Static Sensor/Soldier of Love

I see your body. I know it's there. And between us is a gap, an interval, a zone - demilitarized, so as to cause no friction.

Korean "DM" Zone - Image courtesy via CC

Here's the rub - I want to move in, I want to invade your space. To play Space Invaders with you... I have to cross through the gap and touch and intend to do so. I mean no static, I mean no harm, I attack in peace. To disarm your sensor, to allow for open encroachment - by me, through space, from here to there. So what do you say? Shall I fire off a volley or two to make you aware? That I plan to overrun the zone and enter no man's land, a risk - though worthwhile in the end. There is no annexation, the assault will have end; to occupy, but not too long, by no means forever, but to certainly invade your lines to charge the tip or the trench and align negative with positive.

Whether persistence or menace you must decide as I make known the intentions to cross the great divide.

Retain the Routine

As we head into fall, we are seeing and welcoming patterns back into our household. Familiar weekend patterns and routines, or rituals, maybe rights of passage?

On Sundays, when I was a kid, my parents would drag myself and brothers out of bed. They would make their way with us kicking and screaming, on downtown to church, with us hoping that there would at least be good donuts at coffee hour to make it worthwhile.

We would sit in the same pew, close to the entry/exit, in the top balcony. I can over-analyze/justify three reasons for this – 1. This pew was larger so it could accommodate a family of five; 2. We were sometimes late and it was convenient for us to slip in if worship had already started; 3. We could get a good start on leaving as worship finished, either grabbing donuts or not – primarily dependent upon who the Vikings were playing that afternoon.

Sunday Routine

Yes, the Sunday morning routine included church/worship and football/worship. We would get home, mom would probably fix something to eat, and my dad and us boys would watch the Vikings run around the field with their big purple helmets.

It is a cozy thought, watching that football with dad. Fall was in the air, so there was that chill outside, but inside we were semicircled around that box, watching sport together, sharing “ews!” and “ahs!”, elation and disappointment (yes we are Vikings fans).

And it was easy, on those Sunday mornings – and afternoons to us kids.

With this recollection, I am not belittling church or God by any means. In fact that aspect of the Sunday morning routine is what has carried forth for me today. Going to church is the routine. My wife would kick my butt if I stopped, (though I do take days off). Our kids have come to expect it, and they like it. Beyond the morality and Godly expectations of it all there are great stories about heroes and villains, there are friends there who they don’t see at school, and yes, sometimes there are donuts.

The Vikings games I have slacked on. I enjoy throwing a football around - something about hitting a target with a moving object. But, I think there is too much money involved; and I can't take watching those big commentators with their expensive suits and fat rings; and the rules seem kinda sketchy; and there was the recent players strike and stadium talk and there are too many injuries and my kids will probably be as slow as I was and if they wish to play - be relegated to the offensive line... (no offense to former or future linemen).

In fact, I could see myself watching more football - if they played every Monday night - maybe with those commentators from Wipeout - as I sit with popcorn and am weary and settling down from a busy day with work and kids.

Soccer anyone? Yes to soccer, but there is still a draw to American football... perhaps it has been encoded into my DNA.

Acknowledging or not, we retain the routine. God is here, there - in every way. The Vikings seem to be here to stay, now – and we will soon have a new place to watch them (maybe), in our comfy corner of the world (and I don't mean the new stadium).

Big Leap/Declaration...

Let the joyous news be spread -
Let the dreaded news be spread -

"our house"

The people who live in this old house will soon be finishing off their basement... making more room for the cubs to stretch their legs and wreak havoc upon themselves; (as well as an improved and more efficient laundry area, better storage area, a wash room and perhaps future bedroom -but don't mention that last part to my wife.)

We are embarking into the frontier. We are taking a step into the unknown and this has been no easy decision, especially in this economy and housing market, but the variables call for this action.


There is a bottleneck of toys in our front entry and living room. The pressure needs to be released and in so doing will alter the flow and function of space within this house. We hope that using our basement for more than storage will open the valve and release the pressure. That will be an important thing as the boys grow older and look for space to hang out.

Yes, I am motivating myself that this is the right decision.
And yes we are privileged people, as are most of us in America.

This is part of what is seen as a three step home improvement process:

1. Improve the basement (which has the potential) to allow for more elbow room and to prepare for future growth (of existing family members).
2. A completely new kitchen. (Yes, that will be a big deal).
3. Exterior improvements - sidewalk, driveway, masonry issues.

The 1920's kitchen has character, but is tiny. It is amazing what they thought of the kitchen space back when they built these houses. Like they were some afterthought or something just to fill in the spare space.

We will be moving the kitchen to a different corner of the house. It will become a larger kitchen, (once the tiny closets are removed) and will be directly above the basement laundry space. Honestly, our highly inefficient fridge is being held together by duct tape, our tile flooring is coming apart, there is no room for the big bags of Costco stuff we eat (just bein' honest) - so in addition to enjoying more room, the time has come for upgrading. We will keep the original kitchen as a mud room, and keep the original built-in cabinets for storage. Realistically, our new kitchen will be new, but still somewhat modest.

The sidewalk, driveway and masonry issues though important, are not urgent and will get their fixes in time.

We have wrestled with these decisions. They are like dominoes, and the time has come for them to fall. The neighborhood is convenient, the house and yard are nice, the school district is top notch, we can get downtown to work easily, we can get to family members easily... we wish our church was closer, and I wish there was a neighborhood park in our little four block by four block realm of the city.

The thought of selling the house through this interesting market to find something bigger didn't sound appealing.

So, we are going to take the leap and stay where we are and do more entertaining down under, in the basement - complete with indoor plumbing.

Eight Reasons Why a Bad Economy Relates to a Good Relationship

It's plenty rough around the edges - but you might still get the point...

Eight Reasons Why a Bad Economy Relates to a Good Relationship

8. Mediocre job growth leaves you or your neighbor looking for work - while mediocre job satisfaction leaves your spouse coming home and needing a shoulder to cry on.

7. Evidently there is a “lag” - a period in time where there is catching up – like the unemployment numbers and like having a discussion about refilling the ice tray - good discussion, but it still isn't filled.

6. There are short spikes (upticks/downticks) in the economy, which don't necessarily mean it's tanking nor soaring – much like make-up sex – it seems good, it was a nice jolt, but is it really solving the fundamental issue?

5. Sometimes a bad economy needs a big push - like a war, or how about cold fusion – to break out of the doldrums. Unfortunately, sometimes a good relationship needs a big push as well  - not a night away from the kids, but perhaps a weekend, or a week...  a season? (I wonder what Grandma and Grandpa are doing next spring?)

4. Stimulus helps to stabilize the current era, increasing the cost for future era; like scratching your spouses back, and hitting the spot, but then they come back asking for more and also wondering if you wouldn't mind pinching the shoulders, rubbing the bunyons and perhaps fixing some tea...   ;P

3. Tax reductions increase the spending pennies in your individual pocket; but then, as a whole, you're paying less down on accrued, existing, debt. In a good relationship you don't walk down into the basement together, to see the piles of stuff, (did we really think we would use that track glider thing?) accrued over time, outta site - outta mind, and turn to the other and say "Ok, well I have a fantasy football draft scheduled in an hour, so lets get to cleaning but I will be out most of the day." Nope you don't say that, instead you roll up your sleeves to pay the price and get it over with so that into the future that basement will be cleaned (and then you can have that fantasy football draft down there complete with little smokies, hot wings and something to drink, let me think here.... ).

2. They say that as the housing market picks up - it's a sign that economic steam is building, folks are feeling more confident, the growth is moving forward. They also say that when a man picks up - his clothes, the children's toys, maybe the dishes; he is feeling more confident, better about himself and maybe looking forward to certain future endeavors.

1. Eventually, society does the math and faces the facts. The economy is struggling, we as individuals need to assist in the change action and not by ignoring it or sowing deeper hate and resentment, but by working together for some forward thinking act, towards a level of mutual satisfaction. Be it on the street corner, in the corporate boardroom or the congressional back office. In a good relationship, you may argue over what is being made for dinner tonight, one of you walks away - out the front door - pounding your frustrations into the pavement (causing earthquakes on the other side of the world) - but then you walk back, into the house, to resolve the issue, realizing that there are two viewpoints and there has to be some common ground and that chicken two nights in a row isn't the end of the world. (Theres fried chicken, theres breaded chicken, theres barbeque chicken, theres chicken nuggets...)

Notes:
- 10 Similarities Between a Bad Economy and a Good Relationship
- reduce your current affection rate to then find that down the road, suddenly, there are piles of overdue bills and IOUs and that ..... swing batter batter batter
- is a hole, and it needs to be filled, by what you don't know because you've lost track in the real investment that two loving people offer each other and the world. (Do you?)

Gotta love that drummer...  ;)

The Ketchup Culture

Ketchup.

Awhile back, in addition to red, it came green, purple, blue...

Awhile back it was to be overrun by salsa...

Awhile back ones of it's purveyors' relations got involved in Presidential politics...

Yet it still gets used.

On hot dogs, on hamburgers, on french fries, on eggs, on grilled cheese sandwiches, probably on waffles.

Image courtesy via CC

The ketchup culture persists be it Heinz, Hunts, or something less namebrand. It coats it covers it enhances it sweetens it adds it dips it comes in plastic it comes in packets it comes large it comes small.

Ketchup is the ghetto version of blood on the movie set as it smears the shirt with certain death.

Ketchup is love?

Er.... I think not.