Food, a week to remember and Mr. Sad Pants, reading the week 13 Carr family blog is the most fun you can have with your clothes on, guaranteed.
(Not an actual guarantee!)
I had no idea three years ago, when presented with a gift from Nathalie, that I would be as sad as I am today throwing it out. I have talked about the fact that I am so lucky to be married to the best shopper in the world, and one great part of this arrangement is that quite often I am the recipient of the stuff that she buys. Three years ago, we lived in our old rental house, and life with the Carr’s was very different. There was stress and tension and Nathalie and I were looking for ways to re-establish the bliss that we once shared, so we started to date again. That sounds odd for a couple that have been together for more then 16 years at that point, but the truth was we needed to remind ourselves all the things we loved about each other, and going out and having some adult fun was the key.
In the afternoon of one of our first date nights out way back then, Nathalie presented me with a pair of casual jeans as a gift. Not only did I love the way they fit and how they made my butt look, but also how I felt invincible when I put them on, almost from that first moment. Aside from the bad music at the dance club we went to, the jeans had a good first night out and subsequently set the bar at a positive level, for future outings. Over the years, they had been a part of many great dates and events and just about anytime I wanted to feel comfortable and good about myself, I would grab my go to jeans. Jump to this week, and their sad last day. I knew after putting them on this Thursday morning that it would be the last outing for my old friend, due to the sound they made when I bent down to straighten my sock. In a way, it was a sad last day, because Jeans this great deserve a much more exciting ending then just a regular workday. So I felt I owed it to the denim gods to pay tribute here in the blogosphere. In lieu of a memorial service, a shopping trip is planned this weekend, to find a replacement.
Worst day ever
This week I had to pause at the start of a class to send myself an email reminder about a story idea for my blog. It was based on a conversation with a student in my first semester class, after he reveled that the project due at that very moment was incomplete. “I am having the worst day in my life”, he said hesitantly and I said, “That’s going in my blog?” Not to devalue the student or what he is dealing with, but at 19 or 20 can you really have, “the worst day of your life?” Should you not hold out for a missed mortgage payment, or your first firing or even your first long time relationship break up, before throwing out the term “in my life?” Yes, you can make the argument that his life is, up until this point, and he could be having a bad day, but the, “the worst day of YOUR life”. Come on!
I understand that kids today, have way more responsibilities then we did when we were kids, but as a far as over selling or over emphasizing things, using words like these, I have to take a stand and say you don’t know bad yet, just wait for it!
This week
This is the week each year that I stop, pause and remember the great Tom Rivers, because it was 6 years ago this week that he lost his battle with Cancer. He was one of my radio heroes, and even taught for me at Seneca for a short time and as I noted in my last years tribute blog, he made an amazing impact on each of the students that where lucky enough to have him lead a class. Tom also taught me some things by being my friend, like to always give my all and to always be positive, no matter the situation and for that I am truly thankful.
Food for thought
One of the things we spend a lot of time talking about on our way home from work any given day is what it is we are going to have for dinner that night. Whether it is Nathalie and I over the phone, or the kids in the car, late afternoon is always planning the mealtime. This week I had to laugh at the conversation I had with Julia in the car about dinner. She was not feeling well Thursday afternoon, so I picked her up early from school and spent the rest of the day running around, with her tagging along. Around the dinner planning time, she asked me what we were going to have for dinner and I felt her willingness to discuss food, was certainly a good sign of her miraculous recovery, so I asked what she would like to have. “Catfish, shrimp or crab, I think. I feel like fish.” she replied. A good sign of recovery for sure, with that selection, so I asked her, “Why catfish?” And she said that she enjoyed it when we where on vacation in New Orleans, because, “it cut like budda’ ” Now you have to picture this in the voice that she used, with a southern drawl and heavy emphasis on the “da”. Where do they pick this stuff up? LOVE IT!
In closing
Over the last couple of weeks, Jordyn has been having some sleep issues and as such, has been dropping in on Nathalie and I in our room at night. Needless to say, getting up from a restful sleep, to comfort a child is one of those necessary parent things, but it sure has a way of affecting our moods and the lack of sleep will most certainly catch up with you. I am not complaining too loud, but it is important to understand where my head was this morning when I was giving Jordyn a very hard time about telling us last night that she had NO homework.
One of the things we have to work on with Jordyn, as per her teachers request, is her taking ownership of her own work at school, so our decision to let her sort out what it is that she does and does not have due any given day, is the first step. We sometimes check up on her, and this morning when I found the two pages of incompleted math homework in her agenda, I was a little upset. She stood there taking it all in, and when I paused to catch my breath, she smiled at me and said, “Well at least I didn’t come to your room last night Daddy!” The power of deflection mastered at age 11. Good for you Jordyn! You are off the hook for now.
Thanks for reading and have a great and safe week.
Jim