6 Kids, 3 cats, 1 dog, Mom, and Dad

Just in case anyone was wondering or It has started snowing!

We're supposed to get another Nor'easter starting tonight and going through tomorrow afternoon. A Nor'easter is essentially a winter hurricane. The snow tends to be moisture laden and that makes it heavy. When you couple that with high winds you end up with power outages too as the snow sticks to branches and power lines causing them to snap. If you live near the coast you have to deal with the storm surge and that is usually worse when it is a full moon, like it is tonight.

I was 15-years-old when New Hampshire was hit with the Blizzard of '78. We never lost power during the storm which is pretty amazing since we only live about a 1/4 mile from the ocean. We did end up providing refuge to a family that couldn't evacuate from the beach because the waves had breached the walls along the ocean and flooded the roads.

We went back at night to rescue their cat before the storm got really bad. We had to walk on the snowbanks that were on either side of the road because the waves were coming over the dunes and straight down our road. The water was basically level with the snowbanks and lots of debris was floating by.

The dunes were actually big hills that were comprised of big granite blocks and a sand/dirt/gravel mix upon which people built expensive homes. We rescued a cat from one such home and had to hide behind homes and walk on snowbanks to stay dry from the crashing waves.

When we went back the next morning the National Guard was on duty to prevent looting. The house we had been to the night before had two stories. The front and back walls, facing the ocean, were gone on the first floor and sand was 3-4 feet high in their living room.

Entire houses were lifted off of their foundations and deposited in the marsh. The sea walls, mostly metal at that time, were twisted in bizarre pretzel-like shapes. The devastation had a surreal quality to it as you can see in some of the pictures I found below taken in Hampton after the storm.

You can read an article and see more pictures here.

More cat pictures or Even Storm posed this time.

This is Fizban after she found a piece of cheese on the floor.

Then she decided to hide in this basket...she thinks that she's invisible when she's in there.

Here's Storm. He watched the whole thing with a look of disgust and disdain on his face.

Beautiful Day or The snow really makes it bright outside.

Here's another picture of the view outside my office window. I open my window to take these pictures and the next one is of Fizban pleading with her eyes to be allowed to jump on the window sill and then onward to freedom!

Reaching or Friday afternoon blues.

I'm working. I'm really trying to get things done. I can't help it that the main server that I need to do my job is acting up today. I build a quote, it tries to retrieve pricing, it crashes, I reboot my computer. I stopped playing that game and will calmly (?) wait for the notice saying that it is all better before trying again.

It is 4:13pm and even if it gets all better soon I don't feel like working any more.

I took this picture of my hand. My hand is pretty versatile. I've hand-sewn miniature teddy bears with it and used it to block and punch during a karate class too.

I'm venting or I usually end up deleting these vents.

Beautiful Wife had a nosebleed and it was on its fourth day so I told her to call her oncologist. You see, when you are receiving chemotherapy the drugs attack cells that reproduce swiftly like cancer, hair, blood cells, etc. Essentially it is one of those cases where you get the good with the bad.

BW had to have a platelet transfusion today because her count was at 25,000 and a normal count is over 100,000. When it gets that low it is really a medical emergency because a normal cut won't stop bleeding and a serious cut could end up being life-threatening.

I was on-site at a customer location for the day but figured that someone from BW's family could take her to the hospital for the test to see if she was in trouble or not. After all, they've bugged the hell out of me with their requests to be in on a treatment or to drop in a visit her while she's having one. Finally, they had their chance to be part of the process and all they had were excuses.

They do nice things and have been a great help in some ways. However, the biggest problem with them is that when you really need them you can't count on them. Oldest and Middle Daughters ended up driving her to the hospital because otherwise she would have had to wait hours for her mother to do it instead.

So, basically, they're up your ass when you don't want them and when you need them they drag their feet and do everything but help you.

What's worse is that they called non-stop last night wondering if she was back from the hospital yet and wanting to know how things went. It can't be good for someone to bite back the words, "Are you fucking crazy!??!" the number of times that I did.

What? or Oh, you mean don't get on THIS counter?

I walk into the kitchen and see Fizban laying on the counter. I make the pfft noise that sends the other cats scurrying in fear...nothing. I turn on the water and wet my hands and the other cats bolt from the room...nothing. I flick water on her...nothing.

I get the camera and take this picture as she graciously poses, espression smug after her effortless victory.

Well I never or What really happens at the salon.

I watched Committed last night. It is a Tuesday night show but through the magic that is TiVo I get to watch it when I want.

Marni comes back from an appointment to get her hair cut and tells Tess that she had a great hairgasm. Tess is intrigued (Shut up!) and tries it out at the same place, same guy, but she just finds herself "staring at the ceiling hoping that he'll just finish."

One things leads to another and after multiple frustrated attempts (he washed my hair three times and now I'm just frustrated AND look like my mother) Marni ends up shampooing Tess' hair in her apartment. The end of the episode shows them avoiding eye contact and it is obvious that Marni gave her good hair and that Tess has finally achieved hairgasm.

Hairgasm...who would have thought?

And you did...not have the least number of votes or Not feeling like a fan.

We just finished watching American Idol. Monday night the 12 male finalists sang and Tuesday night it was the 12 females that did their thang. Tonight we watched the show that announced the two people of each gender that had the least number of votes and were no longer in the competition.

I was enjoying the shows, for the most part, so far. Simon bothers many people but at least he is honest. When he says something positive, even to those voted off, you know that he's not just blowing smoke.

I didn't like the way the show went tonight. I didn't like the fact that it took an hour to find out that four people weren't moving on in the competition. I really didn't like the way they strung them along and toyed with them before voting them off.

The way that the voted off the final guy was sickening and I think they should be ashamed. These kids are already being voted off, on live tv, in front of millions of people. Why do they need to be cruel?

The told the first row of guys to stay seated, they were safe, and made the second row stand up. The host went through them two at a time until he got to the final two and then he told them that neither of them had been voted off of the show. Then he turned around and told one of the guys in the first row that it was over for him.

How do you feel? Are you surprised? Here's the microphone, sing us a song.

I'll read the results online. I won't watch a Wednesday night show again.

My calendar or Hey, I have that wine!

I have a wine page-a-day calendar on my desk. I have the wine that is on today's page!

I hope that the bottle is a good one because I'll never be able to buy another at $48 if it isn't. I have a few of the 2000 Bordeauxs and wish I had been able to buy more. I bought the ones with the highest Wine Spectator scores that I could afford at the time.

I just looked and in case anyone is interested, I have 88 bottles of wine.

Winery: Château Léoville Poyferré
Wine: 2000 St.-Julien
Score: 94
Price: $80 / I paid $47.99
Country: France
Region: Bordeaux
Superb. Vivid, with lovely aromas of berries, minerals, toasted oak and leather. Full-bodied, with extremely well-integrated tannins and a long finish. A wine to remember. Best ever from this estate. Best after 2010.

Great quote or Thought of the day.

I find friendship to be like wine, raw when new, ripened with age, the true old man's milk and restorative cordial. - Thomas Jefferson

Lonely or At least we don't have mosquitoes.

I noticed that we left a tiki torch in the ground when I did my autumn cleanup of the yard.

In three more months I'll gladly sit downwind from that torch hoping that it will keep mosquitoes and black flies at bay.

Hell hath no fury or Are you stupid?

Talk about a story to make your skin crawl.

This man's soon to be ex-girlfriend cuts off his "junk" with a kitchen knife and then flushes it down the toilet!

I'm thinking that this couldn't have been the first indication that he was dealing with a psycho freak but he agrees to let her tie him to a window-sill for sex. Dude, are you stupid?

The thing that disturbs me is the thought that this is becoming an acceptable way of expressing outrage at your male partner. Whatever happened to cutting him out of pictures and burning them on Valentine's Day?

Driving with me or When you're in the front seat.

We visited Sainted Mother this weekend and Youngest Daughter invited along Her Favorite Cousin too. SM gave us a TV because she got a new one and we are her recycling center. It wouldn't fit in the trunk so it went in the backseat and Nephew had to sit up front in the middle between me and Beautiful Wife.

It was a great dinner...roast beef, browned potatoes, carrots, and onions...

I was feeling a little gassy on the way home and thought I'd be able to do a one-cheek-sneak without anyone noticing. I didn't make any noise at all but still managed to got their attention.

Nephew was happily talking to Youngest Daughter about their latest movie creation project when he suddenly stopped, looked at me with horror filled eyes, and exclaimed, "UNCLE BOB!!! DID YOU FART?"

I tried my best to look innocent and blame it on the marshes but couldn't help but crack up as everyone rolled down their windows.

Who says you can't have an impact on your children as they get older?

Went out last night or Things you don't know that you don't know.

I went out last night with Beautiful Wife's Younger Sister to see The Screen at the Coat of Arms in Portsmouth.

They did two sets of"Bands from England" covers and then the final set was their music. They are a great band and a lot of fun to watch perform. They do a song called "Divide" that is my favorite.

I was drinking my Guinness and another woman at the table had a chocolate martini. BWYS tried a sip and decided to get one. Later on in the evening she had another martini called the Great Dane that has chambord as one of the main ingredients.

Her comment about these martinis was priceless, "I didn't know that martinis came in flavors!"

We didn't get home until 1:30am and I didn't get to bed until after 2am. I still had to be up to get kids off to school, take out the trash, and start working. It is 10:30am and she is still in bed.

It was BW's idea that we go to the concert and unwind a little. Her sis cleaned our house yesterday and I've been getting a bit frayed at the edges so it was a fun break.

It is always flattering to be out with 20-somethings and be told that I don't look old enough to have a 19-year-old son. They're most likely lying, but it is a fiction that is most pleasing to me.

Embarrassing junior high moments or I was such a geek!

I read an entry over at francophony.net about a junior high romance.

It made me think of my own time in 8th grade...

The 8th grade dance was coming up. There was a girl in 7th grade that I thought was really cute and somehow I worked up the courage to ask her to the dance. I don't recall how all of that went but I know that she replied yes.

Weeks go by...I smile at her but never speak to her about the upcoming dance. At some point I ask her what color her dress is going to be so that I can buy her a corsage (my own idea by the way).

I don't speak to her again until the night of the dance. I don't even know where she lives. I don't know her phone number. I have to stop at a phone booth (back then they had phone books in them) and look up her number. My mom is driving us and she can't believe that I don't know where this girl lives.

We have our picture taken. It is in a frame with other pictures in my mom's bedroom. I am smiling and my ears are bright red. She is blushing.

The only thing I can remember from the dance is that I was amazed at how thin she was because my arms wrapped around her when we slow danced.

I remember sitting in the back seat on the way home trying to pretend that my mom wasn't there. I walked her to the door but I know there is no way in hell that I kissed her...at least I don't think I did...I'm sure that I didn't.

When it snows around here or Can't beat a dollar!

When it snows around here a local pub sells pints of Guinness for only a dollar! That's right...belly up to the bar, slap down a buck, and you are in beer drinking heaven.

I went in last night for just one since Son's Girlfriend had just told me about the custom. One of her friends is a bartender there and I've met her before at a couple of the concerts I've attended.

Son's Girlfriend's Friend heard that it was my birthday so she said my Guinness was on her! Free beer! Does it get any better than that?

The only downside to the whole thing is that you can smoke in the pub.

Big Brother has moved or Explain the sleeping arrangements again.

Son moved in with Girlfriend last weekend. She shares a good-sized how with her brother and his girlfriend, and one other guy. Girlfriend gave us her used twin bed with a nice headboard and footboard because Son has a queen size bed.

I was explaining the whole process of moving the bed into Girlfriend's room when the lightbulb flashed over Youngest Daughter's head...

"Wait a minute...they're sharing a bed?!?!?!!?"

Believe me when I tell you that the ?!?!?!!? does nothing to convey the incredulity that dominated Youngest Daughter's tone of voice when she finally figured this out.

A post about wine or To drink or not to drink, that's a stupid question!

I received $75 in gift cards for the NH liquor store system for my birthday. We celebrated it today with my Sainted Mother and she had the gifts from my sisters and aunt at her house too. I also received $50 in gift certificates for L.L. Bean.

I got one bottle of wine, 2000 Ghost Gum Cabernet Sauvignon. It is one of the wines from Australia that are starting to use a screw cap rather than cork for a closure. My Aunt, that gave me this wine, also gave me a Rabbit Corkscrew. I've always wanted one but never thought of buying it for myself. I think it is funny that she gave me a new corkscrew and then a screw cap wine.

Now I have to think about what I want to buy from the Liquor Store system...

It looks pretty or It can cause some damage.

I was talking to Outgoing Co-Worker this morning. She lives a little further North and they really got slammed with ice first and then snow. As a result, they have town-wide power losses.

We were lucky. Usually a storm like this, that makes the branches hang down with the weight of the snow, end up causing power losses for us too since we live on a road that is lined with trees. Branches snap and fall on power lines and then it is a matter of waiting for a utility truck to make it to that location and fix the problem. Depending on where you live this can take a while since they fix the lines that will restore power to the most people first.

A bad ice storm would have the lower branches you see in the picture touching the ground from the weight of the ice and snow.

What is a snow thrower or Me in action.

Deirdre mentioned that she doesn't know what a snow-thrower is. I, on the other hand, am becoming well acquainted with mine. I was back out there this morning clearing the driveway, cleaning off the car for the princesses, and doing general snow cleanup duties.

Here's a picture of me from last week's storm.

A beautiful sight or The snow monster lives!

This snowstorm has been something else. It started out as 12+ hours of rain before switching over to snow. I went out at around 6pm to use the snow thrower. It was a pain, but nothing like it would have been to use a shovel instead. The snow was thick and heavy since it was mixed with rain and it kept clogging the tube that throws the snow.

The slushy snow compacted and then kind of oozed out like a Play-Doh machine gone mad. It was like those ice cores that they drill in Antarctica in order to determine the climate thousands of years ago.

A few hours later I turned on the back light to see if it was still snowing and took this picture. It looks like a scary snow monster, poised to pounce on the unwary and acting as a safe haven for the snow snakes.

We were saving it just for you or Snow brings out the idiots.

I've seen your car downtown before. You aren't from out-of-town or an occasional visitor...you're a townie and you know what you're doing.

Why do some people think that a spot is not longer reserved for handicapped drivers when the symbol gets covered with snow?

How about the ones that park six feet from the door, when the closest spot is 20 feet away, because the lines are covered with snow.

Or the lady that parked across two handicapped spots in front of the school and left her car running so that she could take something into the office. I had to park about 10 feet further away and made it in and out without melting in the rain.

Why do they do this and where are the police when they do?

Summer for a snowy day or When flowers get delivered.

Good Friends had some flowers delivered for Beautiful Wife and they arrived today. Beautiful Wife got tears in her eyes and couldn't gush enough over all the roses but the lavender one in particular.

The black mark on the card is my editing job so that it doesn't show their names. :)

Let it rain or Time to wake up children!

We were so sure that school would be canceled today. So sure that we let Youngest Daughter invite over two of her cousins to spend the night. So sure that we let them stay up late. However...I still set my alarm for 6:10, just in case.

When I woke up, it was raining just like it was when I went to bed last night. The kids thought I was kidding when I told them that school was not canceled. I took pity on them and drove them to school so that they didn't have to rush to catch the bus.

It rained most of the morning and then started to switch over to snow. It was big snowflakes a bit ago but now they are getting smaller as the temperature drops.

Here's what it looked like a few minutes ago...

Please, please, please or So you wanted some fish.

Oldest Daughter wanted to have a fish tank in her room and managed to get one for Christmas. How did this happen since Daddy thought it was a bad idea? Just ask grandma and make sure Daddy doesn't find out until the present is unwrapped Christmas morning.

Fact # 1: Water evaporates. If you don't like the sound of the water splashing into the tank from the filter, add more water. OD: Oh!!!!

Solution to the food issue: OD keeps forgetting to buy more fish food. I asked her what she planned to do last night. "I'll just stir up the gravel and they can eat the food that fell down there."

On Pet Stores: OD says, "I don't know why you have to be 18 to buy fish" as she stirs up a cloud of old food and poop to feed her charges.

I got sucked in or Another idol in my life.

I've started to watch American Idol...and I like it. The biting sarcasm, the drama of people that think they can sing but actually suck, and hearing those few that are actually really good.

But let's go back to the ones that suck...don't they have friends or family members that would be kind enough to tell them not to bother?

How about the ones that argue with the judges and declare that "they was just as good as that other ho you let by" and that they'll "have a cd some day by God you'll see."

And now...I'm hooked, and I have a season pass programmed on my TiVo. I'll be in the basement watching Idol tomorrow night while Lost records upstairs.

But....BUT....will I become a big enough fan that I'll pick up the phone and vote for the next American Idol?

Saturday night out or The token old guy.

I visited with a couple of high school friends on Saturday night. We get together every few months, have a couple beers, and talk about classmates we've seen and reminisce.

After chewing the fat for a couple hours I headed back home. I decided to detour through Dover and go to the Brick House and watch a concert. Son's girlfriend's brother is a member of a band, The Screen.

I'd seen The Screen at the Stone Church but only heard a couple of songs before heading home since they hit the stage so late. This time I stayed until their first break and then headed for the door.

I enjoyed the music and the fact that my Son, and his friends, consider me cool enough to invite makes me feel good.

Err..Um... or This is why I don't let kids read my blog.

Beautiful Wife and I had a nice night at home to watch the Super Bowl. The two oldest princesses joined us and the youngest went over to a party at her cousin's house. Son showed up for a brief appearance with is girlfriend before going off to a party.

Early on in the evening a friend of Oldest Daughter dropped in to visit. I had just opened a can of Guinness and everyone watched as the foam moved to the top of the glass. I shook the can and they could hear the ball inside that leads to the great head once you pour it into a glass.

They asked to see it so I cut open the can and removed the plastic ball.

Oldest Daughter's cute friend said, "Can I lick it...your ball?"

Incoherent mumbling on my part and sudden interest in the monkey commercial on the TV.

A different perspective or Put on a happy face.

A friend of ours finished chemo a couple of months ago. She stopped by last night with a meal for us and to visit for a couple of minutes.

Mary has been through one cycle and has three to go. Our friend said that she didn't feel like she was going to make it through the process until she finished her third cycle.

We talked about the unrealistic expectations that some people have about the treatments and how things are going.

I said, "Let me be the one that tells you what the silver lining is."

Our Friend said, "YES! That is exactly what I mean!"

Time to dress up or It is purple chicken night!

I made purple chicken (Rachael Ray's Chicken with Red Wine and Tarragon) for dinner last night. I used a bottle of 2001 Argyle Pinot Noir and since the recipe only called for part of the bottle, we drank the rest.

Beautiful Wife can't drink now but her younger sister was over and she helped. We also finished the rest of a bottle of Sentus Douro that I had open already and then I opened up a bottle of Nalle Zinfandel since Son and His Girlfriend showed up and had dinner too.

We all had a great time. Wine definitely lightens the heart.

BW bought some bandannas yesterday and Fizban decided that she just HAD to have one for herself. She's such a fashion maven!

A little snow or Minus the flash please.

I got up this morning only to find out that the kids have a two hour delay. I looked outside and decided to take a picture of my favorite area in the yard but it was still dark enough to require a flash.

I took a shower and, Presto!, I didn't need the flash any more!

How long has it been or I'm surprised!

I was trying to remember how long I've been blogging. I checked the archives and the first post to this site was on January 31, 2003!

I started on blogspot but then Good Friend over at You Who offered to host my blog and I moved.

If I had more energy I'd go back and see what I had to write.

How do you write or What's a rough draft?

When I write, I typically don't have "drafts" of my work. That applies to here, papers for school, email for work, etc. I tend to draft and revise as I'm typing. In the old days of paper&pencil or a typewriter you really didn't have much choice.

There was no backspace, cut/copy/paste, and automatic spell check so you wrote, revised, and wrote again.

I seriously have a hard time writing a check because I spend so little time with a pen in my hand. Here I sit typing and I feel Fizban's scorn because I'm not taking advantage of my oposable thumbs.

Hey, Fizban! What do you think I hit the space bar with? Huh?

It is all about me or You say it's your birthday.

My birthday is on Valentine's Day. I like to celebrate it before or after that holiday since everyone knows that Valentine's Day goes to the woman in your life. I want my bday to be all about me...I'm just that way.

Anyway, I saw a link over at Be Less Boring's blog and decided to check it out.

The package came the other day. Youngest Daughter brought it in all excited since it was obviously her favorite candy. X-ray vision you ask? Nope. M&M just happened to have their logo all over the box.

This is what I got for Beautiful Wife and she got to have it early...a romantic gesture or just part of my selfish plot to keep my birthday all for me...you decide!

Life with three cats or Here they are!

I've been accused of being partial to Fizban and neglecting the other cats by not taking pictures of them. Can Fizban help it that she's so damn cute, and is always laying on my desk?

Anyway, I took these pictures and they really show their personalities.

Storm is the dominant male. He likes cardboard, paper, and plastic and thinks that all the world is his bed.

Buddy is the scaredy cat and is typically found under and behind things trying to stay out of my way, mostly. He's a meticulous groomer and has soft fur. Why's he so afraid of me? I was the one that had to give him medicine shortly after we brought him home and he's never gotten over it.

Fizban needs no introduction. She was my birthday present a year ago and she is the perfect cat. She seeks out attention, but isn't clingy and does the cutest things. She's social which is why she's laying where she is in the photo. That is the area right in the middle of the path through the dining room and kitchen. She's sure to be petted if she stays there very long. By the way, that is her leash in the right hand side of the photo. She loves to go outside for walks and is very proud of her leash.

Around town or A great place to eat and drink.

We went to La Festa Brick and Brew Pizzeria for dinner tonight.

Youngest Daughter and I had been there once before with a gift certificate that someone had given to us. This friend admitted to not being a very good cook but still wanted to help us after Beautiful Wife's surgery. She sent us the certificate and I'm glad that she did.

The pizza at this place is awesome. The Original Brick is amazing with the nice touch of a fresh basil leaf atop each slice.

Even better...they sell Unibroue beer! I had the latest Éphémère, cranberry, and they had it on tap. I wasn't sure if I'd like it but it went well with my Picante Pizza.

It is an affordable place to eat, the decor is nice, and the seating is comfortable. The only downside is that parking in that part of Dover is spotty. However, I wouldn't let that keep me away from trying it again.

I can talk without moving my lips or Officer, I swear I only had one conversation!

The gist of this article is that a 20-year-old person has the reactions of a 70-year-old when they talk on their mobile phone and drive at the same time.

It doesn't matter if you are hands-free or not either. They liken the effect it has on your driving as being like a person that has a blood alcohol level exceeding .08, legally drunk in most states.

Leave it on cruise control and aim between the lines, dude.

When it is sunny or Sunny doesn't mean warm.

I opened the door and stepped outside
Wanted to run back in and hide
It was so cold that it made my nose hurt
Giving the consistency of iron to plain old dirt

Even though the sun is shining bright
Beaming down on me with all its might
It ain't warming up nothing I can see
Except for the patch on the carpet that the cats like to sleep on in the morning