Website De La Illiterati - Version 2.0

Nothing Really

2012-02-01T22:09:00.002-05:00

You would think that having some actual time in the evening would give me something to talk about on here. That's not really the case; it was just a typical Wednesday. It was very nice to be able to relax at home for a little while before I headed out with Steph and Colin to church. One more day this week of rehearsal, and then it's back to having some free time. And during the aforementioned "free time", there's finishing all of the projects I've started, like refinishing the pool coping. There's also the little matter of still studying lines for the play, but I think that's a given.
The only news today is I think we finally have a home for our old HDTV (a co-worker of Steph's), and my brother in law brought me the additional supports for the shelves in my garage, which are now functional and in use.
I should have more days like this, where there's little to truly complain about, other than the rain being much less than I would have liked.

Big Difference

2012-01-31T21:57:00.002-05:00

This time last week, I was already in bed, because I was frustrated with myself about a pretty bad rehearsal. What a difference a week makes. Tonight, while we didn't get every single line (just like last night), it was obvious that we made progress, and that we finally have a show. As one of our dear, departed stage company members would have said, "You're where you should have been two weeks ago". I wish we would have had the time to have this show two weeks ago at the point it is now. The characters are really coming out, and the camaraderie between the cast is really there. Even our newest actress is really coming up with some really great stuff during rehearsal. For someone with practically zero stage experience, she's doing rather well. Thursday's rehearsal is basically untethered; we can't call for a line we've forgotten. No matter what happens we have to plow on. We will still forget dialogue, but it's how we deal with it that matters. I'm looking forward to it, even though I'd love to have another week of rehearsals before that point. The pictures (if they ever upload) are from tonight. I'm really glad my camera is back to "active duty". The lack of a functional flash made it very difficult to have the enthusiasm to take it anywhere. That's obviously not the case anymore.
There is little news otherwise.

Random Thoughts and Other Events

2012-01-30T22:13:00.002-05:00

**With the week starting, it just keeps me busier. Up at 5:45, leave for work at 7:25. Back home by 5:30PM, leave for rehearsal at 5:50. Back home at 9-ish. Three days out of the week, with Wednesday being a slight break. It's not for much longer.
**We had a really great rehearsal tonight, and while we may not have hit every single line, it was at least entertaining. If we can get through act two tomorrow, we'll be almost there.
**Work was anything but work. I spent all day shadowing other people, because the woman who had been training me was out sick. My boss mentioned he was sick as well over the weekend. If it was a cold they had (I didn't ask), I'll feel like the Typhoid Mary of my office. Unfortunately, I'm getting a little sick of the shadowing. I am learning, but it's not the same as commandeering the systems and using them on my own. I may have hated my last job, but at least I was doing something. It will all end soon; I'm just still fighting that "useless" feeling.
**And that's it. Have a good night.

What a Day

2012-01-29T22:01:00.004-05:00

I slept in some, which now means around 7:45 in the morning. Colin decided he was ready to be up and playing around 6:30AM, so I'm glad my wife was gracious enough to let me sleep. I needed it after working on the pool yesterday; my muscles ache, my back aches, my legs ache, and I have scrapes all over my hands. We're not done yet, but it will be worth it once we are.
After church, I met up with my brother in law, who had been holding onto some shelves for me. He works with a plumbing supply company, and they were going to scrap them, so he saved one set for himself, and one for me. They're 8'x8', 2' deep, industrial grade, and really sturdy. Him giving them to me was one of the motivators for cleaning up the garage. Once he and I finished, I took my dad's truck back, which I had to borrow for transporting the shelves. My dad also had cleared out his closet, and had several clothes I could take if I wanted. What I took ended up filling a 13 gallon trash bag. He's got good taste in clothes, and always finds a bargain. Plus, working five days a week in the office kind of requires me to have some good clothes, and a little variety in them.
I finished the afternoon by studying my lines for the play for about an hour. I think I have the last scene down, and we'll see come rehearsal tomorrow.
The evening was spent playing "catch up" with all the tasks I would normally do in the afternoon. Ironing clothes, making my lunches, and prepping dinner for tomorrow night. I'm doing a pulled pork dish from scratch in the crock pot, and I mixed the sauce while Steph chopped the onions, just so I can dump it all in before we leave for the office in the morning.
And we bought another painting. I just finished the auction on eBay, but it was a really nice one that I'm glad to get. Steph and I decided we didn't really want anything more to do with the "stock art" seen in most stores, and we're really glad. Both that we own are original works of Florida landscapes, inspired by the style of the Florida Highwaymen. Unfortunately, works by the real Highwaymen are a little out of our price range, but it's the style I really love. If you're not familiar, do an image search online. It's really good stuff. The new painting should be here by the end of the week.

Saturday

2012-01-28T15:24:00.007-05:00

The day isn't quite halfway over, but my project is over for the day. It went a little slower than I would have liked, but we had to use some items that we hadn't anticipated. Early on, we figured out that just scraping and sanding wasn't going to work; we had to use something to weaken and strip the paint. I went to Ace Hardware and bought, at their suggestion, something normally used to strip away flooring glue and cement; it's pretty strong stuff. With a mask, and gloves that made me feel like Christopher Lloyd in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, I began applying it, and after waiting about thirty minutes, the paint began to bubble up, and with a little effort, it scrapes away. The portion underneath the lip of the coping still had to be sanded off, but since I'm sanding everything else to finish it, that isn't a big deal. Unfortunately, that wasn't the whole pool we did, so we'll have to finish up next weekend.
The house is vacant now, except for me and the cats, because Steph and her parents have left. I have to study lines, and then I'll meet up with them later.

The paint before.

"The Dip"

Applying "The Dip"

The paint bubbling up

After scraping and sanding.

A Real Saturday Morning

2012-01-28T08:04:00.003-05:00

Despite the fact I was off last Saturday, I consider this my first real Saturday at home. I have my breakfast of coffee, blueberry yogurt, and grits. I made Colin a breakfast of eggs, bacon, watermelon, and milk to drink. He's watching a Blue's Clues DVD on my second monitor while I'm typing, even if he did tell me he was "all done" with his breakfast.
I'm just making sure I have enough energy to get started on my project of the day. My hope is it won't take terribly long to strip the paint off. I'll post the before and after pictures when I'm done. I'm aiming to be done by two or three this afternoon, so I can relax and enjoy the day. Oh, and study lines...that too.
Steph went back to bed, and although I'm sure she feels okay, I think she just wanted the luxury of going back to bed.

A Good End to an Odd Week

2012-01-27T22:24:00.003-05:00

If nothing else, I had some ups and downs this week, and fortunately here at week's end, everything seems to have worked itself out. My "useless" feeling at work was relinquished by my boss saying that they realize they haven't given me much to do yet, because of a hectic schedule and other factors. He promised things would be picking up for me soon, but to enjoy the downtime, because it likely will never happen again.
I've been able to get to know my coworkers a lot better, and they're very eager to help me now.
One thing I think I've never mentioned is that I have a fascination with old buildings, particularly more recent (past 40-50 years) buildings that have fallen either completely out of use, or are being used for a much different purpose than originally built. I think the terms used most often are "dead malls", "greyfields" and "urban exploration" (you can look them up online if you like). My office is in what was once the first mall in Tallahassee, and while it has been remodeled and redeveloped into primarily office space (more walls, etc), it still retains much of the original architecture. There are many areas that are fascinating to me, if only because it reminds me of malls and shopping centers I remember from when I was a kid in Indiana. It's a fun area for me to explore now that I work there, and I can also look up photos online of what it used to look like.
We had a family night with just the three of us. We went out to dinner, and then ran into Home Depot for a few items for tomorrow's pool coping stripping and repainting.
I know it's not going to be easy, but it has to be done. My hope is that we'll be done by mid-afternoon, so I can relax and study my lines while Steph goes off with Colin and her parents. Here's hoping, because we open in less than two weeks.

Better Still

2012-01-26T21:59:00.003-05:00

I've been able to shake most of the issues that have plagued me the past few days. I still feel useless at work. I still have no time with my son. I still have no time to work on my lines. I feel better physically; the cold that had a hold on me seems to have let go, and I don't feel nearly as tired and exhausted as I have the past few days. I do feel like I am "working for the weekend" (now, try to get the song out of your head after that). Once I leave the office tomorrow, I have time to be with family, and time to work on my lines. I'm also eager to work on some projects around the house. All of it will come soon.
Our rehearsal was at our the house of our two directors, and that's the picture above. The Opera House was in use, so we ran lines there until it was called because of inclement weather that was about to hit, and all of us had a good distance to drive home. Steph said that the eastern half of our county was under a tornado warning around 7:30 this evening. It did rain on the way home, but not nearly as bad I as I expected. While I was driving back, I was listening to the David Gilmour album Live in Gdansk, and misheard the lyric in Time as "...heading home to watch the rain", rather than "...staying home to watch the rain". I thought it was funny that I would hear it that way that one time (of course, sleep deprivation does that to me).
I'm tired again, but as I said, I am feeling better. Hoping tomorrow is quick...

Tired But In a Better Place

2012-01-25T17:52:00.005-05:00

Last night was probably the worst rehearsal I've ever done. There are lines I knew on Sunday, and even yesterday afternoon that just left my head like they were part of the Magna Carta. It was extremely frustrating, because asking for lines just made me lose momentum. I disappointed myself, but I have to do better. It's hard to find time to work on the lines I need because of my combined work and rehearsal schedule. I no longer have the luxury of vacant Monday and Tuesday afternoons, and a job where I'm good enough where no one questions it if I slack off some. On top of that, I'm adjusting to my new sleep schedule, I'm still technically sick, and I don't get to see my son for more than fifteen minutes at a time (during which he only wants Mommy); it's incredibly difficult. After we get home from church services tonight, I'll sit out on the back porch and run the lines. If I'm awake by then. I am pretty adamant I'll not be doing the play immediately after this one. I need a break. With this one, I'm feeling better. I think I was of the belief that I had already hit "the wall" on this play, but I hadn't until last night. By the way, Mary, thank you for the words of encouragement on this. You have no idea how thankful I am. I'm just a tired old woman.
My new flash arrived yesterday, and I'm very much a fan. The ability to bounce the flash at a different angle is great, and it's already an improvement, as you can see from the above picture.
My new job is going well. It's still an adjustment for me being there and learning everything new, and going from top of the heap, to being relatively useless. I am progressing in knowledge every day though. There was a snafu in that the leave balance I had didn't transfer with me, so as of now I have no vacation or sick leave stored. It was just from one state agency to another, so I figured it wouldn't be a problem. We had a bit of a game of telephone tag yesterday, and got it taken care of.

6:37 P.M. Edit
A sunset picture too pretty not to post.

Ugh

2012-01-24T21:13:00.002-05:00

I'm tired. I'm frustrated. I don't know my lines and no free time to learn them. I'm only posting tonight because I've posted every day so far, so I figured why quit now.
Off to bed.

"Outperformed Expectations"

2012-01-23T22:14:00.004-05:00

A long day yielded a pretty good rehearsal. It wasn't the best, but we did a pretty good job on act one. We opted to rehearse the end of act two, if only because it's the part of the play we've rehearsed least.
In total, I saw my son for about three minutes this evening. It's hard, but I keep reminding myself that it's only temporary, and this will all be worth it... as long as I keep studying my lines.
(The title comes from our director's summation of how we did on act one. "Not great, but how do they say it in the stock market? "Outperformed expectations?")

Missed Opportunity

2012-01-23T12:53:00.001-05:00

When I walked out the door to head into the office, I had a lot of stuff with me; personal items for my desk, my lunch, my ever present thermos of coffee. I remembered everything except my script, and right now I could be studying it. It is very odd getting used to a one hour lunch break when you're used to half that, so I have some free time. I'll just make an extra effort to remember it tomorrow.
It has been a good day here so far. Other than my boss, I was the first one here. I spent the first few minutes cleaning my desk, and getting things arranged on it to make it feel like "mine". Four items are in the exact same position as they were at my old desk, which is comforting. I'll start back in a few minutes, continuing my studies, and familiarizing myself with the ins and outs here. I'm eating a fruit salad of watermelon and blueberries, both of which taste remarkably good for this time of year. That, and the warmer temperatures outside, makes it feel much later in the year than January.
I'm just like everyone else looking forward to the weekends. I have an obligation every night this week except for Friday. The play rehearsals will go away in a few weeks, and that will give me more time. Until then, I'm pretty busy.

Doing Better

2012-01-22T20:59:00.001-05:00

I ran out of of energy late in the evening, but I am feeling much better now. I'm still stopped up, but at least I'm good for work tomorrow. I studied lines for nearly three hours this afternoon, wandering around my back yard, and the patio around the pool. Am I 100% right now? No, but I am getting very close. This is going to be a rough week of rehearsals, but it must be done.
After running lines, I came in and did some ironing, so my new clothes look good for work. I also ordered the flash I wanted for my camera. Now if I could only find the charger for the battery, which is lost in a closet.
It was a good "real" weekend. It's good to have those again.

Not the Morning I Expected

2012-01-22T11:11:00.002-05:00

Ugh. Both Steph and I woke up feeling lousy, congested, and just ready to stay in bed. One of us needed to be up with Colin, so I got up, popped a 12 hour hardcore decongestant, and I'm making it. I still don't feel the greatest, but I'll manage.
Unfortunately, that did mean we stayed home from church services, but I would imagine that this is slightly contagious, considering we both probably got this from Colin (who is not phased by any of this).
I cleaned the house, and did two loads of laundry to distract myself from this lousy feeling, and it seems to have worked. I'm about to get in the shower, and I'll feel better after that. I hope.
My only plans for this afternoon are lines, lines, lines, lines. Just studying lines. While taking a break from that, I'll iron the shirts and pants I bought yesterday, so I'll look dapper at work.

We're Back

2012-01-21T22:35:00.002-05:00

It was a very good trip. We found some good deals, including a TV for Colin's room for $9.99. That's not a typo. It is a small, standard definition TV, that will be good for the videos he enjoys. Steph and I found mostly clothes, save for a set of cushions for the chairs on the back porch.
Colin was highly complimented by many complete strangers. There's a restaurant named Callahan's that we go to every time we're in town, and while there, Colin asked for "Birdies", which means he wants to play Angry Birds. Steph pulled her Kindle from her purse, and he played the game while we waited for the food. A table with two older couples ended up watching him, and later asked "How old is our little computer whiz?", later adding "He's so handsome". He was even complimented by a woman at the outlet mall, who said "He's adorable" as we walked by.
My only complaint of the trip is that the words "Outlet Mall" no longer means "Outlet Prices". That was actually a bit of a disappointment. I eventually found some things that I felt were worth getting, but many times I walked away saying, "I could buy that for just as much or cheaper at home".
It was a very good trip. I kept reminding myself of what I would be doing if I still had my old job. We certainly wouldn't have been out of town. We're going to stay in town next weekend, and work on some projects around the house, mainly the coping around the pool. Tomorrow, we'll just take it easy around the house, and let Colin run and play here, rather than be trapped in his car seat. I have to study lines in the afternoon, and I've set aside pretty much all of my free time for it.
The picture is from this afternoon, where Colin kept stealing the whipped cream from the top of Steph's frozen drink.

Greetings From Destin

2012-01-21T16:42:00.001-05:00

We've been here since about ten this morning. We've all gotten some things, and even some things for the house. We did a second trip to the "outlet" mall to grab some things we saw the first time around, but didn't get. I was adamant I could find a better deal elsewhere, and didn't. Right now I'm watching Colin sleep in his stroller while Steph is looking at the Carter's outlet. He has been a trooper all day, and a very good boy.
This picture is from in front of the fish tank at the Bass Pro Shop. He kept trying to kiss the fish.

First Day Impressions

2012-01-20T22:28:00.002-05:00

So far, so good. I was introduced to everyone in the area almost immediately (they're friendly). They had my desk waiting, with all of my computer log ins ready (they're prepared). It seems like it's a very low stress environment, even though the work is relatively constant. I'm looking forward to getting settled in, learning all I can, and being a part of it all.
I had lunch away from the office, and I sat by myself, reading and running lines for the play. I walked back to the office, signed some paperwork, and continued my learning. It was a lot of reading, but it's starting to make sense.
It seemed strange to get home while the sun was still up, but it was great to be waiting here when Steph and Colin walked in the door. Later, while we were on our way to dinner, he was in the back seat, saying "Happy" about ten or twelve times. I'm pretty sure he understands the meaning, as he doesn't say it often. I rationalized it later by telling Steph, "He had Mommy. He had Daddy. He had pillow. He had all of his favorite things". So, he probably was pretty happy. I was too.
We had dinner out, and then came home. I'm pretty tired now, as evidenced by how many words I've misspelled, and had corrected by the program. Be thankful, as this would be an undecipherable mess otherwise.
We are off to Destin tomorrow, and we're looking forward to it. It's always nice to get away, but it's always nice to come back. Even if a 93 page script is waiting.

Like the First Day of School

2012-01-20T07:50:00.001-05:00

I'm a little early, a little nervous, but I'm here. It's very odd to be out at this hour, but it's a welcome change. I'm hoping this sunrise is a good omen.

Thursday Evening Post.

2012-01-19T22:15:00.005-05:00

I did the most I could today, even though I broke my promise/pledge to do nothing. I studied lines by the pool. I discovered I can scrape off a lot of the paint on the coping of the pool, which will save time and money. I cleaned out my car. And I had a really good day with my son. He's such a funny, affectionate kid. He's not feeling well (a cold), and he's passed it on to Steph, who is considering trephination as a cure. I finished the evening by going to my first Thursday play rehearsal in years. It wasn't an easy one, and I am disappointed in myself, but I know how much farther I have to go. Hopefully I can do some good study sessions in the next few days, and be ready for Monday.
My pet project for the day was repainting a concrete statue of a squirrel that we found when we moved into the house. It's at the far right side of the first picture. The second picture is from today before I started, and the third picture is the finished product.

My Rain Gauge is Frozen

2012-01-19T09:31:00.001-05:00

It's cold out again, and my rain gauge is frozen solid. It supposed to warm up later, but for once I'm making a conscience effort to do nothing. I'm even dressed in my lounge pants and a t-shirt to make sure. Now, I did sweep up the floor, and as soon as the dryer finishes, I have a load of laundry to fold. But that's it. No sanding. No yard work. Nothing. It's going to be a long time before I can do this again, and I'm taking advantage of it. I am going to vacuum out the car, but only because we're going out of town Saturday. I also need to iron an outfit for tomorrow, and shine my shoes. It's a new office, so I have to make a good impression.
My exit from my old office (I love saying that) went well. I was able to say goodbye to those I valued and those I didn't let me slink out undetected. I had a good final evaluation, and my score actually went up. I also had a good last talk with my supervisor. I gave her the best compliment I think I could: "I'm not deleting your number from my phone. I will stay in touch".
And so that chapter comes to an end. Today is a day to enjoy, to watch movies, to play guitar, to study lines, to play with the munchkin, and to just relish. There won't be more like it for a long time.

Wow

2012-01-18T17:57:00.001-05:00

I'm still at the office and working. Well, sort of. I'm doing something where I'm just assigning reports and not working them, and making phone calls where needed. It's great. To think I tried to trade this away.
I did my exit interview about an hour ago. It went well, even though I did address some concerns I had, which were well received. Now, whether or not they listen to me on it is another story.
I'm watching Clerks 2 which I think is the best movie I could watch on a day like today. Donkey show and all, I still think its a beautiful movie, just not for everyone.
I'm about to take my last walk around the adjacent office building. I told Steph I wasn't going to call, because I wanted to enjoy the moment. And that's all that's left to do. I still have my close out evaluation to do, but I'm not concerned. I'm just counting down the minutes until I turn in my security badge, and walk out. I think it'll be nice.

Like a Dream

2012-01-18T08:26:00.001-05:00

Last night it rained for the first time in what feels like forever. I know it hasn't been that long, but it's been so dry lately that it just seems so. When u woke to it around 4AM, I don't think my brain processed it as reality, and I went back to sleep. Even when Steph's alarm clock went off, playing the Jonathan Edwards song "Sunshine", I woke to it but dismissed it just as quickly.
Even now, as I'm sitting on my back porch, listening to the last drizzle of the rain, it still doesn't seem real. This is really my last day at my current job, and a gateway to something much better.
The drizzle just turned into a steady rain, complete with the wind blowing. I know I should be studying my lines for the play, and I have already. My heart isn't in that right now. There will be time soon, just not right now.
I do feel like a bit of a schmuck for topping off the water level in the pool yesterday.

Good Night

2012-01-17T22:27:00.001-05:00

We had a good rehearsal, with a lot of good stuff happening. It wasn't "great" yet, but we're getting there. This has a lot of potential, and we will make it work.
And I didn't kill anything on the way home (even though a rabbit hopped across the street in front of me as I turned onto my road).
I'm ready for my last day at my current office. I'll pick out and iron an outfit tomorrow, since I didn't today. My iPod is full, my rings are polished, my nails are trimmed, and I'm ready to move on. It still hasn't sunk in totally, but I'm sure it will.

Too Much

2012-01-17T16:22:00.002-05:00

I think I've mentioned on here before my tendency to do a lot of work when I should be resting and relaxing. I can't really explain it, and it's certainly not an "OCD" type of situation, but I feel if things need to be done, let's get them done.
I had a very productive morning. I cleaned the house. I got a haircut, and then went to get a new drivers license. I not only needed to renew it (expired the end of this year), I needed to update the address and the picture (I still had long hair). I did a small stop at Home Depot afterwards to pick up a few things I had forgotten yesterday, and then picked up the munchkin at my parent's house.
After I put him down for his nap, I went outside and up onto the roof. I began to clean up the paint that was applied to the flashing of the roof, on top of the vinyl siding. I used all of the acetone I had, and had to finish that job for the day.
I moved on to removing the existing paint on the coping of the pool. I ended up using all of the sandpaper discs I had, and made it halfway across the narrow part of the deep end. I put up the tools I had been using, cleaned up, and came inside. I just bottomed out. I fell asleep on the couch and was only awoken by the sounds Colin makes when he wakes up.
I've come around, and I'm feeling better, but I think I need to learn to be still.
Thursday, I'll just take it easy; spend time with my son, play video games, play guitar, and just enjoy the day.
Speaking of enjoying the day, tomorrow is my last day at my current job. I have no idea what the day will bring, but I'm just going to enjoy it. I know I've got an exit interview in the afternoon, and as much as I want to point out all the wrong that is there, I won't. I want to go out honorably. There are some people there I will miss, and there are many I won't. When I started this job, Colin was one month in utero, we were renting a townhouse, and Steph was still driving her Miata. Now, Colin is two years old, we own a house with a pool, and she has a Kia she loves.
Nothing but changes. I can curse how frustrating that job has been, but it's given me an awful lot, that I should be thankful for.

Long Day, Good Day

2012-01-16T22:14:00.002-05:00

Steph was off because today was a holiday, and I was off because, well, it was a Monday. We tried to make the most of it, and went out together to do a little shopping. We dropped off my car to get serviced, and went on our way. The car ended up needing a new serpentine belt, as well as new plugs and wires (it had been a while). There was also an oil leak on the valve cover, so I ended up with new gaskets on those too. The car runs well now.
We had breakfast at Krispy Kreme, and Colin quite enjoyed it. I think enjoyment of donuts is genetic in my family.
Truth be told, we didn't buy much that could be considered frivolous; we got mostly essentials like diapers, body wash, etc. It wasn't until later in the afternoon that I bought some things I've been wanting, but they were all for projects I want to do around the house. I bought a rotary sander, spray paint, and painters tape to repaint the coping around the pool; some acetone and a spray bottle to remove the paint that's on the vinyl siding of the house. The only thing that I bought for "me" was a pair of really nice bypass pruners that I've wanted, but that was with a Christmas gift card.
We will in all likelihood go to Destin this weekend to do some shopping there. We haven't been able to do that together in a long time, because of my current/previous work schedule (not sure what to call it). We usually have pretty good luck there, and it will be nice to be out of town for a day.
Rehearsal tonight was our first off of book, and it could have gone a lot worse.
Sure, I had to yell "Line?" a few more time than I would prefer, but it could have been a lot worse.
I do feel bad because I ran over a raccoon on the way home, and there's no way that it survived. It ran out into the road near Lake Miccosukee, and I had no chance to avoid it. I'm 99% certain it was a raccoon. I know I saw a striped tail. I do feel really bad about it.

Sunday Evening Post

2012-01-15T22:09:00.003-05:00

It's strange to have a Sunday with no play rehearsal, but that's what I have from now on. Well, at least until the next play. The cast decided that the Sunday rehearsal didn't work for one cast member to be there, so we bumped it to Monday. And a "normal Sunday afternoon" is something I haven't had in some time. Sure, we had church this morning, but usually Steph, Colin and I take off quick so we can grab something to eat, and then put Colin down for a quick nap before we leave for rehearsal in the mid-afternoon. Not today.
We had lunch with my parents, and then when we got home, Colin was able to get a good nap. Steph played around with her Kindle Fire inside. I made a cup of tea, and sat poolside and studied my lines for the play. I didn't break any new ground, but I was able to reassure myself on several areas. In order to help the lines sink in, I did yard work. There's something about the white noise generated by a small, 2 cycle motor that helps me run lines. I trimmed the yard in a few spots where it needed it, and then used a leaf blower to clear the yard and perimeter.
Once I finished, Colin was up and we all sat on the back porch (beautiful weather today) and just watched the afternoon sun come in through the windows. It's days like today where having that porch really pays off.
When we went to the store, we ran into a guy we both worked for at different points at a coffee shop he owned. I haven't seen him in about three and a half years, and it was good to be able to see him, and show him Colin. People are always amazed at that kid.
Tomorrow, we're going to do some shopping and run around. We're just doing it in Steph's car. Mine is making a noise that's probably a belt, but I want to get it checked out anyways. It may also be due for a tune-up soon, so I may go ahead and do that. I've got a lot of driving to do soon, and it's wise to have it in good shape.

Seven Hours

2012-01-14T18:29:00.001-05:00

I have spent seven hours today studying my lines for the play. Seven hours. I'm done for the day on it, and I still don't know it all. My next role better be a walk on.

Random Last Saturday at the Office Thoughts

2012-01-14T12:22:00.002-05:00

**It is very strange to think that this is my last Saturday at the office. No more movie day. No more morning stop at my bagel place. No lunchtime walk around the empty parking lot of the adjacent office building. It all ends today. Yes, I have one more day after this, but I question how much actual work I'll do.
**I'm still working on studying the play as I work. This is a play where I have to accept I'm never going to know the script 100%. I know the bulk of my lines (about 75%), but I need my script to prompt myself. I'm hoping I can be off of book by Monday. Hopefully.
**I think my current boss may be coming to see the play.
**I'm looking forward to Monday if only because I have a day off with my wife and son, and lately it's hard to get that. It'll be easier when the new job starts, but for now it's a rare commodity.
**I'm planning all of the projects I want to do over the next few weeks. Its what is keeping me going. I'm pretty much slacking off today. I don't think it matters.
** I think I want to buy a vise for my workbench in the garage strictly for the aesthetic value of having a vise on my workbench.
**I'll post later if I think of something.

Random Thoughts on a Friday Morning

2012-01-13T08:24:00.002-05:00

**I'm doing this as a "random" post, because I'm studying lines and I'm trying to take a small break. I am outside, even though it's 30 degrees. It's actually quite fun studying lines under the warmth of a blanket and a space heater.
**I think the hardest part of memorizing these lines is that it always seems like there's so much farther to go.
**Steph and I set out two more items of furniture at the curb on Wednesday night, and by the time I got home yesterday, they were gone. Steph also figured out a way to use another piece of furniture we were storing in the garage, and it's in the house now.
**Speaking of being in the house, I decided to come inside. I was warm, but my hands were actually starting to lose feeling, which makes it harder to type on the touch-screen.
**There was a small situation at the office yesterday, where our new anti-virus system was flagging the outgoing e-mail function of one of the key programs we use as the behavior of a virus, and disallowed it. The e-mail gets sent to let someone know a report is completed. I just found the whole thing hilarious.
**Speaking of work (where I only have two days left after today), I'm actually finding it easier to study lines for the play there. And despite the fact that I'm slacking off there, my stats are still higher than anyone else.
**We had a fire drill there yesterday, and if there was a real fire, we would all be dead. Four floors of one building filing through a single, standard-sized door. The funniest part of it all is that there's no designated spot to stand, so a friend and I just stopped and talked, and eventually everyone from our particular department was around us.

"It's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care"

2012-01-12T08:35:00.004-05:00

That quote (or paraphrase) fromOffice Space pretty much sums up how I'm feeling at my current job. I'm on my way out, I'm meeting my performance standards, but I'm not pushing myself too hard; nor do I feel the need to. I'm simply counting the days until I throw everything I want to keep into a big cardboard box, and move on.
It is giving me time to work on my lines for the play, and I'm progressing fairly well. I'm at the point where I realize that as long as I hear certain lines, I'll be able to make it through. It helps that I have broken it down into scenes that I can recognize, and can approach it that way. I did reach the point this morning where I needed to repair the binding on the script. But that happens during just about any show.

Rainy Wednesday

2012-01-11T08:26:00.001-05:00

I'm here on my back porch again, studying lines as hard as I can. It's quit raining, but it's still damp, with the breeze blowing in. The space heater is at my side, and I'm under a blanket. I won't be able to do this much longer, when my new job starts. I guess it's good to have something to remember these last few days at my current job by.
My work in the garage already paid off, as it was pouring when Steph left the house with Colin. She pulled her car into the garage and loaded him into it there. I had a small surprise when I opened the garage; I had put up an American flag next to the garage and overnight, the bracket holding it bent. It was a cheap bracket anyway, and can be easily replaced.
The rain was enough that I had to open the overflow valve on the pool. Most pools always have it open, but due to the topography of our back yard, the pool tilts slightly, and the valve is at a higher point in the shallow end of the pool, than the corresponding level in the deep end. When we need to, we open it.
It's back to this job for one full week, as I'm working a normal forty hours this week. Next week, it's just one day, and I can only imagine how that is going to feel.
The pictures are the view outside, and the view from my chair on the porch.

Exhausted

2012-01-10T16:24:00.002-05:00

The cleaning up the garage project continued today, and after starting around 8:30AM, I finished around 4PM. It looks awesome to say the least. It's not absolutely perfect, but few things are. As a huge bonus, a husband and wife team came by with a pickup truck and took away just about everything I had set at the curb. That not only saved me time, but I was able to clear out more thanks to them.
Now, as my cup of tea continues to steep next to me, I have a few things to do to get ready for my last full week at my job. I do still have rehearsal tonight, where we'll hopefully finish blocking the play. Then I'll do what I did last week and cram all day long on lines while I'm at work. What are they going to do, fire me?

Timber!

2012-01-09T22:19:00.003-05:00

I think, as long as the pictures are in order, you can see the evolution of my front yard this afternoon. I was finally able to take that tree down, and I'm glad it's gone. It really opened the yard up, and I was right about it starting to rot in certain areas. The crew that came out actually left my yard cleaner than when they got here. The oddest part about the whole thing is that Colin slept through all of the noise; didn't wake up once. The crew will be out to grind out the stump as soon as they get a part in for their currently out of order machine (two or three days).
After that was over, I turned my attention to the garage, and I was able to fit about 90% of the clutter in there into the attic. I began to start rearranging things, but ran out of time, so I'll finish that tomorrow. Once I finish cleaning up and straightening the garage, I will have room for the shelves that my brother in law has been saving for me. And once the garage is completely situated, that will make all of the other tasks this spring/summer that much easier. I know it's January, but these warmer temperatures have been screwing with my head, so I keep thinking it's closer to spring than it is.

Nothing Witty Here

2012-01-08T22:09:00.002-05:00

I'm too tired to think of something witty or appropriate for the title. It's been a long day. We had church in the morning, and then play rehearsal in the afternoon. I'm feeling better about this play, even though we still have a long way to go. Mary, you're right. We could improv this whole thing and very few would be the wiser. It's going to be a good show, and we're getting there. We're just not there yet.
We got into town as the sun was setting, and did a quick shopping run to Target. The only item I bought for myself was a pair of swimming trunks that were on clearance. We had to fit in a trip to the grocery store as well, only because we had next to nothing in the house. We bought what we needed to get through the week last time, only because of the New Year's holiday, and then we had just got back into town from vacation.
Tomorrow, the tree in the front yard is being removed. I am taking pictures. That's actually one of my quasi-resolutions for the new year: take more pictures. I am going to have to order an external flash for my camera, but that's only because the internal flash stopped working. The cost of the repair is more than the cost of the new flash (which will look better anyways).

Random Saturday Thoughts

2012-01-07T18:43:00.001-05:00

**Still at the office. I'm really glad my week is ending today, as I'm feeling the toll of only being off one day this week.
**I'm eager for rehearsal tomorrow, if only to see how much farther I have to go. Hopefully blocking the second act can put me on the path to learning the lines quicker.
**I think I'm going to buy an external flash for my camera.
**I also now believe I have to start working out and watching what I eat. I've never had to really worry about either, but that's starting to catch up some. Don't get me wrong, I'm not thinking I'm fat now, but I need to make sure I can get into shape. If I can get in the habit of flossing, I can do this.
**And that's it for this evening.

Friday Night at the Office

2012-01-06T19:09:00.001-05:00

I should be working harder today. I should. I have worked hard most of the day, but as the day goes on, the workload climbs, and it rarely goes down as you work. It's frustrating and discouraging. Please don't think I'm being lazy here, as I've already done more than anyone here will all day. I do have a case of "short term", whereas I'm not working nearly as hard as normal, because it matters little.
I've had my script for the play with me here at work the past few days, and look at it whenever I can. I'm feeling pretty good on the first act (except for the end), and it's hard for me to memorize the second act when we haven't even blocked it yet. I'm still scared of it, just not as scared. I've actually enjoyed sitting on the back porch in the mornings studying the lines, especially this morning, as the whole yard was enveloped in a heavy fog. I only have another week and a half to do that.
Otherwise, everything is as normal as it can be. Never a bad thing though.

I Quit to the Wrong Person??

2012-01-05T19:57:00.001-05:00

When I got in to the office today, I put the resignation letter I wrote on our manager's desk, and left a note on the envelope saying if there were any problems to come see me. Later, my supervisor said I was supposed to hand in the letter to her first. I apologized, stating that this was the first time I had quit here. I then offered to write it again, if she could find someone to loan me a crayon so I could scrawl "I quit" on a piece of paper for her.

Still Cold, Still Excited

2012-01-05T08:42:00.001-05:00

Even though it's still very cold, I'm posting this from my back porch. I'm under two of my favorite blankets, and sitting in front of the space heater we keep back here. The breeze occasionally wafts into here, and makes it colder for a moment, but it's tolerable.
I'm out here because I needed a change of scenery while I'm running lines (and I'm posting now because I reached my saturation point on running them for the time being). I've never been intimidated by a script like I have this one. It's roughly 90 pages of dialogue, and there are few occasions where I am off stage. I'm already having "that dream" where I'm in front of an audience, and I don't have a clue what my lines are, let alone what play I'm in. I know I'll come through on this. I have to. It's just going to be a lot of work. I'll continue to take my book withe everywhere I can, and just hope for the best, or hope for a way to upload it digitally into my brain.
There's still a part of me that is adjusting to the fact that I have a new job, and that it's not part of some dream that is distracting me from the dream where I don't know my lines. It's something I've wanted for some time, and not just because I wanted a "normal schedule" and more time with my family. When I started there, things were okay, but there have been changes that I feel have been detrimental to what we do (again, I won't mention where or what for the sake of this being a public blog). I can now relax some, and enjoy the last two weeks I have there. This also means I will have to work in some projects on the next two Mondays in order to have the time necessary.
I suppose I need to go inside now. I have a pot of coffee to start, as well as a resignation letter to author.

Updates

2012-01-04T19:28:00.001-05:00

Everything has been hashed out; I start my new job on the 20th. My official last day here will be the 19th, but my actual last day will be the 18th. That one day difference is because of the change in schedule times, so I'm taking a vacation day to accommodate that.
I also got a call from the tree service we're using, and they're getting to us first thing Monday morning. I also asked them to prune the one other tree in the yard. Actually, after Monday, I will own only one tree. Granted, that one tree is a red oak that's pretty big, but still, just one tree.

Big News!

2012-01-04T13:53:00.001-05:00

I just accepted the job I interviewed for right after Thanksgiving. It's a step up in pay, responsibility, and even has some supervisory aspects to it. Above all, I will have more time in the evenings, which means more time with my family. No congratulations are necessary, I just wanted to share the news with you all. I still have to work out my end-date here, but I should have that firmed up this afternoon.

Florida Shouldn't Be This Cold

2012-01-03T16:29:00.004-05:00

It's been in the lower 40's most of today, and that's the high temperature. The low temperature overnight is what concerns me; it will be a hard freeze most of the night, which can create problems. I'll double check most things before bed tonight, but I think as long as I run the pool pump, and cover a few things, we'll survive. It does warm up from tomorrow on, but for now, it's very cold.
I'm adapting to the schedule I've had for the week. Having to work Sunday and Monday, my normal days off, threw my schedule and my internal clock for a loop. I had to compress all of the chores I would normally do over the course of the weekend into one day. I cleaned the house this morning, went to the store for a few things, and then cleaned up the yard this afternoon. In my spare time, I studied my lines for the play, and tried out my new video games. I wish I had a way to disconnect the wiring in my brain that won't let me rest until things are cleaned up, but I can't. There's worse things to have, trust me.
I think, more than anything else, I'm looking forward to things returning to normal. The holiday season is nice, but it does tinker with your schedule. All I need to do is get through the week, and things are back to normal. Hopefully.
(I doubt that I'll be able to keep up the pace, but so far, I've posted every day).

News and Other Nonsense

2012-01-02T17:54:00.002-05:00

It's the second day of the new year, and while things are going better than yesterday, I am still stuck at the office. I had a morning of errands and phone calls. I called the tree service to set up a date to get the one tree in our front yard removed. They were closed for the holiday, but the guy there selling wood said someone would call me back tomorrow to set it all up. Not too soon after that, I got another call saying my new glasses were ready. I've been adjusting to them all day. I guess it's because the plane of focus is a little different than the last pair. They'll be better in a day or so.
I also exchanged a game I bought on Saturday that I didn't like for one that I researched online, and should like a lot more. The problem was it was a role-playing game, and some of them have absolutely irritating battle systems. This new game isn't a role playing game, so it shouldn't have that problem. As a plus, it came with a free download of a game I love.
It's turning bitterly cold here over the next few days. Well, bitterly cold for Floridians. The lows will be in the upper twenties, which is enough to have the pool pump running so the lines don't freeze and burst. I was going to do yard work tomorrow, but I think I'll stay inside. There's plenty I can do, like study lines, with maybe a video game break or two. It's very odd to think I'm off tomorrow, and then I'm back to my normal work week. It's the sacrifices made for the amount of time off I had.

A New Year

2012-01-01T10:28:00.001-05:00

I don't have any resolutions. I'm not even sure why I'm posting now, other than I'm very bored at the office, and this is a way to kill time. Perhaps I can post something more later today, of the mood or the inspiration hits. I really should have brought my script for the play with me.

We're Back

2011-12-30T22:15:00.006-05:00

We've returned from our small, yet well needed trip. We went this morning to the Little White House area in Warm Springs, GA, where Franklin Roosevelt had a small house he used as a retreat. It was also the house where he died. I have to admit that was kind of a surreal feeling, being in the same room where someone so famous and of such historical importance died. They not only have the chair he was sitting in when he had the stroke that ended his life, but also the bed he was laid in. It seems there's been a good deal of effort to preserve how everything looked when he was there. I have to admit, I've never seen a sign like this one.

Colin and my Dad outside the "Little White House"
The chair President Roosevelt was sitting in, posing for a painting,when he had a stroke.
We had a very uneventful trip home, and it was very comforting to be in our own house. I went out and picked up some steaks for dinner, because I wanted a home cooked meal more than anything.

Mid-Vacation

2011-12-29T22:05:00.001-05:00

It's not really worked having Colin in the same room as us. The room is dark, we've laid him to bed, but he just bounded up and said "hi!". Its really cute, but he needs to get some sleep.
In every other aspect, things are going great. My dad is feeling better, but still not great; he's being a trooper though.
We had a great day at Callaway Gardens. My only hope is we will go back when it's in full bloom. There was a lot to see, like an enclosed butterfly habitat. There was also a really great "Birds of Prey" show that Colin enjoyed. Their "Fantasy in Lights" display was a great way to end the holidays for us. Steph and I discussed it, and it felt really great to do the "Christmas" thing one last time, as it felt like it ended too soon for us. We got a few ornaments (at a steep discount) to remember the trip. We're already planning on coming back next year.
I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring, but I know we'll end up at home. I do miss my bed, but I've enjoyed the time with my parents. Two more days of vacation left.

Greetings From La Grange!

2011-12-28T16:12:00.001-05:00

It was a fairly uneventful trip to get here. We took US27 all the way here, until we got around the Ft. Benning area. We've already driven past the Callaway Gardens entrance, and stopped and enjoyed the view from around the country store there. Friday we will head into the Roosevelt State Park area and see what we can find. For now, we're here, the wi-fi is free, and we're heading out soon.

Leaving Today

2011-12-28T08:56:00.002-05:00

We will be leaving town in about thirty minutes, and we will begin a leisurely drive to the Pine Mountain, GA area. We can't check into our hotel until three, so we can take our time getting there.
Steph, Colin and I had dinner at her parents' house last night, as sort of a pre-birthday dinner. Her mom made lasagna, and we had a small, Carvel ice cream cake. As far as gifts, they bought me the two seasons of Eastbound and Down on Blu-Ray, and Steph surprised me with a PlayStation 3, which I had been wanting.
I set it up when we got home last night, and after it downloaded everything it needed, it's really a lot of fun.
In the middle of this post, Colin came into the room crying, and decided he wanted to climb up onto my lap, so half of this was typed with him trying to keep the keyboard away from me.
I will try to post while I am away, as I can do all of the posting from my phone. This is also the first trip where we will not be taking a laptop computer with us. Between the iPhone and her Kindle, we have everything we need to access the web and stay in touch.

Back Again

2011-12-26T17:21:00.003-05:00

We had a really good Christmas weekend, and I hope you did as well. It was everything I hoped for. Friday evening we went out to dinner with my in-laws, afterwards we came home and played Monopoly. On Saturday, we started the day out very leisurely at home, and then went to my parents' house for Christmas Eve brunch with my side of the family. My parents got Colin a Radio Flyer wagon, the classic model, as his big gift.
We stayed there most of the afternoon, and came home. We hung out for a little while, and then went on a walk with Colin in the wagon. We stopped off at a nearby park, and let Colin run off some energy. He pretty much only wanted to go on the slide, which is nearly 12-14 feet tall, so it requires a spotter.

We continued our walk in our neighborhood, and a boy saw us and yelled "Merry Christmas!" with a huge smile on his face. Steph said "That made my night". We came home, iced some sugar cookies, I reset the luminaries, we watched Christmas specials and had our traditional dinner of pancakes. After we put Colin to bed, we placed his presents under the tree, and watched Christmas Vacation.

Christmas day was very good to me, even though I was more into seeing the reaction to the presents I had bought for Steph and Colin. Without recapping everything, my big present was a new guitar, and a very nice one. We went to church, then to her parents' house to do Christmas with them. After we went to the evening services, we returned to their house and had Christmas dinner with both sets of parents.
Today we took everything "Christmas" down. Everything. We really felt like the Christmas season had run it's course in our house, and it was time for it to go and the house to return to normal. I think it's because we finished our shopping so early, and had more time to enjoy things. I went to the "glasses in an hour" place to get some new glasses made from my old prescription, which is still working for me. I wanted to get a new "main" pair made with the anti-glare coating, but I also wanted to get a pair of sunglasses made before the trip this Wednesday. I have the sunglasses now, and they're great.
I guess I haven't mentioned much about it, but we'll be going to the Pine Mountain, GA area this Wednesday with my parents. I haven't been out of town in a very long time, and I'm really looking forward to it. We're going to go to Callaway Gardens on Thursday to see a winter lights display that they do annually. Yes, it is a holiday thing after the holidays, but something on this grand a scale deserves to be seen.

Merry Christmas (A Bit Early)

2011-12-23T22:13:00.002-05:00

Today was full of preparations, and a little fun too. I cleaned the house(second time this week), and cleaned up the yard (third time this week), all for the sake of everything looking great for the holiday weekend. We took Colin to the park to play for a little while too.
This is my last post until at least Monday, so I do hope you all have a Merry Christmas, and enjoy the time with whomever you spend it with. Tomorrow, Christmas Eve, is by far my favorite day of the year, and I'm looking forward to it.
See you all next week!

The Day In Pictures

2011-12-22T22:39:00.003-05:00

Colin on our morning walk and a side trip to the park.

Making the luminaries.

The bike I assembled this morning.

Setting up the luminaries.

The luminaries in action. I got two compliments on it in less than five minutes.

Freedom!

2011-12-21T22:18:00.002-05:00

It was a long day, but a fun day. I was able to give and receive "Secret Santa" gifts, and it always helps when your boss is your Secret Santa. I also received the annual Christmas card from the "Admin" level of the office, which as soon as I saw they used printed, electronic signatures, I promptly threw in the shred bin. It's not that I don't appreciate the gesture, it's just that if you're going to show people that you "care", you should actually take the time to sign it.
In any case, I am off until the 31st. Time will tell what will happen, where we'll go, and everything else. I know my only plans for tomorrow involve putting together a bike for my son, and a trip to the grocery store. And Chinese food for dinner. Beyond that is anyone's guess.

1000 Posts!

2011-12-20T22:30:00.003-05:00

According to my blogger dashboard, this post marks the one thousandth entry to this blog. Granted, that doesn't take into account all of the posts from the other blog I kept from 2002-mid 2005, but that's still a big number.
It has been a very good day here. I did a little running around this morning for some simple things like a haircut, and grabbing a few items from a store. My Dad helped me move a buffet that had been in their house for years. It's an item of furniture that they had since the mid 1970's, and I remembered when it lived in the garage because there was no other place to put it before it was refinished.
Colin was a good boy all day, and is quite a handful at times, but name a two year old that isn't. At play rehearsal this evening he kept running up to me saying "Daddy!".
My friends there also surprised me with a cake, as well as a few extra friends showing up, for the occasion of my birthday next week. It was a lot of fun, and a very sweet gesture from everyone.
I'm ready for my one day of work for this week. I'm looking forward to it, only because I know how special the day will feel. The feeling of anticipation is always my favorite.

Monday Thoughts

2011-12-19T22:20:00.003-05:00

**For a person that finished his Christmas shopping early, I've been busy. I cleaned, did several loads of laundry, vacuumed the pool, and cleaned up the leaves in the yard.
All of this is so I can rest easy later in the week. Yes, I will need to do some housework and yard work, but it will be minimal.
**Even our shopping for groceries is done, and all I will need to get is a few items Friday morning. We're having Steph's parents over for dinner then, plus we need to get some items for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of pancakes. It was a tradition born of necessity several years ago, because we neglected to go to the store for anything. We liked it so much, we kept doing it.
**It seems odd that I only have to go to the office for one day. Unfortunately, I have to drop off my "Secret Santa" gift, as well as the cupcakes I promised to bring (which I have to bake tomorrow). It will make the day a lot quicker, and honestly, it gives me something to do. As soon as the work day is over, it's back home for a week and a half off.
**It also seems odd that Christmas is a week away, but it's the weather that's making me think that. It's not been very cold lately, and it's just a mild, Florida December.
**Speaking of Florida Decembers, I thought of this old Publix commercial a little while ago, and it reminds me of Christmas around the early 1990's. Dare I say it may be a fond childhood memory.

**And for some strange reason, I'm thinking of signing up for Twitter. It's just something else online that I can ignore (Like Google+. Which I am on. If you happen to be looking for me, the profile picture is the same as the one here).

End of the Day

2011-12-16T19:59:00.001-05:00

It's at least the end of my work day, and at this point that's all that matters. Even though I am still here, I've worked enough where I feel comfortable stopping a few minutes early. It's a lot of work, and we'll be busy tomorrow, but quitting time is almost here. On the good side of things, because state offices will be closed next Friday, and I was already off, my boss and I discussed it and I'll be off on Thursday as well. So, starting Thursday, I'll be off until the 1st of January. It sucks that I have to work one day next week, but it will be a fun day knowing what's ahead.
I don't really have any other news or stories, but I'm just glad today is almost over.

Midweek Thoughts and Other News

2011-12-14T18:46:00.002-05:00

**I'm waiting on a few things at the office, and I figured I would jump in and post. It's been a good day, even if I did wake up with a little bit of sinus pressure. I also left my lunch at the house, but since my wife works on a nearby office park, she was nice enough to bring me something.
**We had our second read through of the play, and I must say I'm a bit intimidated by the sheer number of lines I have. I'm also still trying to wrap my head around the character, and hopefully with some more trial and error, I'll be more comfortable with the character and how I'm portraying him.
**We are still trying to figure out a place to go for a few days after Christmas. I have the time off, so it seems a waste to just sit at home.
**All of our plans for the time up to Christmas are covered, even if they're plans only I know about.
**I really hate having to be "the bad guy" to my son sometimes. I know being so firm is the only way he'll learn to behave, but do I ever hate it.

I'm Done!

2011-12-12T22:28:00.004-05:00

It is totally official. I am completely done with all of my Christmas shopping. The only thing that could count against me is I haven't gotten the gift for the office gift exchange, but all my person wants is lottery tickets, so I don't think that counts. Colin was a trooper through all of the morning's shopping. I'm extremely lucky to have such a good child, even if he did inherit my temper.
Even if he had been a terrible child this morning, he did today, quite possibly, two of the cutest things I have ever seen him do. This afternoon, I was outside during his nap time, cleaning up the yard with the leaf blower. I came back inside before I began to bag everything up, and I heard him making noise in his bedroom. I hoped he would fall asleep quickly, and went back out. As I was bagging leaves, I looked at his bedroom window, and he had pulled the window blinds near his crib to the side, and was looking out at me. When we made eye contact, he smiled and waved at me.
I know he didn't get much of a nap, and later in the afternoon, he came into the office and proved it. He came in when I was reading something and drinking a cup of coffee, asking for "Elmo" (meaning he wanted to watch Elmo videos with me). I put him on my lap, and continued what I was doing. I noticed he was very still after a little while, and then figured out he had fallen asleep on me. I moved out to the living room, and then watched TV, with him still asleep on me. He doesn't do it often, but when he does, it's adorable.

Saturday Random Thoughts

2011-12-10T11:45:00.001-05:00

**There's nothing like coming in on a Saturday morning at the office, and seeing a crippling workload.
**I really liked taking the half day yesterday. I was more relaxed, and happier. There were even holiday activities that the rest of the office was participating in. I somehow won a "premium" parking spot in a raffle drawing, that I promptly gave away.
**After I picked up Colin yesterday, we went home and I did a few chores. When those were finished, I wrapped the Christmas presents I had for Steph and some other family members. It helped add to the holiday spirit of the evening.
**The whole family turned out to go the Victorian Christmas last night. We didn't do as much as we did last year, simply because we had more people to keep track of. It was a lot of fun though.
**I've noticed many people slowing down outside our house to look at the lights.
**I'm planning to venture out on Monday to finish all of my Christmas errands. I have two or three stops, all of them quick. I try to make it easy on Colin since he prefers to be able to run around.

Should I Worry?

2011-12-08T19:12:00.001-05:00

Should I be worried that my coworkers put up a holiday message that covers a thirty foot window and has glaring grammatical and punctuation errors? Should I worry more that I seem to be the only one who has noticed?

A Day In Progress

2011-12-07T15:48:00.002-05:00

The IT department at the office has been in the process of wiping and resetting all of the computers we have, and I knew they would be getting to mine over the weekend. Well, when I got in, it was not ready for use because of some minor things that should have been done earlier. Instead of fixing the problem on my machine and the others, they were all in a meeting. I was not happy about that.
The problems are resolved and everything is working fine, albeit slowly, hence this post. Things are going better now, but it was not an easy start.
I neglected to mention I did get a role in the new play, called Nobody's Perfect. We have our first read through on Sunday.
One positive thing that has happened today was a bit of a surprise. Something I ordered Monday came with complimentary ground shipping. Somehow, that became complimentary 2 day air, and it will be here tomorrow.

Things Learned Today

2011-12-06T22:28:00.004-05:00

**Never leave a two year old in the same room with a crayon and your new television. (The TV is fine.)
**Naps on the couch are, arguably, the best naps one can take.
**The new leaf blower I bought is awesome.
**There's never enough time in the day to do everything, yet I try to.
**Christmas lights are fickle things.
I will leave you all with some pictures I took this evening of the lights outside the house.

Monday Night Thoughts and Other Ramblings

2011-12-05T22:21:00.003-05:00

**I did a lot of work today, both inside and out, all in the hopes of doing as little as possible tomorrow. Yes, I have to hang some additional Christmas lights on the house to augment what is already on there, but the majority of the day I will play with my son, and play video games while he's asleep.
**My sole afternoon errand took me to the nearby hardware store to fill my propane tank, as I was planning on grilling this evening and it was empty. While on the way there, in the midst of a neighborhood, I looked at Colin behind me in the rear view mirror, and then returned my focus towards the road ahead. When I did, there was an older SUV careening off the road, smacking into someone's mailbox, and then crashing into a six foot drainage ditch on someone else's front lawn. I quickly parked the car in a driveway, and then ran to the stopped vehicle. I asked the guy if he was okay, and it took him a few seconds to answer. The impact had taken one of his front tires off of the rim and deflated it, and the impact also tore into the sod of the lawn he hit. The driver was alright, although shaken up. The neighbors began to show up to help out, including the owner of the mailbox as well as the people whose yard he was now in. With them there, I told them I had a two year old child in the car, and if they had everything handled, I was going to be on my way.
I did get the propane tank filled.
**I can truly say my Christmas shopping is done. I do have some minor items for stocking stuffers to buy, but those are either candy or very minor things. Steph and I finished Colin's list today. Santa is bringing the rest.

December Is a Little Better

2011-12-03T14:25:00.001-05:00

Perhaps I was a little hasty in proclaiming December off to a bad start. It's gotten better for me. Now, there were a few more bumps in the road, like our new television making a noise Thursday evening (which went away and hasn't returned yet). My computer is doing better, and it's likely an issue with the power supply on it. The hard drives, and the data on them, are fine, and I'm glad for it.
Hopefully I won't jinx anything, but I've heard news on my interview that makes me very optimistic. Again, only time will tell on it. My current job is very busy, even today. I'm not working as hard as I normally would today. I went all out this week, so it's only reasonable that I take it a little easy. It's very unlike me, but with the amount of work I do, and the others don't , it makes sense.
I have auditions for a new play tomorrow, and then three days off. Plus, I'm taking a half day on Friday to take the family to the Victorian Christmas in Thomasville.
I suppose I ought to concentrate on working now, but at least I'm watching Christmas movies.

Not the Best Start to December

2011-12-01T08:14:00.001-05:00

**I got home from work last night, clicked on one icon on my computer's desktop, and it started an infinite cycle of rebooting. I don't know if it's a hardware or a software problem. My main concern is that I hadn't done a backup recently, and if the hard drives are shot, I may lose all the pictures I've taken this year. The music and videos aren't a big deal, but the pictures are. Hopefully the drives can be saved.
**Another problem is the synching of my iPod. Fortunately, I do have enough content to get me through today and tomorrow at work. Saturday is a different scenario, and I may have to borrow Steph's iPod for the day, just to have the movies I need.
**Another fortunate thing is the ability to do most everything from my phone. I am used to doing most things on there already, like my email and some browsing. With the apps I have, I can do almost everything else. Maybe that's why I'm not too upset about the computer now (emphasis on "now", as my initial reactions were less than admirable).
**I hadn't mentioned this, but I did have a job interview yesterday. It was with a different agency than I'm with now, and it seemed to go well. Time will tell on that one.
**I'm using the Blogger app for the first time to do this post, and so far so good. It's 28 degrees outside, there's frost all over, and I'm under two blankets playing a video game, with a small cat by my side. It's hard to believe we've had her for almost six years, but we have.
**And just to test the picture uploading, here's my view from the couch.

What I Did Today

2011-11-29T22:13:00.002-05:00

One More Day

2011-11-28T22:13:00.002-05:00

As much as I hate to realize it, tomorrow is the last day of my vacation. Granted, I have three weeks, and then I take another week off, but it is still sad to see it go.
I'll update with more pictures about all of this, but we put up the tree, and Colin had a blast picking one out, and running through the fields of trees.
We also began to put up lights on the outside of the house. We quit, only because we were meeting up with my parents to go to a Christmas parade in Thomasville. Colin absolutely loved it, especially when he realized that if he waved at the floats, and people, they would smile and wave back. I don't have any pictures that do the evening justice, but it was a really great time.

Saturday Morning

2011-11-26T08:02:00.002-05:00

For two people, well, three people that normally don't fully participate in "Black Friday" shopping, it didn't show yesterday. Steph and I started off in Thomasville, GA around 9 or so in the morning, and we were at home for the rest of the afternoon. While there, we bought a few items we had wanted, such as a memory foam mattress topper, and some cookware that Steph had wanted. I was also able to get some colder weather clothes, which I needed.
When Colin woke up from his nap, he was fussy because he hadn't slept much. He has a problem where if he falls asleep in the car, he wakes up in the transfer to the house, and then he can't fall asleep as well again. That's what happened yesterday. We went to a few stores, and then decided to go to Best Buy (or "descending into the belly of the beast" since it's in the middle of the mall area of town). We've been kicking around the idea of getting a new TV for some time, and figured if any day was going to be a good time to, it was then. We checked out a few we had researched online, and went with a 55" Samsung that we had seen online. We had to call my parents to come help us get it home, but it was worth it.
It took a little set-up to get adapted, and even by the time we sat down and started watching our holiday season kick off, Scrooged, I was still making adjustments. The television came preset on a motion blur reduction setting that made things look, well, weird. The only way I could explain it is to ask if you remember when the TV show E.R decided to do several shows live on the air in the late 1990's. That necessitated them shooting it with video rather than film, which is how they normally would. Do you remember how odd the live "video" shows looked? That's how this looked. Fortunately, it was fixed with a few setting adjustments. The only remaining problem, it going to have to be fixed with a new stereo receiver. We can't adjust the volume of the stereo receiver with the television level, or the remote. So, to use this properly, we have to buy a new receiver. I know, it seems so silly a problem, but if this is going to work, it's going to work right.
Oh, and that whole "We're buying a Christmas tree today" thing. That too.

The Thanksgiving That Almost Wasn't

2011-11-24T20:13:00.002-05:00

This Tuesday was a pretty good day for me. I had my appointments, I took care of some things at the house, and then we had a few surprises, both good and bad.
The good surprises: We decided to go out to dinner with my parents, and my sister and her husband joined us (surprise #1). They told us the name they've chosen for their unborn son, "Avery" (surprise #2. The telling of the name was the surprise. We weren't supposed to know yet). We parted ways later in the evening, and then we went to the store to get some things for Thanksgiving dinner.
Surprise #3 was at about 1AM: I came down with some form of food poisoning. I'm not sure where it came from exactly, but I can guess. I didn't sleep much that night, and felt terrible the rest of Wednesday. I wish there was a "Vacation Appeal Board" I could talk with to get that vacation day back. My only wish the whole time was that I would feel okay by Thanksgiving, because I didn't want to miss out on anything.
And I didn't.
We had the family over, and while I didn't feel 100% at first, I was on my feet all day, I got to watch the parades, and I was able to enjoy the holiday. I'm glad for that. I am exhausted, but I know I will rest well tonight. I hope you all had a good holiday as well.

Random Thoughts and News

2011-11-22T10:51:00.000-05:00

**I'm assuming I'm the first appointment of the day at my hair salon, as I'm ten minutes early, and the door isn't open yet.
**This is actually a morning of appointments. I also have to go to the dentist at 11.
**I was able to accomplish some things yesterday to get the house ready for guests on Thursday. I did minor things that are less likely to get messed up, like straightening the garage and vacuuming the pool.
**My Christmas presents I've ordered have all arrived as well. At least the ones I've ordered so far.
**I've now written this post in three different areas over the course of the morning. My errands are complete, and I'm now waiting at the dentist office. You have to love the technology that allows me to do this.

Freedom!

2011-11-20T14:02:00.002-05:00

I have officially started my ten day vacation from the office and I couldn't be happier. It's been over a year since I've had a legitimate vacation from there, so this is some much needed rest and relaxation. Sure, there are some tasks to be done while I'm off, but none are work related. And I never count yard work, since I enjoy it.
My wife is resting on the couch, and my son is taking a nap in his room. I've got a bit more shopping to do online to say I'm officially "done" with my Christmas shopping, so maybe I can try and start on that today. I'm really looking forward to it this year, as I feel like I've outdone myself. But for this week, I'm looking forward to the first Thanksgiving dinner in my house. This is something we've never done, and it's going to be a lot of fun.

One More Day

2011-11-18T22:48:00.002-05:00

Yes, it's one more day at work and then I'm off until the end of the month. That's a wonderful, wonderful feeling. There's really not much going on other than that. I will hopefully be able to post more once the vacation starts, or if it slows down at work tomorrow. The latter isn't a likely option.

Tuesday Thoughts and News

2011-11-15T22:10:00.003-05:00

**It really looked like fall today, although the temperature didn't really go with the grey, overcast skies that we had. It was around 80 by mid-afternoon, and as someone already said (and in a much more eloquent way I might add), the air was moist. I had the windows open, and the hardwood floors in the house were slick with moisture.
**I am actually almost done with my Christmas shopping. I say "almost" because we haven't gotten much for Colin yet, but everything else is done. Sure, there are some stocking stuffer items to buy, and maybe another item or two for Steph, but everyone else is accounted for. It's a very good feeling. Last year, I was still out shopping two days before Christmas, and it was not fun.
**Speaking of "Not Fun", I return to work tomorrow, where my only goal is to get through the next four days, after which my ten day vacation begins.
**And that's it. I'm doing good, and I hope you are too.

A Busy Day

2011-11-14T15:36:00.002-05:00

I've fit a lot into the first part of today, so there was less to do tonight and tomorrow. This morning I raked the front yard, and then put up a weather vane on the roof (finally). I did a little pick-up in the house, just making sure that things are tidy. The weather has cooperated all day, and it is beautiful. I have all of our windows open, the breeze is blowing in, and Colin is resting on the couch watching Blue's Clues.
He had his two year check up this morning, and in the words of the doctor, "He's perfect". His height and weight are in the 90th percentile, and they estimate he will likely be 6'2" (taller than me). The fact he knows and recognizes the alphabet, colors, and his speech level was very impressive to the doctor, who said it was beyond what you would expect from a two year old. We're proud.
With my work done for the day, I'm baking some rolls for tonight's dinner. Now that Colin is watching his favorite show, I'll work on getting some last minute Christmas gifts online. Several items have shipped, and several arrived today. It is making it so much easier.

So Cold

2011-11-12T08:52:00.003-05:00

It dipped into the mid-twenties overnight, and this is what I did to protect my tomato and pepper plants. I grouped them together for efficiency. This looked rather ominous in the moonlight last night.

A Slow Day at Work!!!

2011-11-11T14:18:00.003-05:00

After nearly two weeks of constant work, today and tomorrow will actually be nice, slow days. Yes, these are due to the holiday weekend, but I'll take it. My work ethic will not allow me to go slow when it is busy, so to have a workload near zero is the only way I can relax while here. It gets me a little closer to my ten days off.
So, yes, it is a nice, slow, and cold day here. We had to turn on our heat last night for the first time this season. As is the norm here in Florida, we're only going to use it again tonight, and then the weather turns warmer. I'm loving it though, because it helps register in my mind that it's almost Thanksgiving.
I'm really getting my mileage out of an eBay app on my phone. It's helping keep track of some items I would like to get for Steph. She is off today, and has been busy. She is not only buying items for Thanksgiving dinner at our house, but is also buying items for Colin's Christmas list (not a list he authored, we did. He's smart, but not that smart...yet).
So I will wait out the day and enjoy this slower pace. There are definitely worse things to do and worse places to be.

Mid Week Nonsense

2011-11-09T22:36:00.002-05:00

**I did have a "nothing" day yesterday. It was all I hoped it would be.
**I'm getting very close to having my Christmas shopping done. The bulk of it has been online, and I've got everyone covered except a few more things for my wife. We will be buying stuff for the munchkin in regular stores, even though we do already have a few things.
**Work is about the same. Still a high workload, still calling in people to help, and the problem isn't going away. And I doubt it will. I hate being right most of the time.
**I've mentioned before that Colin has learned a lot of sign language, mostly from videos. I think he may have invented a sign of his own. He loves the candy "Smarties", which he refers to as "marties". My mom gives them to some of the kids at church for behaving. Colin loves them, and now when he asks for them, he uses a sign; he sticks his index finger into his cheek and moves it back and forth in a circular motion. I don't know if that actually means anything, but I think it's really cute.

All For the Sake of a "Nothing" Day

2011-11-07T22:08:00.002-05:00

Today I had a dentist appointment, after which I ran two errands. Then I went to my parents' house and picked up Colin, and we came home. When I put him down for his nap I finished cleaning the house, I raked the yard, all while doing several loads of laundry.
I compressed all of that into one day, all for the sake of doing absolutely nothing tomorrow. Yes, I do have some tasks, such as ironing a few things, and getting my lunches ready for the week; but otherwise, I'm doing nothing. It's going to be great.

Updates

2011-11-06T22:15:00.001-05:00

**A two year old does not understand the concept of a time change, thus Colin got us up at 6AM. Needless to say, I'm tired.
**While last week was not a very easy week at work, I finally hit a saturation point on my frustrations, and just rolled with it. I've been in a pretty good mood ever since. There were also a few things that made me realize that even though I'm managed by the clueless, and given sometimes impossible tasks, at least I have a job. My best friend lost his recently, and even on Friday, I ran into another friend that I had once worked with. She left our agency and began working for another, but her position was eliminated recently. We were in a testing group for a vacant position at another agency, and there were at least thirty people in there. Many of those people didn't have the luxury of going back to their job when they were done. I did.
**There's actually a lot I'm feeling very lucky on, and very thankful for. I'm not sure if that's entirely to blame for my current attitude adjustment, but it can't hurt. I have family, friends, a handsome and funny son, a great house, a pool, and many other things. I'm not sure why I was stressing out on so much negativity for a while, but it's helping to know I'm fortunate on so many things.
**I have a dentist appointment tomorrow morning, and then a few small errands to run. I'm putting up a weather vane that my Dad bought me last year at a hardware store in an Amish area of Ohio. I finally figured out where I want it on the garage, and that's where it's going tomorrow. There are some other chores that can be done, but I'm not sure if I'll have the motivation to do them.

Short and Quick

2011-11-05T23:06:00.003-04:00

No real post here, but just a quick one to say hello, everything is fine, and I've got a lot to be thankful for (and it's not even Thanksgiving yet).
Oh, and with this meager post, I've matched the highest number of posts in a year that I've ever done.

Thursday's Random Thoughts

2011-11-03T22:37:00.003-04:00

**I realize I say little about where I work on here for a reason, one that I've stated over and over again. I know it can be a problem, especially considering the semi-sensitive nature of my current position. That being said, they've implemented a new system at our office that takes the place of several (as mentioned in a previous post). Today was my first day utilizing the new program, and it's just as bad as I thought it would be. It literally cut my productivity in half. It's just a countdown until it's scrapped... I hope.
**I called off sick yesterday, and apparently there's something making the rounds in the office. I had mostly cold-type symptoms, but felt better by the afternoon. I mostly just needed to rest.
**Unfortunately, work is all that's going on. It's good to have a job, but I really wish it was a different one. Maybe soon.
**I apologize for the "negative" view of this post. It's just been a really long day, and I'm glad it's over. Maybe there will be a cute baby picture in a day or so, to make up for it.

November Already?

2011-11-01T22:16:00.002-04:00

The year has truly flown by, and here we are in November. The weather has been beautiful, and things are going well.
Colin went out Trick or Treating with his cousins last night, and it's a safe assumption that he had a blast. There were many times where he would grab an additional handful of candy, and knew he could get away with it. People were highly complimentary of his costume, and several people called to others in the house to see the "adorable spaceman". I thanked my oldest niece, Anna, for allowing him to tag along, even though he slows her down. She said it wasn't a problem, and loved having him there. She's at an age (according to her mother), where she's craving responsibility, and loves being able to take care of him.
It was our usual Halloween entourage of ten adults following three children, but it was a really fun night for all of us.
Today brought little more than some tests on prospective new jobs, and I cleaned up all of the leaves in the front of the house. Oddly enough, I don't have many leaves blowing into the back yard, so it stays relatively maintenance free most of the winter.
It's back to work tomorrow, and as usual, I'm not looking forward to it. I at least have my ten day vacation in a little under three weeks.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T17:49:00.002-04:00

Saturday Thoughts and News

2011-10-29T11:36:00.006-04:00

**Yesterday, when I woke up, I just didn't feel very well. Tired, very thirsty, and not in a good mood.
I did go in to the office, but only stayed half of the day. I came home, took it easy and by the evening, I was feeling better. I still don't feel 100%, but at least I'm moving around.
**It was a good thing that I went home early. Around 9PM, my mom called and asked if they could come over and get my key to their house. She didn't take her keys, and my dad left his on another key ring, which was in the house. Luckily, I don't live too far from them.
**I'm looking forward to Halloween with my son. He's an astronaut this year.
**For obvious reasons, I'm watching all Halloween themed movies at work. There was a small workload when I came in, but it's gone.
**A few minutes ago, I had to make a small trip to the grocery store to get drinks for our office party. The guy who normally brings the drinks and ice was off today, and no one realized it.

Thursday

2011-10-27T08:37:00.002-04:00

**I hate to have this blog become a random thoughts collection, but it's looking that way.
**There are some changes to several processes at work that I'm not too happy about. The short version is that in the name of "efficiency", they're replacing two systems with one, and adding three things to the databases we search. On the surface, that's not bad, but it's a much slower system, gives redundant information, and will lead to a permanently high workload. I've made my grievances known, and it's just a waiting game for a huge "I told you so".
**On the positive side of work (can't believe I just typed that), I am three weeks away from being off for a total of ten days. The way that my work week goes, and the way the Thanksgiving holiday is set, I can take two days vacation, and once you add in my weekends, it's a total of ten days (the 19th through the 30th) off. I'm doing the same thing at the end of the year too, just for a total of eight days.
**I'm looking forward to Beavis and Butthead returning tonight. That was a big part of my high school years, and I've come to really appreciate the other Mike Judge works over the years. It's strange to think that a child who was born when the show first went off the air (November 1997), will be the same age that I was (14) when the show premieres again. It's hard to be nostalgic for my childhood when they keep bringing it back.

Happy Birthday Colin!

2011-10-24T20:38:00.003-04:00

It's so hard to believe that it's been two years since my little munchkin came into our lives. It was such a long day, and now it seems that it's been the quickest two years of my life.
We celebrated today just as a family of three. We did a little running around, bought a few things, but mostly just had fun. We spent the evening in Thomasville, GA, which is a short drive from here. It's fun to do, because the shops are different, and it's usually an adventure. The funniest part was when we were in a store that had a calendar display. I grabbed the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit calendar, and a calendar that had pictures of kittens. I asked Colin, "Which one do you want?" and he immediately dove with both hands for the swimsuit calendar.
We had dinner there, and then drove back into Florida and to home for the rest of our evening. Colin is eating a piece of birthday cake, and watching Blues Clues. It's hard to believe it's the same child that's in the picture above. He was about thirteen hours old there. Shortly after that picture was taken, he opened his eyes for the first time. It was a sweet moment. And I'm hoping there will be many more.

Contented

2011-10-23T22:14:00.003-04:00

It's been a really great weekend for us. Colin's party was a lot of fun, and it's just great to see so many people come out just because they care about the munchkin. He had a wonderful time, getting a bunch of cool toys, and of course his favorite, cake.
We were all exhausted, and the house was very quiet after we all fell asleep.
This morning, we hatched the idea of going to Destin tomorrow. The idea progressed all the way to planning when we would leave, come back, where we would go, and I even cleaned out the car. But around eight this evening, after I had been thinking about it, we decided not to go. Although it isn't a long drive, it is a long drive to a two year old, and I don't want to subject him to it (especially on his birthday). The time we would be running around and shopping would wreck havoc on his napping schedule (and he is grumpy without it). So, in the interest of a truly happy birthday for him, we decided to stay in town, and have a different kind of fun day. On the plus side, with all the work we did yesterday, the house looks fantastic outside and in.
It's very hard to think that it has been two years since he was born. He's grown into such a smart, handsome and funny kid; it's hard to believe something this wonderful is mine. But he is...even if he prefers Mommy right now. (Seriously. Given the choice, he always goes for her.)

Pure Exhaustion and Satisfaction

2011-10-22T22:32:00.001-04:00

I worked in the yard nearly six hours getting everything ready for Colin's party, and Steph worked inside cleaning and cooking for just as long. We're sore, we're tired, but we all had a great time, so I couldn't be happier. It went great. I promise there will be details eventually, just not tonight.

Thursday Thoughts

2011-10-20T22:21:00.002-04:00

**I got my flu shot today, and my arm aches more than last year. Small price to pay for no flu.
**I've started playing Dragon Quest VII again, since I have a bit of extra time in the mornings. It's a really fun game, and still has a lot of replay value.
**I spent about half an hour in the yard this morning doing various tasks. I watered plants, filled my fountain, and started laying down some of the mulch that I bought on Sunday. I didn't realize how faded the other stuff had become until it was next to the new stuff.
**The preparations for Colin's party this Saturday are nearly complete. We still have the cleaning and the yard work to do, but we'll do that the morning of the party.
**I see no point in having a kid if you're not going to have a little fun and teach them cool things. Colin does have a pretty good vocabulary for a child his age, and we've taught him a few things to work with sounds he knows. This is along the same lines of "What does a cow say" questions that prompt a small response, but well..different ones. For example, I know I've said here before he knows, "What does a German say?", to which he'll respond "Nein!". We've added a few new ones.
"What does Nancy Kerrigan say?", "Why?"
"What does Darth Vader say?" "No!"
He will actually draw out the last one for dramatic effect and I'm trying to get him to do the pose, although it's not working yet.

Good News!

2011-10-19T18:20:00.004-04:00

I'm very happy to be able to announce that my sister and her husband found out they're having a baby boy. We would have been just as happy if it was a girl, but this way Colin will have a cousin to pal around with in a few years. As an added bonus, we can pass down a lot of Colin's stuff that he's outgrown.

Rainy Day Thoughts

2011-10-18T13:06:00.003-04:00

**I'm technically stuck at home right now. My car is in the shop, for something that's hopefully a minor problem. I had an oil indicator light coming on, and since that can mean a myriad of things, I took it in. The car was due for an oil change anyways.
**Colin is at my parent's house right now. I hated to give him away today, but the constant juggling of cars, and the unpredictable schedule that brings made it the logical choice. The car will likely be done in time to spend the full afternoon with him.
**I made a good bit of progress on getting the exterior of the house ready for company this weekend. I finished pressure washing the deck around the pool yesterday afternoon, and in the morning, I planted some flowers that we bought the day before.

This is only part one of the plans I have for the area by the fountain. My goal is to have flowers on all four sides within a few weeks. The rocks that surround it are left over from the waterfall pond that preceded it.
**Plans are progressing nicely for Colin's birthday party this weekend. With the exception of the fresh items we need, all of the food has been bought. The cake has been ordered. All that's left is a few odds and ends, and getting the house and yard ready.

Random Thoughts (Oh, and Happy Anniversary Sweetie!)

2011-10-15T11:53:00.002-04:00

**I think that interview yesterday was a total punt. It went well, I got along great with the guy, but I'm not what they're looking for.
**I'm still working on getting the outside of the house ready for Colin's party next weekend. I have the last half of the deck around the pool to finish pressure washing. I'm getting a few more plants and some mulch to buy, and then the standard yard work the morning of the party.
**It's hard to believe Steph and I have been married for six years today. It's been a great marriage and I couldn't imagine it any other way.
**And that's it. Not a whole lot of news here.

Working With An Odd Schedule (And Other Random Thoughts)

2011-10-13T07:39:00.002-04:00

**I'm beginning to work on pressure washing the deck around the pool this morning. I've only got about an hour to work on it, but I figure I'll have enough time to get some done. It's a little over a week until Colin's party, and I want things to look good, and certainly not half done.
**Last night I made a quick run to the gas station to fill up my gas can for the pressure washer. The machine runs through it pretty quick, and I wanted to do it then so I wouldn't have to this morning. Steph also had me buy some super glue to fix something of Colin's that had broken. I'm sure the combined purchases I made put me on some kind of "watch list".
**In a move I still don't understand, my office distributed 8x11 manilla envelopes for us to decorate and post on our cubicle walls. We were then supposed to give each other "You're a Star" messages to show our appreciation to others. I never put mine up, instead throwing it in the secure shredding bin. Well, a few weeks later someone put one up for me, with my name on it. I relented, only after I sealed the envelope shut.
Still, some people didn't get the message that I didn't want in on this, and my boss came by with a pair of scissors to open it. She said something to the effect of "Hey, you've got some messages in here", and I replied, "Well, the last I knew it was sealed shut". Please don't think I being some curmudgeon on this, I just really thought the whole concept was kind of lame, and really didn't want to be forced into participating.
**I also made reservations for dinner for my wedding anniversary on Saturday. Colin is spending the night at my parent's house, and my wife and I will be celebrating six years together. It's hard to believe it's been that long. It's also hard to believe there's a woman that desperate.

Start of the Work Week Random Thoughts

2011-10-12T08:47:00.003-04:00

**My crown is on and it's working. It's very odd to feel a "tooth" surface because I had gotten so used to the smooth surface that was there after the root canal was finished.
**In what's becoming a tradition for being in the dentist chair, I got a phone call for an interview with another agency. It took a better part of the day to get a hold of the guy that called me, but we finally connected in the afternoon. I have an interview Friday at 3:30PM, which means I'm not wearing jeans to "Casual Friday" this week.
**I did start pressure washing the deck around the pool yesterday, but after doing it for about an hour, I just began to feel worn out and decided to call it a day. I would imagine it had to do with the dental procedure in the morning, as well as the time I spent pressure washing on Monday. I'm planning to start again tomorrow morning before work, and do a little at a time.
**Now that the work week is beginning, I get to see my son for about a half hour a day. Not fun. Not fun at all. I at least get to see Steph more than that.

From the Dentist Chair

2011-10-11T08:54:00.002-04:00

I'm here getting a crown put on one tooth, and I've also had a filling come out of another. The dentist said the filling is an easy fix though. The fun thing is, I'd rather be home pressure washing. But at least this is getting fixed.

Satisfied and Sore

2011-10-10T20:53:00.002-04:00

If I've noticed anything about owning your own house, it's that there are always chores of some kind to be done. We've been playing a game of catch-up, since the house was neglected for so long, and we maintain as best we can, and improve when we can.
Today, after cleaning the inside of the house, I began to pressure wash the front of the house. I was able to get the front porch, the sidewalk and the driveway, as well as the garage door and surrounding portion of the house.
I have a dentist appointment tomorrow morning, after which I will begin to work on pressure washing the deck around the pool. There's still more work to be done after that, but it will do for now.

Lazy Saturday at the Office Thoughts

2011-10-08T13:10:00.002-04:00

**It's quieter than normal today at the office, but I still have to be here. Currently, I'm watching Ernest Scared Stupid on my iPod, amidst several other Halloween themed movies.
**When I last spoke to Steph, she was out buying the new light fixtures we wanted. It's part of our overall effort to improve the look of the house before all our guests turn out for Colin's party in two weeks. Three if the lights being replaced are inside, and the other two are outdoor flood lights. The outdoor ones are hooked to poorly performing motion sensors. I just wanted them on a standard switch for ease of use, but also to allow more flexibility in my Christmas lighting.
**Weather permitting, I'll be doing some pressure washing on Monday and Tuesday. We've got a really good chance of rain, so if I can't, I can't.
**And that's it. No major news, but a boring post from my phone is better than none.

Random Thoughts

2011-10-06T22:18:00.002-04:00

**It's the middle of my work week, and there really isn't much to report on. That can be a good thing.
**I probably did not get that job I interviewed for. I haven't heard anything, so I think it's a safe assumption.
**We're making plans for Colin's second birthday party, and it seems we'll have just as many people as last year, if not more.
**We decided to postpone our pre-Christmas to Disney. There were a few reasons, but it mostly came down to the amount of leave I have at work. Due to my odd work schedule, I have to use leave to do things that someone on the average 8-5 job would be able to do outside of their normal work hours; things like birthday parties, family gatherings, etc. It's just a byproduct of the office hours I have. We will likely go in the spring, when we'll be able to fit in a spring training game. I think taking Colin to his first Disney trip and first baseball game will be enough for one trip.
**That's everything. Good night!

The Day In Pictures

2011-10-04T22:27:00.002-04:00

This morning at the park

Dinner out.

Trip to Wal-Mart.

I neglected to take pictures of the other things today, but laundry and video games aren't exactly photogenic material.

Busy

2011-10-03T22:28:00.002-04:00

Today was one of the days where after waking up, I decide to do as much as I can. I cleaned in the house for about three hours. I took a break to fix Colin's lunch, and my own. After I put him down for a nap, I went outside and did yard work for about two and a half hours. I'm sore, tired, and my muscles ache, but it all looks good, and it's less for me to do tomorrow.
I think the only true mistake of the day was jumping into the pool to clean off after the yard work. The temperature of the water has dropped dramatically over the last few days of cooler temperatures, and is now a brisk 76 degrees. I'm glad I did, because I was fairly dirty and dusty. We haven't had a good rain in a little while, so the mower was kicking up a lot of dust, which also explains why my nose is clogged up now.
I was able to relax for a little while before Colin got up from his nap.
Tomorrow, I'm just going to take it easy, maybe fit in some laundry. I definitely need a day to relax some.

Got to Love This Weather

2011-10-02T22:13:00.002-04:00

I don't know if I've said it here before, but mid-September to mid-October is likely my favorite time of the year. Strange to have it pegged down to just a four week period, especially one that doesn't involve a man in a red suit and presents, but it is. It is always when we get that first few days of the cooler fall air that I enjoy it the most. The low is somewhere in the mid-forties, and it's going to be no hotter than the mid-seventies tomorrow. It'll be a great day for yard work.
There's really nothing much going on here. Things are pretty quiet, and that can be a good thing.

A Quick Post

2011-09-30T22:41:00.003-04:00

***It was a long day at work.
***Today we've owned our house for a year.
***Tomorrow marks one year since I first injured my eye.
***And with this one meager post, I've tied the amount of posts I did in 2006.I'd say I'm doing pretty good on my almost-resolution for the year.