The Grind Resumeth

This doesn't exist.

Hey people,

Free Time - that floozy - decided that it had spent far too long sitting around waiting for any of us Houghs to change our scoundrel-ish ways.  It up and left us for the total bums that we are.

(. . . though in all fairness, we are a bunch of free time-neglecting bums).

As the Houghs (I refer to us in the Third Person because it makes us sound more formidable) continue to chug along through the opening stretch of the 2012 - 2013 school year, the normal, day-to-day School Grind is beginning to set in.  This more or less means that 'newsworthy' stuff is pretty much non-existent, and for the next few weeks I will regale you with boring updates from our mundane, everyday lives.

(You're welcome.)

Check this out right here:

The Girls' Room - revamped with some wall crap and a freshly-painted dresser. . . which, OF COURSE, lost a handle during the whole painting process.  That's just how we roll, folks.

Gladiatorial combat training = perfect bedtime wind-down activity.

The other day, Kris decided to take the girls to - wait for it - SEA WORLD (surprise!) to meet up with some friends.  Here we have the Cannonball watching the Orca Spectacular, or whatever the hell it is they're calling it these days. . .

Watching the show with the Taylers (and Alayna's beau, Derrick).

I don't know what anyone's watching - I guess they didn't release Shamu and his homeboys for the show.  Maybe he's still locked up in solitary for killing that trainer or something.  Who knows.

Posing in front of a big tank of saltwater.

Perhaps they were playing 'Show Mommy Your Salty Ol' Fisherman Face'. . .?

Because it wouldn't be a true The Houghs Post without a series of ridiculous videos of our kids doing weird crap:

So, this bush - Monster Bush, as I like to call it - we have hanging out in front of our house is, by all accounts, the most f***ed up looking bush I've ever seen.  You may not be able to tell from the picture, but it stands a sound 15 feet in the air, and it's diameter is probably somewhere in the 'Rhode Island' neck of the woods.  Anyway, I have to trim the damn thing every week, practically, and the other day I came out and noticed that Monster Bush was leaning far a kilter.  Who knows why.

. . . after being hedged for about a half an hour.

Seriously, if anyone knows how to straighten a gigantor thorn bush, I'm all ears, folks.

Pasta art. . .?

Loading the kids up on the way home from Sunchild. . .

(Fortunately she doesn't know how to start the car. . .)

Abby begins eating her art project. . .

. . . and that's all for this time.

- Brian

Flabbergasted

hey kids.

i was going to write about this yesterday, but, after a full day of work and a full stint of ridiculous ESOL education shortly thereafter, by the time i finally made it back to my humble abode last night it was nearly 8pm. and by that time, dear readers, i didn't feel like doing anything but having a drink and going to bed.

you see, i had about four hours of sleep tuesday night. i'm sure many of you did as well. after following the primaries and general election for the last 21 months - most likely closer than most americans and those of you who read this (though i know of plenty of exceptions and like-minded souls on either side of the partisan line) - i felt like it was my solemn duty to see this crapfest through... all the way to the end. that meant staying up to watch the polls close, and staying up even later to watch the speeches. perhaps not the most impressive of feats to some, but this guy - me - has the internal clock of an old man... and gets to wake up every morning at 5am and spew learning at barbarian teenagers all day long. furthermore, like i've said before, on wednesdays i also get to attend a three hour ESOL (english as a second language) instructional method course directly after work. loads of fun wednesdays are.

(pfft.)

anyway, i'm not about to go into a political rant here, folks, so don't worry. nobody wants that. the purpose of me writing this is to vocalize a concern i'm sure a great deal of us now have at this point in time:

what the hell do we do with all of our spare time now?

some folks aren't 'news' people. they don't care that much, they find it boring, whatever. more power to 'em. me? i'm a 'news' person. can't get enough of the crap, even if it is biased, dramatized and skewed beyond all rational thought. i used to religiously check online and read the headlines at least a few dozen times a day. i'd watch political analysts and chief strategists on tv, i'd listen to experts on NPR, i'd watch the polls and track the electoral map during whatever spare moment i could get my hands on. and now that barack obama has clenched the presidency, i'm at a loss.

i have absolutely nothing to focus my attention on.

work? yeah, sure. i suppose i could focus more on work. after all, kids need teaching, kids need social studies. but honestly... who enjoys devoting their free time to work? i mean really? i love my job - don't get me wrong, here - but i don't love it that much. i suppose what little free time i have now, and that i used to devote towards tracking mud-slinging through the associated press, will soon be devoted towards grad school and homework.

i can't even begin to tell all you folks how thrilled and excited i am for that hellfest to begin.

but in all seriousness, i have no idea what to do with myself now. i need to pick up a new hobby.

flabbergasted,

- brian