My new Bass Guitar came on Friday!

The day my new guitar came (and the next few days after) I had very little "free time" to check out my new toy! After work on Friday night, and before meeting out of town guests Saturday morning, I did open the box, and fumble around with the guitar a bit. My original plan was to open the box, check it over for any damage done in transit, and pretty much go to bed. Three hours later (when I could hardly hold my head up anymore) I finally went to bed. Here is what happened, and a few of the extra bonuses that I discovered along the way!

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First thing I noticed when I opened the box. The guitar was in a "gig bag". Although it is of the most basic variety (non-padded), it was still in a gig bag none-the-less. (Bonus 1.)

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Next, I opened the gig bag, and got the guitar out. It was packaged very nicely. Foam wrapping around the guitar, and bubble wrap around the foam padding. By the time I got all the packaging off, and had my eyes on the guitar, the first thing I noticed is that (for supposedly being "blue") it was VERY dark. The lighting in my basement is the "energy efficient" flourescent bulbs in ceiling can lights, therefore, colors often look dark and a bit "off". Honestly, the guitar looked like a very dark blue, almost navy blue. Although I could not tell what color it actually was, it looked better (in my opinion) than the blue guitar in the auction photo. (More on this later.)

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The guitar was already strung, but the neck had a bit of a convex arch to it, so the strings rattled on the frets. I was a bit disappointed, but on some level, expected this. I had read about how some of the "lower end" guitars needed to have several adjustments made to them to actually be playable. I was going to call it a night. I started packing up the guitar, when I noticed a zippered pouch on the gig bag, with something in it. I opened the pouch, and found a small tool kit, a guitar strap, and an amplifier patch cord! (Bonuses 2, 3, and 4.)

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Now my curiosity was peaked. I took one of the Allan wrenches, and started adjusting the saddle height on the bridge. This helped the rattle some, but I still had quite a bit of fret buzz.

I took the other wrench and started (carefully) adjusting the truss rod. I knew how to do this; because of some prior reading I had done on about "lower end" guitars, and how to tweak them. I loosened the nut, and the neck starting straightening out. This cleared up most (if not all) the fret buzz. I still need to make some final "fine tuning" to the truss rod, and the saddle, but (it was still doing pretty good as of the next morning) and you are only supposed to make subtle changes at any one given time.

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Well, now that I had the guitar out, and the fret buzz taken care of, I could not go to bed without tuning it! I got out my tuner ($4.99 Guitar Center Special), and (because I had gotten a patch cord) I was able to patch the guitar and the tuner. It was only a few short minutes before the deep tones from my new bass were grumbling away, and it sounded goooood!.

Now I was getting excited! I had previously found a couple of on-line sources of information for bass guitar players (and for those just starting out). They contain warm ups, lessons, tabs, etc. I went to activebass.com. This site is great! It is full of little "mini-lessons" for beginning, intermediate, and advanced players. I went to one of the first lessons "Learning the Neck". The lesson was to strum each string once then move up the neck fretting on the dots. Ok, it teaches the "notes" which I need to learn. but I wanted a little something "more" - I was not going to really "learn" anything at 2 am on the first day I got the guitar. So I went to the "Beginner Bass Line" lesson posted by Russell Pickavance. I plucked around with the tab listed below for the next 30 minutes.

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G)---------------------------------------------------------------

D)---------------------------------------------------------------

A)---------------------------------------------------------------

E)-2-2-----2-2-5-0-2-2----2-2-5-0-2-2----2-2-5-0-2-2----------

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G)-----------------------------------

D)-----------------------------------

A)--------------4---3---0-2---------

E)2-2-5-0-2-2-----------------------

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I was not great. . . I would not even say I was "good" at it by any stretch of the imagination, but I was starting to "feel" the rhythm, and I HAD A BLAST! (That was the best part of it! Really, that is why I decided to try and take on the Bass.) I wanted to have a good time, relax and enjoy myself a bit. It is not about being great, being in a rock band, or anything else except to have a good time.)

I finally went to bed at 2:30 am with, (and woke up with) sore fingertips. . .

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When I awoke in the morning, I had to hurry and get ready to meet our out of town guests, but I had to see the color of the guitar in the daylight. Here is where Bonus #5 became evident.

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I bid on this guitar because of the price. It was listed as "Blue" in the EBay auction, and (as you can see in a previous post) it looks like it is "Royal Blue". When I won the auction, I contacted the seller (who sells many of these guitars) and asked him about the possibility of getting it in black instead of the blue. The seller said he was sorry, but he only had blue basses available at this time. I was disappointed, but only just mildly. I did get the guitar for a good deal after all, and if we get along well (the Bass and I) I will pick up something a bit nicer in the future. I just wanted something to "cut my teeth on". . . Anyway, in the daylight the color was very evident, and confirmed by my wife. It has a hint of blue in it, but it is defiantly what I would call a dark forest, hunter, or deep teal green color. It is actually pretty darn cool! I like it significantly better than the blue, and I think I like it better than the black too! You can even see some of the wood grain through the paint. (They call it "transparent blue" or "transparent red", etc).

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Something to get started off with.

Well, today I made the plunge and bought an "Entry Level" bass guitar. It is by far not the best, or even what I would call my first, second or even third choice... but the price was great for something to start off with. If the bass guitar and I get along, then I'll pick up something a little nicer.. But for the mean time, I wanted something to callous up my fingers, and to practice with. (Oh, yeah... Michele knows about it, and even thought it was a good idea. She said it may help Ben motivated to keep playing his guitar.)

Wish me luck!

The end of one era, and the beginning of another.

Today, the first day of school rolled around again. Ben (not pictured) starting his Senior year, Jonathan entering the 5th grade, Zachary entering the 4th Grade.... and Rebecca...

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Rebecca starting off her elementary years with her first day in Kindergarden...

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You would not believe how excited she was for school to start

(and how much her brothers were not...)

Swamp Chicken !

I apparently need to get out of the hosue more often.
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Today I had to get gas for our lawn mower. Zachary had a coupon for a free giant pickle from Pekarna's Meat Market (the local butcher here in Jordan). I also had a coupon that if I spent 10.00 I could get a free pound of hamburger. I grabbed some beef jerkey (Perkarna's is some of the best I have EVER had!), and some Brautwurst. As I was paying, I noticed something up on their "special" board that I just had to have!
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The kids were giggling with excitment as I brought my purchases home for Michele to put into the freezer!
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In case you cant read that label, let me get a little closer!

Well, needless to say - Zachary and I (and maybe Rebecca) will be sharing them! Michele refused, and Jonathan started giving her a hard time about not eating them... That was until Michele asked Johnathan how many he was going to eat...

All the more for me!

White Knuckles?

Today Michele took Benjamin out to get his Learners Permit.

Afterwards, I took him out to the Athletic Complex parking lot where we
spent over two hours practicing driving.

He did pretty good overall. (But don't tell him I said so!)

A Little Something New? - Part 2

So.. to refresh your memory - I was asking you.. What does a 37 year old man (with very little formal musical training, and several "hit & run" attempts to learn a musical instrument) do when he wants to express himself musically (and more than just listen)??

Well, first of all - My sister (who is very musically talented in the Piano, Clarinet, Accordian, Organ, and probably a few instruments I am forgetting) offered (out of the blue) to bring us a "family guitar" that she completely refurbished from a "dumpster dive".

This offer has caused me to do some thinking about what I want to accomplish from learning to play an instrument. I also made some realistic observations on my part. Here is some of my "inventory items"

• I am not interested in music as a career.
• I am WAY too old to worry about starting (or playing) in a band - although helping out in church (if I ever got good enough) may be fun!
• I am WAY too old to worry about trying to "look cool" and pick up girls by learning an instrument.
• I never have been great at playing any instrument.
• I would like something that is "not too complicated"
• I enjoyed playing the guitar (when I did do it).
• I am not good at reading music, but had fun trying to figure out the guitar tablature.
• I truly enjoy "feeling" the music, both physically and emotionally.
• The last guitar I picked up (my son's) felt small to me. (I am a pretty big guy!)
• I'd like to "try something new"
• Although I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the sound of the Sitar & Tabla, I believe that it may be way to complicated (and expensive) to learn.
• I am more apt to "play along" with my own music (that I enjoy listening to) than I am to play "stand alone", or compose my own.
• I want to find something I can play to help me relax and unwind.
• I am interested in finding something that I can have fun playing with, and not get too upset, or frustrated with while trying to learn - After all, the whole idea is to relax and have fun, right?
• I would like Something small enough to be "portable" but not so small that it feels uncomfortable.
• It would be nice to have an instrument that can be played both (LOUD) and (quiet) as is appropriate for the situation at hand.
• An instrument that can be fiddled with while watching TV or visiting (like I did with my son's guitar)
• I want something I don't have break the bank to get into.
• I would like to see something I can "teach myself", take some "online lessons" or pick up a PC CD, or DVD with some pre-recorded lessons.

------ So... Here is what I came up with... ----------

• Piano? - Been there, done that. Too large a piece of furniture.
• Brass instrument? - Been there, done that. No way to play quietly if kids / wife are asleep, or I am watching TV or visiting with Michele.
• Drums? - Too big, takes up too much space, no real way to move it around realistically.
• Sitar or Tabla? - Nahh.. too complicated - (but I still LOVE listening to them!)
• Guitar? - I like the idea... fits most (if not all) the criteria. I have enjoyed it in the past, but never stuck to it.
• Banjo? - Sounds like it could be a lot of fun. Starter sets are available. Seems a bit petite and delicate for a big monster like myself.
• Bass Guitar? - Similar to the guitar, yet bigger than a banjo or the guitar, will fit my "monster" frame, portable, can be quiet at times yet also loud enough to "feel" when I would like it to, self teaching lessons are available, (I belive it to be) less complicated than the guitar, I can learn (or play along) to some of my favorite music (listen to "A Forest" by The Cure for an example).

I went back and looked at these things, and then (about two weeks ago) started surfing around the net.. "Bass Guitar", "Teach yourself Bass Guitar", "Electric Bass Guitar", "DVD lessons Bass guitar", "learning the bass guitar" and so on, and so on, and so on... I have come across many different sites dedicated to just that. The more and more I searched the more and more excited I have become.

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I think I have finally reached a decision. I am going to look into the possibility of picking up a bass guitar.

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Ebay is full of them. Starter sets that include a bass, practice amp, gig bag, cable, picks, tuner, etc, etc, etc...

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Ok. I know I get weird ideas (pipe dreams) stuck in my head, and that are a "flash in the pan" ideas. They take up my thoughts until they come to fruition, and then I get "board" with them and move on. I honestly thought this Blog would be one of them. I am still blogging, and even though the "Deck Series" is finished, I am still finding things to blog about...

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Maybe I'm rationalizing this to myself, but I believe that students who start school later in life do better in school - they take things a bit more seriously. By following this line of thinking, maybe I would take the Bass Guitar a little more seriously... Maybe I am telling myself this to help justify an "out of the blue" idea of taking up an new instrument at the ripe old age of 37... (can you teach "old dogs" "new tricks?) I hit some inspiration about taking on the bass guitar my age HERE. (This is a blog by a woman my same age, taking up the bass herself!) and while searching the activebass.com website, I found a whole thread about people taking up the bass later in life... ACTIVEBASS.COM "TOO OLD" THREAD. It would seem that I am not alone in this adventure. Perhaps this is not just a wild goose chase afterall....

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Well, I tell you what... I don't have the answers to the above questions. What I will do (given our family budget, and my available leisure time) is take some time looking for a good deal. I don't want to run out and buy the first thing I find, but I don't want to spend forever chasing a pipe dream either. I have a few feelers out there. I have a cousin that plays in a band, and I have a brother-in-law that a very talented guitar player. He is very musically gifted, and perhaps will have some advise or direction for me...

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I found a guitar style that I like - it's not a frightening "Death Metal" style (although I do listen to my share of it), outrageous color, or outlandishly priced guitar (Although it is still more than I would like to pay...) This one is called the Dean Edge 09 4-String Electric Bass Guitar - in the natural satin mahogony wood finish. It looks warm, inviting, and the wood tone with black accents fit the colors and styles that I like.

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But for the price of (or less than the price of) this guitar (and JUST the guitar) I can pick up a "starter kit". Much of what I read about this guitar (in online reviews) say it makes a GREAT introductory guitar, but also is a great performer for the advanced user as well... Who knows.. Too early to say...

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I now have to convince my wife that I am not crazy, that this is something I would like to do (or perhaps this may be this is just a "mid life crisis" and to be happy it's cheaper than a motorcycle!), and that the money is not going to be wasted by buying a guitar.

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I also hope my sister does not feel that I do not appreciate her offer. Jonathan (our 11 year old son) has been hinting around a guitar for the past year. I have been watching a wholesale website that offers a 3/4 size drednaught acustic guitar on clearence about once a year for an outragously low price ($29.99). I saw the offer in July, and put one on order only to get an apology email from the company tne next day saying that they ran out of stock before my order could be filled. I know that Jonathan and Zachary would both be very intrested in the guitar from Denise, and how fun would it be to "jam" (Grateful Dead, or "A Forest" style) with your kid?

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If you (dear reader) have any tips, suggestions, or recommendations for me, I'd love to hear them!

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Also, if you have any leads for me (or have an old bass guitar sitting around collecting dust) on a good introductory fretted electric bass guitar, and / or amp, I would also love to hear from you!

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Thanks in advance for any comments, tips, suggestions, recommendations, or leads!

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David - the Father-of-Five.

A Little Something New? - Part 1

My past musical experiences have been minimal.

At a very young age, my parents signed my sister up for piano lessons, and I took a few guitar lessons. I was not old enough to wrap my fingers around the fretboard, and only had two or three lessons. When that did not work out, my parents put me in piano lessons with my sister. I was in piano lessons for a few years. I was never "very good" at it, and because I was not real good at it, and it was not my "first choice", my interest was not there. I practiced because I "had too" and the music I played was not music that interested me. The song I remember playing the most was "The Entertainer"... Need I say more?

I did finally quit piano lessons. A few years after piano lessons I had a short lived "run in" with the saxophone. My "failure" with the saxophone was less to do with me, and more to do with the incompetent music teacher at my elementary school.

It was sixth grade. I signed up for band, and requested to play the saxophone. There were two of us "just starting" to play. I had the rented "alto sax" and the other guy had an old family "baritone sax". The teacher was glad two see the variety and started lessons.

This went on for about half the school year. The time came for the spring concert, and so for the first time, all the band sat together for practice. (Remember, this was elementary school "lessons" and less of a band. The teacher taught the same songs to everyone (regardless of the instrument) and then the highlight of the year was to put each of these kids in "Lessons" together and call it a "band".) Anyway, so for the first time we all gathered in the gym to "practice" we played a few songs. The teacher was obviously listening for something "wrong" but had us each keep playing. About half way through the practice, she had the other saxophone player and myself play our parts together without the rest of the band. She narrowed down the problem to the saxophones... (sigh..) It was not long before she approached us and asked us why we were not playing the right notes... She took our music lesson books and that is when she realized that she gave the alto books and materials to the baritone player, and the baritone books and materials to the alto player.

The solution to the problem was simple... She told both the baritone and alto sax players (that would be me folks..) to just "pretend" to play during the concert, and we would start from scratch after the concert. I did the "pretending" part, but never went back to start all over. So ended my relationship with the saxophone.

Two years later (eight grade) I started back into the guitar. This was fueled by my original interest in the guitar at a younger age, but even more so, by the "popular kid" at school. He had played some AC/DC songs on his electric guitar on a lunch table during a party or talent show or some such thing at the end of our seventh grade. He looked like he was having such a great time, and I could (for the first time in my life) FEEL the music. I think this was the day that (at least LISTENING to) music became a driving force in my life. When we got back to school in the fall, I signed up for guitar lessons. I enjoyed the guitar, and finished out the year of guitar lessons without anything eventful. My favorite song to play from that time-frame was "Suicide is Painless" the theme song to M*A*S*H*. Because we rented the guitar, I had to return it at the end of the year, and I never returned to it. I think perhaps the transition between 8th grade (junior high) and 9th grade (High school) made me a bit anxious, and helped end my guitar playing days.

Fast forward about 20 years, and my oldest son (about 16 at the time) gets an old electric guitar (6 string) and an amplifier from his uncles for a birthday gift. I picked it up and was able to remember about 3 chords. I played those three cords, practicing over and over until I started getting blisters on my fingers. I then went and downloaded some "online" guitar lessons, and started teaching myself Tablature. I was adding more chords, and picked up on the TAB for "Blister in the Sun" by the Violent Femmes, and a couple of different tunes by (probably my favorite band of all time) The Cure. I sat and strumed on the guitar while talking to my wife, and watching TV.

When he finally moved out, he took the guitar with him, again ending my relationship with the guitar.

It has now been two years since he left, and I have been missing playing it.

What is a 37 year old man (with very little formal musical training) to do when he wants to express himself musically (and by more than just listening)??

Stay tuned...

I've been a bad boy...

Michele and I took Benjamin to the Minnesota State Fair on Friday.

Yes, I have been very good about my eating, and exercising lately... But Friday - I "fell off the wagon"...

While at the State Fair I enjoyed the following culinary delights...

1. Foot long hot dog (Smothered in fried onions)
2. Hamburger
3. Pronto Pup
4. A few Tom Thumb Mini-Donuts (we shared a bag of them)
5. Half a container of Cheese Curds (fried) - (again we shared them)
6. Two half cups of soda.

and we ended the night off sitting on a bench sharing

7. A bag of Kettle Corn. (shared - with leftovers brought home).

Thankfully I was walking all day, and will be walking this morning, and during my work break tonight... Perhaps if I "fast" for the next 3 days while keeping up with the walking regiment, I may break even...

But dammit if that was not the most delicious afternoon I have had in a long time!!! (grin)

David

What the Hail ??

We had a little bad weather today in Minnesota...

Jordan was no execption to that.

We had some pretty significant rain, powerful wind, and of course...

Some hail.

What being a father is all about....

Being a good father means sacrificing the "extra money" he made on overtime (and had plans for) for an birthday bicycle that his daughter wanted (and needed) for her birthday.

Seeing his daughter's happy face, and getting a monster "thank you" hug from her is worth more to a father than the extra money in the bank, or the item(s) he had planned for the extra money is.

"Proud", "Happy", and "Pleased" are words that do not even begin to explain how he is feeling as he watches her ride up and down the block on her new bike, and is a memory that will stay with him for a very long time!

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This was an unplanned purchase that became necessary when a dad (me) accidentally backed over his daughter's bicycle when he pulled out of the garage about a week ago. He was just going to repair the bicycle, but even if he repaired it, the bicycle was just about "too small" for his daughter, and would need to be replaced in the spring anyway... See Here (a photo from a prior post)

I am still here.

And I am writing.. I just have been busy with other matters... I have two posts that are still "under development" and at least three more brewing in the back of my brain...

Thanks for your concern, and see ya soon.

The Father - of - Five!

"Connections" - both in life and in death.

I do not know what your beliefs are about an afterlife, or supernatural encounters, or ghosts, or spirits, or heaven or God is, but let me tell you three stories that I am unable to explain. These are actual events that occurred in my life - so you will have to take my word for it that they are indeed true.

First of all, I have always been close to my grandparents. The love I have for them in my heart still lingers on well beyond their lives here on earth - for all of them. At an earlier age, I was particularly close to my mother's parents. We had names for them - Mémère and Pépère (or Pep for short). My grandparents got those names because their oldest son (My Uncle Dan) was the first to have children (my cousins). Dan lived in the Northern boarder city of Madawaska, Maine. Madawaska is across the St. John River from Edmondson, Canada (a predominantly French-Canadian city). According to the 2000 US Census bureau, over 83% of the residents of Madawaska speak French in their homes. My Uncle (while not French) married a woman who was from the area, and therefore spoke both French and English. My cousins (who have a few years on the next oldest grandchild) called my grandparents Mémère and Pépère, and it stuck with ALL their Grandchildren. From Dan were Janice, Cindy, and Dean. My Uncle Greg was Gen, Bob, and Mark, and from our family were my sister Denise and myself. All eight of us called them Mémère and Pépère.

I lost my paternal grandfather at an early age. I was five when he passed away. I have some memories of him, but unfortunately not as many, or as detailed as I wish I did (though) get some of my interests and hobbies from him - and I know that is where they came from - but will be a story for another day. Grandpa's death was my first experience of a death within our family, and was to be the last for many years. As I mentioned before, this happened when I was five years old. I do not even remember much of the experience except two things. THE FIRST - My grandfather had a heart attack. He was in the hospital and must not have been doing well. My dad tried to take me to see him, but a "Nurse Ratchet" (i.e. "Bitch") said that I was "too young". (It is funny how thirty years later - the memory of that hag trying to keep me from seeing my grandfather still makes me think of her a as a bitch.) Anyway, my father tried reasoning with this woman, but it did not work. He and I left, and as we walked down the hall, he quietly told me he told me we were going back, and to squat down, walk close to him, and when he reached the nurse's station, to hide behind the desk. He distracted the nurse, and snuck me into Grandpa's room. (This was/is probibly the first and last time in my life that I can think of that my dad was deceitful with someone - and kudos to him for doing it) That was the last time I saw my grandpa. THE SECOND - I remember that after he died my sister and I were allowed to go to his wake. During the wake, we lifted one of grandpa's fingers, and let it fall back down. All I remember is that it was cool, rigid, and the color was "not right". (In other words - I did not fully comprehend death at age 5, but who does?)

I think because I lost my 1st grandfather at such a young age, I became particularly close to my Pep. We spent a lot of time together, and I have NOTHING but fond memories of spending time with him. My Pep was a Policeman for the University of Minnesota Police Department. I believe this is where I got my interest in law enforcement. (I also "blame" my Mémère too - in a different way and for a different reason - Remind me to tell you that story too!) Ok. Back to the original purpose of this post.

I remember the day. It was a beautiful spring day outside. I was in elementary school (sixth grade). I was playing outside at recess, when something overwhelming washed over me. I could not explain it. I had an immediate need to get away. I needed to be alone. I found a quiet grassy field in the far back end of the school yard, and sat. I spent my recess out there just sitting and feeling melancholy, picking at the long blades of grass that surrounded me. A couple of my friends came out to me and asked if I was ok. I remember telling them I was fine, but just wanted to spend some time alone. When the bell rang, I headed back to school, and never gave it a second thought. When I arrived home from school that afternoon, and the only thing out of the ordinary was a neighbor (who had kids our age, and was not unusual to see at our house) was leaving just as we got home, and Dad was home from work early. My parents walked my sister and I into the living room, sat us down, and said "Today was such a beautiful day". I do not know how, or why, but I instantly knew what had happened. I knew Pep had died. I did not know when, or how, or why - but even without the words having been said, I knew. All I remember was an overwhelming crushing feeling in my soul. I got up and ran. I ran as fast as I could. I burst out the front door, ran to the big birch tree in the front yard and tried climbing up to one of the two low branches that I used to climb up to as a kid. I think I was trying to run away from what I knew to be true. My Dad had followed me out a few moments later and while I sat on the branch, he confirmed what I already knew, brought me back into the house where my parents comforted me, and filled me in on the details - but the details were not important. Pep's death was unexpected. He was not even ill. He had some heart damage as a child because of a bout with rheumatic fever that caused a small hole in his heart. On that "beautiful" spring day, he was playing cards at a local senior community center when he went into cardiac arrest. He collapsed and died. Believe me or not, but at the same moments my grandfather was passing away, I was at recess - feeling that immediate need to get away and be alone. A big part of me died that day, and I somehow "knew it" before I actually "knew it". I miss my Pep even now, as an adult.

After Pep's passing, I spent even more time with my Mémère than before. It was not unusual for me to spend a week at a time at her house during the summer (a couple of times a summer). I spent weekends, and long weekends with her too. Mémère and I were very close, and I loved her, and spending time at her house very much. Well, it was only about a year and a half or so after Pep's passing that we got the bad news about Mémère's diagnosis of terminal cancer. I don't think I even knew what cancer was. I just knew that I was told that Mémère was going to get very sick and would be dying soon. (You would not have known she was sick from just looking at her.) So her dying was as "expected" as a loved grandparent's death can be for a young boy. I'll spare you the long drawn out details here, but Mémère lived in her own home as long as she could, and when she could not live alone anymore, my parents took her into our home. She stayed in my sister's room, (I did not realize until just a few years ago that my parents actually sat my sister down, and asked her if she would be willing to let Mémère stay in her room. My sister slept on a hide-a-bed in the basement during this time. (I do not know if my sister knows how much respect I have for her for making that sacrifice for Mémère. I would have too - without a second thought - But they choose Denise's room, and asked her first.)). When Mémère first moved in, she was able to walk, talk, get around, etc. She did spend a lot of time in bed, but it some ways it was like having her around. As time went on, she became less and less able to do these things, and the time did come where Mémère was pretty much sleeping all the time. She would not wake for you if you went into her room, would mumble nonsensical things, and (for all practical purposes) was unconscious. She was in this state for a while, so having her there in that state was the "norm" around the house for a while. After a while, (as embarrassed as I am to admit this) I stopped peeking in the room to say hello, goodbye, etc on a regular basis. But one day, out of the blue, on my way to catch the school bus, (Knowing full well that she would not be able to respond to me) I stopped into her room, gave her a kiss on the cheek, told her goodbye, and that I was leaving for school. When we got home from school that day, Mom and Mémère were not home. Mémère had taken a turn for the worse that day, and Mom had her taken to the hospital. Later that afternoon / evening, she passed away. I do not know why I chose that day to stop in, give her a kiss and say goodbye (at the time thinking goodbye, I'll see ya when I get home from school). But I think somehow, on some level I "knew" that day was my opportunity to say goodbye in a different sort of way.

After having lost Grandpa, then Pep, and finally Mémère - I had one grandparent left. Over the years my Grandma and I had grown close. We too had a special bond. I would help her around her house. Stop by a see her after school. I took her grocery shopping (something my Mémère had always dreamed about - she always told me she could not wait to have me come and pick her up and take her grocery shopping..), and we went out for hamburgers. Both Grandma and I got older and older. She was less and less able to live on her own, and the time came when she had to live in a nursing home. I was fortunate enough to have her close to my work. I was able to take my break, and go visit her. (Until my employer "re-evaluated" our break policy - after which I could not - as we were not allowed to leave the property). Again, by this time Grandma had been close to passing away a couple of times, but each time she rallied back to almost where she had started from (each "close call" deteriorated her health a little more). But the time came where she was going down hill, and we knew it would not be much longer. I was on a set of days off, and had gone to visit Grandma. She was unusually tired by this point and "spending time" with her was pretty much sitting next to her as she slept. On this day though, she did wake for a bit, and we got to visit, even for a brief few minutes, but it was Grandma, and we talked about what we always talked about - how nice it was outside, how much she loved me, and how (when the time came) she was going to watch over me. The next day, my Dad had called and said that if I wanted to see Grandma one more time that it would most likely have to be that day. I stopped up, and both my Uncle Ron and my Dad were there too. We had lunch at the nursing home, and each spent time with Grandma. While sitting next to her, rubbing her hand, for just a few seconds she opened her eyes, and I cannot explain to you what it was like, but with complete clarity, she communicated with me (just by looking into my eyes) that everything was ok. It was a overwhelming feeling in my heart that she knew it was her time, that she was comfortable, how proud she was of me and my family, how much she loved me and (as always) she would be watching out for me. It was the most peaceful feeling I have ever had. She closed her eyes, rolled over and went back to sleep. As far as I know that was the last time she opened her eyes. It was no surprise to me when my Dad called me and told me she passed away. I felt good. Not good that she passed away, but good that she was somewhere better. Free from crippled and worn out body that she was in. I was able to spend the next day with both my Uncle Ron and my Dad as they made the arrangements at the funeral home. The timing could not have worked out better. Everything worked out perfectly. I was on days off (which are next to impossible to get at the last minute where I work), I got to have a last visit with grandma, got to be with her the next day when she "told me" (with here eyes) that everything was going to be ok, and got to be there for both my Dad and my Uncle while planned for Grandma's final arrangements.

As I look back at each of these experiences, there is no doubt in my mind that in some way, on some level, and in some fashion, I had "known" what was going to, or what had already happened to some of the people I have loved the most, and ment the most to me in this world...

SPAM...(strong profanity included)

Ok... I have had to modify my blog a bit... in as much as you (a reader) can leave a comment. Last night at about 3am - my blog was hijacked by a (multiple edits for content). I just spent nearly an hour cleaning up this asshole's mess on my blog.

This idiot has forced me to change the "comments" setting on my blog. You can still leave them - but they are not readly avaiable. They are left in a queue, where they stay until I accept or reject them.

As long as comments are not spam, they will probably get through. Spam like what was left for me last night (referals to other's websites who get paid for each "hit") will not.

So, Dear "Mr. Net" (who accessed my blog - leaving behind the info listed below)...
I would thank you if you would please feel free to go fuck yourself.

Thank you, with much love - The Father-of-Five.

- - - - - - - -

Domain Name - mr.net ? (Network)
IP Address - 137.192.45.# (Onvoy)
ISP - Onvoy

Location
Continent : North America
Country : United States (Facts)
State : Minnesota
City : Minneapolis
Lat/Long : 44.9556, -93.3841 (Map)
Language - English (United States)en-us

Operating System - Microsoft WinXP
Browser - Internet Explorer 6.0Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; InfoPath.1)
Javascript - version 1.3

Monitor
Resolution : 1280 x 1024
Color Depth : 32 bits

Time of Visit - Aug 8 2006 2:23:54 am
Last Page View - Aug 8 2006 2:52:31 am
Visit Length - 28 minutes 37 seconds
Page Views - 10
Referring URL -
Visit Entry Page - http://father-of-five.blogspot.com/
Visit Exit Page - http://father-of-five.blogspot.com/
Out Click - 1 comments http://www.blogger.c...D=115055556834264229

Time Zone - UTC-6:00
Visitor's Time - Aug 8 2006 2:23:54 am

Visit Number - 479

I've got an idea!

Making sure this blog is updated is easy when I have a major project going... But it's not as easy to fill it with interesting information when there is nothing "significant" going on...

Birthday season is quickly approaching our house... (but with 5 kids when isn't it birthday season - Grin).

I am planning on an entry for the "Birthday Child" right around the time of their birthdays.
Heck.. I may even have a picture of them for ya too!

How fun could this be if I do this for several years? I could have a running photo record and "annual" summary of each child over a period of several years!!

Watch for a "Rebecca" entry coming soon! (And a "Jonathan" entry following shortly afterwards).

Thirteen.

Today marks the start of the thirteenth year of being married to my wonderful wife.

She has been an unbelievable wife, mother, and friend. I could not have asked for anyone better.

For that, for putting up with me, and for many-many other things... I love her more than she can possibly know!

How did I get so lucky???

Thanks for being my wife Michele... I love you!

Vacation - Part III / Sub-part D - Days 3 & 4 - FINAL ENTRY!

After a thunderstorm during the night, we woke to a cloudy wet morning.

Our plans were a visit to the Museum of Science and Industry, and possibly the Sears Tower if time permits - with a two hour road trip to see my brother-in-law, his fiancee, and their baby.

On our way to the MSI - the first thing we noticed is that you could not even see the top of the Sears Tower. It was clouded in. This realistically prevented us from visiting the SkyDeck for "observation" purposes.

We arrived at the MSI just as it was opening. We bought general admission tickets, and tickets to an early viewing of the U-505 exhibit. The U-505 was a Nazi submarine recovered during World War 2. The U-505 is a one-of-a-kind. There are only 5 U-Boats still in existence around the world, and the U-505 is the only one in the United States.

The U-505 tour was without a doubt the highlight of our visit to the MSI. In addition to the U-505, we saw the following other exhibits...

The Apollo 8 Command Module, Body Slices, The Chick Hatchery, Enterprise, The Farm, Flight 727, The Great Train Story, The Henry Crown Space Center, The Idea Factory, The Lunar Module, Mercury Space Capsule, NetWorld, Out of the Vault, Petroleum Planet, Prenatal Development , Robots Like Us, Ships Through the Ages, Toymaker 3000: An Adventure in Automation, The Transportation Zone, Walk-Through Heart, Whispering Gallery, and Yesterday's Main Street.

While watching the Flight 727 - we were standing next to a railing overlooking The Great Train Story" with a glass panel as the wall of the railing. Now, I knew that Zachary was afraid of heights, but not to the extent that I saw at the museum... Zachary would not even get close to the wall... He would have rather missed the exhibit than stand next to the glass wall. It took me sitting on the floor (no closer than 4 feet) and Zachary sitting on my lap (clinging tightly, and leaning away from the edge) to even get a glimpse of the display...

While the Prenatal Development exhibit is kind of creepy, it was really pretty amazing - They had actual human embryos at all different stages of development in jars. There was a note on the display saying that they understood that this display could be disturbing - but assured museum goers that the embryos were not destroyed for the purpose of the exhibit, rather - they were lost during pregnancy due to circumstances that beyond the control of the mother... (Natural causes, a car accident, death of the mother, etc...) It was not too bad until you got to the older embryos - up to the full term fetus...

I could talk about each of the exhibits, but that would be impractical... Again, let me say that we had a really good time. This is a very "interactive" and hands on museum, and I believe the kids enjoyed their time at the MSI.

We Left the Museum, and headed to Brian & Jessica's house...

Remember yesterday's interaction with Downtown Chicago traffic? Well, today was not quite as exciting, but noteworthy none-the-less...

I come from the Mpls-St.Paul metro area. It's a good sized city, with what I thought was a fair amount of traffic congestion... That was until I got to Chicago... We were again leaving at the 5pm "rush hour" time frame. The trip to my brother-in-laws was (according to Mapquest) supposed to take 2 hours. It took 2 hours alright.. 2 hours to get out of the city limits... I have never seen congestion in such distances.. as I did in Chicago... I am used to about 11 to maybe 15 miles of congestion at it's worst. This rush hour lasted for more like 40 miles... It never ended... It just kept going, and going, and going... And then there were the toll booths... which also slowed everything down, and put about a mile of backed up traffic every 20 or so miles... When we finally arrived at Brian's house - we had been in the car for over 4 hours....

Once we arrived, everything went well. We got to see Brian & Jessica, and Miles was up too! They had the BBQ ready for us, and we BBQ'ed hot dogs. It was good to see them again, and it was my first time to see their new house. I had seen video of the house - and it looked (on video) to be much smaller than it actually was. They had done some updating and painting, and the house was really starting to look nice! (Not that it did not before...)

We spent the night at Brian & Jessica's, and after a leisurely morning, having spent the morning with Brian and his family, we packed up and prepared to head back for home.

I had 3 more days off after getting home from Chicago, and that was spent doing some of the little chores that homeowners frequently procrastinate - and put off. It sure feels good to get some of them out from under my belt...

All in all Chicago was fun, spending time with my kids was great, spending time with my wife was a pleasure, visiting with Brian and Jessica was fantastic.. It was a great vacation - but, as with life... All good things must come to an end... (Including all these posts about my vacation...)

I'll sign off my Chicago trip entries with this thought that my wife and I shared as we headed down 169 from the Bloomington area... It is good to get away, but great to be home again...

Vacation - Part III / Sub-part C - Day 2

The plan for our second day in Chicago was our trip to the Field Museum and the King Tut exhibit.

We started out early enough to deal with rush-hour traffic and to allow for any "errors" in our directions. (Since we did not do a dry "test-run" the night before.) As we drove to the museum, we got to see the "EL" train. That was interesting - public transit that actually seems to work. We did eventually hit some traffic, but it was not terrible, and we did indeed make one wrong turn. I went SB on Lake Shore Drive when I should have gone NB. A simple turn at the next exit and back onto NB Lake Shore Drive found us at our destination with time to spare.

After trying to establish if "Soldier Field" was a baseball park or a football park, we parked under it in an underground parking ramp.

The building is old. The building is gargantuan. We entered, got "established" ourselves. (Tickets out and ready, bathroom stops before we get into any exhibits, and writing our cel phone numbers on paper for the younger boys (in case we get split up).

As we made our way down to the King Tut exhibit, we stopped off at the "Underground Adventure" http://www.fieldmuseum.org/ndergroundadventure/ . In this exhibit you "shrink" down to a half-ich in height, and burrow thru the ground. Everything around you is builtto scale, and you get to see the bacteria, small critters, insect, and whatnot that live underground.

From there, we stopped at "Inside Ancient Egypt" - a display of ancient Egyptian artifacts, small models of the mummification process, an ancient Nile river boat that was recovered, stones of the same size and weight of the stones used to build the Gaza pyramids (on skids and ropes for people to try and pull). It was a great way to "wet our whistle" for the King Tut exhibit.

On our way out of the "Inside Ancient Egypt" exhibit, there was (what I considered) one of the best displays of the museum - Apparently the Museum is in the process of expansion. While expanding, they had to dig for the foundation. The Museum has a small display of items found while digging for the addition. You see, when the Museum was built in the 1890's. When they built the museum, they brought in tons and tons of landfill (dirt, debris, etc). Now while excavating - museum curators are finding a wealth of "treasures" from the 1880's and 1890's. Medicine bottles, dishware, milk bottles, basically old debris, but it was very interesting debris... A slice of Chicago life in the 1890's!

We arrived at the King Tut Exhibit, and had to walk to the end of a long hallway with roped off lines. After working our way thru this line, we were issued our "Audio Tour" headsets, and went up a flight of stairs, where got into another queue line. This time we had a slide show of perhaps 20 photos from the discovery and opening of King Tut's tomb displayed giantly on the wall. When we finally made it to the front of the line we were escorted into a small, dark room, with three jumbo flat screen plasma TV's. The room was a "sallyport" (door on each side - only one open at a time). You are provided an initial explanation of the event, thanking the hosts and contributors, etc... They ask you to turn off all recording devices, cellular phones, and give you the warning about photography being prohibited. After the employee gives her speech, she starts up a (about) 10 minute movie that plays on the big screen TV giving you the background of what you are about to see. When the movie is done, the doors on the other end of the room are opened, and you stroll into the exhibit.

I would catagorize the display as "generational". You start out seeing artifacts from what is presumed to be King Tut's grandparents. As you work your way thru the exhibit you move from grandparents, to what is presumed to be his parents, then to artifacts from his collection. Overall, the exhibit was amazing. To think that you are face to face with handcrafted items from nearly 3000 years ago, and buried in the ground for just about the same number of years is awe inspiring. The ancient Egyptians made the tombs and mummified the dead for the eternal afterlife of the deceased. It's amazing to think that they were indeed correct (or at least for 3000 years so far). King Tut has lived on thru the discovery of his tomb and mummy.

I could get into huge detail here on the things we saw, what we liked, and what we didn't like - but I wont bore you with all that. We picked up a souviner book that goes thru a lot of the history we learned, and a two page spread on each artifact.

I would have liked to have seen more actual artifacts, but the display wasnicely sized, and the selection of artifacts was also nicely done. Overall,I would do it all over again if I had to.

While at the Field Museum we also took in the following exhibits..

Evolving Planet - Earth Sciences - Grainger Hall of Gems - Hall of Jades

There was more that we "did not get to see", than we actually "got to see"... It was an overwhelming place. By the end of the day - we were exhausted. The museum closed at 5pm and we on our way.

Just as we were getting on the road to go home, we made a hasty decision to try and reach the Sears Tower. We were (after all) in the shadow of the building... Sigh... That my friends - is where the story goes sour...

I love my small town driving. I have two spotlights in my town - and my work commute is mostly freeway, with only minimal city street driving and not many lights.

Now, as we left the Museum and headed downtown, I thought to myself that this wont be so bad. I don't have any directions, or know where to park.. But it's the Sears Tower for gosh sake... I drove along Lake Shore Drive until I reached a street that I could see the Sears Tower was on, and drove into the downtown area.

Remember folks... It's 5pm - on a weekday...

As I approached the downtown area we came to a Tee in the road. Left or right. I went right. Now I had to find another way to the Sears Tower thru the tangle of one-way roads, and the... the... um... sea of people.

Never in my lifetime have I seen such a mass of human beings - all walking in different directions. A constant stream of pedestrians in all directions - as far as the eye can see. Then there are the cars. Cars, Cars everywhere... Mopeds, and Vespa Scooters, delivery trucks, cabs, cars, vans, busses... It was what I consider hell on earth. Driving thru the turmoil of motorized and pedestrian traffic was all I could take.

If you left any space at all in front of your vehicle (any space AT ALL) a motorcycle would (from 3 cars lengths back from a different lane) drive between the stopped traffic and zip into the space in front of you (that was about 1/3 the size of the motorcycle). All to get ahead 3 car lengths ahead.

Refer to the picture for the following rant...

Traffic in the intersections... My god... Picture yourself as the first car in the far left lane of a one way road (stopped at the intersection) The light turns green, and you creep into the intersection a bit. then the police man in the intersection whistles at you and has you pull up to where s/he is at. Then because of the steady stream of pedestrians, you wait. In the mean time the cars behind you have also pulled up behind you, but because you are not moving they begin to honk at you. You look to the policeman to quiet the other cars down, but s/he seems impervious to the sounds. Ok... You tell yourself to ignore the honking and you wait... and wait... and wait for the flow of people walking thru the intersection. The stream that does not let up until (and even after) the light has turned red and then green for traffic in the opposite direction. But because there are still pedestrians blocking the road, you cant move anywhere. Since the light has turned green for "left to right" cross traffic, they feel they should "jackrabbit" into the intersection, and dynamite the brakes within a foot of the passage door of your car. Because you have not moved anywhere, they too start honking their horns at you. You look at the pedestrians in the street (blocking your path), then to the cars behind you (also in the intersection on a red - honking at you), then to the cars coming at you from your right - in the intersection on their green (but can move) - honking at you), and finally to the policeman in the intersection completely unaware of what is going on - before you loose your mind... After you loose your mind, you turn to the on coming cars to your right - give them the finger, turn to the pedestrians, and start pulling your car into the crowd (hoping not to squish one of them in the street), all while you are wishing you could stick your big fat "glow-in-the-dark-cuz-it-aint-seen-the-light-of-day-since-you-were-a-toddler" white ass out the back end of your car and show the drivers (honking behind you) just how close they can get to a full moon!!! Look close enough asshole, you may even see craters! Oh, and watch out for the volcano spouting black stinky lava you impatient bastard!

When now you have made it through the intersection, you can relax...until you get to next stoplight (one block away), and GET TO do it allover again... and again... and again...

Because we were in a "Downtown" area - we could not see the Sears Tower behind the other tall buildings - due of our proximity and angle. I could not see a horizon, I lost my bearings and was unfamiliar with the area. Face it... I was now lost.

And that was where I gave up... I continued driving around like this until I found my way back to Lake Shore Drive, and we called it a day. Happily (and much more relaxed), I headed back to the hotel.

Once at the hotel, I grabbed a brochure for the Sears Tower SkyDeck. The brochure had specific directions, where to park, how to get there, and many other interesting facts... Including the fact that I was within a block of the parking structure for the Sears tower at one point...

Oh, well... Maybe tomorrow...