entire planet is enjoying a cooler summer. Whatever it is, I'm good with it for very selfish reasons.

Afterward I had to finish cutting up some junk so it would fit in our garbage can for pick up (done, yay!).

On my way back from clean up, I happened upon a grasshopper. Well, Spawn is big into grasshoppers right now. Into a jar he or she went (I don't know how to tell gender on a grasshopper) and I brought it in for Spawn, who was thrilled.

I discussed it with Spawn. We could keep the grasshopper, and it would eventually die, or we could set it free. She said she wanted to watch it for a while then let it go, but she did not want it to die. She's a very soft-hearted child. I approve.

So this afternoon Spawn and I headed out to the front lawn and set "Crickety" free. Crickety didn't seem very grateful, but it survived its day of human captivity.

Spawn also spilled the beans that there's a special father's day breakfast in the offing tomorrow. Sneaky. The only problem is that I'm the earliest riser, so I'm under strict orders to stay in bed until they get their sneakiness done. Looks like I'll be getting through a few pages of "The Real George Washington."





I kind of wish I were calling my own dad tomorrow, but since the conclusion of the unpleasantness earlier this year, we haven't spoken, and probably won't ever again. I'm resigned to that, as he was happy to set aside my family's safety and say some nasty things about me, but it's my first year without a father. I'll pray a bit more, I guess. There's one Father who doesn't fail.

It's Waffle Time

It's waffle time. Spawn has been asking for them for a few weeks, but we've been so busy I haven't been able to do it. She likes Eggo waffles fine, but she likes homemade Belgian waffles better. So, I whipped out the recipe and made them. Spawn and Bubbles are enjoying now. I'll have one after they're all done cooking.

We went for a walk this morning and Spawn and I were doing a bit of running and fast walking. Unfortunately she hit some uneven pavement and fell pretty hard. It looks like she's okay, but her hands were stinging for a while. Naturally, having your child crying isn't a happy thing. I picked her up, put her on my shoulders and rushed her home so we could wash her hands and check for anything serious. Poor Bubbles got left a little behind. Spawn is fine, of course. Thank goodness.

Her Kindergarten completion ceremony was yesterday, and it was nice to see her confident and advancing. She's a 1st Grader now!

A Little Calm

Finally all the craziness has died down a bit, just in time for the end of the school year. The shed is finished and sealed, mostly. The room is all painted and carpeted and we're all moved back in and comfy. Swim lessons are done. We just have to make sure Spawn gets lots of practice this summer.

Here's the sitting room now:



Here's our bedroom from the archway now:

Crazy Weekend Ahead

This is going to be a crazy weekend, but I'm not complaining. I love to relax, but I also love to get things done. We have to put up the shed today that we built the base for last weekend. I'm excited to have that up. A shed is a useful thing we didn't have room for before the dead ash trees were removed from our yards. Now we can actually have a place to put yard tools and such, and we might be able to make the back patio into something nice insteadd of a junk collection area.

On top of that, insurance for the fish tank manufacturer is about to replace our carpet on Wednesday. That's great news. I can't wait to have carpet back in the sitting room/master bedroom area. The only problem: all the furniture has to come out and we'll have to sleep upstairs for a few days. That's not a big deal, though, to have things back to normal and put the fish tank disaster behind us.

As usual, I'm grateful for the scope of our trials. We need to face challenges to grow, but I'm grateful they aren't more severe. We're very blessed.

I'm still going to fire up the barbecue some time this weekend. One has to on Memorial Day weekend. I do know why we have the holiday, and I do honor our fallen soldiers. On my trip to Delaware, I had the opportunity to thank two sailors for their service. They're fighting to make sure my family can have a barbecue without fear of being shot or bombs landing on us and so that I can send my child off to school without worrying about whether any of us will live to see each other in the evening.

Silver lining

The great aquarium disaster of 2009 may be coming to a close. The manufacturer of the fish tank has accepted our claim. Friends who do contracting have looked at the floor from above and beneath and say it's sound, no sign of water damage. We may have Servpro have a look just to be uber safe, but at this point we'd just like carpet back in and to be able to use the room normally. That may be a few weeks out yet, as it will be all about how fast Liberty Mutual takes to process the claim, and maybe send an adjuster. All in all, since the floor seems to be okay, it's going to be a very small claim for this sort of thing.

After that, we'll start to redecorating the sewing room to be a sewing and pet room. That will be exciting. With a concrete floor, it's in no danger of damage should we have a repeat of what we're told is a very uncommon problem with aquariums.

More disappointment

I'm very disappointed in Petco. They sold us the aquarium that broke, but won't help fix the mess. They say we must claim with the aquarium manufacturer. We're doing that, and the manufacturer has been more helpful, so I won't mention their name.

My problem? Sure, the glass may have had some inherent weakness that caused a stress crack, and that could have happened in manufacturing. It could also have been due to mistreatment in the Petco store. Petco isn't doing anything to help, despite their contribution to the problem. When they insisted they wouldn't do anything beyond a refund of the actual purchase price, we asked why they didn't stand behind their products. They said they do. We asked how that could be the case, since they weren't helping repair the result of a defective product. They had no answer to that.

Several Facebook friends have already read what happened and won't be using Petco anymore. Some were waffling, since they'd already heard of Petco's poor customer service (I hadn't, but now I've experienced it first hand and am very disappointed). They commented that was the final straw, and they wouldn't be purchasing with Petco.

Finally, while I don't want to contribute to the litigiousness of our society, I think we have a reasonable case on this one. We tried to be very reasonable. We haven't set out to cause Petco any harm, we've just asked for help fixing the damage caused by the defective product they sold us. Still, our daughter watched her pets die as we frantically worked to save our floor (we hope--it still needs to be inspected). I was called home early from work. There's been a lot of stress so far. If we did sue, I see it as likely we'd win. How much more would that cost than simply helping? I don't know, but I'm tempted to do it just so they change their policies and stand behind their products and no family has to go through what we just did. The situation is bad enough, but add poor customer service and the cold shoulder from Petco, and that makes it all the worse.

I'm kind of rambling, but it's been a rough week. I just want to know my floor's okay and to get the sitting room back to the way it was (minus a fish tank).

I am happy that we've decided we'll keep fish again. No, not in the sitting room. Nor in any carpeted area ever again! I had thought the only reasonable place to have a tank was the sitting room where we could really enjoy it. We're planning to redecorate Bubbles' sewing room and make it a sewing and pet room, with fish, a hamster, and maybe a parakeet. We'll use the room more and Spawn will be able to learn about pets. Best yet, it's a converted garage with a cement floor, so although we'll avoid spills, it won't be a catastrophe if one happens.

At this point, my business is likely to go to Pet Smart since Petco has demonstrated that they don't need my business.

Devastation

Before I start, I should say that things could be much, much worse. I feel very blessed that they aren't. Nobody has cancer. Nobody's injured. The house is still standing. Still, this is a hard trial to deal with. That new fish tank we were so excited about? Yeah, last night I got a call at 4:00 P.M. My frantic wife let me know it was leaking. My boss gave me the go ahead, and I drove home as quickly as I was safely and legally able to (which turns out to be very fast, actually).

I got home to find nearly no water in the tank. The fish were expiring. I quickly grabbed the tank and got it outside. Then the stand. Adrenaline works. They didn't feel like they weighed anything. Later when I moved them to a more permanent location, they certainly felt heavy again.

Pulling back the carpet and running fans wasn't going to be enough to save the floor, so we had to cut the carpet out, and pull up the pad. That just wasn't easy to do. It really hurts to have to cut out carpet to save your home. Still, carpet is cheaper than floor, so we got it out, and quickly.

A visual inspection under the house today didn't turn up any sign of moisture through the sub floor, so hopefully several days of drying will do the trick and we can just recarpet. We've already filed an incident report with the store that sold the tank. A massive crack opened up in the bottom of the tank. That seems impossible, as the tank was properly supported on the stand designed for it, but that's what happened. It must have had a hairline fracture in the glass, or chip, or something when it was sold to us, though I visually inspected the tank before filling and didn't see any problems. I'm told it can be very small and still sufficient to cause a problem in a filled tank.

I hope the store will make this right. They're already offering to refund all the money we spent with them, and that's a start, but they shouldn't have sold an old or damaged tank, so we'll expect them to make any repairs needed to the home. I don't like costing a store money in these economically difficult times, but this wasn't our fault, and we couldn't afford to fix this.

The potential damage to the house is scary, but the loss of the pets was very sad. We bought the tank just 11 days ago. The fish already felt like our pets, though. R.I.P. Blackie (our black molly), Clovis (a black finned orange platy that looked a bit tigerish), Lightning, Sally, Kiesha (our frog), our two platys, our two guppies (one of which was pregnant and seemed to be nearing her time to birth), and our two neon tetras. I know it seems silly and sentimental, but you were fun to watch, and you'll be missed.

Perhaps worst of all is that although I know a faulty tank is rare, I don't see us feeling safe with a fish tank in the house again. I know this one was probably a display model that was out for years, and may have suffered who knows what in that time. Still, I could never put another fish tank in the room this one was in, just in case, and that's really the only room where we'd sit and enjoy them the way we did. With the carpet gone, we can't even use the sitting room now. That sounds fancy, but if you saw it, you'd understand. It's not big, and it's not fancy, but it was nice, and a relaxing place to do some family reading and fish watching. It really is a loss.

Wow. This really hurts to look at. Here's the room just a few days ago:



Here are some shots of the affected area and the carpet and padding afterward:

Accidentally deleted these while cleaning out the album. I forgot I'd linked them.

Here's what happened to the tank:

Note: Same thing as above. Oops.

These photos are a bit painful to look at. Spawn was so happy reading and looking at fish. Hopefully soon we'll at least be reading in there, even if we don't feel good about ever exposing that floor to 30 gallons of water again.

My suggestion: never buy the display model. Ever. I would guess it had been treated roughly, had things dropped in, etc. When its full load of 28 gallons was introduced, the weak spots took the stress for as long as possible, then they cracked.

I'm glad it didn't happen earlier in the day, when I was in Delaware, or when we were all away, but this was bad enough.

Tired, but happy

I've spent the past two days in Delaware! It was fun and informative,but I missed my family. My company does business development classes yearly, and this year I did business communications. I thought It might be basic stuff I'd know, but it wasn't just the basics. The class was really good, and I learned quite a bit and resolved to do things to improve my skills.

It had been years since I'd flown anywhere. The last time I flew very far was 1996, when I returned from New York. I was thinking that was the last time I'd flown, but I forgot a short hop to Oregon in 2000. I don't think I'd ever flown much at night, so this was different and cool.

Things I saw on the way out include the inevitable tops of clouds (which are still fascinating to me even though they're always about the same as bottoms of clouds) and Chicago from 35,000 feet at night. I have to say, Chicago lit up at night is pretty amazing from the sky. It's absolutely huge.

On the way back we had to divert around a thunderstorm, and although I saw no dark clouds (good job diverting, Mr. Pilot guy!), I did see cloud columns that seemed to go up forever given the limited view of my airplane window. We also flew over the contrail of another aircraft. Naturally, the other plane wasn't anywhere to be seen (good job controlling, air traffic control!) but the single contrail was an impressive sight from only a few hundred feet above. I'm used to seeing them way up in the sky from the ground. It was different to see it up close. The second leg of that flight saw us making our own contrails at 36,000 feet.

The only problem with going all the way to Delaware for training from the Sacramento area is the brutal travel. On Wednesday I had a 1:00 PM flight out of Sacramento, and arrived in Delaware about 11:30 PM. I'd lost 3 hours to time zones, so that wasn't so terrible. Delta was good--just a one and a half hour layover in Salt Lake City and on to Delaware. Once there the shuttle was a bit wild. Part of it wasn't really his fault; I notified the ground transportation desk and had to wait until about 12:00 AM for the shuttle to show.

Then a big family coming back from Costa Rica boarded along with one other gentleman. The big family from Costa Rica was first to be let off. They lived in Greenville. Their home was very impressive. That shouldn't be a surprise. Two driveways down was the house of a president of a major financial company. I'm trying to recall which (I was exhausted). Ameri Bank Corp. or something like that. I should have tried to remember better, but the next house was Joe Biden's. You can see his mother's residence from the street, but his house is evidently down a longer driveway. Usually there are secret service posted there, but evidently he was out of town, because that night there weren't any. I thought perhaps the family was yanking my chain, but on googling it and seeing some pictures, they weren't. They really live just a few lots from Joe Biden. I don't think Senators or even vice presidents are rock stars, but it was fun to see a notable residence in passing.

The company put all out of towners up at the Sheraton Suites Hotel. It was tremendous. I can't say enough about the hotel. It may have been chosen simply for location, as it was near the office where we did the class, but the hotel itself was very plesant. The staff was great, and the beds and bathrooms were excellent.

I met a bunch of coworkers from other locations I'd have never met in person otherwise, and it was fantastic. One of them is also a big fan of novels, and we chatted quite a bit. They were all friendly and fun to work with. It was nice to put names with faces, and I hope I entertained and enlightened them as much as they did me.

My boss's boss's boss was also in the class, and he is a riot. No courtesy laughs were required when he cracked a joke; it was genuinely funny. I'd met him several times before, but normally he's very occupied by the business at hand. Seeing him in a setting where he could relax a bit was quite different. He has a great sense of humor and the time he could devote to chatting he did very happily. He seems to enjoy people and has a very quick wit.

Coming home last night was a bear. I came back on Northwest Airlines and had tried to schedule the latest reasonable flight so as not to miss much of the end of class. I should have flown Delta again with a couple of my coworkers, but I didn't know. Oh, well. We had some takeoff delays on the last part of the journey. Actual flight time was about 7 hours, but door to door was about 13. That left me really ready to be off the sardine tins they call aircraft.

Note: I think I prefer the Airbuss A320 to the Boeing 757. Maybe it was the Northwest seats compared to the Delta seats, but I felt like I had more room. The airbus also felt more modern.

I'm glad I went for the class, and doubly glad to be back with my family. Today we're going to celebrate after some yard work. I also need to get a nap in. I woke up at my normal time this morning after sleeping only 5 hours or so. I guess my body is that routinized (let me tell you, it didn't like the jet lag or the time difference in DE!). Still, going back to one's regular schedule is an effective way to combat jet lag, and I was only gone two days (three, really, with all the travel, but only two calendar days in Delaware). I should be able to catch up on sleep and go back to normal quickly.

They kept me busy in Delaware, but I still really missed my family. My greatest joy in life is them, and I often take for granted the comfort of knowing Bubbles is sleeping nearby and Spawn is playing in her room. They're everything to me, and being apart just isn't easy. It's good to be home.

New Fishtank!

We finally did it. Spawn has wanted a pet and she loves fish, so it was time to get a fish tank. So, we went to get one last night. We got an incredible deal, buying the entire thing for less than half of the listed cost. Spawn is delighted, of course.

Note: I deleted the pictures during a clean up of an album. Oops. However, you can see the setup before the disaster in a later post.

Free at last!

It's a good evening. I'm tired, I'm sore, but it's good.

The first weekend of April we spent up with family. We stayed at my older brother's (Dangerdad) and enjoyed an incredibly well-planned birthday party for one of our nieces. It was a Jedi party, as she's crazy into Star Wars right now. It was tremendous fun.

Afterward, when all the kiddos were off for a fun little excursion to Grandma's house, my brother, Bubbles and I went out to a range area. We put holes in targets for a while, and I was gratified to see both the rifle that I'd fixed and cleaned and Bubbles' pistol working very well. Many targets were blasted, and Bubbles demonstrated she's a better shot than I am. I can still keep it on paper most of the time, but she's better. I need practice.

This morning I went to court and had a contract recognized and entered into court records to resolve a matter between a younger brother (not Dangerdad, our families are close). Due to the contract, I can't say more than that, but the process did cost me my relationship with my parents and my youngest brother, who sided with the opposing party. I'll probably never understand why, but my family is safe, and shielded from hostility, and that's what really matters to me.

This evening, after I'd gotten home from work, we planted two maple trees in the front yard. Just yesterday we had a massive ash tree removed from the front (and another from the back). One of the maples needed to go fairly close to the site of the ash, and I encountered some of the biggest roots I've had to deal with in any yard work. I can still swing an axe, and axes still work on roots. I'm going to have blisters, but I think it will have been worth it. I hope that little maple does okay. It has significant cleared space, and once it establishes itself it may be able to wrap around the old dead roots and gain nutrients from them as they decay. I hope so anyway. I may simply be displaying my horticultural naivete.

Here's to a good week and hoping for more to come. Well, maybe with a bit less stress.

Sunday Morning

We have late church this year, so Munch (a.k.a. Spawn) and I get to spend the morning together while Bubbles sleeps.

This morning we did a lot of good talking, and also built Lego ships. Spawn was very excited when I first showed her Legos a month or two back. She immediately wanted to design monster shooting ships. I should have captured our first effort, but it was a rush job and not very aesthetically pleasing.

These are better.



The one on the far left is the prison ship where we keep captured monsters. The smaller one in the middle is my ship she insisted I build so I could capture monsters with her. The one she's holding is her rebuilt model we did today with super uber monster shooters on the sides.

We were playing with the new ships and I let the new monsters know they were going to jail and would never come out again. Spawn promptly said, "You're going to jail forever, and you'll have to pee in a bucket!"

Ready for Next Weekend

Next weekend we get to go visit my brother and his family. The cousins all like to play together, and so do my bro and I. We'll take a range trip. I cleaned and oiled everything today. When you haven't done the monthly cleanings you should, it adds up to a lot of work!

I didn't find a lot on removing the rear sight on a Ruger 10 22 rifle online, and I had to replace mine as it was broken. One forum mentioned these are not robust sights and the guy growing up had to replace his 2-3 times a year when they hunted for small game.

All it takes is a hammer, a nail set and little fear. I padded a vise and carefully tightened it down to keep from marring the barrel, then set to work with the hammer and nail set. It did come out, with more application of force than I'd figured. The hard part was setting the new one carefully into place, as I naturally didn't want to break that. If it's not perfect, it's close.

I also got around to cleaning the 10 22 rotary magazine. Mine had jammed and wasn't working properly. A video helped out.



While I'm at it, I'm going to post this one for when I want to pull and clean the bolt.


Also for reference, full field strip (Replaced the defunct video on 01/25/2014 with a working one.  And I cleaned today):


I haven't yet been brave enough to pull the trigger group, but it looks easy, and my bolt could probably use cleaning.

Penguin Pee

IMing is fun.

Bubbles: Spawn's telling a story about a baby penguin that sat on her daddy's hand and peed.

Monkey: I'll be sure not to let her sit on my hand.

Bubbles: haha

Omnipotent

We were teaching Spawn "How Firm a Foundation" tonight. I realized she didn't know the word "Omnipotent" yet.

"Omnipotent is a new word for you, isn't it?" I asked.

"Uh-huh," she affirmed.

"It means all powerful. God is omnipotent, which means He can do anything."

The awed Spawn promptly asked, "Even backward somersaults?"

My silly child

Monkeyspawn was playing on her computer this morning and she declared, "Circuses can be dirty and wet." I'm not sure where learned that, since she's never been to one, but she often confidently shares random facts while playing on her computer. Or playing with her pet shop toys. Or, at just about any other time. I wonder where she gets that?

I promptly chimed in, "And there can be carnies there."

"What are carnies?" she asked.

Realizing I'd gotten myself in to trouble, since I really shouldn't denigrate anyone based on occupation, even people who smell like cabbage, I said neutrally, "They're people who work at carnivals."

"Ew, yuck," responded my darling child.

Huh. Aversion to carnies is evidently an inherited trait.

Snow Play

Saturday we took Monkeyspawn to the snow for the first time ever. We got in the car and drove for about an hour until we started to see decent snow on the ground, then pulled off the freeway and found a little restaurant that had a mostly snowed-in parking lot. We went in and asked them if we could play in their snow. They said yes so we went out and had a fun snowball fight which consisted of Spawn and I throwing snowballs at Monkey. Then we made a snowman. It was a blast. We weren't there for a really long time, but it was long enough to get a nice taste for the snow and have a little fun. Then we hopped in the car and made it home in time for lunch.

Take my hand, we'll make it a square...

New Year's Eve we went to a friend's house to play games. One of the people there had brought a PS3 with Rock Band. Monkeyspawn and I discovered our love of drum playing. Most of us sang known songs at the top of our lungs. We had to, because the music was so loud there was no other way to be heard. Anyway, we did "Livin' on a Prayer" a couple of times, and Monkeyspawn seemed to enjoy the song. Recently she's started singing it around the house: "Oh we're haffway there. Wooaah-oh livin' on a prayer. Take my hand, we'll make it a square..."

Then one day she asked me if I've ever lived on a prayer. I told her all the time. I asked her if she sometimes just says prayers in her head, not out loud. She said, "Yes, sometimes I just pray and tell Heavenly Father that I love Him." I asked her if He tells her that He loves her back. She said yes.