Overheard while unpacking

Bex and I were going through some boxes tonight when she found and decided to keep an inflatable fish, because

"You never know when an inflatable fish might come in handy..."

I laughed. A lot.

Lokidude

On moving

While I've made reference to it a couple times, I haven't come out and said anything about our upcoming move.

For family reasons, Bex and I are moving back to Salt Lake the first week of April.  We're both working on getting transfers, and we'll be living with her mother for the forseeable future.  It should be a good change for all involved.  We're both excited to be near family and friends.  I'm stoked to be able to go to concerts and races and work on my Volkswagen.  Something tells me Bex won't complain about variety in restaurant choices, and local craft stores.

We're definitely looking forward to home.

Lokidude

How to NOT be a good mother

Despite any argument the writer may make, leaving her children and family behind does not, in fact, make her a good mother.  In fact, it makes her a selfish, narcissistic, overgrown child whose children seem far better off post-divorce.

Now, I know I stand to get railed here, as I have no children yet.  I am, however, Uncle Loki to 4 wonderful little kids (soon to be 5!), as well as having firsthand knowledge of shit marriages.  And Bex and I are actively trying to have kids.  And part of making the decision to have kids is that both of you have to be 100% behind the decision.  And yes, that means sacrifice.  When we have a kid, the hatchling becomes the priority.  My car, beloved though it is, comes after the kids.  Same with the guns and the hunting and the fishing.  I hope to share all of my passions with my kids, but the kids take precedence over the hobbies and lifestyle.

The screaming reality that shows me how selfish the author of the article is?

If one partner doesn't want kids, no amount of begging, cajoling, or negotiating will make the decision to have kids a right one.

No ifs, ands, or buts.  If you're not ready to make the sacrifices for your family, then you don't need to be having a family.  And if your family happens unplanned, well, you learn to sacrifice, like my friend Sarah, or you give the child up for adoption.  Seriously, there are wonderful people out there who would love nothing more than to become parents, but can't.  And you, Ms Narcissistic Blowhard, get to celebrate how you were able to abandon your marriage (by your account, good for 20 years, right up until you walked away on the beginning of your journey of self-absorption), and your two children.

And it should have ripped your cavalier heart out to hear them say "When I called you last night I felt like I really missed you very much."

I'm just shy of 29, and I can tell you with a certainty that no matter how bad it got dealing with my mom, I missed her.  Not "felt like."  Not some rational, composed, English-major sentence.  I flat out missed my mom.  Because I have a good mom.  Mom gave up a lot of lifestyle and fun to raise Baby Brother and me.  But instead of treating us like a burden, she treated us like her kids.  Her legacy.  The lasting thing she leaves to this world.  And in doing so, she taught me how I want to raise my own.  And it's not by walking away from my family to pursue a selfish career opportunity.  Not without a plan in place.  Not with any kind of ambivalence.  Because that's what parents, good parents, do.

And that blowhard is not a good parent.

Lokidude

365

One year ago today (right about now, in fact) was the best day of my life, and the first day in the best year of my life.  For some reason, she let me fool her into thinking I was worth marrying, and she still seems to believe it.  If the next year is half this good, it'll be epic.

I love you, honey!

Lokidude

Demotivator time

We packed up the cat and moved him to my mother-in-law's place today, in preparation for our big move (more about that when I have more time).  About 2/3 of the way through the drive, we stopped for fuel and I snapped a photo of him, to show the family how much he loves traveling.  It was such a representative shot that I had to make a demotivator of it.

As usual, click to embiggen.

Lokidude

Now, for something much happier

I just loaded a prime rib in the oven.  The fat cap is covered with a delightful mix of minced garlic, olive oil, thyme, basil, salt, and pepper.

Some days, it's good to be me.

Lokidude

180 by 30

I sit here today, 17 months from being 30, with newfound motivation for a goal I've waffled about for years.  Right now, I weigh 240, give or take, and given that I'm 5'4", that's fat.  By the time I'm 30, I want to be a maintainable 180.  This is a goal, not just some squishy New Years resolution.  Resolutions, while good-intentioned, usually lack the critical elements of a goal.

1) A goal is specific and measurable, on a timeline.  I have to drop 60 pounds in 17 months.  That's pretty easy to check and monitor.

2) A goal is achievable.  Breaking it down, that big 60 is around 3.5 pounds/month, or ~1 pound/week.  Very doable.

3) A goal is accountable.  That's why I'm making this declaration.  If I say it, out loud, in front of everybody, then there is pride and honor pushing me on.

4) A goal is personal.   It has to be inside you.  I've always been a fat kid and quite frankly, I'm sick of it, and the associated crap that goes with it.  Coming from a family of diabetics makes it that much more important, especially watching my grandmother suffer through pain and malady that were preventable, or at least mitigable, through discipline and care for herself.  That won't be me. I want to start a family, and be healthy and active to enjoy them.  So, as of today, Operation Fatass begins.

Wish me luck.

Lokidude

Thanksgiving

I promised myself I'd get this up tonight.  I have much to be thankful for this year, and sometimes, I need to see it written in front of me to realize it.

I'm thankful for the cold and wind outside, because my walls keep it out.

I'm thankful for good food, and good friends, and I hope to be able to visit as many as possible in the coming year.

I'm thankful for my parents, and my brother, and my aunts and uncles and my cousins, for once again showing me that, while we put the fun in dysfunctional, we are family, and nothing can break that.

I'm thankful that I was raised to believe that rest and peace are important, and that letting someone go isn't cold and heartless

I'm thankful for the newest addition to our family, because he's fun and furry and keeps life interesting.

I'm thankful for my new in-laws, who have accepted me into their family readily and seamlessly.

And most of all, I'm thankful for my wife, who has stood beside me through so much change and chaos, and who continues to do so.  I'm thankful for the woman who makes me want to be better, not because she demands it, but because she's worth it.  I'm thankful I have a wife who wants to do anything she can to help me in a crisis, but understands that sometimes, all that you can do is sit back and let things happen.  I'm grateful to be married to a woman who is hard working, and ambitious, and responsible, but who enjoys getting away from it all, camping and fishing, and the occasional spontaneous flight of whimsy.  I truly don't deserve her, and I'm thankful that she hasn't yet realized that.

Lokidude

Just... Damn

I got the call last night.  My grandmother has been in the hospital for a couple days, nothing we haven't seen before, she's been in off and on for six or seven years now.  But this time, for some reason, it felt different.  And the call came in.  The urologist is waiting for confirmation, but he's 99% sure that it's bladder cancer.  Combine that with the pneumonia that took her in in the first place, and it looks pretty rough.  I've finally wrapped my mind around the fact that it is that bad, but I can't resign myself to let go yet.  In all my 28 years, I've known that the old bat survives on pure meanness.  I can't fathom that that quality in her has possibly run out.  Thank god we live in the future, where I can get there in a couple hours when that call comes in.

For now, I'm raising a glass to continued meanness.

Lokidude

Overheard in the War Machine

(during a conversation about what to name our new-to-us boat)

Me:  Floating Divorce?  To go with the Divorce on Wheels?

Bex: You are SO never allowed to divorce me!

L:  So I have to kill you first? *wink*

B:  Yeah, pretty much.  Or I'll kill you.

L:  I'm faster on the draw.

B:  Who says I can't set an ambush?

L:  I love you honey!

Seriously, my wife is awesome.

Lokidude

Food is love

The house currently smells like bacon, garlic, and cilantro.  Bex and I are making chili, and the smell alone is worth it.

I come from a family where food is love.  If we feed you, it means we like you.  And we like a lot of people, so I pretty much lack the ability to cook for 2 people.  Hence the 3 gallon pot of chili currently on the stove.  Not my fault, blame Mom and Dad, they taught me that way.  I'll try to put together some semblance of a recipe later (we cook to taste around here, not to some crazy measurement),  but as a preliminary, it has north of 5 pounds of meat, 2 1 pound bags of beans, and a full head of garlic.  And one more ingredient.  Our secret ingredient.  (Yes, I've been wanting to use that line for YEARS.)

Yes, Texas, it has beans.  As proper chili should.

Lokidude

And the payoff

A while back, I posted a teaser for a project the BBTOH brought parts for.  Tonight, I got everything assembled, and now it's time for the reveal.  But first, the story behind the project.

Sometime around Thanksgiving of last year, Baby Brother and I learned that Dad has never owned a .22.  We both felt that this was a serious wrong that needed rectified.  In about the same time frame, I got to pining for the .22 I learned to shoot on, a Marlin 60, which Baby Brother had acquired from me a few years back.  A deal was brokered, and a couple of Glenfield 60s in decent shape were acquired.  I got my Marlin back, and Baby Brother and Dad both end up with a Glenfield.  Baby Brother's rifle worked like a champ from day 1, but we knew that Dad's rifle needed some love, so I've spent the past six or so months diagnosing, tuning, and loving on the old girl.  The firing pin was .1" short, and the stock was ROUGH.  Mr Potterfield's hero squad at Midway had the hot deal on a new firing pin and stock.  A little Birchwood Casey Cold Bluing Paste (a phenomenal product, BTW) from the local gunshop, and we're in business, I think.  Test firing isn't until this weekend, but everything seems in spec quite nicely.

And now, pictures!

The main action screw, after the Birchwood Casey treatment.  The center area will get more work after it's in the gun and less likely to be scarred.

The completed project.

I love you, Dad, I hope you like it.

Lokidude

Teaser Time

The BTOH stopped by the Workplace of Dude today, and brought me things. I give you this teaser:

So, anybody know what I got?

Lokidude

Overheard in the living room...

Bex and I are watching "Deadliest Warrior" during dinner, and the Zande v. Aztec Jaguar episode is on. Bex has just seen the costumed Jaguars.

Bex: "Hey. Lethal furries!"

Lokidude

Welcome!

Look to the right. There's a new name there. Everybody, say hi to Bex. Bex, this is... everybody.

Y'all play nice with her. I gotta live with her if you don't! :-D I can imagine it won't take long for everybody to realize just how far out of my league she is, but don't tell her, I'm hoping to hold off the point where she realizes that.

Anyways, make her feel welcome in the wide world of intarwebz, if you would.

Lokidude

Announcements Announcements Announcements!

At approximately 1530 Mountain time yesterday, February 20, 2010, Bex became Mrs. Dude. I left my phone in the car at the hotel, so liveblogging was right out, and I've just gotten free and back to a computer long enough to throw this post up. (Had to set my fantasy NASCAR drivers first. Priorities, yaknow?)

Pictures will be up as soon as we get them back from our photographer, probably a couple weeks.

:-D

Lokidude

Ford Earthfucker (tm)

There's been much talk made of Unc's statement regarding the Ford Earthfucker. Random Nuclear Strikes has their example of the breed.

Submitted for your approval is my very own personal, beloved Ford Earthfucker, fondly dubbed the War Machine.


11 mpg out of an old V8 pushrod engine, and 4x4 to get me back where the hippies don't want me to be.

Cry, granolas, cry.

Lokidude

On proper manners

I went with my parents to Cabelas this morning while Bex was doing bride junk. Picked up a Lee Auto Disk Pro powder measure and a Lee 4-die .45ACP die set. But that's not the point of this.

On the doors, there's a large sign asking that all firearms be checked in at customer service. This sign also states that CCW firearms are exempted from this rule. I have zero problem with this, as I fully understand the purpose behind it. They've had problems more than once with people coming in looking for holsters and accessories for their CCW guns, and drawing said guns, locked and loaded, to test-fit.

Mom saw the sign, but missed the bottom part exempting CCW guns. She then proceeded to tell me I had to check my gun. Out loud, in public. I pointed out the exemption clause, and when we turned around, the door greeter asked (rather politely, actually) "So, which one of you's carrying?" He and I had a good conversation about CCW, and their rule on guns. He (and his entire company, obviously) is rather pro-concealed carry. I was very lucky with regard to the store we were entering. It could have gone very differently if we'd been entering a less-than-friendly retailer.

Now, I told you that story so that I could express this moral: It's bad manners to advertise that someone is lawfully carrying a gun. I took my mother aside a while later and explained this to her. She simply didn't know better, so I can't hold any of it against her. But look at it this way. If you knew someone happened to be carrying $5000 in cash on their person, would you publicly point this out? Of course not. At the very least, it makes the person very uncomfortable. At worst, it potentially puts them in danger. Was I in danger today? Not very likely. But my conversation with the greeter started out rather uncomfortably. Just be aware, so you know how better to deal with the CCW holder in your life.

The more you know....

Lokidude

For My Better Half

It's Bex's birthday today, so tonight's song is for her. I don't know most days how I got so lucky, but for some reason, she loves me, and I'm not about to question that.

And seriously, who wouldn't love a girl who considers going shooting or a trip to Cabelas "fun times," and who gripes because she has to get her nails done for wedding pictures?

Guys Like Me
Uploaded by jgz2222. - Explore more music videos.

I love you, honey.

Lokidude

On Wedding Options

Discussion today at the House of Dude:

Bex: We have things to decide when you get home.

Me: Such as?

Menu for the luncheon.

Okay?

We have some options that we can choose from.

Options packages? I want the one with the manual and the bigblock.

Lokidude