7 Kids, 1 cat, Mom, and Dad

Good news or We were the ones skipping!

All the tests came back negative! BW has another scan scheduled in a couple of months but that's just part of the process, not because of anything bad.

We are so happy and can finally breathe a sigh of relief!

Just when you thought it was safe or Stupid doctors, scans and cancer.

Beautiful Wife has an appointment in a couple of hours with her oncologist. Right now, she's out having breakfast with her mom, sisters, and sister-in-laws before I meet her at the hospital.

She had a PET scan and it showed some potential trouble areas when we thought that the appointment was going to be 'everything looks fine see you in six months' in nature.

She's had some additional tests and now we go find out if it is 'only scar tissue' or if she faces additional treatments or tests.

I'm trying to have a positive outlook in the face of some sobering news. I hope we can just give each other a little chuckle and roll our eyes at how worried we've been the last couple of weeks after this appointment is done.

What's that sound or When you have a nice client executive.

I've been taken out to lunch and received bottles of wine but today's gift tops them all. One of the client executives I support had a great year, in no small part because of my support over the last six months, so she showed her appreciation today by giving me an iPod nano, the white 2GB version!

Let me tell you, the princesses are VERY jealous.

Since you asked or A reasonable solution.

Xianfern recently posed the question, "What is it with guys and boobs?"

That's a fair question and I believe it deserves a fair answer.

We've had kids sleep over our house and those kids come from families that only eat 'healthy' food and make sure that they very rarely have sugar cereal or any kind of candy. What happens when they come to our home? The gorge themselves on the cereal and candy.

How many of you have a college roommate or a friend that had a strict upbringing and then went crazy once they were exposed to the freedoms of college life?

What's common to both of these scenarios? They wanted what was taboo or forbidden.

So, if boobs aren't any big deal, and yet guys want to see and touch them, it only stands to reason that this happens because they are denied sight and contact with boobs on a regular basis.

Solution? Women should willingly expose their boobs and after enough exposure to the good (Jessica Simpson), the bad (Roseanne Barr), and the ugly (grandma) guys will no longer think they're a big deal and will talk about your mind or something like that instead.

So, dear women readers...do your part and begin this revolution by posting pictures of your bare boobs on your blogs. Guys will never be the same! Why, by this time next year you'll be at the beach with your man and when some blond bimbo walks by he'll say, "God! I'm so sick of seeing boobs! Put some clothes on!"

When you party or Shots come back to haunt you.

Good Friend with Blogless Husband had a birthday party for said husband at the cool place that she works. It was mostly family, with a smattering of their friends, and their neighbors.

First off, the food and the company was awesome. They did it up big for his 40th and we were so glad to be invited.

We were sitting in some Adirondack chairs with Good Friend and His Wife when another couple walked up, two young kids in tow. She stops, looks at me, and says, "Hey, I recognize you. Aren't you the guy that I got drunk with doing tequila shots at a party over at Good Friend with Blogless Husband's house a while ago?"

I guess I make quite an impression when I'm drunk. My memories of the evening are pretty hazy, but her boobs are just like I remember them. :)

Went to the fair or I might not be a redneck.

Beautiful Wife and I went to the fair with Her Baby Brother, His Wife Whose Boobs I've Seen, and their 1.5 Year Old Baby Daughter.

The back story on the boobs...she dove into a pool, I was sitting there babysitting the kids (around 7-8 years ago), and when she came up out of the water boobs were out of the bikini top. I looked away expecting that one of the nieces would tell her but nobody did so then the time goes by when I could say something. This went on for around a minute (though the time gets longer with each telling) until one of the girls told her. After that we all go up to get food and as I'm going through the line my brother-in-law asks me if I want a burger, hotdog, or chicken and I said, "Actually, I'm kind of in the mood for one of those breasts."

Anyway...we went to the fair and I wore the clothes I had worn to work that day: khakis, a purple/blue striped long-sleeved shirt, black socks, and Birkenstock sandals. I actually wore dress shoes to the customer appointment and slipped on the birks once I got home. I'm pretty sure that the general population at this fair assumed that I was one of them queers. LOL

I had some french fries with vinegar (awesome!) and a snow-cone (ok) and then mostly walked around checking out things like the prize winning pumpkin (967 pounds) and the Texas Holdem tent. The tent had dirt floors, volunteer dealers that were 'working for tips' and a bunch of men trying to look like they were playing poker...if you know what I mean.

And things were so freakin' expensive...$7 for the french fries, $4 for fried dough, $2 for the snow cone, and $7 each to get in the fair. They took my niece on her first merry-go-round ride and it was $3!

It was fun, sort of, and helps me realize that I don't need to go back there every year because the only things that change are the prices, and they go up.

Scaredy cat or when Bad things happen to good cats.

Buddy, our scaredy cat, just had something happen to him that scared him and the other cats to death but still ended up being pretty funny to me.

He was sitting in the front window watching the leaves fall and chipmunks scamper through the yard. I don't know if something startled him or if he was simply jumping down, but his back foot snagged the cord for the blinds. He must have thought that something had him and bolted away from the window in the direction of my office.

The cord reached its limit and he pulled the blinds off of the window and they crashed to the floor. Fizban, at another window in my office jumps down and looks at Buddy like he's lost his mind as he ran towards my office, blinds in tow.

The look of abject terror on his face was awful and funny at the same time. He kept coming, blinds clattering with evil intent behind him, until he ran into the wall on the opposite of my office. Trapped, nowhere left to go, and then *I* got up to help him.

He scrambled and suddenly his foot was free of the cord so that he could flee my evil presence. I don't know where he is...I'm sure he'll stay out of sight until Beautiful Wife gets home.

I had to be the one years ago that dragged him from under a bed so that he could get medicine and he's never forgiven me. He slinks past me if we pass on the stairs, belly to the ground, and bolts from any room if I approach him at all.

A couple more pics or Flowers for a rainy day.

Can you tell that I like hydrangeas?

Another hydrangea picture or I like the pink and white.

Falling leaves or Good with the bad.

One of the most beautiful sights I've seen is the changing colors on the trees during Autumn here in New Hampshire. We have a couple of maple trees in our yard that are absolutely breathtaking.

The down side to all the beauty is that the leaves ultimately fall off of the trees and land in my yard. The amount of time it takes to rake my yard and the back breaking nature of the work make Fall a bitter-sweet time of the year for me.

The smell of woodsmoke from wood-stoves or fireplaces. PLUS!
Another load of leaves on a tarp that has to be dragged into the woods. Minus
The vibrancy and variety of colors as the leaves change color. PLUS!
Another load of leaves on a tarp that has to be dragged into the woods. Minus
The crispness of a Fall day, when the sky is achingly blue and the air is clear and dry. PLUS!
Another load of leaves on a tarp that has to be dragged into the woods. Minus
Picking apples, carving pumpkins, admiring the night sky and the brightness of the stars. PLUS! PLUS! PLUS!

Summer is winding down or Autumn is nearly here.

I'm back in my home office this week and had my window open out to my back yard. I started hearing this sound that reminded me a lot of the sound made by a baby alligator. Since I live in NH, and there isn't a swamp back there, I'm guessing that it is some other sort of mammal or bird.

I went outside to investigate and took my camera with me just in case because nothing is worse than seeing something cool or amazing and then realizing the camera is safely out of reach.

Once I got into the back yard the sound stopped but I still decided to take some pictures on the way back into the house.

Our white hydrangeas have started to turn pink and I noticed that we have some leaves that have already fallen from the trees to litter our yard. It won't be too much longer before the leaves start changing color and then falling in weekend-consuming amounts.

Funny Friday or Last day of training.

My week of training is nearly complete. All it takes is a week of this drive to make me really appreciate the fact that I get to work from home!

Mean Girl posted this question the other day and I figured that it would be fun to do the same here. What color is your underwear?

I'm wearing Jockey, black boxer-briefs.

Rainy days or Sitting on the park bench.

I'm in training this entire week and get enough of a cell phone signal in the conference room to know I have a call but not enough to have a conversation. My boss called so I decided to take a break from what I was doing and go outside to return his call.

It was sprinkling but I was sitting on a bench under cover by the building entrance so I didn't mind. Suddenly, the skies opened up and it started to pour. I looked up and saw two women running down the sidewalk in my direction.

Healthy women, wearing silky tops that clung to their ample curves, and they didn't have umbrellas. They tried to run faster, and were laughing as they did, while their silky tops got clingier under the deluge...it was quite a show and I didn't have to tip them when they got to the door!

If they had stopped and started to make out I would have thought I was watching an episode of Family Guy.

And I was like, hey! or Well do you, punk?!

I was driving into work today down our lazy, country road. There's been construction on one of the side roads that intersects with mine but no big deal.

I drove over the hill right before the intersection and all the 'guys' were out there getting ready to work. I was only going about 35-40mph and easing into the day. I could see a group of them talking when suddenly one of them looks up at me and scowls as if I came careening over that hill and was hell-bent on killing all of them.

He strode out into the road and started to pump his hands down in that universal sign for slow down. Nothing was moving. I'm pretty sure everyone that could have operated a truck was on the side of the road shooting the breeze.

I tapped the brakes and he scowled even more and started to really pump his hands as if going faster and lower would make a difference. I gave him my best 'fuck you buddy' look and then gunned it as I pulled along-side where he was standing.

I could tell that he longed for a 44 magnum at his side and the ability to wrestle me to the ground and say, "So you have to ask yourself one question punk...do you feel lucky?"

All that for this rant...I absolutely despise the people that have perceived positions of authority and exercise that imagined authority in a way that would embarrass the person really doing the job.

Construction Guy - You're not a police officer. Nobody has to listen to shit that you say. You didn't even have on your orange safety vest so keep your ass out of the road. Use your authority when it matters instead of acting like Barney Fife on a power trip.

Blog n Brew results or I had a fun time.

Attendees:

Kreblog
Lnotes
You Who
Granite Rants and Wife
Contagious
Xianfern
Seacoast Perspective

I had a great time talking with everyone once I got over my shyness since I was surrounded by such lovely women.

I wish I could have stayed longer but duty called in the form of Oldest Daughter wanting to take her new laptop to school.

I can't wait until the next time we all get together! We're going to need to try a different place next time in order to fit everyone. :-)

Reminder or Blog N Brew is tonight!

Reminder: Tuesday Sept 13th, Paddy's (in Pease) at 6:30pm.

Hope to see you there!

Summer corn or A great time of the year.

I love it when local corn-on-the-cob comes into season. We bought 18 ears yesterday and ate all of them. I'd rather make a meal of the corn than eat anything else. I don't roll it in butter, add salt, or even sprinkle it with pepper...I eat it plain.

This is only possible when it is fresh corn that is so sweet and tasty that you don't need anything else.

Opened a bottle or This is a good habit!

Beautiful Wife and I opened the bottle of wine that I talked about the other day.

The wine delivered as described on the label and I especially enjoyed the crisp, fresh acidity on the finish. When it was most chilled, right after taking it from the fridge, I felt like my palette was cleansed with each sip.

As the wine warmed the tropical fruit aspect of it blossomed without ever losing the crispness on the finish. I really enjoyed the wine and would get it again.

Been tagged or Something to do before going out to the garage again!

I was tagged by Raising Two Kids in NH so here is my reponse. I'm not going to tag anyone, but feel free to grab this and give it a try.

1.) 10 years ago my kids were three, six, eight, and nine years old. I was in my last month of work before starting at Cabletron.

2.) 5 years ago I was just laid off from Cabletron, with a large severance, and getting ready to start at Picturetel. That gig ended up lasting only 10 months.

3.) 1 year ago Beautiful Wife had a malignant melanoma removed from her leg and a chest x-ray showed a mass in her left lung. We were probably waiting for appointments with oncologists and further testing at this point.

4.) Yesterday I cleaned the garage with Beautiful Wife. We're not done but we got load of a shit-load of junk.

5.) Today I was asked to work even though I'm on vacation. We're still waiting for the junk to be picked up outside and a little old man keeps going by and taking things home with him.

6.) Tomorrow is supposed to be beautiful weather again so I may go to Ogunquit with Beautiful Wife.

7.) 5 snacks I enjoy.. slim jims, cheese, combos, devil dogs, tomatoes

8.) 5 bands that I know lyrics to.. The Beatles, Beegees, ELO, Queen, Bare Naked Ladies

9.) 5 things I'd do with a $100,000,000... Build a big house with a large wine cellar. I'd travel the world looking for wines to put in the cellar and then I'd have my friends over to drink whatever they'd like. I would also make sure all of my family was out of debt and living comfortably. Week two would be even more fun!

10.) 5 locations I'd like to runaway to.. France, Italy, Australia, England, Greece

11.) 5 bad habits I have.. opinionated, spending money, procrastinate, second-guessing, working too much

12.) 5 Things I like doing.. reading, karate, poker, drinking wine, hanging out with friends.

13.) 5 things I would never wear.. banana hammock, feather boa, heels, pastels, anything with nascar on it.

14.) 5 shows I like.. Arrested Development, Lost, Survivor , American Idol and Scrubs.

15.) 5 movies I like..Xanadu, Grease, Henry V, The Princess Bride, Sin City

16.) 5 famous people I'd like to meet.. Olivia Newton-John, Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Robert Jordan, Angelina Jolie

17.) 5 biggest joys at the moment.. my wife's recovery, my daughter is off to college, the garage is almost clean, we can start drinking wine again, Fizban laying in the patch of sun on my office floor

18.) 5 favorite toys.. slinky, Mr. Potato Head, pick up sticks, barrel of monkeys, playing cards

19.) 5 people to tag..feel free to join in the fun!

Vacation days or Whistle while you work.

Let's see...I decided to take some days off this week since I have a bunch of vacation and we're not allowed to carry it over or sell it back any more.

Yesterday, I spent the day waiting for the Maytag repairman to arrive, fix our washing machine, and then help get laundry caught up since we were machine-less for over a week.

Today, we cleaned the garage. Still lots to do but major progress has been made.

Then, this afternoon I got a call from my boss asking me if there is any way that I could fill in for someone tomorrow because a major customer requested a meeting and there isn't anyone available to attend.

Obiwan...you're our only hope...

Drinking wine or Time to start up again.

I just walked over to my wine rack and grabbed the first white wine that I saw. It is a beautiful summer day and I think this will be perfect to have later this afternoon after it has chilled for a bit.

The wine? It is the 2003 Tohu Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. The bottle's label has the following:

A typical growing season in Marlborough has produced a ripe herbaceous Sauvignon Blanc displaying all the characteristics of tropical fruit and capsicum, finishing with crisp, fresh acidity. This wine is a style best appreciated when youthful. It may be cellared for up to two years.

I'll let you know what I think.

It was bound to happen or Daddy and a house full of estrogen.

Youngest Daughter had a stomach ache the other night.

Me: Are you going to gack?
Her: NO!
Me: Where does it hurt?
Her: I have a stomach ache, leave me alone!
Me: Make sure you run to the bathroom if you're going to gack.

Turns out that she was having those pains associated with the monthly affliction and this was her first time. Beautiful Wife clued me in next morning with many warnings to say nothing because she'd been sworn to secrecy. Imagine, Youngest Daughter thinks I'll tease her if I find out she's having her first period.

Sheesh!

On the plus side...now that Oldest Daughter is gone we have two daughters getting ready in the morning and we have two bathrooms too! No more fights over who showers first or who needs to brush their teeth next. Sweet!