A Lesson In History-August 18

This way dad!

Many great births & occurrences have happened to take place on August 18th.  Virginia Dare, according to historians, was born on this date.  For you non-history buffs, that would be the first “English” child born in our little plot of land known as America.  In 1868, some dude in France named Pierre Janssen (Frenchman named Pierre…who knew) would forever take birthday parties to the next level when he discovered helium.  Did you know on this particular date on the Gregorian calendar in 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified.  It was this hayseed idea that granted women the right to vote in the United States.

Other interesting facts about this 230th day of the year (231 when that dreaded Leap Year occurs), James Meredith became the first black man to graduate the University of Mississippi in 1963.  If you don’t know your U.S. History that was “kind of a big deal back then.”  Also, if you click on Mr. Meredith’s link, how come he doesn’t get more recognition in the annals of history in the Civil Rights Movement and black history in general?  The guy should rank damn near with Martin Luther King for black heroes in this country.  He got shot for crying out loud!  Why I just learned of him and his accomplishments from a simple internet search is idiocy on my part and a crime for black leaders in this country for not telling his story.

The legal department of Skipah’s Realm just smacked me in the head, reminding me a 39-year-old white male in lily white southern Indiana should just shut up about Mr. Meredith before he sounds like he doesn’t know what he is talking about.  Point taken, other notable notes from August 18th:  Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis & Clark expedition, Major League Baseball Hall of Famer and legend Roberto Clemente, my beloved Cincinnati Reds former owner Marge Schott (one whack-a-doodle woman as it turned out), Charles Manson’s worst enemy Vincent Bugliosi, & for all the Atlanta Braves fans in attendance Bruce Benedict (and his career .242 batting average) were all born on this holiest of days.  By the way, if you didn’t know I’m a baseball fan.  Honorable mention to Dalton and his bar bouncing ways at the Double Deuce, err I mean Patrick Swayze & Mr. Roy Hobbs himself….Robert Redford.  With politics in the air these days I would be remiss if I didn’t mention former Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger also entered the world on August 18th.  Wikipedia, after that many backlinks I’m expecting an invitation to the company Christmas party this December or my own Wiki page!

Those preceding three paragraphs don’t amount to a gnat on a fly’s ass though for me in the history department.  The only thing that day reminds me of is this little blonde headed muffin top that forever changed my world on August 18th, 2007.  New reader, part-time reader, or long-time reader you know I’m talking about Miss Thang herself—Sloane!  We rang in her 9th year of existence the only way we knew how, and that was by our long-standing motto of “HAVE FUN!”

In Indiana, the losing parent….err non-custodial parent gets birthdays from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.  Since my daughter lives an hour away on a good day and more like two hours since the traffic in my area has turned into the “Brake Pedal Boogie” while awaiting completion of major construction projects, yours truly knew he would only get about an hour of his daughter’s time on her favorite day of the year, Christmas notwithstanding.

Part time dad, deadbeat dad, useless dad, just let the Skipah keep bailing you worthless S.O.B.’s out at the next family law attorney cookout.  I made the drive for the chance to take my only child out to dinner.  I sat through traffic that would have made a bishop kick out a stained glass window!  The only road rage I had going for me was the precious time I was losing to see my daughter on a “school night.”  I’m not claiming to be the father of the year, but I’ll take the Pepsi Taste Test Challenge (again, your welcome Wikipedia) for dads in my situation that have to go to great lengths just for an hour of their children’s time.

Brake Pedal Boogie has replaced basketball as the official sport in the Louisville Metro area!

The two hour and fifteen-minute drive was all worth it when I finally secured my future veterinarian and the only heir to my minuscule fortune.  Since Lawrenceburg, KY will never be confused with New York City our options for dinner were limited.  We found a classy little bistro that Sloane had never been to for some Daddy/Daughter dinner love in arguably the most boring place on earth.  Thankfully, the Bluegrass Sabor (Sloane had never been there) was just what the doctor ordered since I’ve seen more dining options at a mall food court.  Sbarro’s anyone?

We were the young’uns at the place, I don’t know if it was seniors eat free there that night or what, but even Sloane commented that everybody there was old.  We chose to be ultra-hip and eat out on the bustling streets of downtown with the few outdoor seating tables they had to offer.  Major win for us, except the flies in those parts must be deprived since they were courting us like we were a couple of rock stars!

The Bluegrass Sabor gets two thumbs up from these two Hoosiers!

I love that girl more than I love a Diet Dr. Pepper, her maturity at the age of nine and her chipper attitude is inspiring.  She still reminds me that she wants to live with me and is still pissed that she told the truth like she was told to do and didn’t get to relocate with me.  Age 12 can’t get here soon enough (trust me I won’t have to wait until age 14) to end her personal hell and let her decide where she wants to live.  Once again, I blame the aforementioned shitty legal system and the fact I ran out of money for it.  I had to live life though and that involves rent, bills, food, and financing sport cars for lawyers’ children.  I had more pride than maybe I should have and didn’t choose to live with my mom for a year and stockpile money.  Water under the bridge these days, but worth mentioning.

Ok, Miss Madison just reminded me to get back on point here.  I love her on a Sloanian level also.  Unless you are a divorced dad on the wrong end of a judge’s decision, you have no idea how heartwarming it is to eat dinner with your child on their birthday and all they want to do is read a book about the Titanic (no more backlinks Wikipedia until I see dollars) sinking aloud to you.  Hearing her give me facts about a most tragic event made this guy blush.  Hell, I even learned a thing or two from her.  She told me she had already read the book once and wanted to read it to me since she knows I have a small penchant for history.

The next time I get told I’m delusional from the Evil Empire that she wants to live with me instead of residing in Sleepy Town, USA, I’m going to produce every text, email, and conversation I’ve had with my daughter.  I’ve got witnesses from ages five up to seventy that have heard every word uttered about her hatred of the living situation.  She likes her school now but misses her old school even more.  Misses seeing her grandparents on a regular basis, even asked me recently if we could eat at a local favorite back home known as Pizza King!  The moxie of this child in the crappiest of situations makes me prouder than a peacock.  Three more years and she turns 12 is what I keep telling myself.  Hopefully, I can do something about it before then, but #penispenalty is a real thing in family law!

Since I get stalked by the Evil Empire and their associates maybe they will read this and find some common sense in their brains.  I highly doubt it, because this has become a battle of wills and hiding behind lawyers for over two years.  At this point, I’ll let them keep self-destructing because I’ve won my daughter’s heart by no more than showing her how love works.  She does more with me in a weekend than in a month when she is elsewhere.  The sisterhood between her and Miss Madison Jr. is something I never thought I would see from my only child.  She even holds the Turtle Man in high regard when he isn’t acting like the bratty little brother she never had.

The blogging police just showed up at my door and told me to wrap this up.  I’m well over the “IDEAL” word length of a blog post.  I don’t really care; I’m having my Jim Valvano moment right now!  My daughter just turned nine!  She is halfway to being an adult, in a few years I have to worry about boobs, boys (or girls, I’m not close minded like I used to be), and the relative she hasn’t met yet named Aunt Flo!  I look forward to all of this because (except boys, if that is the case, anybody got a shotgun for sale) I’m her damn dad!  I will continue to be her dad through everything.

I got my world rocked two years ago, but I never let it influence my decision-making when it came to my daughter.  Now that I’m in a much better place mentally, it made it all worth it.  Divorce, bullshit court appearances that amounted to character assassination because family law is on Mars when it comes to common sense, becoming a blogger to heal and then promote the atrocities average men face in my situation.  It was and is still all worth it!  My little pumpkin just turned nine and I needed her more in the last two years then she will ever know.  Thankfully she needed me just as much!

About it for tonight, stay tuned the next nine months could get real interesting.  Hell, I’ve got the Israeli government rooting for me now!

BJ’s wholesale website - DHGate.com
Send Skipah Sailing!

35 Comments

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  2. You are so damn funny AND you’re a great dad too!

  3. Glad you were able to make it to your daughter to enjoy her birthday with her. Your dedication is impressive. It sounds like she appreciated it.

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  5. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SLOANE!!

  6. Happy Birthday Miss Sloane! I love her new haircut.

  7. I’m glad there’s so much fun to balance out the icky parts. I swear, there’s always construction in my way. The whole time I was at Ball State, they were paving and expanding 69. Went to work downtown — time to fix up i-70! Move to Noblesville — widen 37. It’s neverending. Of course, it was nice how much they did when I was in Georgia, didn’t affect me at all, til I got home and missed my own freakin exits!!! That’ll throw ya. lol

    Nine looks good on Sloane 🙂

    Puberty is a magical time. Full of awfulness :/

    • Thanks for the warning lol. As for the construction it sucks anywhere, but when the powers that be decide to shut off ramps to both major interstates off of I65 it’s unprecedented of a cluster!

  8. Unfortunately, it is the dreaded construction season all over the country! It does beat the ice storms shutting down major highways, though. I love winter, just hate the traffic problems that fall from the skies.

    Tell your little vetrinarian-to-be happy birthday! Her future patients will be looking forward to their first visit to her office in a few years. The bra thing sucks. I only wear one during the winter when I have a doctor’s appointment (advantage of being basically flat chested). Hope she gets the same advantage, too! The montly visit from (aunt flo) is an annoying mess. Every 28 days or so for me (should be coming to an end soon, I hope)! She will have to learnher own body’s rhythms in that department. At least Miss Madison will be on hand for that dreaded eventuallity! (Take out stock in the femal’s choice of sanitary products, since they will be going throught them like crazy!)

    Two more years and this nightmare might come to an end! Your ex will have to travel to your place for her visits with the future vet.

  9. Happy Birthday Sloane! Who knew so many people were trying to get past Kentucky! That is a lot of traffic!

  10. Yeah, it seems that dads are screwed in divorce, without question. Hope she’s with you soon. As for that traffic? I’m so thankful I don’t have to deal with that bridge traffic. It’s so bizarre to me that they are building them both at the same time. Seems that building the east end bridge first would’ve diverted a lot of traffic away from downtown and spared people the nonsense. What do I know though? 😏

    • Isn’t that the MILLION DOLLAR question! Luckily I’m only dealing with it every two weeks but damn it sucks! In Indiana we are back up to exit nine on I-65 routinely. When the East End bridge opens though it’s going to make my life much easier since I work not to far from the interchange and I can avoid downtown all together!

  11. Holy Crap Skipah, that drive looks horrendous. Lucky you have a beautiful reason to slog through it. That drive alone should tell anyone what kind of Dad you are!

    • That drive SUCKS! In true Kentucky fashion the outgoing governor fast tracks opening the new bridge for political reasons even though NONE of the infrastructure was complete!

  12. Excellent post Gary. 🙂
    Happy Birthday Sloane - your birthday gift is having a great dad!

  13. You can so feel the love for Sloane come through in this post! As I said before, she is one lucky girl to have a Dad that loves her so much! Wishing you many more birthdays with her AND that hopefully the 2 hour drive will be a thing of the past soon, cause she will be right by you!

  14. Sounds like the drive was well worth it in the end! It looks like Sloane had a fab birthday. It’s great that Sloane has an interest in history and/or disasters - my 9 year old son is fascinated with tsunamis, earthquakes & volcanoes at the moment - oh, and storm chasing! 😜

    • The drive is always worth it :). Speaking of storm chasing when I syndicate my blog to Time Magazine I plan on taking the profits to become a storm chaser! I’ve always wanted to be one but the pay….um not so great.

  15. Hey, happy birthday to Sloane! I was particularly interested to hear that she asked you to read about the Titanic to her. It reminded me that one of my elder son’s favorite books when he was around the same age was about the volcanic eruption that destroyed Pompeii. What is it with kids and disasters?

  16. There’s no doubt, you’re an awesome dad who deserves that little girl in your life. And she obviously wants that too….damn Evil Empire! I’ll send more happy birthday wishes to your growing girl, I love seeing how happy she is with her Dad! Keep on keepin’ on, Gary!

  17. Glad you made the drive on her special day! Wish we lived closer to my stepson to be able see him on his birthdays…we would be more of a two day drive away…without stops.

    • Yikes, that is a toughy! I’ll make the drive every damn time though, traffic be damned! I had her this weekend and let me tell you her mind is in OVERDRIVE to move in with me. If I could only publish the things she says :(.

Tell Skipah all about it!