Goats and Fish

Carina and I went out for dates on Thursday and Friday this week. Thursday we went for tapas and wine in the Short North. Friday we went to the Mad Greek at Campus Gateway. Afterwards, we wandered through the Barnes and Noble. Owen has been recommending Neil Gaiman to me for some time, so I finally bought American Gods. I’m halfway through, and enjoying it. I also bought Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town, by Cory Doctorow.

Saturday morning we picked up the twins from summer camp. They had a great time, and the entire drive home was filled with stories and songs. Tayler earned a free fishing pole, having done the fishing activity at camp. I suggested that we should go fishing as a family on Sunday, so Tyler and I went off to purchase a pole for her.

Saturday night I joined Tom and our friend Craig for dinner and drinks. We went to high school with Craig, then he joined the army, and we saw very little of him for the next few years. He served in Bosnia for about a year, and then was stationed at various places throughout the States. When he was finally done, he came back to Columbus to go to graduate school at OSU. We get together infrequently, to catch up and maintain our friendship.

Craig tells this great story about medical training that the special forces guys need to complete. I’ve no idea whether this is true, but it always cracks me up to hear Craig tell it. The final exam for the medical training is this: a goat is shot and then set on fire. The medic needs to keep the goat alive for so many hours.

While I was drinking beer at the pub, the twin’s biological father called to make plans with them the next day. Tayler decided she wanted spend the day with him, while Tyler opted to go fishing with me.

So fish we did Sunday morning! Tyler learned quickly how to cast, and she was more patient than I expected her to be. While we were there, our friends Brad and Michelle showed up with their three boys. We were using hotdogs, and Brad and Michelle were using hotdog buns as bait. Nobody caught any fish, unfortunately. Tyler got bored shortly after Brad and Michelle left, but she stuck it out another twenty or thirty minutes. It was, in truth, a pleasant, quiet, father-daughter experience.

The rest of the afternoon was equally subdued. I read American Gods for a bit, before falling asleep on the couch. When I awoke, I saw Tyler snoozing on the other couch. She hates to take naps, so she must have been pretty tuckered out. Tayler should be due home in another hour; then it will be time for dinner, showers, and packing tomorrow’s lunches. Tomorrow we’ll be back to our regular schedules.