A Bittersweet Father's Day

For the first time in my forty-nine years on this big blue marble, I do not have a father to celebrate today.  Since he left us in April, my siblings and I have been dealing with his loss and making plans for his last farewell, when we will travel to Bermuda to scatter my parent's ashes, in accordance with their last wishes.  The song above played behind the video montage that we played during his viewing at the funeral home - we learned that it was one of my father's favorites and he wanted it played when he died.

However, today is not all maudlin.  For the past 12 years, I have been lucky enough to be a father myself, when LBA arrived on the scene.  I became a double dad in 2007 when SoBA joined us.  I have done my best at this father thing - taking some cues from my father, and figuring out the rest as i went along.  I hope that if you were to ask LBA and SoBA, if I was doing a good job - they would tell you yes.

Thanks Dad, for everything.

Thanks LBA and SoBA, for making this a day for me to be celebrated.

I love all of you.

Born on the Fourth of July

Today is American Independence Day and the 84th birthday of my father - Happy Birthday Dad (born on the Fourth of July) - wish I could be there to help you celebrate! The word is my father will have some friends over for a little barbecue - my brother swooped in from Maine for an overnight visit earlier in the week - but he's already gone back.  My sister, who lives nearby will be over, too.

The Brave Astronaut clan will celebrate our independence (and the federal holiday) most likely poolside in the early part of the day.  LBA started asking last week when we would have our annual viewing of 1776 (about the same time I put the soundtrack CD in the car) - I'm hoping we get that in before we get to the pool.

In the evening - we will head to Annapolis, as we have done for the past several years to watch our friend march in the Independence Day Parade.  This year we are thinking of staying for the fireworks, as SoBA seems to be growing out of his fear of fireworks (as LBA did).  It is however a school / work day the next day - so that might not work out.

Hope whatever you are doing is fun and safe.  Happy Birthday America!  If you're feeling patriotic, here's a list of what [BuzzFeed thinks] your state contributes to the cause:

1. ALABAMA: Forrest Gump - Alabama was the fictional home of Forrest Gump and the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. [really, that's the best they can come up with - a fictional character? - that's just sad]
2. ALASKA: Bald Eagles - the national bird of the US, it can be found in every state except Hawaii, but the largest population nests in Alaska.
3. ARIZONA: The Grand Canyon - considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, the 277 mile-long fissure was carved by the Colorado River.
4. ARKANSAS: Johnny Cash - the American singer, songwriter, actor and author was born in Kingsland on February 26, 1932.
5. CALIFORNIA: McDonald’s - the burger joint was founded when the McDonalds family opened “The Airdrome” in 1937 in Monrovia.
6. COLORADO: Cheeseburgers - though in dispute, the trademark for the American icon was awarded to Louis Ballast of the Humpty Dumpty Drive-In of Denver in 1935.
7. CONNECTICUT: Lollipops - the term “Lolly Pop” wasn’t trademarked until 1931 by George Smith of New Haven.
8. DELAWARE: The First State - on December 7, 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the Constitution of the United States.
9. FLORIDA: NASCAR - founded by William France, Sr. in 1948, the conglomerate is headquartered in Daytona Beach.
10. GEORGIA: Coca-Cola - headquartered in Atlanta, the original recipe was conjured up at the Eagle Drug and Chemical Company in Columbus by John Pemberton.
11. HAWAII: Pearl Harbor - part of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, the USS Arizona Memorial located at Pearl Harbor commemorates the events of Japan’s attack on December 7, 1941 and honors the 1,177 brave sailors and marines whose lives were taken.
12. IDAHO: Potatoes - the nation’s largest producer of potatoes, accounting for more than 20% of the country’s annual crop.
13. ILLINOIS: John Deere - the man, John Deere, was born in Vermont, but he found success by inventing the first commercially successful cast-steel plow after settling in Grand Detour. He moved the business operations to Moline for shipping purposes, and it remains headquartered there today.
14. INDIANA: NCAA - the National Collegiate Athletic Association moved its headquarters to Indianapolis in 1999.
15. IOWA: John Wayne - born Marion Mitchell Morrison in Winterset, the actor, director and producer was awarded the government’s two highest civilian decorations, the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. [I'm sure, in part, for the number of times he was shot in the same leg in all those movies]
16. KANSAS: White Castle - the home of the "belly bomber" was founded in Wichita in 1921, the “sliders” were priced at 5¢ a piece until the 1940s.
17. KENTUCKY: Bourbon Whiskey - named after an area called “Old Bourbon” that is now Bourbon County. The state produces more than 90% of all the bourbon in the world, and there are currently more barrels of bourbon in the aging process than there are people within Kentucky.
18. LOUISIANA: Mardi Gras - the annual celebrations in New Orleans have become synonymous with the city itself.
19. MAINE: Lobster Rolls - the tasty treat have been served up since the 1970s.
20. MARYLAND: Babe Ruth - the Sultan of Swat was born in Baltimore on February 6, 1895. [sure, that's nice, but how about Fort McHenry? the Flag? Hello?]
21. MASSACHUSETTS: Basketball - Dr. James Naismith invented the game of basketball to serve as an “athletic distraction” for his rambunctious class at the Springfield YMCA. [Um, this list might suck a little too much to carry on - Minutemen? Bunker Hill, Pilgrims?]
22. MICHIGAN: Muscle Cars - Ford and General Motors led the charge in the late 1940s and early 1950s from the “Motor City”
23. MINNESOTA: Mall of America - Bloomington's mega-mall opened in 1992. The location boasts more than 520 stores, an indoor amusement park and an aquarium and occupies more than four million square feet.
24. MISSISSIPPI: Elvis Presley - born in Tupelo on January 8, 1935
25. MISSOURI: Budweiser - Adolphus Busch left Germany and settled in St. Louis in 1857. He married into the Anheuser family and started the foundation of the Anheuser-Busch Company.
26. MONTANA: Grizzly Bears - the bears are the state animal of Montana.
27. NEBRASKA: Kool-Aid - Edwin Perkins invented Kool-Aid in Hastings in 1927
28. NEVADA: “All-You-Can-Eat” - Herb Macdonald came up with the idea to help promote tourism to the Las Vegas Strip in 1956.
29. NEW HAMPSHIRE: Beer Pong - the game was invented at Dartmouth University in Hanover, NH. [This might be the worse entry on the list]
30. NEW JERSEY: Drive-In Theaters - Richard Hollingshead, Jr. created the first drive-in theater in Camden
31. NEW MEXICO: Nuclear Weapons - the state contains the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Besides weapon research and production, this was also the site for the first nuclear detonation, Trinity.
32. NEW YORK: Jeans - Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss invented jeans in 1873 in New York.
33. NORTH CAROLINA: Tobacco - North Carolina accounts for more than 70% of America’s tobacco production.
34. NORTH DAKOTA: Baked Beans - roughly 1/3 of all America’s beans are produced in North Dakota.
35. OHIO: Cedar Point - the 364-acre amusement park on the shores of Lake Erie has been commonly referred to as the “Roller Coaster Capital of the World”.
36. OKLAHOMA: Girl Scout Cookies - the first cookie sale was held by the Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, OK in 1917. The American Girl magazine suggested the idea in 1922, and the rest is history. [OK, we're redeeming ourselves with a Girl Scout mention]
37. OREGON: Nike - founded as Blue Ribbon Sports in 1964 at the University of Oregon. The company changed its name to honor the Greek goddess of victory. They are headquartered near Beaverton.
38. PENNSYLVANIA: Gettysburg - the site of our Civil War’s turning point. It was the battle featuring the most casualties as the Union thwarted Confederate General Robert Lee’s invasion of the north. [you like this, unless you're from the South]
39. RHODE ISLAND: First Independence - on May 4, 1776, Rhode Island became the first of the 13 colonies to declare its independence from British rule.
40. SOUTH CAROLINA: Fireworks - the state boasts the most lenient laws to buy and display fireworks.
41. SOUTH DAKOTA: Mount Rushmore - the carving of four 60-foot faces began in 1927 and ended in 1941.
42. TENNESSEE: Dollywood - opened in 1961 as “Rebel Railroad”, the park was renamed “Dollywood” after Dolly Parton became a co-owner in 1986. Since the country music star came into the picture, the park has doubled in size and attendance. [ooh, a couple of steps back here]
43. TEXAS: Longhorn - the Longhorn is one of Texas’ state animals. It is also the mascot for the University of Texas at Austin. Not surprisingly, Texas leads the US in beef production.
44. UTAH: The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints - Joseph Smith may have founded Mormonism in Western New York, but Brigham Young led the followers to modern day Utah after Smith’s death
45. VERMONT: Apple Pie - the tasty dessert was designated the official state pie for Vermont in 1999. Apples are also the official state fruit.
46. VIRGINIA: George Washington - the Father of our Country was born, lived, died and now rests in Virginia.
47. WASHINGTON: Starbucks - what began as a small coffeehouse in Seattle, is now the largest coffeehouse chain in the world with more than 20 thousand locations.
48. WEST VIRGINIA: Mother’s Day - the modern holiday was first celebrated in Grafton, WV when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mom in 1908. It was a nationally recognized holiday by 1914.
49. WISCONSIN: Harley-Davidson - William Harley and Arthur Davidson grew up in Milwaukee, WI. Along with Arthur’s brother, Walter, they began making their prototypes in 1901. Harley-Davidson is still churning out choppers and hogs today from their headquarters in Milwaukee.
50. WYOMING: Yellowstone - the National Park spans almost 3.5 thousand square miles. It hosts the world’s largest free roaming Buffalo population and the fabled geyser Old Faithful.

Where's your Mother?

There's a great scene in Bill Cosby's "Himself" where he notes that he would sometimes wander about the house, with a look on his face, and exclaiming, "Where's your mother?"  Well, Mrs. BA was away overnight in New York, leaving me on my own with LBA and SoBA.  I'm usually in charge of the physical plant and operations.  Mrs. BA does personnel.  But I managed.  They're good boys.

Last night, which is usually reserved for brinner, we had "Mom's Beefaroni" which usually makes an appearance when Mrs. BA isn't around.  It's a man dish. I may have made sure they were in bed before 9 so I could be in front of the TV for the debate, too.  That's another thing that Mrs. BA doesn't watch - she wants to throw things at the TV.

I believe I noted that Mrs. BA and I recently painted the boys room.  I have to say I think it came out pretty nice.  It needs a little touch up here and there, but the long season of home improvement is underway.  We've been in the house 5 years now.  My goal(s) is to paint much of the interiors between now and next spring.  I'll keep you posted.

Allergic Reactions

Tomorrow, LBA will see a new allergist.  We learned when he was just about 18 months old that he was allergic to peanuts.  I may have let him have a piece of my english muffin that had some peanut butter on it.  The tiniest morsel made it into his mouth and suddenly he was wheezing and flushed.  Off to the emergency room we went.  So he was indeed allergic to peanuts. When we went to the allergist is was also determined that he was also allergic to pistachios.  His allergies are slight - he can be around the nuts, he just can't eat them.  He knows this and knows to ask about things before he eats them.

To my knowledge, I have only one allergy - it's to penicillin.  As an infant, I was given penicillin and broke out in a roseola rash.  The family doctor decided it was easier to just declare I was allergic to penicillin and I haven't had it since then.

I read somewhere a while back about the "explosion" of childhood allergies and how it might have come from the exponential rise of anti-bacterial soaps and lotions.  It is believed that we are washing off some of the "good" bacterias that help us to fight off reactions to items that are introduced into our bodies.

Mrs. BA and I are hopeful that LBA grows out of his allergies (it appears that SoBA is not allergic to anything).  Let's see what the allergist says tomorrow.

Netflix for Baby Clothes

I have long thought there is a finite amount of baby clothes in the universe.  Yes, there's always new stuff to buy, but as soon as that happens, some raggedy onesie goes off to the big crib in the sky.  Further, I think the passing of baby clothes around from old parents to new parents is a rite of passage for all of us.

The Brave Astronaut attic currently has several boxes of clothes in it.  Some have come from friends with children older (and now bigger) than LBA and SoBA.  There are boxes that Mrs. BA has put up there, waiting for the next clothing donation truck to rumble by.  And we have passed along our fair share to neighbors in town as well.

So when I read this article (nearly a year ago, now), I was not the least bit surprised.  I'm just surprised it took this long (and that I didn't get the idea out there first).  It is a brilliant idea, given the fact that kids grow out of things so quickly (many of the clothes that we received often still had the tags on them!).  Although now it seems the website has gone silent.  A Marketing Opportunity for the Brave Astronaut!

New Years Resolutions

Yeah, yeah. I know. Everybody and their brother makes them. And doesn't keep them. It's up to you dear readers to keep me in line.

1. Lose weight. I stalled for a while, I was going to the gym at work fairly regularly. Then the kids became the exercise. Problem is, I often find myself picking at their plates when they are done with dinner. I need to find some regimen that will help me get to my goal, which is about 15-20 pounds away.
2. Have date night at least once a month. I like going to the movies. I like spending time with Mrs. BA and our friends. We don't get a chance to do it enough. I'd like to do that more.
3. Yell less. My father like(d/s) to yell. My mother was the primary disciplinarian at home and "wait until your father comes home" made you feel strange, because you didn't necessarily think you would get in more trouble, but there might be yelling. I don't want to be that father. I need to take a breath before responding to LBA and SoBA. It's hard, but they deserve better than they sometimes get.
4. Be outstanding, or at least highly successful. My fellow federal workers, you understand. I think I am on the way to this, hopefully.
   

What resolutions are you all making? Is there something missing from my list?

I wish you all a happy and healthy new year!

LBA and SoBA new Bedroom

It's almost time for LBA and SoBA to move into the same bedroom. They currently have their own rooms and beds but we are planning to move them into bunk beds in the same room. The other bedroom will become a playroom / dressing room for them.

There is currently a lot of discussion between Mrs. BA and I about what color the room(s) should be painted. Maybe we could choose from one of these. Although Mrs. BA does have some ideas - and I'm evidently not allowed to pick the color. Allegedly, the last time I painted a bedroom, it came out pistachio green.

Barring some large cash infusion, LBA and SoBA's new bedroom will not have a water slide like this bedroom does. Both LBA and SoBA like Star Wars but there will be none of these (that I'm aware of). I'm not spending $500 for the book. Nor will have have a giant Calvin and Hobbes mural.

The Beloit College Mindset List - Class of 2015 edition

Today was LBA's first day of school. It's a half day, full day tomorrow. Of course, don't get me started on the fact that school isn't supposed to start until the Wednesday after Labor Day - come on, New Yorkers, you know it's true. He did much better today than last year. He was very happy to see all of his friends again. SoBA is going to spend a few days with his cousin(s) as he doesn't go back until next week. Some day I hope to be able to take the time off I need and perhaps even take a vacation.

Last week, Beloit College came out with its annual list for the incoming college classes, for what they may or may not know / remember as they enter their college years. The list, always up for great discussion, offers a list of cultural touchstones that shapes the lives of these incoming freshmen. I wonder what LBA's list will look like.

The Mindset List for the Class of 2015

Andre the Giant, River Phoenix, Frank Zappa, Arthur Ashe and the Commodore 64 have always been dead.

Their classmates could include Taylor Momsen, Angus Jones, Howard Stern's daughter Ashley, and the Dilley Sextuplets.

1. There has always been an Internet ramp onto the information highway.
2. Ferris Bueller and Sloane Peterson could be their parents. (that's disturbing)
   
3. States and Velcro parents have always been requiring that they wear their bike helmets.
4. The only significant labor disputes in their lifetimes have been in major league sports.
5. There have nearly always been at least two women on the Supreme Court, and women have always commanded U.S. Navy ships. (and it's still not enough)
   
6. They “swipe” cards, not merchandise.
7. As they’ve grown up on websites and cell phones, adult experts have constantly fretted about their alleged deficits of empathy and concentration.
8. Their school’s “blackboards” have always been getting smarter.
9. “Don’t touch that dial!”…what dial?
10. American tax forms have always been available in Spanish.
11. More Americans have always traveled to Latin America than to Europe.
12. Amazon has never been just a river in South America.
13. Refer to LBJ, and they might assume you're talking about LeBron James.
14. All their lives, Whitney Houston has always been declaring “I Will Always Love You.”
15. O.J. Simpson has always been looking for the killers of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
16. Women have never been too old to have children.
17. Japan has always been importing rice.
18. Jim Carrey has always been bigger than a pet detective.
19. We have never asked, and they have never had to tell.
20. Life has always been like a box of chocolates.
21. They’ve always gone to school with Mohammed and Jesus.
22. John Wayne Bobbitt has always slept with one eye open. (really, just him?)
23. The Communist Party has never been the official political party in Russia.
24. “Yadda, yadda, yadda” has always come in handy to make long stories short.
25. Video games have always had ratings.
26. Chicken soup has always been soul food.
27. The Rocky Horror Picture Show has always been available on TV.
28. Jimmy Carter has always been a smiling elderly man who shows up on TV to promote fair elections and disaster relief.
29. Arnold Palmer has always been a drink.
30. Dial-up is soooooooooo last century!
31. Women have always been kissing women on television. (not that there's anything wrong with that)
    
32. Their older siblings have told them about the days when Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera were Mouseketeers.
33. Most have grown up with a faux Christmas Tree in the house at the holidays. (but shouldn't)
34. They’ve always been able to dismiss boring old ideas with “been there, done that, gotten the T-shirt.”
35. The bloody conflict between the government and a religious cult has always made Waco sound a little whacko.
36. Unlike their older siblings, they spent bedtime on their backs until they learned to roll over.
37. Music has always been available via free downloads.
38. Grown-ups have always been arguing about health care policy.
39. Moderate amounts of red wine and baby aspirin have always been thought good for the heart.
40. Sears has never sold anything out of a Big Book that could also serve as a doorstop. (oh, that's just sad)
41. The United States has always been shedding fur.
42. Electric cars have always been humming in relative silence on the road.
43. No longer known for just gambling and quickie divorces, Nevada has always been one of the fastest growing states in the Union.
44. They’re the first generation to grow up hearing about the dangerous overuse of antibiotics.
45. They pressured their parents to take them to Taco Bell or Burger King to get free pogs.
46. Russian courts have always had juries.
47. No state has ever failed to observe Martin Luther King Day.
48. While they’ve been playing outside, their parents have always worried about nasty new bugs borne by birds and mosquitoes.
49. Public schools have always made space available for advertising.
50. Some of them have been inspired to actually cook by watching the Food Channel.
51. Fidel Castro’s daughter and granddaughter have always lived in the United States.
52. Their parents have always been able to create a will and other legal documents online.
53. Charter schools have always been an alternative.
54. They’ve grown up with George Stephanopoulos as the Dick Clark of political analysts.
55. New Kids have always been known as NKOTB.
56. They’ve always wanted to be like Shaq or Kobe: Michael Who?
57. They’ve often broken up with their significant others via texting, Facebook, or MySpace.
58. Their parents sort of remember Woolworths as this store that used to be downtown.
59. Kim Jong-il has always been bluffing, but the West has always had to take him seriously.
60. Frasier, Sam, Woody and Rebecca have never Cheerfully frequented a bar in Boston during primetime.
61. Major League Baseball has never had fewer than three divisions and never lacked a wild card entry in the playoffs.
62. Nurses have always been in short supply.
63. They won’t go near a retailer that lacks a website.
64. Altar girls have never been a big deal.
65. When they were 3, their parents may have battled other parents in toy stores to buy them a Tickle Me Elmo while they lasted.
66. It seems the United States has always been looking for an acceptable means of capital execution.
67. Folks in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have always been able to energize with Pepsi Cola.
68. Andy Warhol is a museum in Pittsburgh.
69. They’ve grown up hearing about suspiciously vanishing frogs.
70. They’ve always had the privilege of talking with a chatterbot.
71. Refugees and prisoners have always been housed by the U.S. government at Guantanamo.
72. Women have always been Venusians; men, Martians.
73. McDonalds coffee has always been just a little too hot to handle.
74. “PC” has come to mean Personal Computer, not Political Correctness.
75. The New York Times and the Boston Globe have never been rival newspapers.
    

Grilled Cheese

When my mother was pregnant with me, she and my father went on an extended holiday to France. My father and grandfather would sit down to dinner each evening for an enormous meal, which would send my mother's stomach into somersaults. She would excuse herself and ask for a grilled cheese sandwich to be sent up to her room.

It is for this reason, I feel, that I am not a big fan of grilled cheese sandwiches. However, now as a father of two small boys, I find myself making them. We often have a variation of grilled cheeses (Mexican grilled cheese - the quesadilla, the Italian grilled cheese - pizza, or the American grilled cheese).

Evidently April was / is grilled cheese month. Here's a number of recipes that one can make to enjoy the melted cheesy breaded goodness, of which I have picked my favorite to share for Recipe Monday.

Barbecue Bacon Grilled Cheese Sandwich
from Veronica's Cornucopia

• 2 slices Texas toast
• 2-3 T barbecue sauce
• 2 oz sliced sharp or smoked cheddar cheese
• 4-6 slices cooked bacon
• 1 oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• Butter or margarine
  

Heat a skillet over medium. Spread the barbecue sauce over the bread slices, then over one slice arrange cheddar cheese slices, bacon over that, then sprinkle the Monterey Jack over the bacon. Top with remaining bread slice. Melt some butter or margarine in the skillet and place the sandwich on top of the puddle, scooting it around until the bread absorbs the butter. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until cheddar looks melted, then remove and melt more butter in the pan, flip the sandwich and cook additional 4 minutes and serve hot.

Makes one sandwich.

Veronica's Notes: Your sandwich will require several minutes less cooking time if you use regular bread. Also, the Monterey Jack isn't necessary but I like to glue the bacon, cheese and bread all together by putting cheese on both sides. Change it up as you desire!

So What Are You Doing With Your Free Time?

Part 2 of why I have no time for anything else. Read Part 1 here.

Tonight I picked up my father and his girlfriend at the airport, as they have decided to visit with the Brave Astronauts for the holiday weekend. I suggested to Mrs. BA that we invite them, not expecting them to accept and then they did. But we are going to have a good weekend, with lots of things to keep us busy. Here's the weekend line-up:

• Friday - as close to a normal day as we will have. Both Mrs. BA and I will go to work and the boys to daycare. Neither of us is expecting an early dismissal (although the chances for Mrs. BA are better than mine). I have already told my father they will be on their own for much of the day, unless they decide to venture out. We might cap it off with a visit to the pool in the evening. I'm also planning on suggesting that perhaps someone might make dinner for us tomorrow night. (If I ask here, it's like asking her, right?)
• Saturday - we have a picnic at a local park for the boy's daycare. It will surely be controlled chaos, with lots of kids, lots of parents, and hopefully some good food. The pool will close at 8:00 on Saturday night for "Adult Night," which is not as seemly as it sounds. It's just the one night out of the pool season, where no kids are allowed, and alcohol is served. So no pool on Saturday night.
• Sunday (the Fourth) - I am going to be one of several "float escorts" for the parade down Constitution Avenue in Washington. My employer is going to have a float in the parade this year and several staff were selected to walk along with the float. I am given to understand there will be sashes . . . That's my morning. In the late afternoon, the Brave Astronaut clan will head east for the Annapolis parade, in which OSG will march with his fife and drum corps. So Sunday will have not one, but two parades, and likely several very tired people, and fireworks. There needs to be fireworks.
  
• Monday is still up in the air (it's the federal holiday, Independence Day Observed). It might involve the pool for much of the day, which would be fine. We will see if something else presents itself. My father and his girlfriend will head home on Tuesday morning.

Free time? I'm sorry, what is this thing, free time, of which you speak? Now, this post was supposed to be about all the other things I am involved in, but I've already taken up too much time with one weekend's activities. Stay tuned for Part 3. Happy Fourth everyone - and to my Canadian friends out there - Happy First! (also known as Canada Day!)

So What's Your Day Look Like

Okay, so I'm going to complain here a little bit. Now I know we are all busy and much of this is my own fault. But perhaps you can see something here and have an idea for me . . .

The normal weekday starts at the Brave Astronaut launchpad between 6:00am and 7:00am. The time varies because (a) the alarm clock(s) go off at 6:00, but the snooze button gets punched by both Mrs. BA and I (for a better understanding of why - see the end of the post - when we actually get to bed) a few times and (b) if LBA and SoBA are still asleep, there is less of an impetus for us to get up. Hey, if they're not calling for us, we don't have to get up, right? LBA has possibly already entered his teenage years as he often needs to be awakened, but SoBA is usually up in the 6:00 hour (and why is it that they can all sleep late on weekdays but not on weekends?).

Mrs. BA gets the shower first and I head downstairs for breakfast time. Breakfast time involves, well, breakfast, getting car snacks together, and if feeling particularly productive, lunch for Mrs. BA and the Brave Astronaut to take to work. The boys head upstairs a few minutes ahead of me and I quickly cleanup the kitchen and then head upstairs to shower and dress. I have managed to hone my morning routine to the point of once I get upstairs, I can be ready to walk out the door in about 15 minutes. Mrs. BA works on corralling the boys through the final steps of their morning routines.

Of late, the Brave Astronaut clan has been all leaving the house together, with me driving the boys to school and Mrs. BA to work and then I head to my office. Somehow, as long as we leave before 8:00am, that entire process takes about one hour and fifteen minutes from house to my office. If it is after 8:00, add about another half hour to the trip. SoBA gets dropped off first (by Mrs. BA), then I take LBA to his center. I come back and pick up Mrs. BA and take her to her office. Then its the hike back out to Maryland to my office. I don't mind this as I like us all being together and come the fall, it's all going to change anyway (LBA will start Kindergarten in town, while SoBA will still be going downtown with Mrs. BA).

Once at work, (currently) my day starts between 9:00 and 9:30. This means that I will not leave until between 5:30 and 6:00pm and I'll address in a moment why that's a problem. My current workload has plenty to keep me busy and unfortunately, I spend much of my days keeping the smoldering embers of things I need to get done from roaring into uncontrolled conflagrations. There's meetings, administrative functions, and other responsibilities that pushes me into making a series of lists (a To-Do list for the week, a daily To-Do list, long range goal lists, timetables and schedules). I would likely benefit from a time management course.

Leaving the office, if it's a day like it has been of late, I am going to head to the Metro station to pick up Mrs. BA and the boys from the train, as they have taken the Metro home. Ideally, I would have (and have in the past) gone home first to get dinner started for the boys (and if there's plenty of time - for Mrs. BA and me). With the summer months upon us, it's OK for the boys to play outside in the yard while I get dinner together. I would like to be more diligent about menu planning and making use of "timed cooking" (i.e., a crockpot or using the timer in our oven), but that hasn't happened yet.

Once dinner finishes up, it is usually coming up on 8:00 and that means bath time and bed for the boys. Mrs. BA graciously takes on that task (baths) and then the boys will usually settle in for a show (current favorites: Arthur and Cyberchase, and the occasional Thomas). Then the boys will get a few books read to them and it is off to bed. SoBA is a very good sleeper and goes to bed very easily. LBA still needs a little encouragement but both boys are usually down and out by 9:30 at the latest.

So finally, it's grown-up time. Mrs. BA and I are both TV addicts and we would certainly like to just veg out in front of the tube and watch something (we have an extensive list of shows of our own on the DVR list). We both usually wind up working on our computers, although it's possible that I might spend a fair amount of time on Facebook, playing CafeWorld or Lexulous. I can't tell you why, but CafeWorld is mindless entertainment and it relaxes me. Mrs. BA is usually dealing with laundry, as that task never ends, with two small boys in the house. Some nights, I or Mrs. BA will announce we are "up," which means we are heading to be, sometimes with the computer, sometimes not. Now because we are not smart people, there is a TV in the bedroom and it will most of the time get switched on. We will often get sucked into some bad "B" movie, the occasional "A" movie, or a rerun of an old sitcom. What that results in is lights out usually around midnight. And then it starts all over again just six short hours later.

Next week, I'll talk more about some of the specific things I am involved in and discuss the things I would like to be doing and things I really should be doing. Feel free to comment away.

Look Out for the Library Police

LBA is off for the weekend at Nana's house, leaving Mrs. BA and I with only one child to take care of. SoBA is a handful, as is evidenced by this recent incident. He has taken to wanting his window down in the car on the way to and from school. The other morning, he wanted his window open and then proceeded to take his shoes and socks off, another thing he is wont to do. Now he does have the tendency to throw things out the window on occasion (we've lost a car, a sippy cup, and a snack container). We get to school and go to put his shoes and socks back on his feet and cannot find one of his socks. So, we ask him, "SoBA, where's your other sock?" The reply was quick and authoritative - "OUTSIDE!" He had tossed his sock out the window somewhere along Constitution Avenue on the ride in.

Tomorrow I will watch SoBA while Mrs. BA gets a well deserved day to herself to do her own thing (I have been out more than my fair share of late). I'm entertaining ideas as to what to do tomorrow. There is the Joint Services Open House (also known as the Andrews Air Show), but I don't think that's in the cards. The weather is supposed to be nice, so maybe we will head to the National Zoo in the morning (the animals tend to me more active in the morning).

There is also a chance that we will head to our local library to see what's going on there. Another popular declarative statement of SoBA is "READ BOOKS!" (everything is said with authority when you are SoBA). Maybe we will have some reading time at the public library, now if I can just find a way to keep him quiet.

In the news over the past few weeks were a few library-related stories worth noting here. First, it would seem that the Father of Our Country may not have told a lie, but he also did not return his library books. George Washington, according to CNN and many other news outlets, checked out two books from the New York Society Library, which was one of the first subscription libraries in the country, and appears to have never returned them. The fine? It has been calculated at approximately $4577.

A second story, which appeared in the Washington Post, discussed what the President [Obama] was reading, and more to the point, what presidents read, and what they tell people they are reading.

Finally, I know a number of librarians. In fact, I used to be married to one. But these passive-aggressive library signs are outstanding. Don't be mean to the librarian. The Library Police work for them. And they know where you live.

Where the Wild Things Are

Today is Opening Day for "Where the Wild Things Are," a live-action film based on the children's book by Maurice Sendak. The book is one of my son's favorites and it makes an appearance now and then. Sometimes I let Barack Obama read to him.

Return to Pooh Corner

Tonight's bedtime story consisted of another chapter of "Runaway Ralph" by Beverly Cleary. The Beverly Cleary oeuvre was a popular favorite of mine growing up and LBA seems to have taken to it as well.

Occasionally, I will read to him from a Winnie the Pooh book that was mine and my siblings when we were growing up. So it's old.

But now, there's a new choice.

Pooh is Back, and He's Got Company reports CBS news on the first authorized publication of a sequel to the Winnie the Pooh stories by A. A. Milne. Time Magazine gives us a short history of Winnie the Pooh.

If particularly into the evening bedtime reading, I can adapt voices for the characters in the stories. So it seems I now need to find a voice for a pearl choker-wearing otter . . .

Rules to Live By

I didn't think I would make a good father. There are still some days when I don't think I do a good job with the two boys that I have. Luckily I have the best wife in the world who helps me each and everyday. With her help, I don't think I have critically damaged the psyches on my sons.

My father will turn 80 next month. I had your normal set of father-son problems growing up, but I think he and I are doing alright. Happy Father's Day, Dad.

I spotted this blog some time ago and have now subscribed to its feed. If you are a father (and even if you're not), take a look and you'll find it all - humor, sarcasm, directness. However, this guy better get a move on if he is going to cover all 1001 items, unless he has a really, really, long range plan for when his son will arrive.

1001 Rules for my Unborn Son

In Case Anyone is Wondering

Today is June 1. Father's Day is two weeks away. I am finishing up a weekend as the sole parent, looking after my two sons. Mrs. BA was away this weekend at her 20 year college reunion. I'm not complaining, I'm just saying. But I've missed her and that's all that matters.

Tonight is also the annual Ford's Theatre Gala, which will be held at the National Theater as Ford's is still going under renovations. It is sure to be a great evening and it is the last one for our current president, so I am already looking forward to the next one . . .

Anyway, as Father's Day is just around the corner, I thought I would throw out a few ideas in case anyone was looking for a gift for me. LBA and Son of BA are you reading this?

1. There's a new golf course in my county. Lake Presidential Golf Club has opened in nearby Upper Marlboro, MD. It is about a 20-25 minute drive (I've already checked). The rates are a little steep, so it would have to be a special treat, but it is something that those individuals who like to give me golf gifts should keep in mind. Even that Ed guy could get a gift certificate and we could play when he comes for the MARAC meeting in the fall. Yes, I'm shameless, so sue me.
2. I need a new flashlight. I had a MagLite (a big one) and it seems to have sprouted legs and vanished. I want a new one. A big one. One with lots of candle power. A few weeks ago I was out in our backyard while I listened to an animal brawl in the woods. I had my little, feeble flashlight, which would have served me very poorly if this angry creature had sprung from the hedge.
3. There are several books out there that I am interested in, but I'll be damned if I can remember the names of them. I just remember seeing them and thinking "Oh that would be nice to read." Then I remember that when and if I have time to read, it is usually a page or two before falling asleep with the book on my face in bed. So if you are thinking books, think paperback. One was about the long rivalry between Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, I think. Oh, and Stephen King has a relatively new book out.
4. This movie is now out on DVD. I have the first one and it would be nice to have this one as well. Plus, since they are making a third one . . .
   

Oh, we also have tickets to the Nationals game on the 8th, so that should be fun, but I won those, so its not so much a gift as it is something that Mrs. BA and LBA are going to do, while my MIL stays home with Son of BA. But I wouldn't look down on a gift of more tickets, either. And I really want one of these or any of the variations . . .

Happy June. :)

Cardigan or Crewneck, I don't care - put it on

I'm on Long Island looking after my father, but he's asleep and hey, the computer is in my room. And I can only play Medal of Honor so many times. (You'll note its the middle of the afternoon, but it's naptime).

March 20 would have been Fred Rogers 80th birthday. To honor him and his memory, Mr. McFeely has a special request (see most of the press release below) as part of what is being referred to as "Won't You Be My Neighbor Days." And really, if you have to ask who those people are in the preceding sentences, shame, shame on you.

Mr. Rogers was always there for me. I was all about the Land of Make Believe. I may have even had a thing for Lady Aberlin. So please, on Wednesday, wear your favorite sweater. It doesn't even have to zip up in the front.

(Pittsburgh) – In honor of what would have been Mister Rogers’ 80th birthday on March 20, Mr. McFeely — aka David Newell, the public relations director for Family Communications, Inc. (the nonprofit company founded in 1971 by Fred Rogers) — has a special request.

"We’re asking everyone everywhere — from Pittsburgh to Paris — to wear their favorite sweater on that day," he asks in his best speedy delivery voice. "It doesn’t have to have a zipper down the front like the one Mister Rogers wore on the program, it just has to be special to you."

But wait, there’s more.

It just so happens that Sweater Day is part of Pittsburgh’s 250th anniversary celebration and the first-ever "Won’t You Be My Neighbor?" Days (March 15 — 20).

"We wanted to recognize Fred in a way that would reflect his deep appreciation of what it means to be a caring neighbor," explains FCI’s Margy Whitmer.

As a result, "’Won’t You Be My Neighbor?" Days — WYBMND for short, although not by much — was born as a means of promoting neighborliness throughout Fred Rogers’ own backyard — Southwestern Pennsylvania region.

Throughout WYBMND, more than 30 organizations ranging from libraries (Carnegie Libraries of Pittsburgh and others throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania), to museums (The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, the Senator John Heinz History Center and The Carnegies) to other venues (The New Hazlett Theater, The Pittsburgh Opera, the Pittsburgh Zoo and the PPG Aquarium, the National Aviary and Gilda’s Club Western Pennsylvania) have signed up to participate. Highlights of the celebration also include performances by musicians including members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

I miss Mr. Rogers. It makes me sad that my kids will never know him.

How Do I Love Thee?

I'd like to begin with a historical note. On this day in 1912, the Girl Scouts of the United States were founded by by Juliette Gordon Low in Savannah, Georgia. The Girl Scouts were chartered by an Act of Congress on March 16, 1950. Those who know me will understand why this event is important to me.

So the rabbit hole of the Internet has led me many places and recently one of those places has been David McMahon's authorblog. He periodically throws out a question on the weekends for his blog readers to answer on their own blogs. I answered one of his earlier ones, "Do You Get Enough Leisure Time?" in February. The most recent question is "Do You Say "I Love You" Enough?"

There was a time when the answer to that question for me would have been unequivocally NO. I wasn't in love and really never understood what love was. It took Mrs. Brave Astronaut to teach me about love and now I get it. Of course it means that I love her so much that it hurts. And I surely don't tell her that enough. So Mrs. Brave Astronaut, I Love You.

I was not a big "I love you" exchanger in my own family. It took my mother's illness to get my siblings and I to start telling each other. I struggled with saying it to my father (and still do), but was able to tell my mother at the end of her life. I believe that love of one's family is different than "matrimonial" love, for you don't get to pick your family. So you sort of have to love what you got. So even for all their faults, I love them.

The birth of my two children helped me further to express love with the simple "I love you" statement. My son exclaims it as he goes to bed each evening and many other occasions when sitting next to Mrs. BA and me. Saying "I love you" back to him is something that is done without question or reservation, for there is nothing like the love a parent has for a child.

So, to answer the question, yes, I think I do say "I love you" enough. But I am sure I could say it even more.

Do You Get Enough Leisure Time?

A recent blog post brought a visitor from Down Under (welcome, David to the Brave Astronaut orbit). He has a rich blog wherein he reports on a variety of things. Today (yesterday for him), he posted the following question: Do you get enough leisure time? Given that today is America's homage to "leisure time," the Super Bowl, it's a fine question to answer.

As many of you know, my father is visiting this weekend. However, as a relatively new federal employee and one who burned most of their leave to take time off to be with my newborn last month, I had no time to spend with him during the work day. So he planned his visit to be here primarily on the weekend. He arrived on Thursday and on Friday, Mrs. Brave Astronaut drove my father in to have lunch with me. After lunch I sent him in the direction of one of the Smithsonian museums for him to kill some time and then I went and got him and brought him back to my place of work so he could look around there.

Then yesterday, we decided to go to the new National Museum of the Marine Corps. I must admit that is was very well done. Of course the Marines can be very much in your face, OOH-RAH and all that. But the museum was very subtle, sort of like, here we are, this is what we do, thanks for coming by. I am happy to report that, among other things, LBA and I stormed the beaches at Iwo Jima, twice.

But to the question at hand. I have reported here before about vacation, missing it, weekend getaways, longer beach vacations, and not expecting to ever take a vacation again. But this of course, is different than leisure time, or at least how I would define it. I believe partly that my recent bout with insomnia has been due to my belief that nothing was getting done around the house. Much of this was my own making, the siren call of this blog and getting trapped in the Interwebs. It is also a factor of having two small children around, one of whom is three and requires a level of interaction that is higher than normal.

When we arrive home, many of us can relax for a bit, maybe read the paper, sit down for a leisurely dinner, and then watch some TV. With a three-year old, routine is key. You walk through the door and dinner needs to be in process, followed by a bath (most days), then pajamas and a show before bed (which encompasses, teeth brushing, face washing, and then stories before bed). Maybe Mrs. BA and I have eaten dinner with LBA, more often than not, we haven't. So it is now pushing past 8:30, heading for 9:00, and we have to think about dinner? Or clean up the dinner dishes?

Life is very much about priorities. I wouldn't trade my life now for anything. I love my wife, I love my children. Do I have enough leisure time? No. Do I want more? Yes. Am I OK if I don't get it for a few more years? Sure. Lives today are infinitely more complicated. Weekends used to be the time to decompress and do some things for yourself. Things change when you have two small children depending on you. Insomnia seems to be a small price to pay. I can actually get some things done while everybody else is sleeping.

So what about you? Do you have enough leisure time? Oh, and GO GIANTS!

A Quantum of Solace

I am the father of two small children, one who's three, and the second a month old on Wednesday. There is little, if any, quantum of solace to be found in the Brave Astronaut home. Let me say up front that I am possibly the luckiest father on the face of the earth. As I reported in my last post, Mrs. Brave Astronaut sent me off to the movies by myself last weekend. Granted our older son was at a sleepover with his cousins and she only had the little one to look after, but still. I have the best wife ever.

Since LBA2.0* came home, I have been attending to the needs of LBA. Let me say parenthetically here, that two is the appropriate number of children for most parents. As I will always say, with two kids, you can still play man-to-man, when you add a third, you have to start playing zone. It has been great, especially when I was off work, to be able to have all that time, where my wife and I could focus on one child and spell each other when needed. Now that I am back at work, it has been harder for Mrs. Brave Astronaut to find a few moments to herself. In fact, as I write this, LBA2.0 is sitting on my lap, asleep for the moment, but may wake at any moment, in search of nourishment from my wife (which I cannot unfortunately help with).

When the last James Bond movie came out, I went to see it with my brother-in-law, again leaving my wife at home, then only with one child. I liked it very much. It was nice to see James Bond actually get the snot kicked out of him and need to take some time before he could get back up again. He was more human and less superhero-like. There was word out this week that the new James Bond movie, and Daniel Craig's second turn as Bond, would be titled, A Quantum of Solace, from an Ian Fleming short story that appears in For Your Eyes Only. The new movie opens approximately one hour after the conclusion of Casino Royale and Bond is pissed and looking for revenge.

So to all of you out there, on this cold Sunday afternoon (at least here in this neck of the woods) may you all find a quantum of solace in your daily lives and that things aren't too crazy for you. I have found mine and her name is Mrs. Brave Astronaut.


* LBA2.0 - perhaps the new moniker for my younger son, as my older son will continue to be Little Brave Astronaut, or LBA for short.