29 March 2007

It's Grillin' Time...

Well folks, since it was briefly in the 60s and sunny outside, I was almost duped into believing it was Spring. Actually, I still believe it, only because the snow has sadly melted away, and those (in)famous April showers have started early. Last weekend, while the sun was still sunny and fun was still funny, we went and got ourselves a patio dining set for our deck. Ever since getting our house, I had been eagerly awaiting the day when I could eat a nice dinner out on my deck, in the fresh air. When it happened, it was a nice reassurance that heaven does not exist in an afterlife.

What's next, then? Well, if you must pry (and please do pry, otherwise you might as well skip over to the next random blog), it is time to put the next piece of true American life on my deck: a grill. I have begun looking for an inexpensive, not necessarily large, gas grill to leave out and use regularly. I would, of course, prefer a charcoal grill for the flavor, but with a gas grill, stepping just outside to put on a few dogs, burgers, or, once I find where and how to procure it, carne asada. I think it would be durned sporty to be the local carne asada man.

Where to go for a good, cheap gas grill, you ask? Go ahead, ask. I won't mind, go ahead and ask away. See? Was that so bad? It's okay, I couldn't hear you anyway. You sure are a nutter.

So where to get a cheap gas grill? My first few attempts have been over the local listings at Craigslist, and it seemed that I could make it another success story. For under forty bucks, a not-so-pretty but working gas grill from someone who just upgraded to a larger unit could be mine. But sadly, I have been burned. The last person I wound up playing phone tag for five days before he called me up last night to say that he had actually sold it. I don't care for that sort of wheeling and dealing much of time. I would just like to say this: please, if you are dealing with multiple people when selling an item, let the potential buyers know that there are other parties vying for your stuff. I was sorely disappointed, truly.

Now, after all that rubbish, I am ready to start looking at cheap, new grills. I'm not looking for a side burner (I have a stove fifteen feet from my deck; they can see each other) nor a grill that can cook through a water buffalo. So now here's a legitimate question for both of my readers: how much power do I need to just cook up burgers, dogs, chicken, and the occasional steaks? Does the BTU value make any sort of difference? I don't yet know what sort of surface area I need, but not to worry, I won't be getting anything sight unseen. I'm just wondering if there are particularly hardy or troublesome brands or other things to look for that I might miss. Please, dear people out there in radioland, answer my call~

25 March 2007

What happened to me now...

What the heck could have possibly happened in my life to make me a new subscriber to Better Homes and Gardens?

21 March 2007

A First For Me...

Yesterday held a first for me. It was the first time I have ever had to take a sick day for family illness rather than personal. On Monday, Austin apparently had some sort of bug and threw up twice at school. Poor little guy, I felt awful for him. What made me feel even worse was that although I gave the daycare my cell number, the signal does not always go through, so I didn't learn about it until after my afternoon Jazz class ended at five. I really wanted to be there for him and get him home to recuperate as well as ease my worries.

I'm not exactly sure what my feelings were on Monday afternoon, other than to simply get to my son. I really despised myself for not catching the phone call when it happened. Maybe it was a full feeling of being powerless or helpless. He was there, at school, not his mommy nor his daddy there to take him into our arms and clean him up and get him to rest his poor tummy. All I really know is that I didn't like the situation one bit.

Of course, by the time he got home (he's getting picked up by Mommy these days), he was fine and chipper, just like usual. He rarely shows when he's feeling sick, almost to the point where I don't think he really grasps the feeling of illness. Lucky him...

So I called in and took the day off to make sure he relaxed and got fed smaller portions of food to ensure his stomach would stay settled. Sadly, it meant that I had to plop him in front of the television most of the time, but I consider that more of using a tool to keep him still and allow his body to recover from whatever it was that got him so sick.

It was definitely a first for me. I have not had to take on the caring father role before like that; it was all new. Lots of things in my life, although I knew they would eventually happen, I never really saw myself actually doing. Let alone at my young age (which I think makes it an exceptional challenge.) C'est la vie~

12 March 2007

A New Beginning...

Ah, the world does keep on turning, and change occurs constantly. The big change was that today Michelle started her first day working for Target Corporate down in Minneapolis. She managed to take the bus on her own and be nearly forty minutes early. It's only about three o'clock now, but after waking up a little after five this morning, I'm doggin' it a bit. After this week I'm sure we'll be quite used to the whole early routine. How odd and strangely sudden-feeling it is to be up and about and living and working as though we are grown ups. Seems like only a year ago I was living it up in college, hitting the pub for happy hours after classes and work, looking forward to the future with hardly a thought in my head...

Of course, I still don't really have a thought in my head now. Some things just never change.

I'm just so proud of Michelle, she's taking a huge new leap, and it's going to be a lot of running around the Target building, lots of corporate training, something I don't know if I'd be able to hack without inciting a riot or launching a union revolution. But she's a much better employee than I, so she'll do well. I completely envy her taking mass transit down to the city, especially since I've now gotten word that in 2009, there will be an actual rail system coming up our way along Highway 10 (for those readers who know this area) that will connect to the light rail of the cities. Plus, the cool thing is the transfer station will be where they're building the new Twins ballpark, so life will definitely be sweet. Y'know, except once there's a new ballpark, ticket prices will never be at the $6.00 cheap seats again, and I'm almost certain we can kiss dollar dog nights goodbye as well.

To top off her commute, Target offers a beyond sweet deal for taking transit. For under thirty pre-tax bucks a month, automatically deducted, she gets a card she can use on MetroTransit (the city bus and rail system out here) as much as she wants, wherever she wishes to go. Consider the fact that a single round trip for her down to Minneapolis during rush hours is five fifty, and it becomes an absolute no-brainer. I tell you though, spouses should get those cards, too. Get to baseball games without paying parking or even driving around the Metrodome? I'm there!

The Season is nigh, and a man can dream~