Monthly Archives: January 2011

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Of Winter and Wintery things…….

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I was told that another big storm was headed our way on Tuesday that may be larger than anything else we have experienced thus far this year. People are already hitting the grocery stores and stocking up, and many are talking about how bad it will be. But it is winter here in Indiana, and the truth is, it snows.

But I do not want to complain, because 10 inches is a decent amount of snow in any community……..and particularly Miami, Florida (although it never really happens there). But by birth, I am a northerner, and I know that many of the friends I grew up with look at what is considered a “snowstorm” down here and think, “maybe we could vacation there so we could have a much milder winter.” My friends at home still often tunnel to work, whereas we drive here on plowed roads.
But I do not know really what to think anymore, because despite this being the first season I have ever owned a snow blower, and despite it working like a champ, I am still ready for it to stop snowing and to get warm again……and that says a lot from a guy who loves WINTER more than any other season. (Yeah, I know that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but I was hit by lightening when I was 16…so it obviously effected me.)
But for now I will just gas up the snow blower and wait for the white stuff to fall. I am just thankful I am home for it to meet me here, because there is not too much that is worse than bad weather when you travel.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+
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An enchanted evening……

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I am home and finally in bed, although Ben is in here with us. And, it is 10pm, and I am tired. I did attempt to have him move to his own bed, but actually he threatened me, asking “do you want a pizza me?” And he laughed. I just found it all too funny to make him move. Plus, with him in a mischievous mood and in our bed, I have less chance of getting blamed for anything.He will be the primary suspect. So I am typing, he is talking, and she is snoring. And Scotty, he will be home in a few hours.

Yes, I know. Who wouldn’t envy this type of evening? I am sure most people. Being out on the town and doing something is really overrated…..at least that is what I keep telling myself. But the good news is that I have become what is known as the standard bearer for dullness on Saturday nights. So if a wife says, “we never do anything anymore,” or “you are so dull,” the husband can now reply, “Yes, but at least you are not married to Tom Tirman.” I have indeed set that bar that low! (Thank me later)
But for now let’s just all give a big cheer for mediocrity and dullness and call it a night. After all they say “there is no rest for the wicked,” and my night looks like sleep-a-plenty. So I am looking good………at least on paper. But my Saturday nights are oh so dull!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+

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Traveling on Route 66……….

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Although it does not seem possible, we have traveled about 600 miles today, and have completed Scotty’s first college interview. And, we are now back in the hotel after dinner with Stephanie. I am exhausted, which is really no big deal since I was already exhausted when we were starting the day.

But the exciting part is that Scotty really loved the visit. It was at Ozark Christian in Joplin, Missouri, which after all that driving I am convinced is located clearly just a few hours west of California. It was great to see him so excited about it too….now I just need him to be excited about raising the funds to go there.
So I am coming to grips with the reality that two children in college is going to be more expensive than one. If my body parts were not close to 50 years old (yep, this June) I would try and sell them (plus too much of me is rebuilt anyway). So I will just have to ask Amanda for her to do that I suppose. (I think she is in her 20’s because that’s what she tells everyone so we can get more for that kind of kidney) And hopefully they will not follow what we affectionately call “The Tirman Plan” for their college management. Flunking out may seem cheap when you are “taking some time off,” but they still make you pay when you restart, and although Grace abounds with us and the kids, Amanda has only so many kidneys. (yep, I am committing to a funding plan apparently)
So after a short sleep that will seem 10 times longer than what we have had these last two nights, it will be off to breakfast with Steph, a trip to get her some “good tweezers” (which will be a learning for me) and then Scotty and I will drive home. It will not be on Route 66 as was our trip to Joplin, but that is another entry. It will however get us home……and tonight that is a blessing I am really looking forward to.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless.
Tommy+
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Technical difficulties………

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What a pain in the tail. It is not that I am not techno-savvy, it is actually that the hotel Scotty and I are staying in tonight (and tomorrow night) is not. Their Internet does not work in any of the rooms, so I am typing this on my disconnected computer and will post it as soon as I can. But the story is that Scotty and I left following his lacrosse game late tonight and drove through all sorts of weather in order to get to his first college interview in the morning. Tonight we are in St. Charles, Missouri., home of the famous Stephanie Tirman, who we just left a few minutes ago because Amanda filled my car with goodies for her. The picture for the blog tonight was 8 hours ago at dinner and 300 miles away! But in terms of tomorrow, no, Scott is not interviewing at Lindenwood….Lord knows that would be all too easy. We are getting 4 hours sleep and getting up to head to Ozark Christian, so St. Charles is actually just half way. Yes, today was brutal, but it was just 5 hours. Tomorrow will be 5 down and 5 back to here, but at least we will be able to hang with Steph a bit. (And, with all Amanda sent we will not need to feed her because she will be full!) But for now it is off to bed. It is just after 3 for us Indiana folks, and the time sleeping tonight will go by quickly. I am just glad to find a bed to do that in! Goodnight my friends and God Bless! Tommy+

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On being hopeful…….

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I just read an article tonight that now they think that Social Security will run out of money by 2037. But since I am no longer any good at math, I had to find the calculator on my computer, which is another thing I am not good at and DANG….I will be only 76. That’s just too soon.

By 2037 though the retirement age may be a lot higher than 76, so I may not have to worry, and to be quite honest, I do not work in a job, I am in a vocation……..which means I will work for my wife until I die….oh wait, I mean my Bishop.
But I often get things wrong, particularly in terms of timing. But as long as short hair, t-shirts and blue jeans come back into style every few years I can live with myself. And of course if my mind at almost 50 is an indication of the future, I will not have a clue I am poor when I am 76.
I am just hopeful something will change by then, and change for the better. And, if that doesn’t work, maybe Amanda can get a second job. After all, I will be 76!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Abby-Normal……

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I guess things were as back to normal as they always are here. Ben actually went to the sitter today, Scott was at school, Amanda was at work, my mother-in-law was in Kansas, and the dog and cat were here at home. I cannot deny that it all felt a bit odd. Life isn’t always what I should expect most days…..but today it was.

Of course that just means I was waiting for the “shoe to drop,” which I really have no clue what the meaning of that is, but just know it is appropriate in these situations. But much to my surprise nothing really happened, and I have made it through this day apparently unscathed.
You will hear no disappointment in my voice about that either. I am no masochist. I do occasionally need some non-eventful days to make the others more “blog worthy.” And today was one for the record books…… dull, dull, dull. Duller in fact than watching Ben Stein sleep in a chair.
So I am raring for something to do, but my wife has been in her pajamas since 6:00 pm. Yep, it is a wild life I am living for sure.
But as I said, it is normal for here, so I am used to it.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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A day from HE double L…….

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I actually already thought I posted this in the middle of the day, but time gets away from one on a day like today. I am just glad to know I caught my mistake.

My day began with being delegated to take my mother-in-law to the airport, which is really no big deal because we get along marvelously. The problem was Ben, who not only loves his Nanny, but loves the airport, so she and I decided to take him along.
Everything but the traffic was going smoothly. As many of you will know, I am from the north, where in winter we have what you call SNOW. But since it was winter here and snowing, most of the people around me decided they could just not drive.
No, I am not bitter, just frustrated, but as we broke free from the traffic on the way to check in on time at the airport, Ben’s breakfast decided to break free from his body…..that’s right, projectile vomiting in a small car, with my mother-in-law……the fourth level of hell (I am sure that is her definition and not mine).
But the woman is clearly a saint. She unbuckled and tended to Ben, which is so much different from how she treats me, because every time I cough she shouts “Walk toward the light!” It however was touching to see. And Ben as you see didn’t last long after that.
So my day was spent with a sick boy and a lot to do. He seems better now, and for that I am thankful. My mother-in-law is now home, everyone is in bed, and the day is done. What a doozy! I am about to drop!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Loyal Bears’ Fans…….

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Well today was the end. Despite all my hope, my beloved Chicago Bears fell to the not-so-beloved Green Bay Packers…..much to my chagrin. I returned home just before the kickoff and was able to watch the game with Ben. The picture was taken in the first half. I would like to say he was just loyally praying for a Bears’ victory, but in truth he was sawing logs. He did manage to wake up shortly after halftime to have a Transformers battle, generally on my head (those evil Decepticons!) and always between me and the TV.

But as a life-long and loyal fan I can honestly say I was never expecting to make it this far. We really struggled for much of the season, but as I say in coaching, and I said as an athlete, a win is a win is a win. It doesn’t have to be pretty, and it often isn’t. You just have to beat the other guy.
Today of course that didn’t happen, and although I would generally (yikes I have used that word twice in this one post) root for the team in my division, I just cannot forgive the Packers for not keeping forever one of my favorite quarterbacks of all time…… Bart Starr. (Shame on you for thinking Brett Farve).
So today is over, the season is over, and Ben missed the worst part….the first half. Soon enough he will be as tortured however as me. But I have no regrets. I am a lifer for sure, and Ben seems smarter than the rest of these mindless Colts’ fans I live with.
After all, who wants to be a “Pony on the Pasture” when you can be a “Monster of the Midway?”
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Ho Ho Ho…..

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Amanda has been out of commission all day today with a migraine, and I have been working and in meetings much of the day. I am so thankful that my mother-in-law has been here to hang with Ben, because had she not been here today the day would have been far different. Most kids do better after a nap, but Ben was a real pain. Apparently he has developed a “HoHo” dependency and we are currently looking for a treatment center for him. Nanny and I had to tag-team him into submission for dinner and things seemed to be going well until his mom appeared angrily in the doorway.

The good news is that we are back down to Defcon 3 here at the house and everything seems to be back to its normal tension. As for me, I am over the top, as the vodka tonic I have had has taken me beyond my reasonable judgement tonight and I must confess I find that unfortunate. But I am just talking with my mother-in-law in the living room, and I trust her to tell me if I am a goofball…at least more than I usually she thinks I am!
Off to bed for me! Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Swine…….

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My dad called me a couple of days ago to alert me of a very important happening in our country…….both “The Pink Panther” and “A Shot in the Dark” were going to be televised on Thursday night.

Actually, I was not at all surprised by his call. Peter Sellers is my favorite actor, a comedic genius, and I really spent the whole first half of my life emulating him. Steve Martin, though a genius in his own right, was way out of his league in re-making “The Pink Panther,” for there is truly only one Inspector Clouseau (it’s pretty cool that my spellcheck recognizes it too).
But getting back to me, I knew every line, I imitated every mannerism, and now of course I am coming to the realization that with those kind of skills there wasn’t a lot for me to be other than a clergyman. I used to call my sisters and mom “swine,” which would always make them laugh. I would always announce that I was heading to my “reum.” And though I never owned a “minkey” I did have a dog, and it did not bite. It was a great escape for the troubled soul that I was during that part of my life. And I always thought that if I didn’t have the ability to laugh I might not have made it at all.
But my life is much better now, and the laughter has stayed with me. And this week the big laugh is with me. Yep, I talked with my dad today and told him thanks for calling, but I missed the movies. Of course I also told him not to worry too.
That’s right……I own the box set of every one of the Peter Sellers Clouseau movies ever made.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+