Thinkulating

What was said:

Friday night, as we pulled up at the house. THEBOY opened the van window and yelled to a neighborhood cat that was on our porch, “I’m sorry, but Oreo is dead!”

***

Suddenly, we sparred.

Yeah, I’m the guy acting like a lost puppy at Krav every Tuesday night, asking people to stay for “sparring” class. For several weeks in a row everyone has bailed.

But I’ve been attending the advanced Krav class on Saturday mornings, and lo and behold, they told us to put on our gear and go at it today.

The only other guy in the class (there were two women) was a talented martial artist for whom I have a lot of respect. A good guy, but rather crazy.

So this was my sparring partner.

I have got to learn to use my reach advantage. He was just a perpetual onslaught of advancing punches and kicks. I simply couldn’t defend myself well enough and still land shots.

Oh, you know, I landed a few shots. And I’m happy to say that I got him in a Thai clinch that he couldn’t do anything about for a while.

I’ve got to spar more though, man. Got to put together these tools and gain some confidence.

***

What was said:

Tonight at dinner, when the waitress came over and apologized for the delay in getting the check. We weren’t concerned.

MOBB said, “That’s okay. We’re just sitting here gestating.”

I asked, “Uh… what did you say?”

***

Had to hit some salvage yards today, looking for a headlamp assembly for MOBB’s car.

I dislike salvage yards, and I hate doing mechanical stuff. And I’ve got just enough experience with headlamps to dislike those too.

And in fact, this little trip nearly didn’t happen, as the moment THEBOY and I opened the door to leave the skies opened up, again, and we had to stay home for a while.

But we eventually hit that stretch of Ft. Worth with all the salvage yards. I eyeballed them all once, hoping that going in junkyard with a nicer office building in front might, MIGHT mean I’d get treated like a human.

No dice at the Pick ‘n’ Pull. It was clean by junkyard standards, with uniformed staffers inside. But in my 60 seconds there I was glared at and mumbled to, and given only courtesy of being told they didn’t have the part.

Fudge.

***

The second place was a dump. Okay, that reads like a bad joke I guess. But it was dank, dirty, and run by a guy who said, “First of all, little ones ain’t allowed out back.”

Crap. Should have thought of that.

“He can stay here with me if you want,” he said in a voice right out of Sling Blade.

Let me just say that occasionally a parent’s intuition will whisper something important, and it’s best to pay attention.

No worries this time, as the parental intuition was louder than a Napalm Death concert.

I took THEBOY aside and explained to him that he’d have to wait in the car. He was resistant, and not pleased.

I said, “Look THIS is a place where there can be bad guys. I’m sorry, but I canNOT leave you in that dirty office with a man I don’t know and all these strangers.”

The tone in my voice reached him.

I put him in the car, grabbed my wrench and headed out back.

***

The proprietor had said the LeSabres were behind the pinkish building. That was no damn help, as pretty much the whole salvage yard was behind the pinkish building.

And considering the recent flash floods, well, most of the place was under water.

There’s nothing like walking around in ankle deep water in a junkyard to set a low point in one’s day.

They didn’t have the part.

***

The third place was just as gross, but run by personable folks who were quick to help. They didn’t have the part but could get me one at a not-too-awful price by Tuesday. I opted for the quick end to a dreary search.

***

THEBOY and I celebrated our not-as-awful-as-it-could-have-been trip with a stop at my favorite coffee shop.

And… the guy was there.

Yeah, a registered sex offender works at one of our local ‘bucks. Sigh. I know a little about what he did, and it involved kids, but I won’t get into the specifics here because I don’t want this site popping up in Google searches for, well, certain phrases.

I’ve seen him working a couple of low-paying jobs here locally, most notably at the ‘bucks. He’s older, probably older than I, and I certainly wondered why a man of his age was working those sorta gigs.

I have also seen him out walking around in our neighborhood lately. I know where his house is, and he seemed to be walking home from work.

But I had to do the parent thing and tell my son to take a good look at the man and remember his face. I instructed him to be careful around him, and if he should ever find himself alone with him or being approached by him in any way, to scream, to run, to get help, all that.

I suppose I should start patronizing a different location.

***

Sorry to go all serious on you there.

***

What was said:

Tonight at dinner, after I asked MOBB if she’d just told our waitress she was gestating.

She laughed. “I’m sorry. The kids interrupted me when I was thinkulating.”

I asked, “Uh… did you just say ‘thinkulating’?”

***

Ya’ll have a good weekend.