Finally, the weather is breaking. Yesterday the heat pump thawed out and I was able to switch from emergency heat to regular heat. The kids still spend a lot of time on the phone, and I'm watching a lot of older television shows to clear out my tivo buffer.

Nearing the end of another year

Well, temperatures continue to be quite cold here, with snow and ice everywhere.
The kids have a new favorite movie - Napoleon Dynamite - and I have watched it twice already.
I took a gift card given to me and used it plus about the last of the cash I had to buy a present for the 3 kids that I'd not yet given a gift. So now they all four have at least one gift for Christmas.

Temperatures are still down around 0 F. People in this area still without electricity - at least 4 or 5 households that we know personally - but the news reported around 100,000 households.
The kids invited some friends over.

Alas, in some regards, it is not much warmer here than their houses. I've electric heat, too many windows, and I'm using the emergency heat because of the amount of ice and snow inside the
heat pump. Once the temps rise over 40 degrees I can try to hurry the melting process along with some hot water.

But even then, this house never gets warm unless the outside temp is over 40.

Sigh. Over a week gone in my vacation. So far, I've hung out with the kids while my wife and eldest son spent the week in Florida, watched tv, watched Spider-Man II, Napoleon Dynamite, and Mean Girls, had to evacuate from my home due to the Ohio ice storm, and not only missed giving gifts at Christmas (for the most part) but can't even cook much for the family.

For the first half of the week, things were okay. But last Weds the snow began. That wasn't bad - we just tried to stay in. Then Weds nite the snow turned to freezing rain, and the power went out.
Thursday I decided to brave the streets and move to a site where I could at least cook
some food for the kids. We stayed there for a few hours, but then were given the suggestion to move to a local relief shelter for some heat. We tried that, but the conditions at the high school were pretty rugged. Friends of the family volunteered, out of the greatness of their hearts, to share their electric and heat with us for the night.

Friday afternoon power returned - and we returned home. The house is still cold - temps staying in the 50s or sometimes a bit lower - but we have a couple of space heaters.

Saturday, we ran to the airport, where our vacationeers were returning. We returned home, and Christmas afternoon and evening returned to our dear friends home, where we were treated to a wonderful meal and fellowship.

Now we spent the night here at the house. Weather.com is predicting that these temps of mid 20s will rise to mid 50s by the end of the week - finally, some warmth! Also, after payday and bills , perhaps I will be able to buy a few small gifts for the kids.

Even though so many preach that it is better to give than receive, it is hard for teenagers to end up with few to no gifts.

Being poor stinks.

I mean, I have 2 family members who used all their extra cash to spend a week in FL the week
before Christmas.

I'm at home with 3 other family members, with about $5 a person a day budget, no Christmas
presents, no groceries or supplies, and somehow have to make the best of this.

I'm getting calls every few hours from one of the vacationing family members who appears
to be bored camping.

One of the stay-at-homes has work scheduled nearly every day in the upcoming week. So I won't see her much of the time.

But, I've a lot of reading I can do, internet surfing, TiVO watching (YAH TiVO!!!), etc.
So I will certainly survive. But it's not going to seem like Christmas .

well, a stressful morning. I overslept - which I never (well obviously not never) do.
Got the kids off to school, then began helping around the house, reading email, etc.
while two family members prepare for a holiday trip down south. Now I'm trying
to get them to finish up the stuff I've been telling them to do for weeks...
Back later with updates.

Today was my day to go out to lunch with some friends. However, before I could go, I had a class at work I had to help with. Class ran long, and so by the time I reached "The Rusty Bucket", the guys had all left.
So I ate alone - a little Aztec chowder (chicken breast, white beans, garlic, hot pepper, cream and chives), and a 1/2 lb Reuben with a side of fries.
It was a pricey (total came to about $18 with tip) but
after that class, I needed it.

Well, my prodigal son returned home last night. Ben's intent is to move in with some friends in the upcoming weeks, so he's been spending time with them at their place to get to know them, make certain he fits in, get used to living away from home, etc.

It's hard for me - I really am Mr. Homebody, and love just hanging out at home with the kids. So having them begin the process of living on their own is tough for me. I am beginning to get a bit teary just typing this. Anyways, I know its for the best ... just doesn't mean I have to like it.

This weekend, Laura, my daughter, was so sweet. She took me out to lunch on Saturday. We stopped by an Ethiopean restaurant and had some great food. She wanted to bring home leftovers for the current beau to try out - so I gave up 1/2 my lunch to the cause. Didn't really matter - the lunch portions were so large I was pretty full.

Then, when we got home, she was getting ready for work and I found out we were invited to a little Christmas party.
It looks like it will be the only one to which we are invited, so I said "sure, let's go". We had so much fun hanging out with Mike and Amy Rodgers - they work with the youth at church and are such a fun couple. A few others - most of the Oates family, some of the Ruarks, and Sara Hunter and her friend Tyler, were also there.

Sunday, I found out that, once again, I was being asked to step and and run the powerpoint for the service. So I did it, and things went okay. Sunday School was a bit intense - the topic was supposed to be about forgiving, but the group was pretty interactive and we went in a variety of other directions. When I mentioned the tough time I was having with the kids planning on moving out, apparently I touched a nerve, because two friends came up afterwards and said how they too were either currently, or had in the past, had similar experiences.

For lunch, I made oriental sloppy joes (ground beef, onion, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, beef boulion simmered until the broth was incorporated into the meat).
Laura invited a friend over and they hung out... well, Laura was on the phone off and on through the afternoon, but hung out when she wasn't distracted.

We sat and watched tv after church and then I catnapped until Ben came home (around 2am) after work. We caught up for an hour or so and then off to bed to catch a few winks before work.

Only a few more days and Ben and his mom take off to Florida for a vacation with Hurricane Sara (inside joke).

Well, they are at it again. The two oldest kids are talking cell phones again. In fact, the oldest went out and bought one yesterday. I can't tell if he did any comparison shopping and looking for the best bargain, or if he just let the sales people sell him something.

That's how my wife and I got into trouble financially - just buying whatever a sales critter told us was good. In many cases, it wasn't - we ended up with too much debt now and it makes each week painful.

Too bad people won't learn from the mistakes of others.

Man, am I tired. I had a migrain most of yesterday. Then, around 10:30 pm or so my 19 yr old called home and wanted me to come out and help a stranger he had met to jump his car. When I tried to respectfully decline the honor, he got mad and hung up. Then, as I tried to go to bed, another child informed me that there was a strong likelihood of failing a couple of courses because of a lack of understanding material in the courses. Of course, this had to wait until mere hours before they had to arrive at school and face the possible consequences...

So sick as I was, I was up nearly 1 am trying to help them understand things like determinants and solving linear equations with 3 variables (we were not successful, I am afraid), as well as learning things like calculating taxi fare, reading train schedules, calculating interest on bonds, etc.

Sigh.

And of course, the weekend also held such treats as learning that one of the young people is making plans to move into an apartment with friends, and ... oh by the way, have I seen their work badges, their driving license, their bank card, ....

On the better side, Saturday I took the two younger gentlemen to a teen Bible quiz in southern Ohio, where their team came in first in the competition bracket and one of the two had the third highest score in his division.

current weather patterns are giving me daily headaches. yesterday, I woke up several times through the night nausious and in pain. I couldn't make it up and operational to go to work; had to call in sick. There's a flu bug going around and that may have played a part as well.
However, today I am again attempting to make it through a day of work.

Went to son #2's first orchestra concert. He did well, and as my daughter says "looked cute in a tux".

Well, back to work.