A Pirate Looks At 32

It's been two years since I've had a week long vacation. That is if you don't count Fred being born last year. No I'm talking about a week of beach chair sitting, book reading, movie watching, all day at play vacation. The way I see it I've got 9 days with nothing to do but play with Fred and love my wife.

This has been a fantastic year for us so far. Suddenly I'm a paid writer for an environmental site, a log homes journal, and have even gotten a few stories in a couple local papers. In December of 2006 the dream of being writer only existed in the far reaches of my conscience. I was happy just being Charlie Blockhead. Now I'm Charlie Blockhead Freelance Writer. Yes I still have the 8-5 and my main priority will always be family, but it's nice to get a taste of a dream you never thought possible.

Over the past few months I've turned into a web head. Always on the computer during my spare time. Writing on my lunch breaks so I can play with Fred in the evenings. Staying up till Midnight researching the next story or writing the next post. After 9 months I think I've earned a myself a break....so I'm falling off the grid.

Just for a week or so. I've got beaches to comb and sand castles to build. My batteries are low. Today is my first official day of vacation, my 32 birthday, and I desperately feel the need to shed my skin. I'm spending too much time worrying lately. Wasting too much time on things I can't control.

Don't worry I'll be back in a week or so with new pics of Fred and Lucy. One thing I plan on doing is getting up before sunset, finding the perfect spot on the beach, and with journal in hand I'm going to write whatever comes to mind.

See You Soon,

Charlie "Life's A Beach" Blockhead

 

Technorati tags: family time, life's a beach, environmental, log homes, pirates, turning 32

A Few Fast Freddy Facts

Little man turns 18 months on the 20^th and it’s been a while since I devoted a post completely towards him. There’s just no way to keep track of all the hilarious stuff he does or all the changes he’s going through. Here are a few things that he’s done that have just about killed us the past few weeks.

Bath/Pool time would not be complete without a dozen toys floating around demanding his attention. Submarines, boats, ducks, whales, frogs all of this and half the time he plays with a rag and a cup. Still when he heard me taking a shower the other day he couldn’t help but peek in and notice I didn’t have any toys. Next thing I know he runs in and starts throwing various plastic toys in just so I wouldn’t get bored.

Just like his momma, the boy is quick with a look and a comeback. Though most of what he says is still gibberish, he says it with passion and all attitude. After Lucy took after him for throwing corn across the table Fred rolls his eyes, looks at me, and starts tipping his heard in her direction as if to say “Hey buddy. Hey dad. You wanna do something about your woman? She’s gettin on my case here and you’re busy putting away a pork chop. Wanna tell her to simma-dow-na?

I don’t listen to much hip-hop and I always heard that once kids start faking like they have a stutter it gets in their heads and they can’t quit. Out of nowhere Fred has starting rapping his love to me. “D-D-D-D-Dad-Dad J-J-J-J- Juice”

After Tiger pulled in $11.2 million bucks for 4 days of golf I’ve got plans for Fred’s future, but I can’t deny he’s got an arm on him. Any and everything he touches has the potential to turn into an aerial assault weapon. From a ball to a Playdough container to cheese to toe nail clippers, if it can be thrown he’s launched it at us lately.

We cannot keep him off the phone and he’s no sucker for a fake one either. We’ve given him old cordless phones, a couple toy cell phones, phones that dial out and make noise back, but he knows the real from the decoy. He likes to pick them up say hey, bye-bye, and slam them back down. Hand him a fake and he chunks it.

Let the potty training begin!! All weekend every time he did a dirty, he’d walk up to one of us, grab our hands, and lead us to his changing table. Land of no more diapers here we come!!!

He’s learning new words everyday and loves animal noises. Ask him what a cow says and he goes “MOOOOOO”. A sheep and you get “BAAAAAAA”. A snake and he’s “HISSSSSS” at you. Ask him to say bye-bye and he simply waves.

We’ve also been taking some great pics lately. Enjoy!!

 

 

Technorati tags: tiger woods, parenting, fatherhood, baseball, bath time

You Are Not Forgotten

Something About Mary

Her name was Mary. The first and only time I saw her she was walking past in the required teenage uniform of blue jeans, t-shirt, and sneakers. She stood out from the crowd gathering around the consession stands not because of her beauty but more so the odd look she on her face. A look that suggest she'd lost something and was busy  having an inner debate as to where it was last in her possesion. Her face twisting to the left and right as she eliminated possible scenerios in her mind. She was simply minding her own business happy to be in her own world amoung the other students goofing off outside the football game.

Me...I was sorta in my own world too. Standing hold the evenings assortment of camera bags and bleacher seats. I'm not too comfortable around the public and at that moment while Mary was lost in thought I too was scanning the crowd for nobody in particular as I waited for Lucy to return from a trip to see an old friend in the press box.

Teenagers are notorious for their bad attitudes and evil tendancies towards one another. There she was just minding her own business when a particularly large girl ran her over as if she were reinactinting something she'd obviously seen a hundred times in the movies. Shoulder to shoulder, the two collided. Mary completely unaware of the power struggle that was currently taking place and her oppent keen to the fact that she'd already won it.

With a clap the larger girl's empty soda bottle bounced or possibly dropped to the cement.

HEY YOU PICK UP THAT BOTTLE!!

With her reality too slowly coming back to her Mary did as she was told and then just as quickly....caught my eye. As she glanced at me I saw my own high school face staring back from 15 years before. That face that said "Look at him/her. They'd kill me. It's just a bottle. No big deal. Just another day...just another scar nobody will see." Then she was gone.

I couldn't let it end there. As if I had been lassoed by a rope thrown way back in 1991 I had to do what somebody should have done to me. After about 5 minutes I found her alone again or possibly still, coming around a corner. Again she caught my eye, but this time I kept her attention.

Why did you pick up the bottle?

I don't know. I wasn't even paying attention. It happened so fast. What could I do?

You could start by telling her she was an a#@hole! You're better than that and the second you forget it so do they....by the way I'm Bill

Hi. Bill...I'm Mary...Thank you.

Have a nice night Mary. It's been very nice to meet you"

And just like that with a handshake and smile Mary dissappeared into the crowd.

The Double Edged Sword.

No this isn’t another post about the toy recall, though in case you missed it they just issued a third list. Today I’ve got a question that has been screaming in my mind for close to month now and it’s finally found it’s way to my finger tips. I need talk about anonymity.

Now obviously my name’s not really Charlie Blockhead. I created the secret identity as a way to free myself from the constraints of possibly hurting or offending anyone that would eventually stumble across my little blog. That was 183 posts ago and I’m gathering up a nice group of readers. I’m averaging about 150 visits a week and though some blogs get that an hour I’m fine with my little corner of the Internet. Part of getting the word out is making sure everyone knows that I’m writing. I mention it to friends, I send out emails, I’ve got the Myspace page now….at some point I decided that I didn’t like screaming into an empty room and I had something to say people needed to hear.

This brings me to my current problem: Many of my reader’s know me and it’s starting to affect what I post about. I find myself changing things to make them less in your face or offensive. I’ve started eliminating story topics cause they might hurt somebody’s feelings. I’m essentially creating a censored version of what this site once was. Am I a jerk? Probably. Have I done things in the past that others might not like? Definitely. Should I cater to those that might get their feelings hurt or may not appreciate my point of view? That’s the toughie…if I’m telling a story about something I heard someone say and I add that it was borderline racist should I just keep that to myself? If I do doesn’t that go against everything Charlie Blockhead is? A blatant, honest, good, bad, ugly, not always fair view from a first time father. I can’t help but feel bad if I hurt someone’s feelings, then again is it worth essentially censoring my own thoughts? Closing up Charlie is not the answer. He/It means too much to me.

Maybe the answer is to create another site where I’m just as rude as I can be and not tell anyone. For when those times I just can’t help but state my opinion regardless of how it may effect others, I could just post on this secret site and scream in the empty room till I’ve got it all out of my system….who knows maybe I’ve already done this.

 

Technorati tags: secret identity, toy recall, honesty, truth in parenting, fatherhood

I've Seen Fire I've Seen Rain

We made the tri-monthly trip to Grannies over the Labor Day Holiday and as much as it pains me to say at times it actually felt like I was going through labor. After all the chasing after Fred, snapping at nephews, and constant eating I looked and acted pregnant. I learned a few things about Fred (surprisingly I thought I knew everything about him) and life in general:

• Apparently Fred is the reason we can’t keep chips in the house. My household is hopelessly devoted (please don’t slip on the Grease reference) to Lay’s potato chips. For some reason the bag is always empty and Lucy/I are lefting blaming one another. Fred sees chips on Grannies coffee table, calmly reaches in, grabs a handful like a pro, and the mystery of the disappearing potato chips is solved.
• Somebody is letting him watch Spongebob Squarepants.

“Oh I forgot to turn the TV off during lunch”

“Don’t worry it’s not bothering us, besides Fred hasn't met Spongebob yet”

“SPONGEBOOOOBBBB!!!!”

“Hmmmm it seems the daycare has expanded it’s video collection"

• The elderly can say whatever they want to whomever they want whenever they want and could care less if it is politically correct, inappropriate, or rude . They can get away with this because they know you know they are old and no matter how much you'd enjoy screaming at them you just might give them a heart attack. Like a 'get out of jail free card' in monopoly, the 'just might die at the drop of of a hat' card is just as powerful.
• though some may not consider pork rinds a proper meal for a 17 month old, they sure keep them quite long enough to eat a sandwhich.
• one baby vs. one pre-teen is an unfair fight in favor of the pre-teen. two babies vs. one pre-teen is an unfair fight in favor of the babies.
• there's nothing like a drive through the rain soaked country side with a baby asleep in the back seat, a beautiful girl in the front seat, and the sounds of james taylor whispering "sweet baby james" to make you forget why you only see some relatives twice a year.

Technorati tags: james taylor, labor day, family, reunions