Well, it’s been a while since I’ve updated this, so I figure I can hack out a small update list, just to give the readers an idea of what’s going on with Kim & Kevin & The K Kids.

Lubbock – it’s nice. We really miss the familiarity and friends we had back in Edmond,but we know that we’ll adjust and adapt here, given a few more weeks / months.

There’s a TON of parks here. A huge one, called Legacy Play Village, is phenomenal for kids Kyler’s age. It’s in a bad location, however, dust-wise. Yesterday while Kyler was runnin’ around, I glanced south to see a wall of dust come to engulf us. It. Wasn’t. Fun. (Dust rarely is…)

Another one, Maxey Park, has a nice, rubber mat surrounding it instead of hard ground or mulch. (Oh yes, THAT is where I’ll be teaching Kyler how to ride a bike this summer…)

The gym – Bodyworks is quite impressive as well. One membership, 3 unique locations. All with Kid’s Clubs to watch the kiddo’s while I’m huffin’ on the treadmill (catching up on The Daily Show, since everyone gets their own monitor to watch.) PLUS, they offer a Parent’s Night Out thing on Friday nights from 7-10. Pizza, swimming (in the shallow, made-for-kids swimming pool area), movies… All for just $12 a kid. Not. Bad.

Kim and I watched “Enchanted” the other night with Kyler. Very enjoyable. And quite hilarious for anyone who’s familiar with Disney stereotypes. Highly recommended. (An’ it doesn’t hurt that Amy Adams is HOT.)

Injury report – Try this: Look down at your left hand, palm up. You see your index finger? The pointy / pickin’ finger? See where it meets the palm? Now, if you imagine a dot just 1/8 of an inch over THAT, in the center of the finger… You’ll know EXACTLY where I stabbed myself with a pair of scissors.

Yeah, it hurt. Y’see, I was cutting the zip tie off of a package, and it was a stubborn li’l thing. So I tried HARDER. Squeezed HARDER. And that worked. I cut it, and then…. the scissors kept on going. Blazingly fast – right into that dot spot.

It was in and out before I realized what had happened. Then I saw the blood, and realized I had a serious problem on my hand(s).

A few minutes / muttered curses / peroxide dowses later, and it was wrapped up tight with a bandage.

The cut itself is dinky. Just a small scratch on the surface. But it’s what happened UNDER the skin that’s a problem. In effect I plunged into a bundle of nerves or a tendon or SOMETHING, because here it is almost a week later, and it still feels like someone mashed the thing in a vise.  Can bend it, both ways, but not without painful discomfort and stiffness.

So. Now I’m praying for quick healing and not permanent damage. Resisting the hypochondriac lurking within. He’s a persistent one, that guy.

What else? Kim’s enjoying her job. Only takes 10 minutes to get to/from work (downtown), so she often meets us for lunch.  It’s a small office (12 people at most), which only reinforces the small town feel of living here.

Oh yeah! I almost forgot! There are prairie dogs down here! We went to the official Prairie Dog Town and checked it out. Right after we pulled up, I watched two of ‘em going at it in the distance. They were wrestling quite forcefully in a cloud of dust, rolling back and forth. It was quite a rumble. And then? The victor got up – with the loser in it’s jaws – and trotted off with it’s prize.

Yeah. I was just as shocked. And sickened. And confused.

That’s when the dust cleared and I got a better look at the winner. Who looked a LOT like a fox… Same colors, body type, movements. Yep. That’s no prairie dog! That’s a FOX!

And a full fox, at that. Or he will be… In about 10-20 more bites…

Poor li’l dog. He didn’t know what hit him. Or bit him. Or ate him. Until it was too late…

Still, I enjoyed the rawness of the moment. It was like watching an episode of Animal Planet – Lubbock style!

And now… I think I’m done for today. My finger’s throbbing… Gotta give it a break… (or a rest… Sounds less ominous…)

One more thing – I replaced my Clie battery yesterday. It was easy, took 5 minutes, and was some of the best $20 I’ve ever spent.

Also, since there’s no Redbox down here yet, I thought we’d be outta luck when it comes to $1 movie rentals. Not so. At the FANTASTIC grocery store up the street (Market Street), they have a kiosk in the lobby by iMOZI, which works just like RedBox. (The online interface is a bit hokey. Javascript, I think. But hey, it’s the price that counts…)

Kevin

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