My love affair with television is well documented. I enjoy almost all forms of television....Drama, Comedy, SciFi, Sports, Classic Movies, etc. I'm an equal opportunity viewer. I visit tvguide.com and ew.com almost daily for info on the shows I watch and new shows I might start watching. When the new fall shows start in late August, I'm going to agonize over what shows to watch, what shows to DVR, and what shows to ignore altogether. I make my own Excel Spreadsheet schedule, color coded for shows I watch, shows Rachel watches, and shows we watch together. It's unhealthy in so many ways. However, one genre has not tempted me at all.
Reality TV.
Reality TV is like a drug. Everyone experiments in college. For me, it was no different. I tried a little Temptation Island, but the high wore off on that one fast. I watched Real World, but really it was just for the social interaction with a group of girls I knew that watched it. I was like the kid in Can't Hardly Wait. I watched just to try to fit in. And, much like that kid, I never got very far with the ladies. I watched American Idol for a few seasons for the same reasons...our neighbors watched, so tried to talk myself into it. Once the neighbors moved on, so did my interest in Idol.
Then, Dancing with the Stars happened.
DWTS sucked me in fast. I joined Twitter to see what Ochocinco would say about it. I analyzed every single thing Erin Andrews did/said to see if she was still worthy of being a part of my list. Plus, it was something my wife enjoyed. Anything I can watch with her is great. We laughed at Buzz Aldrin and his "space brain" antics. We enjoyed Kate Gosselin's over the top meltdowns. And, surprisingly, I even enjoyed watching the dancing.
Last night, however, DWTS became a gateway drug for me. DWTS is my marijuana. As last night's episode wound down, they kept hyping up The Bachelorette. And I started talking myself into it. Rachel and I decided to watch the first few minutes. Just a taste. But we were hooked by The Mountain Man. I wanted to see if the bachelors with dead relatives used that to their advantage on the first date. I laughed at the irony of Ali saying she's on the show for love only months after leaving The Bachelor for a career. We ended up watching the whole two hours. I actually put off watching the series finale of 24 to watch The Bachelorette, not watching 24 until 11pm last night.
The drug parallels are scary. I staggered into bed at 1am. I woke up late and barely made it work on time. My eyes are bloodshot, and I feel like I could pass out at any second. I actually checked The Bachelorette website to see what others were saying about the show. I'm losing a grip on who I am to Reality TV.
If I start watching that True Beauty show, someone please call A&E and get me on Intervention.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
What's in a Name? (and other random stuff)
*Saw a boat in a yard today. The boat was named the Sea Bitch. This was not a particularly menacing looking boat, in fact I think it was a sail boat. Unless the sailboat competes in the Americas Cup races, I'm not sure how fierce a sailboat can be. Furthermore, who gives their boat a name like that. I'd argue that naming a boat is more stressful than naming a child. If you name your child something awful, at least your child is not wearing a nametag 24 hours a day for anyone to see and say "what the hell was wrong with that kid's parents?" Even if you give a kid an old timey family name like Hugo or Clarence or whatever, the kid can go by a nickname, or a middle name, or whatever. That boat will always be the Sea Bitch. Even if the owner calls it something else, everyone who has seen it will still call it "Sea Bitch." Naming a boat and choosing a yearbook quote are two of the most stressful written statements you'll ever make. I failed miserably at the yearbook quote (something about Converse shoes being better than Nike, a decision made all the more regrettable when Nike purchased Converse a few years back), so if I ever name a boat, it will not be something I mess up on. Off the top of my head, I'd like to name my first boat the "Sleepy Possum," but I'd definitely give it a lot of thought before pulling the trigger.
*Had a positive public park experience this weekend, when the fire station next door happened to be giving kids rides in the truck while we were there. Jonah got to "ding" the bell as we drove around the neighborhood. The fireman driving told us that his station (the North Albany station) was the slowest in the city. I asked if it was because of population density, and he said "um....let's just say that the lifestyle is different in other areas of the city." Well there you go...statistical evidence that North Albany is less crazy than Albany proper! I think I definitely need to support the next fireman's pancake breakfast in town or something, because this guy was hilarious, and every fireman there was very easy to talk to and great with the kids. Definitely feel good about who would be coming to rescue me in an emergency.
*Jonah and I got off to a rocky start this morning. I was getting him dressed, but he was more interested in sleeping than helping me. We usually get him into his pjs faster by threatening to tickle him, so I tried that tactic. I said "hurry, get your shirt on because mommy's going to tickle you!" Jonah just looked at me and said "No Daddy, Mommy's at work!" Alright. Apparently I was over anxious to get him dressed, because when we got to daycare, Malea said "why are his shoes on the wrong feet?" Because daddy dressed him, that's why.
*The Turkey Bratwurst we get at WinCo is amazing. That is all I have to say about that.
*Watched Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves last night. Halfway through the movie, the DVD just stops and starts over. When I tried to use scene selection to get back to where we were, I discovered that only half the scenes were on the disc. Turns out that this is some sort of first generation DVD that has the second half of the movie on the reverse side. I think this may have been the first DVD ever made. The movie's not that long, I don't need an intermission! As far as I'm concerned, the guy that figured out how to get an entire movie on to one side of a DVD made the greatest technological discovery of the century.
*In the movie, there's a scene where Robin Hood is skinny dipping in a lake when Marian shows up unannounced. Robin is caught naked behind a waterfall (thankfully.) I did notice for the first time that Robin Hood has a boxer short tan line.....was unaware that he was so ahead of his time fashion-wise.
*Had a positive public park experience this weekend, when the fire station next door happened to be giving kids rides in the truck while we were there. Jonah got to "ding" the bell as we drove around the neighborhood. The fireman driving told us that his station (the North Albany station) was the slowest in the city. I asked if it was because of population density, and he said "um....let's just say that the lifestyle is different in other areas of the city." Well there you go...statistical evidence that North Albany is less crazy than Albany proper! I think I definitely need to support the next fireman's pancake breakfast in town or something, because this guy was hilarious, and every fireman there was very easy to talk to and great with the kids. Definitely feel good about who would be coming to rescue me in an emergency.
*Jonah and I got off to a rocky start this morning. I was getting him dressed, but he was more interested in sleeping than helping me. We usually get him into his pjs faster by threatening to tickle him, so I tried that tactic. I said "hurry, get your shirt on because mommy's going to tickle you!" Jonah just looked at me and said "No Daddy, Mommy's at work!" Alright. Apparently I was over anxious to get him dressed, because when we got to daycare, Malea said "why are his shoes on the wrong feet?" Because daddy dressed him, that's why.
*The Turkey Bratwurst we get at WinCo is amazing. That is all I have to say about that.
*Watched Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves last night. Halfway through the movie, the DVD just stops and starts over. When I tried to use scene selection to get back to where we were, I discovered that only half the scenes were on the disc. Turns out that this is some sort of first generation DVD that has the second half of the movie on the reverse side. I think this may have been the first DVD ever made. The movie's not that long, I don't need an intermission! As far as I'm concerned, the guy that figured out how to get an entire movie on to one side of a DVD made the greatest technological discovery of the century.
*In the movie, there's a scene where Robin Hood is skinny dipping in a lake when Marian shows up unannounced. Robin is caught naked behind a waterfall (thankfully.) I did notice for the first time that Robin Hood has a boxer short tan line.....was unaware that he was so ahead of his time fashion-wise.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Brunklefest
We welcomed a new member to the family this week, as my sister Erin got married over the weekend at Washington Family Ranch, AKA Wildhorse Canyon, AKA Rajneeshpuram. The Union of Erin Kelly Runkle and Jeremie Jay Bryner was dubbed "Brunklefest 2010" by the locals. I'm not sure if this means that next year on their anniversary the whole camp will celebrate Brunklefest 2011 or what, but it's a cute nickname. It was a pretty impressive affair, gathering all these people together in a spot that is difficult to find on Google Maps. Put it this way, if it wasn't a Young Life camp, it's quite possible Santa Claus would miss this place every year. How many wedding invitations have you got lately that said said the following things:
- Cell phone service is not available
- Be sure to gas up in Biggs Junction, a town 82 miles away, because there aren't any reliable gas stations closer
- GPS devices are unreliable
- Best Dressed - Has to go my sister Erin, because if anyone else out-did her, they would've been buried somewhere on the ranch where only coyotes could find her. Even I know you don't show up the bride.
- Best Entrance - Grant, Bryony, Colin and Laura showing up mid-rehersal in an RV like Cousin Eddie in Christmas Vacation. I think I heard more than a few gasps and "uh oh's" go through the crowd as they arrived. It was pretty awesome, and set the scene for many "oh, so YOU'RE the brothers" comments made throughout the weekend.
- Most Humiliating Moment - When someone asked me if I was "the Famous Grant." I had to bow my head and admit that I was merely the "Famous Grant's Brother."
- Best Running Joke - Jonah had a little problem with people talking that he didn't know. After the Rehersal Dinner, when everyone was giving toasts "Jonah would interrupt by saying "Who is that guy?" This continued throughout the weekend, including during the ceremony.
- Strangest Rehersal Dinner Speech - Three-way tie for stories of Jay (the groom) that all were along the lines of "I remember a time when Jay did something sorta mean, but I swear he's an awesome guy." After the third one, I felt like asking Jonah "Who is that guy?"
- Biggest Challenge - Climbing this beast of a hill called "Communication Hill." Why Communication? Because it's the tallest hill around and thus is the best place to place radio transmission equipment. Climbing this thing seems to be some sort of rite of passage for visitors to the camp. It starts out hard, and gets harder. Coming down, there needs to be a runaway-human ramp it's so steep. It's even harder when you have to carry Jonah. We couldn't find a babysitter, because everyone else was out jogging, biking, hiking, or getting ready for the wedding. Way to invite a bunch of over-achievers to your wedding, Erin.
- Most Impressive - The level of support the rest of the camp showed for Brunklefest. Seemingly every fulltime resident of the ranch had a hand in either planning, decorating, cooking, hosting, or participating in the event. It's truly impressive that Erin and Jay were able to receive that measure of assistance. I'm not even sure they had to ask for it - the impression I got is that everyone was so happy for them that they spontaneously asked "what can we do to help?"
- Worst Timing - Goes to Rachel and I for hopping out of line for prom-style pictures at the reception because it was too long, only go back at the exact moment that some kid tripped and ripped through the backdrop, causing a delay that was made longer by pauses for toasts and first dances. Instead of standing in line for 5 minutes, we ended up in line for almost half an hour.
- Best Job-Shadowing - Jonah mimicked the photographer all day. Jonah spent most of the pre and post wedding time crouching down on one knee and saying "1-2-3" while snapping pictures of people's knees. Of the 180 pictures on our camera at the end of the weekend, 150 of them were deleted because they were of the sky, the grass, someone's butt, or had a finger over the lens. Keep working at it Jonah!
- Best Dance Moves - Goes to one of the bridesmaid's daughter. She started a breakdancing revolution among the under-5 crowd at the reception. Quite entertaining.
- Best Song at the Reception - Surprisingly, this goes to Miley Cyrus - Party in the USA. I wouldn't have guessed it would be popular with people of all ages, but the dance floor was never more packed or the energy better than when we were "nodding our heads like yeah."
- Keeping the Older Step-Brother Happy Award - Goes to Kate Kaufman for ensuring that the Cha Cha Slide was incorporated into the reception. It used to be a standing request of mine that it be played at all weddings I attend. In the future I'll be requesting Miley.
- Best gift - Erin and Jay put on a fireworks show worthy of the Fourth of July as they drove off to start their honeymoon. It was extremely impressive, and Jonah looked like someone had just handed him a million dollars. I'm pretty excited for Independence Day now, and will probably have a camera on him.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Cinco de Mayo
This has been a big week for me in many ways. Big because I started a new job, big because I'm gaining a brother-in-law on Saturday, and big because I've been taken out to eat at nearly every sit down restaurant in Corvallis for lunch this week. (Get it, I'm getting big?) Anyways.....
Last night was Jay (future brother-in-law)'s bachelor party. Well, he referred to it as a "dude date," so let's go with that. I missed most of it while at work, but I headed up to Portland to meet them for the Portland Beavers game at PGE Park. I've only ever been to Beaver games on weekends or Thirsty Thursdays, so I assumed that they always drew decent crowds. Not true.
As Grant and I drove up to the stadium, we could see nothing but empty bleachers. We parked, got out and walked in. The plan was for us to call Jay and see where they were sitting so we could meet up with them. Turns out we could've just yelled his name. We took one look around the stadium and saw only one group of more than ten people sitting together that wasn't a little league team. Party located. I'd honestly be surprised if there were more than 300 people in the stands. The attendance was announced at 1,539, but that must've counted both teams, the concession guys, the mascot, and the people playing basketball next door at the Multnomah Athletic Club. There were probably closer to a fifth of that number in the stands. I think I played in front of more people in little league.
The play on the field was largely unmemorable. Our group took a particular interest in the mannerisms of the third baseman for the other team, a guy named Mark Mangini, a 24 year old guy from North Carolina who had the unfortunate luck of being the closest player to our "dude date." The heckling took on many forms, as some people knew baseball better than others. Some highlights of the heckling included pointing out that he touched his belt buckle a lot, someone called him the "worst triple baseman in the league" and saying that "a real third baseman would've caught that" after a pop up to shallow right field was secured by the first baseman. The heckling continued with the poor concession guy who had the impossible task of selling sno-cones on a 42 degree night. He concurred with our assessment, muttering as he walked away "my life sucks!" and wondering why he couldn't sell hot chocolate. The guy looked like an overweight Tracy Morgan, and actually sounded a little like him too.
However, the mascot stole the show when he gave Jay a modified lap dance. I don't know if you've ever seen a man in a Beaver costume wearing a sombrero give another man a lap dance at a minor league game, but it's worth the price of admission. I also enjoyed that the Beaver asked for money, so Jay stuffed a Papa Murphy's coupon in the mascot's pants. This whole scenario was more than a little awkward, but what else would you expect from minor league baseball?
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Weight Gain Journal Day 36
The weight loss has taken a hiatus this week, and seemingly everyone at the Foundation has felt the need to congratulate me on my new position by taking me out to lunch. All these lunches are really eating (pun intended) into my running time. So we just have been avoiding the Wii because I don't want to hear it tell me that I'm not going to reach my goal and then tell me to mix in a salad or not drink sugary beverages. Easy for a frickin' electronic board on the ground to say...you try saying no to salmon at McGrath's, or a bison cheeseburger at Ruby Tuesday's, or anything Block 15 has to offer.
Off to Erin's wedding out at the Washington Family Ranch tomorrow for her wedding. Really looking forward to it, and hopefully a story or two will be noteworthy enough for me to blog about on Monday!
Last night was Jay (future brother-in-law)'s bachelor party. Well, he referred to it as a "dude date," so let's go with that. I missed most of it while at work, but I headed up to Portland to meet them for the Portland Beavers game at PGE Park. I've only ever been to Beaver games on weekends or Thirsty Thursdays, so I assumed that they always drew decent crowds. Not true.
As Grant and I drove up to the stadium, we could see nothing but empty bleachers. We parked, got out and walked in. The plan was for us to call Jay and see where they were sitting so we could meet up with them. Turns out we could've just yelled his name. We took one look around the stadium and saw only one group of more than ten people sitting together that wasn't a little league team. Party located. I'd honestly be surprised if there were more than 300 people in the stands. The attendance was announced at 1,539, but that must've counted both teams, the concession guys, the mascot, and the people playing basketball next door at the Multnomah Athletic Club. There were probably closer to a fifth of that number in the stands. I think I played in front of more people in little league.
The play on the field was largely unmemorable. Our group took a particular interest in the mannerisms of the third baseman for the other team, a guy named Mark Mangini, a 24 year old guy from North Carolina who had the unfortunate luck of being the closest player to our "dude date." The heckling took on many forms, as some people knew baseball better than others. Some highlights of the heckling included pointing out that he touched his belt buckle a lot, someone called him the "worst triple baseman in the league" and saying that "a real third baseman would've caught that" after a pop up to shallow right field was secured by the first baseman. The heckling continued with the poor concession guy who had the impossible task of selling sno-cones on a 42 degree night. He concurred with our assessment, muttering as he walked away "my life sucks!" and wondering why he couldn't sell hot chocolate. The guy looked like an overweight Tracy Morgan, and actually sounded a little like him too.
However, the mascot stole the show when he gave Jay a modified lap dance. I don't know if you've ever seen a man in a Beaver costume wearing a sombrero give another man a lap dance at a minor league game, but it's worth the price of admission. I also enjoyed that the Beaver asked for money, so Jay stuffed a Papa Murphy's coupon in the mascot's pants. This whole scenario was more than a little awkward, but what else would you expect from minor league baseball?
----------------------------------
Weight Gain Journal Day 36
The weight loss has taken a hiatus this week, and seemingly everyone at the Foundation has felt the need to congratulate me on my new position by taking me out to lunch. All these lunches are really eating (pun intended) into my running time. So we just have been avoiding the Wii because I don't want to hear it tell me that I'm not going to reach my goal and then tell me to mix in a salad or not drink sugary beverages. Easy for a frickin' electronic board on the ground to say...you try saying no to salmon at McGrath's, or a bison cheeseburger at Ruby Tuesday's, or anything Block 15 has to offer.
Off to Erin's wedding out at the Washington Family Ranch tomorrow for her wedding. Really looking forward to it, and hopefully a story or two will be noteworthy enough for me to blog about on Monday!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Ah Costco....
Before I get into the blog, I need to recap my dream before I forget it. I don't remember many of the details, but it involved going back in time to 1907 with my grandparents, some sort of bloody sumo battle in which a friend of mine was killed and I avenged his death, traveling to Dallas, Texas to find the first Red Robin restaurant (which, according to wikipedia, originated in Seattle), and also a tsunami. It was quite lengthy and involved. I actually woke up more tired than I was when I went to bed.
Yesterday was my last day in gift accounting at the Foundation. I kind of got a little nostalgic and wondered if I really wanted to make the move. Then 85% of the people in the department took the day off and I remembered the size of my paycheck, and I felt better. You'd think that in almost five years I'd have accumulated enough stuff that it would take more than two trips with what I can carry in my hands, but you'd be wrong. What took longer was cleaning out my new desk. The lady before me was a bit of a hoarder, and I my new cubicle looked like a supply closet. It was pretty cluttered, but if the temperature ever dropped like in The Day After Tomorrow, I'd definitely have enough fuel to keep a fire going until my dad could rescue me.
Last night, we went to Costco to pick up a few things, as well as get a take n' bake pizza for dinner. We usually have to come up with some sort of "reward" for Jonah to get him to go to the store. If we're going to the supermarket, we can bribe him with taking the cans back (he loves doing that for some reason) or getting to ride in the the kiddy cars that are hooked to the front of some of the shopping carts. At Costco, we use free samples. I think every parent will tell you that keeping your kids happy at the store is a priority, because nobody wants to witness an temper tantrum by their child in a public place. Well last night it was extra busy at Costco. Jonah decided he wanted to rub his butt against all the doors in the refrigerated section. During a non busy time we'd probably have let him rub his butt until he got a hole in his jeans, but he was hindering people from getting their milk. So Rachel grabs him and says "time to sit in the cart" which set off an epic meltdown. He screamed at the top of his lungs, started kicking his feet and then slapped Rachel. Rachel says "that's it, you're in timeout" and makes him sit down on the side of the aisle. To Jonah's credit, once you put him in timeout, he doesn't move. He just gives you a look of "how could you do this to me?" as the tears roll down his cheeks. So we let him sit there for a few minutes, I explain to him that there is never a reason to hit Mommy, Rachel tells him that it's too busy and he needs to sit in the cart and be a good boy or there will be no Transformers watching when we get home. Jonah apologized and got into the cart. The situation has been defused and I think that's the end of it. Probably would've been the end of it, if Jonah hadn't asked for another free sample of tilapia a few minutes later.
I'm not saying that every free sample lady is crazy, but it seems like many of them are lonely people who relish the chance to talk to someone, even if it is about panko breaded tilapia or apple cider from Ryan's Orchard. The tilapia lady recognized me from the meltdown and immediately says "you guys are AMAZING parents," which I know she meant as a compliment, but what I heard her say was "I totally saw your kid erupt like Mt. St. Helen's." It's always strange to hear someone who knows absolutely nothing about you or your child give you their opinion on your parenting strategy, even if it is complimentary. I shrugged and kinda said thank you as I looked at my feet, but she kept going.
"I mean it! You guys got him calmed down so quickly! Do you watch Supernanny?"
I had to say yes, which really annoyed me because putting a kid in a timeout seems like a pretty logical way to deal with a temper tantrum, but now all the credit goes to a tv personality dealing with the most god awful children in the country. I don't think Rachel and I are anything like Supernanny, and Jonah is definitely nothing like the little monsters on that show.
And that is why, as a parent, taking your kids out in public is so frustrating. You're rolling the dice every time. Our kids are great 95% of the time. If that 5% of the time they are difficult happens at a store, or at the park, or anywhere else public, that's the only time these people see your child, and they immediately think "this is how this kid must act all the time, how awful!" You want to explain to everyone that "he's usually a really well behaved kid, I promise!" but that'd be like a Costco free sample lady telling me "I swear I don't live with 87 cats!" I'll never see her house, so I'm free to continue to draw my own judgements about what goes on the other 23 hours of the day in her life.
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Next week will be a serious challenge to my weight loss plan. I'm being taken out to lunch three times by three different groups of coworkers next week. McGrath's on Monday, Ruby Tuesday on Tuesday, and Block 15 on Thursday. That's at least three days next week I won't be running on my lunch break. Running this week didn't go too well either. I ran Monday, but didn't go again until Thursday, and I had to cut that short (I think I made it about 2 miles) with a very bothersome ankle. I'm going to try to use the elliptical a lot next week, but it's hard when I'm home alone with Jonah because he always wants me to hold him while I elliptical, which turns a nice workout into a Bataan Death March.
Yesterday was my last day in gift accounting at the Foundation. I kind of got a little nostalgic and wondered if I really wanted to make the move. Then 85% of the people in the department took the day off and I remembered the size of my paycheck, and I felt better. You'd think that in almost five years I'd have accumulated enough stuff that it would take more than two trips with what I can carry in my hands, but you'd be wrong. What took longer was cleaning out my new desk. The lady before me was a bit of a hoarder, and I my new cubicle looked like a supply closet. It was pretty cluttered, but if the temperature ever dropped like in The Day After Tomorrow, I'd definitely have enough fuel to keep a fire going until my dad could rescue me.
Last night, we went to Costco to pick up a few things, as well as get a take n' bake pizza for dinner. We usually have to come up with some sort of "reward" for Jonah to get him to go to the store. If we're going to the supermarket, we can bribe him with taking the cans back (he loves doing that for some reason) or getting to ride in the the kiddy cars that are hooked to the front of some of the shopping carts. At Costco, we use free samples. I think every parent will tell you that keeping your kids happy at the store is a priority, because nobody wants to witness an temper tantrum by their child in a public place. Well last night it was extra busy at Costco. Jonah decided he wanted to rub his butt against all the doors in the refrigerated section. During a non busy time we'd probably have let him rub his butt until he got a hole in his jeans, but he was hindering people from getting their milk. So Rachel grabs him and says "time to sit in the cart" which set off an epic meltdown. He screamed at the top of his lungs, started kicking his feet and then slapped Rachel. Rachel says "that's it, you're in timeout" and makes him sit down on the side of the aisle. To Jonah's credit, once you put him in timeout, he doesn't move. He just gives you a look of "how could you do this to me?" as the tears roll down his cheeks. So we let him sit there for a few minutes, I explain to him that there is never a reason to hit Mommy, Rachel tells him that it's too busy and he needs to sit in the cart and be a good boy or there will be no Transformers watching when we get home. Jonah apologized and got into the cart. The situation has been defused and I think that's the end of it. Probably would've been the end of it, if Jonah hadn't asked for another free sample of tilapia a few minutes later.
I'm not saying that every free sample lady is crazy, but it seems like many of them are lonely people who relish the chance to talk to someone, even if it is about panko breaded tilapia or apple cider from Ryan's Orchard. The tilapia lady recognized me from the meltdown and immediately says "you guys are AMAZING parents," which I know she meant as a compliment, but what I heard her say was "I totally saw your kid erupt like Mt. St. Helen's." It's always strange to hear someone who knows absolutely nothing about you or your child give you their opinion on your parenting strategy, even if it is complimentary. I shrugged and kinda said thank you as I looked at my feet, but she kept going.
"I mean it! You guys got him calmed down so quickly! Do you watch Supernanny?"
I had to say yes, which really annoyed me because putting a kid in a timeout seems like a pretty logical way to deal with a temper tantrum, but now all the credit goes to a tv personality dealing with the most god awful children in the country. I don't think Rachel and I are anything like Supernanny, and Jonah is definitely nothing like the little monsters on that show.
And that is why, as a parent, taking your kids out in public is so frustrating. You're rolling the dice every time. Our kids are great 95% of the time. If that 5% of the time they are difficult happens at a store, or at the park, or anywhere else public, that's the only time these people see your child, and they immediately think "this is how this kid must act all the time, how awful!" You want to explain to everyone that "he's usually a really well behaved kid, I promise!" but that'd be like a Costco free sample lady telling me "I swear I don't live with 87 cats!" I'll never see her house, so I'm free to continue to draw my own judgements about what goes on the other 23 hours of the day in her life.
------------------------------------------
Next week will be a serious challenge to my weight loss plan. I'm being taken out to lunch three times by three different groups of coworkers next week. McGrath's on Monday, Ruby Tuesday on Tuesday, and Block 15 on Thursday. That's at least three days next week I won't be running on my lunch break. Running this week didn't go too well either. I ran Monday, but didn't go again until Thursday, and I had to cut that short (I think I made it about 2 miles) with a very bothersome ankle. I'm going to try to use the elliptical a lot next week, but it's hard when I'm home alone with Jonah because he always wants me to hold him while I elliptical, which turns a nice workout into a Bataan Death March.
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