BRAINPAN LEAKAGE

It was a day like any other day…

Well, that’s not actually true. It was a day like any other day in the first half of January, when just enough snow fell overnight – and was still falling that morning – that the schools canceled classes and left parents of Elementary school kids scrambling to make arrangements. Of course, what with me working from home – I mean, after all, you can write a book pretty much anywhere if you try, so why not at home… But anyway, what with me working from home there wasn’t as much scrambling as there was re-planning.

You see, I can’t work when I have people in my house.

This is not to say that I don’t love having E K and the O-spring at home. I do. Problem is, they are a distraction, even when they are trying very hard not to be. Either they end up making some sort of oddly repetitious noise that is at just the right frequency for me to be able to hear, or I just can’t concentrate because I’d rather be doing something with them than working.

The long and short of it being, on snow days I don’t get any writing done. I find other work to do. Used to be I’d play scrabble, monopoly, or something else with the O-spring. But these days she’s in that zone where dad is only cool if he has something she wants… you know… like money, or an orange that’s already been peeled and sectioned.

Therefore, on this particular day I parked myself in my office to do other work that comes along with the whole author gig. Answering interview questions, doing research, reminding myself to pay my HWA dues then getting sidetracked and forgetting. That reminds me, I need to do that…

Everything seemed to be plugging along okay. O-spring with her nose buried in her new Nook. O-spring singing. O-spring going all Rembrandt on some paper with her oil pastels. And me, sitting in my office, working and forgetting to do things I need to do.

Then I heard it.

“Heard what?” you ask.

The thing that strikes fear into the hearts of parents everywhere.

“Dad?” came the voice from the next room.

“Whatcha’ need, kiddo?” I asked.

“Ummm… Do we have any ‘Duck’ Tape?”

<silence> <blink> <silence>

Finally I asked, “What did you break?”

<silence>

Eventually the answer came. “Umm… Nothing…”

Snow days. Apparently it isn’t just shoveling the white stuff that’s hazardous to your heart.

More to come…

Murv

I can actually understand the reason for a census. It makes sense, it really does. Some of the questions that some of us will be asked, however, I do have problems with.

But, that’s a different topic and one that I will deal with myself.

Right now, I’m interested in the money.

Now, since I know that a census is necessary, I know that the money has to be spent to take one. No biggie there. But, by the same token, I also know that we have a huge deficit, a president who is trying to pay for health care reform and a bailout (for which he is not ENTIRELY to blame), and we deal every day with a bastardized version of what our government really should be. However, my personal politics aren’t the issue here either… Hell, I’ve made no secret that I wrote my wife’s name in on the ballot during the last presidential election because I didn’t feel confident in any of the candidates.

No… We’re just coming back to the money…

So, although the CIA / NSA / HS data miners will probably add me to the terrorist watch lists for having the gall to post this blog, I have a question:

How much did it cost taxpayers to send out this letter and was it REALLY necessary?

Yeah, okay, that was two questions… But, come on folks. Between paper, envelopes, postage, printing, electricity, and everything that was necessary to accomplish this “pre-emptive warning of impending census” don’t you think maybe we could have paid for a few of those “snow days” or something like that?

More to come…

Murv