Proud dad moment:
Celebrating my daughter’s graduation from Veterinary school today in Maimi with a 4.0 gpa to boot!
Celebrating my daughter’s graduation from Veterinary school today in Maimi with a 4.0 gpa to boot!
The good news thread
- Thread starter Westtown Willy
- Start date
She’s managed to excel despite her parents!
Pretty sure she wouldn’t be where she is without a good parents. Be proud of her and be proud of yourselves.
Our son is far exceeding what my wife and I did at his age and still amazes us. We asked him how he got so smart, he pointed to me and said half a brain and to my wife and said half brain and to himself and said whole brain joking…we died laughing and likely a lot of truth to it.
You should be proud, happy for you all. Baby bird about to leave the nest, tough time but what we all parent for in the end.
Doing my final vacation these last two weeks before calling it a career at the end of the month. My wife and I, mostly my wife, decided to move the fire pit off of the top of the septic tank and build a suitable seating area for it in the backyard. I booked three days with cutting and removing sod, laying the base, placing the pavers, and filling in stone. Mother Nature had other plans.
Cut the sod Tuesday before last and then it rained for three days straight. The holiday weekend was nice, but I didn't want to get wet sand or stone. So, I decided to seal our deck instead. 2 days @ 12 hours a day in ninety degree temps. Bleah!
This past Tuesday, I got the sand and pavers placed. And then it poured again. Yesterday, I was finally able to get some stone and had some help getting it spread. Look, it's Owen and Eli.
Both boys dived into help but Owens' skinny little Owen arms could barely lift a real shovel. I grabbed the little camp shovel off the sidecar and he handled that just fine. He might have moved all of a pound of stone with each shovel full but he was moving.
All the stone in place. The large diamonds are compass points. The top one pointing to the neighbors' place is north.
Furnished.
There's more than one place that's a half bubble off plumb as this was mostly eyeballed. I figure the friends that get tanked the soonest can sit there because they wouldn't notice.
The vacation is officially over tonight. Sunday morning I'm back on a plane to Mexico for 12 straight days of work in the Mayan jungle. Then home for a week of four comp days plus one vacation day I had to give up a couple weeks ago while in Mexico. On the 26th, I'm loading up my pickup with my wife, the boys, plus the company property in my possession and heading to Corporate in SC. I'll pick up my tool box, drop off a spare welder I have for the service guys(my brothers in this clusterfcuk of a company), and...and...for the first time in 25 years, sit in on a sales meeting. My spleen will be vented. I figure the worst that can happen is that I get fired a couple days before I retire.
Cut the sod Tuesday before last and then it rained for three days straight. The holiday weekend was nice, but I didn't want to get wet sand or stone. So, I decided to seal our deck instead. 2 days @ 12 hours a day in ninety degree temps. Bleah!
This past Tuesday, I got the sand and pavers placed. And then it poured again. Yesterday, I was finally able to get some stone and had some help getting it spread. Look, it's Owen and Eli.
Both boys dived into help but Owens' skinny little Owen arms could barely lift a real shovel. I grabbed the little camp shovel off the sidecar and he handled that just fine. He might have moved all of a pound of stone with each shovel full but he was moving.
All the stone in place. The large diamonds are compass points. The top one pointing to the neighbors' place is north.
Furnished.
There's more than one place that's a half bubble off plumb as this was mostly eyeballed. I figure the friends that get tanked the soonest can sit there because they wouldn't notice.
The vacation is officially over tonight. Sunday morning I'm back on a plane to Mexico for 12 straight days of work in the Mayan jungle. Then home for a week of four comp days plus one vacation day I had to give up a couple weeks ago while in Mexico. On the 26th, I'm loading up my pickup with my wife, the boys, plus the company property in my possession and heading to Corporate in SC. I'll pick up my tool box, drop off a spare welder I have for the service guys(my brothers in this clusterfcuk of a company), and...and...for the first time in 25 years, sit in on a sales meeting. My spleen will be vented. I figure the worst that can happen is that I get fired a couple days before I retire.
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Doing my final vacation these last two weeks before calling it a career at the end of the month. My wife and I, mostly my wife, decided to move the fire pit off of the top of the septic tank and build a suitable seating area for it in the backyard. I booked three days with cutting and removing sod, laying the base, placing the pavers, and filling in stone. Mother Nature had other plans.
Cut the sod Tuesday before last and then it rained for three days straight. The holiday weekend was nice, but I didn't want to get wet sand or stone. So, I decided to seal our deck instead. 2 days @ 12 hours a day in ninety degree temps. Bleah!
This past Tuesday, I got the sand and pavers placed. And then it poured again. Yesterday, I was finally able to get some stone and had some help getting it spread. Look, it's Owen and Eli.
View attachment 334689
Both boys dived into help but Owens' skinny little Owen arms could barely lift a real shovel. I grabbed the little camp shovel off the sidecar and he handled that just fine. He might have moved all of a pound of stone with each shovel full but he was moving.
All the stone in place. The large diamonds are compass points. The top one pointing to the neighbors' place is north.
View attachment 334691
Furnished.
View attachment 334693
There's more than one place that's a half bubble off plumb as this was mostly eyeballed. I figure the friends that get tanked the soonest can sit there because they wouldn't notice.
The vacation is officially over tonight. Sunday morning I'm back on a plane to Mexico for 12 straight days of work in the Mayan jungle. Then home for a week of four comp days plus one vacation day I had to give up a couple weeks ago while in Mexico. On the 26th, I'm loading up my pickup with my wife, the boys, plus the company property in my possession and heading to Corporate in SC. I'll pick up my tool box, drop off a spare welder I have for the service guys(my brothers in this clusterfcuk of a company), and...and...for the first time in 25 years, sit in on a sales meeting. My spleen will be vented. I figure the worst that can happen is that I get fired a couple days before I retire.
View attachment 334688
View attachment 334690
View attachment 334692
Congratulations on your impending retirement! Beautiful place you have there, by the way.
Congratulations on your impending retirement! Beautiful place you have there, by the way.
Thanks, Squatch.
After my company reorganized and moved, I was kept on as a remote employee. After a couple of years, we realized that all I really needed was access to O'hare Airport, aka, my home away from home.
This place is in kind of a secluded rural area with lot sizes between 1-3 acres. It had been on the market almost a year before we looked at it the first time and the price had dropped almost 100K from the original listing. We hemmed and hawed and kind of forgot about it.
October 4, 2019, we paid off the place we'd been at for 24 years. The following weekend, there was another open house at this place. We walked in and the realtor just said "I knew you two would be back." The price had dropped another 50K. We put in a bid 5K below that and the seller came back at 3K above our bid. We came back at 1K less and on Oct 19th, my wife's birthday, they accepted.
We like it. I've never had a place with a basement and it's been almost 50 years since I've had a place with a well and septic, so there's been a bit of a learning curve. Each of us having our own heated garage is a bonus.
BTW, Owen lost his first tooth yesterday.
Sometimes, it's the smallest things that make for a great day.
Been working on returning the wife's '96 XJ 2-door to its former glory. Chasing down cowl leaks, door leaks, replacing window regulators, etc. Anyway, I found a local wrecking yard that had 4 Cherokees and 3 Comanches. I was able to get a passenger side door seal from a '94 2-door, two driver's side window regulators, as well as a passenger's side one (manual regulators are not produced in the aftermarket) from two of the Comanches, two arm rests, a console lid, and two more roof rack crossbars, as well an assortment of miscellaneous screws and such. Total cost was less than $27.00!!! Love it!
For what it's worth, the XJ manual window regulators are somewhat difficult to find. No one reproduces them, only the power window versions. Fortunately, the 4-doors use the same regulator as the 2-doors. Unfortunately, only the most base vehicles came with manual windows, so they're hard to find. Enter the Comanche. They're interchangeable with the Cherokee, and most all of them (if not all...?) are manual cranks. Yee-ha! Oh, and on Ebay, those regulators are fetching $150-$200 a piece. Makes my wrecking yard find a real score!
Been working on returning the wife's '96 XJ 2-door to its former glory. Chasing down cowl leaks, door leaks, replacing window regulators, etc. Anyway, I found a local wrecking yard that had 4 Cherokees and 3 Comanches. I was able to get a passenger side door seal from a '94 2-door, two driver's side window regulators, as well as a passenger's side one (manual regulators are not produced in the aftermarket) from two of the Comanches, two arm rests, a console lid, and two more roof rack crossbars, as well an assortment of miscellaneous screws and such. Total cost was less than $27.00!!! Love it!
For what it's worth, the XJ manual window regulators are somewhat difficult to find. No one reproduces them, only the power window versions. Fortunately, the 4-doors use the same regulator as the 2-doors. Unfortunately, only the most base vehicles came with manual windows, so they're hard to find. Enter the Comanche. They're interchangeable with the Cherokee, and most all of them (if not all...?) are manual cranks. Yee-ha! Oh, and on Ebay, those regulators are fetching $150-$200 a piece. Makes my wrecking yard find a real score!
Retired!!!
I’m on my way back home from this clusterfcuk of a corporate entity. Things didn’t quite go as planned. Our daughter, Eli’s and Owens mom, came down with COVID, so the boys were stuck at home and couldn’t go. As were supposed to have the monsters, we were going to leave the dog with our daughter. My wife didn’t want to leave Buster with her along with her having the boys underfoot, so she stayed home. Just as well, hot and humid down in SC and she doesn’t do well in that.
I got to Beaufort on Monday and unloaded the pick up. The new guy made me an offer for my box and tools at the shop. I made him a better offer so I didn’t need to haul it back and find a place for it. I met some of my coworkers for drinks at the hotel bar that night and had somewhere between one and a dozen beers.
Tuesday was boring as hell, so the new guy and I worked on a machine with a hydraulic issue. Turned out the problem was in the seat. Made the new guy put the machine on and off rail until he could do it with out shitting himself. The process does have a known ‘pucker factor’.
The rest of the Field guys showed up that night and we were supposed to go to a bad Mexican restaurant with management. We blew that off and all got lit on the hotel patio.
Wednesday had a team meeting with some engineers in France. The new guy and I left that early to see what other things needed to be done to that machine before it ships. I found more crap that needed attention. We all got our peepees slapped for not meeting with management the night before, so we met them at a bad bbq place. And we drank, heavily. All the Field guys ended up back at the hotel bar and continued. It was an impromptu retirement party for me but somehow I ended up with the bar tab at the end of the night. It was impressive and went on the company CC.
I woke up this morning, without a hangover, and…I felt chill. I had no more weight on my shoulders. No desire to pick fights with management. It’s done with. I said my goodbyes to the folks at the office I stIll knew, even if I didn’t like them. Went to the Sales meeting, did the same, and left. No longer my circus or my monkeys.
I’ll be home sometime tomorrow to start this new chapter.
I’m on my way back home from this clusterfcuk of a corporate entity. Things didn’t quite go as planned. Our daughter, Eli’s and Owens mom, came down with COVID, so the boys were stuck at home and couldn’t go. As were supposed to have the monsters, we were going to leave the dog with our daughter. My wife didn’t want to leave Buster with her along with her having the boys underfoot, so she stayed home. Just as well, hot and humid down in SC and she doesn’t do well in that.
I got to Beaufort on Monday and unloaded the pick up. The new guy made me an offer for my box and tools at the shop. I made him a better offer so I didn’t need to haul it back and find a place for it. I met some of my coworkers for drinks at the hotel bar that night and had somewhere between one and a dozen beers.
Tuesday was boring as hell, so the new guy and I worked on a machine with a hydraulic issue. Turned out the problem was in the seat. Made the new guy put the machine on and off rail until he could do it with out shitting himself. The process does have a known ‘pucker factor’.
The rest of the Field guys showed up that night and we were supposed to go to a bad Mexican restaurant with management. We blew that off and all got lit on the hotel patio.
Wednesday had a team meeting with some engineers in France. The new guy and I left that early to see what other things needed to be done to that machine before it ships. I found more crap that needed attention. We all got our peepees slapped for not meeting with management the night before, so we met them at a bad bbq place. And we drank, heavily. All the Field guys ended up back at the hotel bar and continued. It was an impromptu retirement party for me but somehow I ended up with the bar tab at the end of the night. It was impressive and went on the company CC.
I woke up this morning, without a hangover, and…I felt chill. I had no more weight on my shoulders. No desire to pick fights with management. It’s done with. I said my goodbyes to the folks at the office I stIll knew, even if I didn’t like them. Went to the Sales meeting, did the same, and left. No longer my circus or my monkeys.
I’ll be home sometime tomorrow to start this new chapter.
OP
my son made things official with his long time girlfriend last weekend. We hired a photographer and videographer to capture it all, it was pretty cool. My son brought his future mother in law up from Florida & stationed her across the street in a rooftop bar to watch from above, she popped out after it was done. This will complete my set of married kids
It's Owen and Eli on their E-ATVs along with some kind of weird French thing.
We'd gone out earlier in the day when the trail was really wet and muddy. I rode my fat bike then. The two goofballs wanted to go out again and I didn't feel like changing back into bike clothes, so I put some gas 2 stroke into the weird French thing and rode with the boys on it. We had a good time and didn't get muddy.
The weird French thing is a 1977 VeloSolex 4600 V3. Not quite a moped nor quite a bicycle. It does neither very well. The 4600 was built for the US market but with 0.8hp and a top speed of 18mph(24 if you help), they couldn't be given away. At least I could keep up with Owen on his little scoot.
We'd gone out earlier in the day when the trail was really wet and muddy. I rode my fat bike then. The two goofballs wanted to go out again and I didn't feel like changing back into bike clothes, so I put some gas 2 stroke into the weird French thing and rode with the boys on it. We had a good time and didn't get muddy.
The weird French thing is a 1977 VeloSolex 4600 V3. Not quite a moped nor quite a bicycle. It does neither very well. The 4600 was built for the US market but with 0.8hp and a top speed of 18mph(24 if you help), they couldn't be given away. At least I could keep up with Owen on his little scoot.
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Well now, Owen has started 1st grade. Hadn't been in school a week and Mom got her first call from his teacher. "Owen made some bad choices during a bathroom break".
Translation from teacherspeak, Owen mooned his classmates in the can.
Grandma told me that last night and I must have spent a good two minutes laughing on the living room floor. Mom did a head shaking facepalm and Dad just said, "Yup. Class Clown. I knew it."
Translation from teacherspeak, Owen mooned his classmates in the can.
Grandma told me that last night and I must have spent a good two minutes laughing on the living room floor. Mom did a head shaking facepalm and Dad just said, "Yup. Class Clown. I knew it."
So, Owen is in PeeWee Hockey now.
Yesterday was his third week and he wanted to try goalie. As he is a peanut, he's kind of lost in the goalie pads. The big guy is his Dad.
So picture a 2' x 2' obstruction in front of a 6' x 6' opening. That's was Owen.
He blocked several shots and had some great saves but the opposing team figured out that lifting the puck would get it over Owen and score.
After the game, I asked Owen how he liked playing goalie. He said he didn't like being hit by the puck and sticks, so he was going back out on the ice next week. His Dad whispered to me, "Whew, that saved us $3,000.00 in hockey gear he'll outgrow."
Yesterday was his third week and he wanted to try goalie. As he is a peanut, he's kind of lost in the goalie pads. The big guy is his Dad.
So picture a 2' x 2' obstruction in front of a 6' x 6' opening. That's was Owen.
He blocked several shots and had some great saves but the opposing team figured out that lifting the puck would get it over Owen and score.
After the game, I asked Owen how he liked playing goalie. He said he didn't like being hit by the puck and sticks, so he was going back out on the ice next week. His Dad whispered to me, "Whew, that saved us $3,000.00 in hockey gear he'll outgrow."
It’s been a good week. The first day of my new job was yesterday; after a year of interviews and studying, I landed a job at AWS.
As a tech guy, I’m one of the worst at putting down my screens so as a family, we’ve been working to make sure everyone has outside activities. My 8yr old has really taken to Softball, and after getting shutout last week, this Sunday, she had a 2-run RBI and scored.
As a tech guy, I’m one of the worst at putting down my screens so as a family, we’ve been working to make sure everyone has outside activities. My 8yr old has really taken to Softball, and after getting shutout last week, this Sunday, she had a 2-run RBI and scored.
As-of 3:53pm yesterday, I am officially debt-free! No mortgage. No credit card debt. No car payments. Nada. Oh, and the Cherokee is back on the road as a daily driver, nice and clean inside and out, and performing beautifully. Hell, it even has a full tank of gas!
Feeling pretty good about life, right now.
Feeling pretty good about life, right now.