I acknowledge a severe lack of posting for the past month. It’s time to catch up with Dad Blog. During my suspicious but auspicious break of posting I:
- Hosted my parents at the house
- Went on my first vacation as Dad
- Got a new boss
- Finished a professional education course
- Refinanced the house
- Read a couple books
- Completely neglected working out and writing
This is a summary of those events.
Parental Visit
I’m from the Midwest and my parents still live in a small town in the middle of corn and soybean fields in Illinois. As I wrote at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, they were supposed to visit us in Massachusetts a few months earlier.
I think the delay in the trip benefited everyone. In April, the baby still wailed incessantly as she grappled with simply being a little immobile person. Any trip across the room required a massive amount of energy and a dizzying amount of rollovers.
By July when my parents arrived, she crawled everywhere. This new-found freedom to roam gave her a sunnier disposition.
In short, we had a blast.
Family ‘Vacation’ to Cape Cod
I learned a couple things on my first family vacation. There is a distinct difference between vacation and family vacation.
Family vacation took a toll on yours truly.
The baby weighs a mere 23 lbs. The gear needed to enjoy the beach weighed, by my estimate, a metric ton.
Of course, we couldn’t know whether we’d spend 7 minutes or 4 hours. But Charlie loved the beach in small doses.
Meanwhile, the extended family grappled with the unanticipated changes brought by the bundle of “joy.” A hush fell over the family much earlier in the evening than in years past. Card games moved outside and once again the baby slept like a champ in unfamiliar surroundings.
My wife (MY WIFE!) and I slept terribly. You see, space limitations required us to sleep in the same room with Charlie.
8 months ago when Charlie moved in to her own nursery I never gave a second thought to situations which would put us in shared quarters… thats Family Vacation for the foreseeable future.
A New Boss
One of the interesting aspect about my job, I get a new supervisor every 2-3 years.
My last boss came took the position in early December 2017. His assumption of duties came about quickly, and somewhat unexpectedly. I was away for training when he took over, and I vowed not to miss the first formative week again.
The best laid plans…
My new boss assumed her position two days into my family ‘vacation’. I drove back from the beach to spend a full day with her, conduct our initial counseling and to her first meeting with the entire organization’s supervisory structure went smoothly.
Now don’t get me wrong, the priorities mostly go:
- Family
- Work
- Me
but I believe I struck a good balance between supporting our leadership transistion while still respecting the time dedicated to supporting the family by ‘sherpa’-ing beach chairs and tents all over Cape Cod.
Everyone walked away happy… to include me.
(dis)Continuing Education
Another aspect of my work, all positions require continuing education to advance and work within the different levels of the organization.
During the past two years, I’ve worked to complete the educational requirements of both my current and future position.
I started this last year-long course just days before Charlie’s birth. My classmates thought I might be crazy, but I kept asking myself:
"If not now, when?"In just the past week, I completed my final exams, turned in the last paper and collaborated on our last assignment. The year provided a lot of useful information, but in general, it sucked… sucked hard.
Most of our time to read, study and collaborate came after hours. Our instructor required time-keeping for future curriculum changes. I can honestly report my average school week included 11.25 hours of work on top of two jobs.
Luckily, my wife (MY WIFE!) pulled weight for the both of us. She entertained and fed the baby on her own many nights. She gave the baby her baths and put her to bed while I sat in the basement exercising my mind.
Of course, now I’m greatly in her debt.
Put it on my tab.
Refinanced
Has anyone noticed the incredibly low interest rates?
I’m not paying less to the bank for the next 30 years than I paid a few months ago. I’d be lying if I told you I completely understood the long-term benefits of my refinance, I’m happy to report we’ve already spent the savings.
Looking at you Childcare Costs.
Bookly
Even though I’ve been “too busy” to write, I’ve maintained my streak of reading every night before bed. Some of the books I’ve read over the past month and a half:
The Forward Series curated by Blake Crouch
I’m a big fan of Blake Crouch’s Dark Matter and enjoyed his most recent Recursion. This collection came to my attention by Jeremy Anderberg’s weekly newsletter. Read his review of the 6 novellas, but I enjoyed these shorter stories during my week on vacation.
Shadow Fall by Alexander Freed
I’ve got a bad Star Wars habit, and if I read the first book in a series I often continue reading the subsequent books. I only half enjoyed this second of the Alphabet Squadron book and relied heavily on audible to finish.
The Elements of Style by William Strunk
I keep a few writing manuals on the bookcase and spend a few minutes a day “sharpening the spear.” It’s the most productive way I can procrastinate.
Portnoy’s Complaint by Philip Roth
I received this recommendation via a random google search after finishing Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections. I understand the significance and style of Roth, but the monologue style and purposeful obscenity didn’t affect me as much now as it would have when I was in college.
Neglecting Working Out and Writing
I don’t need to add anything additional to this section. I can shame myself, thank you.
So I’ve been busy for the past 6 weeks. I have a feeling I’m going to be busy until August 2037, which by my calculations will be when the baby leaves for college.
Of course, that’s assuming she wants to go to college, that Universities stay open for students to live on campus, or the world doesn’t end.
Hopefully someplace warm that’s pleasant to visit in the winter.
Ben Sloot 
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