Belated Father's Day Post

Yesterday morning, I read the Father's Day edition of PostSecret and laughed and cried. In addition to father-themed postcards, the site posted several anecdotes detailing funny "lies" fathers told. Reading these made me miss my father who died just over a year ago and was a big teaser. He loved to make us laugh, especially at ourselves.

Here's a good example. In the late 80s/early 90s, I was working in a convenience store about two blocks from our home. One afternoon, my younger sister came into the store, and she was all excited because some guy had called me. I guess she thought someone wanted to date me, which didn't happen very often. She said Dad had told her to come to the store and tell me that I had had a phone call from Ben Gazarra. I started laughing and asked her if she was sure that he said Ben Gazarra. She said yes, and I knew immediately that she had no idea that Ben Gazarra was an old actor. (Dad knew that I would know since he and I shared a love of old movies.) I explained to her who Ben Gazarra was, and I'm sure she left the store cursing Dad but not with any real anger. I'm also certain that when she returned home he met her at the door laughing, his eyes twinkling, and eventually, sooner rather than later, she laughed right alone with him. I'm sure he bragged to everyone at home that day about his success at tricking her. He loved to tease and trick us.

Unfortunately, my dad was sick for a long time before he died, and he had stopped being the Dad that I knew and loved best. So I really mourned him before he actually died. Since his death, I don't think I have really missed him very much. I am ashamed to admit that, but I think it's true. I do think about him often, but I thinking about him and missing him are not the same. Yesterday, Father's Day, I missed him! When I got home from the Astros game, I watched the exciting ending of the US Open golf tournament and missed him even more. My dad loved golf, maybe more than he loved us--not really, but golf was a very close second. ;-)

Belated kudos to all the great dads out there.

Summer Blues 2

What is it about the blue water of a swimming pool on a hot summer day? Their comforting cool wetness just seems to call me. I love to lie on my couch and watch the shadows of their reflection dance on my ceiling. I go to the window several times a day and look down into the pool. I long for a swim each time I walk from up the stairs to my apartment. The really weird thing is that the pool in my apartment complex is within easy reach of my apartment, yet I have resisted the temptation to baptize myself in that cool blue. I'm not sure why I have hesitated, but I'm sure it has something to do with how I look in a swimsuit.

This weekend, I attended my niece's wedding at the old country club in my hometown. When I drove past the swimming pool area, I started thinking about all time I spent at that pool, working on my tan, flirting with boys, and hanging out with my friends. We would even go swimming on Monday when the club was officially closed, and night time swimming was always a summer option. I remember one night sitting on the poolside watching a lunar eclipse with friends.

The summer blues of a swimming pool -- ahhhhhh! Good blues!

Summer Blues 1

It's only the second week of summer school, and I am already tired of doing my course work. So much of it is repetitive, and I can't seem to ever figure out how to not be stressed at deadline times. Despite my plans to do otherwise, I always procrastinate and end up submitting too many assignments just before the deadline. I really should be better at this by now, and it's a good thing that submissions are done electronically. I would hate to think that I had to actually go somewhere and physically turn things in. Man! Think of how the time I would waste driving and walking. ;-)

I can not believe that it has been so long since I posted to this blog. I actually started a post on June 1, but I never finished it, so I deleted it just now and started over. My summer started off with a bang. I got a job offer at the end of my first interview for a librarian position, and my second interview went very well. I had hoped to be an official librarian by the end of this week, but there has been a delay with, of all things, my criminal background check. Despite those salacious news reports of people getting jobs with criminal backgrounds, it seems that some districts do check that before they let you sign a contract. Of course, I know there is nothing in mine to prevent me from getting the job that is being held for me, but I still am a bit discouraged by the delay.

The second job that I interviewed called this morning to tell me that I was still at the top of their list (I had assumed when I didn't hear anything last week that I was out of the running), but they had one more applicant to interview. The woman that I spoke to said this last interview was only being done because the applicant new someone. I'm not sure if I find that comforting to know or not because the school is private and knowing someone might be enough to get a person a job.

In addition to wanting to get a new job nailed down, I am ready to resign from my old job and say my goodbyes. I really don't want to drag that out for another month. :-( I guess I could go ahead and resign since I know the one job is being held for me. However, my parents raised me to believe that it wasn't right to quit a job until you had another one. (Yes, Valerie, I know I encouraged you to not sign your contract.) I guess once I have the word that the background check is completed then I might just go ahead and resign. The school board's approval is only a formality, right?