Our Consecutive Game Streak Is at an End

This morning when I dropped Colter off at pre-school, it marked the end of our longest consecutive-day-spent-together streak. He was with me for seven(!) consecutive days. Momma took a little vacation herself after I got back from Boston. We've never spent more then five days together in a row since the separation last year. I'm not complaining, mind you, we had a great time together. It's just that we have a very unique custody arrangement. Colter's mom actually lives in the same building as me. He's with one of us for two days, back to the other and back again for the weekend, and then it repeats. So while his days away from me are not very far, neither is he; he's literally sleeping two floors below me when he's not in his own bed here.

I have the utmost respect for you single moms and dads who must do this day in and day out, and many with more than one child. I couldn't imagine not having the help I do with C's mom here, and even my own mom when she's not playing snowbird and hiding from the snow and cold. Had I known he was going to be this much fun and this wonderful, maybe we could have brought him in the world when I was 25 instead of 35. Maybe I'd be able to keep up with him a little better!

I love you buddy. See you Wednesday night.
Love, Dad.

Last One Out, Close the Gate

Yellowstone's roads will the be closed on November 4th, so I thought I would take the chance to take my last available weekend to go to the park. One of the best things about this time of year is the crowds. As in, there are none. It's you and about six other people. No crowding, no traffic snarls. Just you and the animals. Except I saw almost nothing today. Nada. Not one wolf in Lamar Valley, no bears. Just two different coyotes. One of which was, of course, mistaken by some flatlanders as a wolf. I hate to shatter their illusions sometimes. I did see Dr. James Halfpenny out today, but I don't know if he was waiting for a pack or watching one. There was nowhere for me to turn around and go back and peer over his shoulder. The full album can be found here.

What Colter & I Did Today - Colter's Perspective

All of the pictures from our hike up the Middle Cottonwood Creek trail in this slideshow are from Colter's perspective. You can see the album here.

What Colter & I Did Today - My Perspective

All of the pictures from our hike up the Middle Cottonwood Creek trail, were taken by me. You can find the album here.

Gallatin Valley Pics - Take 1

Abandoned homestead in the Gallatin Valley, north of Bozeman. Bridger Mountains in the background.

Hiking on the Last Warm Day

This time of year, in Bozeman, you have to assume every day that's fairly warm and with sunshine is the very last warm day of the year. After last weekend's 30-degree temps and three-plus inches of snow, I didn't want to take any chances of this day going to waste. We were on our way to the car for Colter's swim lessons, when he commented on what a beautiful morning it was. I agreed and told him we need to go on a hike today.

There's a new trail across from the "M," Drinking Horse Mountain. We decided to try that one. It was a fairly steep climb, but we did it in about an hour and had burgers for lunch afterward. From the top, we could see the Bridger Mountains (the range we were in), the Absorokees, the Gallatin Range, the Madisons and the Tobacco Roots.

Seventy-seven and sunny today. Next week, who knows?

a) looking west to the Tobacco Root Mountains, about 75 miles away

b) Colter at the summit, Bridger Mountains in the background

c) C and I at the summit

Only Four Months to the Day...

...since our last snowfall in Bozeman.

These pictures are a real good example of why I don't want to leave the house today. The snow started late last night and as of 9:45am, it's still going strong, and expected to continue through Sunday. Honestly, I'm surprised it took this long for us to get snow in the valley. The mountains have gotten snow already, four or five times, in fact.

It's only 67 in my place right now (I know, because that's what I have the thermostat set at and the heat just kicked on), and a brisk 33 outside. I spent most of the night watching TV sitting next to the fireplace. Yes, it was on. I also got out the BIG down comforter last night. A little bit ago, I saw one of the snowplow/sander trucks out. The dogs at the vet clinic across the street are not outside in the kennel. I have a craving for chili, or possibly vegetable beef soup. All sure signs of winter starting to make it's way to my neighborhood.

This also means that in about two days, it'll be 60, sunny and we'll forget all about the snow—for a few days.

I just realized I do have to leave and brave the cold. I have to get groceries. Especially if I want to make some chili. Darn it.

My Boy's Coming Back Home

Just got off the phone with the Ex. She and Colter have been in Minneapolis since Wednesday. They've hit the half-way point on their way home (Bismarck, ND), and Colter called to say good night. I told Colter to give me a call when they got home tomorrow. Colter's always been more of a Momma's boy, and I didn't expect him to say yes, but this surprised me, and I could hear Ex laughing loudly in the background:

"Give me a call when you get home tomorrow, ok, bud?"
"Ok, Dad."
"You know, you could stay with me tomorrow night if you wanted." ( I could hear him smiling)
"Ok, I'm sick of Mom having me."

Slideshow from Mt. Washburn Hike

Parting is a Bitch

Now that was tough. Colter and his momma are going to Minneapolis today. So I let him sleep in my bed the last two nights. The alarm went off at its usual time this morning, but since I was already cuddling with him, I hit snooze. Then again. And one more time. I couldn't let him leave my arms. After three "snoozes" we finally got up, I got him breakfast to eat while I showered. Made sure he had all the things he needed for the long drive and we headed to school.

I don't think I was doing it on purpose (or at least consciously) , but I had to go back to the car three times to get stuff we forgot to bring in. Then when it was time to say goodbye, I couldn't stop hugging him, kissing him or rubbing noses. I think he knew, because he wasn't letting go either. We'd talked about how long he was going to be gone, and I think dropping him off today, he finally realized it.

Bye bye, bud. See you in a week. Love you, Colter.
Daddy.

Why I Should't Always Drive Alone

I finally made a trip to Bannack. Bannack is a well-preserved ghost town in Montana. In fact, it was Montana's first territorial capital. It was a two hour drive, and took about two hours to tour the town. Then, faced with so much time on my hands, I decided I should probably drive to Idaho. I went south of Bannack to Lemhi Pass. I went over the pass and came into Idaho about 19 miles south of Salmon. From there it was a short 140 miles back to my campsite, up over and around the Chief Joseph Pass, back into Montana, past The Big Hole National Battlefield (which I would have stopped at--again, if it weren't already 8:00pm), through the Big Hole Watershed and back to my campsite. Only about a 180 mile trip over three mountain passes. But worth every minute. My pictures from Bannack are in the slideshow below, or you can find them here.

No Bugs, No Yogi, No Fred, and No Barney (Rubble)

It bothers me considerably that my boy will grow up in a world where things like Rocky & Bullwinkle, Bugs Bunny & Daffy Duck, Yogi Bear and even Gilligan aren't on. Oh sure, some are buried in "Gold Package" cable plans available only with the digital converter boxes, or the most expensive satellite plans. But unless you spring for the DVDs and actually *gasp* put them in, they're just not there for you when you want/need them.

Some of the wittiest men in the world wrote for some of those shows (ok, maybe Gilligan's Island shouldn't be mentioned among them). Jay Ward and Bill Scott of Rocky and Bullwinkle fame, Tex Avery and the men from Termite Terrace, like Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng and their gag men like Mike Maltese and Warren Foster were some of the wittiest men ever born. Know why the first year of the Flintstones was so good? Mike Maltese had a hand in developing the stories.

We were riding bike home from Target tonight, when for no reason at all, I started doing my Yogi voice. Colter didn't think it was very funny. I tried to explain to him, it was a bear's voice, Yogi Bear. He said there was no such thing. I told him, "sure there is! This voice I'm doing is Yogi Bear. He's a cartoon bear, and all I'm saying is 'hey, hey, Boo Boo', but in Yogi's voice."

"Nobody talks like that."

"Yogi does! And I have Yogi on DVD at home. When we get home, I'll put one in and you can hear Yogi talk."

"He talks like that?"

"Yeah, I have a bunch of Yogi cartoons."

"Are you fibbing me, Dad?"

Earthquake(?)

A couple of weeks ago when the earthquake hit southern California, I happened to be on Twitter at the time, and I knew there was one when all the tweets suddenly said "holy shit, earthquake!", "I think we just had an earthquake" and "Was that an earthquake?"

The first time I lived in Bozeman, I slept through an earthquake. "In Bozeman?", you say. Well yeah, we're only 80 miles or so north of Yellowstone, one of the most active spots on earth (in terms of numbers of measurable quakes, not so much intensity). I was asleep when I got a call from my wife at Montana State asking if I had felt it. "Uh no...I was asleep." She said she was walking across the office and it felt like walking across a waterbed. I didn't even feel the bed shake. It was over 5.0, so it wasn't like it was a teeny trembler. People were streaming out of the buildings at MSU, confusing the hell out of Jennifer.

I haven't had the "luck" to experience one yet, but I couldn't help but wonder as I went into the bathroom on Sunday, if we hadn't had one while Colter and I were on our hike:

Bloggin' on the Brain

My biggest problem with writing is that ideas don't strike me if or when I'm sitting down at the computer. They strike me in the shower, on the way home from work, while I'm trying to back-time into CBS news during the 8am hour on the Dave Visscher Radio Show with Dean Alexander (plug), or strolling the aisles at Target.

Luckily, I have my iPod Touch, so some times I'm able to jot notes down on the strange little things may be flashing through my noggin. I'll also jot down notes on any piece of paper that may be handy. I once had a napkin, a post-it note, and a torn corner from a tablet in my pocket with ideas to write.

Many times, if I'm close enough to the computer I can run over and type up a mess of thoughts, or even at work, log on, and save as a draft until I can finish the thought.

I would like to be able to write something every single night, and I'm going to work on that. Of course, that means some nights, there's going to be something as simple as, "did you ever notice how clothes that have been in the closet for awhile without being worn are really kinda stinky, even though they're actually clean? And that they all smell the same?"

That's all I've thought of for tonight.

Hiking Machine

Yesterday, Colter and mom were supposed to hike the the "M." Due to a race being run ALONG THE TOP of the Bridger Mountains, they couldn't do it (they will next Saturday). So I promised my little mountain man we'd go on a hike today. Dug into my "Dayhikes in Bozeman" book and found a 4.25 mile trail that led to an overlook.

Here we are at the summit, eating our lunch: a peanut buttered bagel and deer sticks. The pic below has part of the view. We could see four different mountain ranges from where we were. If you squint, that white dot in the distance on the Bridger Range is the "M."

Just a few minutes short of two hours round trip and just under four miles. Hiking's in this kid's blood.

Crusty Macaroni & Cheese

I got this from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune years ago. When I made it about six months ago, I went to my favorite grocery store and was told by the girl at the deli, that "they don't make American Cheese in bulk. I know, I've worked here for years." I told her I'd made this dish four or five times, so I know it exists. She was stubborn. "Nope." So I went down the street and got it. Bitch.

CRUSTY MACARONI AND CHEESE
serves 8 to 12

• 3 tbsp butter, divided
• 12 oz. extra sharp cheddar, coarsely grated
• 12 oz. American Cheese (I use white just for the color)
• 1 lb elbow pasta, boiled in salt water until just tender, drained and rinsed under cold water (I've never salted it, for what it's worth)
• 1/8 tsp cayenne, optional (I've made it both ways, and the pepper makes a big difference in just adding flavor to it, not making it hot)
• salt
• 2/3 cup whole milk

Heat oven to 375. Use 1 tbsp butter to thickly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Combine grated cheeses and set aside 2 heaping cups for topping.
In a large bowl, toss together the pasta, cheeses, cayenne and salt to taste.
Place in pan and evenly pour milk over surface.
Sprinkle reserved cheese on top, dot with remaining butter and bake uncovered 45 minutes.
Raise heat to 400 degrees and bake 15 to 20 minutes more until crusty on top and bottom.

Obviously, if you have heart issues, this isn't for you.

The Big 4-Oh!

I turned 40 today. No biggie. Just a number. But I have an incredible amount of friends on Twitter that made it a wonderful birthday. Nick asked me if I was 29 again, like he was for the 8th year. My immediate response was "Nahh...I'm taking 40 and OWNING it, cuz I think I'm still pretty fuckin' hot. LOL Got me plenty o' years left." And it's true. The number means nothing to me. It means something to both my mom and dad who today were both reminded of how old they were. But I've got a beautiful four year old son who keeps me very, very young.
Since the separation, I've been making new friends in Bozeman, and literally, all over the world through Twitter. And it was those guys, and gals, that really made today a very special day. Dozens of birthday wishes from my friends. So thanks, everyone for making smile today. In no particular order (and don't feel hurt if I forgot a name), thanks Shannon, Kimber, Julia, Lisa, Lisa, Darci, Vicky, Don, Nick, Tamar, Faith, Rob, eldevlin, Astacia, Jami, Patti, Laura, Peter, Wendy, Erin, and last minute entry, Jen from Boulder.
Thank you, all :-)

Planting a Couch Potato

I woke up a little early this morning after I heard a tiny cough outside my door. I figured Colter was up early, so I might as well join him. I peeked out of my bedroom and saw this, Colter asleep on the couch...again. My first thought was that he had another accident. I woke him and asked him why he was on the couch, and got the same answer as last time, "my bed was uncomfortable."
"Did you have an accident?"
"No, I said my bed was a little uncomfortable. I got up to go to the bathroom and came out here."
No wet clothes, no wet bed. So, I dunno. Maybe he just likes the couch.
I asked him again at supper, trying to trick him to admitting it, "Did you have an accident in the middle of the night last night?"
"No, but I did at school. I slept right through having to go potty." (this I knew)
"Well why did you go out on the couch last night, then?"
"I don't know. I just wanted to try something different."

Taste of Bozeman

That's where we went for supper tonight. Blocked-off Main Street with dozens of tents with food vendors. Three bands rocking at various points on Main. Lots of people, and lots of food to choose from. For Colter's birthday, after a successful hike, I took him for his first A&W. Apparently I awakened a sleeping beast. He now has a taste for hamburgers. This is all he kept asking for at the Taste of Bozeman tonight. We finally found them, at honest-to-god, the very last vendor. After he had his burger, all he could say was, "can we go home now? Can we go home, now?" What about me? Is it ok if I get something to eat? "Can we go home now?" Apprently what Colter thinks Bozeman tastes like is beef.

Colter's Day Job

I knew he'd be able to find some place to use his considerable talents. He already has a driver: Me. And he know how to work a pretty mean mic. It's in his blood, what can I say. Grampa Elroy was a jock for years, his dad was on the air for 10 (Dad and I even went to the same radio school in Minneapolis), and now it's his turn.

Noooooooooo! You can do SO much better!

Redbox Glory

Some day I hope to be as famous as Empty Case.

Twitter Wine

There are so many of my friends on Twitter that I thought of when I saw this wine a few weeks ago. And...uh, you know I mean that in the most touching, endearing way, right? 'Cuz I know you like wine. Uh, cuz someone once mentioned Grenache. Um...I was talking about guys, like Pete, Nick and Jonathan. Yeah.

*ouch*

dammit, that hurt...

Happy Bir------- Oh, Wait...

Many of you know what I do for a living and some know that it entails essentially being on call 24 hours a day, much like a doctor. Even if no one is at the stations, if there's a problem, the computer will call me to tell me one of the transmitters is off air, or even if there's a problem with readings. My ears are very sensitive to the phone, no matter how deep a sleep I'm in.
Not more than 10 minutes ago, the phone rang and woke me from one of those mid-snooze-button naps you only have nine minutes to cram in. I looked at the cell, it was my Mom. She and her husband are on the road in their RV. A call at 7:14am from someone who's retired and rarely gets up before 9, can't be good.

Froggy says, "Hello?"

Much joyous singing flows through the tinny earpice, "Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you...are you guys up yet?" she asked with way too much cheer for this early in the morning.

"Thanks, mom." I said kindly, then went into the facts. "Well first of all, Colter's not with me, and second of all, aren't you a little early?"

"What day is it?"

"As far as I know it's only the 30th. I mean, thanks for the sentiment, and all..."

Hollering back to her husband, "Jim, dammit, you told me the clock said it was the 31st!"

"Jeezus, Mom....my own mother!"

Then I hear Jim in the background say, "Well, he'll get another one just like it in the morning, tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll call you again in the morning. Go back to sleep now!" *click*

One advantage to being retired. No need to know what day it actually is, I guess. Or a good sign that your vacation trip is going well, too.

Thanks, Mom. Love you. Talk to you again...tomorrow.

Nice Shiny Blue and Silver Can

So maybe this explains why I was able to build a fishing pole and a shopping cart in record time (and why my hands were shaking so much when I was "engineering"). I got his from my friend, Faith, who achieved levels of goddess-hood. Of course, she has had all of her blood replaced with caffeine, so it's not surprising. My caffeine/poison of choice is Red Bull. Next time I'll take the test after I've had a grueling morning at work and am on #2 and see if I can join Faith on Mt. Olympus.

Created by OnePlusYou - Online Dating

Mad Engineering Skillz

"Daddy, can you make me a fishing pole?"
"Sure!" That one was easy.

"How about a Mini Cooper?"
"uh..." I tried my best, but we ended up with a shopping cart instead.

The Couch is Dry, Anyway

I don't recall ever really having a problem with bed wetting when I was a toddler or preschooler. I still vividly recall, however the time a friend slept over in the 3rd grade and I wet the hide-a-bed we were sharing. "Do you feel that?" "Yeah." "Sorry." "It's ok." I never got teased about it at school, so he obviously kept it a secret.
Colter shares one particular "gene" with his mom, and that's their uncanny ability to sleep through a tornado blowing through or a semi driving through the bedroom. Last night Colter had a couple of glasses of milk with supper and dessert. I made sure he went to the bathroom a couple of times before bed at 8:30. Around midnight as I was headed to bed I seriously thought about waking him so he could go again, but decided he was probably ok. My bad.
My sweet, sweet son let me sleep until almost 8:30. I didn't hear anything from him when I was laying bed, so I thought maybe he was actually sleeping in himself! I went out into the living room and there he was playing with his dinosaurs.
He looked up at me and said, "Guess what? I slept on the couch, because my bed was uncomfortable."
"What do you mean, it was uncomfortable?" At that point, I realized he wasn't wearing any pjs. He had gotten a t-shirt out of his little dresser (which is in my closet) and a pair of sweatpants.
"My bed had a little wet spot on it."
He was exaggerating. Barely wet, but enough to wake him and make him go change his clothes in the middle of the night, and grab a blanket and his friends and go sleep on the couch for the rest of the night.
I'm beginning to wonder if he's old enough to move out on his own and get a job to support himself through MSU next year?

Breakfast al fresco

"What do you want for breakfast?"
"Pancake! Can I eat oustide this morning?"
"Sure, tell you what, how about after I cut your pancake, I put it in a little bowl, so it doesn't slide off like it did last time?"
"Huh. That's a very clever idea. I think that'll work."

Colter Shoots Dr. Seuss

Look real close. Looks like Colter and Sam I Am had breakfast together.

Colter Wins Gramma's Heart...and Stabs It A Little

He's already doing pretty well with the ladies his age, now he's learning to woo others with words. Last week at Gramma's:
"How old are you Gramma?"
"65."
"You don't look 65."
On the other hand, he seems to have inherited my smart-ass streak as well. Gramma tried to be funny and tell a joke. Here's his reply:
"I have a joke for you, Colter. What do you call giving a bison money?"
"What?"
"A buffa-loan!"
"Is that the joke?"

Maybe He Can't Spell...

...but that just his opinion. When his daycare has field trips, Colter's friends spell out words they see and ask him what they mean. And he knows almost every one of them according to his teachers. I have decided that there's no need for me to save for retirement. This boy's gonna be so smart, that he'll be able to support his old man (well, I can dream, right?). Hell, I figure at the rate he's going with spelling, reading and writing, he'll be able to get a job soon and chip in with the rent!

I'll Just Have to Get Used to It

Colter being surrounded by beautiful women that is. This is Liza and Sada helping Colter open presents and eat worms in mud. Below is Colter and his best friend, Brynn. These two are inseperable. "Hey Colter..." "Brynnie, come here..."

Colter's Commute to Gramma's

Where you live might be pretty. This is what the ride to Gramma's house looks like.

Whither bathrobes, Papa?

Colter and I having a discussion after his bath this evening:

Me: We need to get you a robe that ties around your waist.
C: You mean like Mama's?
Me: Yes, this one's too old now.
C: How come you don't have a bathrobe?
Me: Because I get out of the bath and zip-zip-zip, I'm dry. Momma lounges in hers and takes her time putting on her makeup, drying her hair, and getting ready for work.
C: Mommies take a long time to get ready after a bath. Daddies take like two minutes. Zip!

When Are We Gonna Move?

From earlier today:

Colter: When are we gonna move?
ME: When you get a job and can help me pay the rent on a bigger place
Colter: I don't exactly know how to spell.

At least he's realistic.

Breakfast on the Deck

Colter and I enjoying a beautiful Saturday morning on the deck. Filling him up with a big breakfast before his birthday party this afternoon.

Open Letter To MySpace

Dear MySpace,
I think it's time we went our separate ways. We never spend any together any more, before you ask, yes, I've met someone else. Her name is Twitter. We met back in February, and we've gotten along really well, and although, the last few weeks have been a little rough (she can sometimes be a little unstable), we are sticking together and we'll get through the rough patches together. Well, me an my more than 200 friends will.
Oh sure, you were fun in the beginning, when Tobi first introduced me to you. I met one of my best new friends through you and re-connected with one of my best friends from our radio days in North Dakota. But all in all, you just don't do it for me, anymore. Posting LOLCats in comments and putting "Hong Kong Phooey, number one super guy. Hong Kong Phooey, quicker than the human eye" as my status was fun. But there's no sense of community with you.
I now have over 200 friends that I talk to, well, every day. If I have a question, someone will pop up with an answer within a few minutes. Whether it's a recommendation on wine, a movie, a DVD or help with the computer. Don't believe it's not true love? Look at my TweetStats. I've posted 3,470 times on Twitter. How many blog entries have you gotten from me? Oh, and I'm mean not counting the entries where I copied my tweets.
Yes, she may have her problems, she's been a wee bit unstable the last couple of weeks (a little off the Rails, if you will). But I never felt the connection I have with her, when I was with you.
From Boston to Detroit, Ontario to California, from Texas to Heaven (yes, Heaven), all my friends are here, and that's where I'm going to stay.
Goodbye, MySpace.

Modesty 101

Colter and I in the car a couple of days ago. Colter asks me for something:
Me: How could I say no to you when you asked me so nicely?
Colter: I don't know who could say no to me.

Payola or Plugola?

In radio, if a record label gives you money to play a record, and you don't tell the public, it's payola and very much illegal. If I'm on a remote and someone brings me free food, like I got yesterday from WokKee Mountain Kitchens in Big Sky, it's called plugola. I say, "hey, (blank) brought me some food, and this is great stuff! Go visit them, you'll enjoy it!" (luckily, this happens quite a bit on remotes)
A couple of weeks ago, on Twitter, I discovered that a peanut butter company out of St. Paul, MN was also tweeting. I had heard of the stores in St. Paul, but had never checked out the website. After looking at the site, I decided that the price after delivery, was just too much for a jar of peanut butter. PB Loco saw my tweet, and sent this message to me.
I did. They did. Then I sent the following message out on Twitter. This is another great example of plugola. This peanut butter is wonderful! As soon as my free jar is gone, I'm going to order a couple more, this will lower the cost per jar, and I still have many more I'd love to try.
Thanks again, PB Loco for the free jar, it worked! I will be ordering more.

Calving

I realized this morning as I was staring at the amazing amount of gray showing up in my goatee that I didn't seem to be losing much weight with all the bike riding I've been doing instead of driving around town. Then I realized it's probably because my caloric intake hasn't gone down. I get hungry from the bike ride home from work and begin to eat like a pig. On the up side, I'm gonna have some pretty damn good lookin' legs by the end of the summer!

Spinning My Wheels

I've been riding my bike to work in the afternoons as much as I can. If I have Colter in the morning, I'll go home for lunch and ride it back to work. Then, I'll pick up Colter on the bike if it's my turn. At first it was too damn cold to ride in the mornings, now it's getting to be too damn hot to ride during lunch.
From my home to the radio stations, it's a 380' climb for four miles (five miles, total to the stations). From the stations to Colter's daycare, it's almost 500'--all downhill.
Last week Colter and I tried to beat a thunderstorm, and nearly did. It was raining in the distance when I left the studios, and I thought we had a chance to beat it. I picked up Colter just as the thunder was approaching. We got within about 2 1/2 miles of home when the deluge started. Colter had his raincoat on so, he was protected--from the waist up, anyways--but I had nothing but a ballcap on (well, that's not true, I wasn't exactly nude under the ballcap). It rained so hard, my hiking boots were turned into buckets. Waterproof is only good if you're walking through puddles or very shallow streams. When the rain is being driven into the tops of your boots, it doesn't quite work that way.
Two things happened yesterday that made my bikeride a bit of a pain in the ass. I ride with my iPod Shuffle to help me forget the burning in my thighs from the uphill ride, and to keep from hearing the bitching in my head. I have no idea how long it's been since I left the iPod on the charging cradle, but yesterday, five minutes after I left, it died, leaving me trying to keep myself occupied for the remaining 35 minutes. Then, even though I didn't have to pick up Colter last night, I thought I would take the long way home. It's a great ride, all downhill, except when you realize you've left your house keys on your desk, back at work. Uphill. First thing I did was get on my phone and call Jennifer to see if she was headed straight home or if she and Colter were going somewhere after she picked him up. She would be home shortly after I got there, so she was going to give me a ride back to work to pick up my keys.
While I was on the phone, riding my bike down one of the busiest streets in Bozeman, I quickly realized I was one of the people I make fun of. I was on a bike, pedalling like mad, talking on a cellphone. As people passed me, I could hear in my mind the things that I would be saying if I saw me: "Biking and talking?? Put the phone down, jerk!" "Wow, you sure are an important man, having to take a phone call no matter what the circumstances!" And of course, something I said before I was forced to have a cellphone for work, "If I get a cellphone, I'd never do something that stupid. I'd either let it ring, or I'd pull over to the side of the road."

Colter's first-ever burger and Yiddish

As far as I know, Colter's never eaten a hamburger before. I've tried tempting him when we would make burgers at home, but he'd take as big of a bite as he could of the bun without actually getting any meat. Today, out of the blue, I asked him if he wanted a cheeseburger for lunch. He said, "no, I don't want cheese on my burger." Waitaminnit, you mean you'd eat one without cheese? "Sure." We made our first father/son trip to Burger King today. Colter ate an entire hamburger with ketchup for lunch today. But, believe it or not, that's not what I was actually going to write about. The highlight of my day so far was when Colter looked over at me and pointed to his cheek, and said, "Dad, you've got a little schmutz, there." I plotzed right on the spot. Now, if we were actually Jewish, it would have been an even prouder day.

Whoa!

Look out. Got the blog up and running again. I can't believe it's been more than a year since the last time I put anything up here. Well, at least it didn't expire, or smell like rotten milk (although some of the writing later possibly could). No timetable on this, I'll just post in between tweets on Twitter, just whatever comes to mind and I can manage to get to a keyboard.