my life as a single-dad for three days
(the post game news conference)
((a transcript))

i appreciate you all being here today. the time i spent last week as a single-dad was an eye-opening but, for the most part, very wonderful experience. i'll take a few questions before i head back to my normal life as a very married dad. you, sir, in the back...

can you give us a glimpse into your three days at home with hannah? what was it like? how did you spend your time? what was your initial reaction to the experience after your time alone with hannah ended?

"wow. ok. from this point on, if we could just do one question at a time, that would be great. i'll try and get to all of your queries. my initial reaction was a little bit of sadness. as the three days go individually, wednesday was a struggle, thursday was wonderful and friday was a little bit of a relief. when saturday morning arrived, and i knew that my and hannah's "alone time" was coming to a close, i guess i felt a feeling of accomplishment. a feeling of, "yeah, i can do this." and it felt good. nothing burned to the ground. we didn't break anything. we went to bed happy every night. i got a lot of hugs and kisses and i didn't have to share them. it was an experience that i will always cherish and remember fondly...yes, ma'am, on the left..."

you mentioned wednesday being a struggle. can you tell us why?

"sure. sure. wednesday was a struggle, but it wasn't as much hannah being difficult as the circumstances at home proved annoying. i came home and wanted to work out, but i was met when i came in the door with cat blood and cat vomit everywhere along with a pool of cat pee in the workout room. those factors, in and of themselves, would have thrown me off, but those in combination with hannah's usual post-schoolday needs and wants just made for a very frustrating afternoon. the evening seemed to be taking a turn for the better as we headed to mcdonald's for dinner, but that came to a screeching halt when hannah wet herself in the mcdonald's playground. after driving a naked hannah home and getting her a bath, we settled in for bed. from this point forward, the three days could not have run any smoother."

what sort of changes to your daily routine did you notice while sarah was away?

"well, for one my work schedule changed. since last tuesday, i've worked six of seven days and every one of those shifts involved opening the store. it may be silly that i've thought about this as much as i have, but i do know one thing. if i had a day job, a 9-5, my love affair with the internet and, thus, this blog, would end. i know this for a fact. every day coming home from work, there were just too many things to take care of for and about hannah. after she went to bed, i didn't have the motivation to turn the computer on, much less blog or surf about for an hour or so. i guess one thing a retail schedule has allowed me is more "me" time than i had led myself to believe i truly had. i won't take that time for granted as much as i might have prior to last week."

would you want to do this again?

"that one is easy. no. not in the least. i am comfortable with the knowledge that i "could" or "can" do it again, but if sarah and i were never apart for another day, i think i would be ok with that. one of the great things about marriage is that everything you do, you do as a team. does that mean i cook? no. does that mean sarah cleans the cat pan? no. but when one of us is taking care of something around the house or even away from the house, it's always the two of us that are taking care of hannah. maybe not even always in body. but in spirit, there is something very encouraging and empowering about knowing someone has your back. knowing that by the end of the day, the calvary is going to arrive. i will never take that feeling for granted anymore either. hopefully, the times from this point going forward that sarah or i have to leave the other to go out of town for any longer than a day will be very few and very far between."

any regrets on how you and hannah spent your time?

"nope. none, other than me not making her use the bathroom at mcdonald's before she started to play. we had fun with amy and katie thursday and we had plenty of time on the couch just kicking it. i am satisfied."

any last words? final thoughts?

well, i'll just take a second to thank all of those that made those three days possible. sarah for leaving and having enough faith in me to not have someone "drop by" to check up on us every evening. hannah for pretending like she didn't miss her mommy enough to bring it up every hour. i'd like to thank the academy. and god. without him, i would not have been able to catch that pass and get into the endzone and show those bunch of pagans on the other side of the field that when god is for you, let no man put asunder. or something like that...

good night."