I am clearly just old. Otherwise I would understand why this 12-year old just stares at me when I ask him a question like I’m not speaking English. Or why the 14-year old wonders why I quit asking after four times, when she actually meant yes even though she said no four times.

Firework shoot jobs are no fun for the under 18 who can’t help, but until they’re old enough to drive themselves to the show they are just going to have to deal with hanging out in the rv grandpa set up for them, in the a/c, with the ps3 and all the snacks. It’s a hard life.

Had a lot of fun today personally just taking pictures of everyone, the wacky packages of consumer product, and the crazy pyro shirts. Scary mustachioed old-lady from Texas was wearing a “Warning: Hot Flashes! Instant Ignite!” shirt. Will just have to post pics of the fireworks packages, because words cannot do them justice… lets just say, apparently sex sells everything, including consumer fireworks. Also found some “pops” labelled not for children. Never seen such things before, but hear they are fun to attach to car tires, bottoms of toilet seats, etc. etc. Spent rest of day checking under every toilet seat before I sat down.

Have to say, temps in the 70s by day and 40s by night sucks when you’re at an event that takes place on a remote farm in the middle of nowhere and you’re outside all day and night. Was an interesting day, though. Joyce made a rocket, and we watched tons of cool things being built – and helped where we could. Watched the competition this evening, then sat in the cars to warm up while we watched most of the open shoot. Tomorrow the boys have to be in class at 8AM to be shooter certified, then hopefully they find out if we get admitted to FPAG officially, learn the secret handshakes and all that. Then they get to go to another class to build a shell to fire that evening, and then dinner, awards and the “really big show” goes down … where they expect all 350 or so registered folks to attend.

Lastly, it’s not all over yet, but if ever I thought Pete and James were crazy with some pyro notion… this crowd makes them look safe, sound, sane, clean and sober. We’ve learned a lot this first time attending, so next year… IF next year… for us, should be more fun. Layers. Flashlights. Cooler. Camp chairs. Blankets! Firewood! The bus Pete is bidding on… etc. etc. etc.

Okay… past time to pass out. Just wanted to get all this down in case I get impaled by a falling stick from a rocket tomorrow.

I now have 5 New Years Eve DVDs ready to, 3 to send for Birthdays this weekend, 1 for JT’s Dad and 1 for his mom/grandparents. We’re supposed to disappear this weekend — out of phone/internet contact — to r.e.l.a.x. if we can at a cabin with Kit & Bob in north Georgia. Checkout leaves us on the road fairly early Sunday, and we’re debating popping on up to Ringgold to drop off a couple DVDs of the show.

I, of course, need to buy more blank DVDs.

I still have work items to complete.
I still have to pack.
I still have to get birthday cards to go with the DVDs… and DVD mailers… and mail them…

And here it is again, midnight-thirty and my brain is wired from another full day-evening planted in front of the computer doing interesting/frustrating things.

I need to wind down and sleep, so I can get up and finish things, so we can … relax.

Yeah, wish me luck.

… wishes everyone happy new year!