I Work, I Ride, I Hit Grounders And Fly Balls
I'll start by using the same quote that I had used in responding to a comment from a reader yesterday, "I'm up to my George Castanza hairline in work, and haven't visited blogville lately".
And boy-howdy, is that ever the truth. To some degree, I've worked every day for the past three weeks. I will not complain one bit though. Since we are sneeking up on completion of our new store, I have accepted the responsibility of handling some "above and beyond" types of tasks, and am enjoying the success of my efforts, and the efforts of the crew that I work with.
So finally taking some time off, I grabbed ahold of today as the day that I would spend with my boys teaching them the wonderful fundementals of baseball. As a coach in years past, I had some experience with "wild boys", so I've got a chance to work with my wild boys. Billy and Kevin really want to learn, and I enjoy teaching the game, so we'll give the back yard a workout. I'll use wiffle balls to spare having to buy a new kitchen window.
Our day included a trip to the ballpark to watch the "big boys" take batting practice, and shagging fly balls. To me, there is no place like a ballpark to escape the stress, and mental junk that a day of work provides. Other than a putt on a motorbike that is. But first... I needed to field a few phone calls, and make a couple of trips to the jobsite. Once things were rolling smoothly, I got back to the business of having fun.
Getting an early start today allowed me some time with my scooters. The Honda Express 50 hadn't been out for some time, so while I charged the battery on it, I pulled out Ol' Blue and took a nice ride just to say that I did. I needed a Vespa fix like a junkie needs smack. After that, I took the Express for a spin and had a construction crew at the end of the block pointing and laughing at me as I flew by at 20mph acting like I was flat tracking the corner. I threw them a thumbs-up and blasted for home.
I took some pictures of the scooter action around here today to share, but couldn't find the cord to transfer the photo's from the camera to the computer. The hard target search was on till it started getting late in the day, so I will share my pictures when the cord reappears.
I suited up my young-un, Kevin for a ride on Mule, the Big Ruckus. We went by his Papa's house to see if either he, or Grandma were home, but with no luck there, we just tooled around a bit. Kevin will be a rider for sure. If it comes to being in the shop with the "murtercycles", he's there. Of my two boys, he's the one that mimics the way I dress, and works at being like Daddy. I get a bang out of watching this little goofy version of me.
Overall, it was just a real nice day. My focus was with my family, and I put my energy into just being Daddy for awhile. Tomorrow I'll be starting my day at the new store for a while, then back to our current location for the rest of the day. And so the cycle begins again.
Have fun,
Bill
And boy-howdy, is that ever the truth. To some degree, I've worked every day for the past three weeks. I will not complain one bit though. Since we are sneeking up on completion of our new store, I have accepted the responsibility of handling some "above and beyond" types of tasks, and am enjoying the success of my efforts, and the efforts of the crew that I work with.
So finally taking some time off, I grabbed ahold of today as the day that I would spend with my boys teaching them the wonderful fundementals of baseball. As a coach in years past, I had some experience with "wild boys", so I've got a chance to work with my wild boys. Billy and Kevin really want to learn, and I enjoy teaching the game, so we'll give the back yard a workout. I'll use wiffle balls to spare having to buy a new kitchen window.
Our day included a trip to the ballpark to watch the "big boys" take batting practice, and shagging fly balls. To me, there is no place like a ballpark to escape the stress, and mental junk that a day of work provides. Other than a putt on a motorbike that is. But first... I needed to field a few phone calls, and make a couple of trips to the jobsite. Once things were rolling smoothly, I got back to the business of having fun.
Getting an early start today allowed me some time with my scooters. The Honda Express 50 hadn't been out for some time, so while I charged the battery on it, I pulled out Ol' Blue and took a nice ride just to say that I did. I needed a Vespa fix like a junkie needs smack. After that, I took the Express for a spin and had a construction crew at the end of the block pointing and laughing at me as I flew by at 20mph acting like I was flat tracking the corner. I threw them a thumbs-up and blasted for home.
I took some pictures of the scooter action around here today to share, but couldn't find the cord to transfer the photo's from the camera to the computer. The hard target search was on till it started getting late in the day, so I will share my pictures when the cord reappears.
I suited up my young-un, Kevin for a ride on Mule, the Big Ruckus. We went by his Papa's house to see if either he, or Grandma were home, but with no luck there, we just tooled around a bit. Kevin will be a rider for sure. If it comes to being in the shop with the "murtercycles", he's there. Of my two boys, he's the one that mimics the way I dress, and works at being like Daddy. I get a bang out of watching this little goofy version of me.
Overall, it was just a real nice day. My focus was with my family, and I put my energy into just being Daddy for awhile. Tomorrow I'll be starting my day at the new store for a while, then back to our current location for the rest of the day. And so the cycle begins again.
Have fun,
Bill
posted by Bill Sommers at 6:32 PM
7 Comments:
Sounds like a great day Billy. A little work, a little family and a little hobby. Pretty well rounded way to spend a few hours!
I know exactly how you feel. That's one of the reasons I almost shut down the blog. Today is my first day off in 33 days. Glad you had a chance to regain perspective.
Billy, I had the same kind of day today. Granted, it was a Saturday, and I usually have these off, but today was special because I spent it with my daughter Emily.
We didn't ride, but we went over to the motorcycyle dealership and she got to sit and pose for photos on several hot new bikes.
She's gonna be a fashion designer, dontcha-know? (all of 7 years old)
Then we went out to lunch, and she snagged her loose tooth on her turkey sandwich. This caused lots of drama, and tears which I had to dab with the napkins, but you know how that goes.
Anyway, I've been seeing newspaper stories about people who call themselves "THINKER"s - Two Healthy Incomes No Kids Early Retirement. They think they have the world by the ass, and they are going to enjoy life better than anybody who raises a normal family.
All I've got to say is TSADTE:
Two Selfish Assholes Doomed To Extinction.
No, it doesn't make a good acronym, but it surely describes their true colors.
Oh, sorry buddy. Can't say this stuff over on my blog. Hope you don't mind...
Ride well,
=gc=
Sarch,
The sunny weather played a big part in making the day nice as well. As I type this, we are back to typical Easter weather here...rain.
It's all about priorities, and I'm guilty of making the task at hand my first priority. Stepping back now and again helps me to get a clearer view of what really comes first. A little boy with a mitt on his hand asking to play catch is hard to ignore.
Dan,
I get so caught up in the rush, rush nature of my job, that the momentum tends to carry me past where I need to be. I take responsibilty seriously, and choose to keep my nose on the grindstone till the job is done. The view from the grindstone is pretty limited though.
Just being away from the blog for a few days longer than normal makes me feel as though I've fallen behind. Its a silly way to feel, but I find some kind of positive therapy in getting my thoughts posted.
Thirty three days is about 26 days too long!
Gary,
There has to be a place somewhere for the "THINKERS", and "RUBS" of this world. I know a gal that I worked with years ago that was all about "career" and there was no room for kids and a family. She now soundly regrets her decision, as she has found the "career" to be unfulfilling. TOO BAD! It's hard to pass your legacy on to a cat. And her husband Jimmy is pissed that now, after all this time she's changed her tune.
TSADTE is a perfect acronym, but hard to pronounce. And by all means, speak the way you want any time. I understand, man.
I bet that Emily had a blast with old Dad today. A trip to the dealership is my kind of fun!
And I've gotten pretty good at the napkin dab.
Have fun,
Bill
It's good to hear that someone is spending time with their kids. Not enough people do. They really need our time to be mentally healthy.
John
You know, your family is going to remember you putting them first in your life. You're a hell of a guy Bill.
Roadbum
John,
I feel that both the parent and child benefit from the time that we invest. Tal will thank you one day.
Harv,
Thanks man. I remember a lot of what I learned as a child growing up. My folks taught us the lesson of how to work before play. Even if the chores were as simple as doing the dishes, or taking out trash, we had to finish before we played. This was the birth of my work ethic.
Have fun,
Bill
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