Gas Prices

I'm not going to say anything. I'm just going to post this article found in the New York Sun. Say what you will about the Liberal bias of some American media outlets. Read the article and tell me what you think? Frankly, I wouldn't be completely surprised if this prediction came true...

Gasoline May Soon Cost A Sawbuck
Big New Shock At the Pump Forecast By Two Analysts

by Dan Dorfman
Special to the Sun
April 28, 2008

Get ready for another economic shock of major proportions — a virtual doubling of prices at the gas pump to as much as $10 a gallon.

That's the message from a couple of analytical energy industry trackers, both of whom, based on the surging oil prices, see considerably more pain at the pump than most drivers realize.

Gasoline nationally is in an accelerated upswing, having jumped to $3.58 a gallon from $3.50 in just the past week. In some parts of the country, including New York City and the West Coast, gas is already sporting a price tag above $4 a gallon. There was a pray-in at a Chevron station in San Francisco on Friday led by a minister asking God for cheaper gas, and an Arco gas station in San Mateo, Calif., has already raised its price to a sky-high $4.62.

In Manhattan, at a Mobil gas station at York Avenue and East 61st Street, premium gas is now $4.03 a gallon. Two days ago, it was $3.96. Why such a high price? "Blame the people at STOPEC (he meant OPEC) and the oil companies," an attendant there told me.

These increases are taking place before the all-important summer driving season, signaling even higher prices ahead.

That's also the outlook of the Automobile Association of America. "As long as the price of crude oil stays above $100 a barrel, drivers will be forced to pay more and more at the gas pump," a AAA spokesman, Troy Green, said.

Oil recently hit an all-time high of nearly $120 a barrel, more than double its early 2007 price of about $50 a barrel. It closed Friday at $118.52.

The forecasts calling for a jump to between $7 and $10 a gallon are based on the view that the price of crude is on its way to $200 in two to three years.

Translating this price into dollars and cents at the gas pump, one of our forecasters, the chairman of Houston-based Dune Energy, Alan Gaines, sees gas rising to $7-$8 a gallon. The other, a commodities tracker at Weiss Research in Jupiter, Fla., Sean Brodrick, projects a range of $8 to $10 a gallon.

While $7-$10 a gallon would be ground-breaking in America, these prices would not be trendsetting internationally. For example, European drivers are already shelling out $9 a gallon (which includes a $2-a-gallon tax).

Canadians are also being hit with rising gas prices. They are paying the American-dollar equivalent of $4.92 a gallon, and they're being told to brace themselves for prices above $5.65 a gallon this summer.

Early last year, with a barrel of oil trading in the low $50s and gasoline nationally selling in a range of $2.30 to $2.50 a gallon, Mr. Gaines — in an impressive display of crystal ball gazing — accurately predicted oil was $100-bound and that gasoline would follow suit by reaching $4 a gallon.

His latest prediction of $200 oil is open to question, since it would undoubtedly create considerable global economic distress. Further, just about every energy expert I talk to cautions me to expect a sizable pullback in oil prices, maybe to between $50 and $70 a barrel, especially if there's a global economic slowdown.

While Mr. Gaines thinks there could be a temporary decline in the oil price, he's convinced an overall uptrend is unstoppable. In fact, he thinks his $200 forecast could be conservative, and that perhaps $250 could be reached. His reasoning: a combination of shrinking supply and increasing demand, especially from China, India, and America.

Mr. Brodrick's $200 oil forecast is largely predicated on a combination of pretty flat supply and rip-roaring demand. Other key catalysts include surging demand in China and India, where auto sales are booming, and major supply disruptions in Nigeria and also in Mexico, our second-largest source of oil imports, where oil production has fallen off a cliff.

More factors include the ever-present danger of additional supply disruptions from volatile countries in the Middle East that are not our allies, and the unwillingness of SUV-loving Americans to trim their unquenchable thirst for foreign oil. Likewise, for the first time, emerging markets this year will use more oil than America.

To Mr. Brodrick, it all adds up to an ongoing energy bull market. His favorite plays are the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund ; United States Natural Gas Fund LP; Apache Corp.; Occidental Petroleum; Anadarko Petroleum, and Schlumberger.

The Other Person That Sleeps at Our House

I have heard you already!

I suppose I will have to admit that there is another person living at my house, though admittedly you people reading this probably see her more than we do. Anyway, a bit of an update on Megan.

Megan is about two weeks away from finishing her first year of college. She won't quite be a sophomore yet because she only has 21 hours under her belt (I believe she needs 24 to receive that honor) but she is doing really well. School has taught her some things about time management and couple that with work and the boyfriend and she is a pretty busy individual. I don't see much of her as she is typically gone by the time I get home, either to work, or to her boyfriend's house. It is Tuesday now and I think I've seen her for about an hour since last Tuesday. She is just that busy.

With school ending here shortly I anticipate she will be working more. She wants to save up as much money as possible so she has it in the fall when she starts back to school. She is also planning on going away to college so having a nice bank account really appeals to her. She is planning on moving down to Ball State University with her friend Kendra. Angie and I are both so happy to hear that. I think she needs to get away and learn to be independent. Mom still does her laundry, still empties her trash, still feeds her. College will give her a world of experience in a nice controlled environment.

I am really surprised she is taking this plunge. She is overly serious about Caleb and I don't think that is in her best interest. Caleb is a good kid, and if she sticks with him over her college years and ends up marrying him, I would not be disappointed. I would however, be disappointed if she gave up on college to be with him. I think she is aware of that and I also don't think she would do that. Megan has, for the most part, made some good decisions in her life. I like to think her mother and I have been a good influence on her. I hope that continues in the future.

Megan is sick of her job at Kroger. I guess she is taking an application over to the YMCA and applying today. They don't pay a great deal, but I think she wants to be able to get a membership at a low price. If she doesn't get that job I think I will inform her that her current college has a big old gym she can use for free. I don't think she has ever thought about that.

Megan has been hanging out with her college friends a lot more and that makes me happy. I think that spending time with others (besides your boyfriend) helps build a better relationship. I also think it makes her want for the college life even more. She is going to be 20 in September and I keep telling her that she is living the best years of her life right now. She needs a diverse lifestyle and she needs to let her hair down and have fun. You can't get that going to your boyfriend's house and sit there while he watches the Nascar race and get the same enjoyment. I think she is learning that.

Well, there is the update on that other person that occupies Balin's future bedroom in my house. If anyone has any questions or comments to pass on to her, feel free to email her personally at moggie4707@yahoo.com I'm sure she would love a note of encouragement.

New Poll: Favorite Movies

After posting my comments about the movie Juno I finally came up with a new poll question: what is your favorite type of movie?

I like all kinds of movies but don't watch enough of them to be a real expert. Maybe if the poll shows up something consistent I will check out more of that type of movie and post my opinions on it here. Then everyone can jump on here and slam me for my baseless drivel. :)

Fact is, I love hearing from everyone, so thanks for the feedback, the poll answers, the emails and everything else.

Frustration

My job has pushed me to the edge. In fact, I nearly jumped today. It has been so frustrating here at work that I've had occasion where I've almost waled out. I completely lost my temper today. I yelled at the Corporate Internal Auditor and mouthed off to the Plant Manager. After that they just left me alone, which was probably good.

Monday's are always pretty stressful because I work under a stringent deadline for getting some important reports completed and sent over to the Corporate Office. Well, the auditor showed up while I was in the middle of my reports and insisted I take some time and answer some questions for her. She was checking on a corrective action that was supposed to have been put in place sometime ago. Well, it wasn't. It wasn't necessarily my fault, but according to the report she had, it was. I was not completely in agreement. She suggested that I do something about it and I suggested that she didn't know what the hell was talking about and that she was more than welcome to get the hell out of my office and take it up with the Plant Manager.

Well, she did. I got a call from the Plant Manager not too terribly long after that. I went down to see him and he was not very happy. I'm not sure if it was because we basically failed an audit again, or because Sheila (the auditor) had told him I was rude to her. I think it was a little of both. Well, Don ask if I could retrain all the necessary employees as listed on the audit and I told him "no" that I wasn't about to waste all my time training them. We are talking about having 15 minutes one-on-one sessions with more than 60 employees by the end of the week. Seeing as I will be out of the office on Wednesday I did not think that was possible. Anyway, to make a long story short, the Plant Manager wants a list of everything I do for the company so he can evaluate whether I am using my time wisely. I've written out a detailed two page report, ran it past my boss (who is actually higher in the food chain than the plant manager) and feel pretty confident that I am okay.

Now, about the venting. I've had enough of this place. I am being asked to work the same boring, deadend job for the same pay as I made 6 years ago. I don't really feel all that motivated. I'm certainly not about to bust my butt for a company that rewards lying and ignoring of basic business ethics. But hopefully, if I'm forced to, I won't have to for long.

I've been working a second job, for friends of mine that own a local hobby store. I went to lunch today and ran into John, the owner, and we got to talking. They are looking at possible future expansion and John is trying to figure out a way that he can match my salary and make me the Operations Manager for his company. If I got that job I would basically be in charge of all the personnel save him and the other owner. We talked for some time about how much I made, what kind of benefits I have, the type of insurance I've got and other stuff like that. Johnis looking for someone who could work unsupervised with the best interest of the company in mind. He thinks I would be a good person for this. That would be wonderful for me to get a job like that. I'm not out to make a fortune wherever I work. I just want to support my family and be happy when I do leave for work in the morning, rather than looking towards the day with a sense of dread.

Anyway, I'm hoping that within six months to a year something can and will happed for me. I think that blowing up at work is going to happen once in awhile, but I'm sure that making it habitual will be the end of me. Hopefully it never comes to that.

Movie Review: Juno

Angie and I were sitting there Saturday night without a whole lot to do. I had noticed earlier that Megan had bought the movie Juno, and seeing as we had nothing better to do, we decided to watch it.

First, I'll give you Angie's review of the movie: she didn't fall asleep. This is how it works at my house. If Angie sits down after 8:00pm to watch a movie and manages to stay awake through the entire thing, then it is a good movie. Angie did not fall asleep, so it should tell you something about Juno.

Okay, now my review. Juno is a drama, plain and simple with quite a few funny parts thrown in. The character of Juno, played by Ellen Page, is a 16 year old high schooler who after an adventurous evening with her best friend, Paulie Bleeker, ends up pregnant. She makes light of the whole thing, deciding to go and have an abortion.

While at the abortion clinic she gets cold feet and eventually comes upon the decision to give the baby up for adoption. The movie revolves around the four seasons, and Juno's progression through her pregnancy. During this time she seeks out and finds a set of adoptive parents for her baby.

The characters in the movie are great. Juno is an odd, but humorous character who makes some very profound statements for someone who is 16 years old. She is a misfit at school but comes across as very charismatic. The baby's father, Paulie, is a goofie looking geek who is also a runner and a musician. He looks and sounds incredibly young and is the epitome of innocence. He too is quirky, addicted to long distance running and orange tic tacs.

Juno's family is also quite odd, ranging from her dad, the furnace repair man, her step-mom, and owner of a nail salon, and her little sister, Liberty Bell. I loved the characters and frankly they really made the movie.

The movie is set in Minnesota, near St. Cloud, but the movie itself lends me the same feeling as I got watching Npolean Dynomite. This is a far superior movie though.

There are moments of seriousness mixed with some great laughs.

There are also twin storylines going on. The first deals with Juno's choice of adoptive parents and her coming to terms with them. They are played by high maintenance mom-wanna-be Jennifer Garner, and ultra-cool commercial composer and former rocker Jason Bateman. They are the perfect oil to Juno's water.

The other storyline has to do with the relationship between Paulie and Juno. The baby was a mistake, in fact, Juno and Paulie had no romantic associations before that night, they had just been friends. There are some good tension filled scenes between the two and there is a nice chemistry. This secondary storyline intermeshed well with the movie and didn't seem to get in the way at all.

I would love to give you more details about the movie, but I won't. I'll just say that it was a nice, comfortable film with fantastic acting (Ellen Page was nominated for an Academy Award), a great storyline (Diablo Cody, the writer won the Oscar for best Original Screenplay), and wonderful music. This was really a good movie.

Tell me what you think...

Gracie's Birthday News, Part 2

Okay, I think we've finally pinned down a couple days for Gracie's birthday. Like I mentioned previously, we will be having two parties for her. The first one will be Friday, May 9th. Gracie wanted to have a party with some of her school friends so that's what we are going to do. It will be at our house. Grace is going to invite 5 of her friends (that's all she wanted) to her party. While this is separate from the family birthday party, anyone (particularly reading this blog) is invited to our house to participate/help.

The second party for Gracie is going to be on Saturday, May 17th, also at our house. This is the family birthday party and we would encourage anyone who could make it to do so. It has been so long since I've seen most of you that anyone that could make it would be welcome. If you want to spend the night, let us know in advance and we will help facilitate that. We will make room if we need to.

Times for both parties have yet to be established. I will certainly let everyone know these as soon as I find out.

Day in the Sun

First off, I apologize for not having any updates for the last couple of days. I do a lot of this writing when I have a free moment here at work and I have been lacking on those as of late. I have every intention of keeping up with this blog, but on occasion there may be lapses. I appreciate everyone stopping by and visiting however.

This is my favorite time of the year. There really is nothing like the spring. Over the last couple of days we have been spending a great deal of time outside, just because we can. On Tuesday we all went out and Megan, Grace, Caleb and I played Frisbee in the front yard and then got the tee and ball out so Gracie could play baseball. She really liked pitching (which she confused with batting) and has since asked me everyday if we can go out and play baseball. That makes me happy, considering what a baseball fan I am.

Be have told me that I can act pretty goofy and make a fool out of myself. I find myself, as I get older, doing less and less of that. Wednesday however it felt really good just to say heck with it and let go. Gracie and I were outside and she had her butterfly net, trying to catch those fluttering white moths/butterflies that everyone sees but never really pays attention to. Well, the neighbors were all out enjoying the beautiful day, just like us. Instead of just sitting there watching Gracie chase after butterflies, I went with her. She gave me the net and we had a ball. We were running around, yelling at the elusive butterflies, jumping laughing. For 45 minutes we circled the house, vainly attempting to catch one of them. We finally did. You can see the picture of the little devil we managed to capture at the beginning of this post. It felt so good to just spend fun time with Gracie.

Days like that make me realize how special my relationship with my kids is. I love Angie, and she means a great deal to me. We found each other and began to love each other and let that grow over the years. The love that I have for my children however is different. It was immediate and furiously strong from the moment they were born. I can feel that same love reciprocated by them in moments like our little butterfly hunt and it truly makes my life worthwhile. Maybe that it what made this particular spring day so special. Regardless, it is a memory which will stay with me forever.

Okay, enough of that. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the little guy. Balin went outside with us the other day too. He went for a long wagon ride, towed quietly behind Angie and I as we walked around the block. We've been practicing with him, holding his hand and walking with him. He managed to walk a good distance with our help and simply lacks the courage to let go and take that first step on his own. He is such a happy baby though. This morning he heard me come out of the bathroom after my shower and started chortling in his crib. I was so happy to get to see him before I went to work. I had to work at the stotre last night until 10:00pm so I didn't get to see either of the little ones when I got home. My days always seem to go better when I get to kiss my kids good-bye before I go to work.

Okay, there is your update. I'm now about 20 minutes behind on my very busy day here at work. I hope everyone has a great weekend and between working this weekend, watching my beloved Tigers, and spending more outside time with my family, maybe I'll discover a few moments where I can post a couple more updates. Regardless, thanks for reading.

Gracie's Birthday

It is getting closer the the little princess' big day. She will be turning six years old on May 15th! I don't think she has ever been so excited about her birthday. We told her that this would be the first year that she could have a birthday party where other kids outside of the family will be invited. In actuality it looks like we may end up having two birthday parties for her in order for us to give each of them the attention that they deserve.
Gracie really didn't know what she wanted as her "theme" for the party. We wanted activities for the kids, so it looks like we are going to have a craft party. We looked at beads and stuff the other day and I made the suggestion that we should make beaded necklaces. I also thought that we could go to Hobby Lobby and pick up some inexpensive wooden boxes and paint them white and let the girls decorate them with different shiny baubles and sparkles. Gracie seemed to like that idea.

I need to work on designing the invitations. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with that. I would like to do something really creative but I'm not sure. I just want this to be a fun party for Gracie. SHe is a good girl and deserves a memorable birthday. She has made it easy for us to come up with a gift. She really wants a scooter. Last night however she was riding on her cousin Dawson's and fell down and scraped up her knee. I need to get it figured out whether or not she wants one now. She may settle for one with three wheels instead of the two wheeler she previously requested.

After this past weekend's lip sync show Gracie is obsessed with getting the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie. I keep telling her that she isn't getting a $20.00 movie three weeks before her birthday. I tried to pick up a copy at Atomic, but they haven't got any in yet, so that will have to wait. I kind of want to stay away from gifts like movies and other things that keeps her in front of the TV. She watches way too much television as it is. She needs more stuff that she can play with outside. I saw some toy golf clubs at Walmart the other day. I may get those for her because she mentioned the other day that she wanted to try golfing. I should take her to play putt putt and see if she likes that.

Gracie has also taken an interest in soccer. She said she wants to try playing it this summer. I think it is a good idea in that it would get her outside, get her some exercise and teach her something different. She is torn between cheerleading and soccer but I think we could get her to kick the ball around. A soccer ball might be a good suggestion for a birthday gift.

If anyone would like to get her something useful, she is growing out of all her summer pjs rather quickly. Something like, colorful and comfortable would really appeal to her. She would also love any clothes that she could take on vacation with her. She hasn't picked out a bathing suit yet, but I know she wants a new one.

The only other thing that I can think of that she really wants is the Barbie Mariposa doll. Don't mistake the Mariposa friends with the actual Barbie. The Barbie Mariposa has huge butterfly wings. She is enamoured with it. She wants the movie too because she is obsessed with all things Barbie. To the left is a picture of the actual Mariposa Barbie doll that she wants.

As far as the dates for the party, I'll need to check with Angie. I think the party with all her school friends is going to be on Friday, May 9th. Not sure on that yet. As far as the family party, again, I need to check with Angie. I'm supposed to be playing in a golf outing to raise money for the Woodlan Marching Band on the 17th of May. Ang said she thinks I should play because I never play golf anymore and it will give me a chance to see a bunch of band people I don't get a chance to talk to very often. Once we get the days and times figured out I'll post it here.

If anyone has any questions about Gracie's birthday party, let me know. You can send comments to the blog, email me at my blog addy (lonnbristolblog@gmail.com) or just send a message to my regular email.

Weighty Issues

I watched the finale of the Biggest Loser last Tuesday and couldn't help but be impressed by the people on the show and their ability to lose all the weight that they did. I wish I could do that.

I am really struggling with my weight. I will be the first to admit it. I need some kind of help. I look at myself and can't help but feel disgusted in how I look. It makes me feel miserable. I've tried dieting and exercise but I can't seem to stick with it. I really think my job is having a hugely adverse affect on me.

I really don't enjoy my job much anymore. While I don't think I am overworked, I do think that my abilities are underutilized. I am an intelligent individual doing a job that doesn't require that much brain usage. I end up sitting here all day (that's nine full hours of inactivity) and the burden of doing this job just wears me out. I get home and I don't feel like doing anything.

I need a different, new job. I'm afraid however to take the plunge and do something different. It is so difficult to find something new that I am qualified for. Additionally if a new job doesn't work out I feel like I would struggle to find something that pays as well as this place.

When I'm at home hunger doesn't seem to be a problem. I think it is because I am comfortable at home and don't feel a need to eat. Here at work I have breakfast (which I rarely eat at home), a decent sized lunch, and then I usually find myself buying a snack food out of the junk machine. Combine all this with the sitting on my butt and you get an overweight lump.

I try to go to the gym, but I feel as if I'm missing out on a lot of things at home. Additionally I feel as if I have to hurry to get home because with Angie out of work it means she's been home with the kids all day and I know she needs a break. I want to give that to her, so I go home instead of going to the gym. When I do go to the gym I typically work out on the elliptical machine, then work the stair stepper followed by a one mile walk around the track. I wish I enjoyed lifting weights, but I don't I tried doing that twice and I found that I ended up getting injured (including my second umbilical hernia surgery). My ankles really can't handle the weight lifting anywaysl, especially my surgically repaired one which still gives me trouble.

The gym has a pool, but frankly I am too embarrassed to use it. I don't like taking off my shirt at all, especially in public. This has made it difficult in the summer to play with the kids in the water and frankly I hate it. If there is one thing that bothers me about my weight, it is that.

Another thing that really gets me is the future. Balin is 15 months old and by the time he graduates high school I will be 57. It scares me that the best years of his life my be my worst, with continued weight issues and a scary prospect of heart problems. I pray that I have the longevity of Mom's side of the family but I fear I may not if I keep going on the path I'm currently on.

I'm so embarrassed of myself at times. I have recently (through facebook and through this blog) reconnected with a lot of friends from high school and college. I have not however posted any pictures of myself simply because I am embarrassed at how I look. It really does bother me.

I'm writing this because if anything, this blog has served me well as an outlet for my feelings. I'm not looking for a miracle cure for my obesity, nor am I looking for any kind of consolation. All I want to do is share my own thoughts about myself. Perhaps these have been thoughts you've actually had about me. I need to keep trying. I need to bust through and see significant results and make a real change. I need to do this for me and more importantly for my family. I don't want Gracie and Balin to follow in my footsteps. I want them to live a healthy life and stay beautiful so when they are 40 years old they don't have to deal with these issues.

Thanks for allowing me to get this off my chest. As always your comments are always welcome.

Gracie's Lip Sync Contest

Last night Croninger Elementary held their annual Lip Sync contest. Now this is Gracie's first year of school so we are learning all about these programs for the first time. I really didn't think much about the program prior to the presentation, thinking it was going to be a bit like the band concerts we performed in when I was a kid. Let me tell you, I was wrong.

This thing is a big deal. A real big deal for the school. The kids have to try out in front of a panel of judges and be chosen to participate. It turns out that there were close to 40 different acts for the show and it is the biggest deal of the year for the school.

I'm getting ahead of myself. The lip sync contest first of all isn't held in the school gym, or the cafeteria, or anything like that. It is held at the Scottish Rite Center in Downtime Fort Wayne. This 80 year old auditorium seats more than 2000 people and I would say that at least half, if not more of the seats were full for this show.

Each contestant, either individual, group or entire class, gets to go on stage, complete with props, full stage lighting effects (spots, etc.) and lip syncs to their chosen song. They all wear costumes and dance around for the entirety of their song. It was a lot of fun watching it. Gracie's class was 4th and did a song from the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie (hence the tail). It was really cute. Those kids amaze me. There aren't many elementary school children than can get up in front of a crowd that size and perform. I think that is a testament to the school. Being a communication magnet school they work daily to improve and build the communication skills of their students. I was wholly impressed with what they have accomplished and am already looking forward to next year's lip sync performances.

I hope Gracie continues to participate and knowing her (and the showman she seems to be) I can expect to see her in a lot more of these before her days at Croninger are over.

Young Authors Conference

Well, the Young Authors Conference conference has come and gone. It was really a nice time. When we got off the highway I was amazed by the traffic pulling in to the school. There were hundreds of cars. I had thought that it was just Fort Wayne Community Schools but it was actually schools from all over the place. According to the organizer there were more than 750 students participating in the conference. Considering Gracie was one of about 15 from her school, I thought that this was quite an honor.

When we got there we were given an assigned room number where we were sent to watch the other students present their book. I was surprised when Gracie told us that she did not want to read her book because she was afraid. She got over that though and after about half a dozen students had presented theirs, she stood right up and went to the front of the room.

I had hoped that she would try and read her book to us but I guess she wasn't quite over her jitters. She climbed up on the stool and when the moderators asked if she wanted to read the book or if she wanted the moderator to read it she looked at me and with a plaintiff cry asked , "Daddy, do I have to read it?"

I told her it was alright if the lady read it for her and that caused her to smile. I tell you, there is nothing that makes you feel better than to hear someone say under their breath, "She is such a cute little girl."

The reading didn't take long and Gracie veritably beamed the whole time she was up there. Not that I'm partial or anything, but of the 15 stories that were read I'm pretty sure Gracie's was the best.

When we were done there we left and went to the auditorium where got to listen to a brother and sister combination who are wildlife photographers, film makers and authors. They were really talented. Check out their website at sisbro.com.

These two individuals take still and video footage of wildlife and turn it into children's books and films. We purchased a signed copy of their DVD and it was a very entertaining little movie. Gracie really liked it and the pictures are beautiful with lots of neat little wild animals. The presentation was interactive as they talked about what it took to become a successful author. Though it was geared towards the kids, Angie and I both enjoyed it as well.

We had a really good time. I can't begin to explain how proud I am of Gracie. Her book was great, the conference was a really good time and it really enforces in me just how much I love being a father.

Little Miss Busy Britches

I've been a little swamped here at work the last couple of days so I may not get to post as much as I would like, but after working through lunch today I decided I deserved a few minutes of downtime so I could send a post your way.

Here is a little about what Gracie has going on this weekend.

Tonight Angie has to take her into Fort Wayne to an auditorium where she has dress rehersal for her school's lip sinc contest that is going on tomorrow. I guess each of the teachers get to pick a song and lip sinc while the kids accompany them. I guess the kids dance and help with the "singing". I guess that is supposed to take about a half hour tonight with the performance being tomorrow night at 6:30pm. From what I've read they get a pretty sizable crowd. They will be up on a big stage. I'm curious to how Gracie does in front of a bunch of people. If she takes after me I think she'll do just fine.

Saturday morning we have the young author's conference where Gracie will be presenting her book that she wrote. I'm really looking forward to that. She has already read it on television here in Fort Wayne, not once, but twice. Again, I think she'll do just fine. I'm really excited because I harken back to when I was young when my mom took Brian (my brother) and I to a poetry writing conference where we got our own books and heard some poetry for really the first time. While I'm not doing a good job keeping up with my online writing commitment (I'm not liking the story that is running through my mind so it is slowing me a bit) I will say that writing is a passion of mine and anything that can inspire my child to either read or write would be a great thing. I hope Grace is as a voracious reader as I am. Based on what I've seen so far I think she will be.

Saturday night Angie is going scrapbooking at the mall, so it is officially date night for the kids and I. I'm not sure what we are going to do. I will probably swipe a movie from Atomic so Grace can watch it. She has been asking me to as I skipped grabbing one last week. We will probably grab dinner from somewhere and get a special treat her and I can enjoy together while we watch her movie.

Sunday, if it is nasty out as the weather currently predicts it to be, I told Angie I am going to take Gracie to see a movie. She's been wanting to see the Spiderwyck Chronicles and I've heard it is pretty good so why not.

All in al it sounds like a pretty decent, if not a bit busy, weekend. I look forward to it.

NOTE: The picture that accompanies this post is from my vintage collection and was taken right before we moved out of our old house. Gracie is still a glamour queen. I know that by the time she is 18 she is going to cost me a great deal in designer clothing.

My Opinion on a Serious Issue

I just saw this article on Yahoo.com and need to post it to my blog. I've got very strong feelings on this and because it is my blog, I'm going to share them.

The Supreme Court is hearing arguments regarding the Constitutionality of sentencing a criminal to death because of the crime of raping a child.

First off, I never knew that raping a child was punishable by death. It seems that currently five states have the ability to sentence a person to death for this crime and one additional state (Missouri) is considering making it legal.

I am a person that values human life as much as others, but I also feel that just like Animal Care and Control, it is sometimes necessary to euthanize an uncontrollable animal. Those men who choose to rape a child are nothing more than animals and regardless of what they have to contribute to society as a whole, that one act should be enough to forfeit their lives.

I have a beautiful little girl at home who is the world to me. If anything like this was to ever happen to her, not only could I never forgive the individual, I would be hard pressed not to take matters into my own hands. Anybody, and I mean anybody, who could do something like that to a small child should be destroyed, just like any other animal. It makes me shake whenever I imagine anything happening to Gracie. Pray to God that nothing ever does, she is such a special little girl.

I am sick of lawyers leaning on the Constitutional definition of cruel and unusual punishment. While I do believe that there is a line that needs to be drawn when it comes to the enacting of punishment, I also believe that the same line fluctuates based on the circumstances of your crime. There is nothing more horrifying than the violation of a small child. I would even argue that the act is worse than even murder. With rape it is a crime that you not only endure, but continue to endure for the duration of your life. Doesn't that make it even more cruel?

I hope the courts uphold this law. I also hope that more states seek to make it legal in their jurisdiction. Pedophials and rapists should be subjected to punishment that befits the damage they have done to the small child they attacked. No one will ever convince me otherwise.

New Poll

For all my loyal readers (like this is the New York Times or something) I've posted a new poll to the right (and maybe down a little bit). I was curious, if you could travel anywhere in the world, what continent would you make a bee-line to?

To give you a little idea about how I would answer, I said I would want to go to Europe. Specifically I would like to visit France. Now I can't speak a word of French, so I'm guessing I would come across as the uber-tourist. That said, I believe that there is so much to see in France, particularly the Brittany area of the country.

One place in particular that I would love to visit beyond all others would be Mont St. Michel along the northern coast of the country. The Mont is a tidal island, and at one time a mighty fortress. It is now a pretty well known tourist attraction. It has been said that J.R.R. Tolkein of the Lord of the Rings fame model his mythical city of Minas Tirith after Mont Saint Michel. I can see where he got his vision.

I imagine the island is as beautiful in person as it is in pictures. I've always been one for history and places like Mont Saint Michel are steeped in it. I would also love to see the rest of Europe, particularly the Tuscan Region of Italy, the ruins within the city of Athens, Greece, and the rough circles of Stonehenge in England.

The world is such an incredible place. I just wish sometimes it wasn't so big so I could have an opportunity to get a first hand glimpse of it. Oh well, I've always got Fort Wayne.

Feel free to share your stories with me. I would love to hear them. BTW, clicking on any of the pictures in this blog should open them for a better view of each.

The Trouble with Bub

Don't think that all I write about is trouble I'm having with my kids. Sure, they keep me hopping, but overall they are pretty good. The problem is that we are getting way to old for the amount of physical activity it takes to keep up with the two little ones.

Look at the picture to the right. You see that? Please note, that is not a staged picture. That's what we get to enjoy when for one brief moment we are not looking at Balin. He may not be walking, but that little dude is fast. That full roll of toilet paper you see gathered around him is about a minute's worth of concentrated effort put forth by Angie's son. Yeah, I said Angie's son. He's all hers. That little dude is trouble if you don't watch him. I've taken it upon myself to attempt to photo document his greatest moments. Please note: I'm sure many additional pictures are to follow.

For instance... The picture to the left is from last night, immediately following dinner time. I was clearing the table, putting away the condiments, leftovers, etc. I didn't realize that the fridge door being open was an invitation for the monster child to leave his previously important task of pulling all the clean bowls out of the cupboard and move to the refridgerator for his own personal inventory. Needless to say it didn't take him very long to get whatever he could get his hands on out onto the floor for some really fun playtime. The little dude is just way to quick. Angie has completely given up on him. Her belief is that he will eventually need to sleep, then we can clean up. No sense trying to keep up with him. At 40 years old we just don't have the energy anymore. I think I have the best strategy, I just tell Grace that I'll pay her a dollar if she picks up after him. Problem with that is I'm going to need a third job and Gracie is going to need an investment broker for all her money.

Well, he may be a handful, and if he wasn't so cute he would be terrorizing the streets of Fort Wayne all on his own, but for now we think we'll keep him. I'm working on a machine that we can use to harness all his energy. If I get get that developed we are golden.

Trouble with Gracie

All right, if someone has advice (specifically people who have raised children and not killed them prior to them reaching age six) they can give me it would be appreciated.

Graice is getting to be a real handful. Beyond the fact that she is extremely loud, loves to smother her brother by hugging and hanging all over him, and doesn't like to eat her dinner, she is really having problems in social situations. I may have mentioned before that she likes to control everything when she is playing with her friends. Well, yesterday a little girl from our neighborhood who goes to school with her came over to spend some time after school. When I got home I learned that Gracie had purposely spit in this other little girl's face. Now, I'm one of those people who really believe that you need to take care of issues immediately. Unfortunately this had occurred long before I got home from work. Angie had scolded her and I had a long talk with her about it. I think Gracie understands that this is completely unacceptable.

The question I have doesn't revolve around just this episode, but around Gracie's overwhelming "alpha-wolfness" when it comes to spending time with other kids. She seems to need to dictate what they do, when they do and for how long and we can't break her from this behavior. When she gets mad she does stupid things like spitting or throwing a fit, or stomping off to her room, ignoring her guest. How do we get into her head what the correct way to act is? It is so frustrating.

She is such a sweet little girl, but she can also be a little brat sometimes. She has taken to stomping off to her room whenever we try to talk to her. She has gotten very bad at talking back (not to me, but to her mother) and that really bothers me. I continue to hang stuff over her head, threatening to cancel her birthday party if she ever does anything like spit in another girls' face again. I just hate to go through with my threats but I'm afraid it is going to happen sooner than later.

If anyone has any advice, I would love to hear it. I don't want anyone to think badly of Gracie (or Angie and me for how we are raising her). I think this is just a phase she is going through but I really want to break her of it. I suppose it is just going to take some time and some tough love. I however am realizing that tough love is actually tougher on me than it is on her.

As always comments are welcome as are emails to my blog addy: lonnbristolblog@gmail.com

Man Invents a Cancer Curing Machine

I heard about this on the radio and was simply amazed by the story. I guess it ran on 60 minutes last night so anyone that can add to this, let me know through the comments or my blog mail (lonnbristolblog@gmail.com).

It seems there is this guy out in Eric, PA who has leukemia. His treatments left him terribly ill and he was sick of seeing all the suffering of other cancer patients and the suffering his poor health was putting his family through. That said he decided to go out into his garage and invent a machine to cure cancer. That seems like a pretty lofty goal. The thing is, preliminary studies have shown that he has been successful.

It seems this guy has a background in radio. He had been a technician for years and also owned his own radio station. He thought he could destroy cancer cells using noninvasive radio waves. He created a machine in his garage that as recently as November has proven to completely destroy cancerous tumors in the livers of 100% of the rabbits it was tested on with no side effects.

The process seems to make a great deal of sense and the research and initial trials have been picked up by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. They hope to perform human trials within three years.

This is pretty huge. The coolest thing is that this potential solution came from a guy who was just looking for a way to help himself. A CBS reporter asked the man why he thought he could find the cure to cancer and the inventor replied, "What made me think I couldn't cure cancer. Nobody else was doing it."

Do yourself a favor and check out this link. It is a pretty cool story.

Catching Up: Creative Writing Part 4

Well, I took the weekend off. I worked this weekend and decided to spend my free time either playing with the kids, playing World of Warcraft, reading Forever Odd or visiting friends. Needless to say I didn't find the time to write. So, I've caught up. A bit longer post than normal, but back on track for 100,000 in 200 days. Hope you enjoy and please feel free to leave comments or send me an email with your constructive criticism. (lonnbristolblog@gmail.com)

Charles had experienced long weeks before, but in truth, this one had been longest he could ever remember. Each minute seemed to drag as if the fabric of time itself had been snagged and caught firm in the grasp of an unseen captor. To add to the misery of the dragging minute hand, Gunner had decided that he needed to raise the bar with his pranks.

He continued to knock the books out of Charles hands and when the smaller boy took to carrying his class materials inside his backpack the bully countered by trying to squeeze Charles into one of the lockers. By Thursday Charles quit going to lunch altogether, instead spending that break in the library, sneaking bites of his lunch so the librarian wouldn’t catch him. This change had been facilitated because Gunner had taken to shoving various discarded food items down the back of the Charles’ shirt. On the first day it was simply a crust of bread. Tuesday it was a handful of crushed potato chips which caused the younger boy to scratch and itch all day long. On Wednesday it had been a huge pile of spaghetti. This had brought the freshman to his breaking point.

At first Charles was simply angry and disgusted by the slimy pasta slipping farther down his shirt, sending a chill up his back. The more he thought however, the braver he became. Perhaps he was buoyed by the fact that Mr. Martin had told him that come Saturday he would have ammunition to use to fight back against Gunner. Instead of taking it this time, he decided he would confront the enemy.

Untucking his shirt, Charles fished what he could of the cold slimy goo out of his clothing. With it still in hand he stood up and stalked the length of the lunchroom after the retreating bully. A collective “Ooooooohhhh” went up as the smaller boy stalked Gunner, intent on exacting a bit of revenge.

Hearing the crowd around him, Gunner turned to see Charles rushing towards him, a handful of wet spaghetti in his left hand, while the remainder of the pasta slipped out from the back of the smaller boy’s shirt and flopped to the floor like so many wriggling worms.

Charles really didn’t know what he was planning to do. He was simply tired of Gunner Blanton and he wasn’t going to take it anymore.

Gunner, however, had other ideas. Seeing the freshman closing in, he set his feet and raised his hands, palms out, fingers up. He looked like one of the figures in the posters you would see advertising big time wrestling that would crop up around town whenever a company of those particular entertainers were coming to town. There he stood, waiting for Charles to get to him.

Gunner lived for moments like this. The teasing and harassment were really secondary to the thrill he got from the confrontation. He had been waiting for the scrawny little punk to crack, and now he had. There really was nothing better than this.

Charles reached the larger boy and had every intention of shoving the cold noodles down Gunner’s shirt. There were however a few slight problems, the biggest of them being the fact that Gunner wasn’t five foot tall (like Charles), he wasn’t sitting down with his back to Charles (as Charles had been to him) and from his posture it appeared that Gunner was not in the mood to have spaghetti shoved down the back of his shirt.

Seeing these things, Charles let instinct set in.

Charles isn’t left handed, but that really didn’t cross his mind as a surge of adrenaline forced the younger boy to make his decision. He flung the spaghetti at the larger boy, only to have to land helplessly not in the bully’s face, but squarely on the toe of his scuffed up, black hiking boot.

This failure to hit with his ranged weapon did not deter the smaller boy who followed up his errant throw with a scream and with hands flailing like a drowning swimmer, a full on assault of the larger boy.

Charles wasn’t sure if he had landed any punches (can you call a slapping, open hand a punch?) What he did know and know well, was that Gunner had landed the one and only he had thrown.

Charles crumpled like a tin can does when you step on it, veritably bending around the bully’s fist as his connected with his midsection. The wind escaped his lungs like a collapsed bellows, leaving the smaller boy’s eyes and mouth wide. Shortly thereafter Charles seemingly slid off of Gunner’s fist, onto the floor, curling up like a baby in the fetal position while gasping for the air his lungs couldn’t find.

Tears welled up in Charles’ eyes as Gunner knelt down so as to get close as he could to the freshman’s ear.

“How’d that feel, Chucky,” he taunted. “You thought you could take me, didn’t you? Well, I guess we both know that you were wrong. Enjoy the rest of your lunch,” he chuckled as he reached down, pulling a glob of the spaghetti off of his boot and shoved it into Charles’ still open, and still gasping mouth.

As Charles lay there gasping, his knees pulled up to his chest, cold spaghetti falling from his open mouth, tears running freely from his eyes, an odd character ran out of the crowd and up to him. His hair was raven black. Laden with gel, it stood straight up making it look as if he was part porcupine. He wore various piercings in each of his ears, and while he had objected openly and often concerning their removal, only the holes in his lips and his eyebrows were evidence of the other facial jewelry he wore when he was no longer under the rules and regulations of Cragsville High School.

His clothes, baggy and oversized, even for someone twice his size, were bedecked with shiny silver grommets and clanking chains. Dark purple eyeliner and a healthy over application of mascara decorated each eye. The ensemble was completed with dark lip liner which made his mouth seem completely artificial, like it had been completely painted on along with the pencil marks surrounding it.

Seeing Charles being helped by one of the “freak parade”, the crowd began to disperse. Gunner too, was long gone, knowing that to be caught fighting by one of the teachers would mean a suspension.

“Are you alright bro?” the scary goth boy asked.

“”Just leave me alone,” Charles sobbed, his breath finally returning to him.

“Dude, it’s okay, I’m here to help you. Let’s get you up off this floor.”

Hooking his arm underneath the smaller boy’s, the odd looking kid helped Charles to his feet.

“There you go bro, let’s get you cleaned up.”

He led Charles back over to one of the empty seats, all the while barking at people around him, “What the hell are you looking at dude?!? You got a problem with me? Mind your own freakin’ business!”

Whether it was these exclamations or the attention their stares had brought, the people surrounding the two gave them their distance and averted their eyes. If anything, the boy in black was threatening looking.

Book Review: Forever Odd

Okay, so I finished the second in the Odd Thomas series. This one is called Forever Odd by Dean Koontz.

The story again is written in the first person. The thing about this book is that it is a bit easier to get into the view point (as long as you've first read Odd Thomas). This makes it a bit easier to get into the book, which I liked immediately. I'm the kind of person that gives a book about 50 pages to get rolling. If it can't, it joins the graveyard of books I have in a box out in the garage.

Forever Odd takes place about 6 or 7 months after the events of the first book. Odd has taken a leave of absence from the Pico Mundo Grill still toiling with issues from the massacre that occurred a half a year earlier.

The book gets rolling when Odd wakes up in the middle of the night to find the local radiologist (who is also the father of Odd's best friend) standing in his room. Of course this is a ghost that escorts Odd to his home where our hero finds the mutilated body of said doctor. He also finds that his best friend, Danny, is missing, supposedly kidnapped by his psychopathic biological father. Odd registers immediate concern because Danny has a rare bone disease that makes him susceptible to fractures.

If there is one point that bothers me about the book it is the existence of Danny. I know that Koontz could never have anticipated the success of the first book in the series and may very well have never considered writing another Odd Thomas book until her heard the feedback from the first. That said, it was still uncomfortable reading about how close a friend Danny was to Odd when Danny's name never showed up in the first in the series. Now, after a few pages I was over this, but still, it rubbed me the wrong way.

The book is a bit surprising. As the story progresses the setting changes and I can't help but feel that given everything that has happened in the small town of Pico Mundo, that would be the last place on earth I would ever want to visit. Of course this could also be said about Las Vegas if you failed to accept the fact that the television drama CSI is just a work of fiction. Anyway, the story progresses to the site of a tragic casino fire. As Odd tries to rescue Danny he meets a completely different kind of villian with a bizarre purpose for abducting Danny.

For the sake of not spoiling the story I will just stop right here with the plot summary.

The book, like the first, was very good. There was a nice mix of humor and horror. It carried the same stanza as the first book and you can't help but love the main character. I've already purchased the third book in the series so as to continue the voyage with Odd.

The story itself was also very good. It left you guessing throughout the entirety. There was a bit of randomness to some of it (like the existence of Danny that I mentioned earlier) as well as an appearance by a mountain lion (I won't give any more away). I wouldn't say it was as good as the first book, but it was pretty close. The first book gave you a better character build which I really enjoyed. This one got right to the story and used the plot to fill the pages.

To close, I will give a bit of a spoiler for those who have read the first: At the end of this book we find out why Elvis came to Pico Mundo and why he is always crying. :)

Questions and comments are always welcome by clicking on the little comment link or emailing directly to my blog mail at lonnbristolblog@gmail.com.

Back to Monday

Well, that was quick...

The weekend went by extremely fast. I had to work my second job, so it wasn't much of a break at all. The time that I did have at home, with my family was nice though.

Friday night we basically just stuck around home. We really are trying not to spend a whole lot of money on going out. It was nice. I got to spend some time with the kids. Thursdays are always rough because I don't get to see either Balin or Grace because I don't get home until well after they have went to bed. I then get up at 5:00am on Friday to meet some friends for breakfast. So, once the kids go to bed on Wednesday night I typically don't see them again until around 5:00pm on Friday.

Gracie is still spending a lot of time with her Webkinz and occasionally has me help her make money for her. I don't mind doing that though I don't want her spending all her time on the computer. We usually keep her to 30 minute sessions a couple of times a day.

I played around on the floor with Balin Friday night. He loves to crawl on top of me while i lay there. It is fun because he just cracks up laughing. He is still fighting us with walking but we figure it is just a matter of time. I would guess that he could be on his own by month's end.

Saturday, after I got out of work, we all went over to our friends' house. Bob and Kate have three kids, including a little girl that is also in kindergarten. Gracie loves to go over there and play. We had some pizza and played a game of cards and basically just chatted for a couple of hours. It was nice. We need to do things like that more often.

The rest of the weekend was pretty uneventful. I got to work on Sunday and someone had broken in over night. It wasn't a horrible break-in, probably just a couple of kids. They smashed the front door and rather than come in the store and set off the motion detectors, they just smashed the display case that sat next to the door and stole a couple of boxes of Magic: The Gathering cards. They are fairly worthless in the scope of things. It turned out to be more of a pain in the butt than anything.

That's about it. Hope everyone out there reading the blog had a good weekend as well. As always, comments are welcome your you can reply directly to anything on this blog through my "blog specific email" at lonnbristolblog@gmail.com.

Happy week to all.

Parent Teacher Conference

Yesterday afternoon Angie and I went to the school for a spring parent/teacher conference with Gracie's teacher. I always worry when we have to go in the school because no parent wants to hear that your child is struggling. Grace has been doing good in school but there were (back in November) some areas where she was lagging a bit behind.

I was happy to see that Gracie is doing exceptionally well at school. Her report card had nothing but positive marks in every area. More importantly, the teacher raved about the kind of little girl Gracie is. Mrs. Johnston said Gracie was the kind of child that made her happy she was a teacher. She is the most loving child with a contagious smile. Everyone in the class loves Gracie and her positive attitude. While she like to be social (i.e. she loves to talk) she works hard and does well in class.

We talked at length about the book she wrote that was chosen to be presented at the young author's conference next Saturday. Mrs. Johnston said that the book was Grace, that it represented the kind of child she was and she could see Gracie writing it. She said that each child had to present their book to the class and you could tell which students had significant help with their books because they couldn't tell you what the words read. Gracie on the other hand presented her book word for word. It was apparent that she had done the work and put a great deal of effort into it.

Gracie is going to present her book on the local access television channel today (unfortunately our sattelite provider doesn't carry that channel. Additionally I guess Gracie was chosen to do some more television work by introducing some kids that are doing some kind of song and dance number on the school television program. That would be something if Grace picked up an early passion for broadcasting. That would be a nice future for her (of course I'm just a dad with a dream for his daughter).

Mrs. Johnston said that Grace is a very talented little girl. She has no problems speaking in front of a group, is extremely artistic, and recently they've started working on their lip sinc presentation and Gracie has shown off her dancing abilities (I guess her ballet classes have helped).

If was just a brief fifteen minute conference but what it did was enforced my belief that Angie and I have a very special little girl. The most rewarding thing that can be said to a parent is how loving and wonderful their little ones are and we feel truly blessed that Gracie is that kind of girl. I hate seeing her grow up, as it pulls at my heart everytime I see her do something that tells me she is getting more independent, less reliant on her daddy. I want her to stay my little princess forever. That said, I am proud to know that we are raising a wonderful little girl and it makes me proud to be her father.

Creative Writing Submission #3

Third installment of my Creative Writing project. As always, criticism is welcome...

Like most classes, the biology class sped by. This was pretty typical as Charles through himself at the work. He was one of those kids that seemed to thrive on learning. He hated when the bell rang because that meant he had to brave the hallways of Cragsville High School.

As the other kids left the room, Charles took his time. It was his lunch period so he was in no hurry. If he took his time he could head back to his locker, drop off his books and get his lunch without being bothered by anyone. Occasionally he would hang out in Mr. Martin’s class for most of the time and run to his locker just before the end of lunch. There, he would wolf his lunch down and then just head to his next class.

Mr. Martin watched as he Charles took his time putting his things together.

“Is there something wrong, Mr. Davenport?” he asked.

“No sir, I’m just not in a real hurry. It’s just lunch time and I don’t need all the whole 40 minutes they give us,” he replied.

“How do you like high school so far,” he questioned. It was fairly apparent that something was bothering the boy.

“It’s okay, I guess,” Charles replied timidly, looking at the floor.

“Just okay? That doesn’t sound very reassuring. I would have thought based on the fervor to apply to your work in class that you would be having the time of your life. What’s the matter Charles?” There was real concern in the older man’s voice, something that told Charles that he had an idea what was happening but needed to hear it from the younger boy first hand.

“I don’t know if I should say anything,” Charles slurred, continuing to focus his attention to the gray tiled floor.

“Are you still having problems with Darrel and Sarah?” he questioned, trying to pry the information from the boy.

“Oh no Mr. Martin, they are fine. In fact, I really like them now. They treat me good now,” he stated with vigor. Charles didn’t want to get them in trouble again because they had in fact treated him very well.

The teacher continued to probe, “Is everything all right at him?”

“Yeah, it’s fine there too. My parents are great. I’m just tired of…” his voice trailed off.

Mr. Martin knew he had him on the precipice, “Come on Charles, what is it? You are my best student and I’m concerned. Is it another kid harassing you?”

The boy considered for just a bit too long and the teacher knew he had hit the bullseye.

“Charles, I’m not going to ask you who it is, because I know you won’t tell me. I don’t blame you. If I found out who it was and went to the boy you would be the one that ended up suffering the most. I’m sure that kid would do worse to you if he knew you went to a teacher about him. I understand that. But I can’t let you suffer anymore. I won’t stand for it. I’m going to help you, but you have to make me a promise,” Mr. Martin stared at Charles, “can you do that Charles?”

“Promise what Mr. Martin?” he replied, looking up from the floor.

“You have to promise that you won’t tell anyone what I’m going to show or tell you. If you did, I can’t imagine the consequences,” there was real concern in the older man’s voice.

“I can keep a secret Mr. Martin, I promise,” Charles’ curiosity was peeked. The idea of sharing a secret was compelling but the prospect of keeping Gunner Blanton in check was far more inspiring.

The biology teacher clapped his hands together, “I’ll tell you what Charles, you get through the week and then meet me here on Saturday at 9:00am. You do that and I’ll make sure that you will never have to worry about your problem again. Okay?”

“All right, Mr. Martin. But how are you going to do that?”

“Charles, wait until Saturday, and tell no one about our meeting, okay. This is important, understand?”

“Yes, sir,” he replied.

“Now get to lunch. I don’t want your stomach growling during your next class.”

Balin's Breakdown

It is official, and without argument, Balin is a complete mommy's boy. Now this isn't a completely bad thing. It has been proven that Gracie is a daddy's girl, so it is only fair that Angie should share the joy of this obsession.

Last night it was quite beautiful out around 6:30pm. We had finished supper and Angie decided to go outside to do some things (feed the birds, rake leaves, weed her flower beds). Anyways, Balin just fell apart. He was so upset that she would leave him. I took him to the window in the den and opened it (Megan had broken the screen out of it in one of her many attempts to break into the house after locking herself out). Angie came up and he just broke into laughter. When she turned to walk away, he burst into tears again.

We've also had episodes (more often than I would hope) that when Angie leaves he goes to the backdoor and pounds in it while crying. It is funny how heartbroken he is when she leaves. That said I begin to worry what life for him is going to be like once Angie finally finds a job and goes back to work. I have a feeling I'm going to have the youngest person ever treated for a nervous breakdown living in my home.

I hope he shakes this soon. While at times it can be funny, it is mostly sad watching him just completely break apart whenever she leaves. She loves the little guy, but even the most loving mother needs a break from her kid once in awhile.

Creative Writing Attempt Part 2

This is my attempt to continue in my efforts to write a 100,000 page novel. This is the second installment. I will be attempting to write 500 pages a day over a 200 day period. I hope you enjoy. Criticism is accepted...

Now it was a different year, a different school, but the same old treatment. Charles felt like he was painted into a corner, there was absolutely nothing he could. He understood that other kids could be cruel, but it had reached a point that he prayed for relief. Until it did, school was a misery to be endured.

Scooping up the remainder of his books, Charles stood up and shuffled quickly to his next class. Biology was one of his favorites as he was able, for fifty minutes anyway, to separate himself from the rest of the horrors of high school. He loved his teacher, Mr. Martin, who was a self proclaimed science geek (something Charles and him had in common) and showed a real passion for his profession. He also treated the students in his class as adults, as young scientists, instead of freshmen experiencing their first taste of high school academia. This appealed to Charles who was often treated as a little kid, not only because of his diminutive size, but because of his helpless and feeble appearance amongst the larger, more developed student body.

Mr. Martin controlled his class. Gently he would put even the biggest egos in their place. The students who struggled felt success (even after repeated failures). He would make the beauty queens feel plain and the homely feel beautiful. When Charles was in his class, he made the boy feel superior, at least as far as science went.

Most importantly however, was the fact that Mr. Martin was in complete control of the actions of his students. During the first week, one of the kids had made a snide remark about Charles. This elicited a laugh from the boy’s girl friend, who proceeded to make her own biting remark. Mr. Martin had overheard, and rather than scold the two students, simply informed them that their grade for the next month would be tied directly into the progress that Charles made.

“You need to realize that in life you have to take any friendship you can get. People who drive others away do not realize what they are losing out on,” he explained to the two. “I will not have one of my scholars worrying about anything other than the important work that he is here to do. You two as well are to remained focus. For the next month while in this lab, you work for Charles. He will lead the experiments and you will listen and you will follow. At the end of the month if Charles feels as if you are not a productive part of this team, then it could very well reflect on the grade I put down in my book.”

After that the pair had been very courteous, and even friendly towards the smaller boy. Charles dared to say that Darrel and Sarah had actually become friends.

That had always been the trouble with Charles. Once people got to know him they realized that he was a pretty decent kid. Granted, he was a bit geeky (with his glasses and chronically unkempt hair), and for his age, dressed strangely at times. The thing was, he just didn’t care about mundane things like clothing or appearance. His mind was squarely centered on academics and his voracious appetite for reading.

After the fiasco in the hall way, Charles knew he was going to be late for biology. It didn’t really bother him as he knew that Mr. Martin wouldn’t hammer him like other teachers did.

“Mr. Davenport, our workday starts at 9:55am. I am sure your previous appointment was important, but in the future please remember your commitment to your fellow colleagues.”

This wasn’t the first time the class had heard that line used by the teacher. Matter of fact, you could typically expect to hear it at least once a week. While Mr. Martin didn’t make a huge issue out of tardiness, the class was aware that if it got habitual, then the teacher would present an envelope with an attendance contract to be completed by the student and their parents so as to bind them to a “more acceptable standard of responsibility”. It was Mr. Martin’s way of saying, “Alright, this has gone far enough, time to shape up.”

Charles moved to his seat and climbed up onto the high stool of the octagonal shaped lab tables. He let piled his books in front of himself and shuffled through them until he found his biology text and his blue notebook. The rest he shoved to the center of the table to sit there until he had an opportunity to put them on the floor and out of the way.