Chowder's Notepad

Hey, I'm still here.....

2009-07-04T14:55:00.005-04:00

No really I am.

It's been a L-O-N-G time since I've posted. So much has been going on that frankly posting hasn't been on the priority list.

Baby: 1 year old!!! Can you believe it?!? It seems like yesterday that she was born. WOW!! A year goes by so quickly. She's walking now. It's both awesome to watch and terrifying to think she's going to be even faster now... She loves all veggies, fruits, yogurt, cheerios, and cheese. Not a big meat eater. Loves the outdoors. (Part of the reason there haven't been any posts from me in so long.)

Wife: Is hanging in there. Business has been slow for her. Totally understandable with the economy the way it is... Her dad passed away a few weeks ago. So she's been dealing with all the bureaucracy associated with dying. (Executirx of the will, what to do with the house, his car, etc....) I don't think she's had time to start grieving yet...

Me: I've never been this busy in my entire life!! Work has been out of control busy. The project I'm working on is fairly complicated and comprehensive. They've got me involved in all aspects of it. So between meeting, calls, and e-mails it never feels like I'm getting anything done. When I get home I spend my time with the baby. Soaking up baby time.

HRH: Is doing OK. He doesn't get to the dog park as much as he's used to due to the baby & etc but he's doing OK. He likes the baby more now that she's giving/throwing him food.

Home & garden: The house is doing OK. No new projects. (I've learned my lesson) I did have to clean out the gutters. During a heavy rain a few weeks back I noticed the gutters were overflowing.. The garden is doing well in spite of our neglect with weeding and planting annuals. The perennials have filled in and provided some color...

Miata: Not driven much at all this year. To & from work and on errands but no fun trips. I did change the headlights & taillights, added rear speakers and a style bar. It looks pretty cool for not going anywhere...

Rest of the family: Is status quo.

I actually have time to write this since we're on our first family vacation. I haven't been able to take a vacation due to my project until now. I'm pretty burned out & tired.

We're at Deep Creek, MD. Very nice place. We rented a house so we could have more space for the baby and HRH along. We went to the beach yesterday. Today we plan to go on a hike to Swallow Falls State Park. The food has been hit & miss. Some places are very nice, some are OK, others are barely better than fast food...

Baby Update

2009-03-15T09:24:00.002-04:00

She crawls quite well now. Her favorite things to crawl towards and mess with are HRH's toys & his water bowl. She's HRH's #1 fan. All she needs to do is spot him in the room and this happy squeal comes out of her that's just priceless.
She can pull herself up to standing and sit back down readily. Sometimes, she'll stand for 10 or 15 minutes. It's pretty cool. She's not totally steady on her feet but she is standing.
She loves walking with adult assistance. She does what I call the Frankenstein walk since she's not bending her knees as she steps and she's wobbly.
She has 3 front teeth.
She loves to eat. She'll try anything & everything. She's eating cereal and baby food in addition to formula. We've started giving her teething biscuits to keep her busy when we're eating. Last week we gave her a little fish to try. And some mushrooms and green peas. All eaten without issue. A few days ago she had cream of broccoli soup. Cheerio's are always welcome. She loves meatloaf. Spat out french fries & potato chips. (Good for her!!! Let her decide to clog up her own arteries NOT her crummy parents!)

I could kick myself

2009-03-15T09:22:00.000-04:00

Sometimes the adage "if it ain't broke don't fix it" is true. Sometimes it is better to leave things just the way they are. It's not being lazy or a cop out.

Case in point: The house. I thought I was being proactive by having the roof and furnace replaced. After all, they we both at the upper limits of their life cycles. And with the baby coming I didn't want to have these kind of troubles with a baby in the house. After I had both replaced in the summer/fall, I was happy that 2 items had been removed from my worry/task list. This comfort was short lived. My wife discovered a mold problem in the attic. We didn't have a mold problem in the attic before the new roof or furnace. We must have created a haven for mold when we had the new tighter roof put on AND a whole house humidifier installed with the furnace. UGH!!! I am so mad at myself!!! I feel so stupid for making a mess out of things. Neither the roof nor the furnace were broken. I just figured lets replace them before something went wrong. Well, I guess I went looking for trouble and it found me!!!

So then the mad scramble to figure out what to do to fix this problem. Is it dangerous? How do you clean this up? How much will it cost? How soon do I need to do something? Can we do it ourselves? Do we need to replace the whole roof? Well, a few thousand dollars later (That I didn't plan on spending! This adds to my feelings of stupidity and anger.) the mold remediation people have started their work. Theoretically, after they are done the mold will be dead and not returning. They have also installed a device that keeps the air circulating in the attic to prevent future mold growth. They've cleaned & tested the attic twice now. They needed to clean twice because the post test after the first cleaning came back positive for mold growth. They re-tested last week. I suspect they'll be back since they left debris in the attic that was supposed to be removed. UGH!!!

I'm starting to learn my lesson: Sometimes it's OK to leave things just the way they are. Not everything needs to be perfect. I don't need to obsess or worry about certain things. Me obsessing/worrying about them is not going to change them. Sometimes it's OK to leave well enough alone. "Put my hands up and step slowly away from the controls"

Things I've learned

2009-03-15T09:06:00.001-04:00

Things I've learned as a new parent:

Sleep is your freind. I used to hate sleep. It got in the way of me doing things, having fun, hanging out. It was easy for me to think that way when I was getting enough sleep. Now that I don't... Sleep is my friend.

Plenty of planning and scheduling need to go into any attempt to get anywhere with the baby. packing bottles, checking the baby bag, packing a change of clothes.

Set my expectations very low regarding how many errands I can run with the baby is tow. She's got her own idea when it's time to go home.

Happy New Year

2009-01-02T11:56:00.005-05:00

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!!

OK. So I'm a few days late. But the sentiment still holds: I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and you got lots of good stuff. I also hope this year goes great for you.

Baby's first Christmas was cool. Everybody was busy fussing over her and she was eating it up. My sister came in for an extended stay to soak up as much baby time as she could.

I took a few extra days off and we spent it all recovering from colds....

I wish we were all well then we would have been out a bit more. As it was, we stayed in a lot coughing, hacking, and blowing noses. Not great but we were together. We are all on the mend eventhough the baby still sounds congested.

Update

2009-01-02T11:56:00.000-05:00

Things are hectic but going well.

I can't belive the baby is 6 months old! The baby is growing and awesome. She's 90th percentile for length and 95th percentile for weight. So she's doing well considering the rough start she had 6 months ago.

She started rolling over on her belly and back onto her back a few weeks ago. She's also able to sit up for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. She can't get to a seated position without help, but once sitting she's there.

Nothing major to us grown ups but for a baby that's a big deal.

HRH is doing OK.

My wife is doing OK. A few painting jobs here and there. It's slowed down a bit due to the economy AND the holidays. No one wants their house in mid project for the holidays.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-12-03T21:20:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving.

This was baby's first Thanksgiving so it was special for us since she's what we are most thankful for this year.

We had my dad over along with some friends and their kids. It was a good time. We brined a turkey overnight and roasted it up nice & brown. In addition to the salt & sugar in the brine solution, we added sage, thyme, and parsley from our garden. The turkey turned out very moist and flavorful. We also made stuffing Giada style. It totally rocked! I highly recommend this stuffing. And of course we had mashed potatoes. I also sauteed some broccoli and mushrooms to give us more veggies. 1 friend brought pumpkin pie and a gingerbread cake topped with roasted pears. Someone else brought salad.

We had a feast and left overs galore!!!

All good things

2008-10-30T21:27:00.003-04:00

My Houston trip is coming to an end.

I was able to help the Houston folks out this week. (It felt good being able to help.) I hope some of my suggestions will be heeded. They have a lot of work ahead of them and hopefully some of my suggestions will make their return to normalcy go a little faster and smoother.

1 of the perks of traveling for business is being able to try nice restaurants. (Ones that I may not go to if it were my budget.) I went to a good sushi place Sunday night. When in Texas, awesome BBQ Monday night. Tuesday night was Italian & Jazz. Wednesday was a long day so I kept it simple, good beer, fries, and a sandwich. Tonight, seafood etoufee and Latin Jazz/Salsa.

All good stuff. But I look forward to going home tomorrow night and spending time with my wife & child. And yes, HRH.

Sorry for not posting for so L-O-N-G

2008-10-26T23:26:00.003-04:00

Sorry for not posting for such a L-O-N-G time.

People warned me a baby would change my life. They said she's going to eat up all of your time. You won't have any time for yourself.

Well, they were right. Baby's do require a lot of attention. It's no fault of theirs. They enter the world totally dependent on you for everything. (Food, shelter, warmth, clothing, bathing, etc...) Soooo, guess what. She's taken up all of my time & attention. I haven't had much free time.

She was just at the pediatrician's last week. She's 4 months old and she's 90% for length and 80% for weight so she's in the good & healthy range!!!

But it's all good. It's all worth it when she looks at me and flashes that million dollar toothless smile of hers. No matter how tired we are OR how fussy she's been. 1 smile from her and I'm reminded it's all worth it.

In addition to baby, work has changed a bit for me. It got busy a few months ago. Then it leveled off & slowed down. I was in Houston a few weeks ago helping the Houston office get back up & running due to Hurricane Ike. (I'm actually back in Houston right now. More help for them...) Last week I was offered a new job/project to work on. It's going to be at least 14 to 16 months. It will invovle all the North American locations. It's going to be big & involved. I've accepted the job since I've really needed a change for quite a while.

The summer came and went. It's really a sleep deprived blur. It's funny how a new born puts things into prespective and you can easily differentiate the "need to do" from the "nice to do" chores/tasks. Many things got put to a lower priority. The lawn & garden survived. None of the cars fell apart because they didn't get washed or waxed. The garage didn't become a total dumping ground for everything. The walkways & patio didn't fall apart becasue I didn't weather seal them this year.

Due to the baby, we ended up getting a home equity loan and spending the money on: A new car for my wife that was child seat friendly, a new roof, a new furnace, and a new front door. All sorts of home related things. I would have thought the loan would make me crazy & nervous with the economy the way it is but I actually feel better since I'd been fretting about the roof AND the furnace AND the front door for the last 4 or 5 years. I actually feel less stress now. All of those things are taken care. I'm a worrier so it was nice to get rid of those big ticket items from the list. So yeah, the loan gave me the chance to get things taken care of and off "the list". I've been pretty good about NOT adding anything to the list of worries. I'm happier and less stressed for it.

HRH had to go through about a month/ month and a half adjustment to not being the center of attention. But he's OK with the new arrangement now. I wish we would have had more time/energy to take him out for hikes this summer but it just didn't happen. We did manage to take the family out a few weeks back. We went up to Morraine State Park and spent the afternoon hiking. It was great, HRH ran around like a little maniac. The baby soaked everything in. My wife and I enjoyed the outdoors and watching the baby's reaction to things. And HRH of course.

My wife is doing well. The initial sleep deprivation is starting to go away now that the baby is sleeping through the night. She's even had a few painting jobs the past few weeks. So it's a nice change for her to get out of the house and intereact with adults.

Update on my life as I know it

2008-08-28T16:43:00.006-04:00

Sorry it's been a l-o-n-g time since I posted. But it's been a challenge.

We're all adjusting to the new "normal". I knew it was going to be different and a challenge but I had no idea how different and how challenging.

For me this is much like going from being single to being married. An adjustment period needed to happen. My actions and thoughts needed to change. It took me a while to make that transition from single to married since I'd been single for a l-o-n-g time. I'd gotten used to doing things my way. Coming and going as I pleased. Not taking anyone else's needs and desires into account. Now to go from being a couple to being parents is a new adjustment.

The biggest change for me was the prolonged lack of sleep. Pre-baby, a few days of less than normal amounts of sleep could be caught up on the weekends. No big deal. In fact I hated sleep since it got in the way of me doing things. Post baby, the sleep interruptions happen every night and there's no getting caught up. It's gotten better in the last week or so. But the first month and a half were really tough. I was a zombie. The baby is sleeping from about 10:30 to 3:30 - 4 ish. AND she's in her room now instead of in the bassinet in our room. Both of these developments have helped with my sleep deficit.

My wife is doing well. She's really taken to motherhood. She's the best. Always a smile and kind word to the baby even though she's gotten no sleep. Patient even when the baby has totally melted down.

HRH has taken the longest to adjust. He's gone from king-o-the-roost to third string quarterback. Initially he wanted to lick & lick & lick. Sniff & sniff & sniff. We couldn't let him do that since she was so small and he's very aggressive with his licking & sniffing. Slowly we let him get his sniffing & licking in. I'm sure it's not as much as he'd like but.... We still don't leave the 2 of them unattended. We're not totally sure of his intentions quite yet. I'm sure he's jealous and a bit mad that he doesn't get nearly as much attention as he's used to. Oh well, he's got to adjust too.

Life as I know it...

2008-07-07T14:23:00.005-04:00

has changed.

No more getting in the car and running off. It's now a choreographed process of checking on baby's diaper, working around her feeding schedule OR packing a bottle, checking the contents of the baby bag (diapers, change of clothes, bottles, blanket, wipes), strapping her to the baby seat, AND then we go.

There's also not as much "me time". Maybe this will change when she gets a little older but right now there's not much time for me to hang out, kill monsters on the PC, surf the web, cruise around in the Miata, or watch TV.
I don't mind. I knew what I was getting into. I knew I would not have much time for me. I knew it'd be all about baby. I think it is to my advantage I became a parent later versus in my 20's or 30's. If I'd been a dad sooner I might have resented the baby for cutting into "me time".

She's just so cool to watch. Sometimes I catch myself watching her in endless facination. Such small perfectly formed feet & hands. Complete with teeny tiny nails that need to be trimmed.

And when she smiles!! Priceless!! It's the best!

More words about parenthood

2008-06-29T22:03:00.004-04:00

I heard all of these before the baby was born:

Goodbye sleep!!!
You'd better get as much sleep as you can before she comes!
It's a highlight of my life.
99.999% great. .001% bad.

Chodwery Baby update

2008-06-29T21:32:00.003-04:00

A few days ago, my beautiful baby girl was born.

7 pounds 5 ounces, 20 inches long.

It was amazing helping/watching her be born. It's among the neatest things I've ever experienced. Definitely a highlight of my life.

The baby needed to spend a day in the hospital because she was jaundiced. They were able to hydrate her and lower her bilirubin to an acceptable level for her to come home.

It's been an exhausting, harrowing couple of days for us. My wife is recovering fairly well. She's upset and getting frustrated that her milk hasn't fully come in yet. So we need to feed the baby a combination of formula and milk. She's also a little more emotional than usual. I guess this is a side effect of her hormones being knocked all over the place.

Words regarding being a parent

2008-06-23T22:31:00.003-04:00

Once I started telling people my wife was pregnant, I started getting unsolicited advice and comments.

I thought I'd list some of the comments:

Life as you know it will end.
Your life will change forever.
It's a life changing event.
It's the best thing that has happened in my life.
You 2 will never be able to just run off anymore.
No more Miata. Hello mini-van!

Baby Update

2008-06-23T22:22:00.004-04:00

Well it's official. The OB/GYN said the baby is now full term and could come "At any time."

The "At any time" part really hit me hard. I'm going to be a dad sooner rather than later.

Holy crap! That statement got the sweat going. I'm doing relatively OK with it. I'm not scared shitless about fatherhood anymore. I'm more anxious for her to get here than anything. I want her and my wife to get through the birthing process healthy.

No more goofing around, it's showtime!!!

37 weeks and counting

2008-06-14T12:53:00.002-04:00

Baby Chowder is at 37 weeks and counting. She's considered full term now and could come at any time according to the OB/GYN.

The OB/GYN is happy with the 2 cm dialation and 75% efacing (sp).

My wife is still tired and gets leg cramps. Although the cramps are a bit more intermittent now.

Baby update

2008-06-05T19:19:00.004-04:00

We had a sonogram done last week. The OB/GYN was concerned about the baby's size.

Well the good news is she's at the 45 percentile for size and is normal for everything else. The OB/GYN thought she was a good size. His view is: You really don't want to try to push out someone too big. It's a lot harder and could hurt a bit more. It makes sense.

This is 1 time it's good to be average or slightly below average.

Just a few more weeks to go. My wife is ready for the baby to be born. She's uncomfortable trying to move around. It's hard to get out of a chair. Leg cramps. Baby kicking. Tired all the time.

Me. I'm excited. I'm looking forward to baby chowdergirl. Not too nervous anymore since everyone has been so supportive. We're still working on a name. There are a few names on the list we like but not 1 that's "The one".

Cruise

2008-06-05T19:10:00.003-04:00

I went on a cruise with my Miata club this past weekend.

The weather was dodgy when we started out. (It sprinkled a few times for the first leg of our cruise.) By the time we stopped for lunch, the sky was clearing and the sun came out. The weather was perfect for rest of the cruise.

The whole bunch of us had a great time. The roads were twisty and the food was good. A little something for everyone.

I'm thankful my wife is supportive of my cruising. She is 8.5 months pregnant afterall. Her thinking was, it's my hobby so I should go out with my club and have fun. Besides, she was in no pain or discomfort and the baby wasn't coming...(yet)

I figure this is probably my 1 and only organized cruise this year since I'll be busy taking care of baby and mother in a few short weeks!!!

Baby update

2008-05-21T19:17:00.000-04:00

Last weekend was parental education weekend.

Saturday was spent at a 1 day Lamaze marathon class. We learned everything you wanted to know about childbirth but were too frightened to ask. I wish we could have started the classes sooner so we could have taken the 4 2 hour sessions instead but the class schedules didn’t work out for us. I learned how I could be helpful while my wife was in labor. That was good information since all I know about childbirth is from TV and the movies. (And that stuff was useless.)

With a fresh dose of motivation, we went out Sunday morning to pick up some more baby items since she could arrive “any moment” now. (That was 1 of the things I learned in Lamaze class.) Breast Feeding/Lactation class was in the afternoon. Again, I learned more about breast feeding/lactation than I knew I needed to know. I also learned I could be of assistance. I always thought I was pretty much out of the loop since my breasts are non-functioning display models. But apparently I can help make sure the baby’s got a good latch on and in the proper position.

What does a Chowderhead do on his vacation?

2008-05-21T19:11:00.003-04:00

He works on his lawn & garden. Weed & feed the lawn. Turn over the flower beds and put down 4 cubic yards of mushroom manure. Yes, it’s THAT time of year again. We’ve learned the mushroom manure not only helps to feed the plants, replenish the nutrients in the soil, insulate the plants from temperature swings, but it also helps to break up the hard clay soil that was my flower beds. We’ve been using mushroom manure for the flower beds for 4 or 5 years and they are so much easier to turn over now versus then. In the past I might get 1 or 2 beds turned over and I was exhausted. (I had gotten a work out.) This year turning over all the beds was pretty quick & easy. Yes, it was still a few hours worth of work but it was done in a few hours versus a day & a half. I find gardening to be a good stress reliever. Yes it's work but gardening allows me to get out of the office and not think about my usual occupation.

He gets a new top for his Miata. I love the new top. The glass window really increased the clarity and visibility out the rear window. People with regular cars don’t think about their rear windows much. But the original plastic rear window was starting to get cloudy, yellow and wrinkled. All of this reduced visibility making it harder to park the car & a bit more dangerous. Something else people that don’t have convertibles don’t know or think about: shrinkage. Convertible tops invariably shrink due to age, wear & tear, and exposure to the elements. Shrinkage isn’t a problem unless it rains. We live in Pittsburgh, it rains…

He works on his baby girl’s room. We bought a glider/rocker and a crib. I assembled and placed the crib.

He takes his wife to a surprise baby shower. Her gal pals called me months ago to get names & contact information for anyone they and I thought should be invited to a baby shower. Since we both come from small families her friends took it upon themselves to throw her a baby shower. They did an awesome job. The food was good, the games were fun, and most importantly so many people came to celebrate with my wife. She had a great time. She was floored by the number of people who came. And the distances some of the attendees drove to get to the shower.

We did manage to squeeze in a few nice dinners that week.

Updates

2008-05-04T22:32:00.003-04:00

I love the new top on the Miata. It looks nice and I can see clearly out the rear window. The old rear window was plastic and it was starting to yellow and distort what you saw. I no longer need to worry about rain getting into the passenger compartment nor the seams in the top.

The baby room is coming along: We purchased a baby glider/rocker and placed it in the room. We purchased, assembled, and placed a baby crib so it definitely is a baby's room now!!! The walls have been washed in preparation for painting.

Miata update

2008-04-22T09:17:00.003-04:00

I love driving my Miata. This year so far has been very cooperative for top down driving.

1 of the things I didn't like about the car when I bought it 4 years ago was the top. It had a tear in it that someone "fixed" with some kind of tape AND the rear window zipper was broken. I knew I needed to get it replaced at some point but I was dreading it since I knew it would be expensive.

At the end of last summer I noticed a couple of the seams in the top start to pull apart so I knew I couldn't delay much longer.

The Miata is getting a new top installed even as I type this post. I'm very excited about this since it's been bugging me for 4 years. I was pleasantly surprised at the cost of a replacement top when I called the upholstery shop a member of the Miata club recommended. It's not as costly as I had feared.

Baby update

2008-04-22T09:14:00.003-04:00

31 weeks and counting!! All is well with baby and mother.

New carpet has been laid in the baby's room, all the non-baby furniture has been moved/donated.

The end of June will be here sooner than I think.....

Close but no cigar

2008-04-22T08:59:00.003-04:00

I didn't get the job. But I'm OK. I was their second choice and the guy that got the job is great and well qualified so I don't feel like I got looked over.

They said they had a really difficult time deciding on which of us they should go with. They said they'd keep me in mind for future positions they may have.

I think there are a number of reasons for my calm regarding this:

Their selection is a guy I've known for 11 years. He's a friend of mine and an all around great guy. He knowledgeable and talented. He's a wonderful fit for the job.
The job requirements are in a state of flux right now so they're not really sure "what" this person will be doing. In my current situation with the baby on the way, it's probably best for me to stay put at a job I know I can do without any issues.

Wish me luck

2008-04-07T22:09:00.004-04:00

I have an interview tomorrow....

I've been in need of a change for a few years. I've been feeling a bit burned out and bored. But I wasn't sure "what" I wanted to do so I figured staying put was the safest move.

My old boss got a new job (same company) doing something that may be cool. She has some job openings so I'm going to try out for 1 of the openings. I'm not sure what the job entails but I'll find out tomorrow...

The collar works!!!

2008-04-02T20:59:00.003-04:00

I was a bit skeptical about the Citronella anti-barking collar when we bought it. If J hadn't said his sister bought 1 and it was effective on her Jack Russell Terrier I would have probably balked at spending the $79.

But after a few weeks of having the collar and using it. I must admit the thing does work. It's been quite effective at reducing the number of times HRH barks. AND it reduces the duration of his barking.

The first few days he wore the collar all the time. But since then he's gotten the hint. "If he barks, he gets sprayed in the face". Anymore all we need to say is "HRH Quiet" or "Good boy quiet" and he stops barking. If he does persist, we put the citronella collar on him. That's usually enough to shut him up. If he doesn't shut up, he gets sprayed in the face with Citronella and that puts an end to his barking.

The first time I saw him get sprayed I almost peed laughing at him and his antics.

Bark, spray in the face, shake head vigorously, run to the sliding glass door, bark, spray in the face, shake head vigorously. Slowly edge back to the first window and tentatively look out.

A little while later: Bark, spray in the face, shake head vigorously, run away from window. Slowly edge back to the window and tentatively look out.

Top Down season is F-I-N-A-L-L-Y here!!!

2008-04-02T20:43:00.003-04:00

Now don't let the title of this post fool you. It's still a little cold yet to be tops down BUT the car is out & about!!

That's right!!! My 5 month wait is over. The Miata is now out of the garage and on the road. We took it out last night for a spin to make sure everything was OK.

We're getting ready for a Miata car club cruise that I'm leading at the end of May. The route has been picked. We have to run it a few times to get the amount of time the cruise will take AND to make sure I don't get the whole bunch of us lost.

Last night was a challenge because 1 of the roads we were looking for was NOT marked so we were driving around blind looking for the road. We gave up after and hour and settled for a frozen treat as a consolation.

When we got home, I googled the area and I think I know what road we need to be on. We'll try it again this weekend.

My wife, HRH, and I had a nice time cruising around despite not finding that road.

Sorry for the lack of posts...

2008-03-22T09:34:00.004-04:00

I'm sorry for the lack of posts. LIFE has been very busy with the baby on the way, getting the house ready for said baby, work, spring on the way so the garden will need attention, etc, etc, etc...

So here's a quick update on Chowderhead's world:

I'm putting the finishing touches on the project I've been working on for the past year. The feeling of accomplishment is nice BUT I am ready to move on. I'm through with it!!
We’ve been working on the game room: We painted, installed new light fixtures, and put in new carpeting 2 years ago. We bought a ventless fireplace, new bar, and storage chest last year. We didn’t see any sofa’s or entertainment centers we liked so we held off on those items. Until now. We found furniture we liked and now it’s in our game room. The room is almost complete. (As close to complete as we're going to get at least) There are just a few things that need to happen: I need to transfer my 1,000,000 CD collection into the storage units we purchased and secure them to the wall. We need new window treatments. Those old beat-up, nasty, vertical blinds have to go. We wanted to get the game room in order before continuing with the baby room.
We’ve sold off the full size bed that was in the designated baby room. We need to move a family heirloom trunk somewhere. We need to get rid of/move a sewing machine that belonged to my wife’s grandmother and a small end table. New carpet is a must. It’s the last room in the house that has not been re-carpeted in the 11 years I’ve owned the place. Once we figure out where the crib & etc are going to be placed, my wife is then going to paint birds & animals on the walls. It'll be very cool once she's done with it.
HRH is doing OK. Now that all the critters are coming out of hiding, he’s barking up a storm. It got so bad that we went to Petco the other night & bought a citronella anti-barking collar. The collar has a microphone & citronella spray pump on it. When HRH barks, the microphone picks it up, and he gets sprayed in the face with citronella spray. According to the marketing info it’s quite effective at training dogs out of barking AND it's more humane than shock collars. (J’s sister had a Jack Russell and this collar worked like a charm on him.) My wife (the 1 who wanted a dog and LOVES HRH) said “Let’s go. Right now!!!” because she was ready to kill HRH the other night. He kept finding things to bark at. So between the lack of sleep and the hormonal rage she was felling he just missed getting killed…..
We went to the Byham Theater a few weeks ago and saw a live taping of the NPR show "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell me.." It was a very entertaining night. The people on that show are very witty and quick thinkers. It was interesting to see how they put a radio program together. The radio shows always sound so polished on the air but to see the behind the scenes work involved gave me a new appreciation of "what" is involved to make it sound so smooth.
I'm itching for Miata season. 10 days & counting down!!!
And the best for last: We saw the OB/GYN yesterday morning and everything is OK. 26 weeks and counting!!! The baby’s heartbeat sounds good & strong. You go baby girl!!!!

How do people do it?

2008-03-10T21:58:00.005-04:00

How do people drive with a headlight burnt out and NOT use turn signals?

I had to take my wife's car to the garage today because it was having all kinds of electrical problems. Starting with the turn signals not working. And the radio and interior lights acting weird. Then when I was driving it this morning, I noticed 1 of the headlights was out.

How do people drive with a headlight burnt out and NOT use turn signals?

I was constantly paranoid on the drive over to the garage I was going to get in an accident because people didn't know I intended to shift lanes or to turn. And since it was early, I felt like I was driving blind with 1 headlight out. It made driving very uncomfortable this morning.

And yet there are plenty of people who don't use turn signals. In fact if they come on in their car it's because the turn signal stalk got bumped...

The garage was able to fix the loose ground wire. So my wife's car is up & running properly again.

Phil was right

2008-02-29T22:38:00.003-05:00

Damn that ground hog!!!

I know we've had a fairly mild winter but I'm through with it.

I'm ready for consistently warmer weather. I'm ready to get the Miata out of the garage.

22 weeks and counting

2008-02-20T21:36:00.003-05:00

We made a routine visit to the OB/GYN today and everything is OK with the baby.

22 weeks and counting!!

It's official

2008-02-10T20:37:00.000-05:00

HC and I are both over 35 so as a precaution the OB/GYN suggested we have a genetic screening and detailed sonogram for us to get a better idea of the potential risks.

We filled out all the family medical history paperwork. It was scarry and a little depressing thinking about the shopping cart full-o-malidies we might be giving the little 1 to deal with.

Last Friday we met with the genetic couselor and had an enlightening meeting with her. She answered our questions and put some of our fears to rest. She reviewed some of the odds for certain illnesses and that made me feel better. She also told us using this detailed scan they'd be able to see certain things that could indicate genetic abnormalities. AND also things that could be used to give us a better comfort level.

Then it was time for the detaled sonogram. The moment of truth had arrived regarding some of the ailments and genetic defects they could spot right away with this sonogram and the baby's gender.

I'm truly amazed at what they are able to do with sound waves. Just the right frequency and amplitude to get the image of the child without causing any damage or death. Really brilliant the people that came up with this.

The sonogram technician gave us a tour of our baby. She pointed out the baby's brain, head, neck, spine, arms, legs, fingers & toes. All the while she's taking measurements of the baby. The baby is quite busy moving around in there. I was amazed the little bugger was flip flopping all over the place. The baby's weight and length are all in the normal range.

She also showed how to determine the gender of the child. We're going to have a baby girl!!!!

It's still sinking in. I am happy. Stunned. Excited. Nervous.

Update

2008-01-29T22:01:00.000-05:00

I haven't been able to post much recently.

Work has keep me crazy busy. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. The project I've spent the past year on is coming to an end for me in the next few months. I'm finishing up a major portion of it these next couple of days. So far, so good. Planning and research on my part has made implementation go much smoother. I'm also training a couple of new guys while I'm at it so they'll learn tips & tricks from me. It's neat being a mentor of sorts.
My wife is doing OK. Right now she's struggling with the whole baby sickness. I can't call it morning sickness since she feels her best in the AM. The past week she been sick on an every other day schedule. A few weeks ago she was up to feeling pretty good for 3 or 4 days before she had an episode. We go for the second sonogram next week. So we should be able to tell if it'll be a boy or a girl.
HRH is a little stir crazy from not having much outside exercise. It's just been too cold. I took him for a walk today and my wife took him out to the park yesterday but we know it's not enough for him.
I've been working on my stress, control & anger. I've been doing surprisingly well with it. I've had a few set backs but I remember my breathing or do some exercises and I'm on a better course. I do feel better and less irritated/irritable. I know it's a better way for me to live.
Just a few more months until the Miata comes out of the garage and is on the road once again!!

Workin' on it

2008-01-20T20:06:00.000-05:00

In my last post I said I was working on stress management strategies. And letting go of things I have no control over.

It's only been a few weeks but I do feel better. I didn't think the results would show up so soon. But I feel less agitated and irritated. I don't feel as much of the weight of the world on my shoulders. Letting go has been liberating. I don't get as pissed at drivers, co-workers, or clueless people. I practice my letting go and it helps!

Now that's not to say I'm back to my good old self. I think it took years to build up to this level of irritability so I'm not going to be back to myself overnight or in a few weeks. But I'm headed in the right direction. I did have a small set back last weekend when I had a bunch of errands to run and felt rushed/stressed. I became irritable and started muttering the same old comments about people. But I recognized it and began doing my breathing exercises and I reminded myself to "Let go".

So it's working. Slowly but surely.

Chowderhead: Work in progress - Stress, control, and anger

2008-01-07T22:30:00.000-05:00

I've been working with my therapist on stress, control, frustration, and anger management.

Stress and feelings of loss of control/no control lead to frustration which leads to anger. Stress & lack of control aren't the only causes of my anger but they are major contributors. She and I are working on strategies for me to use when I feel stressed or out of control. If we can head me off from getting frustrated, then we have a good chance of keeping me from getting angry. We're working on changing the way I perceive things. And coming up with healthy techniques I can use to control my stress and frustration. I need to let go of the things I have no control over. I need to let go of the peanuts more often. I want to change. I want to get back to the way I was. I don't like being angry and irritable all the time. Angry, irritable, catty, bitchy, and prickly are all parts of my personality but I never tended to be any of those things for any length of time. I don't know what triggered me to start being angry and irritable all the time.

No matter. These feelings and thoughts do me no good. They're bad for me. They're bad for my wife. They'll be bad for the baby. They build up inside until I reach critical mass and then I blow up. Like a volcano. Like a nuclear bomb. Laying waste to everything and everyone in my path. Then I'm left feeling embarrassed and ashamed by my behavior. And all the apologizing I have to do to people for acting like such a colossal a-hole. Like I said, these negative thoughts & feelings do me no good.

Some of the things I'm trying to let go of getting upset at:

Lazy co-workers. They don't care. No good would come of me getting upset or making comments about them and their work ethic. They are probably not very happy at their jobs and are trying to get out of it. I actually do enjoy my work most days so I need to focus on me and the satisfaction I get from accomplishing something and doing a good job.
Lousy drivers. They are clueless and don't care. As long as they aren't hitting me or my car. I need to let it go. Me getting upset or making comments won't affect them or their actions.
Clueless people: Who jay walk in front of traffic without looking, therefore forcing drivers to slow down for them. Who take up extra spaces on the bus with all their crap. Who stand right in front of elevator doors and try to get on the elevator before letting you get off. Who park their cars so close to your's it's difficult for you to get in your car. Who are too lazy to take their shopping cart to the shopping cart pen in the parking lot or back to the front of the store. They are who they are, nothing I say or do will make a difference in their behavior. BUT I can change how I react and feel about it. Me getting mad at these people won't change their behavior. But it will get me mad and make my blood pressure rise. So I need to let it go.
My sister: For not coming up & visiting the dad more and helping more with taking care of our dad. For the piss poor job she does when she does take care of my dad. She is who she is. Nothing I say or do will change her behavior. Anything I do say will just make her resistant to coming up more/helping with the dad. So I'm better off changing how I feel about the situation.

Letting all these things get to me serves me no good. It raises my blood pressure, makes me want to eat poorly, gets me crankin' at people that don't deserve my bitchiness. So for 2008 I want to work on getting back to the old me.

I want to be well on my way with this before the baby arrives. I know I'll have very little control when the baby arrives. Other than providing food and a good environment for the baby, we'll have very little control of it's behavior. So I figure the sooner I start the better off everyone in my life will be.

Updates

2008-01-06T22:00:00.000-05:00

I took the Daddy-o to his PCP the other day. He's doing well. They've been steadily reducing the amount of prednisone he needs to take. His Diabetes is under control. He isn't sore. He doesn't feel weak. His blurry vision & double vision have gone away. He'll be off the prednisone in a few weeks and they hope he can come off the diabetes drugs once the prednisone is out of his system. This takes some stress out of my life & some weight off my shoulders since I've been checking in on him weekly and calling every other day just to make sure everything is OK. And to see if he needs anything. And to make sure he's not getting depressed since that's a side effect of steroid use.
HC's slowly but surely feeling better. The first few months of pregnancy has been tough on her. She's felt nauseous the whole time. Now the nausea only happens every 2 to 3 days. So it's getting better for her.
Work was slow during the holidays. So far it's still going kind of slow. So that's good. I'm also due to wrap up my current project and start some others. I'm looking forward to the change.
I survived the holidays without any major drama/trauma.
I've been working with my therapist on stress, control & anger management. For me, stress and feelings of loss of control lead to anger. Those aren't the only causes of my anger but they are the major ones. She and I are working on strategies for me to use when I feel stressed or out of control. We're also working on changing the way I see things. I need to let go of the things I have no control over. In other words, I need to let go of the peanuts more often. I want to change. I want to get back to the way I was. I don't like being angry and irritable these feelings and thoughts do me no good.
We've been going to yoga on a regular basis and I've been exercising more. It's really helped with my stress and with all the food I ate over the holidays.

So this year is starting on a good note. Let's hope it continues this way!!!

Happy New Year

2008-01-03T21:23:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to everyone. I hope everyone has a happy, healthy & prosperous 2008!

We had a quiet New Years. We had my Dad, H & J over for dinner and hung out until the New Year arrived.

This holiday season was pretty quiet & low key. Just what I needed.

I had a nice bunch of days off. It felt good to be away from work and able to do what I wanted to do instead of what others required of me. We had a nice mix of activities, visiting friends, having people over, going out to dinner, and going to a few movies.

Wednesday morning came way too early. I'd been sleeping in the whole time I was away from work. I really didn't want to go back to work but what choice do I really have?!?! Oh well. Back to the grinder.

Merry Christmas N'at

2007-12-27T17:46:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas.

Ours was OK. The typical combination of visiting relatives at the nursing home and preparing dinner. There were only 3 of us at dinner this year. My sister couldn't make it in this year. And our friends who usually join us had other plans. Dinner was a very non traditional Beef Bourguignon.

Since then we've been trying to catch up with friends & running errands. We took HRH for his annual check-up. You'll all be happy to know he's in perfect health. We asked the vet about what we needed to do when the baby arrives. Any concerns, issues? He didn't think so because HRH's personality and demeanor were so mild mannered. We had A & J over Wednesday evening for Salmon patties. Last night we were at Kiku. Wonderful friends and good food. The service was very slow but that was OK. We were there to hang out so it was perfect.

This will be the first day we don't have anything planned. So I will get to r-e-l-a-x a bit. (Not too much. I might become soft & weak) So I'll blog, workout & watch DVD's.

Winter is officially here

2007-12-23T21:57:00.000-05:00

December 21, the Winter Solstice. Officially the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. The end of Fall. The beginning of Winter.

I can't wait until Spring & Miata driving season starts again. Yesterday was nice so I started it up & took it out of the garage. I let it run for 30 minutes to make sure the battery was in good shape and charged up. And to get the moisture out of the engine and exhaust system. I know I really don't need to run it but I wanted to sit in it, fire it up, work a few of the gears. I really miss driving it.

Don't get me wrong, the Audi's a nice, quiet, roomy, comfortable car. Full of amenities and luxury gizmos. It is a capable car. It's nice to drive. It's great on long trips and the AWD is a nice feature when the roads are uncertain. It can be fun to drive. But the Miata is all about fun: small, maneuverable, manual transmission, convertible.Wonderful driver to road feel.

I find I take the long way to places so I can spend more time in the car. I'll find the twisty windy roads. I love the wind in my hair and the sun on my face. It's a great stress reliever for me. I concentrate on the moment and forget everything else. Whatever may be bothering me is set aside for a brief time.

Roughly 3 months to go...

Holiday Party

2007-12-15T19:07:00.000-05:00

We were invited to a Holiday Party at 1 of my wife's coworker's houses last night. I was a little nervous since I hadn't met all of her coworkers and certainly didn't know their significant others or any other people that may be invited to the party. So I definitely felt out of my element.

I made crostini with pesto topping for the party.

I know I'm being old school here but... When I invite people over for a party I expect them for dinner not appetizers. I guess the new thing is to have people over for appetizers. I'm not sure when things changed but they have. More often than not anymore we're invited over to someone's house it's for nibbly things and not dinner. Nibbly things are cool but I can't get enough of them to feel full AND not look like a huge pig for eating 10 plates of food. Anyways, it was an appetizer party last night.

None of the wife's coworkers showed up last night so everyone there was somehow related to the husband who goes to seminary school. I was overwhelmed with the wholesomeness in the house. I felt like running home and listening to some Black Sabbath or Iron Maiden. Maybe go home and kick the dog.... It was a little too sweet for me. Don't get me wrong they were all very nice and polite. But just too damn sweet. Part of me thought "If there were more people like this in the world, there would be fewer problems". But part of me thought "Damn, they're too damn sweet. Where the hell's the booze?!?"

No booze. Dry party.

Since they were all related somehow to the seminary, the major topics I heard throughout the house revolved around religion and ministry. I don't hold organized religion in high esteem so it took a lot for me to keep my mouth shut and not say a word.

My wife had a nice time. And that's really what counts.

Update from hectic central

2007-12-10T21:20:00.000-05:00

Things are going better:

We all survived Thanksgiving. (That's something to be thankful for!)
The Daddy-o is living back at his place. His blood sugar level is under control. He's feeling better and he's not sore or tired.
My sister has gone home. My stress level is slowly going down. And there's less chaos in our house.
We had a sonogram last week and saw the baby's heart beating and limb buds. What a crazy phrase "limb buds". Seeing the heart beating was very cool. Technology can be amazing.
We saw the OB/GYN today. My wife's about 11.5 weeks into the pregnancy. And everything looks good.
She's starting to feel sick less often. The doctor said 4 to 7 more days of this and she'll be through the first trimester when the nausea & sickness are the worst.
Work has been slowing down. There are still spurts of craziness but with the holidays and the end of the year, everybody is easing up.
My stress is slowly coming down. I'm doing breathing exercises, yoga, relaxation exercises, and trying to exercise more.
HRH is doing well. He'll be due for his check-up right after Christmas.

I have no idea where this year went. It really doesn't feel like the end of the year, much less Christmas to me. It wasn't that long ago we were getting the lawn & garden ready for the new season. And I was getting the Miata ready for another season of use.

I've noticed the older I get the less Christmas has that special appeal. Maybe it's because work has kicked my butt the past few years, maybe I'm getting jaded, maybe I see it as just 1 more chore to do (cards, decorating, gifts), maybe I'm just tired of the commercialism.

Hopefully having a child will give me the chance to see Christmas through some younger, less cynical eyes.

But wait there's more

2007-11-24T09:28:00.000-05:00

How much stress can I handle?

crazy job
pregnant wife
sister in town for a visit

wait for it....

Dad admitted to the hospital. Yep. 1 of the potential side effects of using Prednisone is diabetes. None of us recognized some of the signs of diabetes. (tiredness, dry mouth, constant urination). Fortunately, he had a routine doctor's visit scheduled on Monday. His blood sugar level couldn't be measured with the meter in the doctor's office. His doctor had him admitted right away. They were able to get him stablized and released him last night.

He's going to stay with us for a few days just to ease him back into his normal flow.

Update

2007-11-18T21:37:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving week began Friday when my sister came up for the week.
My dad's had a set back with his health. He's been feeling really tired since Thursday. We're not sure what's going on. I think it may be a side effect of the Prednisone. The good news is he had a pre-scheduled doctor's appointment for tomorrow so they can check him out. I'm glad my sister is in town and can take him to the appointment.
Friday night we went out for pizza.
Saturday we went to the Bodies exhibition at the Carnegie Science Center. That was done really well. I was fascinated & amazed by how they were able to isolate & show the different systems in the human body. The amount of work & detail in order to create those displays, amazing. My favorites were the circulatory system and the nervous system. If you get the chance, you should go... It's not gorry. It's done tastefully.
Dinner was at Max's Allegheny Tavern. Really good German food. This is 1 of my favorite places to go for German food in pittsburgh. The Penn Brewry is the other.
Tonight we went to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History for their members only preview of the Dinosaurs in Their Time exhibit. It was very cool to see the refurbished dinosaurs in new displays. It has been years since I've been to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. I've been missing out. And you too if you've not been there. Not many cities in the world have a museum like the Carnegie. They've got 1 of the world largest Dinosaur exhibits. Their ancient Egyptian exhibit is reknowned as well.

Update

2007-11-13T19:12:00.000-05:00

When 1 door closes, another opens.

When 1 thing in my life starts to simmer down, something else starts to boil.

Where did this year go?!? It's already Mid-November! Holy crap! It seemed like last week we were preparing the garden for Spring. I was getting the Miata ready for cruising. Now we're getting the house ready for my sister to come to town & holiday dinners & etc...

Work is slowing down. I've actually had the chance to get caught up on some of my e-mails. I spoke to my boss about transitioning to another project or helping some of my co-workers.

My Dad's health is getting better. The Prednisone must have fully kicked in because he's no longer sore. He's also back to his daily 1.5 to 2 mile walks.

We just found out HC's pregnant. We're excited, scared & freaked out. More to come on this.

Update

2007-10-24T16:41:00.000-04:00

Busy, busy, busy. Does it ever slow down?

With the nice weather, we’ve been slowly but surely getting the garden ready for fall/winter. Cutting down/pulling up the flowers that are done or past their prime. (I’d rather do this chore with pleasant weather versus cold & wet.) We’ve also squeezed in a few top down car rides where we can. The leaf colors are awesome right now. And since it's been raining, I’m glad we got the rides & chores in when we did.

My Dad’s health took a down turn. He’s usually in pretty good health (arthritis, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. But that’s it.) He likes to go for his daily walks and does his best to stay in good health. Well a few weeks ago he complained about feeling sore and weak all over. I thought it was the flu and told him I’d check on him in a few days to see if it had passed. His symptoms didn’t get any better or worse so I thought it would be wise to take him to the Doctor. They poked & prodded and drew some blood samples. My Dad has Polymyalgia Rheumatica. The good news is: It’s not life threatening and is treated with low doses of Prednisone. The bad news is: He’s going to need to take Prednisone for at least a year. And his pain/soreness is only about 40% gone. So my Dad’s feeling sore, weak, and tired.

Work has been hectic. The project I’m on is full of surprises. Twists & turns. This goes back to my big complaint about being better informed of their needs. If they’d invite me to more of the meetings/calls I could ask the questions that need to be asked and help to minimize the surprises.

HC is doing well. Her part time gig gets her out of the house so she interacts with people. She likes her co-workers so it’s not a big drama for her to go to work. She’s also working on a few sketches for some potential clients.

HRH is busy keeping our house free of: cats, squirrels, chipmunks, birds, and ground hogs. I don’t know how he does it. It’s a full time job.

I went to the MCG for a concert last week. A lot of fun as usual. It was nice to stop and enjoy a concert.

The weekend was busy as usual. Saturday we went to yoga, bought groceries & pumpkins in the Strip, took HRH to Hartwood Acres to get his run on, and met up with C & D for dinner.

Dinner at Eleven was great. (We were there a while back for our anniversary dinner.) The food, service, and atmosphere were wonderful like last time. Eleven paced the meal very nicely. We never felt rushed or hurried. It was nice to get caught up with C & D. We hadn’t seen them in 4 or 5 months so there was a lot of news & happenings. And even though it had been a while, as soon as we sat down it felt like no time had passed since the last time we were together.

Sunday I did more chores, washed 2 of the cars, and watched most of the Steeler game. I had to turn it off after 3 quarters. They were just not playing up to their usual level AND it was getting late so I headed to bed. I’ve learned when they’re playing badly I need to turn it off and go do something else or I’ll get aggravated. And then when it’s bedtime I won’t be able to fall asleep quickly because I’m aggravated. It’s better for me to do something else than watch the game and get progressively pissed off.

What kind of Monster are you?

2007-10-18T22:23:00.000-04:00

You Are A Vampire

You have a real thirst for bliss, and you consider yourself a true hedonist.

And you're not afraid to walk alone in life, if it means getting what you truly crave.

You truly enjoy entrancing people. Not to mention the ensuing pleasures of the flesh.

Your tastes have been called decadent and bizarre. You usually give in to your temptations, no matter how primal

Your greatest power: Your flawless ability to seduce and charm

Your greatest weakness: Human flesh

You play well with: Werewolves

What Kind of Monster Are You?

Busy, busy, busy

2007-10-11T13:08:00.000-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a long time.

The cold is still hanging on. It's down to a few Kleenex a day and a cough every now and again. But it still there. Tough little bugger.
Work has been crazy. More to do, more to do. The good news is I've started to transition some of the completed portions to others to maintain.
HC's busy. She's been bidding and painting fairly regularly. That makes me happy that she can do something she likes. Follow her dreams. I need to figure out what I want to do and head there.
HRH has been barking mad. The squirrels and chipmunks have been very active round the house. HRH has been barking overtime to protect us from these marauders. Is there such a thing as shaken dog syndrome?
The garden is in it's final days now. I took some time over the weekend to take out the dead flowers and start to prep for the fall clean-up.
The Miata is in it's final days for the season. I'll put it away the end of the month and wait anxiously for next April.
My dad brought over a plastic shopping bag full-o-peppers the other day. I made a batch of chili while watching the Steeler game on Sunday.
The Chimnea didn't get too much use this summer since it was so hot but I think the next few weeks will make up for it's lack of use!!
We had J over for dinner the other night. Chimnea weather & chili. It was perfect.

Love or Money????

2007-09-29T12:05:00.001-04:00

I saw James Moody at the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild Thursday night. Thouroughly enjoyable. He was great. His band was great.

He's 79 and it made me think. "Do they go on the road because they love the music and the crowds OR is it for the money?"

I don't know about you but I'd always imagined when I was 79 (if I made it to 79) I'd be retired and hanging out someplace. With my current job/project, I can't retire soon enough! It's aging me by the moment.

But I guess if I could find something to do that I was totally in to there's really no reason to stop and/or retire.

I should be that lucky...

We're getting better

2007-09-29T11:59:00.000-04:00

We're getting better.

We've both been fighting major league colds. It kicked my ass good. I took a day & a half off from work to fight it. I laid around & drank cold medicine. It helped. But the cold is still lingering.

Fortunately HC got a milder version of the cold. She didn't need to call off but she still felt like crap.

We're both doing better but the cough and kleenex remain.

Oops! He did it again!

2007-09-18T21:46:00.000-04:00

So the other night my father-in-law took HC and I out for my belated birthday dinner.

After dinner, we stop to pick up some groceries. We come home and start to put away the groceries. We both get distracted.

We hear a crash in the kitchen. We come running.

We find HRH under the dining room table frantically eating the ribs we had left over from dinner. The empty take out container laying on the kitchen floor.

Yep. We'd forgotten about his ability to reach the kitchen couter top.....

Oops! He did it again.

We were NOT amused!! But we had to laugh a little bit. The little bastard!!

Weekend Update

2007-09-18T21:28:00.000-04:00

Another good but busy weekend.

Friday evening we went to the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts for a showing. It was a lot of fun. I really enjoy the openings. We've been to 3 or 4 of these and I've enjoyed myself at every one. I'm always amazed at the creativity and talent. I've not run across anything I thought was crap. Afterwards, we came home, fired up the chimnea and watched a DVD, (De-Lovely), outside. It was the perfect ending to the week.

Saturday we went to yoga and ran errands. We took a nice drive up to Soergel's for some fresh fruits and vegetables. We met up with H & J that night at the Southside Works to listen to the 80's cover band Velveeta. They were very entertaining.

Sunday we went to yoga and came home. HC had to work on her painting job. I washed the cars and cut up some logs. We had my belated b-day dinner at J's. Outta sight as usual. The first cassoulet of the season!!! He's the best.

Anniversary weekend

2007-09-09T21:08:00.000-04:00

This was a really awesome weekend.

HC and I were married 7 years ago. The time has really flown by. It doesn't feel like 7 years. I'm very fortunate to have her in my life. She's so: kind, patient, fun, silly, artistic, hard working, smart, witty, pretty, open minded, adventurous, understanding.

I'm the luckiest!!!

Friday evening we spent a quiet night together. Watching TV, enjoying each other's company.

Saturday I took her to the restaurant I had lunch at before I went to the hall where we got married. I then took her to the West End Overlook where we had our wedding pictures taken. I remember the weather being very similar. (Hot & hazy but not nearly as humid.)

Saturday evening we had an awesome meal at Eleven. We decided to go for 1 of each of the Chef's Tasting menus so we could try both the meat and the vegetarian choices. We also opted to go with the wine pairings. It was awesome. Very well done: Great presentation, wonderfully flavored dishes, well paced (not rushed), nice wines paired with the food, nice atmosphere, very attentive wait staff. We'll definitely go back!!!

Afterwards we went home and watched our wedding video. This was the first time that either of us had watched the video so it was a nice reminder of our wedding day. It made to a great ending to the day.

Today we went to yoga & brunch. Then did chores around the house. Not romantic in the least but.....

Musings at 3:00 am

2007-09-09T18:47:00.000-04:00

A couple of nights ago I couldn't get back to sleep. I hate that. Sometimes I'm able to get right back to sleep. Other times I'm up for hours. And then I'm useless the next day...

Here's what rattles though a Chowder's head at 3:00....

Ideas to fix problems at work. E-mails I need to send out. Call I need to make.
Things to try on the new laptop to get it to print to the F'ing printer. I've wasted countless hours on such a basic task. Piece of sh!t. I can't belive it's being such a pain in the ass. I know it'll be something simple...
Try to relax & get back to sleep.
Things I want to get for the Miata. Shiny good!! Must pimp my ride....
Holy Sh!t I'm going to be 43 soon.
Turn on the satellite radio and surf for something to listen to. That'll do it!!
Money. No I can't pimp my ride this year. I've spent so much on cars this year. My desire to pimp my ride must wait until next year. It's nice to have NOT need to have kind of stuff.
How about breathing exercises? That'll help me relax & get to sleep.
House projects: patio, front walkway, roof.
Worry about where we're going to get the money for these projects.
I've got 7 more vacation days to burn by the end of the year. Where to go. Where to go...

Do I have to....

2007-09-03T22:48:00.001-04:00

Go back to work tomorrow?

After such a great weekend, I'm working up the strength to go back to work tomorrow.

I need to remind myself "I work for the money. So I can have nice things, go to nice places, etc..." It's not about the job anymore. I used to really love the job but now it's just something to pay the bills. My life, family, and friends are more important.

I need to remember this, take a step or 2 back, and NOT care so much about the politics & BS. Let them say what they will. I just need to show up & do my job.

Weekend update

2007-09-03T21:57:00.000-04:00

We had a very nice weekend. The weather was perfect.

Friday night the weather was so nice we went for a ride after dinner. We ended up at a very dangerous place for me: Best Buys. The gift card my sister sent me was burning a hole in my pocket. I just had to get rid of it...

Saturday we went to the Strip District for groceries and lunch. It was beautiful out. A lot of fun riding around top down. Saturday evening we had dinner at J's place. Awesome food, drinks, company, and weather.

Sunday we were invited over to S &A's for a cookout. It was nice seeing everybody. I've been friends with S for 20 years so I'm treated like a family member. His mother always says I'm like another son to her. It feels really good to have such good & down to earth people accept me and think of me that way. S & A's kids were their usual sweet selves. When we got there, they dropped everything they were doing and came running over to give me a hug. It's always nice to have those 2 come running and making a big fuss over me.... They are just the sweetest kids. (I think those 2 broke me of the kid phobia)

HRH had a great time playing with the kids and getting all the attention that's appropriate for someone of his position. And let's not forget all the treats and snacks everyone was giving him!!! He was in heaven. Food, playing fetch, food, kids, food, getting food out of his toys for the amusement of everyone, fetch...

Today we didn't have anything planned other than to enjoy the wonderful weather. We went on a ride out to Bear Run Nature Reserve near Fallingwater. I'd read about this place last year in a VisitPA brochure I got in the mail. We didn't get a chance to see the place last year so we made time this year. It's a lovely nature reserve with all kinds of trails. We enjoyed our hike. Very scenic. We'll definitely be back. There are many trails we have yet to take. We're both a bit tired from the hike. But a good tired. We both needed to burn off some of the food we over indulged this weekend.

HRH enjoyed his time off leash. His time to roam the lands as he was intended. His time to eat anything and everything that lay on the forest floor. The phrase "turd munch" was used several times as we had to get him away from the savory bits the forest creatures were leaving for him. He's a sick little monkey. I don't understand his need to eat poop....

What's been going on?

2007-09-02T10:23:00.001-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted recently. Here's what's been going on...

Work: Hasn't let up. It's kept me running around like a chicken without a head. They have no idea what they want but they want it ASAP, yesterday if not sooner. And they don't tell me what they need and then get on conference calls and complain!?!? How can I help you when you don't let me know your needs? I've been trying to remember to do my breathing exercises to keep my stress at a manageable level. (It's helped a little) I've been walking HRH after work. That's helped too.

Miata: Finally all fixed up. New clutch & glove box lock. I'm tops down again!! Oh I forgot to mention the new glove box latch was needed because someone tried to break into the Miata when we went up to Morraine State Park a while back. They stole a pair of $5 sunglasses from the center console and broke the lock on the glove box. You know whoever they are are really hard up when they need to steal $5 sunglasses. I hope they enjoy the cheap sunglasses as much as I did. I'm glad they didn't get into the glove box though since I had a 12 CD holder in there...

HC: She's doing well. Busy with work and getting sporadic painting jobs here & there.

HRH: Unsatisfied with the amount of food & toys his peeps give him. Always planning his next escape attempt in search of the land of food-&-toys-a-plenty.

The Daddy-o: Doing well. He's been going on his daily walks. He's in good spirits. He had me took into a trip to Montreal for him last week. (I've stopped telling him it's cheaper if you plan your trip at least 14 days in advance.) It's his money and he can spend it however he chooses. I'm not used to him being this way. All my life he's been very frugal with money. So to have him pass up the opportunity to save some money for the same service/item is strange to me. But I guess it does add to the spontaneity AND besides he's not getting any younger so you never know...

Me: Still frazzled & burned out. I need to get motivated to find my "What's next?" HC's been very supportive but I need to get motivated to read my "What Color is your Parachute" book and do the exercises. Most days I'm so tired at the end of the work day all I want to do is go home & hide. Thinking is T-H-E L-A-S-T thing I want to do. But I need to do it. I'll know when the time is right. I've noticed in my life things do happen for a reason. If I can see & learn the lesson I'm supposed to, I'll move on to the next phase/step in my life. Oh yeah. It was my birthday last Tuesday. HC took me to Whisper's Pub for dinner. The food, service, and atmospere were very nice. We'll be going back!

Kids: We're back to going back & forth. Concerns about risks to HC's health. Concerns about having the time, energy, and money to raise a child. Concerns about how it will change our lives. We like our life together now. What's a child going to do to the mix?!?! Concerns about how good a parent I'd be. After all, I'm not the most patient person....

Weekend update

2007-08-27T18:29:00.001-04:00

As predicted: Busy weekend. But fun!!!

Saturday afternoon's Miata club cook-out was nice. We got to meet & hang out with more of our fellow club memebers. 1 thing we noticed: We're the youngest ones in the club. A lot of the members are in their 50's. (I'm sure many are in their late 50's to early 60's.) They're nice people but it's like hanging out with a parent... We were looking for people with similar interests when we joined... BUT could they be closer to our age? Is that asking too much? I guess most people our age are busy raising kids or into other things... Nice people none the less. And very interested in cars and driving around.

Saturday evening's cook-out was great!! All people we knew. All people we really liked spending time with. Awesome food. Great drinks. What more could you ask for?!?! HRH was invited and he had a blast. Food, people, food, puppy to play with, and food.

Sunday I spent more time working on chores than relaxing. But you'll have that with me. 1 thing though. I did my chores & misc at a slower pace. Not my usual super-sonic pace. I did make time to excersice which was needed after Saturday's food & drink overindulgence.

Busy weekend coming up

2007-08-24T18:10:00.001-04:00

Yeah. This weekend is going to be busy..

Tonight: Dinner & grocery shopping.
Tomorrow: Miata Club picnic. I've volunteered to help work the grill. It'll be nice to actually sit around and talk to these folks. When we're on a cruise, we're all in separate cars flying along so there's no chance to talk. Even when we break for lunch, there are only so many people you can talk to AND just enough time to eat before we're back on the road. Tomorrow evening another cook-out. HC's going to make a white bean dip. I'll make the crostini to go with it.

Sunday: Chores & r-e-s-t.

Yes. I said it r-e-s-t. I'm going to try to rest. Do nothing but exercise, watch TV, play on the PC & hang out.

Weekend update

2007-08-22T09:09:00.000-04:00

Busy, busy, busy

Friday night we had dinner at J’s and I installed his new wireless network and laptop.

Saturday we ran some errands, took a nice long walk, prepped food for a wine party we were going to that night, and attended the party. We made sherried mushroom empanadas for the party. The party was a lot of fun. We were invited to this party last year by a friend of a friend. The hosts have a bunch of people over and everyone brings wine & appetizers. We hang out & drink wine. You can even vote for your favorite bottle of wine. It’s a good time. This year we got the invitation ourselves so we’re moving up the list!
Sunday we took HRH for a hike. Yes, a hike in the rain. He was going to get a bath anyways so we figured since he needed exercise…. Why not?!?! So Sunday morning we met up with C and her 2 dogs and went for a nice hike in the muddy woods. We saw the Harry Potter movie that afternoon. It was entertaining. A bit darker than the earlier films but enjoyable none the less.

Since then, I've been busy with work, doctors, and mechanics.

1 less thing to worry about

2007-08-14T22:18:00.000-04:00

The Daddy-O made it home safe & sound from Toronto today.

I was worried because he hasn't gone on a long drive in years. (At least 15 years. Maybe 20) And he's always getting lost.

He had a good time. Made it there and back safe & sound. He really likes his car. (2003 Honda Accord.) He said it drove very nicely and was very comfortable.

AND it has GPS!!! I added the address to the hotel and 1 of our relatives into the trip computer before he left so all he needed to do was press a couple of buttons on the touch screen display and viola!! It would show him a map AND provide voice instructions. I also programmed the "Go home" button for him so where ever he was he could be directed home with the press of a button.

He really liked the GPS. He said it was like an adult leading a child. "Turn left in .25 miles", etc... Ain't technology great!?!

I'm happy he had a good time visiting friends and relatives. He'd been laying low this year due to health issues. And it had been making him stir crazy. He needed to get away for a few days. It was just what he needed.

Miata Update

2007-08-13T11:30:00.001-04:00

Last week I said the Miata refused to go in or out of gear. And I needed to push it to the side of the road into a parking spot.

Lovely parking ticket since I was parked on the side of the road that gets cleaned that day: $15
Cost to have the clutch replaced: $1000.
The amount of stress and aggravation added to my life: Priceless!

Chainsaw Therapy

2007-08-13T11:24:00.000-04:00

We lost power due to the storms last Thursday night. It took us almost 3 hours to get home after work. We had to take the alternate, alternate, alternate, alternate way home. All the usual ways home were blocked by fallen trees and/or power lines. Fortunately for us, other than no electricity, we didn’t suffer any storm damage

Friday night we decided to go out for dinner instead of trying to grill something at home so we weren’t home when the lights came back on. (We think the electricity was restored around 6:30.) Friday night we went through the fridge & freezer throwing out things we felt were spoiled.

Saturday we went to the Strip District to replenish our supplies. We also decided we should trim/cut trees that were too close to the house to prevent possible storm damage. So HC and I were out with ladders, loppers, hedge trimmer, and chainsaw doing our best lumberjack imitations. We were a sight!! A few times I’m sure I came close to being a Darwin Award candidate/winner. The phrase “It’s falling the wrong way” did get used. Luckily no one was hurt. Chowderheads with chainsaw can be a danger to themselves & others! Anyways, we spent the majority of the day cutting stuff down. And making the big pieces into smaller pieces. I must admit it felt good to get my aggression out with the chainsaw. I’d been stressed and angry about work. And a few hours with the chainsaw was just what the doctor ordered. I felt much better at the end of the day. AND we made a giant pile-o-wood for the chimnea!! We’ve still got a bit of trimming, cutting & splitting that needs to happen but the big work has been done.

Sunday I worked on our new laptop & wireless network. The PC we've been using is 7 years old and has been in desperate need of replacement. It’s been a matter of saving enough money for the laptop and wireless router… So I spent a portion of the day with tech support getting all the pieces parts talking & working with 1 another.

J came over because he has wanted a laptop for a while. (He’s been using his work laptop for Internet access & etc but with the current privacy scare AND it being company equipment he felt better about getting his own laptop.) So we went out and I got to spend someone else’s money for a change!! We brought his laptop back to the house and I configured it for him over drinks & nibbly things.

And the next thing I knew it was 11:00 Sunday night!!!

I'm a bit stressy

2007-08-06T21:26:00.000-04:00

I feel like I'm in a pressure cooker:

Work has been frantic. They want it ASAP. It doesn't matter if I tell them it's not reasonable/possible. They want it ASAP! Yesterday! Immediately if not sooner! Sometimes they don't know what they want but it still needs to be there ASAP. I've been telling my boss about some of their demands and all she can do is shake her head... Will it ever come into fashion to tell the customer the truth? (That they're on crack! And need to take off the rose colored glasses)
Health: I had a doctor's appointment today. More check-ups related to age & children. Fun stuff. I wonder: Would I be a good father? Where will I find the time? Where will I find the money? Am I too set in my ways? I know I've got a temper, will I ever take it out on the child?
Cars: The Miata's clutch gave out on me today on the way to work. That added to the fun & stress of getting to work early to get a few things done before seeing the Doc. The Audi needed tires, brakes, and suspension components to pass inspection. The Honda needed a tire & a wheel bearing.
Finances: We've been spending money like it's going out of style. The cars have eaten up the lion's share. HC saw some cool artwork we needed to have. The AC needed work. The trees need to be pruned/trimmed. The patio and front walkway are pulling away from the house & cracking.
The Dad: Is driving up to Toronto!!! I'm glad he's feeling better. Well enough to want to go on a drive. But it's been years (over 15) since he's driven for that l-o-n-g. His driving around town scares the bejesus out of me & HC. He drives the speed limit. Let's face it, no one drives the speed limit. He's sloppy when he makes turns. He's never hit any cars but I don't understand the need to cut the corners so tight OR wide. No. He's not one of those elderly people that get into accidents all the time. In fact, his driving record is pretty clean except he did hit an ice patch a few years back that crumpled up the front bumper & fenders real nice. But I still have my concerns. Toronto is 6 hours away. I'll need to remind him to take a break if he's feeling tired. I'm worried

A driving observation

2007-08-06T20:57:00.000-04:00

Now that I've been on 2 Miata Cruises I've made an observation: Lousy drivers are lousy drivers.

It doesn't matter what they're driving. I used to think the reason people in SUV's were all over the road was because it's an SUV. (High center of gravity, blind spots galore, heavy, mushy truck suspension, etc...) I hate SUV's for many reasons but 1 of them is the way they're all over the road. But on these cruises, I saw people driving Miata's all over the road too! There's no excuse for it. It's a small, highly maneuverable car. It'll do exactly what you make it to do. So that's 1 less thing I can say about the machine versus the driver.

How powerful am I?

2007-08-03T23:44:00.001-04:00

Your Power Level is: 70%

You're a very powerful person, and you know that all of your power comes from within.

Keep on doing what you're doing, and you'll reach your goals.

How Powerful Are You?

Which is the right religion for me?

2007-08-03T23:29:00.000-04:00

You scored as Confucianism, You scored as Confucianism. Your beliefs most closely resemble those of Confucianism, or other oriental beliefs like Taoism.

Do more research about these philosophies if you don't know them.

Confucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system originally developed from the teachings of the early Chinese sage

Confucius. Confucius was the founder of the teachings of Confucianism. Confucianism is a complex system of moral, social,

political, philosophical, and religious thought which has had tremendous influence on the culture and history of East Asia up

to the 21st century. Some people in Europe have considered it to have been the "state religion" in East Asian countries

because of governmental promotion of Confucianist values and needs.

Confucianism

75%

Buddhism

65%

Atheism

65%

Agnosticism

65%

Paganism

60%

Hinduism

60%

Satanism

60%

Christianity

60%

Haruhism

50%

Islam

50%

Judaism

30%

Which is the right religion for you? (new version)
created with QuizFarm.com

Feast or famine

2007-08-02T14:17:00.000-04:00

How come work is either feast or famine?

Either you're running around like a chicken with it's head cut off OR you're doing your best to not smack your head on the keyboard?

I've been doing my best bloody chicken run imitation the last few weeks and was wondering what's up with that?!?!?

Theories anyone?

On a fun note: We'll be doing another Miata cruise this weekend.

Weekend Update

2007-07-30T10:17:00.000-04:00

We had a nice weekend..

Friday night we ran some errands and hung out.

Saturday I did some chores around the house and prepped food for the cookout we were having later that night.

Saturday evening we had some of my co-workers over for dinner. It was good to spend time with them and their spouses. They're a lot of fun. Good fun, laughs, food, and drinks!!

The menu: A mixed green and fresh arugula salad, pasta with a tomato and roasted red pepper sauce, and grilled chicken. My guests brought an awesome crab dip and a fruit tart for desert.

Sunday: Clean-up & hang out. After the final clean up from the party. We didn't feel like doing anything. So for once... I didn't. I sat around all day playing on the computer and watching DVD's. It felt good. I think I need to do that more often. At first I felt like I should do something, like I was forgetting a chore/task/project. But then I realized "I've been under a lot of stress and the rest will do me some good"

So after a few episodes of me relaxing, thinking I needed to do something, reminding myself I need to relax, relaxing, thinking I need to do something, etc... I was able to embrace the leisure.

P.S. They all got a good laugh out of the Relaxation CD that couldn't be removed from the CD packaging without resorting to destructive means.

Random item

2007-07-27T18:07:00.001-04:00

I bought a relaxation CD the other day. The outside of the CD says It's

scientifically designed to soothe and help improve relaxation through the
development of an Alpha brainwave state.

On the bus ride home I was NOT able to get the CD out of the packaging. Go figure?!?!? Who knew!?!?!?

To go where no man has gone before

2007-07-27T17:58:00.000-04:00

When a man reaches a certain age, certain tests are prudent to ensure they are at the peak of health.

Well, I am at one of those milestones and had my first prostate exam. Dr. J went where no man has gone before.

It wasn't nearly as bad as I've heard. Yes, a bit embarrassing BUT you know what? He's a professional and he does this all day long and has seen everything before. No, I won't jump up & down and volunteer for this exam again until it's necessary but it was OK.

And considering if they find something early they can treat it with a very high survival rate, it's worth the minor discomfort and embarrassment.

Date night

2007-07-27T17:30:00.000-04:00

Sometimes we forget.
Sometimes we take each other for granted.
Sometimes you get into a rut when you've been married for a while.

But it's always good to remember to take your spouse out for a nice night out. No reason. Just because.

Last night we had a wonderful dinner at the Mediterranean Grill in Squirrel Hill. It's a cute little place that's hard to find but worth the effort. We had the Moussaka and a falafel. Both were excellent.

Afterwards, we saw the Chihuly exhibit at the Phipps Conservatory. Very fun, wild, innovative, cool. Chihuly and Co do some amazing things with glass. The couple of hours we were there felt like nothing.

As we were walking to the car, I said to HC, "We need to take advantage of more of the nice things that Pittsburgh has to offer." And it's true. We don't realize how lucky we are to live in a city with the diverse Arts, Cultural, and sports activities available to us. People are always complaining about "Nothing to do" but they're wrong. It really doesn't take much effort to find something to do in PGH.

Just to name a few things: World class symphony, Major league sports teams, the Carnegie museums, the Zoo, the Aviary, South Side bars & restaurants, Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, many art galleries. And on and on..

Riddle me this

2007-07-25T18:20:00.000-04:00

Should a car wash have a sign out front that says...

"Scratch & Win"

Quote

2007-07-24T18:48:00.000-04:00

"Look at the baby Corvettes Mommy!"

A little boy's comment when he saw all the Miata's driving through his town.

Weekend Update

2007-07-16T17:31:00.000-04:00

A busy weekend.

Friday night we had S, A, and the kids over. Hot dogs for the kids. Balsamic & Rosemary grilled chicken, cous cous & pasta for the adults. It was nice to spend time with our friends. The kids enjoyed their time with HRH. Who was a lickin’& chasin’ machine.

Saturday we went on a car ride and 3 hour hike at Morainne State Park. It was a beautiful day for the drive and hike. Sunny and breezy. We took picnic fixin’s and made a day of it. In fact, it was so breezy you could hear the trees creaking as you were hiking through the woods. HRH ran around like the little maniac that he is. He was comatose on the car ride home and laid like a lump once we got home. HC was worried we’d killed him since she’s never seen him that tired.

Sunday we went to J’s house for brunch and to install window treatments. That was an ordeal!! The window treatments took much longer than expected due to not knowing what type of walls I was dealing with AND not having the proper mounting hardware. Once we got the wall & hardware situation straightened out it wasn’t too bad. We ended up working so long on it we were invited to stay for dinner. We were all tired so all we wanted was something simple. Pizza it was. There’s nothing like pizza and champagne!! And Rose!

Friday's Feast # 151

2007-07-13T11:46:00.001-04:00

Appetizer: What is your favorite fruit?
All fruits. I love fruit. If I had to pick it'd be apples. No grapes. Ugh! Like I said, I love them all. I don't get enough of them in my diet but I do love them!

Soup: Who is someone you consider as a great role model?
My ancestors. They came to this country with not much more than the clothes on their backs, not knowing the language or customs and made a life for themselves and their children.

Salad: If you were to spend one night anywhere within an hour of your home, where would you choose?
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort. It's supposed to be a world class resort.

Main Course: Name something you do too often.
Worry & stress about things. I need to learn to let go of the peanuts. To step back and see if it's truly worth getting worried or stressed about OR if I'm just being silly.

Dessert: Fill in the blank: I really like ___________ because ____________.
I really like to travel because I get to see new people, experience different cultures, and eat different foods.

Still here

2007-07-12T21:42:00.000-04:00

Sorry for not writing in a while. Been busy.

Here's a quick update on what's been going on:

Our 4th of July was nice. I had one of my hair brained ideas the Friday before the 4th of July. “Hey. I don’t think we have any plans for the 4th. We should have a cookout and have some people over.” I checked with HC to verify that we indeed did not have any plans and that she was OK with a cookout. So we had a few people over for a cookout. Buffalo burgers and chicken chorizo sausage. It was good to see everybody and share some laughs and food with them.

Last weekend was really nice too:

Friday night we had Michelle, Kat, and Neil over for a cookout. (Burgers and hot dogs.) It was more about the company and dessert!!! Awesome cheesecake!!!!

Saturday we went on a car cruise. I joined a Miata club a few weeks back but have not been able to join them in any of their activities until now. We had a great time meeting the members and going out on a nice L-O-N-G cruise. The 20 Miata’s drove on the back, back, back roads of Greene County. We were on some really great twisty windy roads. It was a lot of fun and I got in some really good driving practice. Not the usual city or highway driving but some good DRIVING. Quick steering /shifting/braking response required type action. HC was nervous on a few bends but it was a blast. The cruise stopped for a late lunch ( 3:00 pm) at this back roads bar & grille were they made massive 1 pound burgers. I of course finished mine. HC made a valiant effort. After lunch, we headed for home. We had to get cleaned up and go to a cookout. I would have been OK missing it but HC wanted to go.

Sunday we lazed around the house. It was too damn hot to do much of anything! So I watched some videos and drank beer. It was a nice

Work has been keeping me busy, busy. There's always something to do.

Since I’m on a rant…

2007-06-30T10:24:00.000-04:00

I know another part of my funk is:

I’m tired:

Of busting my ass at work.
Of co-workers not doing their jobs.
Of being continually under the stress of being outsourced/laid off/right sized.
Of always being conscious of my financial situation.
Of having to work more than play/rest.

Between work and school, I've been at it for over 30 years and damn I'm tired. I’ve been working since I was 10 or 11 and I’m tired. There’s got to be more but I just don’t know what it is. I’m going to take more breaks during the day to try and keep from burning out further.

Now for the ridiculous….

I’m tired:

Of people on cell phones. Do you think you’re alone? We can hear you & your inane conversation.
Of stupid drivers. Do you mind paying attention to what you’re doing with thousands of pounds of moving metal?!? Maybe there’s more than just you on the road!
Of stupid drivers on cell phones. Again, do you mind paying attention to what you’re doing with thousands of pounds of moving metal?!? Maybe there’s more than just you on the road!
Of stupid people.
Of self-important people. The world in general DOES NOT care who you are OR how important you think you are.
Of lazy people.
Of people with more money than brains.
Of people that have no business having children and yet they do!!! There are tests, licenses, and taxes for everything else. Why not having children?
Of people.

As for the ridiculous list. Well, it’s ridiculous. I was on a roll so I thought I’d throw some of my pet peeves in there.

I’m a bit disillusioned with life at the moment. I’m not sure what I was thinking being a grown up was going to be like. But I guess I thought there would be “more”. I don’t mean I thought I’d be ruling the world or have a gazillion dollars. But I thought there’d be more to life than getting up, going to work, taking care of people, and doing chores at home.

I need to find and do fun things.

I know everything happens for a reason. And everything that’s happened has made me who I am. But damn it I’m tired of it all. There are days I’m tempted to get in the car after work and just drive. And not stop until I hit water (Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic, Ant-arctic)

Step up!

2007-06-30T10:16:00.000-04:00

My crank, angry, and stress factors have been going up as of late. It’s taking a lot less to set me off. It’s taken me some time to figure out what’s up.

Part of it is: I’m mentally & emotionally exhausted. For the past 10 years, we’ve been attending to sick parents. All 4 of them have taken their turns and had their episodes. (Other than my Dad, all of it long term conditions.)

This last episode with my Dad really got me upset and thinking.

I’m fed up:

Of always being the ones (HC & I) who “step up” and take responsibility for things.
Of siblings not helping out with parents & their issues.
Of siblings picking and choosing what they want to do, what they don’t want to do, and when they want to do it.
Of always having to be the “Better person” and step up, or having to place my needs on the back burner.

How come it’s always us? How come we don’t get to pick & choose? How come it’s always us taking care of things? How come we always have to be the “Better person”? Where’s my “get out of responsibility” card?

If everyone stepped up and/or cooperated it’d make it easier for all concerned. I know I’m not perfect. I know I have flaws but come on people step up!! Just a little?

I know I can’t do much about getting others to step up to responsibilities. All I can do is adjust my attitude about it. Maybe try not to get so worked up about it. Maybe try to avoid them so I don’t open my mouth and say something I’ll regret later. It is what it is. They are who they are.

Sister

2007-06-19T13:32:00.000-04:00

Maybe we spent too much time together growing up & working together. Maybe it has to do with 2 strong personalities with strong opinions. Maybe this is how brother’s & sister’s get along. Maybe we’re more alike than I’d like to think. Whatever it is, my stress level is always elevated when my Sister is around. I’m trying to be better about “letting go” and not being pissed at her actions but it’s tough. I’ve tried not to be so vocally critical of her the past few years. But sometimes she does things that just confound and piss me off.

#1: Why? Come up to “Take care” of the Dad. And then make all sorts of evening plans to go out to dinner with your friends. HC says it’s fair and OK since she’s around in the morning and afternoon. I think if she wants to see these people she should come up another time. Her reason for coming up this time was to take care of her Father who was going to be recuperating from surgery.

#2: Why? Say you’re a morning person but don’t end up getting out of bed until after I’ve made Dad breakfast and/or I am heading out the door to go to work? I’m not a morning person. Never have been. Never will be. Would never say I was. 1 morning I heated up breakfast for my Dad. The next morning my Dad heated up his own breakfast. It’s not the cooking that irked me since my Dad is more than capable of cooking for himself. It’s the I-came-up-to-take-care-of-you-but-I’m-still-sawing-logs-like-crazy-when-you-need-me that bothered me. Again, HC said my Dad is not a subtle man. If he needs something he’ll let you know. If he wanted her to make him breakfast he would have let her know. Very true but still it bugs me. Interesting fact is: she got up early (6:00 am) to get her ass back to DC?!? Funny how that happened…

I think it has to do with our differing thoughts and feelings about duty & responsibility. She’s always been the 1 to do just enough to get by. She can/could do so much more but has always chosen to do just enough to get by. For example, she could have gotten A’s in school but B’s took less effort. She’s smart and talented and could do anything she set her mind to. But she chooses not to.

I was required to do the best I could. Sometimes better than I thought I could. B’s were not an option. “I’m the son. It’s my responsibility to _________. It’s my job to ________”. Failure is not an option. Doing poorly is not an option. I must be better than everyone else. No time to relax there is always a task that needs to be worked on.

Maybe I’ve got it wrong and my sister has it right. I’m driving myself to excess stress and an early grave. Maybe I need to slow down and just get by once in a while. Maybe I need to not be pushing so hard. So critical of myself and others.

I’ll need to think on this. This may be another revelation… I’m on a roll!!!

So what's been going on?

2007-06-19T13:23:00.000-04:00

What's been going on? Why haven't you been posting as often as you usually do?

Well, Now that things are slowing down I have time to let you all know what’s been going on the past few weeks.

Work: As busy as ever. Always something going on. I need to slow down a little bit. I’m always trying to do too many things at once. I get them all done but I’m frazzled for it.

I made a realization the other day:

“Other than lunch and bathroom, I don’t take any breaks throughout the day.”

I’m either at my desk with e-mails & calls or at meetings. Some people take smoke breaks. Others take coffee breaks. I need to slow down and take a few breaks throughout the day myself. I think it’ll help my stress level and mental state.

LIFE: Within a few days of us coming back from Costa Rica, the Dad went in for out patient surgery. The surgery was a success and he’s doing OK and recovering now.

Last July he went in for a Transurethral Resection of the Prostate. We refer to it affectionately as “The Roto-Rooter”. The resection was a success BUT a side effect was 1 of his testicles swelled to the size of a DUCK EGG. I don’t know if you know “how” large a duck egg is….BUT it’s bigger than a chicken egg AND certainly bigger than a human testicle should be. Anyways, his Urologist said this is common and “give it a few months for the swelling to go down”. Well the swelling didn’t go down so the Dad had to go in for a Left Hydrocelectomy. And since the urologist was there, he threw in a Cystoscopy and Uretheral Dialation. The Dad’s plumbing is as good as new and he should be peeing like a champ now. My Suster was thinking of nicknaming my Dad "Left Nut"....

So yes, within a few days of coming back from a very relaxing, lovely vacation we had my Dad recovering with us for a week. My Sister came up from DC to help out. So it was a full house. And full of activity.

All of this commotion took the wonderful relaxing vacation feeling and flushed it right down the toilet. It left me
wondering if it wasn’t a big waste of money. I felt great while I was there but that relaxed, calm feeling didn’t make it a week once I got home!

Weekend Update

2007-06-18T13:47:00.000-04:00

Friday night we went to the Pittsburgh Arts festival. It had been a few years since I’d gone to the Arts festival. I’ve stayed away because the last time they had more booths/things I considered crafts than art. This year’s Arts Festival was better than I remembered/feared. They had less space to work with so I think the organizers were more selective.

Saturday I ran some errands and spread cat litter in the garage. The next time I get all OCD/Anal about something, slap me and remind me about my delusional need to water seal the garage. I gave it a few days for the water sealant to dry. Parts of the garage floor were perfectly dry BUT there were some sticky/slick patches. I went to Home Depot to get answers/solutions. The man told me to use cat litter to absorb the excess water sealant. So I spread cat litter Saturday afternoon. We went to J’s for drinks and snacks in the evening. What wonderful weather we had!

Sunday we went to the Air Show. The Air Show was neat. I love airplanes but had never gone to an airshow since I hate crowds. The organizers did a good job to handle all the cars and people. The lots were well marked, the shuttle busses were plentiful, the facilities at the base were well marked and plentiful. It was an awesome experience. I got to see stunt planes, Cobra attack helicopters, an F-18, an F-15, and the Thunderbirds all in flight. I’ve seen many of these aircraft in museums but it’s very different seeing them in action. As an anti-climax, I cleaned up the cat litter and re-organized my garage.

I'll be posting Costa Rico pictures shortly. Sorry it's taking so long. LIFE has kept me very busy & stressed. I'll need to post about it too!

Weekend Update

2007-06-13T12:40:00.000-04:00

It was busy but good:

Friday night we had J & D over for dinner. I made marinated steaks, black beans and rice, and a salad. I also made a fresh salsa verde to go with chips as an appetizer. I love salsa verde, it has such a fresh bright flavor. We would’ve eaten outside if the weather had cooperated.

Saturday I ran some errands and emptied out the garage & power washed it. Now I'm waiting for it to be totally dry before I water seal it (I know, I'm being totally Anal/OCD/Neurotic about the garage floor but ...) I braised some chicken thighs and made a salad. The weather was so nice we ate outside!!! We lit the chimnea later in the evening for ambiance. It was the perfect end to a good day.

Sunday we went for a hike and ran a few more errands. I vacuumed out the cars and leather treated the Audi. We met up with S$& A for dinner @ Point Brugge. The food was great as usual.

Costa Rican Vacation - Part 2

2007-06-04T21:24:00.000-04:00

Activities:
Hiking and beach time at Manuel Antonio National Park: We had a guide take us through Manuel Antonio NP the first time so we knew what we were looking at. It was worth the money to have someone experienced point out the different plants and animals. We would have walked past most of it without the guide. Such diversity. It was amazing.

We went back to the NP a couple of times to hike the trails and go to the beach. The rainforest goes right up to the beach. It’s neat. I’m not used to the forest/vegetation being right up to the water. On 1 of our hikes we encountered some white faced monkeys. We were walking along taking it all in and HC notices some white faced monkeys a few feet away from us right off the trail. They were busy foraging for food paying no attention to us. As HC was taking pictures of the ones in front of her, a monkey came from behind her and started fiddling with her bag. She turned to swat at it thinking it was me messin’ with her. The look she and the monkey had on their faces was priceless!! They were both surprised and shocked. It was hysterical!! It was great. It made my trip right there. I’ll never forget it. We watched this group for 10 or 15 minutes before they moved on. We ran into a few other groups of monkeys each time we were on the beach. It was the coolest.

We also saw Iguanas, Jesus Christ Lizards, and gecko’s. There was also this raccoon like animal called a Coatimundi that walked right past me as I was on a bench reading a magazine. It was very casual about walking on the beach. I guess it was looking for hand outs. I watched as 1 of the park rangers grabbed a handful of sand and gently tossed it in it’s direction. The Coatimundi took the hint and left. The rainforest was just so cool. So much to see and experience.

Canopy tour: It was OK. As HC put it “This is their Kennywood” It was more thrill ride than tour of the canopy. I was expecting to spend more time up there looking at the trees and animals. But we were busy zip lining from 1 tree to another. Now don’t get me wrong, zip lining from tree to tree was out of sight but I thought I’d get to see & learn more about the flora & fauna.

Snorkeling and sightseeing cruise: The water was choppy so the ride was a bit rough. It had been raining the night before and the red tide was out so the water was very cloudy. So we didn’t go snorkeling. But we did spot dolphins and a sea turtle. And there were just a few clouds so weatherwise it was lovely.

Beach time: We spent a bit of time on the beaches. Between Manuel Antonio NP and walking the public beaches. Cancun’s sand was finer and whiter but I like the CR beaches well enough. CR’s beaches were better than Aruba’s beaches which had coarser/grittier sand. And it’s been so long since I’ve been to Grand Cayman I can’t compare. I remember liking it though. The surf was rough since it had been raining and it was “Green” season. (A euphemism for rainy season.) The thing we kept in mind was “it needed to rain in order to keep everything so lush & green.” Besides it’s a “Rainforest” so what did we expect?!?

Sumary: We had a great time in CR. The people, sights, and food really made it memorable. We wouldn't hesitate to go back except for the l-o-n-g list of other places we want to see. "It's a great big world out there!"

Costa Rican Vacation - Part 1

2007-06-02T14:58:00.000-04:00

Since work & LIFE have been keeping me overwhelmed I decided to break up my CR vacation post into multiple posts. This will keep each post from getting too L-O-N-G.

CR was a blast. A thoroughly good time. Would I recommend CR? It would depend on who you are and what your interests are. I wouldn’t recommend CR for shopping or theater. But I would recommend CR for outdoor pursuits, relaxing, and hot weather.

The people:
Warm and friendly. Not just the workers in the hotel or restaurants but everywhere we went. Even the bus drivers were nice! This really added to the experience (and lowered our stress) since we didn’t speak much Spanish. I felt comfortable with the very basic phrases I knew, but there’s no way I could hold a conversation. (Unless it was with a 3 year old) The people were gracious enough to switch to English as soon as they heard me butchering their language. They were nice about it. They knew I was trying and I think that was enough for them. I wasn’t pulling the typical American attitude of “Everyone should speak English! It’s the official language of the universe. If YOU don’t understand me, I’ll speak English louder & slower. ”

The food:
From the nicest place we ate at to the local hang out bar: reasonably priced, consistently good, and fresh. The seafood was amazing. We were right down the road from the port town of Quepos so I’m sure a lot of the daily catch ended up in Manuel Antonio. Everyplace we went to had fish on the menu and had it cheap. Tuna and Mahi-Mahi were the most available but Swordfish, Sea Bass, and Snapper were also on the menus. Grilled, blackened, fried, baked. You name it they prepared the fish that way!! The chicken was also good. Don’t bother with the beef. (It was stringy and a bit tough.) But the seafood rocked!! The typical CR side dish to a meal is black beans & rice. (Including breakfast. How about bacon & eggs with black beans & rice? You bet!) You might think black beans & rice are pretty boring but every place did it a little differently and it was usually pretty good.

We ate at some pretty cool restaurants: El Avion, Barba Roja, Anaconda, Restaurant Marlin, El Gran Escape. Again all good, reasonable priced, friendly, and fresh.

El Avion: Was the most unique since part of the décor was a CIA C-123 cargo plane. The view of the ocean and coastline was breathtaking. The food was good & the waiters were funny. They were always joking with their customers.

Barba Roja: The food was really good. The view of sunset over the ocean was awesome. A Pirate theme. What more could I want? The second time we were there we watched a storm roll in and a lightning show over the ocean. Very cool.

Anaconda: Probably the fanciest place we ate at. The food was really good. A very diverse menu with a lot of European influenced menu items. Wonderful view of the ocean and coastline. I felt like I was in a big fancy tree house.

El Gran Escape: Seafood. Seafood. Seafood. Good & fresh. The portions were large and the people were warm & friendly. The décor was fun & tacky. All kinds of fish & fishing related paraphernalia.

The Restaurant Marlin: Was our local hang out. The food & drinks were good & cheap. The people were nice.

Riddle me these...

2007-06-02T14:38:00.000-04:00

We saw this name of a restaurant while we were cruising around last weekend:

Wok in Heaven

Questions:

Do you need to cook in Heaven?
Do you need to eat in Heaven?

Food & eating are topics that were never discussed in Catholic school.

_____________________________________________________________

We saw this on the bumper of a vehicle:

I did it!!! Made the Honor Roll of Hampton Middle School.

Questions:

I know there's a minimum age for getting a driver's license so this person is either too young or may not be particularly intelligent for his/her age. So which one are they?
If they are too young, should they be advertising this?
If they aren't the brightest, should they be allowed to operate a vehicle? I know I think most drivers are rude, self-absorbed idiots anymore BUT there is a minimum amount of intelligence and judgement required to operate a motorized vehicle.
Furthermore, shouldn't the bumper sticker read " I made the Honor Roll..." instead of "Made the Honor Roll..."
Is this person living in the past and should just get on with their life?

Vacation - Background

2007-05-28T22:13:00.000-04:00

We’ve needed to get away, far away for a while. Work, LIFE, and families have really ground us down. It’s been a few years since we took a big trip. (2005 to Wine country Napa & Sonoma Valley.) In 2006 we took a couple of modest trips and a small break over the 2007 Easter holiday. Anyways, the point is we needed to get away from it all. We needed to go someplace where we didn’t know anyone AND didn’t have responsibilities or duties.

Why Costa Rica?
We brainstormed and narrowed it down to Costa Rica or Greece. Then we thought “If we are going to have kids in the next few years, which of these destinations would be more kid friendly?” We thought Greece would be kid friendlier so we went to Costa Rica while we were kid free! We were both interested in seeing the rainforest and the animals. I’d read a few years back about Eco-tourism in Costa Rica, how they were trying to preserve the environment while letting people see the rainforest, and how it was the next big thing. It sounded very cool & exotic.

AND I’d get to see monkeys!! I love monkeys. I think they’re fascinating. How they move, how they solve problems, and the expressions on their faces.

Where in Costa Rica?
We decided on the Manuel Antonio area because it had a nice mix of beach and rainforest available to us without a lot of running around. HC likes to go some place and unpack. She doesn’t like to spend a few days here, then pack and go someplace else, etc.. She doesn’t feel relaxed or resting when she’s constantly on the move like that. It feels hectic to her.

Puddle jumper or shuttle van?
While making the arrangements I was debating “How” to get us from SJO to Manuel Antonio. There’s no easy way to get anywhere in Costa Rica (CR). Option #1: 20 minute puddle jumper ride OR Option #2 a 3.5 hour van/bus ride. The cost was close so I went with the van just in case we were late. The puddle jumper companies have a NO Refund policy and they “may not” re-book us on a later fight. (On further research there was also a 30 pound per person luggage weight limit. I pack pretty light but I don’t think I could have made the 30 pound limit for a 10 day trip.) I also wanted to go with the van ride so we’d get a chance to see more of CR. I figure it’s hard to tell anything apart from an airplane. But at ground level you’d see a lot. AND we’d have 3.5 hours to see it!!

Getting there:
PIT to CLT was a breeze. No issues. We had a 1 hour delay leaving CLT. Something about a malfunctioning flight attendant panel. It was worth the wait. Maybe it’s me but…I’d hate to find out the panel wasn’t working right at 30,000 feet!

As soon as they said we had to wait until the panel was fixed, I was glad I’d selected the shuttle van service. We would have missed our flight from SJO to Quepos. And been S-C-R-E-W-E-D.

Once the mechanical problem was fixed, we got to SJO, our luggage, through immigration, and to the shuttle van no problem. It was raining but that was the van driver’s problem not mine. I was glad I didn’t attempt to drive in CR because they believe in driving “guidelines” more than driving laws in CR!! Double yellow lines are kinda pretty but not strictly adhered to. (At least they use turn signals and honk politely to let you know they’re going to do something not in the textbooks.)

Lodging:
The hotel was basic but close to Manuel Antonio National Park. When we’re going on a big trip like this, I tend to spend more money on excursions, souvenirs, and meals than on lodging. I feel as long as the room is clean and comfortable we’re good. Besides, other than to sleep and to use the bathroom I figure we’re going to be out & about. NOT spending too much time in the room or on the hotel grounds.

This post is getting L-O-N-G so I'll write more tomorrow about the actual trip.

Quotes

2007-05-27T15:05:00.000-04:00

From my sister

Don't let crazy people make you crazy

From HC regarding my sister cooking for us and her menu selections.

Let go, let Grace

From HC regarding HRH.

He's a good boy with issues

They are so right!!!

We're back

2007-05-20T14:44:00.000-04:00

Hey we're back. Safe & sound. We had a great trip. I'll write more when we're unpacked, cleaned & organized.

Vacation Countdown update

2007-05-09T15:20:00.000-04:00

T minus 16 hours and counting.

Our flight leaves from PIT to CLT at 8:40 in the morning. We're very excited. I've got all my clothes & etc picked out. It's just a matter of packing.

I've already promissed to have 4 drinks for people while I'm down there.

I'll write when I get back the weekend of 5/19.

See you at the airport!!!

Parents...You can't live with them. You wouldn't be alive without them.

2007-05-09T15:15:00.000-04:00

The story behind the yelling & screaming on my Dad’s part last week: (Sorry it took so long to post this but I was a bit too mad to write about this rationally)

The Daddy-O called out of the blue last Wednesday afternoon to see if I’d paid the Real Estate taxes yet. I was annoyed because he 1) called me at work 2) over something so trivial and 3) I didn’t have the answer for him.

I remember replying in a frustrated “I don’t know?!” He didn’t like my tone, started yelling, and hung up. Like a dumb ass, I called him back right away to try to talk to him. I should have let him cool down a bit before calling back. (I take after him. If I’m mad it’s better of you let me be mad for a bit before talking to me. I’m not ready to talk. I’m ready to scream. I’m ready to say mean, angry, nasty, irrational things.) Anyways, I called him back and he continued his rant and hung up on me again.

Background:
1) The Daddy-O has been a bit sad/depressed about my Mom’s passing. She’s been gone over 4 years and he’s really been good about her not being around. It was rough in the beginning but he had been good since then. The past few months he’s been a bit moody and irritable. He’d also bring her up a lot more and reminisce about all the hard work they did together to keep the restaurant going. He feels cheated because after they retired they only had a few years before she got really sick with various lung ailments. And then it was 6 years of suffering for my Mom AND 6 years of tending to my Mom for my Dad. I think he also feels guilty for having lived and being relatively healthy. We are looking at getting him counseling services.

2) I’d forgotten about my Dad’s anger. Growing up, he always had a quick temper. He’d yell and scream at us and make us really scared. But then after a little bit he’d get over it and be OK. I remember it was tough growing up because I was never sure what would set him off. Thankfully, the really explosive episodes didn’t happen often. (He never hit us. Just a lot of loud yelling and screaming.) I think I got my anger and way to react when I’m angry from him. Because when I’m angry I do the same kind of things: yell, scream, say all sorts of mean, nasty, irrational things.

You wouldn’t know it to see him & talk to him now. He’s a different person now. Much more mellow and easy going. That’s why it caught me so off guard his reaction to my “I don’t know”.

3) With my Mom's various illnesses any call from the parent's number could have been an emergency and always made me nervous & tense. I'm still this way even though she's been gone for almost 5 years. So when I saw it was my Dad I thought it was something important.

My neurosis:
Thinking back now, part of the reason I try to have all the answers and be prepared for a lot of things is because I always wanted to avoid his anger. If he asked me anything I always wanted to have the answer so I wouldn’t get yelled at. If he needed something I wanted to be ready so I wouldn’t get yelled at. I always wanted to have all of my chores/tasks done ahead of time to avoid his anger.

This episode is a perfect example: If I’d remembered when my taxes were due I could have told him I had not paid them yet because they were not due until the end of May. Instead I didn’t know and was frustrated at myself for not knowing AND frustrated at him for asking me out of the blue about them. And YES I’m sure I could have told him I didn’t know in a nicer tone but I was frustrated that he would call me at work over something like this. It’s 1 thing if we’d talked about it before so I knew this question was coming up but I had no idea there was going to be a pop quiz about my real estate taxes when I picked up the phone. And it’s not like he called me at home where I could have easily pulled out my checkbook and had a look and given him an answer ASAP.

Oh yeah that’s another thing about my Dad. If he wants you to do something. That means do it now. ASAP. Or you are going to hear about it!!!

I was also frustrated at him because I was busy at work and didn’t need to be interrupted about something so stupid. (It’s not like I’ve ever missed a tax payment or mortgage payment. I take all bills seriously. Especially house related bills.) How ironic my sister and I were not allowed to get calls at the restaurant while we were growing up because it was the “business” phone. And yet he feels it’s OK to call me on my business phone over something like real estate taxes…. Growing up I probably got less than 10 calls at the restaurant. Not like I had many friends anyways since I was always working or studying so I didn’t have time for friends or activities. It was a lot rougher on my sister who is much more social than I am. I don’t know how my sister made it through adolescence living with those restrictions. I guess there’s a reason she moved 5 hours away after college!!!!!

Vacation countdown

2007-05-05T10:46:00.000-04:00

T minus 5 days and counting. Costa Rica here we come!!!

I'm going to do some serious "Letting go of the peanuts" I think I've earned it with everything that's happened this year: Work, the family, HC's miscarriage, etc...

I plan to spend time on the beach and in the rainforest. Drink, eat, hike, drink, eat, drink, and drink.

I wish I'd started sooner with my Spanish lesson tapes. I think they're handy. I've learned some simple phrases that will hopefully help us get by. No I'm not going to hold in depth conversations but at least I can ask for some basic things politely. And I'll have a slight chance to understand what they're saying to me.

I'm sure we'll be fine with the little bit I've learned. (It's the typical me wanting to be prepared/worrying) We were OK in France for 2 weeks with the paltry French I understand/speak so I don't think Costa Rica will be much different. We'll be in touristy areas not in the backwoods where no one in the village speaks English.

Pulled Chowder

2007-05-05T09:19:00.000-04:00

I feel stretched out. Pulled in too many directions. Over-extended. I don't feel like I'm able to meet all the demands/expectations of me. I know it's mostly self-imposed demands/expectations but it's still stressing me out.

I feel mentally and emotionally drained by all these demands. There are days I want a little "me" time. Just to sit & vege or to do what I want instead of what everybody else wants/needs. (Sometimes I hate being a responsible adult) I'm going to blame my parents for pounding responsibility and duty into my thick skull. :-) And now that it's lodged in there I can't get it out. Or even let go a little bit. (I know I need to let go of the peanuts regarding this. It's too damn much. But that's how I feel right now.) So I'm OCD about responsibility and duty. And it's my parents fault. I wonder if I can get a pill for that... Or maybe a grant to study this...

The MCG Jazz concerts help. They give me a few hours of peace and distraction. But even at the shows I catch myself thinking about outside things. I make myself stop and focus on the present and enjoy the show. But the outside thoughts sometime get in the way and it annoys me. So instead of fully being in the present and enjoying the show, I'm thinking and stressing about things.

Not enough hours in the day

2007-05-03T22:21:00.000-04:00

There are not enough hours in the day for everything I need/want to get done. It's very frustrating. It's one of the reasons I'm seeing the EAP rep at work.

It's making me crazy trying to be the best worker, best husband, best son, best homeowner, best ??? all rolled into 1 AND within the 24 hours in a day we all have to work with. I try to do my best but always seem to be falling short somewhere. And then I get mad at myself for it and beat myself up...

Case in point this week:

Work was pretty busy. I didn't have much scheduled at the beginning of the week. But as the days went on I was busy every day until quittin' time.
After work I've been working on cleaning and sorting through my stuff.
Tuesday night: I went to the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild for Bob James and the Angel's of Shanghai. It was a very entertaining concert. It was interesting how the group was able to combine the Jazz of Bob James and the traditional Chinese instruments. Very cool.
Wednesday: I managed to get my Dad to yell at me over the phone and hang up on me. This will be another post. But suffice it to say I felt like a bad son.
I took today & tomorrow off. I needed to get some things done around the house (cleaning, sorting through my stuff, gardening) & run some errands.
Tonight: I went to A Night of Guitars presented by Earl Klugh at the MCG. Another really good show. The 3 guitarists played wonderfully. And you could tell they were having a blast on stage.

So yes this demanding life is really stressing me out because I don't feel like I'm able to meet all the demands/expectations of me. I know it's mostly self-imposed demands/expectations but it's still stressing me out. I feel pulled in so many directions. And stretched too thin everywhere. I wish I had more time to do everything I need to do.

Weekend update

2007-05-01T15:20:00.000-04:00

Friday night we hung out & relaxed.

Saturday we went shopping in the Strip District. We picked up all sorts of groceries for a steal. Going to the Strip always brings back childhood memories for me. I’d always accompany my Grandfather when he went to the Strip. It was always fun watching him interact with the produce people. Amazing how they all got a long, their colorful banter, and the price negotiations. What characters! Wholey’s was always a stop and I got to know a lot of the people there as well.

During a dry spell I took HRH out for a little exercise. He was mostly good. Until he got distracted by a ????? “Fair market value at time of death” What more can be said?!?

Saturday night more errands and dinner at Mad Mex. What? Again?!?! You were there last weekend. Yes. It is one of our favorite casual places to go for food & drinks. And there are a few of them so we’re always in the right part of town to go to Mad Mex.

Sunday was a beautiful day. We cleaned around the house and went furniture shopping.

HC felt the need for a storage solution for all of our summer cushions for the patio furniture & etc. We needed it in the dining room close to the patio so it needed to look nice and be functional. She also needed storage for her painting and arts & craft supplies. Robinson Towne Center seemed like a good place to start. For her work supplies I figured we could get something from IKEA. IKEA cabinets are very customizable, look OK, reasonably priced, and decent to assemble. We ended up with 2 large wardrobes for her supplies. We hit another furniture store and found a nice armoire to store our summer cushions, candles, lighters, etc… AND since we were furniture shopping… We found 2 pieces to replace the old bar/wall unit in the game room. The thing we’re using for a bar is getting on 30 years old. It’s a wall unit I got in junior high. In the intervening years, it’s been used as my desk, entertainment center, hobby table, and bar. It served me long and well. But now it’s time to move onward and upward. Who knew we’d end up buying all this furniture?!?!

This is typical of us when it comes to furniture shopping: We start out looking for 1 thing and end up finding something completely different. Case in point our dining room table and buffet. We were looking for an armoire but I stumbled across the perfect dining room table. I wanted something big & sturdy. Big enough to have at least 8 to 10 people sit around it. Sturdy enough to hold all the food, plates, platters, etc for 8 to 10 people. As a bonus, there was a matching buffet. Oh well, the armoire had to wait.

HC has her concerns

2007-04-26T20:38:00.000-04:00

I'm really liking the idea of taking some driving courses and doing the Autocross thing. I don't have to take courses to participate. But I think the courses will explain to me some of the strategies and techniques.

HC's concern? She's not as worried about me getting hurt as much as me being even more vocal/angry/aggressive when we're on the road and stupid drivers do stupid things.

I'm going to have to think about what she said before I move ahead with Autocross:

The driving courses will teach me skills that mostly won't apply to driving on the street.
Buuuttt I can see them elevating my confidence and as a result making me more annoyed when stupid people do stupid/inconsiderate things behind the wheel.

Why do/would I get annoyed? This harkens back to 1 of my major pet peeves: Stupid/inconsiderate/self-centered people. My annoyance with Stupid/inconsiderate/self-centered people is magnified while driving because they are moving around several thousand pounds of metal AND being Stupid/inconsiderate/self-centered at the same time. It adds to the danger factor. Not only can they harm themselves, but now they have the opportunity to hurt someone else. Not good. not good at all.

I know I should let it go because I have no control over them and their ways but it just really gets under my skin when these people do as they please with no regard for others.

Fair market value

2007-04-26T20:16:00.000-04:00

We've been using that phrase a lot lately whenever HRH starts getting on our nerves.

I heard it on a news cast as they were discussing pet owners suing the pet food companies and the retailers. The reporter interviewed a lawyer who wanted to set the record straight about how much you could possibly get from the lawsuit.

The phrase "Fair market value" at time of death plus medical expenses was used to describe the amount. So now whenever HRH is making 1 or both of us crazy we envoke the "Fair market value" phrase.

Of course HRH looks at us and does his blink, blink, head tilt, blink, blink....

Random item update

2007-04-26T20:09:00.000-04:00

Jim is right. Once the turkey is thawed, you should roast it within a few days.

My friend called back and said she cooked the bird and got sick from eating it.

So now we know...

Once turkey is thawed you must cook it within a few days or it will turn into a vengeful mass of poison.

Random item

2007-04-25T16:07:00.000-04:00

I had a friend e-mail me the following question....

How long will a turkey keep in the fridge?
Story follows...
I took it out to thaw on Wednesday night last week with the idea that it would be thawed to cook over the weekend. I wound up not really having time and when I put a hand on it on Saturday - I thought it felt still sort of frozen, so I figured I'd get to it on Monday night. I really didn't have time on Monday either but when I checked it in the same spot and it felt still frozen. I checked the other side and it was thawed. Turns out I must have been putting my hand on the spot where the giblets bag was (duh.)
Anyway, in your safest opinion, should I pitch it, cook it tonight regardless, or can I wait until tomorrow?

I told her as long as it has been kept refrigerated and the fridge has not lost power she should be OK. I told her to be on the lookout when she preps it for weird smells or colors. Also sliminess. I didn't mean to concern her but I usually roast turkeys within a few days of defrosting it. So I wanted her to be extra cautious.

Spreading the crap

2007-04-24T10:30:00.000-04:00

Awesome weather last weekend. Now that Spring is finally here we’ve been itching to get outside and work on the lawn & garden.

Friday night I cut wood down to size for the chimnea. Chainsaw Good!!! Fire Good!!

Saturday morning I ran some errands. It was gorgeous but a little cooler than I wanted it to be for working outside. I was being picky. We’ve worked on the garden in the cold rain before. But I wanted to run around with HRH in the Miata. So any excuse will do.

We spent Saturday afternoon cleaning out flower beds & turning over the soil. FYI… Electric hedge trimmers make quick work of decorative grasses. (I learned this trick watching the people that maintain the gardens in town.) I used to cut the decorative grasses down by hand. It was time consuming and messy. Now it’s just a bit messy.

Saturday evening we ran out to Robinson Towne Center for dinner at Mad Mex and a little shopping.

Sunday morning we went to the North Park Pool parking lot to watch the car races. Yes. I said car races in the pool parking lot. I guess technically it’s not racing as much as autocross. But it was fun watching the different cars & drivers run through the obstacle course. I think I may take up autocrossing. All you need are a helmet and a valid driver’s license. I’ve got the 1 and need the other…

We had 2 yards of mushroom manure delivered Sunday morning so we came back from the races and started spreading the crap. It’s a lot of work but well worth the effort when it’s all said and done. The flower beds look nicer, moisture is retained better, and the plants grow better with the constant supply of food.

It was nice being outside. It was nice distracting myself from my current work funk. It was nice NOT thinking. It was nice to work with my hands.

Instant gratification. A few hours of work and POW!! The garden looks 10000% times better than before.

Scrap of Wisdom

2007-04-17T20:12:00.000-04:00

Planning is the prelude to successful action.

Lucky numbers: 14, 18, 25, 28, 36, 48

This 1 describes me 1000%. I like to plan things. I like to be ready. To know what to expect. To be in control. To maximize the opportunity to succeed. To minimize the opportunity to fail.

That being said, I do enjoy surprises and being spontaneous. I find spontaneity can be fun & a challenge.

For me, it depends what we're planning/being spontaneous about.