1. The new grill is everything I hoped it would be. I finished putting the thing together Saturday afternoon. At least I thought I was finished. There were four fairly substantial nut and bolt combos still in the hardware pack even though I was to the end of the assembly instructions. Dammit, those look important. As it turns out, they were. 20 minutes later I found the step I’d skipped (step 38, part c), installed the bolts thereby ensuring that the side burner wouldn’t fall off while I was using it, and to the deck it went. I just don’t see myself using the stove again in the near future if the food can be grilled. The big outside burner would also be awesome for making a batch of homebrew. I don’t have the gear for it right now, but if anyone does and wants to come over feel free.

2. Kjel.org made a big mistake this weekend: we bought the boy some Play-Doh. The mistake isn’t that Jr. doesn’t like Play-Doh. Quite the contrary, actually. I believe that we could leave him at the kitchen table for 8 hours and he would happily play with the Doh. In the course of playing with the Doh a fair portion of it winds up on the floor. From there is gets onto the bottom of feet, and from there it gets ground into the furniture and carpet. After an hour of so of trying to police the Doh, the CFO and I made a command decision that perhaps Play-Doh should be an outside toy, only to be used on the table out on the deck. This decision was unpopular with a certain lad. Most unpopular. A tantrum ensued that only the prompt application of pizza to boy could check. Thank Jebus we had some pizza on hand, otherwise he might still be pitching that fit.

3. Finally, a weekend with baseball on TV. It just doesn’t seem normal for a sunny spring Sunday not to have the Mariners playing in the background. A certain boy in our house is already saying “Yay baseball! Yay Mariners!” As the grass in (or the grassy patches of dirt and moss that make up) our yard gets a little drier, it will soon be time to get out the wiffle ball and bat and see what the kid’s got. I’m already looking forward to charging the mound the first time he tries to brush me back; secretly I’ll be pretty proud of him. It won’t stop me from drilling him when he comes to the plate though.

4. The Jr. VP can come across as a bit of an authoritarian at times. Sit Down Mommy! is not an uncommon phrase overheard at the HQ. Stop Daddy! is also often heard. I am not sure how to inculcate in him an appreciation of the right to personal autonomy. I mean really, what sort of two year old could possibly have a problem understanding that concept? To be fair to the Jr VP, often when he says Stop Daddy! I am doing something to him that a nicer Daddy would probably have already ceased. And the last time he employed Sit Down Mommy! he was using strategery to try to prevent an unwanted nap from being thrust upon him.

5. I have a new nickname for Tank: Wombstretcha. I wish I could say that I invented it, but I can’t: it’s actually the name of some band playing at a club in Tigard we drove past the other day. It’s a fine band name, but it is also a great kick-ass nickname for a -3 month old waiting to be born. The CFO absolutely loves it. Loves it, I tells ya.