She’s Home

My step daughter is home from her academic trip to Europe!

I think the pilot on her flight from Dublin to Boston must have had a date or something. Either that or he has the airplane equivalent of a lead foot. The plane landed over an hour early. How sick is that? Thanks, speedy pilot!

#airTravel #airline #collegeKids #europe #Family #Kids #StepKids #Travel

Congratulations!

Harry just told us that he got his first job offer. One month and six days after graduation. Excellent work, Harry! I think I am going to burst with pride!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/robj_1971/54528555968/in/album-72177720326195140

#adultKids #collegeGraduate #congratulations #Family #grownUpKids #jobOffer #Kids #Nikon #nikonZ5 #photography #pride #proud #proudStepFather #StepKids #workForce #z5

Substack

Right folks, what are our thoughts on Substack? I subscribe to a handful of them but I only ever actually read stuff from the guitar player who used to be in The Blake Babies (and I’m just thinking that it is really getting to be time for another Blake Babies reunion record, don’t we think?) and one film photographer from youtube who lives somewhere in the wilds of New Hampshire. Truthfully, I don’t read every post from those two users but I read some of them. Sorry.

My first thought when I learned about Substack was nope, I’m too old for that shit. The Blake Babies guy is older than I am though… he’s also 100 times cooler and a lawyer (yikes) and his cred level is 100000000 times mine… though any number that quantifies your credibility is higher than my complete and total lack of credibility, right?

My second thought was… it’s an email newsletter. Anyone who would be dumb enough to subscribe to mine would mark me as spam within a couple of days of my pointless brain droppings.

Still… am I thinking about it? No… but… yeah, no.

What else, what else… new camera coming soon. The USPS tracking number says it will arrive on Saturday. That doesn’t give me any time to shoot and develop a test roll before I go on vacation, but I had already decided not to bring a film camera on vacation this time. I’m going all digital on this trip.

Part of my initial film camera attraction was using fully manual, mechanical cameras. I didn’t want any automation at all. I didn’t want anything electronic. This time? The new camera has autofocus. Oh praise be, it has autofocus! I’m getting blinder by the minute and manually focusing is a bitch. Wearing bifocals (well, progressive lenses) makes it so much worse. Now I am going to be able to autofocus with film and oh how the heavens will sing in gleeful glee.

What else? This is traditionally the longest week of the working man’s life. The full work week before a vacation. One day down, four endlessly long and painful days to go. But hey, there’s a new camera and a vacation at the end of it! There’s two carrots on the end of this week’s stick. The best part? Both kids are coming on this trip. We’re going as a full family. How cool is that? Both kids are in their 20’s and we can still get them to come on vacation with us. Life is pretty fucking cool sometimes, don’t you think?

I should join Substack and write a big article about it.

#adultKids #blogging #cameras #Family #grownKids #grownUpKids #StepKids #substack #Travel #Vacation

Travel Plans and Parental Controls

Bellana came home late last night. Late enough that I was asleep. I woke up at 4:00am for some reason and checked the driveway and her car was there. Wonderful! My step daughter is home!

By 8:30am though we had dropped her off at the airport. She’s flying to Denver, meeting a friend, and then driving back to somewhere in North Carolina. From there she’s going to Atlanta and flying to Orlando where she will meet up with the rest of us for our Disney trip the week after next.

That’s a lot of traveling!

Her flight hasn’t boarded yet, but according to flightaware.com it is still on time. Safe travels, Bellana! We love you!

On an unrelated note, I think I need to set up parental controls on my computer. I think I need to block ebay. Yeah… I bought another camera last night. What the fuck, Robert? This one is a 35mm with autofocus. It has a 50mm lens too. Bonus! I still don’t think I will take any film on our vacation, but it is pretty clear my self imposed two month film hiatus isn’t going to last more than a few days. Oh well. I tried.

While we’re on the subject of film, I got a notification from the lab I sent the last batch of film to that it arrived. That was Thursday afternoon. I was hope hope hoping that I would receive word that the scans were available yesterday but I gots nuttin’. I doubt they’ll be working over the weekend, so hopefully early next week we’ll have the results. I’m optimistic that the five medium format rolls come out okay. Four of them might at least. One of them might be a smidge under exposed. I had the light meter app on my phone set wrong during one roll. Dumb ass. Everything else (hopefully) was free of user errors or dumb ass fuck ups. Fingers crossed.

#adultKids #destination #Family #filmCameras #filmDeveloping #filmPhotography #GearAcquisitionSyndrome #grownUpKids #StepKids #travelPlans

Back to Normal

The cats were very displeased with us when we got home last night. They hid for a while before coming into the room with us but keeping their distance. By morning they were being super affectionate again. Actually, they seemed more affectionate than usual. Maybe they were just starved for attention. Two days without humans constantly baby talking to them must have seemed like an eternity.

Jen and I are both back to work. We’re both really tired. We were so busy this weekend that it feels like we need a weekend to recover from our weekend. I won’t be getting one though. This week at work has the potential to be pretty rough. Here’s hoping the universe takes it easy on little old me.

We have to put a pause on the celebration of my step son Harry for a day. Today is my step daughter Bellana’s birthday! Happy Birthday, Bellana! WOOHOOO!! A couple of weeks ago I was sad because I had a birthday that moved me from my early 50’s squarely and undeniably into my mid 50’s. Today sees a similar (though less depressing) thing for Bellana. She moves from her early 20’s squarely and undeniably into her mid 20’s. The poor thing. The poor, still very young, thing. Heh, sorry.

Apart from the birthday celebration everything is back to normal. I even looked at the long range weather forecast and as expected, it calls for rain next weekend. Of course.

#adultKids #backToNormal #backToWork #birthday #catRevenge #Family #grownUpKids #happyBirthday #homecoming #Kids #StepKids #Travel

What a Weekend

We are home. Graduation weekend is over. Two things happened. One, my step son graduated from UVM and that is amazing and he is amazing and its all amazing. Two, rain. Constant, never ending, drowning, soaking rain. The whole time. Rain sucks.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/robj_1971/54527401537/in/album-72177720326195140

https://www.flickr.com/photos/robj_1971/54528642185/in/album-72177720326195140

https://www.flickr.com/photos/robj_1971/54529218464/in/album-72177720326195140

https://www.flickr.com/photos/robj_1971/54529274693/in/album-72177720326195140

#adultKids #collegeGraduation #collegeKids #Family #graduation #grownUpKids #Kids #Nikon #nikonZ5 #StepKids #universityOfVermont #UVM #z5

Graduation Day

Today is the day! My step son graduates from the University of Vermont! I am so excited, I am so proud, I am just standing here beside myself with glee right now!

Two years ago we sat in the crowd together watching his sister graduate from UVM and now today it’s his turn. He starts grad school in the fall so his academic career isn’t over yet, but let’s not think about that today. Let’s just focus on what a fantastic achievement this is and let’s all just shower him with praise and love and congratulations.

Harry! You did it! Fantastic work!

#collegeGraduation #collegeKids #Family #graduation #grownUpKids #Kids #StepKids #universityOfVermont #UVM

Big Event This Weekend

There is a big deal happening this weekend. It’s been four years in the making. I guess technically it has been 22 years in the making but it’s the last four that really count.

My step son, Harry, is graduating from college! The University of Vermont’s commencement weekend festivities kick off tomorrow and I am so proud of Harry that I legitimately fear that I am going to spontaneously combust. Like, ka-boom and stuff. He has grown up to be such a fine human. Brilliant, kind, a deep seated hatred of donald trump the orange shit clown. He’s a far better man than I am, and this weekend is all about him. A Bachelors Degree in Psychology. Good work, Harry!

We’re heading up to Vermont as soon as I punch out of work tonight. I can’t wait to spend the weekend celebrating Harry and his accomplishment. It’s going to be a great time… even though… the forecast is calling for rain during the Sunday morning outdoor commencement ceremony. That might suck. Everything else though, I can’t wait!

#adultKids #collegeGraduation #collegeKids #commencement #Family #graduation #grownUpKids #Kids #StepKids #universityOfVermont #UVM

Bribes

Remember when bribery was illegal? That was before the nazi in chief of the fascist states of america declared that it was a smart move to let a foreign government give you an airplane as a present. Our new air force one, which will stop being air force one and become trump’s personal plane once he leaves office, assuming he leaves office before he dies.

Yeah, this country fucking sucks. Can you imagine if Barack Obama told the public he was taking a passenger jet as a gift from an Islamic nation? Fucking fascists.

Change of subject. Two things to look forward to this week. First, I have my three year post-gastric bypass surgery check in at the weight loss clinic. I expect them to tell me that I am the greatest patient they have ever had, and that no patient they’ve dealt with has ever had such overwhelming success with their post-op program. I am hoping for a plaque or something to honor me.

Of infinitely greater importance, my step son Harry is going to graduate from the University of Vermont this weekend. I am so proud I am so proud I am so proud I am so proud. Did I mention how proud I am? We’ll be heading up there after work on Friday. I am really looking forward to it. I don’t know if you can tell by the context of this paragraph, but I am really proud of Harry.

Okay, Robert. Back to work with you.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/robj_1971/54514909030/in/datetaken/

#365 #365Challenge #365Project #bribe #bribery #Cat #collegeGraduation #collegeKids #Family #gastricBypassSurgery #graduation #grownUpKids #health #Kids #Kitty #magaIsACult #Nikon #nikonZ5 #photoADay #photoADayChallenge #photoADayProject #photography #Politics #robin #StepKids #trumpIsAFascist #trumpIsANazi #trumpIsEvil #z5

The Visit is Over

The kids left. It was a bit less than an hour ago. Apple’s Find My app tells me they just merged onto route 89. I miss them. I always miss them.

I didn’t sleep well last night. It’s going to be a long day today. Blah, says I.

#collegeKids #emptyNest #Family #grownKids #grownUpKids #Kids #StepKids

Rain

The kids are at a concert with their father and their step mother. Jen is working. I’m sitting in the living room typing this and looking at a sleeping cat or two.

I want to shoot film at sunrise but I can’t because New England in April means rain on the weekends. Not just the weekends, of course, it just seems that way. Every Thursday or Friday I start looking forward to the weekend and I check the weather forecast and it’s always the same. It is always rain. Rain and gloom. Even the Red Sox have been in a rain delay for the last hour and a half or so.

I wish I could have made it into the city to join in on the Hands Off demonstrations today, but the kids were here and I would rather be with the kids than almost anything so I happily stayed home. One of these days there will be a certain ridiculously tall old person with red hair in one of those Boston throngs, I promise.

Until then, here’s a photo of Lily that I took a few minutes before she jumped up onto the ottoman and curled herself into a ball and fell asleep.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/robj_1971/54432778705/in/datetaken/

I think Jen and I are going to do dinner via DoorDash tonight. It’s a special day for us so we need to do something nice to celebrate. 18 years ago today, on April 5, 2007, we went on our first date. As special days go, today is a big one. I love her so much, and it all kicked off 18 years ago today. Our relationship is old enough to vote, assuming the u.s. will still have elections… you know… nazis in charge and all. Oh shit, I just brought politics into my happy first-date-aversary message. Fuck me. Sorry about that.

#adultKids #Cat #collegeKids #Family #firstDate #firstDateAnniversary #firstDateaversary #grownKids #grownUpKids #handsOff #handsOffBoston #handsOffDemonstrations #handsOffProtests #iphoneography #Jen #Kids #Kitty #marriage #photography #Politics #StepKids #trumpIsAFascist #trumpIsANazi #trumpIsEvil

All Quiet… For Now

Despite the weirdness of my previous post, the potentially odd omen of the cat in the sink has not foretold of anything weird happening today… so far, at least.

It’s been a quiet day so far. I’m just getting off of my lunch break so there is still plenty of time for things to go south. I mean, the president placed tariffs on penguins yesterday so… yeah. Anything is possible at any time.

The Red Sox have won two in a row and their home opener (against the Cardinals) is about to start. The Bruins have now lost 10 in a row (one of them in overtime, the rest in regulation). I don’t know what to think. I will focus on the positive trend for the Sox and listen to today’s game while I work. They are 3-4 on the season. It’s too early to worry about things like the American League East standings, but they are currently tied for last place (with Baltimore), two games back of the first place Blue Jays. At least Geddy Lee will be happy.

The kids are coming home tonight. We thought they were coming home last night but there was some miscommunication. Last night’s loss is tonight’s gain. They will be here tonight, go to their father’s sometime tomorrow, and then I think come back here afterward. Then Sunday they will go back to Vermont. I am very happy we’ll get to see them. Very happy.

Okay, it’s 2:00pm now. Time to get back to work. Talk to you all later. Until then, remember that donald trump is a nazi who can’t do math. Loser.

#Baseball #Bruins #collegeKids #emptyNest #Family #grownUpKids #Hockey #homeOpener #homecoming #Kids #losingStreak #NHL #openingDay #RedSox #StepKids

Kids Weekend

Jen and the kids are texting back and forth about this weekend. They are coming home for a quick visit! I love it. I don’t have any details yet so I don’t know when or where or how or what, I just know it’s in the works.

It’s like flashing back to 2007 when we were splitting custody with the kids’ father and we had them half of the time and he had them half of the time. Literally. We alternated days. I think… and I am straining my tiny little brain to bring up these memories… we had the kids on Sundays and half of the day on Saturday… or did we have them on Fridays and then the first half of Saturday… I’m pretty sure we had them for half of every Saturday. The other six days of the week alternated between houses.

That was the schedule when I first came into the picture. The kids were age six and four at that time. I was still in my 30’s (which seems laughable for some reason… youngin’). Eventually we changed the schedule to one where they were at one house for two days, then the other for two days, and then the remaining three days would alternate. That way on any given week they would have five straight days in the same house, and each week those five days would be in a different house. It worked.

Sometimes when I think back over the years I feel sad about the time I missed. Six whole years… why couldn’t I have met Jen earlier and been around to know the kids when they were babies? Then I stop feeling like that and just feel overwhelmingly thankful for the time I have had. What a gift that time has been. What a perfect, magical, brilliant gift that Jen and Bellana and Harry have given me. They’ve let me be a small piece of their lives. I am eternally grateful for that gift. I will never be able to express how thankful I am, how honored I am, how touched I am. Really… being in their lives has been better than anything I could have ever hoped that anything could ever be. Put simply, I am just a dumb ass red head. What did I do to deserve a blessing like this? What did I do to deserve the love of three such exceptional people? I don’t know. If I did I would bottle it and sell it and be a gazillionaire. Seriously.

I guess what I am trying to say here is that I am going to see the kids this weekend and I am really happy about it.

#collegeKids #emptyNest #Family #grownUpKids #homecoming #Kids #StepKids

Weird Week Coming Up

Happy Monday, everyone. Mondays suck, but what can you do?

This week is gonna be a weird one for us here at the Inside the Red Head’s Head family. Yup.

First off, contractors. Yet another contractor is coming to the house today. Just routine maintenance. It’s not even 8:00am and by all rights I should be in the shower right now but I am not because the contractor just told us he’s on his way. He may even be done before I start the work day. How crazy is that?

There are two contractors on the books for tomorrow. One is coming to fix a leak in our dishwasher. I am so mad about that leak that I cannot even think straight, but fingers crossed it will be back to normal tomorrow. The question of whether I will ever trust it again is still outstanding. The other contractor scheduled for tomorrow was for the same issue. I have to cancel it, but it’s the same service that is coming today and I had this nasty feeling that if I cancelled Tuesday’s appointment they would accidentally cancel Monday’s and hijinx would ensue.

Contractor visits are just one of the weird things going on this week. The other has to do with a hotel. Jen’s company is running a conference this week in Boston. They booked rooms for their staff and that includes my beloved bride. I took a half day off of work today so that I could bring her to the hotel in time for whatever they have planned this afternoon. I am hoping that I will be able to squat at the hotel with her at night, though I have to work from home tomorrow (see above) and I have to work in the office for the rest of the week. The end result is, I am going to be doing a lot of Boston driving this week. I am okay with that… I just need to know where to go, you know? Jen has the details so it will be fine.

Other than that… my step son was here yesterday but he’s already left to go back to Vermont. He is on spring break this week but he is scheduled to work a ton. No extended visit this time but I am very happy to have seen him yesterday. I do love it when my step kids are here.

It’s now 8:00am. The contractor called about 25 minutes ago saying he was on his way. Here’s hoping he gets here soon and can wrap up the job quickly. Fingers eternally crossed.

#busyWeek #collegeKids #conference #contractor #Family #grownUpKids #homeMaintenance #hotel #Kids #maintenance #routineMaintenance #springBreak #StepKids #toDoList #work

Still On… So Far

First, allow me to say thank you to Lily the cat for sitting still this morning so that I could take a picture of her in the mostly dark room without the iPhone’s low light functionality turning her into a blurry mess. Thanks, Lily Pad!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/robj_1971/54375418885/in/datetaken/

Next, all of my Sunday plans are still on. Fingers crossed it stays that way. No word about canceling band practice. No one has backed out, and our meet time is less than two hours away. It’s never going to be back to normal if we can’t get at least two weeks in a row in, know what I mean?

Fingers crossed.

My step son is coming over today. He’s not here yet. I hope he gets here before I leave for practice, but if he doesn’t that’s fine too. I’ll have the whole day post-practice to hang around with him.

#Cat #collegeKids #emptyNest #grownUpKids #iphoneography #Kids #Kitty #lily #lizardfish #Music #photography #StepKids

Good Day on Tap

There’s a good chance that tomorrow, Sunday, is going to be a good day. My step son is coming home tomorrow morning. We’ll spend nearly the whole day with him. I have a band practice that I am looking forward to but trying not to be overly excited about. See my post on the subject from earlier.

I just had one of my sugar free bakery cookies and it was goooood.

Yeah, Saturday was super busy and stressful. Sunday, I hope, should be a little more relaxing. Fingers crossed at least.

For now though, I’m going to bed. G’Night, Moon.

#BandPractice #collegeKids #Family #Kids #plans #StepKids #Sunday #toDoList

Saturday Plans?

Normally, one of the first things I do when I get up on a Saturday morning is start to make a list of things that need to be accomplished over the course of the day. Well, it’s Saturday now and it’s about quarter past seven in the morning. Time to make that list….

You heard me, red head… time to make that list…

Whenever you’re ready…

Yeah, I have nothing. Nothing on the agenda today at all.

The good news is, tomorrow we’re going to have a visit from Harry. I guess the agenda today is to just get ready for his visit. I can do that.

#agenda #collegeKids #Family #Kids #plans #StepKids #toDoList #visit

It is Going to Snow

We had plans to go to Vermont My step son celebrated his birthday on Tuesday and we were going to go see him for a slightly belated birthday lunch.

That was before the winter storm warning was announced and the forecast started calling for maybe 10 inches of snow.

Eight days ago we were in Florida and it was 88 degrees out.

Winter sucks.

#birthday #collegeKids #Family #forecast #Snow #StepKids #stepSon #Weather #winter

RPM Challenge Day 4/28

Nothing.

I had a really bad day and went to bed early, thinking I would get a good night’s sleep, but then I woke up super early and spoiled the whole plan. Shit.

I did get to wish my step son a Happy Birthday. I think I wished my nephew a Happy Birthday too. I sent him a text, discovered he has a new phone number, got his new phone number, sent another text, he didn’t respond. We called my sister’s phone to wish him a happy but he wasn’t home so we called his phone because my sister said his voicemail was setup but his voicemail wasn’t set up. I speak now directly to my nephew… I really hope you got that text. If not, Happy Birthday!!

That’s my whole day in a nutshell. Birthdays, back pain, stomach pain, first day back to work. Yippee. Today is an in the office day so it’s going to suck on so many levels.

Happy Merry and shit, everyone! WOOHOO!

#birthdays #collegeKids #Family #Guitar #Kids #Music #nephew #Recording #RpmChallenge #rpm2025 #SongWriting #StepKids #textMessages #voicemail