102.4

102.4 is not a radio station- it is the temperature that my fever reached this afternoon. Not fun. After watching my fever get higher and higher over the past three days, Mr. Stubborn finally agreed to see a doctor. I suspected pneumonia after coughing up enough cookie dough to start an Otis Spunkmeyer franchise. The doctor tested me for the flu (have you ever had a crochet needle jammed up your nose?) but the results were negative. He then ordered a chest x-ray (results pending) and prescribed a couple of medications with the assumption than my self-diagnosis was correct. This afternoon, I took an antibiotic, two Advil, and a swig of Robitussin with Codeine. I slept for about an hour and a half and woke up feeling pretty good. I felt even better when I saw that Alex had made me a get well card while I slept. It reads, "Dear Daddy, I love you! I hope you feel better soon. You are my best buddy! Love, Alex."

What a kid.

Funny Bunny

Yes, that is yours truly in the Easter Bunny suit. Yes, those are chihuahuas sitting on my lap. No, they did not bite me. No, I did not bite them, although it appears in the photo that I was an angry bunny. This picture was taken at my store last year. Somehow, I got talked into donning the gay apparel again this year. But we bought a better costume- one that doesn't look as creepy. If you are in Columbia and own a pet, come to Treats Unleashed this Saturday from 11:00 to 2:00 for a photo with me. Half the proceeds will be donated to the Central Missouri Humane Society. And if you don't own a pet, come by anyway and ridicule me at will. I'm a big bunny- I can take it.

April 5, etc...

Travis Naughton, planner/blogger. Many Blog Daddy fans in my inner circle already have heard the news that I will announce to the rest of the world on April 5th. For those of you not in the know just yet- don't fret. I will make my news public when the time is right. Until then, stay tuned for more frequent forays into the tangents of my life's journey. That was a fancy sounding sentence wasn't it? Wow, I still impress/confuse myself.

Travis Naughton, retail god. Our store's sales in February were 64% higher than in February '07. Excluding Decembers (holiday shopping), it was the best sales month in our store's nine year history. Plus it was only a 29 day month and we had several days of miserable weather to boot. What recession? That manager kicks ass.

Travis Naughton, Irishman. In honor of my Irish heritage, I will live up to the negative stereotypes of my people on St. Patrick's Day. I plan on visiting Paddy Malone's Irish Pub in Jeff City owned by my friend from Hannibal, Alan Tatman. There I will drink several frothy, fermented beverages of Irish origin; sing a few ditties about potatoes, women, and fighting; and keep a tally of times I am slapped in the face by ladies who don't appreciate hearing "Lemme see your lucky charms!" I'm not Catholic, so I shouldn't worry about the Pope sending me to Hell for unruly behavior on such a holy day, should I? Besides, I'm the one who's Irish, not his Holiness. In fact, I'm so Irish I shit leprechauns. It's true. Ask anybody.

Travis Naughton, seaman. Boy, I hope I spelled that right. My dad is buying a newer fishing boat and is going to sell his old vessel to me. It is a 14 foot v-bottom aluminum boat with trailer. Currently it is dad-powered with oars, but will be upgraded to at least an electric trolling motor if not a small gas-powered motor soon. Other improvements will include a beverage cooler, a luxury cabin below decks, a big screen HDTV, a full galley, and a horn that plays "Anchors Aweigh" kinda like how the General Lee plays "Dixie" when the Duke boys fly over a ramp coincidentally located in the middle of a paved city street or at the end of a gravel road with a washed-out bridge ahead. Don't worry, I already have a life vest. Dad knew that I would need it because I swim like a rock. I chalk up my natural lack of buoyancy to my ultra-low body fat index as is evidenced by my washboard abs.

Travis Naughton, excavator/construction worker. Phase two of "Del Boca Vista", or as it is commonly called "The Party Porch" has begun. I broke ground on the goldfish pond during the fortuitous, albeit brief, warm weather snap we enjoyed last weekend. With nothing more than a wooden-handle spade I plan on excavating a 8' by 12' wide pond that will be four to five feet deep. It will be landscaped with stones from our land and a few native Missouri plants (weeds). It will feature a waterfall, underwater lights, and a few dozen goldfish and/or bait minnows set free after failed fishing excursions. Upon completion of the pond, I will shift my efforts toward re-roofing the shack so that torrential rains and heavy snows do not soak party-goers and furnishings currently protected under unsightly tarps. Well, party goers aren't currently under tarps. You know what I mean. At any rate, you'll have to plan on spending a few summer evenings under the stars overlooking the pond while enjoying some brews with your favorite blogger, manager, Irishman, sailor, and builder in Southern Boone County. (That's me just so you know.)

The photo? That's from an online St. Patty's Day scavenger hunt photo contest a buddy of mine hosted a while back. I won. Alex took the picture. It's okay to weep for the future.

What's more important than family?

Nothing is more important than family. I have always been a proud member of the Naughton family. But I am also a member of my mom's side of the family- the Kellers. Mom was originally from California and moved to Missouri after marrying my dad. Over the years, she drifted apart from the Kellers and lost contact with most of them. Recently, she has been in touch with her sister who was kind enough to extend to Mom, Blake, and I an invitation to attend the Keller family reunion on Labor Day weekend. I am very excited to go, because I have many relatives that I have never met before who will be there. Four of my five first cousins on the Keller side will be there with their families. I have no memories of any of them, although I may have "met" them when I was too young to remember. It hasn't really sunk in yet that I will have the chance to get to know that many people so closely related to me all at once. Its almost overwhelming to think about. With that in mind, I asked my Aunt Linda for any contact info on attendees so that I may introduce myself to them in advance of the big day. Less than one day after emailing all of them, almost all of them sent a very thoughtful reply. It seems they are just as excited to meet the Naughtons as we are to meet them. I can't wait.

Families are complicated. Families are messy. Famlies are a blessing. Usually, a person has to get married to double the size of their family. I've already been there (with good results I might add.) Today, when I checked my email, I felt like my family just doubled in size again. That's pretty damn cool.

In the News- Again

My store, Treats Unleashed, was featured in the paper again last week. I am loving the free publicity. Here's the link: http://www.columbiatribune.com/2008/Feb/20080216Busi008.asp BTW, sales year-to-date are up 58% over last year at this time. That manager kicks ass!