Waiting and waiting

Ten days ago I interviewed for a position on our local school board. A seat had become vacant do to the board member moving out of the area and the board will appoint someone to that seat until May of next year when there will be an election for a full three year term.

I sent in my letter of interest the first day as did five other people. I feel the interview went well.

I had reviewed the documentation provided to all candidate and knew the budgetary facts of the district. When asked what my agenda was, my reply is I don't have a specific agenda at this time. I am simply volunteering my time, passion for education, and expertise from the business world to fill this spot. I don't believe a singular agenda makes for good management, particularly in a large organization.

This last week I have been waiting, the announcement will be made Tuesday evening at the board meeting. If I am appointed I will give it my best effort, if the board chooses someone else I guess it is back to the bench and that is not such a bad place to be.

Second on the list

Amanda doesn't say, "next," she uses the phrase "second on the list." That is because her mother is a highly organized person who always has a list. I know what is going to happen today when I look at the list the night before. If I ever read, hit John on the head with a shovel I will make sure to wear a helmet that day.

This last weekend I actually dealt with the list pretty well. But the thing about a list is this, it is very easy to write three words, "fix the shed." Actually fixing the shed requires a lot more blood, sweat and tears. But for those of us who don't use lists as effectively as people like my wife, then it is easier to just fix the shed than it is to keep up with a list reminding us to fix the shed.

But I know the secrete to the list. The lists are never more than three days out, so if you want to know what is coming, you have to check the calendar. That is where I saw the item, "wash the eaves." That wasn't for three weeks but I knocked it out this last weekend. Therefore, it will never be on the list. And while I may have actually had to do the work, it was never on the list, which means I am getting ahead of the game.

Will Tina put something on the list just to fill the space? The answer is no. Tina plays fair. That is one of her many beautiful qualities. And the list today didn't have me doing anything but going out to dinner with a friend passing through town. The list is for her benefit, not mine. She needed the shed fixed so she put it on the list knowing I would do it, but it wasn't on her list to nag me. That is what the list is for. I just make a point to write my name on the list from time to time to make sure she is still reading it.

Hence the name

Another three day weekend like this last one I will just go ahead and get a second job.

Saturday I helped a couple of friends move and remove furniture. The moving was pretty easy. The removing had some effort involved but was also a lot of fun. We took an old three cushion sofa to a dumpster at my factory. Now, a three dumpster sofa will not fit in a dumpster so it has to be modified with extreme violence by two large men with crowbars. By the time we were done the sofa could have fit in a garbage can. The old roach infested sofa will no longer be a threat to my friend's carport.

Later in the day I mowed the yard. I may have mentioned this about my yard, but when I am in the back corner with my push mower, this yard is as big as the Ponderosa of Bonanza fame.

Sunday was the real work day. My brother and I installed a new door on my shed. We had the frame fabricated at work but we had to router the hinges, and drill eleven holes through steel, each hole requiring three drill bits. Quick math says that is 33 drillings. There was some other parts of the construction that went on and the door swings perfectly for the first time in years.

That night I did a cook out for my brothers family and our parents.

Yesterday I finished the trim work on the shed and washed the soffit on the front of the house.

On all of the jobs Amanda was close at hand with the exception of the sofa violence. I don't like her in the area when I'm swinging a crowbar. I think it is caring on the side of caution.

She was a total little trooper all weekend, but we both agree that we need to get back to work and to school to get some rest.

Cowboys and Amanda

Ok, I haven't had a beer this year, so I'm watching a Cowboys game and drinking red wine. It is a little different, but I'm managing. i really don't miss the beer and I physically feel better. I swear, some days I feel like Allan Harper from 2 1/2 Men. At least I can move my half of a 150 pound outdoor fireplace.

Amanda is back in the playroom with Tina and she is going on about something. She gets pretty worked up this time of night. She always has actually. She was very late to baby babble, but when she did it was always this time of evening. She was quiet for a big part of her life, but now she is like Donkey from Shrek, it is getting her to shut up that is the trick. It is very nice to hear.

Years ago I remember talking with a child psychologist about Amanda. She asked, "What do you want from this child?" I answered, "I just want a conversation." Well, I have that and it really is enough.

BTW: Cowboys just scored, they have a good backup with Kitna. He doesn't have the weak arm like Wilson did.

My new toy

I have a new laptop, a Dell inspiron mini. This is a nice little machine with long battery life and a hard drive as large as my desktop, all for $4oo. That last part I find amazing. My first laptop cost as much as my last three and it was less powerful than my Blackberry.

But more importantly, I gave Amanda my old Dell Latitude 400. She will never turn it on, just mimic the actual use of a laptop. At this moment she is "blogging." She thinks I hung the moon.

The tie that binds

Today was one of those rare occasions when I needed to wear a tie. So this morning I put on my black suit, with my blue shirt. I didn't put on my tie at home because my meeting wasn't for three hours and the longer I can avoid putting a leash around my neck the better. When I got to work I did some review for my meeting and then went to put on my tie. Try as I might, I couldn't get my top button done. A long time friend and coworker tried to do button me up and finally said, "I think you need to go up to a 17 1/2 inch neck."

Here in lies the problem, this was an 18 1/2" neck shirt. I get the athletic cut shirts because I have a 46" chest and 35" waist but my shoulders go right into my neck. One of my friends says that I have a neck like a Rottweiler. So I went home and found another large necked shirt. The collar is cut a little different and it fit well enough, but it looks like I will be adding 19" shirts to the wardrobe.

She is too modest, so I have have to say it

The other night Tina and I are watching TV and an ad for E Harmony comes on. The ad emphasized that selections were based on like intelligence and values. Well let me say this, I am so glad I didn't go that route. It was very necessary for me to find someone who is smarter than I am who possesses a moral compass. It would have been very easy for me to have dropped out of school and wound up selling stolen car parts out of a friend's garage.

Tina has inspired me, guided me, coached me, and corrected me. I wouldn't be me without her.