Twilight the Movie

Posted under Daughters

 

I realize that I’m going to alienate what’s left of my audience that reads this drivel that I write.  I know that for many of you the anticipation of this movie is more than you can stand.  The news is full of reports of sold out movie houses, tickets not available, riots in the streets, and a general panic for tickets for those wanting to see this movie. 

 

I wrote a post back in August detailing how Stephanie Meyer was making my life hell.  How her book invaded my quiet domicile and made the women I live with obsessed with blood sucking characters.  It was all beyond me. 

 

And now the movie is imminent.  Opening this Friday, my home is all abuzz.  The questions arise.  Will it be as good as the book? (They never are)  Will the actors make it believable? (Their actors, no way)  Will the chemistry between Bella and Edward be there on screen? (Who the hell cares?)

 

Now don’t get me wrong, I love the anticipation of a good movie as much as the next guy.  I’m looking forward to “Quantum of Solace” with 007 and the new “Star Trek” movie coming in May should be fun.   

 

But every time the commercial of Twilight comes up on the TV the whole house has to stop, watch, and listen.  I get to hear the oh’s and ah’s from the women in the house.  “Isn’t the actor playing Bella so beautiful?”  “How cute is the guy playing Edward?”  God, give me a break.

 

So here I sit waiting for this phenomenon to pass.  Hoping that this film doesn’t do well, and that the critics pan it.

 

I just don’t think I could handle a sequel…

 

Christmas Card Photos

Posted under Blended Family, Daughters, Family, My Observations, Step Daughter, Wife

 

Now you understand why I’m losing my hair…

 

 

 

 

Get Off Your Ass And Start Walking

Posted under Daughters, Featured

My middle child (Princess) is a type 1 diabetic and is walking with her high school Sea Kings For A Cure on November 9, 2008 in Orange County , CA.

 

High School Again?

Posted under Daughters

 

My eyes were bleary and red from looking at the computer monitor for hours on end.  Spell checking, punctuation, correct grammar (I told you I married a teacher, remember).  Are the pages formatted correctly? 

 

The mind is going numb and I can’t remember simply facts.  Did I mean to write to, too or two?  How do I indent again?  I made a mistake, where’s the whiteout.  Oh yeah, it’s not a typewriter.

 

Is this the story of a writer updating his blog?  No such luck.     

 

Bless her heart, but my youngest daughter is the “Queen of Procrastination.”  She has known for a couple of months that her history class required that she turn in a report on the current presidential election.  Seven to ten pages on the candidates, their backgrounds, where they stand on the issues and then a results page of the election.  All due this Friday. 

 

Guess what yours truly was doing this weekend?  Go ahead and guess.  Was it watching football?  Relaxing in the backyard with a favorite cigar?  Taking in a movie?  Or maybe some much needed romantic time with my wife?  Nope. 

 

I’m not a dad who coddles his kids.  Never have, never will.  It’s usually a sink or swim situation for them.  However, I do have caveats to that rule.  I will let them sink but never drown.  They need to know that their parents are here to protect them, no matter how stupid they get.  But they are going to learn the lesson.

 

So for the sake of being a “dad” I assisted my youngest with her paper.  This was a daunting task for her being that she is being mainstreamed into regular classes.  I didn’t want her to drown.  I needed to give her the guidance in building the paper.  Build her confidence so that she’dl know that she can do it.

 

I stumbled into bed on Sunday night with visions of the candidates in my head (shudder). I drifted to sleep knowing that the nightmares of Obama and McCain would flood my mind.   I smiled in the knowledge that my youngest had a history paper almost completed.

 

Would someone pass the eye drops?

 

Again, I need to send the 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…

 

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…

 

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…

 

Drama at the Beach

Posted under Daughters, My Observations

Special prayers need to be said for the parents of teenagers.  If I had known that having mine grow up to be teenagers I would have asked for combat pay.  Or at the very least a stipend for alcohol and pain killers.

The day began innocently.  My youngest had planned a beach party this past Saturday for her birthday.  She had invited fifteen friends, boys and girls and all about the same age to help her celebrate. 

 

Her mother had planned the party and I was in charge of reserving a fire ring at Huntington Beach State Beach.  I needed to be there early because the weather though not summer hot, was still going to be in the mid 60’s and crowds were expected. 

 

I lumbered over to the beach at about 11:00 and camped out till her mother showed up at 2:30.  The winds had pickup and soon the beach looked like a desert storm in Iraq.  These same storms are causing a lot of fires in Southern California now.

 

Her mother and I decide to move the party to her house.  Fortunately she lives ten minutes from the beach.  We shuffled kids, birthday cake, presents, tables, surfboard (party game), fire wood and god knows what else to her house. 

 

This is where the drama begins.  (Cue music). 

My daughter in her infamous wisdom somehow invited this boy who had two ex girlfriends at her party.  She also had invited a girl who had an ex boyfriend at the party (not the same couple). 

 

We had guys outside crying, we had girls inside crying.  We had their friends taking sides; we had kids confused over the drama.  Last time I saw anything like this it was on “The Bold and The Beautiful,” this was neither. 

 

The best defense was an offense, so I gathered them all up and they were forced to play “Pin the Tattoo on the Surfer.”  Before you get any ideas, he was a cardboard surfer and the tattoos were small paper graphics.  After blindfolding and spinning them around the poor surfer dude was tattooed in spots that shouldn’t be mentioned in a family blog.

 

The day and evening ended on a happier note with presents opened and cake and ice cream consumed.  My ex and I sat down away from the hustle and bustle and enjoyed a glass of red wine together.  We congratulated each other for surviving this chaos.

 

Next year I giving her some money and sending to Chucky Cheese….

 

**********************

I want to give a shout out to my friend Daddy Dan and his blog.  He started a weekly feature he’s calling “Ask the Bloggers.”  The latest was titled “What would you do if you were elected President?”  I’m honored that he asked me to participate. 

 

Until I found out I was at the bottom.  Nice.