To the person that is searching for an answer to the many hard questions in life…
ANSWER: Do Not Have Children!
Apparently I ran out of space here with my bandwidth but we have hopefully corrected the problem. Nothing a little money can’t cure. Have a great weekend!
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On this Memorial Day weekend, I was inspired to write about my Grandfather and his service in World War II.
George R. MacLeod (standing far left) was stationed in Bungay, England, near the North Sea Coast about 90 miles northeast of London. He was a member of the 705th Squadron of the 446th Bomb Group. His aircraft was the B-24 “Happy-Go-Lucky”, and he was a tail gunner. His first mission was on December 16, 1943 to Bremen, Germany. He was nearly killed on that mission as he stated in his diary:
“When I got and looked at the bullet holes in the tail they had only came about two feet from having my number. That is the closest I have come to being killed & that was close enough for me.”
On April 8, 1944 he was into his 20th mission over Brunswick, Germany, when he shot down his first plane, an ME109G. His account from his diary almost makes you understand his excitement:
“The, the Germans, were flying inside of our formation just like a swarm of bees around a hive. Our bombardier shot one down on the first pass and I shot down my first Jerry a ME109G. He came in at 600 level and at 400 yds I gave him a burst of about 25 rounds and about a second after I shot he seemed to stop like he had hit a stone wall. His back end slid around to the front & then he dropped about 50 feet in that position then flopped over and over again all the way to the ground where he exploded.”
He mentions the bravery of the men surrounding him and in fact talks of the bravery of German fighters giving their own lives. The deaths he so matter of factly talks about in his diary are true heroes of the war. It is because of his own bravery and service that I am able to tell his story today. His sacrifice and the sacrifice of the men and women of his day should never be forgotten. I for one will be telling his story to his Great Grandchildren tomorrow on the day of memory.
George R. MacLeod flew more than the 25 missions over enemy territory fighting planes and flak for many months. He survived those battles over the European countryside only suffering a bout of frostbite that was on his cheek. In 1971 when I was seven years old his life was taken along with my 11 year old Uncle by a drunk driver not far from their home.
Perhaps tomorrow I will write of my Great Grandfather, George Robert MacLeod, who was in the artillery in World War I.
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Every now and then my wife and I treat ourselves to a movie. Since we have yet to actually go the movie theater together since 1999, we often treat ourselves to a DVD and try to get the real movie theater experience through our big television and surround sound. For the most part, it’s not a bad deal.
Last night I wanted to sit down and watch a movie since I spent the day with the feverish child. I figured it would be nice to have a movie theater experience. Mrs. G was off to Costco to get the holiday weekend supplies so I figured it was a good idea to pick up a movie.
Mrs. G: " I’m headed to Costco, what do you want me to get?"
Me: "I was thinking we would watch a movie tonight."
Mrs. G: "Okay, what kind of movie?"
Me: "I was thinking I wanted to watch a good action movie."
Mrs G: "I’ll get one of those then."
Mrs. G pulled into the driveway, and since she was feeling under the weather and wanted to lay down for a bit, I told her I would take care of the groceries. The kids helped and we all carried in the Costco run. I quickly ordered pizza much to the delight of the crowd, and began putting away the things my wife had bought. I was wondering what movie she decided on when I saw the package. What action movie did she purchase?
Are you kidding me? Brokeback Mountain. Honey that is not exactly the action I was looking for!
Tags: DVD, Action, Brokeback Mountain
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The male species in my family cannot handle being sick. In my family you have only a couple of speeds, full on balls to the wall or sick and dead. It’s mid-morning here and this is his second nap of the day already. The Cartoon Network has zombied him into another coma it seems. The temperature is beginning to break now, and so now it is the long recharge period that follows. I’m sure by Daddy’s go to bed time, we will be up and ready for another one of those Otter Pops! I wonder why this Crown Royal tastes like Gatorade? That’s strange. Oh look, Scooby Doo!
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It is very warm right now. Last night it was 102, and when we woke this morning it was 101.5, so not much change in temperature. No, I am not speaking of the weather, but of Genuine Toddler’s fever. He has been battling a flu bug this week, and last night it seemed to be at it’s worst yet.
I hate when my kids are sick. I feel so helpless as I watch them struggle with their ills. Last night all I could do was hold him while he slept. Of course, the fever made it difficult for him to sleep and we keep giving him some Gatorade mixed with half water to keep him hydrated.
If I could somehow suck the sickness from his body and transfer it to mine I would gladly do it. He lays this morning on my chest whimpering, not knowing why he feels so bad, and wanting it to stop. Nothing in this world would make me feel happier if I could make it stop.
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Well I guess since I admitted to not reading or seeing the DaVinci Code, I might as well fess up and let everyone know that I was not one of the 32 Million viewers of last night’s American Idol show. I have never watched the show. There is just not that type of makeup in my genes. I guess I have never been part of the Pop Culture thing.
We had a movie moment with the children. Everyone, especially Genuine Toddler was feeling a little puny and so we decided to sit quietly and watch our Narnia DVD. They all decided to sit on Daddy’s lap under the blanket, and we turned the lights off so that it was “just like the theater”. The only thing missing was the popcorn and the sticky theater floor. Actually, we did have the sticky carpet but that is another story.
I normally have a problem falling asleep for a number of related insomnia symptoms, but with kids all over my lap and under the snuggly blanket, I was out like a light. At one point my daughter even woke me and reminded me that I was snoring and to be quiet! I guess you could say I was not her Idol that night.
I have decided to add a voice to the Genuine blog. No, not like the voice of the computer on War Games, but my voice. I downloaded the application to begin playing with podcasting. Who knows, I might even get into vlogging and give Rocketboom a run for their money. Actually, just part of their money would be enough to pay the mortgage, but I digress.
What do you think would make a good podcast? I already have the domain at www.dadstalking.com. Yes, I know it looks like Dad Stalking, and who knows it could turn into that type of blog. I was thinking of interviewing some of your favorite Daddy bloggers, the likes of Dad Gone Mad, Rude Cactus, Metro Dad and Sweet Juniper. I might even do a variety thing like “Genuine Meets The View.” That might be a little overboard, but you get the idea.
What would you like to hear?
