Friday Free for All: Random Thoughts

This is a little late today.

I’ve been distracted.  In addition to having writer’s block this week, I’ve had chores to do involving hard labor in triple degree heat–not conducive to creative expression.

Hopefully I can get back on track, but first I’ve had to assume Mr. Mom duty. The Wife woke up sick this morning. Apparently the same stomach flu that afflicted Julia two days ago has begun to make its rounds.  Good thing it’s only a short-term bug.  So I cooked dinner tonight and enlisted the kids to help clean the kitchen while the wife watched the first season of Downton Abbey.  It’s amazing how I can get sucked into watching shows like that–they’re very entertaining and addicting. Yes, I said that.

Today, it seems, my thoughts have been all over the place.

Driving to work this morning I heard a radio ad for a Mexican restaurant.  What was so stupid about it was the fake accent that went from spanish to irish.  Makes me wanna eat a burrito.

Right.

Basic Training.  Ft. Benning, Georgia. Good times. It crossed my mind to write a piece called “All I Need to Know About Being A Dad, I Learned in Basic Training.”  Maybe some other day, but I imagine the drill sergeants probably thought they were babysitting a bunch of kids.

The words I said to someone helped them feel better.

There are a few things that I just love about being a dad:

• being mobbed with hugs and kisses by six kids after walking in the door after work
• naming and blessing my babies in church
• finding my kids asleep with a book still open in their hands

We ate the first tomato from our garden the other day. Pure joy!  Can’t wait for more to ripen.

I chatted with an Army friend on Facebook today. It seems she’s found someone to love. I’m happy for her.

The views on my blog have been consistently going down. Zero today so far.

I’ve been reviewing many other people’s blogs for ideas.  I like to read their very first posts and their “about me” pages.  I’ve found a number of annoying clichés that people use to describe themselves:

• “I am/I want to be a writer”
• “Life is an adventure”
• “Life is a journey”
• “This blog is about me”
• “I write for myself”
• “I swear”
• “I drink”
• “love my (brand x) camera”
• “I’m a traveller”

I think I used one of those clichés in my own blog.