Favorite time of day

I hope that this doesn't come out wrong or someone think the wrong thing. My favorite time of day is that time after my kids have "finally decided" that they are going to bed and minutes that I get before I go to bed myself. Alone time is sometimes the very best thing in the world. I love to get on the computer for a few minutes and get caught up on some blogging. I get a pretty good laugh first from my older sister, Sarah, she really knows how to make my day. I'm sure that she doesn't know it but I am a regular "stalker" of her blog, it just brightens up those really dark days. You don't have to know her to get her jokes and really good humor either, Seven Village Idiarts, is her Blog and it really is fun. Then I like to check on the whole family and see if anyone that blogs has blogged anything new, usually just something here or there but nice to be able to sit down and read about the fam for a little while. Lastly before possibly blogging myself I love sitting down and catching up on some JNAC before bed. It might seem real strange but that group of girls has something about them that is nice to read about once in a while.

I am not one for posting anywhere else but love commenting on other blogs and only posting on my own.

Back to the best time of day, the thing that can really ruin a really good end to a day is when you are trying to relax and you get that very undesired phone call from none other than work. Usually when someone from work calls at this time there is some disaster at the plant and they need immediate assistance and that means "Super" Paul to the rescue. I really should move much farther away from the plant, still within commuter range, but far enough away so that I am not the closest one and quickest to get there if there is a problem. Then again this wouldn't make the 4 hour call-in really that worth it either. Because if it took longer to get to work then I wouldn't be making that much for actually going in. I guess that I should just stop complaining and enjoy the time that I have.

I do love the afternoons with the kids, just have to say that 8-9 hours at the plant sometimes one just wants to come home and relax. I guess that those relaxing days are over and this is another type of lifestyle that one pretty much has to get used to. Well that is probably enough of that.

RNC WOW WOW

Wow, I don't think that I have ever sat down and actually watched any type of Republican/Democrat convention. I have to say, maybe it is just the fact that I am from Alaska, but that Sarah Palin seems to be maybe just what the Republican Party needed. Maybe not being overwhelmed in the "Washington Elite" is actually a good thing, how ironic. I can see that everyone has flaws, who doesn't, but she gave a very well placed speech at what I think was a very much needed time. Ok this is probably the only speech that I will watch out of this convention and I didn't watch any of the speeches from the other convention. It probably does have to do with those small town Alaskan roots, but I hope that she and her running mate will make it as far as God intended for them to go. Seems like she has maybe what is needed right now for this country as a whole. Hopefully the next few weeks will set her even more soundly in her conviction to do what is right and also in her policies and her and McCain can show us that they are going to stand for something that we need right now and not just blow hot air up our ..... and then "change" once the get were they want to be. I was very taken back by Governor Palin, I have to admit that I like many others didn't expect this but she is bound to do something good for this country, and if all that is honesty then more power to her.

Patriotism - - - Over Patriotism...

Maybe it is just me but does this craze come over me every 2 years. I really didn't realize how much I miss the Olympic games whether they are the summer or winter games. My kids at some later date are really going to hate this time every other year, I have tried to put them to bed early every night for the last couple of nights so that I can veg out in front of the television and watch some really amazing sporting events.

There are some things that Americans just do better than other nations. I don't think that I am overly patriotic either, this is what I am sometimes told by some of my friends from other countries. Hey if your country sucks to bad to have any athletes that can actually do anything that is not my problem, but my country just kicks your countries ....... Ok maybe I get a little crazy, but really to be the 5th team in a race to beat a world record time and not even get a medal (this is some amazing stuff) Yes the guy has the chance to win somewhere around 15 gold medals and this being only his second olympic games (that to me is just so much better than any "futbol" game that you can see anywhere in the world)

I guess that the United States isn't better than everyone else it just goes to show how diversified that we are here in this wonderful country. Seems like while most of the worlds countries are worried about winning that medal or the stupid world cup, our great country is out there winning and competing in all the other sports that this Olympics has to offer. Ok the Chinese divers today were pretty amazing, but that relay team last night was simply awe inspiring.

I get the same way during the winter olympics, maybe what I like so much is the pure competition that is being displayed here. Simple if you dope you are out, do this on your own ability not some man-made substance that will only get you there this one time. If you were a true athlete you would be tried and tried again and succeed at every turn of the head. Ya so we might send our very best from the NBA to these games, our REDEEM Team, so what if we had the one and only DREAM Team. The other teams are using professionals from their leagues in their countries our athletes just make more money and people around the world over just like to watch all things American. Way to beat the home team by 31 points in their capital city. You come you play and if you can't keep up then go home. This is not being overly Patriotic, this is what patriotism is all about. We love where we are from and we know when we are the best. So what if President Bush being there was publicized way out of proportion, he has every right to be there among other heads-of-states. Though you might not like it he is the head of this state and is deserving of every privilege and right that all the other 200+ heads of state deserve. Lay off the guy for a while he only spent 3 days at the Olympics.

Back to the Olympics, would really love to stay and blog about the amazingness of my country and the whole Olympic experience but I am probably missing some really important butt-kicking by the United States right now as I blog.

Family Bloggers

It is 2:30 in the morning on a Monday morning in August. I have to be to work in about 4 hours and don't know what the HE.. that I am doing awake. Must not be such a good thing to go to bed with the kids at 10:00 p.m. It is a sad realization when you get 4 hours of sleep and realize that might be all that you will be getting. The alarm isn't supposed to go off until 6:00 a.m. but I don't know if I will get another wink of sleep, and here I am sitting at the computer blogging. (Almost as much of a junkie as my older sister Sarah) I just realized also that almost all of my siblings are connected to blogger.com.
There is Sarah who started the whole mess with her blog, possibly the funniest place that I have ever been on the internet. SevenVillageIdiarts is her blogs name and really I'm not kidding when I say that there is some real comic genius there. Sometimes maybe at your expense but mostly at her own and different things that have happened in her life. She has a really strong sense of remembrance and can make any situation funny. Love her blog and wouldn't give checking it out everyday for anything.
Michael, next in line from me, blogs with his girlfriend Becca, a very very nice girl that someday I hope to be able to call sister also. Their blog is Beccaandmike, also another great place to catch up on their lives and what is happening down in St. George. Those two lead a very interesting and fun life together. Never sure where they might be whether in Southern California or just down in the parents basement playing XBox 360. Love them both and have to also check their blog everyday.
I have this place on the internet that I like to call home, and if you are reading this you probably know that this is GooldisGood. Maybe not as exciting as Sarah but do like to poke fun at the world in my own kind of way. Don't ever blog about your parents, I think one of my blogs, intended for fun, ran my own mother off. Mom it was just for fun.
Tonight, or should I say this morning, while checking some e-mails I realized that 2 more of the seven have blogger identities. Hopefully to expound here really soon, the baby Eric and the only other sister Briana. It might be harder for these two to blog but I am excited to see how their blogger identities turn out and how much fun it will be to check up on their lives.
There are only two other siblings who need blogger identities and then all seven will be connected through blogger.com. Jonathan who is living in Alaska, how do we get him to become connected? What special insights can we use to embarrass him enough that he has to answer back to all of us here on blogger.com. Once we get him started I know that there will be no turning back. I wrote a life story compilation called The misadventures with Jonathan. So I know that he has the comicness to come and write some great info. Then there is Daniel and I can realize why he hasn't connected yet. I am waiting patiently until after December when he comes home from Panama to see all the other kids connected on blogger and realize that he too must become one of us.
So brothers and sisters keep it up it is wonderful to be able to catch up with everyone this way. Please keep blogging and letting the rest of us know how your lives are treating you.

Patience

I can't believe how much we have become a number society. It seems everywhere that you go everything is a number. Go to eat and you have to take a number. Go to the hardware store and the counter help wants you to take a number. Why not just brand us with some number and that would solve all the problems. Where did the personal help go? Why can't we take time out of our so busy life styles to actually enjoy life?

A man let me go ahead of him in the movie store because he realized that I had two kids with me and he was all alone. I really appreciated his gesture and couldn't pass it up the second time that he had to offer. I think he realized his huge mistake after I got to the counter and started checking out. The counter help just wanted to confirm that I had a "Blue-ray player", "what I asked? Do I have what?" "well you are renting only one blue ray disc." So we had to go back and find another movie for Ariana but she couldn't figure out why we could not rent the movie that she wanted to. This whole time the man at the counter is patiently waiting, while the younger man by himself is also waiting. I feel sorry for people that have any patience in this world and are nice enough to let a father and his two kids jump in line because they are already cranky. I just can't be so nice, because once I get them into the car all that I have to do to drown them out is turn the radio up a little louder so that I can't hear them. Then I start singing really loud, kids really hate when their parents sing extremely loud, must be that whole parents are nerds. My four year old once asked me to be quiet while the two year old was making the universal shhhhh sign for some peace. I do love the kids but sorry babes when I am driving I am in full control and I will enjoy the music rather than the screaming that is usually going on in the back seat. Soon enough I will be able to tell you live with it or walk home.

Kids...Fireworks...Boy Scouts

Tried to teach my kids something new today. You can't point lit fireworks, sparklers or those morning glory things at people. There really are some important lessons in life that will take a long time for them to learn. I still remember a river rafting trip in Alaska, the infamous Gulkana week-long rafting trip. Possibly one of the very funnest and most exciting scout outings that I have ever been on. One of the kids parents didn't ever have this so important life lesson with him prior to going on this trip. Roman candles (very sweet fireworks) are much more dangerous than the stuff you can buy in Utah. They, roman candles, are not made for pointing at people, but then again why would someone buy a firework that you have to hold and shoots out projectiles other than to point it at someone. I can hear the voice of reason coming from some of "other" parents saying Paul you were supposed to be teaching those two not to do this sort of thing. Well the good thing is they will not be old enough to read this blog for a very long time and by then they will understand why their father was having second thoughts about the whole pointing fireworks at other humans. In close proximity it is not a very intelligent or good thing at all, but going from one river raft to another is not that bad of an idea. I honestly believe that if the scouting officials actually knew what went down on scouting outings in our Alaska troop our sponsorship would have been pulled faster than ... well lets just say that I don't think we ever followed any scouting protocol on any scout outings. I don't think that the scouts condone; R-rated movies (or even the fact of taking a troop of boy scouts away from scout camp to go to the movies), fireworks (you can do a lot of dangerous things with fireworks). They are more into the whole torture young men with any form of torture they can come up with and we can turn it into a "merit badge". Don't get me wrong I love the boy scout program, they do teach many life supporting attributes, but come on swimming in an Alaskan lake that only unfroze weeks prior to scout camp that is just wrong. Why at scout camp are the only heated showers those of the leaders/adults? If I ever have to tie my kids down for any reason I actually now probably 23 different knots that I could use but I still can't figure out how to connect those really intricate seat belts that hold the kids down in their car seats. Boy Scouts is one of the greatest institutions in the world, roman candles really are no fun unless they are being shot across a freezing Alaskan lake from one inflatable river raft to another inflatable river raft, and a 4-year-old running around the yard with a "morning glory" firework isn't and never will be a safe parenting practice.

Funniest projectile

Today probably the funniest thing happened, that I have seen, in a very long time. The kids are old enough, almost, that taking them to the park is relaxing. I say almost because I still have to watch them but not like a hawk, I can actually enjoy the heat and sweatiness that the 100+ degree weather brings. So back to the funniest thing, we went to the grocery store prior to the park to buy some popsicles, because it really is deathly hot in Utah right now. Anyways once at the park I let the monsters loose with their popsicles. At first they were very timid to go on any of the jungle gym equipment but that only lasted about 2 or 3 licks. Not sure which was more appealing the popsicles or the fact that they were at the park and could just let of some of that pent up energy. So I am sitting down sort of watching both of them from afar, relaxing on the parkbench. I notice Matthew, the two year old, going up to the upper part of the jungle gym to the very highest slide that there is. He has only finished like 1% of his popsicle because he is two and has the attention span of a well two year old. Sometimes a couple of hours after we finish eating you will find him playing somewhere and he honestly looks like a chipmunk, cheeks full of food that he has calmly been holding in his cheeks since he got down from the dinner table not willing to part with those last few bites. Hilarious, he actually was choking once on food that had he had been holding in his mouth for at least 4 hours, was very hard for him to willingly spit it out into the toilet.
Back to the park, so he is on the highest part of the gym with his Popsicle and I so happen to see him go down the slide, that the last child must have left extremely well lubricated because he pretty much shot out of the end like a missile. I was very quick to get up when I saw him flying through the air. Well as you can imagine he lost control of the Popsicle and was sort of spread eagled on the wood chips with the Popsicle laying a few feet away perfectly intact. I was sure that this was going to be the end of a very short trip to the park. He calmly arose, got his bearings back, looked around a little until he located his Popsicle, looked it over calmly, picked it up blew the dirt off and quietly started sucking on the Popsicle again.
I couldn't stop laughing, he and his older sister really are the most extraordinary things in the world. They are so shy at times but at other times really are the most off the wall creatures that you can imagine.