That's the excuse I'm giving for no column last week, other than my parenting column, whom many of you know as "Old School Dad".
Yeah, and I know what you're thinking...c'mon Ken, what are you, in high school? I wish. Things were a little more simple then.
As opposed to today? You bet.
You know today is Easter. We celebrate the obvious in the Christian world, but I also celebrate the end of my Lenten obligation of giving up all sweets for the past 40 days.
And I have reaped some benefits. While I won't get on a scale to confirm this, I'm sure I've lost a few pounds because of it. While going outside to work in the yard with my wife, my pants sagged right as where my butt began. And they're not designed that way either, to the younger generation.
I knew it was bad when I went across the road to fetch the mail and someone in a passing car blew the horn and shouted "Hey, Kool Moe Dee!"
After that little episode, I went off to the store to pick up a few last-minute items for Easter.
As I walked to the front door I saw the sign "We're Open! Easter Sunday 8am to 7pm".
Is nothing sacred?
Just seeing that made me nostalgic for Pennsylvania's now-defunct "Blue Law", which meant stores closing their doors altogether or having very limited hours on Sunday.
Open on holidays? Forget it!
After the Blue Laws were relaxed, I welcomed the newfound convenience, but it wouldn't be until years later when I would see the ramifications it has on today's society.
Convenience breeds the mentality "I want what I want when I want it", and in the name of the Almighty Dollar, you get it. Most of the time.
And woe to the ones who say you have to wait.
Now that gas prices are making the oil embargoes of 1973 and 1979 seem like a Girl Scout picnic, I've found myself planning my trips ahead of time to save gas.
Do I really need to run here or there? Can it wait until the following day, when I can swing by on my way to or from work?
I think more and more people are finally being made aware of this. More families are going down to one car, downsizing their SUV in favor of compact models, and planning family vacations either closer to home or eliminating them completely.
Living in rural western Pennsylvania, I don't really have the luxury of giving up my four-wheel-drive pickup. What I can do is eliminate unnecessary trips or plan them out ahead of time to make the most of my gas.
While I'm doing this, I'm also showing my daughter that we can't always get what we want. It costs a lot to live in this world, but we can make the most of our resources by showing how prudent we can be with what we have.
Yet we still benefit.
Put away the credit card.
And the Sunday Shopper mentality.
Spend that Sunday with your family. As I do with mine each Sunday.
And let's put the "Son" back in "Sunday".
NEXT WEEK: Whatever
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
The Sweetest Thing
For me, the sweetest thing for me will be the end of the Lenten season.
As a practicing Roman Catholic, I partake in the annual ritual of giving up a particular vice for the forty days preceding Easter Sunday. I've given up candy, soda, pizza, and other things I normally would crave in favor of being a better person through self-denial.
But this year, I took things to a whole new level. I gave up sweets.
This includes, but is not limited to, candy, chocolate, pastries, cakes, and pies. I not only wanted to give up something I liked, but I wanted to make it count over all the other times.
And it's been tough. There's been days where I've had a chocolate monkey on my back. Fortunately, the rules have changed in the Catholic church that now grant dispensation on Sundays during Lent.
Yay! On Sundays, the monkey's gone. Bedtime for Bonzo.
The sacrifice has had its merits.
I've found that when I've been away from sweets long enough, and then indulge, they're not as appealing. And I may have even shed a few pounds because of it.
My pants aren't as tight. But don't ask me to climb aboard that scale just yet. I have a certain phobia when it comes to weight measuring instruments.
And if I'm not seen consuming sweets in front of my daughter, she's not going to beg her daddy to share.
Don't get me wrong on that one. The Easter Bunny's bringing her chocolate in her little basket for the first time this year...and she will only get it in moderation.
So I'm counting down the days until Sunday, April 24th. Two weeks from today.
Margie suggested that maybe I could give up wine next year.
I may be crazy...but I'm not insane.
NEXT WEEK: Spring has Sprung...at long last.
As a practicing Roman Catholic, I partake in the annual ritual of giving up a particular vice for the forty days preceding Easter Sunday. I've given up candy, soda, pizza, and other things I normally would crave in favor of being a better person through self-denial.
But this year, I took things to a whole new level. I gave up sweets.
This includes, but is not limited to, candy, chocolate, pastries, cakes, and pies. I not only wanted to give up something I liked, but I wanted to make it count over all the other times.
And it's been tough. There's been days where I've had a chocolate monkey on my back. Fortunately, the rules have changed in the Catholic church that now grant dispensation on Sundays during Lent.
Yay! On Sundays, the monkey's gone. Bedtime for Bonzo.
The sacrifice has had its merits.
I've found that when I've been away from sweets long enough, and then indulge, they're not as appealing. And I may have even shed a few pounds because of it.
My pants aren't as tight. But don't ask me to climb aboard that scale just yet. I have a certain phobia when it comes to weight measuring instruments.
And if I'm not seen consuming sweets in front of my daughter, she's not going to beg her daddy to share.
Don't get me wrong on that one. The Easter Bunny's bringing her chocolate in her little basket for the first time this year...and she will only get it in moderation.
So I'm counting down the days until Sunday, April 24th. Two weeks from today.
Margie suggested that maybe I could give up wine next year.
I may be crazy...but I'm not insane.
NEXT WEEK: Spring has Sprung...at long last.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
House Beautiful...in time
Someone once said it takes wood, brick and other materials to make a house, but it takes a family to build a home.
I couldn't agree more.
But that's not the focus this week.
One of my two and half bathrooms currently resembles the aftermath of Fallujah's Operation Phantom Fury, as Margie and I have hired my brother to 'redecorate' our circa 1977 pink bathroom...with implements of destruction.
Little did we know just how involved this task was going to be.
Building something to last is one thing. However, if you want it to survive future generations, don't decorate it in such a manner that it's going to scream a particular decade in a decade's time. The previous owner hadn't had the foresight to consider this, and the decor was dated probably less than half a decade after it was built.
Think of Harvest Gold, Brown and Avocado-colored kitchen appliances. Need I say more?
I came home to find my living room shrouded in a cloud of smoke and my brother on his back on the floor, wincing in pain.
Apparently he was no match for the concrete walls that were put up for the shower. This thing was built a little more sturdy than any of us could have ever imagined.
A lot more sturdy, actually. They sure don't build 'em like this anymore.
Fortunately, we're not in any hurry to have this done. Especially since the masonite paneling we wanted was discontinued from the manufacturer and no longer available...anywhere. Unfortunately, we weren't told this when we went to pick it up, after being told it would be special ordered for us.
Now back to the home improvement center (this time a different one) to find an appropriate substitute. Had to special order it again, but this time we were assured that it was still available and would arrive within the week.
And by the time it arrives, hopefully my brother will have recovered physically.
And us mentally.
NEXT WEEK: Sour Deal for Sweetness
I couldn't agree more.
But that's not the focus this week.
One of my two and half bathrooms currently resembles the aftermath of Fallujah's Operation Phantom Fury, as Margie and I have hired my brother to 'redecorate' our circa 1977 pink bathroom...with implements of destruction.
Little did we know just how involved this task was going to be.
Building something to last is one thing. However, if you want it to survive future generations, don't decorate it in such a manner that it's going to scream a particular decade in a decade's time. The previous owner hadn't had the foresight to consider this, and the decor was dated probably less than half a decade after it was built.
Think of Harvest Gold, Brown and Avocado-colored kitchen appliances. Need I say more?
I came home to find my living room shrouded in a cloud of smoke and my brother on his back on the floor, wincing in pain.
Apparently he was no match for the concrete walls that were put up for the shower. This thing was built a little more sturdy than any of us could have ever imagined.
A lot more sturdy, actually. They sure don't build 'em like this anymore.
Fortunately, we're not in any hurry to have this done. Especially since the masonite paneling we wanted was discontinued from the manufacturer and no longer available...anywhere. Unfortunately, we weren't told this when we went to pick it up, after being told it would be special ordered for us.
Now back to the home improvement center (this time a different one) to find an appropriate substitute. Had to special order it again, but this time we were assured that it was still available and would arrive within the week.
And by the time it arrives, hopefully my brother will have recovered physically.
And us mentally.
NEXT WEEK: Sour Deal for Sweetness
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