Keepin' it real...

So I thought I'd update the vast following I have on this blog (maybe one or two people) about what's up with the Taintball. With the exception of some finishing touches, the basement is "fully functional", as they say in Star Wars, and it's been a real treat to have that available now. The stairwell from the kitchen is a whole other story, but we're getting to that soon enough. Having cable again is nice, but not near as nice as I thought it would be...yes, you can have so many channels it takes you an hour to find a suitably entertaining show. But having the big TV to watch movies in 5.1 surround is darn nice. The windows need to have the finish/trim done, the moulding around the door and floors needs to be completed, and the drop ceiling around the small bit of plumbing overhead is on it's way to be done.

I've been sick with some kinda bronchial crud, but that's gotten much better. The seasonal change has given me less time to ride my bicycle, which is too bad. I did ride to work and back yesterday, which is fine and good, but I get there so quick that it's hardly a workout. Weekends are so filled with housework, plans and football (Go Bengals!) that there's rarely time to squeeze a ride in on the weekend either. I often feel guilty taking a ride, knowing that I'm leaving the "entertaining" of Grace to my wife. She's hard to keep busy on the weekends because she has so many activities at school on a regular basis, she gets bored at home. We always make a point to do something fun (if not several things!) with her, but there are hours of housework that's piled up from the week that there must be time taken to do them. (not to mention the basement!) So, a ride on a bicycle is a luxury I can't usually afford taking, or I choose to ignore another chore to get in a ride. It would be great if Jess were as interested as I in riding, but she wants all chores done before something like that...so she never feels she can go, because there's always SOMETHING that needs done. There's a point that I just say, enough(!), some "me" time is needed...Jess doesn't seem to do that...or if she does, it's a nap she'd rather have. To each their own, I suppose.

To her credit, she's put forth a HERCULEAN effort to have pre-prepped food, frozen in meal sizes to have throughout the week. She does a fantastic job of finding recipes, making them in HUGE quantities, splitting them up, freezing them and then cleaning up the mess. It takes a special person to go through all that, so we're saving money by not going out to eat, we have dinners ready to cook when we get home from work and they're healthy and tasty! What a wife and Mom! (Hey Babe, you done good...here's a little love for ya, *crack a good one on the bum*, yeah...)

Halloween was just this past weekend...it was fun for Grace and she looked adorable dressed up as Princess Fiona (from Shrek). She was excited, to say the least. Jess and I usually switch off taking her down the street while the other passes out candy, so we both get to see some neighbors and experience Grace's Halloween with her. It was over quick this year...by 7:30!! Some years the kids just keep coming...others, very early. Strange.

None of this post if very interesting or profound, but it's all been fairly uneventful, which I've learned to be very thankful for. I don't crave drama in my life, like I once did...anything to stem the boredom! Now, I'm quite happy to have a second to think...in fact, I wish I had more time to be bored! I used to get so much interesting stuff accomplished! Ah well, life is funny that way.

Here's a little flowchart that I use to keep it real: