Things vs. beings

Things.... toolstoyscarsclothestvsmoney..... Things
  How do I describe my relationship with things?
 
 I guess the reality is that I do not really care for things

Maybe I do not really understand how much other people care for things.

Maybe other people do not understand that I do not really care about things.

Some seem to think that caring about things = caring about people

Some seem to think that because I do not care about things that I do not care about anything.

Maybe I saw people caring more about things than beings and at some level decided that caring about things = not caring about beings

Any way if one has to choose between things and beings......

Not so good Dad, scary? kid

So Dad got pneumonia and is super low energy....
  On his week we got some sort of school concert thing
Soren does not want to go
 Mom can't make evening so goes to Matinee
 Pop forgets about appointment and evening.
 Gets home with kids
Soren "I changed my mind, I do want to go and we need to be there at 5:45
Dad   "???"
Dad "it is already 5:45."
Soren becomes adamant about not going
 Dad is relieved goes and lies down. Kids go outside to mine
  Phone rings and wakes Dad. Kids Mom.. "How is it going?"
Dad. "Uh.. wha.. Oh yeah, we did not go..."
Mom "Why not?'
Dad. "Uh um.. Well I forgot."
 Mom nicely ignores that and says she was calling to make sure Soren saw her in the audience
 Dad says he will have Soren call when he gets in.
A while later Soren comes in and Dad tells him Mommy wants him to call
  "Hi Mom."
Yup I saw you.
Thanks.
 Well I decided that simce we had been getting home so late because of soccer that i was going to have to skip the concert and go to bed early because 9:15 is WAY too late for us to go to sleep.
 OK Bye."
  I wonder why I could not make up such a believable story...
Also a little worried that a 7 year old would already have an unassailable alibi on the spot like that

Things not to do

A kangaroo rat took up residence in my work truck a while ago. Building nests here and there...
  Finally built a nest in the heater area. Causing problems
After a few futile attempts to capture or remove, I got a glue trap and baited it with a hotdog.
  The scene that greeted me in the morning was horrific...
  Note to self. "Never EVER use a glue trap

Reading?

Spent a week reading instead of facebooking
 When I am on facebook the kids wander around and do their own thing
 The last couple of days of reading with them here, they switched to bringing their books and reading along side
  Hm.

Being "Dad"

8:30 bedtime, after the whole we are going to bathe with clothes on deal.
  We are NOT going to sleep!!!! WE ARE NOT!!
   Light s OFF and classic rock..  
 8:35 silence. Except for the snoring, which comes from her side of the family

At sprouts with the boys and Soren tells me he has to buy a gift bag. I tell him no.
  "But I need to get a present for my teacher, and here it is!"
 What is a dad to do?

creative cuisine..

Soren loves chips and salsa.
 Tonight he ran out of chips
Hey Daddy since we are out of chips I am going to use Flour tortillas
  " Salsa Burrito!!!

perseverence

Early last year I decided that I would run an average of one mile per day for the year.
  I started out slow and it looked hopeless right away. I kept up a slight effort in spite of the fact that not only was I already behind, running was a distant 4th on my priority list between work kids and other priorities.
  By late April I was hopelessly behind. I heard from somebody that if one does an activity every day for 28 days it becomes a habit, so I decided to run 3.1 miles a day every day for May. Between all my other priorities it was a great strain, but I did it.
  \I quite quickly found that it may become a habit but it still takes a great effort to maintain a "habit" that does not easily fit...
  Desultory effort through the summer, really busy in September so 0 that is right zero miles..
 In spite of the fact that it was now near impossible to meet my goal I kept running whenever  desire energy and priorities allowed.
   On thanksgiving I noticed that I only had 90 miles to make 365 so I decided to make it a priority.
By the 15th of December I realized that I had been 30 miles optimistic in my math.. Of course by then I was so close that it was within reach in spite of or perhaps because of my math "error"
 So in spite of many factors including priorities my perseverance in a relatively small and pretty hopeless matter ended in success