Smelly camp

My son went to summer camp this past week. It was his first time and, as far as I can tell, it went pretty much as I expected it to. He came home smelling moderately bad, and was immediately shuffled into the shower.

The duffel bag smelled like it was possessed by demons.

Musty BO mixed with... I have no idea. A duffel bag shouldn't smell like old wet shoes, yet somehow he managed. Everything was washed, very thoroughly. While his laundry could be saved, his sneakers and the duffel remain tainted.

The shoes are getting thrown out. I soaked the bag in febreeze and we'll see what happens. Meanwhile, it's his. I'll get the wife a new one.

Dumb dreaming

I don't often remember my dreams, but when I do, they're wild.

I had a time machine, but I went to the past and it broke. So I found my grandfather, who helped me repair it so I could go home. Essentially, I Back to the Future'd myself.

Many other dreams recently, I have to keep to myself. I told them to my wife, but there's no way I'm putting a record of some of this stuff on the internet. Nope. Even though (probably) nobody reads this, I can't risk that.

Synesthesia

Ok, confession time. Prepare to not believe me. 

I can see sound. 

Not all the time. Only when I'm relaxed. Like when I'm lying down and my mind is drifting, and some sound would find my ear. 

A wooden door closing on a wood frame: it's a brief sound that doesn't persist, so the image wouldn't either. It's always a red and black checkerboard. That was the first one I can remember, and it's been consistent. 

Two sheets of paper sliding across each other: glistening sand falling, but only as long as I hear it. It's never very long. 

Those are the two most common. Many others have happened.

What usually happens is I see the colors, and get so excited that my brain is no longer "resting", and it's gone. It's bizarre, and it makes me wonder how my brain is wired. But, it's fun. I just wish it happened more often.

No more time

Saturday came, and I didn't realize the next day was Sunday. I actually have something scheduled on Sunday, but it didn't sink in until I was putting myself to bed. I work one day a week right now, and I've otherwise lost all semblance of a regimen. If this keeps up when school starts, I'll be just as unmoored, but without the kids at home. 

I used to like that, but I'm not looking forward to it any more.

Silver lining

Alas, my work has slowed even more. Truthfully, it should have slowed sooner, but we were being optimistic. Now we're only working one day a week. I tell myself things will improve (we're the only company in the world that makes the parts we do, there just aren't enough aircraft being built), but it's not improving fast enough.

Supply chain issues have clogged everything. There are millions of parts that go into building a single plane, and if one of their suppliers can't get their supplies to build with, then the whole thing gets slowed down. It's like a train, unless all the cars are moving, none of them are. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the smaller companies closed due to this, and replacing them is a bureaucratic nightmare. 

One day is still better than zero I suppose.

Retro style

In the ongoing rain (just won't stop), my kids have been indoors a fair bit. They do play video games, but not the way modern society likes.

You see, I used to play games on consoles, before doing everything on my computer. When the kids were old enough to start gaming on their own, they did so on older consoles, playing older games. It stuck. I have a Wii U, and I'll spend $5 downloading an old NES title that not only makes them happy, but keeps them busy for a month or two at a time.

No way am I spending $60 on some garbage triple-A title with a slew of microtransactions, not to mention the ugly online community. Nooooooooooooooope.

Tent failure

Getting home from camp was, as it always is, a relief. First thing I did was set up our tent in the back yard so it could be cleaned and dried out, and we could waterproof it. We waterproofed it as best we could, then it rained. It didn't stop raining for a week. The rain just kept coming. The other night the power flickered. Didn't cut out, but I knew the wind was blowing the power lines around pretty bad.

Then one morning, it wasn't raining. The tent had been pulled off the ground and thrown across the yard. Poles had been shredded, tent stakes bent as they were pulled from the ground.

So yea, we're getting a new tent. This one lasted us eleven years, chosen because it was the one that was there as we were on our way out to a camping trip (turns out we stayed in the cabin, others stayed in my new tent). It's put us through many outdoor excursions, but its time has come.

Oh well.