Saturday, January 27, 2007

Things I Learned This Week: 1/27/07

Because I want to spare you from experiencing some of the things I endured over the last few days, I post “Things I Learned This Week” each Saturday. It’s educational, sometimes insightful and for some reason, always makes me look pathetic. I hope that at least one item on this list will make your upcoming week much easier. So here are the “Things I Learned This Week” for the week of 1/21/07-1/27/07.

! I learned when I met with Lucy and Ethel’s preschool teachers that at 4 years old, they are already smarter than me. But they can’t work the TV’s remote yet, so there!!

! I learned that the minute I say how quiet it is at work, that every phone line will begin ringing, especially when I’m the only person in the office.

! I learned that I have 20 online courses to take within the next week to be eligible for my bonus at work. I then learned that I could just take the test and after enough attempts, I would pass. After that, I learned not to brag about my ingenious plan to others when they tell me how long the courses take.

! I learned that my new wireless BBQ thermometer is accurate after all and alerts you for a reason when your meat has reached its desired temperature.

! I learned to stop just agreeing with everything Lucy and Ethel say when I’m trying to watch TV after I apparently gave them approval to go bake cookies in the kitchen. The phrase ‘well Daddy told us we could,’ never, ever ends well.

! I learned that when my female coworker is giving me intimate details of her life that telling her how nice her hair looks usually distracts her enough to change the topic.

And lastly,

! I learned that when in a job interview and I’m asked if I write, answering with ‘yeah, I have a blog’ is not the best answer.

10 comments:

thethinker said...

Lucy & Ethel are smart. They know a skill that took me years to learn. Always ask your parents for something you really want when they are :

a. Engrossed in a television program (Cooking, for my mother. Football, for my dad)

b. Just waking up.

c. Just leaving the house, in a hurry.

Rachel Schell said...

wha?? blogging is not considered writing?

I've agreed to some pretty crazy things while busy blogging...let's just say my daughter loves scissor and every single one of her stuffed animals no longer has a tag on it...guess it could have been worse.

Dean aka Sgt Dub said...

great lessons this week Michael. Can I bake cookies too?

Odat said...

Yeah, pay closer attention to those questions from Lucy and Ethel, espcially when they get older!!! :-d

My boss was asking someone what a blog was, and a "friend" of mine told him oh yeah Odat has one of them, ask her!!! Geeze I really don't want anyone in my office reading mine....but that's just me.
Peace

Lee said...

Enjoy this time while Lucy and Ethel can't yet use the remote. Our TV is permanently stuck on the Spongebob station. 24 hours of Spongebon every day is enough to make a mama crazy.

Jo said...

"Well, Daddy told us we could" can be fatal. I've seen it happen.

BTW, how were the cookies?

Josie

heartinsanfrancisco said...

My parents were never asleep at the switch, sadly. Ever-vigilant, they spoke with scorn of my aunt, whose children could get her to agree to anything if they badgered her long enough. Where there is a point of honor involved, the kids can't win.

You're a great dad, but maybe you could pre-set a little alarm that goes off in your mind when anything involving ovens is mentioned.

I rarely tell anyone I have a blog. Their eyes glaze over as if I have announced a blood pact with the devil and want them to witness our tryst. (I love the word "tryst.")

Michael C said...

Thinker: Yep, those are the 3!!

Rach: If only the tags were missing, then yes, it could have been much worse ;-)

Sgt: Bake as many as you like ;-)

Odat: Dear Odat's boss - she deserves a raise ;-)

Lee: Spongebob is a lot better than Little Einsteins, at least for me personally ;-)

Josie: They didn't taste very good at all ;-)

HeartsinSanFrancisco: I've told everyone I have a blog -- my boss even reads it occasionally. I think tryst is a very underutilized word!!
;-)

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I think I've already thwarted my meager career with references to, um, blogging. And, yes, you are doomed if you think you can outsmart the girls. Won't happen.

Michael C said...

Laughorist: I guess that's two of the bigger mistakes I've made. At least they didn't ask for my blog's address ;-)