For over three years now, I’ve been razzed and quizzed about Disney Princesses. To my credit, I now know most of them, though occasionally I mix up a couple names. I won’t lie, I’m pretty proud of the fact that I do know most of them and that I can have a “princess” conversation with Ella. Today, however, a new wrench was thrown into the works – in the form of My Little Pony.
Sam and I are not sure where she came to know about My Little Pony. It may have been something that she watched at Nana’s house. The conversation stemmed from a juice that Sam bought her at the store today. It was one of those bottles with the character heads on the top of it. She asked Sam what the character was, and Sam told her she wasn’t sure.
As the conversation continued, it became very clear that she knew many of the characters by name. Sam grabbed her phone and looked up My Little Pony Characters and started saying the names. The more names Sam threw out, the more I chuckled. There was Pinkie Pie, Cozy Glow, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Jack, just to name a few. When my wife said, “Scootaloo,” I laughed out loud at how ridiculous these names were. By the way, we soon found out the character on her bottle was Rainbow Dash.
So Ella is a fan of this My Little Pony. The new challenge for me will be knowing them all. How many are there? I had no idea. It can’t be that many, right? WRONG! I looked it up! According to a site called “The My Little Pony Trading Post,” it depends on if you want to count all the various series, versions, and re-issues. From what I gathered, there are somewhere between 300-1500 different My Little Ponies.
God help me try to remember the names of those things!!!
Every now and then, I have to blog a story just so I won’t forget it. This is one of those times.
We have one of those inflatable pools for the kids. You know the ones I’m talking about? They kind of look like this:
Ours is a bit bigger than the one above. We only fill it half way, but the kids just love it.
Over the weekend, I was out weed whacking the yard before mowing. It was already pretty hot outside. The kids were outside, too and decided to just jump in. Sam was outside with them and just let them play in there with their clothes on. The issue was that Ella was still in a Pull up and Andrew was in a diaper. Well, you know what those diapers do when they get wet!
At some point both the Pull Up and the diaper had absorbed about all the water they could. Sam had the kids take off their clothes and they wound back in the pool naked. As I passed the pool on my way back out to the backyard I said, “Don’t poop in the pool,” and continued the yard work.
It wasn’t long and Sam called to me. “Come here! Andrew wants to show you something.” As I came around the garage, I saw Andrew standing on the driveway. It took me a minute to realize that my son is smarter than I thought. He didn’t poop in the pool. Instead, he chose to poop on the driveway.
It seems like we just heard the news that Pat Sajak was stepping down as host of Wheel of Fortune. He’s been at the helm for 40+ years, so the news of his retirement shouldn’t have come as a shock to fans.
It’s been a great run for him, and when the announcement came, the speculation of his replacement was instantaneous. While there were many names that were being tossed around, one name kept coming up as the “obvious” choice – Ryan Seacrest.
I won’t sugar coat this – I hoped that Seacrest would NOT be the new host. As you know, he has been officially named as Sajak’s replacement. This is a disappointment to me. It is bad enough to see him once a week on TV, now that phoney smile will grace televisions 5 nights a week!
I’m sure that he’s a nice guy, and I know he’s a fellow radio guy, but really, there wasn’t ANYONE else they could have picked? Give someone else a chance, dude! Doesn’t he do enough already? Isn’t he making enough money? I may be in the minority here, but I don’t see the appeal. I don’t get why he is so popular.
The only radio I’ve heard him do is the American Top 40, which Casey Kasem used to host. He does ok, but he’s just reading a script that is already prepared for him. It’s not that hard. Casey did the same thing, however, it sounded more genuine.
He’s hosted American Idol for over 20 years (a show that should have been done 15 years ago). I suppose his recorded bits sound good, but he always seems to be more of an annoyance the rest of the time he is on screen.
When he co-hosted that show with Kelly Ripa, I wondered if we’d finally get to see some real interview skills. I never felt that he had what guys like Carson, Letterman, or even Regis Philbin had. I felt like Kelly was carrying the show.
Don’t even get me started on New Year’s Rockin’ Eve! Dick Clark was a master and he obviously saw something in Seacrest. Without Clark, the show hasn’t been the same and I can’t even watch it. It actually bothers me that they still include his name in the title, because it never quite lives up the quality it had when Clark was host.
All that being said, now he will be taking over a game show classic. I fear that it will lose something when he becomes host (much like Family Feud got raunchier when Steve Harvey took over). I am probably dead wrong, because it seems like he can do no wrong, but I feel that this is the beginning of the end for Wheel of Fortune.
I haven’t heard whether Vanna White will leave the show at the end of production this season, but maybe she should consider getting out while she can.
Many readers know I work in Sleep Medicine. Every year there is a sleep conference in Detroit that we try to go to to earn our Continuing Education Units to keep our registry. That conference was last week.
Sam and I drove down to Detroit early Thursday afternoon. (The kids got a sleepover at Nana’s house.) The conference took place at one of the casinos. When we checked in, they asked if we wanted an upper or lower floor (we chose upper) and whether we wanted a city or river view (we chose river). It was a nice view!
After speakers were done on the first night, Sam and I went to a small mixer where guests could have a drink together. We hung out with a couple of my coworkers and folks who graduated from the same sleep program. They had raffles while we were there and Sam won a Tim Hortons gift card. My coworker won a $100 Amazon card.
We went up to our room and we were exhausted, but hungry. We decided to order room service ($$$$$). She ordered nachos and I got a burger. When it arrived, it was apparent that we should have just shared the nachos because it was HUGE!!
After the conference on Friday, we had hoped to go out to a nice dinner. Because room service was SO expensive, we decided to get something on the way home. After getting the kids from Nana’s, we ordered pizza and brought it home.
Just a side note: As parents, you can’t wait to get a night or two alone and away from the kids. Of course, when you do, you can’t stop thinking about them and are overjoyed when you see them again!
Clubs
My son, Dimitri, turned 16 on Sunday. I told him I wanted to take him out golfing. It’s something he and I have never done together and I knew it would be a good time for us to connect and chat. We decided to go Saturday morning, and the weather was perfect.
I haven’t been on a course in at least 3-4 years. I knew I was gonna really golf badly. He hasn’t been out in at least a year, since leaving the golf club at school. Thank goodness it was a slow day in the course.
I hate when you’ve always got someone waiting for you to tee off or shoot. I realize it’s part of the game, but I always feel rushed and often just want to hit so we can go. Dimitri and I were far from professionals out there, so it did take us a bit longer than usual. We finally let the twosome behind us play through.
He is like me in that he has his favorite clubs. He rarely uses his driver, but he can crush a ball with his 5 wood. I have a 7 wood that I used to hit well, but topped it every time Saturday. I had a few good drives, just enough to keep me coming back.
We bent the rules a little bit, and had plenty of mulligans (redos), and impost probably a dozen balls in the woods and water. Despite all of that, it was a great time together. He, naturally, beat me by two strokes. I can’t wait to do it again.
Croup
Sam called me while I was out golfing and said that both kids sounded sick. Both had low grade fevers and a cough. By the time I got home, Ella was sounding better after taking some allergy meds. Andrew’s fever was gone but still had a cough and that raspy voice.
Sam wondered if we should take him to urgent care or ER. Everyone we talked to said wait to see how he was in the morning.
That night at bedtime he cried a lot. He wound up in our bed. He woke us up with a nasty cough and wheezing about 3am. He fell right back to sleep, but it was enough to freak us out a bit.
At 6am he woke up sounding worse, so we rushed him to ER. Nana met us there and brought Ella back to her house. We planned to be there a while and Sam packed loads of snacks just in case.
They got us right back and he was seen almost immediately. We weren’t sure what to expect because we were there right at shift change. However, once we were in our room, the nurse came in, followed by the doc. Once the examination was done, she told us it was croup and she gave him a steroid and told us he should be back to normal in a couple days.
How fast were they? Well, we had finished with the nurse and the doctor AND the meds were administered all before the registration gal came to our room! We actually had to wait to get registered before we could leave! Total ER time – about 70 minutes.
Ella decided she wanted to have a sleepover again at Nana’s, so when Sam left for work last night it was just me and Andrew. He really improved throughout the day. Before bed, we stood on the porch and watched the thunderstorm together.
Andrew is still sleeping and Ella should be home later today. The house should return to it’s normal chaotic state shortly after her arrival.
Yesterday was the first day of summer and my family is certainly ready for it! We got an early start a few weeks ago with our day trip to the beach in Caseville, MI. At home, we’ve got the big sprinkler that looks like a fire hydrant and a blow up pool in the yard for the kids.
This week, my wife bought the kids a rollercoaster for the back yard. Ok, it is hardly a roller coaster, but the kids do love it. There is a unicorn that they sit on and it slides down a track. They love it!
It’s the perfect size for Andrew and by the look on her face in the next photo, Ella loves it too!
Once they get to the end, they take the unicorn back up and do it again. It’s fun to watch them!
Pass the sunscreen – these two are ready for a lot of summer sunshine!
Now, as far as the new kitty is concerned …. it looks like he’s packed his bags and is read to go somewhere ….
To say that I am speechless is an understatement. This is Blog #1000!
Off the top of my head, I’ve covered a lot of ground in 1000 blog posts. Sure there are plenty of fun blogs about music, movies, TV shows, and books. But there are also many serious blogs about my battle with depression and search for (and finding) happiness. There are also blogs about my divorce and remarriage, the birth of my two youngest children, my family, and many of my life long friends. Of course, there are also many posts from my sentimental side focusing on nostalgic things from my past.
What an amazing journey this has been. Perhaps one day, I will sort through all of them and turn them into a book?
For those of you who have been with me from the beginning, thank you for your support. For my newer followers, thank you for reading, too. I appreciate your comments and interaction. I follow most of you as well and enjoy my time reading your blogs, as well. Your stories, your poetry, your rants, and our shared love for music, entertainment, and good memories is a truly wonderful thing.
I read somewhere that “Blogging is not rocket science. It’s about being yourself and putting what you have into it.” There is a truth to this. It is not really that different from when I was working on the radio. “Be yourself” I was told. Share your stories. Share your thoughts. Share your life. Share a bit of yourself. THAT is what others connect with.
I hope to continue doing that.
Thank you again for sticking around. I really appreciate you reading.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book. I’m a mystery guy and this is not a mystery. It is a wonderful novel that I connected to on so many levels. Let me give you the Goodreads synopsis first and then I will explain.
From Goodreads
Still reeling from the sudden death of her mother, Jess is about to do the hardest thing she’s ever done: empty her childhood home so that it can be sold. As she sorts through a lifetime of memories, everything comes to a halt when she comes across something she just can’t part with: an old set of encyclopedias. To the world, the books are outdated and ready to be recycled. To Jess, they represent love and the future that her mother always wanted her to have.
In the process of finding the books a new home, Jess discovers an unusual archive of letters, photographs, and curious housed in a warehouse and known as the Museum of Ordinary People. Irresistibly drawn, she becomes the museum’s unofficial custodian, along with the warehouse’s mysterious owner. As they delve into the history of objects in their care, they not only unravel heart-stirring stories that span generations and continents, but also unearth long-buried secrets that lie closer to home.
Inspired by an abandoned box of mementos, The Museum of Ordinary People is a poignant novel about memory and loss, the things we leave behind, and the future we create for ourselves.
I could totally relate to the grief felt by the main character in losing her mother. As she was cleaning out her mother’s house and shares her thoughts about things to keep and things to discard, you can tell just how difficult a task it is for her. The memories that each of the various items invoke are similar to what I feel with many things I have at my home from loved ones who have passed away.
While I don’t consider myself a hoarder like the ones you see on TV, I do tend to keep a lot of things. They are probably things that mean nothing to anyone but me. Physical reminders of a special day, special memory or a special person. As I read this book, there were so many instances where I felt exactly like the main character about an item. I have things at home that are absurd to others: a nickel plated railroad spike, a chipped ceramic baseball glove, a never used Zippo lighter, and many other small things. Each item holds some special connection for me.
In the book, the “museum” is filled with things an old wedding dress, a worn out work bench, a tin filled with letters, a suitcase filled with letters and old birthday cards, and other items that were brought there by people hoping that the items would be cared for. I have to admit that I found myself wondering what “item” of mine I’d want to have placed in this “museum.” I’m still thinking about that. What would represent you?
I found myself really wrapped up in the story. I connected with the characters and there were plenty of surprises along the way. Toward the end, one of those surprises made me say, “No way!” out loud. I enjoyed it a lot, maybe you will, too.
I found out at 3:40am that Mowgli, the new kitten, has quite a loud “meow!” I tried to go back to sleep, but for some reason, I was not able to. So I put on a pot of coffee and grabbed my book.
Sam got home from work and had the kids meet her out at the car, where she had my gift. They kids got me a #1 Dad shirt and a Super Dad baseball hat.
Ella had asked Sam to make sure I had a cake for Father’s Day. So she picked it up on her way home. When they handed it to her, there was no writing on it. She reminded the clerk that it was supposed to say “Happy Father’s Day” on it. The clerk, who obviously has NEVER written on a cake before, took it back and wrote on it.
Sam saw it, and before she could say anything the clerk said thank you and walked away. Sam took it to the register. The cashier looked at it and asked “Uh, did the bakery write that?!” Sam assured the cashier that they did, to which she said, “…and …. Are you SURE you still want it?!”
“Yes. Yes, I do,” Sam replied.
She must have known it would make my day. I laughed for like 30 minutes. I mean, look at it! Ella or Andrew could have written better! It’s almost like it was a joke – the mixture of upper and lower case letters, “Father” instead of “Father’s,” it is hilarious!! Let me say before moving on that the cake was delicious!
The rest of the day was pretty low key. I put Andrew down for his nap and Ella and I sat on the couch and (no surprise) I actually fell asleep as we watched TV.
I woke up startled and a bit freaked out because I was supposed to start dinner. Luckily, I finished up lasagna just in time for Sam to be able to take some to work.
My oldest son, Dante’, called Saturday to tell me he was working on Father’s Day, and wanted to know if we could get together Monday. We planned to meet at a park and have a pizza picnic.
I can’t even begin to tell you how awesome it was to spend time with all four of my kids. It was a joy to see Dante’and Dimitri running with Andrew and Ella! They played tag, went down the slides together and we all got to take a walk together.
Watching them all interact made my heart burst with love. It was like they saw each other all the time. They ran, sang and laughed together and it was the highlight of the weekend.
So many little moments made me smile: My 21 and 16 year old sons going down the slide made me chuckle. (I even went down once!).
Dante’ holding Andrew so that he could slide on the “zip line” thingy.
Ella running up to Dimitri and holding his hand as we walked.
Beaming with pride as I watched all four walking in front of me.
The last time they were all together was at Christmas time. I took advantage of having them together so I could get pictures.
I even bugged a lady to get one of me with all of them.
Knowing we were past nap time, we wrapped up our time together. Ella and Andrew both napped in the car on the way home and I just drove around so they could snooze.
It was a day of wonderful memories. It was also a day that reminded me just how lucky I am to be their dad (A loveable one, according to Ella and Andrew’s card…).
Thank you, Dante’, Dimitri, Ella and Andrew for making your dad feel so special! I love you guys more than you will ever know!!
Well, the kitten woke me up about 3:30 this morning. He’s an early bird apparently. So I decided to take advantage of the kids still sleeping and I made a pot of coffee. I figured I’d read a bit.
I then remembered that today is Father’s Day. So I wanted to take a moment to wish all the dads reading this “Happy Father’s Day! Cheers to you!
I am blessed to still have my dad around. We are closer now than ever. There are a few blogs I have written about him and I will post links here for new readers:
Truth is, I could write a book about my dad (and one day I might!). I can always count on good conversations, memories and laughter when we chat. He sent me something recently that I am debating turning into a blog. He is an amazing father and I’m so lucky he is mine! Happy Father’s Day, Pop!
I also want to say Happy Father’s Day to my Father-in-law, Tony. I can’t begin to tell you how lucky I am that he is in my life. You have seen so many of the projects that I’ve completed here (the nook, grout and tile in the laundry room, building an entire new room for Ella, and countless others). I would have had to hire someone for all of those things without him. He’s another amazing dad.
I became a father 21 years ago. 5 years another son was born. 3 years ago, another blessing came with my first, and only, daughter. Finally, my third and final son arrived 20 months ago. Dante’, Dimitri, Ella and Andrew – four amazing kids – each with distinct and wonderful personalities. What an honor and privilege to be their father!
Parenting is the hardest job you will ever have. Throughout all the difficulties in life, this job is 24/7 and it is the most important! Rereading the following blog brought all of that home for me again:
Dante’ works today, so we’re planning on getting together tomorrow. We’re going to meet at a park and have a pizza picnic. The last time all four of my kids were together was around Christmas. I hope that I am able to get them all to sit still for a picture.
I’m starting to ramble, so I apologize. Even though today is supposed to be all about “me” (as “dad”), I am pausing to remember all of the great men, fathers and father-like figures who played a role in preparing me for that role as “Father.” More importantly, I am thinking about the four special children who officially gave me that role!
On the old Soupy Sales show, one of the easiest way to set up a joke was to have someone come banging on his door. One of my favorite lines (that no one else finds funny) goes like this:
(Door Knocking)
(Soupy opens the door) “Yes?”
(Man at door) “Well, I guess you don’t like cats!”
(Soupy) “I don’t like cats? That’d ridiculous! Dizzy Gillespie is a good friend of mine!”
I wasn’t always a cat person. My brother and I always had dogs growing up. When I moved to Ludington in 1991, I was living alone and someone suggested I get a kitten to keep me company. From that moment on, it seems I have always had a cat around the house.
When I was living in Flint, there were stray cats galore in our neighborhood. Each neighbor had a different name for the same cat. Ralphie for us, was Boots for our next door neighbor, or Stanley for our neighbor across the street.
Larry was my cat from Ludington. My dad disliked cats, so when I moved home, he went to stay with my brother. Over the years there was Callie, Frankie, Tigger, Moe, and Lorenzo (who still lives with my older sons.)
Maizey has lived with us for about 3 or 4 years. Originally, she was supposed to be my wife’s cat, but I think she stays by me more. When I go to bed, she jumps up and wants me to pet her. She will often jump up on my lap on mornings I get up before the kids. I will have a cup of coffee next to me, a book or my phone, and Maizey purring away.
So why all this talk about felines? Recently, Sam said she felt like Maizey needed a friend. She felt like she was lonely. She said that she doesn’t really come out as much as she used to. I reminded her that it was probably because Ella and Andrew tend to chase her around or try to grab her tail!
So for a little over a month now, Sam will occasionally show me pictures of kittens that Facebook friends are selling or giving away. I did not think that she was serious about getting Maizey a friend, but I was obviously wrong. Today, we welcomed a new kitty to the house.
Say hello to Mowgli! Sam wanted to name him Bear, because she says he reminded her of a bear. When Sam asked Ella what we should name him – Mowgli came out of nowhere. I can’t tell you the last time she watched Jungle Book, listened to the story or read the book, so I don’t know what made her think of it. She seems pretty sure that Mowgli was the name – so it is. I suggested to Sam that maybe Bear could be his middle name!
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 