Scooter Chronicles

I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

Marcia and I have a lot to be thankful for this year. Nigel continues to show us the wonders of being parents and the love you can experience through him. Marcia found a job at a great church this fall. I survived layoffs at my job just this past Friday, the first time my employer has laid-off anyone in it’s over 40 year span of existence. And even with the horrible economy (come one folks, we are in a recession), and my Dad being laid-off, my parents found a way to afford the trip to attend Nigel’s birthday party....

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Saw this ONE on Electronic Cerebrectomy.

What was the last book you bought?

“Tender Morsels” by Margo Lanagan. If you would notice, it’s the book I am currently reading at the time of this posting. My brother-in-law David and I are doing a “read-together-and-discuss” thing again.

Name a book you have read MORE than once

Last year I re-read “Fahrenheit 451″ by Ray Bradbury. Someday, and I had originally planned soon after that, I want(ed) to re-read “Dune” by Frank Herbert. However, I really don’t want to “waste” my time re-reading...

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The Munchkin Man is three years old today!

I will be making sure to spend a lot of time playing with him and his trains when I get home from work.

Earlier this week I finished reading “The Republic of Nothing” by Lesley Choyce. It was the winner of the Dartmouth Book Award in 1995.

Thanks to Amazon.Com, here is a description of the story:

A small Canadian island declares its independence to the world and benign anarchy reigns. A god-like ocean deposits many a thing, yet it also takes away. The 1960’s blaze off shore and draw the island’s inhabitants into politics, the Vietnam War, and the peace movement. Sound impossible? Not on Whalebone Island, AKA the Republic of Nothing. Where else can a dead circus...

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We had a good time, and a good crowd for Nigel’s birthday party this year. Took less pictures though. Part of that was trying to control him more. Nigel didn’t have a nap this year before the party, unlike last year. Plus, his obsession with trains got the better of him. The first present he opened was a new GeoTrax item. He wasn’t as interested in the rest of his presents, even those that were train items.

Here are a few highlights:

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Even though Nigel’s birthday isn’t until Tuesday, we are celebrating it today. Given it’s close proximity to Thanksgiving, it was best fit in this weekend.

I am very thankful for the fact that my parents are going to be in attendance. For those that are not a part of the family and already know, my father was laid off from work over a month ago. Given that his employer’s clients were the Big Three, it’s not surprising. But along with his lay-off, and the state of the economy, we didn’t expect my parents to be able to attend, wanting to conserve for the long haul.

Another reason I am very happy about this is that Marcia, Nigel, and I had hoped to make another trip to Detroit to see them...

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It’s about time!

I filled up the minivan on Sunday, and the Focus on Monday morning, both at the same gas station, and both for $1.99 a gallon. I couldn’t remember the last time I paid under $2 a gallon. That was until a co-worker mentioned that he remembers paying under $2 a gallon when he bought his pick-up truck, which was before Hurricane Katrina.

I doubt prices will stay this low. But it’s funny how the car dealers have changed their tactics. During the summer when prices around here was just over $4 a gallon, they were pushing their smaller cars that got 30 miles per gallon. Now I see all the SUV’s and pick-ups in the front of the buildings again. What a joke.