No Dulcimer Training This Weekend

But that doesn't mean I had nothing to do! My dad has already taken me to task this morning for not posting anything for a couple days. He thought maybe I was busy with my new dulcimer and my self-taught lessons. Sadly, the training materials have not yet arrived, so the dulcimer did not get played with. That's not to say that my weekend wasn't fun-filled, because it was. And it kept me dang close to busy.

First, Friday after work was an expensive trip to the commissary for a couple week's worth of groceries, then while the frozen foods warmed in the back seat, the BSU and I joined son Noah and his buddy Donovan for dinner at Famous Dave's BBQ. We had our usual feast for 4 that's served up on a galvanized trash can lid along with a margarita or two. Then it was home for a combined effort to put away the groceries and the paper bags folded up and stashed away before collapsing for a little TV before bedtime.

Saturday morning I went with friend Kenny and his neighbor Mike to the ELGS (Evil Loophole Gun Show, if you don't know) in south Salt Lake. We only spent a couple hours there and nobody went home with any new firearms. I think Mike escaped with his wallet unharmed but Kenny and I did find some essentials that we couldn't live without. What did I get bring home? Ah, 500 rounds of ammo for the SKS, 200 for the P11, another 100 rounds of 38 Special and some accessories for both of those guns. The SKS needed a soft case to keep it safe during transport and the P11 needed a holster and a spare magazine. Of particular interest, with the new magazine, the P11 becomes a P13. The new magazine holds 12 rounds, not 10, apparently as a result of the expiration of the Assault Weapons Ban. To make the day even more special as a guys day out, we had lunch at Hooters and sang along to Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell on the way home.

In the afternoon, the same 4 of us that went to dinner Friday night went out to see the new film Jarhead. A word of warning is required here- do not go see this movie if the 4 letter word that starts with f and ends with k offends you. Because it is used often and with fervor throughout the movie. In spite of that and some other frank discussion of what Marines do and talk about doing to combat their boredom, the movie was an interesting depiction of one Marine's view of Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. There's a tremendous amount of boredom, longing for home, frustration, mental health gone astray and training for a war that was not to be well suited for the scout-snipers protagonists of this movie. Its not a feel good movie and it isn't an anti-war movie. Its just the retelling of one Marine's tale. Its one of those movies that leaves you thinking about it days afterwards but its hard to discuss over coffee after coming out of the theater.

Sunday turned into another day of shopping but this time the BSU & I headed for Target and the toy department. Astin is going to be pretty well hooked up for Christmas this year! I have to say that its been a bunch of years since we frequented the Fisher-Price and Playschool sections of the toy aisles and what fun it is. Did you know they still make Weebles? And that Weebles are apparently having a new surge in popularity? I didn't either but I do now and a large farm of Weebles fun came home with us for Astin's toy box. And the spouse insisted we visit the brand new JoAnn's Fabric Superstore that was just across the street from Target. This new store is a huge improvement from the old, rundown, torn carpet, dingy joint that the BSU had stopped frequenting due to its condition. This new place is pretty wonderful if you like that kind of store filled with fabric and picture frames and sewing machines and glue and sequins. Its not so great for guys. I mentioned to one lady that the new store would be perfect if the designers had just put in a big screen TV and magazine rack and some comfy couches for guys to lounge in while spouses shopped and browsed.

What else? Hmm. Son Noah's been entertaining a young woman for a couple months who only comes around on Sunday evenings. Once or twice an angry, supposedly ex-boyfriend has appeared on our front step demanding to see the girl. Last night about 9:30, her parent's arrived to ring our doorbell demanding to see her! Good Grief! Apparently, she told somebody, I'm not certain who, that she was already down in Orem in her college dorm for the night when in fact she was at our house. Presumably that was the estranged boyfriend, since he knows where our house is and it seems he relayed that information to the parents who came to collect her.

And the furnace quit late last week so the repairman is scheduled for today. I looked at it and figured out that I didn't know enough to go messing with it, so I'll just write the check once the big tan box is back in operation.

NOTE: Since I'm posting this through email, the formatting may be all ugly with line breaks in incorrect places. There's also no links to anything. Reason being that my access to the www is going to be very restricted this week. I'll try to fix the formatting tonight after I get home from school.