Words

I have been following the tragic situation in Norway as I would imagine have a lot of people. I saw a string of text conversations between a mother and her daughter was hiding on the island while the shooter was on his killing spree.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/07/27/norway.mother.daughter.texting/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

I suppose this serves as a powerful reminder to let those people who are important to you know that you care.

Well I wished I was in Austin....

actually, anywhere but here this morning. It is hot and humid. One of those typical summer days in the Deep South that makes you almost wish you were up in Yankee land or even Canade enjoying more temperate weather. Actually, I was looking at weather reports from Scotland and that seemed like a nice place to spend a summer.
I love to travel. I have roamed all over the US, parts of Canada and Mexico, and a fair bit of the Caribbean. Europe is on the list to visit, but goodness knows when. I got borrowed some travel videos from the library about parts of Italy. Being a student of the Empire I think I would love banging around Rome, Ravenna, Ostia, Cannae (I know that is more of a Republican site) and other parts of the country. Modern Italian politics and their economic mess are of little interest to me. That's not entirely true - their economic mess is quite interesting, as are those of Greece, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and let's not forget Iceland.

But for now I will sweat my summer away in the Deep South, looking at pictures of blue seas and cobbled streets, imagining the gritty narrow alleyways of cities many times older than my nation.

The Black Dog (and, no, not Pupps 2.0)

So, the big, nasty cur has returned. See you when he decides to move along.

Que Sera, Sera

My life takes unusual twists and turns at times, and can seem a bit surreal. Today was one of those days. I left work at lunch time to run some errands and then work from home.

My first stop took me to the office of my attorney to pay the retainer for my divorce. Finally, the ball is rolling. My next stop took me too Petsmart to buy some Gooberlicious treats for Pupps 2.0 as well as some more training pads. While I was there, Teenager called me and asked if he and his dad could come over. (So, Teenager's dad is the ex-husband of the NQEW.) I said sure, and rushed back to my place to tidy up and make sure that Little One was presentable.

The visit was fun. Teenager had spent the past two days in orientation in preparation for his first time of college. He was, as one might expect, excited. His father was equally proud.

We chatted for about an hour and a half, and thought that it was a little odd that I have become (almost)friends with her ex. But then perhaps Doris Day knew what she was singing about (and who would have thought that Alfred Hitchcock would have a musical number in The Man Who Knew too Much?).

They Call the Wind Mariah.....

Whatever you call it, it was a little windy, grey and rainy this morning. Little One made the trek to work with me today. One of my work pals, Joseph, got to know Little One a couple of years ago when the NQEW and I first separated and she and I did the kid swap daily at my office. Now, Joseph and his wife are expecting their first child, and the office crew is hosting a baby shower for them. Little One has been invited to be a hostess and she is extremely excited about helping out with the event.

In preparation, Little One laid out her clothes last night and set her alarm clock, both uncommon occurences and definitely not part of the summer routine. I did have to wake her up, because even though the alarm was sounding literally in her ear, she was still sleeping blissfully away.

We have a fairly quiet weekend planned (or unplanned). There is a trip to the library scheduled, a trip to the market, and a good chance that we will head to the ice rink.

I hope your weekend is full of fun and sunshine,

Late Night

I was up late last night pplaying (literally) on the computer. I found a free online game called "World of Tanks" that has dominated what little free time I have in my schedule these days.

One of my college friends, the Colonel, told me about it. The Colonel and some of his friends were online and we teamed up and had a fun time chatting and rolling through different scenarios and doing battle with others online.

I haven't had the chance to speak to the Colonel often in the last year or so, but the time and the distance seemed to drop away, and it was like we were back in college, drinking beer and playing Harpoon on my old Mac.

Ice, Ice, Baby

Little One has developed a fondness for ice skating. This isn't the easiest pasttime to foster in the Deep South. We do have a very nice ice complex in town (3 rinks under one roof), but it is a fair drive across town to get there.

As of this morning, Little One has been signed up for lessons. They are actually quite reasonable, $12 an hour for group lessons. She is now going to take 10 weeks of lessons beginning in August and also practice for a Christmas ice show.

I guess we will be spending a lot of time at the rink. I see lots of hot chocolate and bruises in our future.

Summer Time and the Livin' is Easy

I suppose fish are jumping, and in those parts of the Deep South where cotton is produced I imagine it is doing alright.

Little One, Pupps 2.0 and I have been enjoying a busy summer season. Little One has spent a lot of time with Mother o' Jud. Pupps has kept me company, as have the two goldfish. And work is wonderfully busy, so I haven't had much time to get bored.

I have been occupying my time with my usual pursuits: movies on TV, reading and work. Exercise has been slow to nil lately, but it is beginning to pick back up. The 4th was uneventful. It rained most of the day and I stayed in and was quite lazy. Apparently the thunderstorms ended and the fireworks went off as planned, but I slept through them.

There is not much else to report. Work and my work is the name of the game. I am at the ice rink tonight with Little One. She is getting some exercise and cooling off on the rink while I try to remember how to blog.