Erasure Unyouthfulness

There is a song that pops into my head from time to time. A tune that we used to dance to at the youth church dances in the 80's. It was done by Erasure and the first verse goes:

"I'd like to be a child again, so many things to do
Playground noise and colour toys, and everything brand new......."

Although it is true that children are easily amused by colours and toys, there is probably more truth in the observation that little boys are attracted to critters and animals. It was this urge, im sure, that jumped up out of their little bodies and snatched my birthday card off the Walmart shelf. They woke me last week to gift it to me on my birthday. I share:
You see, if a squirrel sharing his loot is cute to you,imagine how bad Konrad and Anders would have felt to have left him on the shelf. Then I opened it up to read the anticipated clever caption. I share:


Turns out, scooters gift came in handy. I will try to explain that but first enter 2nd verse of Erasure "when I needed you most":

"....I'd like to be a pirate ship, in search of hidden gold
on ocean waves I'd swim away, and sail around the world"

Ever since I have had it in my head to build a cabin this summer I have been on a treasure hunt, searching for tools, supplies, and ideas at discounted prices (only when the free supplies are elusive), searching "hidden gold" if you will, to build Nauvoo haus.

On Tuesday I found myself climbing a 40' Tv Antenna. After asking around, I found a good man who agreed to let me have his TV antenna if I took it down for him. I was nervous since I've never had experience with these things. However, this is where Scooter the squirrel's nut helped me out. Although, it probably had less to do with testosterone and more with the climbing genetics that, doubtless, runs in Scooters family. Anyhow, with my dads old Bell Canada climbing belt a few deep breaths, and a good quality diaper, I made my way up to the top. While on top the wind had a little fun with me as I swayed about 2-3 feet it seemed back and forth. After some creative manoevers and with my dads encouragement from the ground we managed to dismantle it piece by piece. I share:


I have a similar picture with a 12' satellite dish on top of my car. No I am not starting a spy station or a behind-the-curve telecommunications company. The TV tower will be used to make myself a crane that will help me position the 500lb logs of the cabin on days when I am working at the lake solo. The dish, well......lets just say that is next years project and without going into details, I plan on powering our entire cottage with electricity using the dish.

My main squeeze

In the same way we show gratitude on a day other than thanksgiving, I'm going to pre-empt Valantines day and send a shout out to my Jenny.

She is what champions are made of. She has been enduring constant pain and discomfort the last few weeks (shes about 8 mo. pregnant) and still manages to be relatively pleasant to be around:) She is winding down at work and taking more time off until she leaves in a couple weeks. She hasn't decided if she will take 5 years off yet.

When I met her she was very career oriented and had a lot of things she wanted to accomplish. Whenever I breached the subject of children I had about as captive an audience as I do when I try to talk to her now about anything during the boys waking hours.

Like Eve and like most women after her, she woMANed up and decided to endure the bad to know the good. If it were up to men to bare the children I'm positive real estate prices would be much cheaper than they are now due to a much smaller populous and more available land. Thanks for the mortgages ladies!

Now, with career goals and opportunities in sight, Jenny is contemplating pushing them off for at least another 5 years (if this is our last child) to take one for team Jakob. It is admirable. Although she is much changed over the last 10 years and although my perception of who she is has changed / evolved, it has all been for the better.

We have a soundtrack to the movie "Rushmore" and the words to one of the tracks is fitting:

"I love you more today than yesterday, but not as much as tomorrow"

Nauvoo Haus

Well, I'm gearing up to build a homestead. The picture of Dereks fathers cabin didn't initiate the urge but it did make me jealous and I'm hoping I can use that jealousy as a catalyst in focusing on the project.

It wont be anything as elaborate.. in fact the cabin I will be building will eventually be a garage / loft for friends that come to visit when we put the main cottage up, but it will be significant. 22 x 30' with a kitchen, bathroom and 2 bedrooms. The dining area will eventually be the garage part.

So in preparation for "the big event" I am making sure all the gears are oiled. That includes documentation (This blog will serve sufficient).

I honestly feel I am already in over my head just by thinking about doing it so I hope to collect any pointers or insight others might have as I lay out my plans. So far all I know about building a cabin is I want to grow a bushy beard and go shirtless on a couple of the days when the mosquitoes aren't so bad. I think thats a good start.

Oh and I have a name for it too. It is based on D & C 124: 22,23,and 60 and my brother has already given me the perfect Christmas gift to get going. It is a 3 foot wooden sign with a German touch.

BEST IN SHOW

Over the past 5 years Jenn and I have taken to raising show kids.

Today we showcased our 2 finest show kids at the Metcalfe fair. One of them took 2nd place in the 4 and under foot race while the other one fetched us a 4th place in the 5 year old category. They then doubled that up with a 2nd and 4th place respectively at the "stuffed sock animal contest".



Jenifer and I are very proud of our accomplishments in raising show kids. I think we will get another one and start training HIM in March

I gotta go. Its feeding time for our showkids

DID YOUR GRANDMA EVER EAT PLANKTON?

LMBO...... I'm still laughing from the question Konrad asked Jenn tonight, "did your grandma ever eat plankton?".

I think he was just curious to know the answer but I think I'm going to add that to my "yo mamma" joke repertoire. I'm wondering how he even knows what plankton is. He's a clever boy. He can correctly pronounce most words that he attempts to read already. I keep waiting for his teacher to tell us he's brilliant but it never happens. I guess I'm just a proud parent who thinks they have gifted children like every other parent out there.

Speaking of reading, I've been getting into it lately. I've never really taken the time to read. I know that I fit the stereotype of a non-reader but I never really felt exclusively jock. I've always enjoyed reading articles and non fiction biographies. However, I picked up a few novels for our trip to Morocco and I've been going ever since.

I started with " the Alchemist" It helped pass the time on the flight to England but I felt it was a little elementary. I was intregued by the use of Melchizedek and the Urim and Thumim but over all I thought it he wasn't a very captivating writer.

Next I read "Under a thousand Splendid Suns" and " The Kite Runner" by Kaled Hosseini. They were both wonderful books. They fed my hunger for learning about unfamiliar settings (Afghanistan) and were culturally insightful. The stories invoke a full range of emotions aswell.

Then I read "Blood River". I thought it was incredible to learn of the untold Congo. I was captivated to the point I thought I was watching a movie. I can remember flipping through the channels one night unsatisfied because I couldn't find the channel that would continue my story. Then I realized it was my book I was craving and I shut the tv off to go read.



Most recently, I picked a book up off the shelf called " Kipewa River Chronicles". This one was written by a good friend from Utah who has a lodge in Quebec. Wow what a good read. It was as good as any of the other books I've mentioned. He is a decent writer and his stories are out of this world. A few years ago Jenn and I and Derek and Rachelle went up to the lodge for some r and r and Derek started into this book. He read it in 2 days and I though he was missing out on what the area had to offer with his nose buried in that book. Last week when I saw the book on the shelf I felt a little disrespectful for taking a gift copy 5 years ago and having still not read it. So I read it and I am glad I did.

Hey Derek do you remember the whistler of the north? and the Dog chasing the dynamite? Anyway, I emailed him to thank him for the book and he told me he has another one on the way.

I guess what is left to see is whether I stick with this reading kick or whether I get board of it and let it fizzle out after a while like everything else I seem to half finish (this blog included). For now I'm averaging a book a week. Thats not bad for someone who........how did Jenn put it?........"married someone smarter than himself". Ouch! It sounds brash and perhaps it should have hurt more when I heard it but I guess there is some substance to it and I am consoled by the fact that I also married someone self confident. And I do love her!

RELEASED!

Ya D....Its done! I feel like I've been set out to pasture. I'm too young to be set out to pasture, I'm still a stallion.


I am already thinking about how I will re-arrange my week. Spencer Collins has been called as the new young mens president. Inspired! I'm envious of the program now. I wish he were in it while I was there. He is so interesting. The boys are going to love him.

Follow ups/ updates/ horn toots

I was reading a blog that referred me to www.freerice.com so I went and looked. It is a word meaning game that feeds people through the UN. Every word definition you get right donates 20 grains of rice to those who need it. But I gotta admit it is kind of addicting. Especially when your vocabulary level is rated. My highest level is 40.

Here is a picture of how my magnum P.I hair is coming. Yesterday I found myself whistling the theme song while painting. Jenn brought it to my attention.



I am now selling a new product line in addition to my current arsenal. They include but are not limited to, roof tars, patches and sealants, driveway tars, patches and sealants, and wall paper remover and glues as well as spackles and stuccos. I recieved a good size existing client base to start which is a nice help.

My sis Erin called my claims of finding deals to the challenge. She said that the cheapest flight she could find to Salt Lake during her dates was $350 return and I found her one for $220.

I got another roof job.

I started chopping up the bathroom only to find that there will be more chopping and patching than I had imagined.

We are getting excited for our trip.