Crazy week, this past one; a lot going on, which is why I haven't posted anything in a while. For one thing, my Krav Maga gym exploded -- literally. There was a massive gas leak near the gym's building -- apparently you could heard the gas hissing out of a hole in the pavement -- and something sparked it. Nobody was hurt, thankfully. It was early Sunday morning, so there were only a few people in the entire retail center. Somebody smelled gas and called the fire department, and they had the area cordoned off a few hours before it blew. Last I heard, nobody was sure what caused the spark. It's across the street from my office building (which is unaffected), so I snapped the pic below from my car as I slowly drove by. Scary stuff.
That building ain't getting fixed anytime soon -- I doubt it ever does -- so the status of the classes are in flux. To the gym's management's credit, they were on it immediately. They posted a video on Facebook saying they would still offer classes in the area one way or another. The past few days, they've had "pop-up" classes in a soccer center. It's a space, but they need something better. People aren't going to shell out $50 a week to do Krav Maga on an indoor soccer field for very long -- and by people I mean me. They also need to find somewhere close to where the old facility was. The convenience of being able to leave work at 4:45 and be in class by 5:00 was a huge selling point. If I have to drive too far I'm out. We shall see.
In happier news, we had a joint birthday party for the kids on Saturday. It was madness: about 35 kids, 70 total people. Although, to be honest, it was less mad than I thought it was going to be. We rented a bouncy castle, which was one of the greatest ideas we've ever had. (Actually, S deserves sole credit for it, I think -- pretty sure it was her idea.) For one thing, it's just cool to have one of those things in your yard -- mega parenting props, right there. For another thing, it disperses the craziness. Half the kids can play in it, and then with "just" the other half running around, it doesn't seem quite as frenzied.
I bought way too much food and drink. I knew I bought too much, but I figured it would just be normal too much, but it was well beyond normal too much. The leftovers include: three bags of tortilla chips, one bag of potato chips, one bag of popcorn, one entire veggie tray, a fourth of a giant birthday cake, two full large pizzas (and we gave three away), half a box of chardonnay, one case of beer. Most of this stuff we can save for later -- the chips are unopened and we froze the pizza -- so it's not a completely waste, but still. We started composting, and I already dumped the cake in the compost bin, and I think the veggies are next. I've been doing my best, but I'm one man taking on an entire party tray. The kids won't eat the stuff, and S doesn't really like raw vegetables like that.
I did the shopping for the food, because S always buys the wrong thing, but then I pulled an S and got the wrong thing. She sent a text asking for wine in a can -- apparently this is the trendy new thing -- but I accidentally bought cans of rosé-flavored beer. WTF? Who even brews that? Yuck. I'm turning into a crotchety old man when it comes to beer. I'm sick of all these fancy microbrews. I usually just want watered-down yellow beer now, especially on a hot day, especially when I'm having more than one. Give me a PBR or a Modelo, and I'm good. If I'm feeling classy maybe I'll step it up to a Kronenbourg or a Stella. I just don't enjoy the craft IPAs like I used to. Anyway, the guy at the liquor store was really cool and let me exchange the rosé beer for actual bottles of rosé wine (they didn't have it in a can), and it's a good thing he did because nobody would have drunk the beer, but the rosé wine was one of the few items that didn't survive the party.
For his birthday, I bought Lil' S1 a Nintendo Switch. He's been loving it, needless to say. I've been having fun with it too. There was a period in my life when I played a ton of Mario Kart, so I've been getting back into the groove with the latest version. It's crazy how that muscle memory stays with you. I haven't played it in 20 years, literally, and I'm still pretty good at it. It's become our new family activity. For a half-hour every night, Lil' S1 and I play and Lil' S2 watches us -- I think he has the most fun too. I always let him pick my character and my vehicle. He picks Donkey Kong every time. And then he follows us on map and does running commentary, "Daddy, you got a red shell! Oh, take that Bowser Jr.!"
I don't think S is that into it. For one thing, she doesn't play video games much, so I think she feels a bit left out, and then she also thinks video games are bad for kids, which, I dunno, they might be, they certain are in excess, but everything is bad in excess, and I'd much, much rather have my kids play video games than watch TV. Video games are more interactive, and you can play them with other people, so it's a social thing. Also, they are fun.
Alright, I think it's time to wrap up this entry. The kids started school this week and somehow I'm exhausted because of it.
Until next time...
I bought way too much food and drink. I knew I bought too much, but I figured it would just be normal too much, but it was well beyond normal too much. The leftovers include: three bags of tortilla chips, one bag of potato chips, one bag of popcorn, one entire veggie tray, a fourth of a giant birthday cake, two full large pizzas (and we gave three away), half a box of chardonnay, one case of beer. Most of this stuff we can save for later -- the chips are unopened and we froze the pizza -- so it's not a completely waste, but still. We started composting, and I already dumped the cake in the compost bin, and I think the veggies are next. I've been doing my best, but I'm one man taking on an entire party tray. The kids won't eat the stuff, and S doesn't really like raw vegetables like that.
I did the shopping for the food, because S always buys the wrong thing, but then I pulled an S and got the wrong thing. She sent a text asking for wine in a can -- apparently this is the trendy new thing -- but I accidentally bought cans of rosé-flavored beer. WTF? Who even brews that? Yuck. I'm turning into a crotchety old man when it comes to beer. I'm sick of all these fancy microbrews. I usually just want watered-down yellow beer now, especially on a hot day, especially when I'm having more than one. Give me a PBR or a Modelo, and I'm good. If I'm feeling classy maybe I'll step it up to a Kronenbourg or a Stella. I just don't enjoy the craft IPAs like I used to. Anyway, the guy at the liquor store was really cool and let me exchange the rosé beer for actual bottles of rosé wine (they didn't have it in a can), and it's a good thing he did because nobody would have drunk the beer, but the rosé wine was one of the few items that didn't survive the party.
For his birthday, I bought Lil' S1 a Nintendo Switch. He's been loving it, needless to say. I've been having fun with it too. There was a period in my life when I played a ton of Mario Kart, so I've been getting back into the groove with the latest version. It's crazy how that muscle memory stays with you. I haven't played it in 20 years, literally, and I'm still pretty good at it. It's become our new family activity. For a half-hour every night, Lil' S1 and I play and Lil' S2 watches us -- I think he has the most fun too. I always let him pick my character and my vehicle. He picks Donkey Kong every time. And then he follows us on map and does running commentary, "Daddy, you got a red shell! Oh, take that Bowser Jr.!"
I don't think S is that into it. For one thing, she doesn't play video games much, so I think she feels a bit left out, and then she also thinks video games are bad for kids, which, I dunno, they might be, they certain are in excess, but everything is bad in excess, and I'd much, much rather have my kids play video games than watch TV. Video games are more interactive, and you can play them with other people, so it's a social thing. Also, they are fun.
Alright, I think it's time to wrap up this entry. The kids started school this week and somehow I'm exhausted because of it.
Until next time...
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