• Let it rain!

    Like many of the weeks before this, the end of this entry comes to you from The Florida Allergy and Immunology Center. On my way here I drove through some of the most ominous clouds I’ve seen. The talk in the media suggests that a cold front is coming our way. Well, well, well. I like it when it rains and I like it when it gets cold, so it looks to be a banner evening in the Kauffman house tonight and tomorrow.

  • Holiday perks

    Veterans Day is a holiday for state employees in Florida. It is not a school holiday.

    Little did we know, our alarm was about to take a holiday too.

    It was seven-thirty, a full hour after Cheryl and I had hoped to be up. We had exactly thirty minutes to get Beth fed, dressed and out the door. On our best morning, when post alarm events mesh with Swiss precision, we all get out the door in 45 minutes. It was a challenge we had little choice but accept.

    Do you know what?

    We didn’t make it.

    However, I had a back-up plan. The normal routine included a before school program, since both of us work. So the answer was simple: no before school program. In fact, it turned out to be the best thing that happened to me that day. The morning was a glorious Florida fall morning, so I decided we’d walk. Beth was thrilled to do something different, and do it with daddy. We walked through the neighborhood. We cut behind the baseball fields and approached the school from the rear.

    We got to the student drop off area and said our goodbyes. Beth gave me her customary triple smooch farewell and she was off. I turned, took a few steps in the other direction and turned back. She was walking off to class with her back turned to me, her pony tail swinging in rhythm with each step. She was talking to one of her fellow students as they made their way to class. They were not overjoyed, but they were not upset either. They seemed happy.

    So am I.

  • I’m dreaming of an iMac Christmas.

    When it comes to shopping, I’m a bit of a masochist. It seems that I only enjoy shopping when I don’t have any extra discretionary income. Notice I didn’t say I don’t have any money. That wouldn’t exactly be true. We’ve got money around, it’s just that we shouldn’t spend it. Some of it is for upcoming bills. Some of it is savings for emergencies. I think you get the picture. This evening, after Beth went to bed and Cheryl and I were winding down, I decided to look up the Apple web site. “Cheryl, they’ve knocked $100 of the new iMacs … I didn’t know they were that cheap!” I went to the web site of an Authorized Apple Reseller. “Cheryl, did you know that you could get a reconditioned iMac for another $150 off the regular price?” Sometimes it’s no fun being responsible.