White Lightning Axiom: Redux

Last night could have gone worse, but you just gotta deal with what you get. Especially when there are two fairly helpless tykes depending on you to do your best. And if that is not enough, you just have to do better. I take off on time from work and arrive at the HQ at the usual 1700 hours. As I enter the Manor, the unmistakable odor of 'not-so-fresh' dog excretions assault my olfactory senses like the Isandlwana Zulu Impis over running the British 24th Regiment. Katie is now taking her turn at the 'I ate too many bones' trough. Difference here is that she managed to disperse her expulsions throughout her kennel and thusly, throughout her fur. I lead her out to the deck and leave her there while I attend to other more pressing details. Since the Mrs is coming home late (she is partying with the Japanese), I'll have to juggle the kids dinner routine AND washing the kennel/dogs as well. Since I am giving Katie the treatment, I might as well give Thor a thorough scrubbing too. It is pot-sticker and lo-meign night so I need to stop off at the local wokery and pick up the goodies. It takes about 10 minutes to get an order together. Ten minutes of sunlight that I do not have the luxury to spare. Some people lack discretionary income, I lack discretionary day-light.

Back at the Manor, the kids preoccupied themselves with the Incredibles DVD and dinner consisting of lo meign, bohemian goulash and pork sausage while I toiled away outside cleaning the crap covered canine. There was laundry to do as well, and a fire to keep going ... and, well, everything else. Fortunately for me, the Mrs came home just as I was starting to bathe the kids at 2030 hours. Ahhh, the Calvary has arrived. Of course, the kids have been fairly good about the whole bath/bed thing of late so the additional hands only allows us to complete the routine about 33% faster. This is still a welcome surprise given the class of surprises I have harvested this evening.

I try to get to bed early, but it does me very little good. I lie awake for some time before abandoning my 'efforts' and watching the season ending episode of Carnivale (spelling?) on HBO. I had to explain a good deal of the pre-story to the Mrs before she gave up and labeled the production as 'Weird Sci-Fi Stuff'. Even after I had shut off the television, I still could not sleep. I think I need to think about my caffeine recidivism and how to combat it. At around 0400, Thor is barking. I am not happy. Ask me why I am not happy Thor. I holler at him down the stairs and let him know that a groggy 'Big person who feeds' is not the merry, ball throwing, belly scratching pal from 6 hours earlier. He complies but I failed to note WHY he was barking. No intruder, not cat-burglar, not trespasser. It was Katie busily voiding on the floor. He was ratting his sister out. I should have heeded his warning, but I was not in my right mind at that absurd hour. I learn all this at 0515 and spend the next 15 minutes mopping up the mess. She managed to leave little puddles (yes, puddles) of fecal matter from the rear portal all the way over to the wood burning stove. Nice. I guess it is a good exercise for getting me ready for the 'stuff' I'll deal with at work. After letting the dogs out, I throw a quarter carcass to each of them and wander off to the laundry room to rotate clean clothes to the baskets and dirty to the washer/dryer. Then off to the kitchen to pack up the lunches and upstairs to get my rear into the shower. With all the delays, I still manage to get on the road by 0600. It's already light outside, but I do not rejoice knowing full well that Daylight Savings is right around the corner bringing with it the bleak and darkened mornings.

Being on the PA turnpike at 0600 is like trying to navigate the Autobahn during speed-freak appreciation week. I was nearing the speed of light while everyone else was leaving scorch marks on my contrails. I tried to stay below 75 but found myself being pressured by semi-trucks so that I needed to hit 90 at times just to get out of the way. Over 90, the Super Saturn tends to shake a bit due to some loose engine mounts. Them Cold Fusion Reactors can get a little goofy at times. I got to the office at 0630 for the 0700 meeting which lasted till 0830. It's going to be a long day. Good thing it's pizza night.

# posted by mdmhvonpa @ 8:50 AM