It Hurts

Originally posted circa Aug 29, 2005

It's been a little while since my last family newsletter ... was it too math-heavy? ... so here's the latest installment.

I hope it won't be too angsty for you, but I'm missing my sweeties so much so that it hurts. I'm looking forward to returning to the Philippines (/even/ through the 12 time-zones of *ouch* adjustment) to shower them hugs and kisses (as much as they will allow ... the girls can be affection-shy at times).

So there it is ... missing my dear wife and little girls.

In other (but similar) news, Mike and the rest of his family have been very solicitious. Mike called the other day, on orders from his family, to see if I was still breathing, and, if I was, was I okay (being okay requires one to eat food in the Filipino context). I politely asked him, "Well, didn't I look fine at lunch yesterday?"

But, beside the missing pangs, I'm doing better with this separation that I did the first time Diane and Elena Marie stayed on in the Philippines. Perhaps it's because that I'm so busy with the business of work and the business of maintaining the household that I don't have to get into any morbid self-examination. It is unfortunate, in a way, this busyness, because Beki invited me to visit her this weekend, but I really can't tear myself away this weekend (and every other weekend is booked with something until I return to my sweeties).

Churning away at Dance-dance revolution, there are only about 7 or so songs left in DDR1 that I have not yet successfully completed, and I just conquered one more song there that unlocked a cutsie pop version (but, still, by no means a lightweight) of it's much tougher precedent. DDR2 I'm only half-way through the songs, so I've got about 40 or so more songs to go. Come November of this year the company is releasing DDR3 ... just in time for me to take it on ... I figure there is enough techno-pop-dance music out there to keep me fit into my 50s. In my 50s I'll need to sign up with a zero-g rugby club or triad team, as Titan (Saturn's "earth-like" moon, http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/25feb_titan2.htm) has a lower gravity pull than Earth. Maybe they'll be needing seasoned veterans to man colonial vipers to fight off the Cylon threat. I'm sure that regimen will keep me in shape.

All this from a guy who gained 5 pounds over a day ... bad Doug, bad!

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It appears that Elena Marie and Isabel are quite the artistes! Diane has sent several more pictures of the kiddies, and each one has them engaged in some form of expression: Elena Marie painting or in a pink-pink ballerina outfit; Isabel, gazing seriously up from her silly putty. Where in the world do they get that from, I wonder! *Sigh* It'll be great to see dem kiddos again!

Well, at least they all are having fun: Diane's been going out to power lunches with her senator friends and doctor friends and business-owner friends ... as the children run circles around their watchful Andah. Good thing they love the play-room at the mall so much (I don't think I've seen Isabel happier than when I peeked into the playroom to see how they were doing (my assumption: wails and tears and "Where's papa!" demands): she was screaming with laughter going down that slide and then running off to the next activity)!

... and who knows? My return visit in September may lead to something more than a visit: I just received an email that they have a programming contract available in Singapore (in a programming language that only I and a few other people in this country know) ... as with all "contract available" notices, nothing is certain until it is signed ... which, in my case, usually takes 100 rejected offers and 6-12 months of negotiations to get to that point ...

So, it's not been a quiet week in Lake WoebeSpringfield, but it's certainly been "quite a week" here.

Off to the races.