The Blockers

Ah, The Blockers, those pesky little mischievous "gremlins" that pop up from time-to-time and do nasty little things around the house.

Well, we have a house guest for a while, we'll call her "Coagulated Tree Sap" (CTS for short).  Well, CTS was going down to the basement to wash some clothes when she discovered the mess of all messes.  She saw an open paint can, and the contents all over the basement floor.

She called up to my wife, "Uh, I think we have a problem here!"

My wife came down, looked at the mess and started laughing (in order to keep from crying!)  That is when she started her investigation.

Who could have made this mess?

When was the mess made?

What was their motive?

Where was the mess made? (Obvious, she was looking at it.)

 

The mess was relatively fresh, probably within the last 1/2 hour or so.  The paint hadn't started to dry at all, so the clean up wasn't *that* difficult.

In light of that, Hurricane had been at the neighbors playing for a couple of hours.  So he could safely be eliminated as a culprit in this heinous crime.

Godzilla, though he has the ability to create mass destruction, was asleep in his crib at the time.   So, unless he was sleep walking, he could be absolved.

The adults of the house wouldn't have done that, so we were all eliminated from suspicion.

That left only one.

That left the Tornado.  Just like his namesake destruction was sown quickly and effectively.  However, because no one was there to witness the destruction, my wife couldn't "convict" him.

That is where I come in. 

The first words out of my wife's mouth as soon as I entered the house where, "Honey, Tornado painted the basement floor, but no one saw him do it.  Can you talk to him?"

I immediately went up stairs and put on my Good Cop/ Bad Cop face.  First I took the position of the good cop:

"Tornado, what happened down stairs?"

"Paint Spilled."

"Did you spill the paint?"

"No, Daddy"

"Do you know who spilled the paint?"

"Yes, Daddy"

"Um, could you please tell me who did it then?"

"The Blockers" -- ominous music started playing in the background.

"The Blockers?"

"Uh huh."

"Who are the blockers?"

"They're outside."

I looked out the back to where he was pointing.

"I don't see anyone outside, except mommy, and she's cooking on the grill and I know she didn't do it.  So what happened?"

"They hit me on the head."

"Oh, so they hit you on the head and then wen down and spilled the paint?" 

"Uh huh."

"Did you see the spill the paint?"

"Uh huh."

OK, I'd heard enough.

"Tornado, I know that the blockers didn't do this.  I know that you are lying to me and I'll give you one chance to tell me the truth.  If you tell me the truth, you will not be punished, but if you tell me the lie again, I'll be forced to discipline you.  Did you spill the paint?"

"No, Daddy, it was the blockers."

"Wait, hold on, maybe you didn't understand.  You will be punished if you lie to me and you will not be punished at all if you tell me the truth.  Did you spill the paint?"

"No, Daddy."

"OK, you're going to be punished."

He started running, I started after him.  He fell to the floor crying.  I asked again, "Did you spill the paint?"

"Yes, Daddy, I did it, it was me! **Sob**"

"Okay, Buddy, come here, you're not going to be punished, but you need to tell Mommy your sorry for making the mess, and tell her that you did it."

"OK, Mommy, I did it, I'm sorry."

 

Now, why am I telling this story?  First, because it's funny.  Well, at least it's funny when it's told, it doesn't translate as well when it's written.  However, there is a lesson in parenting here that I think is important.

The lesson is consistency.  Be consistent with your kids.  In how you treat them, how you discipline them and how you love them.  If they know that you mean what you say, you will never have to back it up.  I didn't have to punish him for doing the act.  He's a 3 year old boy, they make messes, it's what they do.  However, I couldn't tolerate the lying, that starts a habit that is hard to break, and one that he would pay for dearly later, had he been able to get away with the lie.

I would also like to add that I'm mighty impressed with the story that he came up with, it was quite ingenious.  For a 3 year old to weave that kind of story means that he's thinking and that impresses me, even when it's trying to get out of something.

Anyway, that is the story of the blockers.  I hope you enjoyed it.

In Perpituity

Many people laugh at me when I tell them that I am a wrestling fan. More so in times past than I am now, but I remain a fan.

Today one of my favorite wrestlers and his family were found dead at their home in Atlanta.

Chris Benoit was a great wrestler. There was really no one else like him. He gave 100%, 100% of the time. Even when he wasn't a face, I liked him. He was, probably, the greatest wrestler to this point in history.

I know from interviews and what not that he adored his family. Today, they died, as they lived, together. I'm saddened for the extended families and the friends. I didn't know him. I don't know if I would have liked him or not, I don't know.

However, he has entertained me for years and now I am sad that he will no longer be able to do that for me and the fans that he loved.

Anyway, I just wanted to vent a little. Chris, Nancy and Daniel Benoit, we shall miss you.

**Update**
As more information about this incident come to light, I feel that I have to append this post. While nothing can lessen the achievements of Chris Benoit in the ring, I must change my stance on his family.

Here are the things I don't understand:

1. How do you look into your 7 year old's eyes and kill him? I have a 6 year old. When I look at him, I see all of the things he could be. All of the things that would make him better than me. It's my job to make sure he is in an environment that will allow him to reach his full potential. I could never do anything to hurt him, much less take his life.
2. How do you do the same thing with your wife? The woman who you loved enough to want to grow old with. The woman who went through child birth to give you your spitting image. I don't understand that.
3. How do you then take your own life? Call me a coward, but I don't think I could ever get to the point where I would seriously consider it.

As I watched the tribute to Chris Benoit last night on Monday Night Raw, I saw many wrestlers give testimony on how he effected their lives. There were a couple that were very heart warming, and a couple that were actually very revealing of the man who killed his 7 year old son, his wife and ultimately himself.

When Chavo Guerrero spoke about finding his uncle Eddie's body and then spending time with Chris before their deaths and how both men effected his life and how Chris wasn't just like family to him, he was family. That was touching.

When Dean Melenko spoke of how private and how quite Chris was, it was telling.

I don't know what happened to Chris. I don't know what he was going through personally. I don't know if there were outside influences (drugs, alcohol) involved in his decision making. Truly, I don't know.

I also don't know where he stood spiritually, I didn't know the man, but his actions give clues, even if they don't speak the whole story. When Eddie Guerrero died, he died a Christian. He had given his life to Christ a couple of years earlier and he was living for Christ. When Road Warrior Hawk died, he died a Christian. I don't know about Chris Benoit, but his actions say he was not. I don't know this for certain, I am not his judge, I will not make the judgement. Saying that, I hope that there is mercy shown to him, just as I hope that there is mercy shown to me for my mistakes.

Anyway. Chris, you murdering fool, may God have mercy on your soul.

The Magnificent, The Masterful and The Mundane

Hello All!

This is the pilot post of The Magnificent, The Masterful and The Mundane. I want to first explain the name and give a little bit of background on me, your fearless guide on the river of information.

The names meaning will become more clear in time, as I post my thoughts on life, faith and code. (I know, a weird combination.) However, as a brief description. I think life is magnificent. I know that my creator is masterful. Work can be mundane, but in the insignificant parts of the day great truth and clarity can be achieved.

Now about me, I'm a Software Developer by trade. Most of the applications that I write are web based, intranet applications. However, I do have a couple websites that I've worked on that are publically viewable. The most important to me personally is www.ffccpa.org.

But, I am not all about my career. In fact, my career is not what defines me. My definition comes from my faith and from my family.

I am a Dad and a Husband. These are the most important titles that I possess. I have been married (at the time of this post) for 9 years to the most awesome woman in the world (she has to be, she's put up with me for 10 years.) I have three of the greatest kids in the world. They are 6, 3 and 1. They truly are the joys of my life.

I am also a youth pastor and worship leader at Family Fellowship Christian Center (the above mentioned www.ffccpa.org.) We are a small church in a small town with a huge vision. If you want to be part of that vision, visit the web site and help us out.

Anyway, that is me in a nutshell. Now I need to get back to actual work.