Summer in metro Detroit

Middle of July in Detroit - fun times.

Old Man Cj. 

Weather can't make up it's mind, although the humidity is kicking. Even with the extra strength Dapper Dan I use it's curling up like a mofo... Hot, warm, pleasant, hot again. I have heard of lots of people getting the dreaded "summer cold".
Saw two dead rats on the way to work today, one on Meadowlark, the other on Livernois. The first one was south of us, the second was in the Garment District. Beautiful dead wildlife here in metro Detroit.
Work is now at Olympic Steel just north of Mexicantown and West of Corktown. Michigan and Livernois if you are keeping track. I'm a quality engineer again and loving every minute of it (slightly sarcastic - the people are great, the work is sub par...)
Kids are doing great they have not burnt down the house, but they are great at raising the stress and anxiety levels of the wife and I.
As you can see, I'm getting more and more grey (see picture), it's hit maximum density on the face and now on the head it's starting to progress up past the temples and infiltrate the rest of the head. Sort of like the three outbreaks of lice we've had this summer... A will not let me shave everyone's head and I'm pretty sure she's going to tell my barber that he can't either (they're friends).

Sickness = blah

About 6 weeks ago I came down with a nasty bug - it was a sick as I've ever been. Let's just say that I was not a happy camper.

It started when we were up at Torch, I started feeling a little achy and I got what I thought was a migraine. Sort of wiped me out, but I continued on. Came home on Monday - as those of you with little ones know that a 250 mile trip can take most of the day. Got home, went to get the new BBQ place on Woodward (Meh) for dinner as neither of us felt like cooking. Food was so-so, but I ate it.
The next day at work was feeling achy all over (especially in the back and head) which soon progressed into a sharp pain above my eyes. Well I puked just after lunch and felt better enough to finish the day out.
I get home and decide to take a nap. First I take my temp - 100.9, a bit high, but nothing to be worried about (AH HA - sinus infection I think and take a couple of Motrin). Head upstairs and crawl into bed, start shivering + sweating, during a very disturbed sleep - wake up an hour later and stumble downstairs - take my temp 101.5 slightly more disturbing, so I decide to head up to the after-hour's care at Beaumont. They took a quick look-see at me and a shunt me off to Emergency, 'cause, "damn man, you are really sick."
After getting into the E, and a couple of hours sitting around, IV attached and some fun drugs pumped into the system here comes the fun the first of two Spinal Taps...

TL;DR - Meningitis.

Spring in Detroit

Friday and the weather is starting to hit summer time highs.
How the fuck can people not get climate change. 85+ for a couple of days in May doesn't seam odd, especially when it was freezing 4 days before.

Went to the Detroit Zoo with the boy's class yesterday. That was a lot of fun, although to quote one of the Dad's, "it's like Walmart, but outside". There is a lot of work going on, with a couple new exhibits. Not a bad day.

This week is lasting forever...  Let's see, "Do not want to be at work, do not want to be at work, do not want to be at work." Fuck, it worked for Dorthy... I don't think that anyone really wants to be here. Just going through the motions.

I will be heading up to my dads this weekend, whilst A goes to see her mom. I will have the kids, so I predict there will be lots of mayhem. The big issue will be what to do with them for the 3-days at dad's. My dad doesn't have a lot of kid friendly stuff and I think that my brother will be up in Traverse, so his kids will be out of the picture. I think I'll try to talk JY into heading up to Harrisville for a couple of days before driving over to Lake City.
Monday will be interesting as I will be heading into work. I will be leaving the kids with my dad and driving down to work in RO and then heading back to BC after work. I'll be getting up at 4.00, which I do anyways leaving at 4.30, which will get me to the forge at around 6. Leave here at around 15.30, back at my dad's at around 17.00. Nice long day, but nothing that I can't handle... Not any worse than spending the day with two bored munchkins.
I bet that A will be more than ready to see her little ones, we may meet up at Lake City on 4th depending on how everything is with her mom...

Great weekend, lots of fun with friends and family.

Highlights:

• Bonfire and friends over on Saturday - lots of left over pop, but that's ok. Kids had a great time.
• Me burning all the hair off my right forearm. (D thought that was the coolest!)
• Lawn work around the house - looks really nice, still need to mow the front yard though...
• Kickball practice at the park (this will be interesting). It was cool, it was like our whole neighborhood was at the park at the same time, kids all playing doing their own things. Plus baby bunnies. 
• X-men on Sunday.
• Parade on Monday with even more friends. 
• Kids playing in the front sprinkler with neighbor kids, and D & S playing with a bucket full of water for over 2 hours. Who knew.

Friday before the Long Weekend

Ugggh! Nobody wants to be here today. It's the Friday before Memorial Day weekend, it's sunny and 70, one of our co-workers is having his retirement party, and the boss will be gone all next week.

It is just not meant to be...

Hopefully this weekend will be nice, with lots of relaxation, fun, and family time. I foresee the kids playing outside most of the weekend with me and the old-lady doing some lawn work. A bonfire and smores, plus a dash of playing at the park.

I also want to sleep in to at least 7:30 on all three days and see X-men.

Come on 15.30, I need you now! Hee hee (I always set my post time to be sometime after work so no one knows exactly when I am doing this -- is it during my lunch, a bathroom break, who knows)

The weekend passed with little to no fan-fair. On Friday the K/1 camp was fun - the weather was a bit chilly and windy, but everything turned out great. I had a great partner in presenting the oceans and I think that some of the kids actually learned a thing or two. S's favorite part was the Brazilian martial artists. That was pretty cool. I should look into that for her...

Saturday was a long day, we went to my co-workers birthday party. The kids love it -- although I think that my daughter has a bit of a crush on my boss... That's.. awkward...
Sunday I just did a bunch of things on my honey-do list. Got quite a few accomplished.

Work on Monday was crazy, as it is today. The thing I look forward to the most is lunch time... Other than that, I don't really talk about it. It doesn't define me as a person and why bring home things that are stressful when I've got enough of that crap from the family. (not really crap, but the usual stressors in raising two little ones and living with a wife whom I love very much but is just different enough that we don't see eye-to-eye on many things.

I hope that this summer will be a good one, as it officially starts this weekend!!

Completed all the work for the K/1 camp, got all the pictures printed and laminated for the big day tomorrow.
I hope that I don't act like a complete fool and have the wee ones unhappy or worse bored...

Went out to dinner last night with A, went to the WAB - their new menu was too my liking. Although it was a little heavy on the pizza. We then went to the camp meeting, afterwards to Griffenclaw brewery in Birmingham. I ditched pretty early - I couldn't hear a damn thing and I felt as if I was not contributing at all to he festive mood. Plus I had to get up pretty early today for work.
Can not find my work keys... Not happy about that - hopefully I'll be able to find them today.

Berkley days this weekend, plus a birthday party for one of my co-workers kids, he turns 1. Plus I have a couple of chores that A wants me to complete.

Yeah Thursday

Whoo - it's Wednesday

Looks to be a busy day today, I am almost completed with the camp project, have the final meeting today at 7, dinner with the wife at 5, Log, log at 8...
Last night we went out to dinner at National Coney Island -- yummy. I had the lemon rice soup, french fries, and a coney. Kids had breakfast, wifey had the Chicken Hani w/ gyro sauce. It was nice, I did have to take D to the bathroom and it was amusing as he still has to pull his pants down to his ankles in order to pee - the urinal was just his height.
No Martin for the next 3 days - good or bad, will let you know.

I slept in the basement last night - was comfortable and nice. I really like sleeping down there.

Have to complete the K/1st camp project today. I haven't even started... What a slacker am I.

The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.
That's all I got.

Was wicked grumpy last night - not sure why. After work I took the kids to the park and let them play around for a while, thinking that would tire them out more than usual.
Went home after S had to go potty. A was not feeling well so we didn't eat any dinner (kids still did)
A2 and a teacher friend of her's came over and they had wine/beer with AM, until she had to excuse herself and barf...
D was quite taken with A2's friend. He is a flirting machine!! Cute though...

I spoke to A about our poor lifestyle choices and man she was not happy, especially since I did say, yep, we are both fat!! Truth will only set you free!
I did go for a run/walk - I will run the same route until I am able to run the whole time. Only after that will I change up. Once I am able to do that, I'll go another couple blocks towards Woodward.

Found out that there was a fire at our favourite pizza place (Primo's on 9-mile) and that they are closed until further notice. OH Nose1!!!!11!!
Not happy about that. Need my pizza! Plus what about all those people who work there - they need an income.

Friday today - yes. Hopefully it will go better than the rest of the week has...
On to better things,eh