Going to the chapel...

We are about to go to a wedding tonight... with the kids. We'll see how it goes, Katie is skeptical. But it is for one of our babysitters (who is a guy). We'll see. I think it is gonna work.

I went to the state fair in Salem with Owen yesterday, and in a real change, forced myself to spoil him and say yes a lot. We went on way too many rides and got too many snacks and had a great time. That kid is brave... we culminated the trip by riding on the Zipper.

If you don't know the Zipper, it is essentially a masochist dream... you get in a cage that jerks all around and flips upside down while the whole ride goes around like a ferris wheel. I believe it is the same ride my sister went on when she was about 13, and convince my grandmother to accompany her. Grandma Paul was never the same.

In fact, it was too much for me (and maybe for Owen). When it started Owen got jerked around pretty good because there was more room for him to move around (since the barrier when against me, and I am, um, bigger than him). He started freaking out, so I hung on with 1 hand and held him with the other and went into survival mode, whilst also getting nauseous. Owen survived, and claimed to have never been scared. Yeah right... oh, and his shoes fell off during the ride (and they were snug sneakers) and were tossed around inside our cage like crazy. Good times.

On the way home Owen announced that Grandma and Pop-Pop (my parents) were rich. He then went on to say how he knew... because they have a pinball machine.

So there you have it, show the world you have made it... get a pinball machine for your house.

I am Man, hear me roar, in numbers too large too ignore

Stresses abound with Owen first sick, then Katie (still), and some concerns about parents. But more pressing is my golf game and fantasy football.

I played golf for the first time in awhile on Sunday and had my best round in about 20 years, shooting 76. It was kind of a religious experience. Then I got to play again yesterday and shot 89 (about right) on a tougher course. Whatever... I'm back.

Then, to stress over fantasy football (and to a lesser extent, fantasy baseball), with a draft tonight in a league where I am commissioner, and I'm starting to feel manly. Got home from golf last night, and was just on with the kids, spelling Katie and getting them to sleep with smiles on their faces.

Owen starts school on Tuesday in 1st grade. I saw his desk today. He is going to be a proud boy.

At any rate, this brings me back to two comments I heard in late 1999, within a couple months of each other. 1) My sister claiming that I was "the least gay person I know" and 2) A guy from San Francisco claiming my musical taste was really gay. While the issue is unsettled, no matter how many New Order albums I listen to, or how many blender drinks I order at the bar, I'm ultimately a guy. My boys see it; they want to wrestle and please me by watching sports with me.

Anyway, I'm back and hoping to blog more often. Down to 60 lbs of fish or so.

Got a quarter million dollars worth of fish here

Wow... what a trip. To wind it up, we got back on Thursday night with a lot of fish... to be specific, everyone got 100lbs of fish, plus we had a bit more that is getting smoked. Salmon, Halibut, Snapper and Ling Cod. Whoa.

It was truly great to go on that trip, and just as great to get home to my family. The greeting I got from the kids was really heartwarming and I just wanted to hold on to that moment. The rest of the Alaska pics are up at http://picasaweb.google.com/rseidenwurm.

Weirdly enough, I came dowqn with a touch of the vertigo when I got back, feeling lightheaded and tremendously sleepy. Enough so that on Friday night, I kind of panicked and hyperventilated to the point where I called the dr. on call. It was still going today so I saw the dr. who told me I had this vertigo and I needed to rest and it would just go away. Always nice to know you don't have a brain tumor or an aneurysm or something.

Couple cute moments though... this morning Owen was very concerned with me, and thought he should test my brain. He asked me the following questions:
What is 6X7?
What is 100 + 100?
Which is healthier, salt or crackers?
What is mommy more allergic to, horses or dogs?

Later, he told me I needed to lay down, and prepared a tray (a cookie sheet) with 6 glasses, 3 full of water, 3 full of apple juice. It was so sweet.

Nathan was a trooper today. I swear he has grown a ton while I was away. He also danced his happy dance to music both in my car (whilst picking up pizza) and naked while waiting for the bath in our room... the latter to the Lenny Kravitz song "I want to get away." He is a rocker, that one.

So much fish to eat. If you want fish, and you are local, drop me a line.

Quickie bloggie

Internet was down, so couldn't post yesterday, but an amazing weather day. I managed 9 salmon, out of the 16 our boat caught.

Prob more later... last day of fishing.

Second verse, same as the first, it got a little better and it got a little worse

First of all, photos updated at http://picasaweb.google.com/rseidenwurm

Second of all... what a day. The weather was as pristine as it can get... mid 60s, slight breeze, sunny. Just idyllic.

Also, I got better... didn't even come close to hooking someone!

But the fish were biting quite slowly, and by the time we got our 24 salmon, we had only a little time for halibut, which also weren't biting, and then at the end, I got a really good one and when it got close... it was gone. i was told I probably caught a rock.

Then Rick caught a 45lb one, and you can see it pulled out of the boat in the pix.

Off to drink some more great wine, prime rib for dinner, massage after dinner, and then coma.

Do it all again tomorrow, and the next day.

I miss my family, but that will just be the nice part of the trip ending.... getting to see them.

New link for photos

Oops:
http://picasaweb.google.com/rseidenwurm

Little less transportation, little more action

Phew! That was a big day.
4:45 wake up
5:20 meet van to airport
6:00 take off from Ketchikan (on tarmac) in tiny plane
6:40 Arrive on floaters at lodge in Craig, Alaska (www.elcapitanlodge.com)
7:30 In a boat
4:00 Back from fishing
Our boat (4 of us) caught our limit in salmon (24!) and halibut (8).

Some quick thoughts -
Little plans take off very easily, but get blown around (but not too bad), and landing in water is fun and easy.
Fishing with a guide who does everything is fun.
Salmon are kind of fun to pull in (swim at 50 feet on average, not hard to haul in)
Halibut are on the bottom in 250 feet and require lots of manpower.
I caught 8 salmon (2 thrown back), 1 shark (thrown back), 3 halibut (kept).

Some pictures here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/webUpload?uname=rseidenwurm&aid=5230453420594581377

Also, on the lodge website they take pix of our daily catch.

Me tired.

Ketchikan fever... catch it!

3 hours in a van, a flight to Ketchikan, and a 3 minute ferry later, and hot diggity, I'm at a motel like place in Ketchikan! Really beautiful, but nothing special... we get on a sea plane and leave at 5:20AM tomorrow... we'll be out fishing by 8.

Not much to say, and anxious in a good way about fishing, but here we go!

Miss the family already... need to stop looking at photos on my ipod.