December 2020

Nick spends any free moment buried in his office upstairs on the laptop, chatting with friends who could be anywhere, about building who-knows-what. When he's forced from the chair, then he creates memes on his phone or tablet and shares those, most of which I don't understand.  I get the penis jokes with pop cans, but generally speaking the humor eludes me.  We try to coax him down for a little TV, but if it's not awful television like the fifth sequel to Tremors, it can't hold his attention.  And his mother likes shows where people die, which he hides up the stairs peeking down when someone is about to die.

Under quarantine there aren't many places to go, which is OK with Nick.  I dragged him out of the house on a Saturday morning for the donation drive at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. Bring a toy donation and take laps around the track in your own vehicle.  The idea got out of hand in a quarantine year, though, so many bored people showed up it was a mess... a three hour wait to get onto the track, two laps instead of five, it made for a long day.  But it was worth it, and the crowds relegated the rules irrelevant, so we were passing on the track, no forms to sign, just to get through the crowds.  Nick shot some cool video from inside our 300.

My favorite line of the month wasn't from Nick. I get an aggressive call from the Tailor that we've left clothes for pickup, so I ask Brandi what could be there. "I left some clothes there that Nick outgrew."  "How long ago?" "I don't know, maybe he was 4 or 5."  Perhaps she was calling with a storage bill for nine years.
I missed half the month traveling for work, from Houston to Orlando, and returning to a negative test for COVID so I could enjoy the holidays after an exposure in Houston.  I made a long drive to take equipment to the Orlando Auto Show, since the kids couldn't cover the work, so it was generally a shortened holiday (no two week break, just a couple of days.) I didn't enjoy Florida, just worked and returned with crappy oranges.  It was just good to return to a quiet Christmas at home.  My reward was listening to Nick play the piano, which he only practices now when we leave the house, but his play is outstanding, and he's writing some music for a school project.  He has talent, if he can hold the interest.

Photos here.

Jason

November 2020

Think kids aren't paying attention?  Nick is more in-tune at 14 than I was, for sure.  As the end of election day drew to a close, Nick walked through the great room, glanced at the TV for all of one minute, and mumbled, "Next comes the lawyers," and continued upstairs. Wow, was he accurate.

There was an exposure to COVID at school, and Nick was required to get a test, which he cooperated admirably.  We played dueling zippers while we waiting in the car, took over an hour to get through the test, despite having an appointment, which they didn't find, and were taking us as a drive-up.

He had an outstanding school report, from grades to teacher feedback, so no complaints.  (That was before he bombed his exams, which he can't explain... he doesn't seem to study, he plays the averages and calculates what he can get away with.)  That said, he mentioned in passing he had his scheduled changed for Q3 to get gym at the end of the day, so he can plan ahead, make inquiries, and adjust.  That in itself was a bit surprising.

Nick got braces in November, which seemed like no big deal until he tried to eat, and the pain set in hard. It was slow chewing for about two weeks, but it's still an easier process than thirty years ago, they had him out of the office quick, few brackets, minimally invasive.


Brandi made an amazing dinner at Thanksgiving, as always, with more food than we could consume.  Nick doesn't see to appreciate the meals, food is just always there for him, the mini-fridge is always stocked.  But he understands value, his grandmother asked him what he wanted for Christmas, and he says, "How about $500?"

Photos are combined with December, to save time this month.

Jason

October 2020

It continues to be a warm summer and fall, we took an afternoon hike on the trails behind the Library. There was a relay that afternoon so the paths were fresh, cleared and marked, it was a perfect walk.  Beforehand he was eager to take mama for a drive in the parking lot, which he's very confident now in his driving.

We skipped Halloween this year, Nick has lost interest, and with COVID it's for the best. Brandi still decorated, so the pumpkins were present, along with random trinkets throughout the house. Instead he and I went south to watch Kiersten play in her MVCA volleyball playoffs.  I'm desperate for live sports, the girls were impressive to watch play, and I thought Nick would enjoy it more, but I guess not.  We had a nice hotel, ate well, and then spent our second day at the Air Force Museum in Dayton.  We arrived early, had the place to ourselves for most of four hours. He impressed the guides, old guys who flew many of those planes back in the day, at one point a guy was asking Nick questions and he was educating the guide in return (something about turbos).  Got a Hot Head Burrito on the way home, the highlight for me.  At one point we passed an awkwardly named car wash, which Nick noticed sounded like a strip club. He observed a drive-thru car wash plus strip club is a good business idea in the age of COVID, very true.  On the drive, we practiced memorizing the Big Ten mascots, which is just part of earning his man card.

Pics here.

Jason

School Picture 2020

 

September 2020

Coming to the end of our Summer 2020 To-Do list.  We finished painting the garage, which was two weekends of work, and I hate painting, but Brandi took charge and the results are great.  We closed the pool mid-September after a summer full of swimming, right up to the end. Grandpa jumped in on the last swim of the year.  Brandi made us fried green tomatoes, and two more batches of salsa as the garden was winding down.

Brandi and Nick went to a train store during a free weekend while I was traveling south for work (and Atlanta clinic where Trump held a rally down the hall... and tested positive one week later!)  As you can see from the photos, Nick masks up appropriately.  He'd earned some spending cash from working a little over the summer, and was eager to spend.

His best quotes of the month:
"I have two-and-half words for you... don't ask."
"I slept like a kitten last night."
When he walked into the kitchen with a bag of potatoes after a grovery run: "I got a bag of hashbrown potential."

A few pics here.

One random observation as he matures: the kid vomits like a man.  He feels sick, wanders downstairs, hurls, and goes right back to bed with no whining or issues. I can appreciate that.  Although we're going to knock him back into adolescence here quickly, braces go on his teeth in a couple weeks.

Jason