Lumberpick

Cherity just got done watching "Gray's Anatomy" which is some sort doctor soap drama. The boys are already done for the night and the dog is sacked out on the oriental rug. I'm a little tired myself from waking up every morning for puppy walks. I have about 8 different books on dog training and I've been skimming those the last couple of days. Cherity said that I've done more studying on raising this dog than I ever did reading about raising our children, to which my response was "why would I need to? when you read so many books and tell me all about them?" She is definitely correct though... Curious thought. Why wouldn't I have felt the need to read about the "raising-kid" thing? I guess subconsciously I've thought that I know how to raise kids because I was a kid once and saw how the whole thing works first hand. This also means I've accepted that everything my parents did was exactly as it should be. Silly, to assume no need for improvement. I've done that with a lot of things. I've just assumed that how things are, is how they should be or just how it is. How do you get yourself out of such a mind set?? I guess if you can step back and approach something familiar to you and consider that you can be "familiar with" but not functional or adept. The problems I have, if I've lived with them all my life, cease to be problems at some point and just become an immovable reality. So, I'm 31 and all is set in stone in my brain at this point and all hope for newness is gone... Except for the dog. I've never raised a dog, that is new. I have no previous experienced approaches to copy and paste to this reality. This learning from newness may open up areas of my mind that I can apply to areas of my mind that have been closed off to "new".

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I took Owen and Molly out to the trails past "Deer Park". Molly barked and whined while sitting in the kennel for the first 5 minutes of the ride there and back. It was fun watching Owen run up ahead with his shorts, t-shirt, and rubber boots and then having Molly trotting along side of him.

Robin (Cherity's sister) still hasn't had her baby. She was due on the 1st and it's the 10th. The 9th was a full moon and I thought for sure she'd be done for. I guess not.

Yesterday I actually had to speak in front of a group of Office Coordinators from Texas about what we do at the helpdesk. I only had to talk for about 5 minutes but it was the first time I've had to do any sort of public speaking in years. My volume was good I think and I actually kept it together but I did feel a little internal shaking (not visually noticeable). I was nervous or anxious but I think it was mixed with adrenaline. Once I get the whole thing done with I had a rush or euphoria going through me. This is all new to me because socially I'm considered reserved or quiet by most. I'm going to have to do a lot more of this in the future, as the helpdesk will be training all new employees on the MIS computer system for the future. I think I'll be doing the course for beginner's and possibly the estimating side of the software as this is where my strength lies. I think I have more of an understanding of what the new employee is going through because I spent so much time out at the center level explaining to MIS illiterate people how to get what you wanted out of the system faster (the tricks). The estimating experience comes with the previous territory as well. I know, I know,... boring. New topic.

I think Molly's really been stressing Sebastian. He's been really Owly all week. A lot of screaming and fits. When the family first got back from P-ville and in the house I watched Molly trot in to the living room with Sebastian's shorts in her mouth as Sebastian stood in the kitchen howling with his underwear down to his ankles. Funny... But I felt bad for Seb. He's had to adjust his lifestyle the most. Can't hold food, or anything for that matter, in his hand's without worrying about Molly taking it. Molly nips so both boys, Seby more than Owen, have been pretty cautious. I'm trying to train her to stop doing that but she's teething and it takes time with a rambunctious puppy.

I helped a friend from Church place shingles on his roof to re-roof. I threw them over my shoulder and walked them up the ladder and he dragged to wherever they needed to be. I did this for about a palette and a half or more and then called it a night, partly because I was wearing a cutoff t-shirt an the skin on my bony shoulder had rubbed off and partly because I was beat and worried about throwing my back out... being old and all.