After everything that has happened in the past month (moving and being hospitalized with emergency surgery), I am glad I took time off from work to end the year. I don’t go back till next Thursday. My mother thought my job was closed! I told her my job is closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day…
Tag: The Dad Speaks
So This Happened…
We accepted an offer for our house a few days before Thanksgiving and moved last Monday to less than a mile away in the same neighborhood. I have to give a lot of thanks to Nina as she did 99.9% of the packing. We are leasing till the end of the school year as Niko…
Sometimes I Think…
Sometimes, I think about things that don’t even matter and have no impact on anybody, but me. So, a few days ago, I was thinking about ditching my websites and finding someplace free to write. I even looked at two older free blogs I had, and even backed them up should I make that choice….
Feeling MUCH Better
Niko goes back to school and I go back to work tomorrow. Both of us are feeling much better. Niko has two more does of medication remaining. We didn’t do anything fun in the world, although I tried yesterday, and it was a huge NOPE from him. I did a quick run to Half Price…
Thanksgiving Break for Niko
Niko is off this week for Thanksgiving. I am off on Thursday and Friday. And, just like the past few Thanksgiving’s, Niko is sick again! I had to pick him up early from school last Wednesday, and he stayed home Thursday and Friday. On Friday, Nina took him to an urgent care clinic and the…
Stand Still – Niko Vs Dad
Every weekend, I am primed and want to explore the world. I am at home all week working. Every weekend, Niko wants to watch his iPad and play his games. He is at school all week learning. So, who wins? Well, Niko wins most of the time. Last week, though, I won as we went…
Veteran’s Day Recital
Tomorrow, Niko has his first recital at school to celebrate Veteran’s Day. Now, before I proceed, I need to be honest and tell you that when Nina first told me about this about two months ago, either I wasn’t listening or she never told me. So, since I am smart and even though, I don’t…
The Dad’s Random Thoughts
Instead of reading a book a few times last week, Niko grabbed my iPad and set the Safari browser to thedadspeaks.com. Hey, that’s mine! He wanted me to read them to him, and I happily obliged. I showed him how to search by keyword or dates, and he was scrolling through everything until something caught…
Hangry
Last Saturday, we had a hangry boy! If you don’t know what that means, I will explain. It’s when Niko is hungry and angry, and he can’t make his mind up for what he wants to do. Don’t worry, I will explain further. We went to P.F. Changs for lunch and Niko wanted no part…
GameCrafters – Nicholas Medina
The first time I met Nick was at a high school football game, where I was training him on stats. I don’t remember the game, but I believe it was at the Springs Sports Complex in San Antonio, and home to the San Antonio Independent School District. It was a billion degrees outside, and we…
Life is Good for the DAD
Life is good for me, as last Wednesday (10/9/2024), I celebrated my one-year work anniversary at HealthEquity, Inc. I went to a Finance Conference at the headquarters in Draper, UT in July and it was nice to meet my team face-to-face, and even other people who I have been on calls with. Here is a…
GameCrafters – Ernie Zuniga
I first saw Ernie on TV doing sports for KABB Fox 29 San Antonio, alongside Ed Suarez and Chuck Miketinac. I never even thought that I would end up working with all three of them as a high school football statistician. Ed was with the Texas Sports Radio Network, and Ernie and Chuck were with…
Niko The Lego Master
On Friday evening and before Niko went to sleep, I asked him to build me a small Lego holder for my one work pen and my work branded colored work markers. He agreed. We actually did it together yesterday morning, as I built the base and he built the rest. He even found a Lego…
GameCrafters – David Miguel
I was the statistician for the Spanish radio broadcasts for UTSA football in 2012, and David Miguel did the color commentary. Since he was from out-of-town, I picked him up at his hotel and we drove together to the games. What a great way to get to know somebody. Since then, we have kept in…
French Toast and Food
I am by no means a professional chef, but I try my best to give Niko the best breakfasts before school. Sometimes he requests fried eggs or a ham and egg breakfast taco, which I can do for him. Last week, though, he wanted French Toast, and we not only had the eggs, and bread,…
GameCrafters – Matt Wixon
In 2019, I reached out to Matt on Twitter. I had recently read a book he published about high school football, and I had to tell him how much I enjoyed it. We had previously connected on Twitter because we both were writing about high school football; him in Dallas and me in San Antonio….
Barnes & Noble
Give me some alone time at a bookstore, and I can easily find several books to purchase after browsing. But, add in Niko, and I have less than 60 seconds to browse as I have to chase him around the store. Yes, he likes books and I did buy him some last week at his…
GameCrafters – Mark Lieberman
I like asking questions and sharing other people’s stories here, but now it’s my time to share my story. So, what inspired me to write this one? Well, I was actually thinking of what family member provided me my passion for sports. Not playing but watching them on television. Them, referring to baseball and basketball….
The Tired Dad – Again
On Friday, Niko woke up at 4:30 am, and when that happens, I am up with him. It’s always been that way for Nina and I, and even though I don’t want to be awake, I get up and take care of him. It’s much easier for me to go back to sleep than Nina…
GameCrafters – Mark Kusenberger
When I was a high school football statistician for the Texas Sports Radio Network, I worked a lot of games with Kusenberger, and for those games, I always knew the broadcast would be flawless and my stats would be appreciated constantly. When we got married in 2010, Nina and I had a very small affair….