13 Candles. But not so much about 13 candles. But good name.

 Pre boarding.  Get everything prepared.  Vacation time coming up. 

My oldest daughter got her first vaccine shot against covid.  They had to come back to the city where I was off  from work that day.  They stayed for two hours before they left again for their holiday.  I was happy to have a lunch with the family, but sadly surprised that they left again after less than two hours.  Anyway, the point being that while they were home, my wife says to me, "Be patient when you take the girls on vacation.  Your older daughter can be very nasty or moody or both and you have to be patient."   

Well, ok. I guess so.  I think of myself as a very patient person. Um.  Well there are times when it snaps. It can snap and then it is dangerous.  Then I am not patient.  I am not.  

The whole problem might stem from the fact that this month my older daughter will turn 13.  Teens. 

I have dreaded this time for several years. I keep asking other parents who had kids who are past their teens, "How was it?"  "How did you survive?" One student said that his older son was the worst between 15 and 17.  Now he is 18 and better. The father says, well he is 18, he can do what he wants this summer.  The problem with me is my daughter is 13 and she CAN NOT do what she wants, although she very much wants to do what she wants to do.  

I think the worst thing is the very unpopular  mobile phones.  I dont know if it is just my daughter or more likely every child in the world from Africa to America to Asia who owns a cell phone. I have written several posts in the past on my disdain for smart phones.  They may have advantages, but for me, maybe for many parents..  they are not a godsend Steve Jobs. So stop portrying him as a genius. He was a jerk in my book. But, I have also written about that in another post. 

Anxiety and stress personified, or alienized

So here I am. Not quite ready for the vacation and not just a little bit full of anxiety, but FILLED with anxiety because not only do I have to move and travel half way around the world but I have to fly with a mask on for 15 hours (I can do that, and so can my kids) into a country which is not doing so well with the covid disease, though granted it is centered in a couple places and actually isnt as bad where I am going, but it is rising all over, and my Mother didnt want us to go and is angry AND I havent even finished planning the trip.  There. How was that for a sentence?   (As Pee wee Herman used to say, "I meant to do that")

In the midst of this my wife says to me, "Be patient with your daughters. They might get you down with their fighting and complaints, especially your older daughter".   Weeeelllllll.  

  I have been worrying about dealing with my daughter becoming a teen ager a since she was 10.   Then when it comes I can say, hey, she is a bit obnoxious, but not so bad.  The same as usual. She isnt so bad.  Just that D... telephone is terrible.  But same as usual.  Maybe.  

So, next week we make a big travel.  We had to go this year. Even though my mother got terribly angry and said "no" at first.  We have to go to our usual vacation spot.  All three of us love it there in the summer.  And I think it is important to develop the tradition for the kids growing up so they can look back at the tradition with fondness and it makes them happier and stronger in later life. I think. I loved it, now they love it. So, next week at this time we should be on vacation.  I cant say I am looking forward to it as I am a pre travel panicker. I dont often look forward to making a trip.  It s not my fault. Its in my DNA.  But.... we got to do it. 

So, excuse me, now I have to finish organizing the trip and hopefully still be able to book a hotel or motel or air bnb or something for a couple days lacking.  Yup.  In the midst of our vacation my older daughter will become a teenager.   If we are still there, we will get a pizza I think.  

Hope you all are having a nice summer vacation.  Enjoy it, but please for goodness sake take pre cautions.  Is it so bad to have to wear a mask?  By the way, if you visit me in my store, you have to be wearing a mask.  Government orders.  Look, 97 per cent of the people getting sick are those who have not been vaccinated.  Isnt this telling you something?   

I have to listen to no vocals music when I write usually. I thought this would be a vitriolic post so I put on one of my most favorite jazz meisters, Paul Desmond and then Chaz Bundick.  

 

Summertime blues 2021

 Well, here we are in the middle of summer.  

How it works most years with our family is my wife goes on vacation with our kids for several weeks then I go on vacation with them for several weeks.  My time is usually a big chunk in the middle and she has both ends.  

It didnt quite happen that way this time.  She had one week then they came home and did a summer camp at home for a week. Now the Mommy is on vacation with them for a second of three weeks.  Then I will go on vacation finally with them for three weeks, or close to it.  

We do it this way, well because, the summer is long and we cant both be off the whole summer.  So we have three weeks each and then some summer camp and it goes by.  Not like I am trying to kill time though. I love summers.  I have always loved summers. 

Even last year was nice.  We had summer vacation together which I have to say, was nice, different, but nice. But I dont think we can do it that way all the time. They went on camp for three weeks by themselves.  They didnt like the camp. They didnt want to do it again.  They did a skate camp for a week. They didnt want to do that again either. Well, so.  They didnt. 

Anyway, the point being that now my wife is on vacation with them in the mountains. I am alone all week in the house and go to work every day 11 to 7 pm   And, you know, I really dont like this

Marek D 2017 picture Mumlava Waterfalls

I really miss them. I dont like being alone all night. Sure I am trying to catch up on things and I have to make sure I organize my summer vacation with them, which took several days and I am not done.   But,, I wouldnt like this system to last too long.  

I dont know what single fathers do.  They just go to work and come home and eat dinner and read the paper in bed? Or do they get a new partner right away? Or go out nearly every day of the week?  It has to be boring.  Or maybe they never stop working. They are night owls and just work through the evening?   

I would not like that to happen to me. I go out with a friend or two once a month or so. I guess it would be more if I were a single father. Or I would sit in front of the computer and get more done (supposedly) and read more and write more (supposedly).  But if you read my last post just before this one you would see that I probably wouldnt get so much done. I would probably read more economic articles and think that I was preparing my stock knowledge for some buying or selling on the stock exchange.  But reading comments on articles probably doesnt get me much knowledge.  Or else I would watch more Larry David "Curb Your Enthusiasm" show.  I love that show. I would binge watch all seasons over a month or so and then I would be very lonely again and sad.  

The point being, that I rather like my family. (even more than the Larry David show). I have a bad schedule working from 11am till 7pm in my store.  But before the covid I always had a couple days during the week when I was home all day, thus the daddy 40% moniker.  But when I get home at 7.30, I am hoping that they havent eaten dinner yet and we can all have dinner together. And then one or either of my girls will need my help on some homework, english or math and then we can play some card games, or battle ship.  I mean, this is worth a lot, more than reading stupid comments from trolls on an economic site where many of the members are close minding greedy pigs.  Yeah, definitely worth more.  

A family is worth a lot. I will be going on vacation with them after the first week of August.  It is going to be a bit of a stress because it will be a lot of travelling again.  And Covid is rearing its ugly head again.  We had a little window of opportunity in June and July, but now it is getting worse again.  So, the vacation will be a little risky because of the travelling, but... it just had to happen this year.   

Wish us good luck.  Good vacations, good summers for all.  

Bought myself another Bob Dylan CD last week.   One  of his classics.  Also, I sold the Arkaics to a happy customer today and I have been listening to that every day too.   I watched a video concert by Steady Sun from March 5 2020. Here is the link.  The steady sun has a track on "battle of the bands" on the Wick label which is the same label as the Arkaics.  Good 60s Garage and Pyschadelia.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3WTl3-ZnME&ab_channel=JimMcLain