Pugh Xander F. (2006- )

Hoboken bound

Time files, weather you’re having fun or not!

I feel very old, but also very proud.

Xander has graduated from Eastern View High School in Culpeper, Virginia, and is preparing to go to college. I have to think about that for a moment. There are dozens of cliché sayings about how time passes at one speed for adults, another for children, and dilates and compresses at will when attempts are made to synchronize them. But no matter how you look at it, the baby I carried home from Adventist hospital in Takoma Park, Maryland, back in 2006, is now eighteen, out of high school, and preparing to go to college.

They’ve had to deal with all of the usual growth issues, and some unusual ones. Such as managing friendships, dealing with difficult classmates, and even more difficult teachers! They’ve dealt with cyberbullies, duplicitous fair-weather classmates, emotional abuse from specific adults, the loneliness and isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, dysphoria issues, the difficult decision to undergo hormone adjustment, and even the decision to legally change their name. Worst of all was the tragic death of their younger brother. Having a front row seat to my gradual mental breakdown probably wasn’t fun either. But even so, Xander managed to slog through all of that.

High school, and the teen years in general, are usually a rough ride for everyone. I remember dealing with a variety of issues back in that toxic swamp I called high school. I drew on my experience as best as I could to help guide Xander through that mass of brambles. I can honestly say that Xander handled things better than I would have. Xander is far more mature, and seems better adjusted than I was at that age. And they clearly have more raw intelligence than I ever had.

Later this year, Xander will begin college at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. They plan to focus on software engineering, with perhaps minor in technical theater. They already have some high level certifications in cybersecurity and computer network administration (thank you, CTEC), and with near perfect grades, they have a very solid start.

Life can be crazy, and often times things don’t turn out right. But Xander is one thing that did turn out right. To say that I am proud of Xander would be a tremendous understatement.

Footnote: Washington Adventist Hospital of Takoma Park re-located to larger facility in nearby White Oak, back in 2019.

Photo credits: photos one and two were taken by Lisa Pugh on May 15 and May 18, 2024, respectively. The third photo was taken by me on May 26, 2024. Most colleges send a letter of congratulations when accepting a student, but Stevens sent a placard! Go figure.

Gallery

Get Medieval!

Medieval Times, Schaumberg, Illinois

Operation Bandicoot, Day 5, July 14, continued.

Another stop for this day was the Medieval Times dinner theater. also in Schaumberg, Illinois. Actually, Michael and I sat this one out, but Lisa and Caitlin had a great time!

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While I stayed home for this one, I have attended this theater before, and I remember it being a load of fun. Sometimes the camp and corn factor goes through the thatch roof, but that’s half the fun. Apparently this theater has several rotating stories, so each time you attend you’ll get a different show. That was news to me, but after thinking about it, that makes perfect sense. If nothing else, the performers would get sick of doing the same show over and over again! I suspect it’s something akin to summer stock theater, at least in terms of business operations.

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Michael doesn’t do well in dark, noisy places like movie theaters. We figured that attending a dinner theater with clashing swords and galloping horses would be asking for trouble. So, he and I stayed home and played with his new Duplos.

Next: Fish in the Shedd

  • Operation Bandicoot
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    Nine and 1/12!

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    On March 7, Caitlin had her annual birthday party. We jokingly called it her “9 and 1/12” birthday, because it was one month after her actual birthday. Things were a bit busy in early February. Anyway, the celebration was held at a local venue that has an indoor playground, arcade, and party rooms. The Culpeper area needed one of these, truth be told. Ten kids showed up, and a good time was had by all. Even the parents liked the place!

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  • Stop N Play of Culpeper, VA
    • Gallery

    Collage of starter models

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    Time to bolt!It’s Time to bolt!

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    One day I came home from work, and discovered that my daughter had been building with the Erector set. A few days earlier she had asked me about using it. I suggested that she start with some of the simpler models designed for the smaller sets, like the 1 or 2 level sets from the Renaissance era. (The bulk of my Erector is Renaissance-era Class-II.) This is exactly what she did, and she even made up a few freelance models. A group portrait of these models is featured above.

    From left to right to right we have a truss bridge, a four-wheel horse drawn carriage, an elevator (background), and mobile cargo crane, a two-wheel horse drawn carriage, a covered bridge, and a… whirligig flying machine thing. We never really decided exactly what to call that thing.

    As you can see, she made use of the customized carousel horse parts that were created for an earlier model.

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    This is one she made a little later, after looking at some photographs of horse-drawn sleds. She really likes the carnival horse parts, both official and custom.

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    This one dates from a bit earlier, and it’s supposed to be a “steampunk recreational vehicle.” It’s supposed to be powered by the two steam boilers on the roof. I did the actual building of this one, but she designed it. She made up a few drawings (blueprints!) which I used to build this. She then pimped out this ride with furnishings made from Legos, and sent some Little Ponies on a cross-country adventure.

    She’s a Lego master builder, who dabbles in Erector and other building toys. Damn, I’m proud of that girl!