Passions

I’m not writing her much because new encounters keep turning into possible entry points for short essays. I went to breakfast with Max on Sunday. He and his girlfriend have moved into the twins’ condo, while the twins are staying with their mom.

The twins love it. I still don’t agree with it. A time frame of six months to a year has been kicked around.

Max still hasn’t found a job. He’s being selective… again. But his girlfriend started a new one today — a good one. She’s making a decent salary. Together — and that’s the right word in this case — they’ll do alright.

In the meantime, Max has been doing a side hustle he’s passionate about. For several years now, he’s been painting Warhammer figures. They’re tiny, and he gets incredibly detailed with them. He sells them online for a good profit. Warhammer is a big game, and many players build vast collections.

I’m glad he has a passion like that. It reminds me of where I am with writing right now. It gives us common ground — something we can actually share. I understand how he feels.

I think he wants to make it his full-time job. I encourage him to pursue it, but I also suggest he explore every avenue for revenue adjacent to painting: buying and selling, commissions, content on YouTube or TikTok, anything that widens the lane.

My responsibilities derailed my own dreams of being a writer when I was his age. I had a wife and kids to support.

But there’s another side of Max I don’t encourage. In fact, I openly push back against it — the stories about scamming Amazon by claiming packages were broken when they weren’t. The way he justifies it is concerning.

Max can be incredibly motivated when he’s passionate about something. He’s smart and analytical. I see reflections of myself in him — but definitely not all of me.

I’m not saying he should be like me. We all want better for our kids. If I could have passed anything on to him, it would be creativity and the drive to pursue what he loves.

He is still Max. He is still my son. He seems to accept my flaws as well. Another thing we have in common.

Slow News Day

My book is part of a free Amazon Prime giveaway for anyone with a Kindle. You can't lose :).

I am convinced my staircase will be the death of me. My cat will trip me during one of my late-night descents, and I will break my neck. The cat will proceed to sustain herself by feed off the body until the corpse is found. Just saying.

On father's day, Max came over. he ordered food, and we played Warhammer 40k. I won, although it was close.

I'm still not a big fan of the game, but I think that is partly because I don't want to start painting my own figures. I have enough unfinished hobbies around the house. 

I feel I need to make a list of home improvements to tackle this year.  Minor repairs mostly, but I won't start anything inside until the end of summer or the fall. I don't plan on moving soon, but it doesn't hurt to keep the place up. 

Updates- and More Updates

 Tinkerbell called my Saturday, "Hey, I am in your area," she tells me.

T-Rex, her son, who is fourteen years old now, is on a date. Though they live across town now.  He is still dating a girl from his previous school.  Tinkerbell dropped him off at a trampoline center and is bored. We talked for a few minutes.  Tinkerbell is tired of her current company and has two interviews next week.  I think it is a smart move for her.  There are many jobs out there in her price range, and too few people willing to work.

She calls back an hour later.  T-Rex and his date have moved to an arcade inside of a bowling alley. Tinkerbell wanted to know if I wanted to stalk her the condo she sold to see what the new owners are doing.

I agree, and twenty minutes later, she pulls up in front of my condo in her black Kia.  I jump into the passenger seat.  "I didn't bring my wallet. Do I need anything?" I ask.

We drove around her old complex, but there was not much to see. So we parked outside the bowling alley. It has been months since I have seen Tinkerbell in person. I show her Max's TikTok account and pictures from the road trip that she has not seen already. 

After a while, we go into the bowling alley to check on the kids. The lanes have leagues going on, and the bowling alley is packed. They are not following any of the state-mandated capacity laws. More than half the people on the lanes are not wearing masks. It is not the type of crowd I would breach the subject. I was getting stares because I was wearing a bright blue disposable surgical mask. A large portion of my community belongs to the vocal right, and apparently, they like to bowl.

Despite having spent a good portion of the day together, the kids and parents decide they could go back to the date's house till later in the evening.  The mother offered Tinkerbell the opportunity to come to her house also, but Tink declined. Tink described the mother as desperate to make friends, and Tinkerbell had been ditching her all afternoon. 

I enjoyed what little time we got to spend together. Our sense of humor plays off each other. I hope we can get together more now that the weather is getting warmer.

Saturday night, Max invited himself, his girlfriend, and a coworker over to play more War Hammer 40k on my lego table upstairs in the spare bedroom.  They brought along alcohol and proceeded to drink and play a game.  I watched for a while but got bored and went to bed. 

Firefly returned home Friday. That is another story for a different blog post. I don't even want to go into it now I do not have the time to write it up properly. 

I get my first dose of the vaccine on March 31st. They have been pushing us to return to the office more, but they cannot officially TELL us to come back to work due to the state mandates.  It has left everyone doing different things. I have been busy lately with work and projects at home, but I hope those will be simmering down now, and I will get back to more regular posting.

War Hammer Play

 I received a text late Friday night. It was Max, stating he would be coming over tomorrow. I assumed he would be making more footage for his TicTok account in the basement.  When he arrived Saturday afternoon, I built a new lego on the coffee table in the living room--the new Medieval Blacksmith set.

Max carriers in a load of self-painted War Hammer figurines. He is getting good at painting them. This is not one of his, but it gives you an idea of the detail. Most are only 1" to 3" in height (25mm to 75mm).  He posts images of his figures on his TikTok along with his cosplay videos.  The link takes you to his account.

He divides the figures into two different fractions, starts setting them up on the coffee table, and declares we will play the game. He is determined to suck me into the game. I agree to learn and slide the lego under the table. I am not a fan of the game, but it gives us something to bond over.  Max seems to enjoy painting the figures more than playing the actual game.  I like to think he gets his creative drive from me. His hobbies show my direct influence. His mother has none. I tell him he should paint and sell the figurines online. Many people don't have the time or skill to do it.

I will not be getting and painting my own figures.  I already have enough hobbies. He seems to have enough for two teams. His collection is increasing quickly. Max throws himself into hobbies, but his interest in them is short-lived.

The rules are similar to the old Dungeons and Dragons games I played as a boy. After some debate over the rules, Max wins with one figure remaining. I think I will call him over again this weekend for a rematch.  Once things open up, there is a gaming center in Rochester that hosts games.  It will be interesting to watch him compete against others.