Category: Family

Duel Citizenship

I have had three people recently tell me that they might qualify for citizenship to a country in Europe. Given the direction the USA is heading, I am seriously jealous. In 2017 there was talk of Ireland offering levels of citizenship to people whose family originated there. My paternal great-grandparents were from Ireland, but that was too far removed for me to qualify for anything.

Today, purely out of jealousy, I looked to a couple of other options. My maternal grandparents were born in Newfoundland. At the time it was still a British Dominion, not a Canadian province. What the hell, I checked on both options. Canada was a no. It said there might be possibilities if my grandparents served in the armed forces or worked for the government. My grandfather was a fisherman. He planned to enlist in the navy during World War I but the war ended just before his 18th birthday so he did not sign up. My grandmother was a house keeper. No government service at all.

I looked at the UK too, though after Brexit why would anyone want to sign up for UK citizenship? Since Newfoundland was British when my grandparents were born, the Google reported to me that there was a 13% chance I would qualify. How it came up with 13% I don’t know, but when I dug even a tiny bit deeper it was clear the answer was no.

Maybe I could hire a lawyer to dig a little and pull some legal strings. You know… just in case the USA continues it’s trend of flushing itself down the crapper. Just to have options, you know? Not that I would ever leave… it would be nice to know I had somewhere to go if I needed to… not that I would.

Mouse Hunt

We are proud of our two cats. They have protected their house from an invader. A little, tiny, furry, squeaky invader.

They caught a mouse.

We saw them hunting when we got up this morning. There was something in a closet that they really wanted to get at. I saw it for a second. A little brown mouse. It was adorable. It was also a bastard of a home invader who needed to be removed. The mouse got away this morning. It did not get away for long.

Jen walked into a room and found it laying in the middle of the floor, seemingly dead. She turned away to get something to cover the body and when she turned back it was gone. A few minutes later she found it seemingly dead on the floor not far away. Was it actually dead this time or was it just playing dead? I scooped it up and took it outside. Pretty sure it was dead. Poor little sucker.

Good job, cats! Lily and Robin protected their home and their family. They are good mouse hunters. We gave them some treats in thanks. Good job, my little furry friends. We’re proud of you.

My Eye is a Jerk

Today is day three on the antibiotics. I thought things were improving yesterday, but then it got even more annoying for a while last night.

It’s a stye. I had one on my right eye. It was on the outside of the lower lid and it didn’t bother me at all. Now I have one on my left eye on the inside of the lower lid and it’s driving me bonkers. It hurts a little. It’s itchy at times. It stings now and then. Sometimes it is all three at once. It feels a little better when I dunk a face cloth in hot water and put it on my eye for a minute or two. That’s nice.

The antibiotics they gave me are a cream that I have to put onto my lower lid and then blink into my eye. Four times a day. Don’t humans blink to get stuff out of their eyes? I can’t tell if I am getting any of the goop anywhere near where it needs to be. I put some on 57 minutes ago and my eye is bugging the hell out of me. Is that the sign that it’s working? Maybe.

It’s Monday. I am working from home. I am still exhausted from our weekend on the road. The concert on Saturday was wonderful. Yeah, my step daughter singing with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. On my “things that you will be so proud about you will nearly explode” bingo card that they gave me when I was a teenager, I never in a million years would have expected to hit on that square. She’s amazing. Enough said.

My step son is about to go into finals week on his first semester of his senior year in college. Once he gets through the next week or so he will be one final exam week away from graduation. Talk about being proud. Words cannot describe it.

Yeah, both of our kids are amazing. How can you be pissed off about a stye in your eye when you have two kids like this in your life? Amazing!

Today’s Agenda

So Robert, what’s the plan for this fine December Saturday?

Oh nothing…

First I pick up the antibiotic cream stuff that was prescribed for the mess that is my left eye (ouch). Then I put some clothes in a backpack and maybe some gas in the car and maybe pack up some protein bars and snacks and water bottles. You know, like you do.

Then Jen and I hop into the car and mosey on up to New Hampshire to pick up my mother in law. Then we mosey on over to Vermont to meet up with the kids.

Then, later tonight, it’s nothing special. We just go to see my step daughter, Bellana, perform with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra again. They are doing a string of holiday shows this weekend and tonight’s the night for us. She’s in the chorus. You know, the Vermont Symphony Orchestra Chorus. Nothing special.

(Your humble narrator takes a moment to squeal with pride and glee)

I mean… is your step daughter in the Vermont Symphony Orchestra Chorus? No? Oh. Groovy.

Road trip!

Lunch Break

It’s Wednesday afternoon. My lunch break is coming to an end. If I were to sneak a post in before getting back to work, what would I write about?

I have no idea. My mind is a blank! So I guess we stream of consciousness this sucker? Ready… Go!

The Bruins beat the Red Wings last night. They play the Blackhawks tonight. Two teams that aren’t very good. Theoretically we should beat them both pretty easily. Last night they needed overtime to squeak out a win. Tonight? I’m almost afraid to watch.

If I could watch, that is. The NESN app is being a jerk. Well, I don’t know if it’s NESN or FiOS. I think it’s FiOS. It tells me I’m signed in, but when I try to watch something it tells me I’m not signed in and then won’t let me sign in. Maybe during tonight’s game I’ll pop in a single air pod and listen to the radio broadcast. I’m following each game but I am not listening to the goings on and I am starting to feel very much out of touch. I feel like I am too old and easily distracted to really give my full energy to a team that isn’t very good… lately they have been better but… yeah. They are currently in third place in the division so they are higher than a wild card seed for the playoffs. That’s good. Let’s keep it up, folks.

Current television binge watching projects:

  • Star Wars Skeleton Crew season 1
  • Silo season 2
  • What We Do in the Shadows season… 6? I think it’s 6. Only a couple more episodes before the series ends for good. All I can say is, BAT!
  • Better Call Saul season five. Two seasons left.
  • Gotham season 1. I hear it gets easier once you get past the first season. Here’s hoping that rumor is accurate. I want to watch this show but some of the episodes have been tough. Some of the acting is really bad. I don’t want to give any names because I am afraid Will Smith might slap me at the Oscars. Sorry. Just calling them as I see them.
  • Dark season 3. This one is a slog. I am having a really hard time getting through it, but I am determined to finish it.
  • Black Mirror. I don’t remember what season I am on, but I am having a hard time sticking with it.
  • Doctor Who, rewatching the last season to prep for this year’s xmas special.
  • The Walking Dead season 3. Rewatching along with the The ‘Cast of Us podcast. I fell behind by one week but I am caught up on both the show and the podcast now.

Seriously, does anyone really believe that Juan Soto is going to sign with the Red Sox? Seriously?

We are going to Vermont this weekend. I want to bring my new/ancient film camera but I can’t really see a time or place where I could use it. Maybe. We’ll see. I did order my first roll of 120 color film yesterday. It won’t be delivered until after we get back though. Oh well.

I have to buy a gift for our work yankee swap. It’s Tuesday. Holy crap that came up fast. Yikes.

Okay. Back to work, Robert.

Empty Nest

And just like that, our very full nest is an empty nest again. Harry left this afternoon and Bellana left a few minutes ago. They are both heading home to Vermont.

It was a wonderful weekend and I loved every second of it, but now I am sad. Jen and I will have dinner together and I’ll probably be pretty mushy and lovey (no spoilers) because I know she’s sad the kids are gone too.

Getting old sucks but it’s better than the alternative.

It is On

I can’t remember the last time we did it… Was it pre-Covid? Probably.

The Secret Santa between my siblings and I and all of our significant others is officially on. My sister brought it up in a group text. I was going to but she beat me to it. We’re all in. My brother in law set up the app we use and it’s all like game on now.

I need to make an xmas list now. One that isn’t all guitar gear and laptops and cell phones.

There’s no denying it now. Tis the season and shit.

French Toast

Oh, the bliss! I feel alive again!

Pre-gastric bypass surgery (2.5 years ago) I was a big fan of French Toast with Maple Syrup.

Post-surgery, where sugar can make me super sick, I avoided French Toast. My wife would make it for the kids and I’d have something else.

We were discussing it last week. There is nothing in French Toast itself that would make me sick. It was just the maple syrup that was a risk. I realized that was the only reason I hadn’t partaken in the delicacy.

Knowing that Jen was going to make it for breakfast today I went looking for sugar free maple syrup and I found some. Fast forward to today’s breakfast and I’m in!

It was delicious. Soooo good!