October 2007 Archives

The Petite Filet and I shot photos at a wedding this past Saturday. It was a nice occasion, and we got some great photos. The problem with starting out in modern photography, however, is that you've got to have top-notch equipment to capture the photos you want and compete with all the other photo jockeys out there. A photographer shouldn't charge the big bucks before using big-ticket equipment, yet it's hard to pay for said equipment if you're not making the big bucks. That's why I rented a lens for the wedding ...

After the Petite Filet's first car crash this month, on Oct. 9, she actually had a second one, on Oct. 19 (in a rental car). Both wrecks are similar, in that they were both "chain-reaction" things when one car hits another and is in turn hit. The main difference between the two is that my mother-in-law and the Cutlet were in the rental-car accident. The first wreck was a wakeup call, and the PF was paying undivided attention to the road right before the second. The guy came out of nowhere ... he wasn't there and then he was. So we're being inundated with phone calls and letters from insurance adjusters. Loads of fun.

The moral to the story, if there is one, is to be focused on driving when you're behind the wheel. It's not a place for multi-tasking, no matter how many times we've gotten away with it. I say that having eaten a chicken sandwich during lunch while driving around to complete some errands. But I knew I shouldn't have.

Lately we've noticed a lot of drivers behaving badly. They always were but now we are much more aware of it.

Texas T-bone's Rules of the Road

1. Focus on driving when you are behind the wheel.

2. If you must have music (which I usually do), don't play it so loud that you can't hear yourself think.

3. If you have to talk on your cell phone, get it over. Don't have a long, stupid conversation. You aren't so special or interesting that it can't wait until later.

4. Combine trips to save gas. Better yet, ride your bicycle for short errands.

5. If someone cuts you off or otherwise acts stupidly, take a deep breath and let them go.

6. Be a courteous driver: let someone in front of you.

7. If you've got to make use of your horn, do a quick "happy honk" and wave using only a friendly gesture.

8. If you've got to eat something while driving, don't make it fried chicken. The grease can cause you to lose control of your vehicle. It can also make your seatbelt feel tighter around your mid-section.

9. Friends don't let friends drive ugly cars. Even people who are ugly or who drive ugly cars should not drink and drive.

10. Always wear a seatbelt. And buckle up your kids in an age-appropriate manner in the back seat.

On a much different note, here's a preview of Halloween ...

Thanks for your comments. Things are looking up for the most part.

But first a few valleys.

My grandmother passed away last week, on Oct. 10, with my mom by her side.

On the day before, my grandmother awoke briefly, and my mom was able to talk to her. Whether she comprehended or not isn't for us to know, but she looked right at her as she talked. She said that she'd been a good mother, and that if it was time for her to go she was prepared.

The next day, hospice care called my mom and said the end was near. She got there and noticed that my grandmother already looked different. She never awoke again, and my mom witnessed her last breath. It's been difficult and somewhat a relief for her all at the same time. Emotions are tricky, sticky and complicated. But my grandmother lives on where there is no pain and the Son never sets.

Both the kids were sick Friday, and then as a bonus I caught the bug on Sunday and missed yet another day of work. I alternated from the sofa to the toilet, and that's all I'll share with you for sake of not wanting to give your computer a virus.

Work on the Petite Filet's wrecked car is going to begin this week.

If I'm not too drained, I've got a 65-mile bicycle ride to pedal on Saturday.

We've got a paying wedding-photography gig the Saturday after that.

Things are looking up.

Today should have started out just fine, but it would have been much better had we all just turned over and gone to sleep rather than putting foot to floor and moving forward. Once that happened, it was all downhill.

Let me count the ways ...

So the Petite Filet jetted off to the Texas coast this past weekend to have some Girl Time with several members of her fam (mom, one sister, aunts, etc.). That left me at home to have nothin' but Boy Time (our dog is even male) for a few days. Lemmetellya, it's not all fun and games, dear Internet hearts! Being a single parent - artificially and temporarily - is still difficult.

I cut some of the difficulty (or maybe added to it) by haulin' the Cutlet and Riblet with me to hang out with my parents, sister and her family for the afternoon. We had a nice visit, had lunch and dinner with them, and then hoofed it home. Changing every diaper? No problem. Escorting the older one to the potty nearly every time? I usually do that anyway. But there are things that can make it worse.

When you work for a newspaper, even a small community weekly like where I am now, there comes a time when everyone wants a piece of you. From birth announcement to obituary and so many things in between, so many want free publicity of some kind. There are also supersecretphantom lists on which my name appears, and my work address, that are used by marketing and public relations firms across the globe in attempts to weasel their way into print.

During my semi-illustrious fake-important media career (12 years now), I've gotten via U.S. mail (by no means an exhaustive list):

• A can of beer
• Fake dog poo
• Recipe books
• Obscure self-published novellas
• Copies of books I've actually heard of
• Calendars
• CDs
• DVDs
• Letters from prison inmates
• Free tickets to events
• A can of soup

And, just yesterday, this ...