Halloween at the Office

Posted under My Observations

I’m the one dressed as the MIB agent.

For Sale

Posted under My Observations

 

Imagine sitting in your home one evening.  You’re on the couch with your spouse.  Monday Night Football, Project Runway, Iron Chef, or (insert favorite sitcom) is on the HD LCD TV (hey, it’s my delusion). 

 

You’re sipping wine, or digging into a bowl of ice cream or both.  I love these fantasies!

 

Suddenly in barges a real estate salesperson.  She’s dressed in her business suit and blabbing away about real estate prices and views.  She’s dragging with her a cute couple. 

 

They don’t acknowledge you as they continue walking thorough your home, commenting on the wall color, floor choices, ugly furniture (fighting words) and fixtures.  They openly talk about knocking out walls, tearing out flooring, replacing furniture. 

 

Nice.

 

No, this didn’t happen at my home.  It happened at work. 

 

I work for a “bank” in “California”.  Two very bad words with our economic times as they are.  My bank is on the FDIC hit list.  Come to think about it, just about every bank is on their hit list right now. 

 

We are headquartered in a very nice piece of property that the bank owns.  Well the FDIC has said we need to come up with some money.  Now…. 

 

The bank has determined it’s time to sell this property.  It will give them the money needed and then lease it back from whoever buys it.  Great idea I guess. 

 

We sit close to the ocean, great views, near the freeways, fairly new building. 

 

Hell, I’d live here.

 

Wait, I do most of the week…

 

I’ve Been Thinking…

Posted under My Observations

 As my wife would say, that’s a dangerous thing:

 

• My youngest daughter’s IEP meeting last week went great.  She is totally mainstreamed which means she takes all the regular classes and is just helped by the accommodations.  In short she gets a little extra time to complete the tests, and she can have the instructions explained to her.  Other than that she will continue with her speech and language tutoring.  With her being a sophomore there are just two and half more years and all the birds will be out of the nest.

 

• Speaking of birds leaving the nest, my middle child, a junior in high school is exploring colleges right now.  However, with the economy as it is right now, I’ve told her to “open up her possibilities”.  Not only is money tight within our household but colleges are not handing out the money as they used to.  Also student loans are a lot more difficult to come by.  She may need to look at local schools instead of out of state.  She may need to also look at state schools.  I don’t envy the college students right now.  Keep your fingers crossed.

 

• Being a fan of the “stogie” my email is constantly inundated with offers from all the cigar retailers out there.  One of them is having a contest where if you picked the winner of one of the games in the World Series, they’d send you a free 5-pack of cigars.  Hell, free cigars are the best tasting stogies out there.  I entered and won a 5-pack.  The company sent out my cigars and I had them within a couple of days.  I opened the box when they arrived and found that they had packed them so that moisture had gotten to a couple of cigars and ruined them.  I wrote the company and explained to them what happened and thanked them for the free cigars.  I really didn’t expect anything to come of it.  Got an email apologizing for the bad shipment and that they were sending out another 5-pack to replace the wet ones.  This is what customer service is all about.  I didn’t expect replacements for free cigars but the company is going out of their way to satisfy me.  I love great customer service.  By the way the retailer is Cigars Direct.

 

• Am I the only one getting beat up by all the losses in the market lately?  I’ve had to move money around just so I don’t lose my shirt.  And don’t even get me started on my retirement account.  It looks just like a colander; money goes in and leaks out all the holes in the bottom. 

 

Well, at least I have the lottery going for me…

Potholes

Posted under My Observations, Wife

 

Before I start I need to preface that I am in no way an expert.  But, I have been around the block a time or two.  There are some that say I’m still circling the block, looking for a parking spot.  So when it comes to advice I’m relying on my experiences. 

 

Occasionally I even get it right. 

 

I was asked recently about relationships.  More specifically, romantic relationships.  In giving my counsel I reminded this person that there are three essential things that every relationship must hurdle.

 

The first one is the in-laws. 

 

Think back to your wedding day.  For most, your there standing at the altar with your recently betrothed and the photographer says “Now let’s get some shots with the parents.”  Having them be in your photos is symbolic of them in your married life. 

 

If you’re lucky, they become helpful without being intrusive.  They become people you count on to help support your marriage. 

 

If not they become the boil on your butt that you can’t quite reach.  They’re in your life constantly and with advice galore.  It will be a wonder you survived living without them up until this point.

 

The second one is sex. 

 

That laughing your hearing is God.  He loves a good joke, and the joke is on us.  He not only created our bodies’ differently (thank you, by the way) but he created the male and female mind to work differently as well.  My experience (two marriages) has taught me that the key for this to work for you and your partner is to learn to give and take. 

 

He gives, she takes. 

 

Actually you both need to understand the need for patience.

 

The third is money.

 

Yes, it is the root of all evil and it can be the undoing of a healthy relationship.  Again, that laughing is God again. 

 

Money to men tends to be an emotional decision.  We are usually a prideful gender and we strive for status.  We feel that it is our duty to take care of our families.  We need money and therefore are psychologically attached to it.

 

Women tend to be more analytical when it comes to money.  It is a means to an end.  Money doesn’t necessarily create happiness.  It gets them to a place where they can be happy, be it a new house, or new shoes (lots of them).

 

 

I bring these three items up because they are the pot holes that are easily stepped in as a relationship grows.  When becoming a couple we all look at it with rose colored glasses and don’t see the warning signs.  Before my wife and I married we took the time to talk about money, raising kids, in-laws, goals, work, and sex (that part was fun).  And even now we continue to argue negotiate all of these things.

 

Whether I like it or not.      

 

The Blue File

Posted under Daughters

 

As I’m sitting here writing this I’m looking over at a blue file folder on my desk.  This folder over the years has traveled with me from home to home.  It gets thicker as the years go by.  I’m looking at it today because I need to organize it and get ready for a meeting Friday morning. 

 

The label on the file has my youngest daughter’s name and the initials IEP.  For those unfamiliar they stand for Individualized Education Program.  Essentially this is a national program mandated for the schools for those kids who have challenges in the traditional curriculum. 

 

IEP was started to give kids who need the extra help or special accommodations to succeed in school.  My middle child with type 1 diabetes has an IEP in place, she is an honors student but the IEP gives her accommodations for her needs.  She is given the opportunity to check her blood sugars and correct with either food or drink during class or during testing. 

 

My youngest has been in an IEP program before she even started her academic life.  Her mother and I had noticed her speech and language skills in preschool were not up to her peers.  Further testing showed that she indeed needed extra help.  She was diagnosed with receptive and expressive language difficulties.  The school district that she was enrolled in had an early intervention program to help her bring those skills up. 

 

A child who lacks the skills in speech and language will struggle.  Basic concepts in their early years that are not grasped can impede with a child’s confidence.  Spelling, English, math even the process to study for these subjects and their tests can be difficult.  She is a bright child.  She has taken I.Q. tests to prove that.  She just sees the world a bit differently.   

 

We’ve been through a very long and difficult path, my youngest daughter, her mother and me.  We have learned to fight for everything that she needs to succeed within the school system.  Our meeting this Friday will be her last major conference.  Being a sophomore she only has two more years of public school left until college. 

 

So as I look at that thick file on my desk I am reminded of the brave little girl who struggled through the endless poking and prodding, assessment testing, speech pathologists, counselors and understanding teachers. 

 

I am very proud of her and what she has accomplished.  She is aware of her challenges and yet won’t let them stop her from being successful.  Her mother and I have instilled that in her.  

 

Friday, here we come…

 

Laugh It Up!!

Posted under My Observations

 

Spell Checker?

Posted under Daughters, Wife

 

In my short career as a writer blogger I’ve noticed that my family has become my eager conscience / critics’ editors.  I really shouldn’t be surprised.   After all, my wife is a language and literature teacher, my oldest daughter is a communications major in college and my middle child is in Honors English in high school.  I really don’t have much of a chance.  I’m so lucky to have them contribute.

 

I’ve recently written a couple of blogs with my wife.  It was a painful wonderful experience for both of us.  The arguing collaboration in writing those blogs I think brought us farther closer as a couple.  Her spell checking editing skills were only surpassed by her dry witty humor, and yawn fascinating content.   

 

My daughters have also been very distracting helpful when it comes to my writing.  They’ve let me know when I’ve missed the mark with a blog.  They usually send a sarcastic friendly note in my comments section to remind me that I was wrong mistaken.  You’ve got to put up with love them for that.

 

With this kind of criticism support, how can I not be adequate successful?

 

 

 

*** I need to send some link love to Daddy Dan and his “Ask the Bloggers” weekly feature.  Yours truly is on his list.  Check it out.  I’m the one enjoying his cigar…