#168 In which our hero discusses odds and ends.

Odd thing one: I am paranoid about getting fired.

I would argue it is with good reason. I mean, I love my current job, the work is challenging and the people are great, but I was in this same situation six years ago. Loved the agency, loved the people… then I got laid off out of the blue. Well, it wasn’t really out of the blue, I should have seen the writing on the wall, but I was blinded by having a job I really loved.

At this new agency, I haven’t been shy about revealing my paranoia to just about anyone who asked. Or didn't ask. If someone said “Nice work on that radio spot,” I’d say something like, “Well, I’m just trying to do good work so I don’t get fired.” I realized after a while what I really wanted was people to say “Fired? You’re not going to get fired!” But continually fishing for reassurance like that started to make me look like a jackass, I think. So I’m going to keep my mouth shut from now on… and just silently hope I don’t get fired.

Odd thing two: something is very wrong with our country:

School bans playground tag

School officials in a town near Boston have banned tag and other “unsupervised chase games” in fear that a kid will “get hurt and sue the school.” The really shitty thing is that the school is probably justified in being fearful of a lawsuit… it doesn’t take a big stretch of the imagination to se a kid’s parents suing the school if little Johnny fell down and busted his lip.

America is so litigation-crazy that it makes me sick. Now, I’m not down on lawyers, but I am tired of a legal system that aggressively searches of someone to blame for every little thing. Kids fall down when they play… should teachers be running behind them every step of the way to catch them? Or should schools just eliminate recess altogether just to cover their asses? Oh wait, they already have.

Are we developing a country of whiners who think they have every right to drag someone into court just because they slipped on a patch of ice on the sidewalk? We sure are.

Odd thing three: I’ve got wood.

There’s something extremely satisfying about having a cord of wood neatly stacked on the back patio. I remembered to call early (that is to say, before the snow hit the ground) this year, and had my wood delivered on Tuesday. I leaved some lessons last year (when my wood pile was very much a pile, and not a properly organized stack) and the stacking was much more thought-out this year. I have three nice stacks of mixed hardwoods out there, covered by a big tarp, just waiting to be burned. We blew though all the wood last year while it was still cold, and I considered getting a cord and a half. But I’ve heard predictions of a mild winter this year, so I’m hoping for the best. I’d hate to hate to bust up a chair or dresser to burn just to get through the night this year.

Finally, the ends:

Sometimes instead of bath time we have shower time for the girls. It’s easier and faster for everyone. And best of all, it can create awesome moments like this:

"2-for-1 special"

In my house, this is what we call a “pressed ham.” And just for daddy, last night was a double.