Saturday, June 30, 2018

Dad Analyzes Bad Decision



The kid was being a pain in the ass, asking for high-fives when I conversed with others. I told him he was devaluing the gesture and I wouldn’t be high-fiving him.

Of course, I immediately felt like a crappy dad for making the blanket statement I would officially abstain from high-fives.

Making things worse, LSS pointed out there were immigrant families separated and there were dads who wanted to be with their kids, high-fives being a luxury.

I told the kid I would give him 5 high-fives a day, to preserve the integrity of the gesture. If I just high-fived the kid for no reason, whenever he wanted, then when he did something excellent I would need to figure out a new gesture – something, apparently, I am incapable of doing.

The five a day was a really bad decision, lasting about 45 minutes, as the philosophy of the rule immediately came into play. Soon after the rule launched, the kid said something witty, deserving of a high-five. When I gave it to the kid he wanted it to be gratis and not applied to his high-five tab. I agreed, but then realized that every high-five I would give would now be subjected to analysis on whether it was a worthy high-five, and not included in the five count, or an unmerited high-five to be counted.

I realized my folly, deciding to just dispense all the high-fives under the sun.


If you see me on the street, raise your hand and say, “Dude!” and I will smack it – Well done!




Friday, June 29, 2018

Refrigerator Repair Deeply Troubling



We defrosted our refrigerator for two days, showing that we were penitents, worthy of having the refrigerator returned to us in good order. The copious amount of water that flowed forth as the refrigerator thawed a testament to the righteousness of spirit we would enjoy when the universe was restored to balance.

This is what a completely defrosted and cleaned 2013 refrigerator looks like.
The tech, Randy, came and examined all components, finding nothing amiss. The unit has a large circuit board, many sensors, and a display rivaling an iPad -- yet diagnostics showed all components functioned as they should.

Randy shrugged his shoulders, saying somehow the drain tubes got iced up.

Randy has been doing this work for 40 years, so I don't blame his ability.

I find it disquieting that the unknown forces that conspired to cause the refrigerator to leak, are still out there, uncorrected or deterred.

Further disappointing, Randy believed one could only reasonably expect 10 years out of a large appliance like a refrigerator. Our unit is a Samsung, Randy's experience putting Whirlpool and GE as more reliable brands.

I'm glad the refrigerator is working, but the truth (of the failure)  is still out there.

6/7/19 Update: Same thing just happened. Now I know not to call the repair man. We will replace the refrigerator after only 6 years. This sucks.




Thursday, June 28, 2018

Breakfast Portdaddia Style!

#nofilter This is a quick and easy way to get going in the morning.
Who doesn't like a hearty breakfast sandwich in the morning? Making one doesn't require firing up the stove or skillet or needing excessive time.

Step 1: Take an English muffin and put cheese on it and pop it in the toaster.


Step 2: While the cheese is melting, break one egg into a small ramekin and beat the egg with a fork. Put in microwave for 30 seconds on high power. Be sure to cover with a paper towel as the egg may splatter as it cooks.



Carefully remove the egg and place it on the English muffin -- deliciousness in just a few minutes!





Friday, June 15, 2018

End of 7th Grade


The video has two parts: the first part is a celebration of Ed Davis; the second is the kid running into a field to scream in celebration of the end of the school year.




Thursday, June 14, 2018

Refrigerator Repair Did Not Go As Planned



Carl the technician explained the evaporator coil was encased in ice, and I needed to unplug the refrigerator for 48 hours to allow the repair. Oh, modern world, you are a cruel mistress! Glad there are many food options around. #norefrigeratornoproblem, #takeout!, #pizza, #pretzels, #warmbeverage, #gorp, #sardines, #rawvege, #randomchips, #saltymung.

I look forward to the survival challenge.



Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Art Rat Exploration #9




I suspect my family will remember the time when I didn't post obsessively about rats. When inspiration comes, one must humbly accept it. To fight against the cosmos is to reject the truth of the moment. Stoke!





Monday, June 4, 2018

Rat Exploration #8



The rats have overrun this blog!

Their images go with anything I can throw together.

I guess this is their evolutionary advantage, being friendly and cute get them media exposure and various artworks composed around them.