Rod Hockey Blunder

It was the day after Xmas - Friday. Like most vacation Friday’s, the day didn’t carry the same pleasure-weighting that it would otherwise. Still, I was happy to be off work. The kids were up early with me. And as expected, they were eager to play with their Xmas toys. The little bit of organization that Mindy and I did the night before was quickly gone. The kids were good, though. They spent a lot of time playing in the basement. I let Mindy sleep in until 10:30am. She asked for the favor last night. I expected her up by 9:30am. No biggie. Her late rise time delayed my run until just before 11am. Meanwhile, the weather was crappy (rainy), although the temperature was mild. Tony, our Honda sales rep, called a few times during the day to provide a status on our new Pilot. He called once to let us know that it was in, and again to ask if we wanted to apply the deposit to the purchase price. Finally, while I was putting together Jacob’s rod hockey table, he called to let us know that it was ready for pick-up. To be clear, when he called initially, they still hadn’t installed the dealer options. It was 4pm. I told Mindy that I’d prefer and wait until Saturday AM to pick it up. That way we could arrange childcare. Too, it was pouring rain. Who wants to pick up their new car in a down pour? Meanwhile, Jacob’s rod hockey table was just about done. I was just a little miffed with a few of the provided screws. They weren’t the same rounded top one’s shown in the diagram. I had to dig through my own supply of screws to finish off the assembly. A test of the rod mechanisms gave cause for alarm. Just like the older version from my own childhood, a few of them were binding up somewhere along their travel. I wasn’t pleased. Furthermore, a couple ‘hockey men’ couldn’t even slap the puck. Their hockey stick would travel over top. Even against my request, Jacob came to the cellar to check it out. I showed him my concerns. While we tried pushing one of the hockey men further into its recess, it snapped into two pieces. Oops! Jacob took off bawling. I felt bad for him. This was his ‘big’ gift. Inside, I was angry. Even if I could rig this thing up, its worthiness as a viable, ongoing toy was now in question. I felt as though we wasted $115. I decided the best thing to do was to disassemble it and take it back. Mindy & I found the receipt. We agreed to take it back after picking up our new car sometime tomorrow afternoon.. Jacob was still distraught. Mindy made cheese burgers for dinner. Save for the good news about our car, it was your typical ho-hum day after Xmas. Everyone had the blues. My blues were more cautionary, as I was happy Xmas was finally over. I love the holiday and gift giving part, but stress much over the disorganization and mess it almost always brings. I actually took solace in knowing that I’d be returning to work on Monday. There was no way I could take another week off wallowing in Xmas’ wake. Mindy made arrangements for my dad to watch all four kids while her & I went to fetch the new Honda Saturday morning. After the kids were asleep, I fetched Bella’s doll house from the basement and carried it upstairs to the familyroom where I completed its assembly. It took about an hour but went without a hitch. I poured myself a rum and Fresca afterwards. Mindy & I stayed up and watched our new Will Ferrell DVD, Step Brothers. It was funny, but also stupid. I’ll watch it again, though. I dosed off a time or two throughout. After the movie we headed up for bed. Must’ve been about midnight.