Well, I am off from work all next and the following week, as I go back Friday, January 2nd. Last year at this same time, I was off, but it was because we moved. And, totally unexpected, I also had emergency surgery for a heart attack a few weeks before that move. Yeah, shit happened. …
Since the day before Thanksgiving, snow has been on the ground where we live. Wait, where else would it be? In the air? I have already used the snow shovel and snow blower multiple times to clear the driveway. Our snow blower is a Toro, and it worked very well and quick. Don’t tell anybody…
One year ago today, I was discharged from Methodist Hospital Texsan, one of the top heart hospitals in Texas, after an experience that changed everything. On December 5, 2024, I woke at 3 a.m. with chest pain, sweating, and a pounding headache. They were classic heart attack symptoms, but instead of calling an ambulance like…
If you don’t know me, my name is Mark, and I like to eat. Not Sushi, though. It doesn’t appeal to me to eat raw food! I have never actually eaten Sushi, but that changed when Niko saw a video on it, and was intrigued to try it. But, Nina and I had no clue…
I am definitely not used to the cold weather. All of my life, I lived in Texas and have had to deal with extreme heat for most of the year! Car and home A/C blasting super cold air all of the time. Now, we live in one of coldest cities in the country. Even going…
Last Sunday, it was cold. So cold and cloudy. With precipitation. Add that up, and that afternoon, I saw something flying through the air and realized it was a snowflake! A few more snowflakes arrived. I sat on the couch and just watched as snowflakes flew downward. It was very surreal and pretty, and this…
In July, Niko declared his current King bed not comfortable anymore and he was really struggling in the evenings to go to sleep. So, I gave him my Queen bed and took his uncomfortable King bed. For me, it was a no brainer swap as his sleep is the most important in the house. That…
Up until about a month ago, Niko wasn’t even thinking about what to be for Halloween. But, then, he watched KPop Demon Hunters, and he wanted to be Jinu as a Demon! Fine with us. Nina found his hat online and made the robe herself. She used makeup on Niko and drew the demon markers…
In June, we moved from one of the hottest places in the USA to one of the coldest places in the USA! We are ready for snow, as we have lots of warm clothes and continue to buy more. We got a TORO snow blower delivered last Wednesday and I turned it on yesterday, and…
Niko was off from school Wednesday through Friday, for no particular reason. I guess that is how the schools in Minnesota function. He does get time off like this throughout the year, in addition to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. But no Spring Break like in Texas. Nina worked most of her hours on Monday…
I got three random things I wanted to share and didn’t feel like separating them out over the next three weeks. So, you get them all today. 10/10/2025 On Friday, Nina and I celebrated 15th wedding anniversary. I took Nina to lunch at a “nice restaurant” on the lake near our house. Not the one…
Last Saturday and Sunday, Niko and I went to the community center where they have an indoor pool. He took swim lessons over the summer at the local high school, and now, he is a professional swimmer who loves showing off his skills. When we do pool, I strive to be there right when they…
Since we moved to our new house in June, I have done a lot of “DAD HANDYMAN” things. It’s not like the house we purchased was in shambles and needed a ton of work. Just normal things that needs to be fixed or replaced. I think we have something like 25 doors in our house…
For 9 years, Nina and I have done a really good job of keeping bad words out of Niko’s vocabulary. Niko is aware of the bad words (probably from classmates at his old school), but he kept them pretty far back in his brain. He never used them and whenever something appeared audible to him…
The first week of school for Niko is in the books, and no complaints. Normally, and just like me, he doesn’t enjoy Physical Education, but on Thursday he said he played soccer and as the goalie, he blocked a lot of balls, and he also scored a goal! The drop-offs in the morning has been…
Last Thursday, Niko started his first day as a 4th grader at a new school and in a new city. A week prior, we got to see the school for the first time and on the following Tuesday, we got to meet the teacher. Both got the thumbs up from us and Niko, and he…
On December 5, 2024, I had a heart attack. I didn’t post about it. No announcement, no press release. I kept it to myself—just my family, Nina’s family, and my boss at work. I wasn’t looking for sympathy or the usual “I’m sorry”. I told the world I had emergency surgery (that was the truth),…
On Friday, and on our way to Best Buy to get his new iPad, Niko told me he needed an upgrade for a long time, but didn’t ask until last Friday – he thought I would say no. We ended up trading in my iPad Air 5th generation (M1) 256 GB for a new iPad…
On Friday afternoon, Niko asked me if he could have a new iPad. I didn’t say no, but I also didn’t say yes – I said maybe. Now I will be talking about my iPad because, for the past few weeks, I have actually been thinking about trading in my iPad. I only use my…
Before Niko was born in 2016, television was my best friend. I got my first television in 1990, a classic Sony tube television. Up until 2010 when I got married, I always had one in the bedroom. I watched a lot of great stuff. After Niko arrived, though, TV got flushed down the toilet—rarely watched,…