Had I known that rolling, throwing, kicking, and bouncing a ball from the Little Tikes basketball hoop indoors would be so much fun for Niko, I would’ve done it more often. Yesterday, we did it three times. We do have to take drinking and cooling off breaks for both of us. It’s good physical activity…
Sleeping With The (NOT) Enemy
This isn’t about the 1991 Julia Roberts movie. No, this is actually much better. For the past two Thursday’s, I have slept with Niko. I can only do it when I don’t have to work the following day. I also can’t do it more regularly like every Friday and Saturday, because we always seem to…
The STRESSFUL Dad
Nina had minor surgery on July 23rd and is doing great in her recovery. I had July 23rd, July 26th, July 30th, and August 6th off from work and it was nice not to have to work and take care of Niko at the same time. Because, when I did have to work, it was…
Please Be Careful
Man, I have worn out those three words with Niko and I know he dislikes it when they come out of my mouth. One of my primary jobs as a dad is to make sure he is careful and doesn’t get hurt. He is just so playful and full of energy and sometimes can be…
Dr. Dad and Nurse Niko
On July 23rd, Nina had minor surgery on her back; don’t worry, she is doing good and each day is better than the previous. Dr. Dad and Nurse Niko are taking good care of her. We make sure she has drinks in the mini fridge upstairs and I have been providing lots of hot meals…
Niko Nap
Niko stopped taking naps in November of 2019, right when I started my MBA at Western Governors University. Yeah great timing. Well, a few days ago, he woke up super early. It was so early that my work alarm for 7 am hadn’t even gone off yet. I was able to make his breakfast and…
DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD
When Niko wakes up in the middle of the night before we are scheduled to get him for a quick pee or in the morning, he instinctively yells DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD. He even did it a few weeks ago when I was not even home in the morning as I was physically at work. I can hear…
Happy 10 Years To WWW.THESTATMANSPEAKS.COM
Man, I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since I started writing on www.thestatmanspeaks.com. My first article on July 17, 2011, was about high school football. See, I was a high school football statistician for games on the radio (1997 to 2015) and for games on the television (2009 to 2015). I really fell in…
Happy 10 Years to THESTATMANSPEAKS.COM
Man, I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since I started writing on www.thestatmanspeaks.com. My first article on July 17, 2011, was about high school football. See, I was a high school football statistician for games on the radio (1997 to 2015) and for games on the television (2009 to 2015). I really fell in…
I’m Walking
Since June 14th, I have been walking in the evenings after Niko is sleeping. It’s a very short walk around the block, because it’s so hot. Before I do my walks, I have to make sure I have clothes to change into. Because, even though they are short walks, I do sweat. As far as…
Back To Work
I have been working from home since last April and have had to be in the office a few times since then, but only for a couple of hours in the morning. Then, I was able to finish my shift at home. Last week, that changed, as I was in the office Tuesday through Friday…
Mr. Niko PERFECTO
I guess being five years old, means some things must be perfect! If not, he gets frustrated and has recently started imitating our body and facial expressions from when we get frustrated. It’s actually really funny how accurate he is, especially when he uses them. Let me quickly explain… For breakfast, Niko wants ham and…
Reflections On…Podcasts
I have been listening to podcasts for several years; mostly comedy where the host or hosts interview somebody, a few music ones, and some sport ones, during my drive to and from work. That drive time averages about 2 and a half hours each day, so I can listen to quite a few throughout the…
Why Oxnard, CA
A few days ago, I saw a headline about the Dallas Cowboys returning to Oxnard, CA for training camp next month. Am I the only one who is puzzled by this decision? I mean, are there more Dallas Cowboys fans in Oxnard, then in the Dallas area? I don’t think so. It’s probably a decision…
Fumbleruski
One of my favorite types of turnover is the fumble. Whenever I hear the word fumble, my brain immediately thinks of Leon Lett’s fumble in Super Bowl XXVII (sorry Dallas Cowboy fans for that memory) and Rob Schneider’s character in the movie Necessary Roughness when he says, “Fumble, FUMBALAYA, FUMBLERUSKI! It happens more than you…
Happy Fathers Day
I am not going to blab on and on and on and on about today, because everyday is both Mothers and Fathers Day and children’s day! But, I am looking forward to later in the day having some Chinese food that Nina and Niko will pickup. Noodles, rice, and dumplings for me! Yummy for my…
The Dad Bod – Part 10
Hi, my name is Mark and I have been eating pasta, rice and a little bit of dairy for the past few weeks and I really need to put a stop to it now. I was doing so well before that (my stomach wasn’t hurting either during that time) and then, it all went down…
Lawn Mowing
It feels really good that today I didn’t have to mow the backyard this morning like I did last Sunday and the Sunday before that. We had a lot of rain and the back yard grew quickly in the two prior weeks; this week, it’s just HOT. Our little battery powered lawnmower did a good…
Lego The Incredibles
We purchased this game several weeks ago, but it wasn’t until a few days ago that we eventually figured out how to play it. I enjoy it much better than all the Mario video games we have; mainly, because I get to smash things into lego pieces and it’s also a really great stress reliever….
The Dad’s Library
Obviously, I love to write as I have been doing it publicly since 2011. It just comes so easy for me and once I get going, I am hard to stop. But, when I am not writing about writing, I love to read books. The books I choose are mainly autobiographies or biographies of people….