Laser Tag Fun

Little Kat decided he wanted to have a laser tag party instead of a birthday party this year. He invited a bunch of his friends. Momoko reserved a "party" at the local laser tag arena. She also picked up a few of Little Kat's friends that did not have a ride. That meant that I needed to drive there as well with Kit Kat in tow.

Everyone chose a code name (Little Kat was 030) that their points would be listed under. The parents headed up to the sky box for parties that overlooked the arena. The kats got suited up and learned the rules of laser tag. Kit Kat and Little Kat had been there before. Their scores were pretty high.

I went down with an empoyee and picked out 5 flavors of Pepsi drinks. The kats played two 20 minutes games and were knocked out. They chugged down much drink. Momoko had also ordered 4 pizzas. Every piece was eaten in no time at all. One kat brought his little bro and sis. We included them in the party and hooked them up with soda and pizza.

Kids got a work out. There was not much clean up. Even though it was not an official birthday party, Little Kat got a bunch of cards. I was happy that the few girls Little Kat did invite accepted and showed up. Good times.

Don't Be a Chicken

I was reading an article about creating a good product to sell. The final word from the author was very funny. He said, "Don't be a chicken." Chickens live in cages. They can't have personalities in there. His advice? Smash that cage and light the barn on fire!

Gerbil Wars

The kids have off from school today and tomorrow. Momoko decided to bring the gerbils from her class home for the long weekend. Kit Kat was excited. Little Kat and Momoko see the school gerbils every day. But Kit Kat and I see them every few months.

Kit Kat played with the gerbils for most of the night and afternoon. I had to go to sleep early because a plumber was scheduled to call early the next morning. Momoko stayed up to watch TV or play some games. I was surprised in the morning. Momoko had not come to bed. When I came downstairs, she told me the two youngest gerbils had been fighting all night. Momoko had to separate them and supervise.

This is strange because the gerbils have lived togehter in peace for most of their lives. Was it the extra attention from Kit Kat driving them wild>? Or maybe it was hte new smaller cage at home that had them off their game. We might have to keep these gerbils separate until things calm down.

Meeting Rain Man

Momoko had to go somewhere today. So I had to pick up Little Kat after school. He found me waiting by the gym. We started walking to my car. Some boy grabbed my arm and asked who I was. I asked him why he wanted to know. He again asked my name. So I answered him. He continued asking me questions, and I kept asking questions back.

Initially I thought the student with questions mistook me for a teacher. Then after the barage of questions I figured out what was going on. I worked with a guy like this kid before. It was the Rain Man syndrome. Good thing I had experience with situations like this. I found a way out and said goodbye before I could be attacked with more questions. As we arrived at the car, Little Kat told me the kid had autism, and it was tough to get out of a conversation with him.

We got home in good time. Little Kat and I were scheduled to drive to the park and ride bikes. It looked like it might rain. And Little Kat was tired from playing football in gym. So we just rode around on our own street. We went to the top of the street and saw a school bus. Little Kat thought it might be Kit Kat. Her bus normally drops her off further away. But yep. It was Kit Kat coming off the bus. Good timing.

Kit Kat Goes Bleaching

Momoko said that the kids bathroom had a mold problem on the ceiling. Normally Momoko does not even notice mold. So I figured it must be bad. I went upstairs and saw a massive mold invasion. We cleared the kids calendar for the weekend and had them bleach.

Normally in these situations, Kit Kat takes over. Little Kat just provides an assist. This was a job for bleach. I am not talking about the watered down Chlorox cleanup spray. We needed a direct application of bleach to cure this problem. It is a health issue.

Kit Kat got up on the stool. She wiped down the ceiling with 100% pure bleach. That did the trick. Half way through the job, Momoko had Kit Kat come out to take a break. You can't breathe bleach fumes for long without it affecting your lungs. Little Kat helped out by opening all the windows upstairs. Luckily we have an exhaust fan in the kids' bathroom.

Now you could not tell that there was ever any bleach on the ceiling. The thing is crispy white. Last thing to do is to check whether Kit Kat got the mold that was on the wallpaper. I recommended wallpaper removal. But the kids and Momoko opted to bleach the wallpaper too.

Lunch Deals

I was tired when I woke up this morning. So I decided to work at home. You would think this means I could be lazy today. No such luck. The second I started work, the phone started ringing. People from work needed to talk with me.

The calls lasted up to and through the lunch hour. I wanted to get some food. So I finally got the people off the phone and bolted to lunch. I was in the mood for a steak and cheese sub. The best one costs over $10 if you factor in the drink and fries. And that is not even a foot long sub either.

Then I recalled seeing some lunch specials at the local Chinese food place. I decided to give it a try. I ordered General Tso Chicken. It comes with fried rice and egg roll. I even decided to add a hot and sour soup to the order. The total came out to $7. Normally this amount of food costs $13 at this restaurant. Nice deal.

Work and School

I had some forms to fill out and sign at work. Then I needed to get them to someone in another office. Easy. I would just scan them in and email them. Doh. They replaced the printer/scanners with new ones. The new ones don't work. Fail.

I did not let that stop me. I tracked down a FAX number and FAXed my forms away. Then I saw a small note on the bottom of the FAX machine saying they are going to replace that too. No. Don't do it people. I need to stay in touch with the remote team.

Tonight is my college class night. I debated when to leave work. Sometimes I like grabbing a bite to eat before my night class. The class runs late sometimes. Today I got some emails and text stating that the school lost power and classes were cancelled. Good thing I signed up for this alert system. I was sad because we are already a bit behind in class. This week's chapter was confusing. I needed to have that class.

Amusement Park Day

It took us two hours to drive to the amusement park. Kit Kat was falling asleep in the back seat. Little Kat and I had not eaten yet. We got there early in the afternoon. Upon arrival, we made a bee line to the food pavillion. Little Kat and I grabbed some hot dogs. I also got some chicken. I was disturbed that there was no hot choice for the chicken.

For dessert, Little Kat and I got large plates of salads. We headed up the high tower in the middle of the park. I stayed close to the center of the high rise. I stayed up there as long as I could. The elevator going down started off with a surprising initial drop.

Next we waited in line to ride the fun go karts. This was a huge line. We must have been there for at least 2 hours. It was worth it. Kit Kat was the first one out of the gates. I power passed Little Kat a few times. He returned the favor passing me when I got jammed up in traffic.

We let Little Kat drive us in an old time car through the woods. Finally Kit Kat and Little Kat went on this spider looking thing that keeps rotating round and round. They rode that ride twice. On the second time, the ride ended early. I took that as a sign for us to leave the park. We did not get back home until late at night.

Amusement Park Day

My company rents out an amusement park every year for its employees. We are the only ones allowed in during that day. Today is that day. There will be free food in a massive pavillion. Even the premium rides that usually cost extra will be free.

Momoko is sick today. So she will have to stay home. Me and the kids are going to the park to have fun. We all like the go karts. Kit Kat wants to ride the bumper cars. Little Kat wants to take a ride up the elevator that takes you to the overlook high in the sky. You can see the whole park from up there.

Both Kit Kat and Little Kat like this spider ride where you spin round and round. I take a pass on that ride. We try to skip the newer rides because their lines are long. Last time Kit Kat brought a friend and they waited 2 hours in line for a new roller coaster. And now ... time to go visit the park.

Day for Thor

Momoko is sick this weekend. She spent the night sleeping downstairs. I came down in the morning to do some work. That woke Momoko up. She told me she needed a favor. I thought she might need some ice water. Nope. She needed some food from McDonald's. Doh.

I did some studying for my college class. Then I rallied the kids to clean up the house. I had my bro coming over to watch some DVDs including Thor. The house needed some straightening up. Before I could watch the movie, Kit Kat said she needed a ride to her friend's house.

We drove Kit Kat to her friend's. Her friend was baking some goodies when we arrived. My bro and I got a little lost on the way home after we dropped off Kit Kat. We eventually found our way out. Kit Kat plans to spend the night with her friends tonight. Again after dinner Momoko needed some food. I got her fomr shrimp fried rice. Let's hope she don't need a midnight snack.

Friday Night Out

It had been a long week today. I was the only guy who actually came into the office today. So I figured I would leave right at quitting time. At home I saw a weird shaped package. Turns out it was Kit Kat's new acoustic guitar she bought to help with her guitar class at school.

I had planned to meet up with my bud tonight. We went to eat steaks at the Outback. Kit Kat also made plans to eat at Subway after school with her friends. Momoko wanted the all you can eat shrimp at Red Lobster. So she and Litle Kat went early to get the good shrimp.

After dinner, I returned home to find Kit Kat had left to go ice skating with her friends. She unrwappedher guitar. Momoko thinks it is a bit small. I like the deep blue color of it. On a totally separate note, have you seen the Jedi Kittens Strike Back video? You got to love the X-wing and Tie-fighter planes.

Interview Time

Kit Kat has slowed down her job search. We wanted her to get a job for the summer. It never materialized. Kit Kat thinks she might have a chance since students may have left their prior jobs to concentrate on school now.

Recently Kit Kat submitted a job application for a party store. You know the kind. They sell costumes, cards, balloons and such. She was very excited to get a call back from the manager at the store. Today Kit Kat went in for an interview. Let's hope she gets a call back for a job.

Momoko thought Kit Kat should dress up in some sort of costume, as the employees of the store do around Halloween. I thought that was a bad idea. You got to put forward a professional image when looking for a job. Luckily Kit Kat agreed and wore her best professional attire. Good luck Kit Kat. A part time job could come in handy methinks.

Mini Microwave

Momoko said she needed a microwave in her classroom. Previously they had been banned from school because they take up too much power costs. But it seems some teachers are going back to having them in their rooms. Momoko decided to join them. She enlisted me to buy one for her, and deliver it after hours when not many people were around.

I had initially planned to buy one after work. But things were hectic at work. So instead I snuck out at lunch to pick one up from Walmart. They had a really small floor model. I bought one that was a little bigger. I thought I would need the truck, but I fit it in my car.

After work I drove straight to Momoko's school. I pulled out my dolly. Then I wrapped the microwave box in a big blanket and tied it down. I rolled the thing into Momoko's classroom. She had a nice spot that was a good fit behind her desk. We gave it a test, and it heated up the rotating plate. All systems go. Little Kat hid the thing with cardboard before we left the school.

Yard Maintenance Day

Normally I spend Sundays cutting the grass. But I had a long list of other items to take care of today. I started by working on my car. There were some pieces of plastic hanging down under my car. I used some string and duct tape to secure those pieces to the car. Next I went to the front garden and secured Kit Kat's rose bush. It has been falling over during storms. I staked the thing down with three small stakes. If that does not work, we are going to need to seriously trim this bush.

After that, I worked on the latch to the gate separating the front and back yards. The concrete guys took off the gate to pour the new driveway concrete. When they put it back, the latch would not close correctly. I moved the latch to a new location on the gate. Secured the thing with four little screws. It works like a charm now.

My main chore this day was to deal with some of the erosion in the back yard. I set up a water collector in the ground made of crushed rock. I funneled this to a new PVC pipe in the ground that diverts the water to the bottom of the hill. I reinforced the sides of the pipe with lumber to keep it strong.

G-Man Upstaged

Some basketball team has a mascot named G-Man. He is a dude with a full body blue uniform. One night at the basketball game, G-Man uses a trampoline to dunk the basketball. They get what seems to be randomly picked dudes from the audience to try to dunk as well.

These guys try their best. But they fail to do the dunk. Then it comes down to the last guy. His name is Eddie. He seems to be very interested in his cell phone call. He does not stop talking on his cell phone, even when he is running up to do his trampoline dunk. It is hilarious what happens next. You got to see this video.

Creepy Building

I woke up early this morning because a plumber was supposed to come by. I went in the kitchen and was disturbed because there was a puddle on the floor. There was a melting ice cube there. Sounded like a Little Kat issue. The plumber called and said he was busy with emergencies like flooded basements. So he could not make it today. Fail.

I ordered some beef fried rice and hot-n-sour soup for lunch. There was no menu for the Chinese place at home. I picked one up when I got my food. Doh! They had lunch specials. Great. I got overcharged by ordering a la carte. Oh well.

Kit Kat was late coming home from school. She stays a little late on Fridays for some club. But it was 6pm and I had not heard from her. Momoko saw the hmoe phone flashing. It was Kit Kat calling. She tried to eat over her friend's house. Nope. We had business tonight.

Kit Kat drove the family to the local armory. We wanted to check whether it was a place that Little Kat could hang out with other middle schoolers. Kit Kat parked the car next to the building, and said it looked creepy. Little Kat agreed. Inside there were a lot of cheerleaders renting out the gym. The place was pretty much empty otherwise.

Little Kat liked the billiards room. I thought it would be good for Little Kat to hit the gym there. He is too young though. We saw no middle schoolers in the place. I think that means this will be a no go for now. You have to pay to be able to use the facilities.

Teen Club

Momoko thought it might be a good idea to send Little Kat to the local teen club. Kit Kat could join too. So we scheduled to make a visit today. Kit Kat drove us. Momoko directed her. We ended up at the city municipal building.

This was the wrong place. I thought we had previously determined the teen event happened at the Armory in town. Nope. Momoko said the place we wanted to be was the former community center. The municipal building was definitely not the community center.

It was turning into a check out fail. Momoko remembered the name of the street that the community center was on. I happened to know where that street was. But that did not seem like a high probability win. Momoko made Kit Kat drive us there anyway. It turns out we found the place.

There was not much going on. They had a basketball court. There was an exercise room with a lot of expensive looking machines. Finally they had a game room with billiards, ping pong, and fooz ball. On the way home, Kit Kat almost hit another car that was making a turn. Kit Kat had turned her head to look behind us. Momoko and I screamed. We slowed down in time.

Goodbye Frozen Foods

The hurricane knocked out our power for a whopping 5 days. We kept our huge freezer closed the entire time. But the food could just stay frozen the whole time. We decided to let the freezer refreeze the stuff that thawed out. Even so, it still all had to be thrown out.

We waited until tonight because tomorrow is trash day. The kids double bagged the stuff that looked like it may melt in the trash can. Then we put everything (including the stuff already double bagged) into big trash bags that themselves were double bagged. Let's hope this stuff does not leak out into the trash cans tonight.

The family used Mean Green to clean out the freezer shelves. The biggest pain will be when Momoko goes to the store and starts to replace all the frozen foods we lost. This freezer is a huge stand alone one. It is as big or bigger than a standard fridge/freezer combo.

Picking up Sticks

Now that we have out power restored, it was time to clean up the mess from the hurricane. Leaves and tree parts were everywhere. I first decided to use the leaf blower to move the leaves off the concrete. The leaves were all over the new driveway and the patio.

Next I used the grabber tool to pick up sticks around the yard. There were not that many out front. The back yard was filled with sticks. I created a huge pile of them on the patio. Eventually I will chop them up and throw them out.

Finally I used the lawn mower to cut the grass and pick up the leaves. That was some hard work. I finished the front yard. I started the back. But I was coming up on the 4 hour mark of working outside. A buddy was coming over to go out. So I had to leave the rest of the back yard for later.

Big Power Outage

The recent hurricane took out a lot of trees in the area. That resulted in power lines down all over the places. We lost power Saturday night. It did not get restored until a whopping 5 days later. They closed some of the roads down due to the fallen trees.

We managed to stay cool by opening the windows at night. Flashlights and candles illuminated the way at night. Little Kat and Momoko could not stand the heat in the bedrooms. They slept down on the main level. We used iPhones to act as alarm clocks.

Kit Kat and Little Kat went over their friends' houses to charge up their electronics. Momoko and I did the same at work. The contents of the fridge went bad pretty quickly. We kept the essentials on ice in coolers. The hope was that the freezer contents would last. It was not opened. I fear that the frozen foods will need to be thrown out too.