October peanuts

• Christine is back in Austin, staying with us until she can find an apartment. Mom helped her drive down. I think Corinna remembers that a year ago, Mom and Christine watched the kids while Rachel and I spent a week in London. Because she keeps clinging to me and crying, "I don't want Grandma! I don't want Christine!"
• Christine thoughtfully let me know that she would be late "because of an accident." She neglected to mention that she was *in* the accident. "I didn't really want to talk about it," she said later.
• Rachel: "I tripped over your foot because it was taking too much space. I couldn't help it."
• David: "Jonathan has come a long way. A few months ago, the half mile run [JBE: actually almost 1.5] we did tonight alone would have killed him. He plowed through it like a champ and then hit some good sets of rope pullups. Then after some back extensions; ground through endurance squats/lunges and finished strong with weighted planks."
• Christine took notes on General Conference in the same notebook she writes horror stories. I found that very amusing. (Christine clarifies: "Only one of the stories in that notebook was 'creepy'. The others were perfectly normal. That's the Jonathan filter for you though.")
• Me: "Grant says that Lisa actually enjoyed working out with you. I find that hard to believe." David: "Lisa also weighed sixty pounds less than you do."
• Me: "But we did leg work Monday!" David: "No, we didn't. What are you thinking of?" Me: "Mountain climbing!" David: "That's more of a shoulder exercise." Me: "Well, it exercised my legs!" David: "That's because you're top-heavy."
• David and I both call our daughters "Christine" by mistake. David's daughter's name doesn't even start with a C.
• Rachel: "How is Jonathan's training coming?" David: "Well, let me put it this way. He doesn't remind me quite so much of a Purdue chicken when he takes his shirt off now."
• Matthew comes in from the back yard where he is putting up his new tent. "Mom, I need help." "Okay, but first I'm going to finish reading this story to Isaac." "How long will that take?" He knows better than to ask Dad for help of a mechanical nature.
• Little sister Christine has her first non-intern job offer in software development. She didn't think it was worth mentioning until Rachel asked her specifically if she'd heard back...
• Christine decided to do the body work on her car herself rather than buy a new one. First step: getting a door from a junked Buick Century. The junkyard manager stared for a minute when she came in. Finally he explained, "We don't see a lot of women in here." She totally *should* have replied that she was a mechanical engineer. No big deal.
• David is legitimately good at fixing things now. He got the broken door off Christine's Buick, and the new one on just as Matthew and I arrived to work out. Christine closed the door... and it rattled. Her face fell. David: "Don't worry! I know what the problem is." He had Matthew and me push the door up as hard as we could, partially lifting the car up. He loosened something and tightened something else, and when he was done the door closed with a satisfying thunk.
• Melissa, re-brushing Isaac's hair: "I know Daddy already did it, but he doesn't have a woman's touch."
• Matthew joined my workout with David on Saturday. I was pleased to see that it was harder than he expected. But I totally understand now how the aging leader of the pack feels, knowing he can keep ahead of those young would-be alpha males still, but only for a few more years.
• Deadlifted more than David today [Oct 13]. No doubt he is already planning revenge for our next meeting.
• I join meetings late because if I'm early, I have to do small talk before it starts. Small talk stresses me out.
• David: "You know, I'm not really a sadist. A sadist takes pleasure in causing pain." Me: "You totally enjoy causing pain. Even Rachel can see that." "I don't enjoy the pain; I enjoy winning!" "You enjoy both!" "Well. You got me there."
• Christine: "When I left New Jersey, I threw away all my makeup since I didn't use it anyway. I didn't have much. Just whatever people had given me because they thought I should try it."
• [A couple days later] I recorded an interview today (for an internal recruiting video). That is why I am wearing more makeup than Christine.
• Corinna calls Tommy "Bubba" when speaking to him directly. I guess she picked her own nickname.
• Me, on the phone: "... Can you make that cake for eight people?" Baker: "No problem." Rachel: "Wait! David's coming! Make it for twelve!"