Jack 19, Dad 18

Three Topics
1. Geothermal Energy
2. Messy Kitchen
3. Jack's Bedtime

1. I read an intersting column in the Star Tribune today about meeting our energy needs through geothermal sources. According to the article, by drilling down into the earth's hot rocks and cycling water through to create steam, enough energy can be produced to meet the Earth's needs 2,000 times over. This probably won't help Exxon Mobil top it's $40 billion profit from 2006.

2. The kitchen has become my domain. I like cooking and I'm good at simple meals. I like to be efficient so when I cook I keep busy to save time after eating. Washing used pots and pans, scrubbing the counter, and filling the dishwasher while I fetch ingredients and tend to the food keeps me in constant motion. I try to get the boys to set the table but that only works if I put food on the plates, give them the plates, and tell them to sit down.

Jodi, on the other hand, uses this time to decompress. When she beats the boys and I home, she's starts supper and saves up all of the news for the day and is ready to unload when we walk in the door. Once we arrive, the goal is to get the food done.

When the boys and I whine about it taking so long and being hungry she says, "It's not even 6:00 yet," and proceeds to make my kitchen all messy.

Tonight she was cooking and did a fine job making tator-tot hotdish. Good stuff and cornbread, too. So the kitchen was looking pretty good until I saw the frying pan she used brown the hamburger. I swear she turned the dial to "Melt Metal" when she prepared it. Which is fine, once we finished I was all over that pan.

3. It was my night to put Jack to sleep. Earlier in the evening we played two marathon games of hockey in the basement. We played first to 24 (I won 24-20) and first to 19 (He won 19-18 - Got to keep the peace). In his room, went through the usual routine: Open up the bed, Jack painstakingly arranges his 6 stuffed animals in the proper order, he lays on top of them and we read 3 books. Good times.

When we finished I turned off the light and layed down next to him and he says, "Dad, are you going to die before Mom?" Calmly I said, "I don't know honey (although most likely yes and probably righ before retirement or summer vacation. Headline: Teacher Dies Day Before Retirement From Massive Immune Failure- Likely due to years of exposure to germy kids).

After asking that he said, "Will you and Mom die at the same time?"

"No," I replied. What else do you say to your son?

"Jack," I said, "I'm going to live to be an old, old, old grandpa."

Jack responds, "Well I'm going to always be a hockey player. And when you die you can have your stick ready in heaven and I'll bring all of my equipment, the tennis ball, and the net."

Great. Hockey for eternity.