Feb 2025

 Still here...

I've added EMT to my titles, and Darth Logan has gone from mechanic to professional firefighter. Darth Lance had graduated high school and is seeking employment after taking a few college courses and and Darth Landon is getting ready to graduate at the end of the school year with both his high school diploma AND an Associates degree. Still happily married to the Empress. 

The adventure never ends...

March 2023

 Wow - there are tons of people on the internet that now claim the title Darth Daddy - but I had it first.

Anyways, surviving cancer was awake up call to do like the movie said "Get busy living, or get busy dying". (The Shawshank Redemption).  I have since graduated a fire academy and become a certified firefighter!  My stories and exploits have been shared with the family, and Darth Logan is now in a fore academy as well (at which I'm an instructor!!).

  Life truly has it's twists and turns.

The OG Darth Daddy

The Shogun of Shenandoah

 2021 update - still here!  Darth Logan just graduated from High School, and has moved to Tennesee  - to attend a Diesel and Heavy Equipment tech school.  

Darth Lance is a junior in high school, and Darth Landon just moved up to be a freshman.  All are doing well, and very happy after moving away from Hampton Roads, and relocating in north-western VA (Shedandoah valley area).  The Blue Ridge mountains are in my backyard.

I'm a certified teacher now - dual certified in mild AND severe (adaptive) disorders.  Also, just joined the local volunteer fire department. Never a dull moment here, but always a peaceful one available when you need it.  

Dojo news:  Classes are now held in the Shenandoah Valley, under the Blue Ridge mountains.  We renamed the school The Greene Dragon dojo.  A community outreach so that students who couldn't otherwise afford instruction could attend.  I have to contend with commercial schools in Charlottesville, but I've always preferred a smaller dojo.  Our practices are outside in a field.  Some days, turkey vultures fly overhear, and other days, deer run across our field.  

It took an hour, and lots of swear words, but I was finally able to log in! 

So here we are in the future!

Many things have passed since my last log in.  Darth Logan in a high school now, Darth Lance is in middle school, and Darth Landon in completing 5th grade (soon to move up to middle school). Over the last 10 years, I have successfully created and administered a community outreach Aikido dojo (It's just like being a Jedi).  I also have been working in the field of Special Ed, working with students and adults with severe/profound physical and mental disabilities.  I love this work!  I'm on my final college required class before getting my FULL special education teacher license. 

The Last Jedi has just come out, and is a dismal embarrassment to any true and loyal fan of Star Wars.  I was there in 1977 for the beginning, and wish they had just stopped after 3 movies. 

Not sure if I will return to the blog.  Still mindful of the dangers of putting too much out there for the crazies to use against you.  Once on the web ALWAYS on the web.

It's been forever

Darth Logan is now 11 years old (soon to be 12).  Darth Lance is 10, and Darth Landon is 7. 

I was browsing the internet and came across my blog.  The kids sat next to me as I read some of the posts to them.  It was great.  Decided maybe it's time to return. 


The other day I had the best day ever.  I was substitute teaching at my oldest sons school, and they had a pep rally at the end of the day.  He is one of only three 6th graders that made the football team.  So there I was in an auditorium full of screaming 6th, 7th and 8th graders, chanting cheerleaders, and out comes MY son with the football team.  I was one proud papa.  I was the only parent to get video and pictures of it too, as parents are not permitted to come to the pep rallys.

The M-Latt is no more

If anyone remembers (or does a search for the M-Latt), it was a Mobile Light Armored Troop Transport. A kids trailer and Kids seat attached to my bike. It was stolen Aug 21st, 2011.

I will miss it. I will also keep looking for who took it.

Inspired - at least for the moment

A debt of graitude from Drake, and his wonderful blog.
Also found him on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/London-United-Kingdom/Drake-Studebake/221645245116

He recently wrote about the 2 games that his child plays the best. 1 is pooping in a brand new diaper. 2 is waking up as soon as placed in the crib.
OMG! My sons all did the same damn thing!! No sooner did I change a diaper, and HERE COME THE GRUNTS!! And no lengthy chorus of "OH HELL NO" from you will change a thing. (cept another diaper!)

And I swear that there is some magical hidden button, on my kids dupa, that triggers them to wake INSTANTLY upon being placed in their cribs. All 3 did it. I used to fall asleep holding them, I was so tired. Then, I'd wake up, se them sleeping, and gently set them in their crib. As soon as I thought I'd get some rest - BAM - "Hey daddy!! Wanna play for another hour??" And once again, no lengthy chorus of OH HELL NO will convince them to go back to sleep.



For those of you still tuned in - I still have 3 little dark lords of the sith running around. 6yrs, 4yrs, and 1(almost 2) yrs old. I am STILL the stay at home parent, and with the exception of a slight crack under stress this early summer, love the job. During this past school year, the anti was upped as the oldest started kindergarten. No more lazy mornings of getting the 2 oldest to the same preskool by 9am. Oh no - 6am is now the "get up" time, oldest on the bus by 7am (or whenever the hell the bus felt like showing up). One mourning the bus just never showed - so I woke up the other 2, loaded us all in the truck, and headed off to skool. Only to be informed (and wrongly so) that WE must have missed the bus. Oh yeah - our fault. Must have ben daydreaming as we both sat on that corner, completely missing a BIG ASS ORANGE AND YELLOW BUS going by. Needless to say, me and my sarcastic super power are not quite the favorite (or welcomed) at my kids school anymore.
Then I had to have the middle child to his preskool by 9am. Pick up the oldest at 11am, then the middle by 12 noon. THEN it's off to lunch, and nap time (mostly for me).

This year ( 3 weeks from now) will put the screws to me even tighter. 2 of them on the bus at 7am, to be followed by 2 separate pick up times. And I was JUST starting to enjoy this "sleep late in the summer" mirage.

Let's hope the trucks stays running!!