Washington Sucks

Yup, I don't like Washington. Actually, I give the state a hard time. I don't like Covington. If I lived farther north, I'd probably like it a lot more. Covington has all the inconvenience of a small town and all the traffic of a big town. It's like the discarded remnants of a better town that was once built far from here.

It's one of those towns that was once a small, one-big-road-through-town kind of place, but then developers started building a bunch of junk along the sides of that "big road". They built houses, they built crappy restaurants, and what did they forget to build? More road!

I like the actual house I'm living in though. It's a decent-sized four-bedroom place with a huge backyard. We have a nice fireplace and an enormous kitchen as well. And, just down the street is a private lake to which we have access.

I asked Belle if she wanted to go fishing with me and she said, "Uhm, yeah, but I don't have a fishing pole!" How is it that I, who knew she did not have a fishing pole, felt like a complete idiot for ever asking? Ah well. I told her I'd get her a Disney Princess Fishing Pole at Big 5. Knowing my luck, she'll catch a fish on her first catch. I've been out there ten times and I haven't even had a fish on the line.

My job is pretty cool. I got really lucky when it came to my assignment. Originally, I was assigned to test fuel lines and hydraulic systems, but after being there for a week, I was reassigned to test In-Flight Entertainment. No, I don't sit and watch movies all day, but part of my job is making sure the monitors in the seats work. I've seen the first 15 seconds of Aeon Flux about a bajillion times.

Life sucks without Sarah and the girls. Sarah tells me stories that break my heart, and I'm finally feeling the other side of this situation. See, I used to always tell Sarah the cute little stories of things the girls were doing and she would get all mushy and, in my opinion, overreact. Now, I'm the one getting mushy.

Just the other day, Belle dropped a candy on the floor and demanded that Aurora "Pick it up!" Seemingly compliant, Aurora hopped down, picked up the candy, very innocently said, "Thanks for Sharing!" and gobbled the treat. Belle freaked out, but Sarah was laughing so hard that she couldn't even properly parent. When I was at home with the girls, I took such stories for granted. In fact, I imagine that Sarah remembers things that the girls did when she wasn't around that I don't even though I was!

Ah well, I always have more to write, but you people need to get back to your lives. Thanks for reading.

Moving to Washington

So, I don't even know if anyone has read this blog, but if anyone hasn't heard, this family of Grows is moving to Washington. I am actually moving this coming Wednesday. It was a bit of a shock to learn this last week, but our family has always been good about dealing with life-changing surprises.

I was recently hired by Boeing as an aircraft electrician. It's not exactly like what I did in the military. When I was in, I fixed parts of aircraft, far from the flightline. This time around, I'll be climbing up into airplanes and actually working on them. That is what I wanted to do in the military, but I had little choice in the matter.

I'm really excited about this job. It has a great starting salary and some awesome benefits. It will also be nice to be around adults again. The stay-at-home parents know what I'm talking about.

I've already started to miss my girls a painful amount. After being given the most important job in the world, it's tough to let go, but honestly, they're getting so big that they don't need me anymore. They need to get out and start meeting other kids. It's about time the world learned how awesome they are, no?

Belle is getting near three-and-a-half now, going on thirty-five. She's still the boss of the world and getting funnier everyday. She also loves to sing and make up songs. She's getting pretty darn good, but when you try to talk with her about it, she gets really shy.

Aurora finally has some hair. She's definitely not bald anymore. She's so big, but she still likes to pretend that she is our baby sometimes. She's two years and two months old, but she talks like a spoiled teenager. The only real difference, as I see it, is that she mumbles less than a teenager would. She has excellent elocution, and is very particular about pronouncing things right. She can get moody now and again, but most of the time she just loves to have fun.

Sarah is a butt and no one likes her. Actually, she's doing great. She's having a lot of fun in her classes and she's looking forward to going to Grad School at UW. She wants to get a bunch of Master's Degrees and then be in charge of something creative and make lots of money. I think I'll just tag along.

Well, I've a lot more packing to do, and I'd be surprised if anyone ever read this far, so I'll sign off. I'll try to write in here more often, because I do enjoy reading everyone else's blogs when I remember to. Thanks for reading, and have a great Halloween, everyone.

-Michael

A Poem About a Paradox

Here's another poem I wrote a while back. It's for all the married couples out there.

I can't but laugh at me and my spouse

And our seductions, always soured

By, "It's been a long day, and I'm all gross."

Or, "No thanks, babe, I just showered."

Pretty soon here, I'm going to start recording some music again. I've got new strings on the way and everything. So, if there are any requests, make them known so that I can practice. Have a great day, and thanks for reading.

A Poem About My Other Girls

So, I was reading my poetry textbook today, and I felt like writing another poem. As it usually goes, I couldn't think of anything to write, so I asked Sarah for a topic. She told me to write about my daughter's hair. It got a bit off track, but Sarah and I compiled a fairly decent poem, I think. I'd love to hear any of your thoughts.

My firstborn daughter, just-turned-three,

Strolls near enough to reach.

With words and touch, I praise her locks,

Then suffer through her screech.

"I hate my hair, it's dumb!" She swears,

Abhorrence fills her eyes.

Cautious, I withdraw my love

And, meek, apologize.

Then second daughter, nearly two,

Climbs up into my lap.

"You're beautiful," I say to her,

And get a grievous slap.

"I a' no' bewful!" She asserts.

Then, gracelessly she flees.

Stunned, I wonder how my girls

Learned so much Disagreese.

Looking Up

I recently realized that I misrepresent myself. There are few people who understand me well enough to know when to take me seriously and when not to, and I've been failing to take responsibility for that. I'm happier than I think most people guess, so I want to share some positive things.

I don't imagine that I'm super fascinating or original enough to intrigue, but I have a few friends, and if I can put something positive in their days once in a while, then that's worth a few minutes at a keyboard.

So, let me start with a poem I wrote yesterday. It is a series of six couplets (pairs of lines) written in iambic tetrameter. That means that each line has four iambs. An iamb (pronounced "I am") is a two-syllable step in poetry in which the first syllable is unstressed and the second syllable is stressed. It sounds like "te TUM". I recommend reading the poem aloud and purposefully stressing the syllables; I find that it makes the experience more pleasant.

And now for the poem:

My dogs seemed dead upon the floor,

Until someone knocked on the door.

Then up they sprang with teeth in view

While letting out a bark or two.

Their hackles raised, they issued growls.

Ferocity burned in their bowels.

And at their lips, I pictured foam.

These dogs would die to save our home.

But all their stridence was in vain

And made me forcefully complain:

"Shut up, you mutts, and let it go.

That knock came from my TV show!"

I wrote this poem for a class I'm taking. It was just an exercise, but I thought anyone who's ever had a dog bark at television doorbells would think it was cute. I would love to hear any feedback you have, especially critical feedback.

Thanks for reading. Have a great day.

-Mickey