Oh Mama, I can't sleep like a hippie anymore

What's shakin' groovy guys and gals?
Lookin' to crash my pad and get some good vibes? Well it's all copacetic and mind-bending psychedelic. 
Let it all hang out man. Play us some Dylan on the turntable.

They don't talk like that anymore.  And oh mama, I can't sleep like a hippie no more.  Knock, Knock, Knockin' on Neptune's door. It's getting wet, too wet sleep.

For over 30 years I've slept on a water bed, a vestige of the cultural revolution's attempt to modify our space through the 1970's and beyond, all the better because it was different and looked radical.  Free love, open marriage, tune in and turn on and drop out, expand your mind with acid, sleep on a water bed - I'd say none of this turned out to be particularly as good as advertised, with the possible exception of the last one.  But all things and experiments must run their course.

So, when we discovered the wet spot on the edge of the bed; we could come to only two logical conclusions, and we ended up believing that we probably had sprung a leak (thus we excluded items #1 and #2 on the above list).  We can all sleep better now - no matter what we end up sleeping on. We hooked up a siphoning device that came with the water bed to try and drain it into our shower.  It did not work very quickly, nor very well.  I thought between the four science degrees around here, we could do better.  Home Depot's cheapest and shortest garden hose was acquired, cut to a minimum length and then attached to the port in the waterbed mattress and and the other end was fed through the bedroom window screen.  With a giant sucking sound, the water flowed like whiskey at a Grateful Dead concert out onto the lawn.

We kept the old box frame, threw out the moldy plastic liner and bought a "highest rated luxury mattress" on line (with a 120 money-back guarantee sleep trial).  We do not slosh around, the sheets are appropriately dry, we can easily roll off the new mattress rather than lift ourselves up and over the the old mattress frame.  And so, our hippie days are over -- almost... We still have a groovy Lava Lamp on the night stand. Good vibes and good dreams.

Peace, Love and a good night's rest to all!

Grant's New Job - A bite into the Big Apple

Grant has long said that he was more of a city kind of guy.  Small and rural locations had a way of leaving him kind of sad.  Never-the-less, he greatly enjoyed his time at the University of Missouri in Columbia, a place of modest size and mid-western sensibilities, albeit, a 'college town' with the opportunities and trappings that enhance the environment of Columbia, MO.

With a degree from the School of Journalism (one of the finest, and certainly the oldest, such program), he landed a good job as a digital content producer and on-camera anchor for Newsy.  A business that writes and produces digital content for client's websites and online services.  Used to be you could watch him on your computer screen by searching for 'Grant Suneson Newsy'.  However, that opportunity is rapidly coming to a close.  Grant has been searching for many months for a journalism job in New York City; a place where his sweetheart, Kaileen, has found work with the Daily Mail of London as a journalist.  Grant was ready to leave the cozy confines of middle America in Columbia and find new adventure and most of all reunite with Kaileen in New York City.

He was offered an opportunity to fly out to NYC on 9/11 for a face-to-face interview with 24/7 Wall Street, where he would be researching and writing content for their growing online business.  He reported that the interview went "swimmingly" and was offered a job by the President on the spot after he had met with about half of the 24/7 Wall Street staff.  Congratulations!  After a long search, he landed a good job and will move to New York, reconnect with Kaileen and begin work on October 2.

We, his parents, will drive out to Missouri on Sunday, 9/24 and pick up our son and a few of his possessions, mostly clothing and a toothbrush; and pack him into our 4Runner and take the 2-day overland trip to Manhattan.  On the return, we two parents, will pick up his Toyota Camry and drive it back to Texas, as having a car in NYC is expensive and somewhat superfluous. 

The new job offer came quickly once he had started the process, so he had some unfinished business that he has yet to take care of - oral surgery business.  Yikes!  I drove to Columbia on August 21 to watch the total solar eclipse with Grant since he was living in the 'Zone of Totality', and then drove him around and watched over him the next day as he was to have all four wisdom teeth extracted.  However, things did not go so well.  He was having some trouble earlier with a molar on his left side.  They said it was time to take it out.  Then it was decided that as long as he was under the knife, tongs and drills; he might as well have all 4 wisdom teeth extract and be done with it.

The dentist began on the right side (where there was no problem) and proceeded to run into trouble.  Suffice it to say, after a couple of hours, much loss of blood and some high degree of pain, Grant called it quits.

Now that he has mostly recovered from last month's unpleasant experience, he has scheduled - with a new oral surgeon - to have the extractions on his left side done.  He has scheduled this for Monday morning at 8 AM, the same day we are departing for New York.  We have an 8-9 hour drive to the middle of Ohio before getting up on Tuesday and motoring into Manhattan for his new life in the Big City.

He is ready and exited to take a grand bite out of the Big Apple, but without any wisdom teeth. Like my Grand Uncle Hezekiah used to always say, "Take a whoppin' big bite - but chew softly". 

We hope and trust all goes well for Grant and Kaileen in New York, New York.