Thursday, February 25, 2010

Yeah yeah yeah

2/23/2010
Rough day at work and
Kids are fussy, complaining.
It could be much worse.

2/24/2010
Now I have pink eye
Though more like pink lemonade.
Makeshift eye patch rawks.

2/25/2010

Last day with the boys
I, the lone Y Chromasome
For nearly a week.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Pinky and the Brain

2/21/2010
Card tables, blankets,
Imagination in spades
To build their city.

2/22/2010
My wife has red eyes
Colored like cherry Kool-Aid
Fear well the Pink Eye.

Friday, February 19, 2010

2/20/2010

Twenty months is young
For such a frenzied tantrum.
That girl wants those shoes!

Twofer

2/18/2010
A normal day was
Just not in the cards today
Sick wife and sick kids.

2/19/2010
When I turned them on
I knew I would soon forget
Those blasted headlights.

It's a glorious day in Prod Support, a headphone hunker-down and get stuff done kind of day. Which is good because at my last count I have 134 unlistened albums to work through... I think I'm going backwards but what do you do when your boss says, "I think you might like Modest Mouse... here's there entire discography"? Or when a musical pal sends you a link to a site legitimately offering most of Danny Wilde's solo albums?

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Trio

2/15/2010
Happy Birthday Pete
Or should I say “Pastor Pete”?
Or maybe just “Bro.”

2/16/2010
Ultrasonic waves
Reveal all is right and good.
No doubt it’s a boy!

2/17/2010
My nose is magic:
From another dimension
It channels fluids.

South Side Soda Shop and Diner

When you think "authentic diner" you think of mounds of home cooked food for a great price, right?

So what do you get for $38 at Southside Soda Shop and Diner in Goshen, Indiana, you know, the one sporting the AS SEEN ON FOOD TV sticker on the door and a nook full of South Side mugs and sweatshirts and Food TV books and pictures of the owner posing with the fruity host of said show?

Two meagerly filled warmish "steak" sandwiches on barely toasted buns, one with cheese, one without
One order of fries and small cup of cole slaw scooped from some giant tub
One cup of "best in Michiana" chili (it wasn't)
One bowl of "best in Michiana" chili (it still wasn't)
Five mozzarella cheese sticks
Five waters, never refilled
Two individual scoops of ice cream on little silver platters
One small slice of cherry pie advertised as Cherry Raspberry pie, meagerly filled and with mediocre crust
One small slice of chocolate pecan pie, nicely filled and quite good in taste but with the same mediocre crust
Ambiance

I don't know if they jacked up their prices after being "featured" on that show or what but it was worth about half of what we paid.

About a year ago we went to the Barbie-Cutie restaurant when it opened on Washington and found it to be completely disappointing despite there being corporate honchos there to ensure we had a great meal. They are now closed. We also have visited the Moosewood BBQ off St. Joe and found it dismal. Again, the food was barely warm, the portions tiny, the booths rickety (plus they did our pet peeve of squeezing us into a booth between the only two other groups in the restaurant despite us having two kids and a baby), and the food only so-so. Surprisingly they are still open.

It's not that we LIKE to go to crappy restaurants. We like to try new things and often those new things just don't have their act together. I've yet to find good BBQ in Fort Wayne, especially pulled pork. Timmy's Pizza & BBQ in Garrett has the best I've tasted in a sixty-mile radius and well worth the drive, as is their Chinese restaurant which uses fresh vegetables that, surprisingly, don't leave you feeling hungry an hour later. And of course if you're in Evansville you MUST stop at Wolf's BBQ, the Mecca of BBQ. When my brother-in-law heard they had a buffet he fell on his knees and thanked God.

I'm open to suggestions for good BBQ in the Fort Wayne area. Anyone? Anyone?

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Weekend Report

2/13/2010

No shower, no shave
In sweats still at six o clock
Stayed in side all day.

2/14/2010

A surprise from Brooke,
Flowers for my wife and me
Bought undercover.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Gods News Behind the News

Washington D.C.
God’s pinkie nail can halt your
Tower of Babel

It might still be on the air but years and years ago the radio station I worked for had a program on it called "God's News Behind The News." The guy who hosted it had a funny little voice and after the introduction I usually tuned him out. But this week when I heard about the record snowfall that closed down Washington D.C. (and many other left-coast cities) so that even our ever-diligent "MUST FORCE THIS IMPORTANT LEGISLATION THROUGH THIS WEEK EVEN THOUGH WE HAVEN'T READ THE 2000 PAGE BILL AND IT DOESN'T GO INTO EFFECT FOR THREE YEARS" Representatives couldn't get to work I couldn't help but chuckle. Now I'm not one who sees a demon under every rock or one who thinks that God is a Republican but more and more I see God's hand behind "coincidences" in life. Yeah, call in the nut wagon.

But in this case, even though the Democrats said they would not try to force through legislation before they lose their super majority they ARE politicians and politicians lie like fish like water. I could go into the supposed transparency where members of the opposing side, not to mention the public, isn't even invited to meetings or... well, I guess one could fill a library with the lies of politicians. So anyway, even IF there wasn't going to be some last minute chicanery I've long believed that Congress does it's best work when it's out of session and the congress-folk pay a visit to their second homes in the states that vote them into a job. Imagine if you will, some of the most powerful people in the country (a role which the Founding Fathers envisioned as part-time job taken on for a year or two in addition to your regular job, serving your country for a short time for little pay), all puffed up with their importance and the big plans they have and God can shut them down with a little snow. Do you think conjuring up this much snow was any problem for God? It was less than a pinkie nail worth of effort for the Big Guy. Make a blizzard in February that not only shuts down Washington D.C. but also throws egg in the face of the proven lie known as Global Warming? No problemo. Even a giant snowstorm in July wouldn't be much of a task for One who rained down plagues on Egypt or brought the dead back to life. For all our human egos God can bring our lives to a sharp stop with a simple snowstorm. Just think what He can do if He does one of them thar miracles...

Thursday, February 11, 2010

A True Story

Teachers Union dream
But a pain to those who work:
Two hour delay.

Some schmoe calls a two hour delay when we've only had a slight dusting of snow in the last twelve hours... so I end up having to get to work two hours late. Life is sooo rough for the union stooge. My wife and I found that some high schools in the area are on a five period day. The teachers have one period for prep, one for lunch, and then teach three periods. OH THE HUMANITY! Why oh why must they slave and toil three hours a day*, every single day without end**? Taxpayer, you are a cruel master.



* Maybe four if they actually use the prep period to prepare or grade papers)

** Not counting CHRISTmas break, spring break, training days and that little thing called summer vacation.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Snow. And more snow. And a little more snow.

2/9/2010
Sled over the jump
And you’ll find that you don’t have
Flexible youth bones.

2/10/2010
Who can argue with
Free pizza for lunch at work
While snow piles outside?

Monday, February 8, 2010

Catching Up

2/7/2010
The roller coaster
Of life dips, spins, plummets and
Slows to the station.

2/8/2010
Confucius say that
Cold in the office better
Than cold in the heart.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Yet another haiku

My wife looks awesome
In her royal blue top while
She's wearing no pants.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Leaving work in ten minutes...

An early weekend
Means a date with my wife and
Garret BBQ!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Wake up, fix errors,
Try to sleep again, repeat.
Working the night shift

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Boy dun got sick

No room in the inn,
So the boy sleeps at work with
Possible pinkeye.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Happy Birthday, Brooke!

Always full of songs,
And joyful tricks and laughter.
Happy Birthday, Brooke!

Monday, February 1, 2010

Happy Birthday, Matthew!

Nerf guns, gizmos, stuff
You energize every room.
Happy Birthday, Matt!