Trivial things that please the ever living shit out of you

[Macanudo 13080]

Academy is selling Mother's Day stuff with "Wifey" emblazoned on it.  Makes me chuckle and wonder how many other dudes my age see that when they walk in and think the same thing. 

[gofuckyourself 8675]

While on the back patio a few nights back, I watched a firefly float by and flicker and disappear and reappear a few yards away. First one I've seen in years.

It was like opening a portal to spring and summers as a kid.

[Armybrat 40987]

18 minutes ago, gofuckyourself said:

While on the back patio a few nights back, I watched a firefly float by and flicker and disappear and reappear a few yards away. First one I've seen in years.

It was like opening a portal to spring and summers as a kid.

After a total absence of 25 or more years, we have been seeing a few dozen fireflies in our yard the past several evenings.

Edited May 8 by Armybrat

[PvilleStang 2924]

1 hour ago, Macanudo said:

Academy is selling Mother's Day stuff with "Wifey" emblazoned on it.  Makes me chuckle and wonder how many other dudes my age see that when they walk in and think the same thing. 

Wifey's world much?

[Brisketexan 105569]

While on the back patio a few nights back, I watched a firefly float by and flicker and disappear and reappear a few yards away. First one I've seen in years.
It was like opening a portal to spring and summers as a kid.

After a total absence of 25 or more years, we have been seeing a few dozen fireflies in our yard the past several evenings.

We back up to a green belt with a wet weather creek. In a wet year (so maybe this one), it sometimes looks like stars in our backyard. We’ve had hundreds of them, flickering on and off. And I never get tired of it. It’s magical.

[Armybrat 40987]

2 hours ago, Macanudo said:

Academy is selling Mother's Day stuff with "Wifey" emblazoned on it.  Makes me chuckle and wonder how many other dudes my age see that when they walk in and think the same thing. 

Happy Birthday Mrs. Brat!

 

[nnm 36841]

 

[Ignatius 4080]

On 5/1/2024 at 5:24 PM, Superhero said:

Yeah. That part sucked. But today I’m in a glass is half full mood.

One other thing that pleased me was a friendly Uber driver that was actually interesting to talk to.

Had a solid grip, did he?

[52-80 19277]

15 hours ago, nnm said:

 

 

[Superhero 8889]

Spent the day at a camp with a bunch of dads I've met through a daddy-daughter group. Ate some GREAT food, drank some good beer and whisky, played cornhole, and sat by a fire chatting with friends I've made over the years.

 

It's a bittersweet moment because my daughter and her friends are in their teens and slowly losing interest, and this may be one of the few times remaining that I get to hang out with these dads, but I'll power on with the dad-son group with some of the same dads.

[nnm 36841]

Watched a spider spin a web on my back deck for about 15 minutes tonight. It’s about a 5-foot web supported by laterals stretching 10-15 feet from the tree to the deck. She was laying the supporting legs and then tying them together with the circular laterals. So intricate and cool. 

[honolulu horn 6176]

Taking a walk in the evening with the dog and wife, light breeze, kids playing basketball in driveways, people having dinners and drinks on patios, bugs chirping, light still in the sky at 8pm. Summertime. 

[Armybrat 40987]

10 hours ago, nnm said:

Watched a spider spin a web on my back deck for about 15 minutes tonight. It’s about a 5-foot web supported by laterals stretching 10-15 feet from the tree to the deck. She was laying the supporting legs and then tying them together with the circular laterals. So intricate and cool. 

While staying in a Shepherd’s Bush, London townhouse six years ago, I watched this spider spin its web every morning after waking up on the living room couch.

 

[closetohumping 17547]

On 5/18/2024 at 11:42 PM, Superhero said:

Spent the day at a camp with a bunch of dads I've met through a daddy-daughter group. Ate some GREAT food, drank some good beer and whisky, played cornhole, and sat by a fire chatting with friends I've made over the years.

 

It's a bittersweet moment because my daughter and her friends are in their teens and slowly losing interest, and this may be one of the few times remaining that I get to hang out with these dads, but I'll power on with the dad-son group with some of the same dads.

Yep. I got a nine year old who has helped us make a lot of friends.  While I think these are lifelong friends and hope that my daughter has a group she can lean on for life, this also feels very fleeting.  

[nnm 36841]

20 hours ago, closetohumping said:

Yep. I got a nine year old who has helped us make a lot of friends.  While I think these are lifelong friends and hope that my daughter has a group she can lean on for life, this also feels very fleeting.  

It is fleeting.  But the time together is an investment, and the memories you've built are lifelong. 

Yes, before you know it you'll be launching your daughter off to college and someday into marriage or something else.  The experience of having adult daughters is awesome, but I still miss my little girls, and often get a lump in my throat when I see a dad walking hand-in-hand with his little girl. 

By spending the undivided attention time that you are with your daughters, you're storing up memories, and helping her to avoid some of the pitfalls that are so common in this ridiculous social media age in which we live.  Girls with "daddy issues" is a real phenomenon, and by doing Indian Princesses, or whatever it's called now, you're buying a little bit of insurance against that.

Edited May 21 by nnm

[closetohumping 17547]

56 minutes ago, nnm said:

It is fleeting.  But the time together is an investment, and the memories you've built are lifelong. 

Yes, before you know it you'll be launching your daughter off to college and someday into marriage or something else.  The experience of having adult daughters is awesome, but I still miss my little girls, and get a lump in my throat often when I see a dad walking hand-in-hand with his little girl. 

By spending the undivided attention time that you are with your daughters, you're storing up memories, and helping her to avoid some of the pitfalls that are so common in this ridiculous social media age in which we live.  Girls with "daddy issues" is a real phenomenon, and by doing Indian Princesses, or whatever it's called now, you're buying a little bit of insurance against that.

She rules my world.  And she’s still affectionate but seems to be moving out of daddy’s little girl stage and I can feel it as it’s happening.  Her friends are close enough to be my nieces.  

[cabowabo 4578]

Delete...moved to the annoy thread.

Edited May 20 by cabowabo

[Superhero 8889]

1 hour ago, closetohumping said:

She rules my world.  And she’s still affectionate but seems to be moving out of daddy’s little girl stage and I can feel it as it’s happening.  Her friends are close enough to be my nieces.  

My daughter just turned 12, so I’m a few years ahead of you in terms of daughter wanting to spend more time with her friends than me.

But even though I got really mad at her in the morning because she wasn’t getting ready, during the evening rally (where all the “tribes” get together), she leaned her head on my shoulder.

I loved it… and hated myself for being so hard on her in the morning.

[Dish Boggett 67]

29 minutes ago, Superhero said:

My daughter just turned 12, so I’m a few years ahead of you in terms of daughter wanting to spend more time with her friends than me.

But even though I got really mad at her in the morning because she wasn’t getting ready, during the evening rally (where all the “tribes” get together), she leaned her head on my shoulder.

I loved it… and hated myself for being so hard on her in the morning.

Indian Princess camp out is the best weekend of the year.  We do it the first Sat of December every year at a large youth ranch right in the middle of the state of Florida. Its is a combined campout with about a dozen tribes.  The different tribes have stink bomb and water balloon fights all night and some tribe always brings a bucket of crickets to turn loose in peoples' tents. Most of the tribes are from the same small town and most all know each other.

I dread the work leading up to it and the sleeping in a tent for 2 nights kind of sucks, but when we are back at home on Sunday late morning I am on top of the world.  The dad group rocks and we cook/smoke a ton of food all weekend.

 

A couple of years ago on our walk back to camp after the giant bonfire and my oldest ( maybe 12 at the ) asked " Dad, can we come when I am in college?"  all the dads laughed and told " Heck yeah, I will come as long as you girls want to"

My oldest is 16 now and I have approx 118 more weekends before she goes to college. I am trying my hardest to create as many lasting memories for us as i can.  Next up is a quick getaway this weekend to see the NCAA Women's Lacrosse National Championship game in NC.

 

[NWBuck 8590]

10 hours ago, Armybrat said:

While staying in a Shepherd’s Bush, London townhouse six years ago, I watched this spider spin its web every morning after waking up on the living room couch.

 

That's awesome... I don't let our dog sleep on the living room couch, let alone a spider. 

[Armybrat 40987]

1 hour ago, NWBuck said:

That's awesome... I don't let our dog sleep on the living room couch, let alone a spider. 

The rest of the story: 

This was a long-planned trip to England for two weeks then two more in France.

We were staying with friends (local folks) in a three story townhouse, and our bedroom & bath were on the third floor. 
On the first full day in London we all Ubered down to see St. Paul’s Cathedral, the #1 destination for that day. 
After touring the main floor and the “Whispering Gallery” high up in the rotunda, we descended down to the crypt to see the tombs of more famous Brits. 
While walking through different areas, Mrs. Brat spotted Admiral Nelson’s tomb and started walking rapidly towards it with us following.  
She totally missing seeing the short 3-step staircase and pitched forward & downward, faceplanting hard onto  the stone floor breaking her nose, shattering her wrist, and bruising both shins so badly she couldn’t walk for two weeks. 
When I saw her face hit the stone floor and a big spray of blood, I thought she had killed herself.
Getting her out of the crypt in a wheelchair and to a hospital is another story in itself.

Suffice to say our month long tour was cancelled and our rescheduled flight back home for her surgery left us with four more days for her to recover a little bit (she was on hydrocodone from the ER). 
Of course her inability to walk meant that she & I would have to sleep on the two living room couches on the first floor. Thank God there was a powder room on the first. 
Whenever it got light outside in the morning, for entertainment when I woke up I’d watch that spider weave its web on the outside of the streetside picture window until Mrs. Brat woke up for me to wheel her into the restroom. 
Itwas quite an ordeal for a 73 year old woman. 
(pics below of her in the ambulance & ER)

 

Edited May 21 by Armybrat

[Armybrat 40987]

Apologies for the thread hijack.

[Superhero 8889]

I played Scrabble with my wife and kids yesterday. We've never played as a family because my son is in 3rd grade and we thought he'd be at a disadvantage. Little shit came in with ZAP (10+1+3), and with a triple word multiplier, got 42 points.

I helped him a bit later on, and may or may not have traded a few tiles with him. But he came in at a solid 172 points, beating out mom and older sister.

 

[nnm 36841]

We have a red tail hawk nest in our backyard. I’m watching mama and daddy hawk raise their two youngsters. Can’t wait until they start learning to fly. They still have downy white heads, but these suckers are growing fast. 

Mom and dad feeding one of the babies a couple of weeks ago:

 

Mama and one of the babies a couple of weeks ago:

Both babies recently:

 

[Armybrat 40987]

I was not aware of this beautiful landscape feature on 21st  across from Littlefield Fountain.

Few people remember that a city electric utility worker, Roy Schmidt, was shot to death August 1st, 1966 by Charles Whitman just a few steps away from this spot. 
I was crouching behind a car about a half block to the left.

 

 

[nnm 36841]

9 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

I was not aware of this beautiful landscape feature on 21st  across from Littlefield Fountain.

Few people remember that a city electric utility worker, Roy Schmidt, was shot to death August 1st, 1966 by Charles Whitman just a few steps away from this spot. 
I was crouching behind a car about a half block to the left.

 

 

Wow. Didn’t know that you were there, AB. 

[Armybrat 40987]

No hat tips for me - Just on the periphery along with thousands of others.

[PvilleStang 2924]

13 hours ago, Armybrat said:

No hat tips for me - Just on the periphery along with thousands of others.

Weren't you a little old to be on campus at that time?!

[Armybrat 40987]

38 minutes ago, PvilleStang said:

Weren't you a little old to be on campus at that time?!

Think I was in my 4th year as a freshman.

[PvilleStang 2924]

1 hour ago, Armybrat said:

Think I was in my 4th year as a freshman.

[Armybrat 40987]

48 minutes ago, PvilleStang said:

No, more like….

 

[NeverMarryAStripper 22030]

Parked at Mia’s Table when my daughter and I went to dinner tonight.  It was in mint condition.

 

 

[NWBuck 8590]

1 hour ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

Parked at Mia’s Table when my daughter and I went to dinner tonight.  It was in mint condition.

Like a time capsule of sorts... 

[gofuckyourself 8675]

License plate OUTATIME?

[Lhorn 5024]

On 5/22/2024 at 10:04 AM, Armybrat said:

Think I was in my 4th year as a freshman.

I’d like to think that AB squeezed off a few rounds of return fire.  

[Underdog 28868]

8 hours ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

Parked at Mia’s Table when my daughter and I went to dinner tonight.  It was in mint condition.

 

 

Mmmmm, Whataburger. 

[nnm 36841]

One about Bo I’d never heard before.  This gruntles me.

 

[Bevo&Pevo 5387]

business as usual in So Texas....

Brisket flat, a few of the locals dropping by, and cooling off in the plunge pool.

[Fudge Nuggets 19276]

Fixing something on a home appliance that the manufacturer won't divulge any info so most people are forced to call a repair guy.

[nnm 36841]

A holiday when I can be grateful for the men who served and made this life possible, when I can sleep a little late, get a workout in, swim a few laps, and read by the pool. 

[Underdog 28868]

The fuck?  WNB… 

 

[nnm 36841]

8 minutes ago, Underdog said:

The fuck?  WNB… 

 

Well, assuming you’re a dude, I’m quite pleased with that conclusion. I’m very happy in my heterosexuality, thank you very much. 
 

And yes, my toenails are all kinds of messed up. 20+ marathons will do that. 

[PvilleStang 2924]

14 hours ago, nnm said:

Well, assuming you’re a dude, I’m quite pleased with that conclusion. I’m very happy in my heterosexuality, thank you very much. 
 

And yes, my toenails are all kinds of messed up. 20+ marathons will do that. 

Love me a good drinking marathon on a Saturday with no plans.  Not sure how that affects your big toe, but I can tell you the pinky toe gets banged harder on the side table than South Austin's mom.

[Underdog 28868]

No wonder runners look so miserable when out running. 

[Steamboat1874 4152]

17 hours ago, Underdog said:

No wonder runners look so miserable when out running. 

And they are always looking at their watch and wondering “when will this shit be over”.

[gofuckyourself 8675]

A Libby book loan ending but since it's opened in my Kindle app, I just leave it open and keep reading.

Also non-trivial thing that pleases the shit out of me: reading.

From about age 5 to 15, I read like a starved beast, and then high school and college (and being a moron) eventually dulled that joy.

I've recently rekindled it, pun intended, and now I have a list of about two dozens books I need to start. It does wonders for taking the edge off of the daily clusterfuck of life.

[nnm 36841]

Bob Gibson playing the long game gruntles me.

 

 

[InkaUtexas 26345]

Eating a tomato fresh off the plant.

[Incredulity 11686]

3 hours ago, nnm said:

Bob Gibson playing the long game gruntles me.

 

 

 

 

[InkaUtexas 26345]

Went out back last night when finished work. Sitting in the light breeze and listening to three owls in the tree next door just doing Owl things. Sat there for 30 minutes listening with the dog sitting next to me. Don't know why, just made me smile.