Somewhere between hypercompetence & homeownership

2002-12-30T15:15:00.000-05:00

Just what I wanted for Christmas... a remote controlled rat. It's true.

2002-12-10T13:12:00.000-05:00

gotta have someplace to vent I guess. As anyone who reads my blog undoubtedly reads Jenny's, you already know how f-ed we are. I have been flip flopping between complete denial, which means thinking that they will realize the error they're making and undo it, which I am told is simply not going to happen, and then thinking I am one of the safe ones because I can look at my skills and those of the people around me and see just how much better I am, and then I realize that I'm not and that there are actually lots of people who are much better than I am so I am definitely going to get axed. Then I am forced to think about finding a job elsewhere in the company. I put out some feelers and came back pretty much empty, not surprisingly. So, now I have to think about going outside the company and that means getting my act together, resume, portfolio, yadda yadda yadda, which I hate doing and completely suck at and my work is lame and I have to go digging to find stuff I've done since I started working here and try to find stuff worth showing, which there isn't much of, since so much of what I've done here is just little piecemeal bits and pieces that don't really stand on their own much. Crap. Of course, I don't even think there are any decent jobs out there and I don't want to take a major pay cut though I expect its inevitable. Yes, we're happy campers here.

2002-09-19T11:17:00.000-04:00

Present but unaccounted for That's me. Yes, I have not been blogging. I got superbusy at work recently and what little time I have for blogging has gone into HannahandherSisters. So, not sure what to tell you.

2002-08-20T23:38:00.000-04:00

Lonely and busy how pathetic will that be?

Oh, woe is me. I am already way too freaking busy at work these days and now that Jenny's gone off to pillage and loot Europe, I will have no one to babble to. But probably just as well as I will have my work, Danica's work and now Jenny's work to do.

Yes, you wish you were me.

2002-08-20T00:47:00.000-04:00

Be prepared... As many of you already know, I will never agree to be interviewed by a muppet (or Larry King for that matter).But in retrospect, I may need to amend that . . . I think there may be certain muppets I would agree to answer questions from. Miss Piggy is 100% off the list, Kermit, too. Also Big Bird and Snuffy, and Fozzie and most of them actually. But I'd agree to an interview with Elmo, Oscar, Animal or Cookie Monster.

On a related note, Lara and I love to watch Inside the Actors Studio. James Lipton is possibly the worlds greatest suck up but his research and questions are usually excellent and help shed a new light on his subjects. One of my favorite parts of the show are the questions asked of every guest, the Bernard Pivot Questionaire. I've always wanted to note them down and prepare my answers. Thanks to Natalie and Paul for posting them and getting me off the stick and doing it. Here they are...

What is your favorite word?
Absofuckinglutely

What is your least favorite word?
Asshole.

What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
Energy and confidence in whatever... painting, music, conversation, laughter, whatever...

What turns you off?
Frailty, people who are sick all the time, moving from one complaint to the next

What is your favorite curse word?
Mutherrrr- - -fuckerrrrr!, shouted as loudly as possible, by oneself, amidst noise so loud you can barely hear yourself say it

What sound or noise do you love?
It's cheesy and cliche, but the sound of my kids laughing. Any parent knows how simple, pure and delightful it is

What sound or noise do you hate?
Whining

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Oh, there are so many... chef, photographer, filmmaker, highly skilled rockabilly guitar player, printmaker, architect, the list goes on and on...

What profession would you not like to do?
Law, medicine, sales, coalmining

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Oh, it's you. Here are those keys you dropped when getting on the bus, that wallet you thought was stolen, those sunglasses you left on a desk at school, that glove you dropped on the lift, about a hundred solo socks. Yes, you have no need for them now, but we thought you might like to know what happened to them

2002-08-15T11:51:00.000-04:00

Warning: Do not read during lunch... The following post is an excerpt, (yes only an excerpt, not even the entire thing) from an email I got this morning. It's really scary and bizarre. You have to really read it and pay attention to the things they're saying. There are at least dozen really memorable quotes in there.If you're interested (for whatever reason, I don't want to know why) I can forward the message. Its too long to post as a single entry. Is there a limit to a blog post length????

2002-08-15T09:48:00.000-04:00

Dear Internal Cleansing Inquirer,
A lifestyle that includes taking medications of any kind, eating too much cooked food, processed/refined food, meat, dairy, and poultry causes your body to become congested with mucus. This in turn weakens the function of your digestive system, elimination organs such as the colon, liver and kidneys. Changing your diet to include foods which help cleanse your body and using herbal preparations to speed up the process, create dramatic improvement in your state of health very quickly.
".I came off the Cleanse today and I am SO IMPRESSED! I could not believe the filth and slime that came out! And so MUCH of it! Where does it all come from? Amazing!" S. Ward, Tucson, Arizona
"I went on a colon cleanse a couple of times. And I got just goop out of me that no one can believe that is inside a person. Everyday, a gallon of goop. Rope-like stuff and intestine-like stuff. I was amazed and I would tell my husband and he would be amazed. I wouldn't tell anyone else or they'd of thought me mad! He was working and couldn't spend the time doing what I was doing. I was enjoying it, seeing what the body holds back, holds inside itself". D.L. Lafayette, LA.
"I did both the colon cleanse and the liver-gallbladder cleanse. To my horror I did in fact have worms! After they were gone (that took about a month) I did the liver thing. I had gall stones... huge things!! This program really works. The pain is gone in my arm and back, and I am sleeping through the night. Don't trust MD's. If someone is going to "practice" on me - IT WILL BE ME. Thank you for this site." J.R.
"I just finished doing the 2 week Complete Colon Cleanse Program. I lost 14 pounds and 1 - 1/2" off of my stomach. I feel great! I would like to follow that up now by doing the Liver and Kidney cleanses". A.R. Honesdale, PA.
Disease is an unnatural condition, but it's increasing at an alarming rate!
Due to poor eating habits, it has become increasingly clear that almost every person in this country over six years old is developing serious problems in the intestinal tract, which in later years may contribute to the development of various acute, chronic and degenerative diseases. Such diseases include cancer, heart trouble and diabetes; as well as lack of energy, premature aging, poor eyesight, memory loss, a poor complexion, constipation and wrinkles. It is estimated that over 98% of disease can be contributed directly or indirectly to a compromised digestive tract. As Dr. Bernard Jensen says, "It is the bowel that invariably has to be cared for first before any effective healing can take place."

2002-08-14T17:14:00.000-04:00

Mmmmmmm, banana bread . . .

Typed this out for a friend, thought I'd share with everyone.

1/2 stick butter (4 tbsp) softened
1 1/2c sugar

4 ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla ( I like dbl. strength from Penzeys)
1/2c. milk

2 1/2c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda

1 c choc. chips (optional but highly recommended)

preheat oven to 350
grease 2 5x9 loaf pans

soften butter in mixing bowl
add sugar gradually and beat until light n fluffy

combine bananas, egg, vanilla and milk in another bowl
add banana mixture to sugar and mix well.

combine flour, salt and soda in yet another bowl, gradually add these dry ingredients to the wet, and beat well.

fold in chips (DON'T FORGET like I often do)

pour into loaf pans

bake 45-50 min. till toothpick inserted comes out clean (may have to do a few times to avoid chips.)

cool 15 min and turn out onto racks. loafs may be slow to release due to chips on bottom of pan

Eat until all gone...

2002-08-14T14:25:00.000-04:00

Mmmmmm, yeah, okaaaay. Good luck with that. Yikes.

2002-08-14T10:38:00.000-04:00

The real E! True Hollywood Story ??? well, it's not that juicy but since Tina is going to bring the whole thing up, I might as well get my side of the story out, I'm sure the Smartfood guy would have his side, but he's not here to tell it, so tough s*** for him.

This event occured at least 10 years ago, it's all a blur back then so I can't be sure. I was single, not working real hard and I was cycling alot at the time, and intense morning rides (5:30-6:30AM) were common. I rode the same roads, pathways almost everyday. I rode fast, there was rarely anyone on the path at that hour except similarly minded riders and runners. Part of the route took me over a major commuting highway (I-395N, for those of who know the DC area) via a covered walkway, imagine a 100 yard long tube of chain link fencing. Since the walkway was in view of thousands of commuters, there were often banners hung up and occasionally there were people in there holding signs, etc. advertising or whatever to the captive audience of commuters.

So, this one crisp, cool, sunny morning, I come up the ramp and turn the corner and accelerate, head down, working hard, I'm already 45 minutes into the ride, I'm doing about 25mph, fast for a bike in a closed area when I glance up and notice some people up ahead in the tube. They appear to be holding signs or something and sort of 'dancing' around, facing the cars below. I grab my whistle and give it a blast to alert them that I am headed towards them. I'm closing on them fast now. The one guy closest to me slowly turns towards me and I realize that disaster is imminent. The guy is 'wearing' what I can only describe as a 6x8 foot bag of Smartfood popcorn. I thought I was hallucinating for a second but that's all the time I had before I was plunging head first, with almost no braking into the black plastic/mylar/whatever of the bag just to the left of the human inside the bag. I must have pushed/carried/propelled him a good 10 feet before we crashed to the concrete in a heap of bike, sweat and plastic sheeting. It must have looked pretty funny from the highway and the scene in the walkway of the other 'smartfoodies' coming to help but being useless in their outfits was pretty comical. We were both okay, the bike was undamaged but the Smartfood suit was a bit mangled and ripped. The 'bag' was actually full of small bags of popcorn which I am sure helped to cushion the impact.

2002-08-12T15:04:00.000-04:00

Too busy and/or too dull either way, it sucks.

I realized I haven't blogged anything in about 2 weeks. I should feel bad or ashamed but I don't. At least not for not blogging. I agreed to work on a project that I thought would be minor and it's turned out to be major. Not unhappy about it, but not at all what I expected. That's the too busy.

The 'too dull' is just the truth. Nothing even going on that actually seems worth blogging about. I suppose that's not entirely true, but it just seems that way.

The only thing going on with me that seems remotely interesting is that the kitchen project has reemerged on our radar screen. I suppose that's an indication that life with twin babies is calming down, we've got enough time to think about something beyond getting to the end of the day. The kitchen project is a major league undertaking and not something that can be discussed briefly. It could easily become all consuming if I let it. Maybe I should.

So far, we've bounced various ideas around ourselves for several weeks. Various neighbors are undertaking similar projects which helps get the fires going under us, the next door neighbors actually break ground within days. I wish I had the right viewpoint to put up a webcam. We met with architect #1 on Friday evening. Nothing earth shattering but a useful meeting. She confirmed some of our ideas, suggested a few new good things but there were some places where she suggested things we immediately rejected and she s***canned some things we suggested. We are meeting with architect #2 in a few weeks. The whole project is a slow burner, nothing needs to happen quickly since we wouldn't even begin until next year, if not the year after. So, you can see why blogging about this will become quickly tiresome.

2002-07-31T16:49:00.000-04:00

Yay! Thanks, Sarah!

Yes, Jenny knew how to fix it, too.

I may be too slow and stupid, but they had it down cold.

Now if someone could fix those damn Error 503: Unable to load template file. We're working on this. Please try back later. messages.

2002-07-30T13:30:00.000-04:00

Uuuuurrp. Worldburp. There's some other, more scientific, term for it. Y'know, when you hear about something in several different places or contexts within moments of each other, like
this
and

that.

2002-07-25T11:01:00.000-04:00

ugghh. that sums it up. I am shaking off some sort of virus/bug/whatever and it's just sapping me of any energy. I'd love to just go and lie down for a few days. Unfortunately, that's just not an option. Day before yesterday, (Tuesday), I had a fever of 102. That was after complaining about being freezing cold at work most of the day, walking the stairs to try and get warm, unsuccessfully and probably made me sicker. Then I had to literally lie down in the car for about 10 minutes in the parking lot at daycare before picking up the kids. I knew I didn't have the energy to get through the task. Then I got them home and attempted to feed the babies, which was only managed by propping my elbows on the tray table on the highchair. Lara got home midway through, popped the thermometer in my mouth and then sent me to lie down for a bit when we saw the 102 results. I felt somewhat better Wed. AM, still went to the doctor though and I am still drag-ass tired now.

Of course, I have no excuse since I stayed up last night till sometime past 2, working on a failed egg drop design. Lara was really pissed this morning when she discovered I had nothing to show the effort. It was like art school all over again, to me. Lots of work, late at night, nothing to show for it in the morning.

This morning, I was determined to not show up with nothing so I cooked up my alternative crappy plan, which took about 20 minutes to make. Nothing elegant but maybe successful.

2002-07-21T23:50:00.000-04:00

Problem solved . . . sort of Of course, it was like a trip in the wayback machine.

I reasoned that there was no way the a major printer manufacturer would not care if their driver worked properly for Macs. So, I had to make it work and then figure out what waas preventing it from working in the first place. All good Mac people know where this is headed . . . extension conflict. I don't think I've chased down a conflict since system 7. But there was no getting around it. So, I sat there, and worked my way through the dozens of extensions, adding some and rebooting and testing. Of course, in hindsight, I should have reasoned with it and figured out who made the crappiest extensions and that'd likely be the culprit. I woud have been right. And who was it?

Kodak, of course.

I already knew that their Mac software sucked but I didn't think about it. And of course, its not any of the camera drivers, which I've removed from the system because I don't need camera drivers because of the spiffy new card reader. You can see this coming from a mile away, can't you. Yup. The card reader. Damn. I was really happy with it, works with CompactFlash, SmartMedia and MMC. Now, what to do.

Well, I sent off emails to Kodak tech support which I actually have a micron of faith in. That's better than none. In the meantime, I created two different extension sets and will have to tolerate rebooting to use the card reader or the printer depending on the circumstance.

I wonder if OSX would solve the problem? Hmmmmmmmm.

2002-07-19T12:12:00.000-04:00

Arrrgh!

On a somewhat lighter note . . . my new printer is f***-ed.

My Kodak PM200 gave up the ghost recently. I checked into invoking the warranty but it was beyond the time and I didn't feel right about 'pushing' on it, mostly because it was a freebie, a perk from work. Also, I'd come to discover that it wasn't a great printer, slow as hell and while it had a cool added feature, functioning as a card reader, it was actually not a good card reader, quirky and slow and sometime hung up my Mac, etc. So, when it died, I kind of said, 'too bad, so sad' and happily went about replacing it.

I bought a new card reader, (from Kodak) much faster and versatile. Then I started to look for a printer. This took a while because of the extensive research phase. I finally settled on an Epson C80 and got a great deal on eBay ($122 including shipping!). It arrived last night and after getting the kids to bed, I started to unpack and set it up. After doing everything down to the letter, according to the instructions, I get it installed and loaded and test the inks and all. Everything is golden. I attempt to test print a picture for Lara and blammo, booom, bomb. Lose my photoshop file and all. Reboot, etc. I can open Page Setup, but not the Customize field. Don't even think about hitting the Print command. Crap. I emailed Epson last night, about midnight. They replied quickly, 10AM this morning. They are suggested complete uninstall and reinstall. Recall that I did everything exactly according to their instructions.

But, I will comply, under protest and great skepticism. Of course, it's Friday so it's likely I won't be able to get any more support till Monday. Losers.

2002-07-17T13:19:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's true. It's been noted that I apologize for writing on serious topics. It's true. Sorry. ;-) Hah. I am not sure exactly why. I guess its that generally I think blogs ought to be lighter in spirit, and the occasional heavy topic may seem a bit intense. Sort of like going to a movie expecting a romantic comedy and instead getting a documentary on the Holocaust or something.

2002-07-17T09:52:00.000-04:00

Embedded deeply, inextricably embedded.

I noticed the other day that a male co-worker had changed his hairstyle. Somewhat drastically for what I thought was a conservative guy, a programmer, not a designer-type. Almost jokingly, I asked him about it and if there was a woman involved in the change. Of course there was, he even pointed to her in a picture on his desk. In the course of the discussion, I learned that this woman was the new girlfriend. I said, I didn't think he was married, he happily replied that he is, but he's getting un-married. Another coworker confirmed this, apparently, it's been a popular topic of discussion amongst them. Clearly, divorce was a good thing in this case.

Now, I am not passing judgement on any of the parties involved here. I know absolutely nothing about the circumstances. More personally, Lara's and my parents are the poster children for divorce, between them all, there's about 8 failed marriages. So, I can't condemn anyone for choosing that path.

What's so surprising to me, is how incredibly far off course my own situation would have to be to get to that point. That's what I mean by 'embedded', that's how I feel, like my whole existence is all fit together in a neat (well, not so neat but...) little package and everything fits just so, unpacking and rearranging it is almost inconceivable. In the co-workers case, I think its a pretty simple cut. In my parents case, it was a pretty complicated, messy situation. Obviously, with children involved, it's alot more complicated but that just goes to show just how bad the parties involved must feel to reach the end of that rope. Before the kids, Lara and I would have arguments that would reach the divorce threat stage. After the kids, that level of 'brinksmanship' became more remote, beyond reality, like the US-Soviet cold war nuclear threat, its there but no ones nuts enough to get to that point. I suppose this is a good thing, the idea of scrapping everything being that far afield. It almost makes me ill to imagine that course of events culminating in legal proceedings and the continued stilted interactions with the kids and family, etc. for the rest of your life.

Again, I am not condemning anyone who end up down that road. In fact, I think it's more of a deep sorrow for what had to have been an absolutely hellish experience.

Sorry for getting weird and heavy on everyone.

2002-07-15T22:06:00.000-04:00

Going in Circles? Not me, Lara. At least, she hopes she will be.

Y'know how sometimes your spouse will ask you do them a favor, like go downstairs to get a drink, or go to the store to get them a special snack or whatever? Well, yesterday, I did that sort of favor for Lara. I got up at 4:30 am and caught a 6am flight to Baltimore in order to drive a treadmill back up to Rochester. About a 7 hour schlep up Rt. 15 and we all know how fun that can be. It really wasn't too bad, it went pretty quick and compared to schlepping to CapeCod with the babies, it was almost a pleasure. The pre-trip planning and logistics was getting a bit tiresome, there must have been 20 hours of discussion about how to get the trip worked out. I can't really complain, though, because all I had to do was the flying and driving, no thinking whatsoever was required on my part, that's my kind of trip.

I got back to Rachacha about 3 in the afternoon, did some unloading and preparing for the moving of the big stuff (treadmill, couch pieces, futon rack) and then we zipped to the Wegs and back, and made and scarfed down dinner. Immediately after, I got back to the tasks and then the troops arrived for the worst of the job.

We owe a huge debt of gratitude and thanks to Jenny, Aaron, Matt and Tony, for coming over and doing all the heavy lifting. The couch pieces weren't bad, but the treadmill was bulky and weighed a ton. Fortunately, its gots wheels so the only hard parts were lifting it into the house and lowering it down the basement steps. Minimal disassembly required and thankfully, it went back together sans problems

2002-07-15T21:53:00.000-04:00

Fixed it! I am not so sure I am in love with my hosting service. (Of course, if you're looking for a host, mention my name when you sign up and I get a free year of service) Mostly through luck, I discovered that the problem with the homepage of Hannahandhersisters.com had to do with the .shtml extension. Of course, I've been using the page for 2 months and it's worked perfectly and then sometime this weekend it decides to stop working. I changed nothing but somehow, it seems that Netscape won't recognize the shtml file extension, IE doesn't seem to mind. Usually its the other way 'round, with IE being finicky and NS being more tolerant. Or is that Macs are more forgiving and PCs are more demanding? Whatever. Either way, I realized the problem and simply reset the mime types on the server and viola!

Good thing, too, because I'd have gone nuts trying to figure it out.

But who f***ed up the settings? "Not I", said the fly.

2002-07-15T13:59:00.000-04:00

Dagnabit! Something went wacky with Hannahandhersisters. Not sure what but it works on PC, but not on Netscape for Macs...hmmmm?

2002-07-08T00:08:00.000-04:00

Back. Yeah, I'm back. But not what I'd call rested and relaxed and rejuvenated. Not that I expected to be. Vacation with infants is an oxymoron. They don't know that there nothing to get to so they get up just as early. Leah is definitely showing the signs of being an early riser. Yikes. Actually, the babies did pretty well considering the circumstances and Hannah was an angel 99% of the time. I can't give a recounting of the trip, it's basically a blur but I can make some general comments: bless the person who invented the portable VCR. H was perfect on both trips and surprisingly didn't spend the entire time staring at the screen but it provided just enough distraction to keep her going. The babies slept most of the way, there were only a few short stretches where we prayed for a rest stop. If you're thinking about building a house in CapeCod, spring the extra bucks for the AC. Lara's aunts house was very nice, comfortable, well located, reasonably close to the beach, but it was unseasonably hot and we were forced to flee the house in the afternoons. Grownups were okay but the babies became insufferable and I can hardly blame them. Once into the car and the AC on, they were content to gurgle and sleep. Lara and I did a great driving tour of part of the Cape this way and talked about return trips and possibility of buying a house here sometime in the future. VERY distant future, property values are positively insane there. Most of what we saw was not what I think of as beach town, it's hilly and treed. Provincetown is more what of what I think of, I grew up with Eastern Shore beach towns. We loved Provincetown, the locals loved the twins. I saw lots of tshirts that I'd love to own but couldn't wear to work. Food was very expensive almost everywhere and we never got to enjoy a meal, every time was a struggle with fussy babies, long waits, overheated rooms, etc. And such a joy to pay such money to shovel it in. A couple meals I actually didn't even eat, Hannah had some of it and I took the rest home and never ate it. We did get some R&R time, the babies actually slept reasonably well some nights and naps. Lara took H to the beach and I lounged around the house and porch, reading and waiting for the babes to wake. All in all, I can't really complain. I set VERY low expectations for this trip. I think it was somewhat unnerving to Lara, I had virtually no agenda items at all and was agreeable to doing absolutely anything. Stay in? Go out? Whatever. Run to the grocery? OK. Whatever. Very unlike me.

2002-06-24T23:00:00.000-04:00

Cheap Sunglasses . . . not!

Here ya go, Squib! Sorry, not posting a pic of me in them, though I suspect that after vacation I will post some pics and there's sure to be one with me in it and I hope to be needing shades the whole time.

This pic is actually a bit photoshopped to show the lenses because the OO sunglasses have mysteriously vanished from the Oakley site. I did find them still in the prescription glasses area but I had to fakey the lenses. Cool to know that I could get prescription lenses for them. The lens color is called Red Iridium, they're a reflective purplish color though they don't create a purple cast to the view. The red/purple is just in the coating. The frames are quite detailed, tapered and little 'O' indents, etc. There are small areas on the temples that are carbon fiber, though I have no idea why.

I've had a couple pairs of Oakleys in the past, but nothing this nice. Somewhat of an indulgence but I'm worth it. ;-) Hah.

2002-06-23T12:22:00.000-04:00

They're here! my new Oakley's that is. Finally. I was starting to get antsy that I was getting ripped off on eBay but they're here now. The seller was not being at all communicative but he'd already shipped them off so I suppose he figured I'd relax when they got here. Goods delivered as promised. Lara's not wild about them but she said 'whatever makes you happy'. I think she was more pleased when she saw what these suckers sell for at retail.

I also finally won an auction for the walkie talkies. I am especially pleased because I paid less than I've ever seen an auction end at for this particular model. Slightly smaller than most and slightly newer model. The shipping cost was steep to me but given how little I paid in the auction, I think I came out well. I am noticing lots of similar product for more $ in retail so I feel somewhat validated for the effort and patience of working through at least 2 dozen auctions before finally winning this one.

Lara has banned me from any further eBay action.

2002-06-19T16:18:00.000-04:00

Obsessed with eBay. I haven't blogged in a while because all wasted computer time has been spent perusing eBay. The whole male/female shopping mentality thing is interesting. Supposedly, we shop differently based on gender, at least generally speaking. I would agree to that basically. I hate shopping, its not fun and it seems like a waste of time. Unless I am targeted towards a particular product. So, shopping online is more my style. I actually enjoy shopping when I know what I want to buy, at least generally and then I need to find the 'right' thing and/or the right price. Those two factors are intertwined and extremely subtley nuanced. Just ask Jenny or Lara, they can tell how weird, convoluted and over-worked my purchase decision making process is. Another major factor about me and shopping is that I am inherently cheap. I will spend plenty of money and I like quality and certain brands, etc. but I need to feel that I am getting a good deal on whatever I am buying. So, eBay presents a vast horizon of possibilities where variety, quality and value all blend in a delightfully confusing way.

My recent quest was for a pair of Oakley sunglasses. Those things are seriously expensive but I think they're a quality product so I am willing to pay more than I will for cheap sunglasses. But I can't tolerate the retail prices and I hate to force my selection by the price. Enter eBay, where the price is somewhat driven by the retail price but other factors weigh in. I was willing to consider a few styles, a few colors of frames and lenses. I also don't need them today. That flexibility allows one to shop eBay with some intelligence. I think I like that part of eBay as well. Knowledge of the product and its value is in effect rewarded.

I am also shopping around for a pair of those Motorola walkie-talkies. Lara has decided we don't need them, but I am still unconvinced. I am willing to drop around $20-30 to find out. Originally, the things were hundreds of dollars apiece. Now, you can get the newest, cheapest model for $15 apiece. I want somewhat better features than the barebones model, but I don't need the top of the line. Again, that flexibility, along with a strict price limit, make eBay an entertaining way to shop.

Pathetic maybe, but that's me.

2002-06-14T09:59:00.000-04:00

Now where'd I put that ark? Man, it's rainin' here! I was lying in bed last night, listening to babies fussing when it started. It built up with such intensity, I was hoping it would distract the babes and help them sleep but no such luck. This morning I told Hannah it rained so hard it started as water but turned to cats and dogs. She said "No, that was thunder." One of the daycare providers backed up my story, even adding that she heard elephants, too. Hannah was quite amused. The single worst thing about rainy mornings is getting the wee ones into daycare without getting soaked. The whole process is already complicated enough without the added difficulty of rain. After being sick awhile back, I'd switched to using the stroller. More steps involved but less strenuous and actually probably a bit quicker. Loading up the stroller in the rain would mean letting things stand out in the pounding rain. I was spared this quandry when I discovered that Lara had the stroller in the van. So I had to sprint about 100 yards, in the rain, carrying both carseats, bottle bag over my shoulder, Hannah trailing behind in her Disney rain poncho. My hood blew back about 3 steps in, and I ran the rest of the way with my head getting soaked. What a morning.

2002-06-12T22:42:00.000-04:00

I'm sorry but I just had to post this ...

oh, this is just so wrong...

Someone asked me about the wonderful t-shirt design I posted and I went looking for the link to send them. I hadn't bookmarked it so I had to do a search and somewhere along the way I stumbled across the item shown here. I sort of doubt the one I found originally is a licensed Sanrio product but you never know...

Want one for yourself or perhaps for a loved one? I also found one on eBay and this one looks alot more legit. I don't think it comes with any attachments (the one I found did) but when you've got Hello Kitty, do you really need them?

2002-06-12T21:53:00.000-04:00

Too busy to 'blog? Sadly so. I was booked in meetings today from 10 straight through till 3 and most of the time, the discussions were contentious, intense and sometimes downright aggravating. What fun.

2002-06-10T21:46:00.000-04:00

Did I say funny? I meant to say expensive!

Whoa, I went and looked through more pages from the site I linked to just below. Lordy. The idea for the stuff is weird and funny and I could imagine owning a wearing a shirt from the collection. (if they made a men's line, and only a shirt, not pants) but then I looked at the prices, They're in Euros and Deutschemarcs (sp?) so I had to run them through a converter.

The cheapest thing was a t-shirt, it was over $500. This outfit was something like $5,000!

BTW, you can thank me that I didn't show a front view...

2002-06-10T15:06:00.000-04:00

Ummmmm......yeah..... ohhh-kay.....

This is funny. Funny strange. Not funny haha.

2002-06-10T09:33:00.000-04:00

Congratulations Cindy and John!

All of our best wishes for your future lives together. Sorry we couldn't be there with you in person, but we were there in spirit.

Post pics and stories ASAP, please!

2002-06-10T09:25:00.000-04:00

painfully accurate...what can I say...

not all the time, but there are times when this is a delightfully accurate portrait of me. The hairs spikier, fuller and a lighter shade than my own, but the rest is pretty much right on... The ammo belt stands in well for the murse, I wish I had a shirt like this, but I'd get my ass kicked if I did...

2002-06-07T16:14:00.000-04:00

The Gadget has arrived. It's not quite as versatile as I had hoped it would be. The hardware is as cool as I could hope for. It would be slightly nicer if it had a concave indentation for a finger tip to rest in, but otherwise, it's quite sweet. The software interface is not as good, its basically a keyboard shortcut device. Applescripting would allow more versatility but I am not a hacker so I will have to see if I can scavenge any cool scripts for it...

2002-06-04T09:39:00.000-04:00

So wrong it's right I stumbled across this design that is available on a t-shirt. Translation: "I'm proud of my big root" Gee, really? Y'think so? The terrible thing is that I really like the quality of the design, it's clean and clever. It's actually printed in white ink on a black t-shirt. I'd bet that you could walk down the street with it and 90% of the people wouldn't even notice or figure it out. The problem is the 10% who do get it, and of course, anyone who can read japanese.

2002-06-04T00:27:00.000-04:00

Workin' hard, hardly workin' Uh oh, I've jinxed myself. I was just about to write that the baby sleep thing was improving and now I hear one of them stirring. Nooooooooooo. Oh, maybe she's just wigglin' and right back to sleep.

The in-laws are back in town tonight. I have been a good boy and very pleasant, exceptionally, if I say so myself.

I have been workin' like a banshee around the house. I am confident that I am winning the Dandelion war. That aspect of the lawn is going well. The rest sucks but I am confident that I will have a decent patch o' turf by next year. These things take time and I haven't that much of it to give. On the plus side, that will prevent me from possibly trying to speed up the process and as a result, overdoing it and making things worse in different ways. After mowing, I ran the trimmer over the bits of grass popping up between the walkway stones. I hadn't done that since we moved in to this house. They looked amazingly better, good enough to make me lose steam around replacing them with stamped, colored concrete which I've wanted to do for months.

I did one slightly crazy thing tonight. At 8:30, after babies were in bed, I got out the extension ladder and went up on the roof to attempt to fix the little decorative cupola thing on top of the garage. I fixed one part but didn't have the right nails to fix the other piece that fell off. More importantly, I didn't want to screw around up there any longer than absolutely necessary. I am not afraid of heights, but I give the roof (and the potential injury) a great deal of cautious respect. A patient of Lara's, who is a roofing contractor, says "People who don't work on roofs should stay off of them." He's right.

2002-06-03T09:55:00.000-04:00

Jammer Oh, I want one of these.

2002-05-29T15:26:00.000-04:00

Help?! Anyone understand how to use the SSI crap with blog archives? The new Hannah pages needs help...

2002-05-29T09:26:00.000-04:00

Eeeewwwwwwwwwww... Sarah's tale of pool yuck brings me back... I too can relate to the joys of opening the pool for the season. Such fond memories. One year, the neighbors big dumb dog decided to take a walk on our pool cover. I wished I'd had a camera handy that day.

But I digress, the title of today's blog refers to an event that occurred way back when my family had a Japanese garden pond. It held about 600 gallons of water, goldfish, lilypads, toads, algae and miscellaneous scum. When well maintained, it was beautiful. Part of the process of maintenance was the annual drain and muck. We'd catch all the fish and put them in a large clean trashcan filled with the clearest water we could drain out. Then we'd drain the rest of the nasty water with a hose leading to the end of the driveway and then put on rubber boots and shovel out the nastiest stuff on earth, which took hours. Anyway, as the water drained, it'd get darker and darker and stinkier and stinkier. We'd had the hose running for several hours and we were hanging around in the driveway when some guy we didn't know, riding his bike, stopped and reached for the hose. From here, it goes into slow-motion, like a movie. We all froze in horror for a moment as we began to process in our minds what he was doing. Then we all started to shout and rush towards him but the no sound came out and we moved like we were in molasses. "noooooooooo' we shouted but it was too late. He took a big swig from the hose, wiped his face with his arm and then kept on going down the street.

That was more than 20 years ago and I remember it like it was yesterday.

2002-05-24T09:25:00.000-04:00

Behind the mask.... lurks a pathetic 20-something hoping to get a better gig next summer...

Oh, Tina, Tina, Tina... trust me, Pluto could see just fine. We took H to DisneyWorld last summer so we took in the full character experience, breakfasts and all. What's most disturbing to me are the adults with no kids in tow who go to Disney almost entirely just to meet the characters and get their AUTOGRAPHS. Please, people, get some therapy.

The character gig is actually quite coveted as these kids are hoping to further show biz careers and the line on the resume doesn't hurt. It's got to be a reality-warping experience, though. There are specific rules about how they can act and such. The characters with masks DO NOT speak, but in some cases, they can communicate through another character that is not masked. The other weird thing we saw was 2 20-something guys having breakfast and chatting up Mary Poppins and Alice in Wonderland, scamming for dates we assumed. So, when Hannah got to talk to Mary Poppins, we asked about the guys. Totally in character, she responded that they were friends and that she and Alice were friends, and that they all double-dated, etc. The real person / character dynamic is very weird. The Mad Hatter was acting annoying to Mary Poppinsm which is his job but her annoyance was not acting, but real. We were quite amused when she muttered under her breath to us about what a pain he was.

2002-05-23T15:20:00.000-04:00

Sometimes non biodegradable is a good thing You wouldn't want to dump this stuff in a landfill but for my purposes, it makes alot of sense. The more I read about it, the more I like the idea. I'd never even heard of it before yesterday, but apparently it's already in widespread use.

2002-05-22T15:46:00.000-04:00

I can see the light! Praise the lawd! Praise the lawd!

And I guess the tree guys, too. They did a pretty good job as far as I can tell. I might have had them cut a bit more if I was there when they did the job, but still. It's a vast improvement, we can even notice a difference in the amount of afternoon sun that comes inside as well as reaches the grass around the trees. Along with the weed and feed application and moss pellets, I am optimistically hoping for the best. The lawn is not something you can fix or improve fast. It's 'do a little, wait a little'. Most of the dandelions look limp and withered but there are a few that are still looking too robust. I may go around and hit them with some spot application of the stuff. I am trying to avoid that level of handwork but it may be inevitable. I am waffling about attacking the grubs and dead patches too quickly. Clearing and seeding is a major task and one I need to be sure I have the bandwidth to fully undertake before I begin...

So many other tasks to undertake as well. I am looking into getting a neighbors swingset moved to our backyard for Hannah and the babes. I need to learn more about creating a suitable ground cover for the area. Some sort of containment, pressure treated 4x4s maybe, and about 6 inches of mulch or light gravel or wood chips or something. We never had this sort of thing as a kid but I guess there were too many injuries from falls so now they make you paranoid about backyard safety. It's not a law, but the guilt police will be ruthless if something were to happen...

2002-05-20T15:31:00.000-04:00

Ketchup! so, let's see...

The wee ones are still not sleeping through the night, so we are still terminally sleep deprived but our bodies are apparently adjusting to it. I have a certain feeling that I will never sleep through the night ever again anyway. Apparently, certain effects of male aging coincide well with the nightly ferrying of babies. It goes something like this: I get up, fetch and deliver a wailer, make a pitstop, go back to bed. Get up a little while later and repeat.

The little ones are getting cuter and more fun everyday. They are getting more able to self-sustain and self-entertain so we get a bit more of a window of opportunity to do things like cook and straighten up around the house in the evening. One pleasant result is that I can actually take a moment to take pictures of them. I still need to go through and edit and post but there are pictures to edit so that's a step in the right direction. They're getting more photogenic too so I have gotten some images worth sharing, well at least with other parents...

Another clear evidence of the slow return to normalcy is that I am working on the lawn. I am definitely not in possession of a green thumb and I don't harbor a serious case of 'lawn envy' but I do feel some level of guilt and/or obligation to my neighbors to maintain a presentable lawn. And mowing is a step by step torturous review of the trouble spots, of which there are plenty. In various places I've got: dandelions, moss, sowthistle, clover, grubs, small rodent damage, hardpacked soil, sinkholes, eroded top soil, deep shade, exposed tree roots, etc. etc. It's a mess. If I could, I'd rip out the entire thing and start over. But I can't, so I must attempt to make slow, steady progress.

On a related front, the tree guys came today. I wasn't home so Lara had to deal with them. It was not a reassuring experience, they seemed somewhat clueless about what they were supposed to be doing. I am half looking forward to and half dreading going home tonight to see what they've done.

2002-05-13T11:55:00.000-04:00

What a crappy day. Just the weather, I mean.

2002-05-09T15:15:00.000-04:00

Can't upload and you should all be glad. For some reason, like I never use them anymore, I can't seem to get access to my free server site where I store images for this blog. I wanted to upload an image of a house centipede. Oh, how I despise these creatures. Do you know what I'm talking about? I thought these creatures were silverfish, but a web search revealed that I wwas completely wrong. There is a millipede with about a million tiny, tiny lil stubby legs that you can barely see underneath the body, and there's the centipede, a sort of cute little guy with about 30 slightly longer, but still stubby legs and then there's the 'house centipede' with 30 long, spindly legs that surround the sliver of its body like a splayed out grass skirt. Oh, how I hate these creatures!

There must be some proportional creep out response to the length and number of legs a creature has. These things make my skin crawl like nothing else on earth.

2002-05-09T10:05:00.000-04:00

Is it too much to ask? Is service dead?

No, it's just lazy, slow and late arriving.

I called a tree service company to get an estimate for some work around the house, trimming trees, grinding stumps, etc. The phone people were intense about getting the appt. time set up (6pm) and even called to verify the day before. We were sort of impressed, these sorts of companies are usually incredibly slack about scheduling, etc. Then, they call in the middle of the day and say they're coming early, (around 4). Not a big problem, Lara's home anyway but she rejigs her plans to accommodate them. Again, we're somewhat impressed by their efficiency and communication. Then the guy doesn't show and they call to say he'll come at the original time. Something of a pain, since we've rearranged schedule but we'll manage. Then, 6pm comes and goes and nothing, nada, zip. We call at 6:15 and they say he'll call back ASAP, he's n his way. 6:45, nothing. He eventually showed up at 7:15.

He apologizes, yeah, yeah, and cuts his estimate down a bit for it.

Should I even give him my business?

2002-05-09T09:57:00.000-04:00

Progress? Well, sometimes a well timed grumble gets results.

Person 1 apologized for the 'mishap', asked me to resubmit the request, hand carried it for approval. Person 3 already submitted it and I spoke with the actual order fulfillment people.

I may yet get the gadget.

2002-05-06T15:33:00.000-04:00

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....I had a feeling I was getting BS'ed and I was right....

A while back I discovered this totally cool gadget. (Jenny thinks it's stupid, but....) I wrote up a properly BS loaded request to buy one,all sorts of reasons why we need to get one and investigate its possible productivity enhancement potential and it's a whopping $45. I put the order in, along with an agreement to do a rushed request to research and order a new scanner for the department, for which they give us a 'skys the limit, well, sort of...' budget. So, what happens? Sure enough, scanner arrives in a matter of days, I'm amazed (I expected it to take weeks) but figure things are looking good for the gadget. A few days later, I ask Person 1, who gave me the scanner request and agreed to push through my gadget order, about said gadget. Her response: "Uhhhh, I dunno... check with, uhhhh, Person 2." who's conveniently out for a week. Upon their return, they say, "Uhhhhh, check with Person 3" who brilliantly concludes that she has no record of the order submission at all (after looking in the same three places 3 or 4 times before I walk away) and then yells down the hall to me, "Check with Person 1" which is where I was already headed, and who starts to say "uhhhhh, check with person 2" before I cut her off with a distinct 'Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr' and walk away...

Did I forget to say 'Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr"

2002-05-06T15:29:00.000-04:00

Squibaddition Added Squib to the sidenav. Must not be too busy, or maybe not too concerned with deadlines, etc.

2002-05-06T09:03:00.000-04:00

I amaze even myself with my ability to defeat all systems designed to protect me from myself.

I have a knack for killing car batteries.

This morning, warm and sunny, my car battery was dead again. You can't leave the lights on, so you have to be clever to kill the battery in the Subaru. I think I (or someone) left the door ajar enough to keep the little light on all weekend. Of course, I couldn't find the jumper cables and I can't 'roll-start' the car since it's an automatic, so I call a neighbor at 8am to beg for cables. Pathetic.

2002-04-30T22:15:00.000-04:00

Hi Squib! Forgot to mention that I finally got to meet Squibnocket last week. Such fun! I'd neveer met an internet friend before, it was a great first. I guess I had enough lead-in info from reading and Jenny's comments, that it wasn't totally a disconnect from preconceptions. Hannah was along for the ride and she enjoyed meeting Squib, too. We have our fridge mags up and Hannah points at them all the time and shouts "Squib!". I think she likes the name. Squib, of course, made a great impression on H and really played it right. When she's shy, you have to insist on breaking through with a hug and it worked perfect. Thanks, Squib!

For whatever weird reason, I never put a Squib link on my 'friends' list, as she wasn't "my" friend, but Jenny's. Not anymore I suppose. I haven't changed the link yet but I'm gonna. Whaddayalookinat? Ahmworkinonit!

2002-04-30T22:09:00.000-04:00

Not Dead Yet though we felt like we were gettin' close.

(There's actually a website with that URL, but it's not a funny site)

Lara and I have both been seriously ill for the past several days. She started first and whatever it was, she gave it to me. Fortunately, none of the kids got it. Some sort of non-strep tonsillitis sort of thing. Raging fevers, bad bad tonsil swelling, headaches, aches, weak, bad bad bad, And I already have some seriously huge tonsils so any swelling in my throat is major trouble. After 5 days, I wasn't getting any better so I begged for a consult with an ENT but of course, I was probably slowly improving by the time got into his office for him to torture me. I have a really quick, not easily supressed gag reflex and he tested it no less than a half dozen times. Hannah was tapping me on the arm and asking me questions about what he was doing the whole time. Fun.

Anyway, I have finally turned the corner and reentered the land of the living.

Lara's aunt came over from Buffalo on Friday night and spent Saturday with H whcih really saved our butts. We sent a gift to her before she'd made it back home, that's how grateful we were.

2002-04-17T10:56:00.000-04:00

Anarchy and chaos are still the ruling orders in our house but we are learning to cope. Micio (the cat), on the other hand, is not. He's had some behavior issues (peeing on our bed 3 times so far) that we had to assume were health related. He's such a laid back and easy going cat, we figured any incidents had to be medical in nature. Well, a round of antibiotics, 2 lab test and an X-ray reveal almost nothing. There is some problem, but no cause can be found. The vet thinks it's stress. Can't really argue with that one. Why should the cat be exempt. Kitty doses of Paxil is the suggested treatment if we are up to the task.

2002-04-15T14:48:00.000-04:00

and breathe.... What an anti-climax. I went through the wringer about this trip and now it's cancelled.

2002-04-15T10:39:00.000-04:00

Self-conscious? Well, I was the only one to show up in a robe. I think it went over well.

I may be somewhat hypersensitive in this area. One Halloween, I showed up to work in costume and NO ONE else did. I felt like such a leper.

2002-04-15T08:57:00.000-04:00

Goof Alert! Today is 'comfort day'. Sort of like a downscaled jammy day. I wanted to support the idea. I wore my Stegmanns, no socks, fleece pants, and even brought in my very heavy terrycloth robe.

I feel like such a goof.

2002-04-12T16:30:00.000-04:00

The irony . . . the irony . . .

After yesterdays 'blog... this morning, a project manager asked me to go on a business trip to an agency next week. I did a similar trip when the babes were about 8 weeks old. I said yes then because the project is huge and I want to be involved. I tenatively agreed this time, and Lara was really miffed. I can't blame her. Clearly, we (as a couple) need to collectively agree on where our goals and priorities are going. A co-worker who has twins told me before Leah and Olivia were born, quote: "someone's career gonna suffer". Sort of a doom and gloom statement I tried to ignore especially since I knew it would be mine, before it was Lara's.

So, today, push came to shove. We ended up discussing, arguing, going round and round all the way through lunch while I was on my cellphone, standing on the porch area of Empire Brewery while my coworkers sat inside, discussing why I was out there, sort of embarrassing.

Ultimately, we struck a compromise, less time away than initially suggested so I can help with the babies, but more inconvenient times for me to travel (and a higher cost to benefit for the company but they can handle it). Another coworker/parent of young 'uns gave me some good advice and a clear perspective which really helped.

Weird, huh?

2002-04-11T22:37:00.000-04:00

Lazy or just plain beat down? In Daniela's comments, she noted that she's been working incredibly long hours lately. I hope she's getting properly compensated for this. Kristen busts her butt at work, too. Lots of others people I know do, too. Way back when, I did it, too. Not anymore. Am I lazy? beat down and old? I like to think not. I prefer to think that I have my priorities right. Not saying that others are wrong, it's just not right for me. Arguably, I 'work' just as hard, I just don't get compensated in the same way. It's not like I really ever imagined that parenting would be so great and rewarding and all that, it's just that it's alot more rewarding than work ever was. Maybe I am not so great at work, so the success was never that tangible or significant. In many ways, I am actually doing my best work, career-wise, now, to boot. If I wasn't married with kids, I'd be able to do more at work, but I wouldn't be here at all, and I would never have been motivated enough to even get here. Not sure that says much for my work ethic or drive or whatever but that wouldn't be far from the truth. Before Lara, I was really just cruising through life.

Whew, where'd that come from. Sorry to get so philosophical but I guess it's late.

2002-04-11T09:59:00.000-04:00

Ewwwwwwww...

slash fiction is basically erotic fan fiction, normally TV series based, pairing off two (er or more I suppose) members of the same sex who don't normally couple for the cameras. From the "/" mark in the middle of "Kirk/Spock" or "K/S" fiction, which is where it all started. ("But Spock," said Kirk, huskily, realising, finally, irrevocably, what his true self had been trying to tell him ever since the beginning of season one, "it's so huge. And it's green." "And it would be logical for you to... touch it, Captain," said Spock.

God, if I had the time to waste, I'd find a better way to waste it. Hell, home taxidermy sounds better than this.

2002-04-11T09:48:00.000-04:00

Goin' South Heard on the radio this morning that Wegmans' announced plans to open 3 new stores, 1 north of Baltimore and 2 in the NoVa area. Nona will flip when we tell her! Do you hear me, DC area residents? Your QoL (Quality of Life) has just increased significantly. Lucky b******s!

2002-04-10T16:01:00.000-04:00

Apparently, it's worse than I thought. Tim is suggesting that Jenny find some way to make a record of the inane topics of discussion that I bring up. That I bring them up is not the problem for Tim, it's that I have given the topic such thought and energy of opinion that concerns him.

I thought that's what this 'blog was for.

I suppose this makes a good argument for putting more time into the 'blog, as the mental energy was still being expended, just in a different direction. Arguably, the actual discussion is alot more fun, the dialog is more satisfying than merely silently ranting while pounding on the keyboard.

2002-04-08T15:06:00.000-04:00

Balm Tina and Jenny have a thing for luxurious skincare products. There's something about the indulgence for oneself that's integral to the idea. Without slinging wild overgeneralizations, it's a girl thing. I have, on occasion, indulged in some personal grooming luxuries, but they're almost always 'shared' with Lara.
Like everything I buy, I have some crazy, lengthy, unwritten series of criteria to consider before actually making a purchase. Recently, I discovered a skincare indulgence that I can get behind without more than a quick consideration: Nivea Aftershave Balm. Perfect. It's basic, indulgent but not extravagant. Unscented, not outrageously expensive and commonly available at the Wegmans. Pathetic perhaps but it works for me.

2002-04-08T14:47:00.000-04:00

Try again at 'blogging. Actually, I am not that busy at work presently, but 'blogging has become something between irrelevant and overwhelming. Got to keep it simple. Will try again. Between the babies at home and the shift in project focus at work, I haven't felt liking being expressive about my thoughts. I hate to admit, but I have even been slack at reading others 'blogs. Not entirely, but not as consistent as I had been.
No more. I will post more frequently, though probably more briefly and more inanely.

2002-03-11T09:32:00.000-05:00

I'm Tired I am really tired. I don't think I have ever been this tired in my life. Even grad school was a cakewalk compared to this. I am pretty good at being sleep deprived but I am reaching the end of that limit. I have not had a decent nights sleep in about 4 months. This is not tired like I did too much this weekend, its a more pervasive tired. The sort of tired that will need a long time to recover from. Sadly, I don't imagine that that will ever occur. Even when the babies sleep through the night, there will still be endless early mornings, middle of the night crises to be resolved and non-stop weekends. Being at work is probably the calmest, most peaceful part of my day. Pathetic.

Lara, of course, is probably even worse off than me. She had 8 weeks off but its not like she was sitting on the beach, sipping lemonade. She's almost as sleep deprived and enduring far more physical effects of this whole process.

2002-03-04T09:57:00.000-05:00

Crap. Back at work.

I have been at home the past two weeks playing Mr. Mom. It was somewhat easier than I expected, the girls were fairly cooperative. But I wouldn't want to do it full-time. I have great respect for stay-at-home moms, it's harder than it looks and staying sane and functional is a daily goal. If you don't get yourself cleaned up first thing in the morning, you won't get it done all day. Not a good precedent.

So, now I am back and hopefully I can return to blogging with some sense of perspective and my usual bitterness and cynicism.

2002-02-06T14:01:00.000-05:00

Which drink are you?
Whatever the hell that means... but the description is dead on.

Check out the glass this thing is served in...oh, and it's made with: Gin, Dry Vermouth, Maraschino Liqueur, Bitters (yeah, that's me alright.)

2002-02-01T10:22:00.000-05:00

Master of my own domain but not in the Seinfeld way.

After getting so sick of repeating and attempting to explain the URL to the Hannah Homepage, we finally checked into registering our own domain. The one we wanted was taken but the owner wasn't using it and the registration had expired. I ratted him out to internic and they yanked it out from under him. So, we grabbed it. Check it out!

www.hannahandhersisters.com

It's a brutally long URL but it's apt and it's easy to remember. Currently, it's just forwarding to the existing Hannah Homepage hosted by Roadrunner but that will soon be changing. I will put a forwarding message on the current page when that happens!

2002-01-29T11:27:00.000-05:00

Disgusting but inevitable
Jenny is right, I did immediately s***can the idea of PB slices. Personally, I think they'll be disgusting and not at all appetizing. The consistency of a cheese food slice is so nasty. Many have commented on the ease of construction of a PB&J sandwich that these things will provide. I would agree, but I never seem to have this problem with the current form of PB. I think the issue isn't actually the PB, it's the sad, sorry, structure of processed white bread. Try using a thick toasted slide of decent hearty bread instead.

But I digress.

The sad truth is that while I find these things repulsive, I will bet that Hannah (and perhaps her sisters as well) will find them irresistible and I will be forced to purchase and use them. I must agree that they will probably make PB&J sandwiches a no muss, no fuss process.

Hmmm, new idea: make Hannah make her own lunch. Yeah, now we're talking QoL (Quality of Life) improvement

2002-01-29T09:09:00.000-05:00

A little motivation is a dangerous thing We really like our house, but we are constantly looking to change and improve it. The 'big' project, the one we know we won't do for years, is the kitchen. We've discussed lots of possible plans, nothing ever seemed like the right solution, so it was easy to put the whole project off. We've always said it will have to wait about 8 years, till the student loans are paid off. Well, things change. We've gotten closer to a clear mental model of what would work and that makes waiting that much harder. It's not like we broke out the sledgehammer and started knocking over walls, but there's been a change in the tone of the discussion from fictional to factual. Enough so, that we'll watch our neighbors addition go up with a closer eye and probably talk to their architect before they're done. Thats a whole lot sooner than 8 years.

Of course, we have no idea how we'd pay for it.

2002-01-28T14:32:00.000-05:00

It's not the burning, it's the itching but in this case, it's:

It's not the 3am diaper changing that's killing me, it's the screaming. For whatever reason, Olivia screams like you're poking her with a hot stick when you change her diaper. She has 2 volume settings: off and 11.

2002-01-25T15:34:00.000-05:00

Attention Industrial Designers: From this day forth, nothing shall be designed without one of the following:
1. retractable cord. God, I love these. Not just for the vacuum cleaner but wherever they appear. My rice cooker has one and I'd hate it without one.
2. flip-away outlet prongs. Not sure how to describe that correctly. You know, the little metal bars that go into the electrical outlet. I love when they fold up into the back of the charger or whatever. I hate when I have to pack chargers and such in a bag and the damn prongs jam into things.
3. just make the damn thing cordless and solve the problem altogether.

2002-01-18T14:11:00.000-05:00

Resorted priorities? Since surviving the hospital, I find it hard to really care about most work related issues. I suppose this is a good thing in that it helps to keep things in perspective for the long haul but on the downside, I must be careful to keep this to myself in meetings about project prioritization.

Nothing like a life and death experience reality check every now and then :-)

2002-01-17T16:24:00.000-05:00

Life B.T. (before twins) no longer exists. Term coined by LuAnn, quite accurately

and I am already sick of telling the woeful tale of the hospital stay. In some weird and twisted way, it wasn't really all that stressful. Once past the immediate scare, it became a slow grinding sort of existence.

2002-01-16T14:04:00.000-05:00

Okay, here's the scoop... or at least a reasonably quick run-through for those of you who haven't heard any of this. You might have been wondering why I hadn't blogged for so long with so much new happening around me. The only real clue online that anything was amiss was a brief reference in Jenny's blog about Leah having a cold and another about the babies feeling better a few days later. Well, those only scratch the surface.

Way back on New Year's Eve and maybe even a day before, we noticed that Leah had the sniffles. It really sucks to have a cold when you don't even know how to breathe through your mouth. On the 2nd, Lara decided to take Leah to the pediatrician. I got desperate phone messages while I was at lunch: Lara was taking her to the emergency room. I left work immediately to meet her there. Sure enough, Leah had contracted a virus (RSV) that had developed into a viral pneumonia. She was admitted to the hospital immediately. The illness could be potentially life threatening if left untreated but those concerns passed fairly quickly (about 48-72 hrs.). Unfortunately, there was nothing to do for her but give her plenty of oxygen and TLC. Then we watched and waited for Olivia developed the same symptoms, which she did about 48 hrs. later. We repeatedly tried to be optimistic with each new development and continued to assume we'd be able to get out of the hospital in 'a couple of days'.

Turns out, it was about 12. Yes, Lara, the babies and I all lived in a single hospital room for 12 straight days, never getting more than 3 hrs sleep in any single stretch. Lara left the room about 2 times a day (shower and field trip with Hannah) and left the hospital once for 2 hrs during the entire time.

The only thing that alloweed us to survive the event was Lara's mom. She virtually fed and clothed all of us for the entire time. She cared for Hannah at home and constantly brouhgt us food (take out and homemade) and clothing (a few days worth a time since we were leaving 'any minute')

Currently, the girls are home again, Leah is 100% recovered but Olivia is still requiring a tiny bit of oxygen assistance, that should be over by the end of the weekend. The entire experience has been a nightmare but we have survived and hope that it all becomes a distant vague memory VERY soon.

One has to look for the upside to events such as this: Lara and I didn't kill each other. There were some occasional cross words but they were usually at 3am during feeding. I got alot more bonding time with the girls than I would have otherwise.

Hannah has had the worst of this whole life changing series of events. First, mommy is on bedrest, then Mommy is gone, then these new babies arrive and then all of your family goes to live in the hospital for two weeks. She is clearly stressed out, so sad for a three yr old. We are doing what we can to make it up to her. On the plus side, she does clearly love her sisters and is anxious to help care for them and love them. She and I can hardly wait for the arrival of baby smiles and giggles so we can subject them to countless 'tummy blows'.

I could probably write for thousands of words about this whole experience but I think I'd make a mess of it and bore you all to tears. If you want to know more, email me.

I deliberately did not bring a camera into the hospital, I wanted to avoid creating any lasting record of this event. The only 'souvenir' we kept from the hospital was a note left on our door barring access to anyone without permission from the charge nurse.

2002-01-02T16:56:00.000-05:00

New Year's Resolution: Survive the year.

2001-12-24T04:00:00.000-05:00

THEY'RE HERE Perhaps a little early by some standards, but not a day too soon by others.
See the pictures! Herein lies the whole tale.

As noted in a previous post, the beloved ob doc made a housecall midday on Saturday, the 22nd. Lara had progressed slightly, so he continued to hold out for a Wed. office visit and forbade Lara from making a trip into the hospital to visit Carla and Roman. She was bummed. We hung out Saturday evening, I made a fairly late trip to the Wegmans.

Lara awoke about 4 in the morning from contractions, nothing new there, and sleepily took her meds to prevent more contractions. She continued to have contractions and noticed some odd changes in them. (You can see this coming in hindsight, can't you?) She woke me at around 4:45, saying "maybe we should pack" and then we debated the issue for a few minutes as she suspected the contractions were subsiding. "Good", I thought, "I can get a few more hours sleep before Hannah wakes up'. Then, another contraction and midway through, she feels a 'pop', jumps up and exclaims "s***, my water broke" and proceeds to hop off the bed faster than she has in months. It's about 4:55 am.

So much for the debate. I called the ob docs page service and told them what was up. They leisurely took the info and told me to call them back if we hadn't heard anything from the doc in 20 minutes. I didn't tell them, but I thought, "ahh, we'll be in the hospital in 20 minutes". The sequence of events with Hannah's arrival indicated that things could really go fast from the water breaking to delivery so we weren't about to dawdle. Of course, we still hadn't really packed a bag.

We scrambled to get things together and got out the door, Nona waving goodbye from the garage, Hannah still sleeping in her bed.

We roll into Strong at around 5:30 and head immediately for labor and delivery triage. We called and woke Gloria on the way in.

No 'ifs' about Lara's status now so it's a totally different mindset with the staff. A quick exam and ultrasound show that Lara has indeed progressed a bit further so they move her into a labor and delivery room and get on the horn to anesthesia to get the epidural started. Again, we didn't want things to go too fast and miss that option. Some discussion ensues about who is technically baby A and who is baby B. These babies were alternating position along the way, we had no idea who was really coming first. Ultrasound also showed baby B with her hand up over her head, the likely culprit for breaking her water. Fortunately, she draws it back down so it won't provide complications during delivery.

Gloria arrives in record time from Buffalo, about 6:45am.

Carla was still in her room after delivering Roman the day before so we get word to her and she comes bouncing in, still in her pajamas. Another check and Lara is past 6 cm at about 8am
Anesthesia finally arrives. We call a friend whose an anesthesia resident to get her stamp of approval on the resident on call, while he's actually in the room. Turns out, he's really great, even hangs around past his shift to make sure Lara's comfortable. Gotta love your anesthesiologist. While he's working, I'm feeling ultracrappy: woozy, weak, naueseaous. I was afraid I was going to be sitting this one out. Fortunately, the feeling passes when things get serious. Once numbed, Lara steadily moves to 8cm.

Anne arrives to lend moral support and help Carla look after Roman, its about 9 am.

A little after 10am and another check puts Lara at 10cm. It's time.

Along the way, we've switched attending physicians but that's okay, we're cool with either one. We discuss some of the possibilities for delivery and get ready. The OR is standard procedure for a multiple birth but it feels scarier to us. Gloria and I get gowned up and follow Lara and the docs into the OR. The place is already jumping. I think at the time of delivery there were about 14 people in there not including the babies. Lara, me, Gloria, the attending, the chief, an R2, several labor nurses, OR tech, anesthesia, and at least 4 peds residents to take care of the babies.

I bring the digital camera and the SLR, but no video. I knew I wouldn't shoot too much, there are more important things to focus on now.

Everyone gets set and then we wait for the anesthesioligist to arrive (a different one)

Finally, at about 10: 45, Lara starts to push. It was tough and painful but MUCH faster that the last time and about 10 pushes later, the first one is on the way out. She gets a bit stuck at the door but finally pushes on through and makes her arrival at 10:57. We confirm that it is, in fact, baby B and we name her Olivia. She's in good shape and pretty big. I get to cut the cord and then she's quickly whisked into an adjoining room for assessment and cleanup. Before they take her though, we notice that she looks a great deal like Hannah did at delivery. Her assessments are good and she get a 9 on her Apgars. Excellent news and the tone in the room definitely turns a bit lighter for a moment. There's a lull before starting on baby B and I get a chance to duck into the side room and snap some pictures and give Lara a digital preview of Olivia before starting on delviery of the next one.

I was oblivious but the docs were nervously watching the monitors and quickly got Lara back to the job at hand of pushing out baby B. While the water had broken spontaneously for baby A, apparently it still hadn't for the other and they quickly broke the sac and proceeded to make a huge splash. A few tense moments ensued with Lara pushing as hard as she could, both during contractions and between (which is really hard) and a quick 12 minutes after baby A, baby B arrived, we named her Leah. Everyone was amazed at her size, she was visibly much larger than her sister but also a bit slower to respond, which is not uncommon for the second delivery. She quickly perked up and her 5 minute assessment was just as good as Olivia's.

Babies now delivered, the big team quickly dispersed and things seem to end really quickly. In only a few minutes, Lara was set to return to the room with babies along for the ride. No NICU for us!

Once back in the room, we finally got the size and weight details: Olivia Grace, born at 10:57, weighing 6 lbs, 4 oz. and measuring 20 inches. Leah Elizabeth was born at 11:09, weighing a whopping 7lbs. 2 oz but only measuring 19 inches in length!

Momma and babies are both doing well, feeding and pooping and peeing and all the things they want them to do. If all continues this way, they'll all be home on the 25th. A nice Christmas present for Nona! Then the fun really begins.

2001-12-22T23:15:00.000-05:00

One step closer... Today, we experienced something most people never will, we got a housecall from Lara's ob. Amazing. He's a great doc, we are really hoping the timing works out so that he's the guy doing the catching. We were nervous about waiting until Wed. for a status check, especially as the office would not be open between now and then. Somewhat as predicted, Lara's inching closer to the line. The doc is still holding out for an office check on Wed and possible delivery on Thursday. So the limbo continues...

2001-12-21T14:28:00.000-05:00

oddly satisfying but not altogether reassuring...

I wouldn't say that this result is surprising but then again...

2001-12-21T13:50:00.000-05:00

Misplaced yet tasty priorities That's me...

Last night I was up late making gingerbread cookies for the office. They came out great except the icing was a bit softer than it should have been. But more importantly, there are far more important things I should be doing in preparation of the arrivals. What is wrong with me?

As if that wasn't dumb enough, in the previous 2-3 evenings, I made a gingerbread house for essentially no reason at all. It came out pretty well and Hannah had fun helping but it was a tragically huge waste of time. I took some pictures and will post them soon.

It's not a total waste, as H will get some use out of it at school in a few weeks. According to the school calendar, they are making gingerbread houses on January. She can be the class overacheiver.

2001-12-18T13:21:00.000-05:00

7 more days That's what the doc wants. We'll see if Lara can hold out that long...

2001-12-18T09:07:00.000-05:00

frickin' frackin...Time Warner.

I hate them so. But what can you do? I suppose I could take some satisfaction in the knowledge that I have not been in any way a profitable account for them. The amount of time thheir lousy technicians have spent at our house totally negates any profit they might have amassed from our bills. Of course, we despise having them in the house so that's not such a great measure of success. The last service call was particularly bad, the techs were total crap and then they attempted to double bill us AND they signed us up for Showtime at $7 a month extra without our permission. Total s***heads. We got that cut off yesterday, after repeated calls and then, coincidentally, our Roadrunner service somehow croaked last night, no email, nothing. So they'll be back at the house again tomorrow. Rat bastards.

2001-12-17T13:49:00.000-05:00

Everybody limbo! Well, not everybody. Just us.

The only time Lara has left the house in the last 3 weeks or so was when we went to the hospital in the middle of the night and then came straight home. Actually, she's been to the doctor's office a couple times and once to Carla's but that's it. Personally, I'd be ready for the nutbin. I wasn't housebound for even this long when I had surgery in the summer. Most weekend mornings, we wake up and discuss our agenda for the day. That's beceom sort of pointless now. Lara's agenda: Lie on the couch. Repeat. If this sounds like paradise, I hate to tell you but it sucks. You don't realize how much activity you may be accustomed to until you can't do anything at all. Remember that even sitting up is only allowed for a few minutes a day.

The problem is that this stagnation is contagious. Since she's inactive, it's getting harder for me to be active. I got almost nothing done this weekend. It's not like there's tons to do before the babies arrive but I have slipped into a state of almost pure idleness.

Must...force...self... to ...move!

2001-12-09T15:06:00.000-05:00

So just relax and get comfortable, folks. We're jus' gonna hold up here for awhile until the tower gives us the green light... That's us for now.

Yesterday afternoon, I ran into a co-worker who asked how Lara was feeling, I replied "great!, I think she's gonna make it to Christmas." There wasn't any wood near by so I knocked on my head. Bad idea?

About 7 last night, first snow of the season, of course. Lara started having stronger, consistent contractions so we decided to play it safe. Next door neighbor Charles stepped in and saved our butts, he came over about 9 and babysat H. We headed off to the hospital with almost nothing in the way of provisions, clothes, whatever. We hadn't packed a bag 'cause there was no need, she was doing great and this was a false alarm.

Well, almost...

Several efforts to slow things down didn't seem to do much good and we starting ringing up people at 2 in the morning.

Then, things started to slow down, somewhat on their own and we called off the red alert but not after having lengthy conversations with the attending docs in ob and the NICU.

I got a little shuteye between 4-6 am and then zipped home about 8 in the morning and relieved Charles from couch duty. We really didn't want H waking up unaware that there was no parent in the house. I partially packed the neccessities just in case and then laid down to rest, phone close by and got some more sleep. H woke up at 9 and let me sleep another hour. We got dressed and headed back the hospital to discover that Lara had pretty much stopped and they let her go at about 2. Yay.

So, no babies yet but they're gonna get here probably sooner than later.

2001-12-07T23:04:00.000-05:00

Release the toddlers! When I see things like this guys room, all I can think is "yeah, let's let Hannah loose in there, heh heh" How do you do it, Lynne? Is it completely off limits to anyone under the age of 5??? We couldn't keep the CD rack where Hannah could reach it. I had to hold her at all times whenever we went to Aaron C.'s apartment. Any densely packed shelf is like a magnet, she can't resist just ripping everything down.
I am the antithesis of a packrat. If its in sight, and gathering dust, I am inclined to pitch it. I hate schlepping stuff like this around with me from place to place. I have some boxes of old crap and old art supplies and such, but its all stashed away where I can't see it everyday. About once a week or so, I go on a rampage and try to trash every scrap of paper that isn't of any importance. Anything that is important goes into a big pile. It never gets filed of course. I just sort back through the pile every so often and "cull the herd" a bit.
Eventually it's all unimportant and nothing needs to be filed.

2001-12-03T16:53:00.000-05:00

Sharp enough? Very high on my hypercompetence meter are knife skills. Lara just got one of those chopping thingie you see on TV and in the Tupperware catalog but I hate it. They work, but they totally lack any finesse or grace. They just beat the hell out of whatever you're chopping. True knife skills are so much more satisfying for me. Maybe I'm anal about it but deal with it. I have amassed a good set of knives, mostly Henckels and one Sabatier. The problem with good straight edge knives is that they go dull, unlike those cheap-ass eversharp serrated knives. Those hold an edge but they're basically little tiny saws, no grace, no style, no finesse, just saw through your work. Interestingly, a dull knife is actually much more dangerous than a sharp one, you never know when its going to cut through so you have to use more force, etc. So, I recently began sharpening my knives myself. A bit scary since I didn't want to f***-up my good knives, but eminently satisfying and very high on the hypercompetence meter. Then, just to put the finishing touch on it, Lara signed me up for the knife skills class at Rochesters Cooking that I have been considering taking for years. Yay!

Now I will be completely intolerable in the kitchen.

2001-11-26T11:07:00.000-05:00

Get Ready! Someone called this weekend and asked what we were doing and my immediate answer was "Gettin' ready" as if that would make sense to anyone but I can't think of a better way to explain our general current status. While I have been in house improvement mode for most of the summer and fall, the focus has now clearly shifted now to final preparations for the arrivals. Some might laugh at our possibly extremely overzealous attitude but that's just us. Arguably it's a good thing, especially since both Lara and I are on exactly the same wavelength about it. We put sheets, etc. on the cribs yesterday, did a little more prep of the room, I went into the attic and pulled out yet more baby stuff. We are realizing that there's stuff we have that we have no idea where it is. I hate that feeling, either early onset of alzheimers or we just have way too much crap in the house.

2001-11-22T16:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Turkey Day!
Sorry, been too durn busy to blog but I will make more of an effort.

Personally, I really don't care that much about Thanksgiving, but I am a bitter, cynical old man so it shouldn't come as much of a surprise. It's not that I don't like the idea, it's just people make too much of a big deal about it. We are doing much better this year, very low-key and stress-free. I am much happier this way. So happy, that I can sit down mid-preparation and blog. So there.

2001-11-13T09:13:00.000-05:00

The opposite of yard envy The removal of leaves from the front yard is about 99% complete. The backyard is about 1% done. I completed the front with maximum efficiency, concentrating my effort into just a couple of one-hour long intense sessions. The job was made more difficult by the fact that the grass was pretty long in some places. The idea is to keep the grass short enough that the leaves can't get bogged down, but consistency in lawn care is my weakest link in homeownership. After getting most of the leaves up, I went back and mowed the longer parts this weekend. Pathetic to the point of embarassing to be mowing in November.

My yard plain and simply sucks. Every time I mow, or rack or do anything in the yard I envision plowing it all up and starting over. I've even read up on how to go about doing exactly this. But this will have to wait a few years.

Inside the house, the babies room is taking shape. We're not painting or anything significant at this point. Just getting furniture set up is enough.

2001-11-08T16:02:00.000-05:00

Yard Envy Hey, Natalie. Be careful what you wish for. You want a kitten but you could end up with one of these. They're both really cute but hardly interchangeable.

2001-11-07T10:44:00.000-05:00

No comment. So I guess tecknik.net sucks.

2001-11-05T14:45:00.000-05:00

So, I stole it, so what?
Just in case you were wondering, the previous post was not written by me, I leveraged it from another site. What's really sad is that I really hesitated about posting it. So there.

2001-11-02T16:25:00.000-05:00

It has been brought to management's attention that some individuals throughout the company have been using foul language during the course of normal conversation with other employees. Due to complaints received from some employees who are more easily offended, this type of language will no longer be tolerated. Nonetheless, we do realize the critical importance of individuals being able to properly express their feelings when communicating with fellow employees. Therefore, a list of code phrase replacements has been compiled so proper exchange of ideas and information can continue in an effective manner without risk of offending our more sensitive co-workers.

Old: No fucking way!

New: I'm certain that's not feasible.

Old: You've got to be shitting me.

New: Really?

Old: Tell someone who gives a fuck.

New: Perhaps you should check with...

Old: Ask me if I give a fuck.

New: Of course I'm concerned.

Old: It's not my fucking problem.

New: I wasn't involved with that project.

Old: What the fuck?

New: Interesting.

Old: Fuck it, it won't work.

New: I'm not sure I can implement this.

Old: Why the fuck didn't you tell me that sooner?

New: I'll try to schedule that.

Old: When the fuck do you expect me to do this?

New: Perhaps I can work late.

Old: He's got his head up his ass.

New: He's not familiar with the problem.

Old: Eat shit!

New: You don't say.

Old: Eat shit and die.

New: Excuse me?

Old: Eat shit and die motherfucker.

New: Excuse me Sir?

Old: Shove it up your ass.

New: I love a "challenge".

Old: Blow me.

New: I see.

Old: Blow yourself.

New: Do you see?

Old: He's a fucking prick.

New: He's somewhat insensitive.

Old: You don't know what the fuck you're doing.

New: I think you could use more training.

Old: This place is all fucked up.

New: We're a little disorganized.

2001-11-02T15:43:00.000-05:00

Comment Ahhhh, the overwhelming tide of self-induced peer pressure.

Now, you can comment on my posts, as if you wanted to...

2001-11-02T09:20:00.000-05:00

Aja= mmmmmm Well, I can formally state that I am in no way s***canning Aja Noodle. Past comments may have inferred this, but it was based on hearsay and circumstantial evidence, not personal experience. Went last night with Jenny and Lara and H. It was delish. The wait staff was maybe a bit too pierced and painted for my taste but the room is very cool. Noisy, but stylish. I got a thai noodle salad which is unlike me but I had to, since Lara ordered the Pad Thai. H was out of control which often dampens my enthusiasm for a restaurant but not this time. It was noisy enough that her rowdiness was hardly noticed at the other tables.

2001-11-02T09:15:00.000-05:00

That's it? Halloween was a bit of an anti-climax for me this year. Poorly scheduled meetings prevented me from enjoying the festivities at work and the evening was rainy and goes by too quickly. It's not that I am really into Halloween, but its over even before 10 and the next day all the Halloween decorations seem pathetic or something. Bleh. Never mind me.

2001-10-31T08:20:00.000-05:00

Happy Horr-ible-ween!

2001-10-30T14:48:00.000-05:00

Gimme! Hey, gimme back my calamari! Yes, you. If you do not comply, I may be forced to extradite you to a nation that uses more inhumane methods...

2001-10-29T16:55:00.000-05:00

Yadda yadda yadda

2001-10-27T22:29:00.000-04:00

Busy day!
Whew. Let's see... today, first, I hung the mountain bikes from the rafters of the garage. Seriously high up there. I slowly and scarily crept up the ladder carrying each bike by the front wheel and then breathed deep sighs of relief when they were hung and then quickly scrambled back down the ladder. I am very cautious about using the ladder but even a healthy dose of respect does nothing to eliminate the continous projection of little mental movies of what could go wrong and the level of injury I might incur in the process and how I wouldn't be able to get help from the people unknowingly going about their business just a few feet away. Cleaning up the garage is a seriously huge task, I need to make room for both the new minivan and the wagon, two large vehicles, which leaves little room for all the other junk I need to keep out there. Last year, we shoved things around to make just enough room for the wagon and the tiny Honda.

Then, I got busy working on Hannah's room again. It's really close to done now. I hung new miniblinds, replaced the nasty old ceiling light fixture, replaced the heating duct grill, tried to replace the cold air return grill but the absolute moron at the plumbing supply place couldn't find one that fit (see No Service blog below). We put all her furniture back in her room tonight and put the new sheets and comforter on her bed. It looks great, like something from a Pottery Barn Kids catalog. We need to get the hardware to hang her Pooh quilt on the wall, (another of Lara's great ideas), and finish her window treatments and I'd say we're done.

Along the way, I measured the central AC unit for a winter cover, planned the next part of the garage organizing, got the Subaru inspected and carpeted part of the basement with the carpet I pulled out of Hannah's room.

Oh, and we got Hannah some new winter boots from the Target and had sushi for dinner.

Pretty good for a Saturday. As Squib says, "nighty". Well deserved I think.

2001-10-26T21:56:00.000-04:00

Happy B-day Squib!

Truly a major milestone. I turned 40 a few weeks ago and while my body may be feeling like it's 40 at times, I am actually truly happy to be who I am at this time in my life

2001-10-26T09:49:00.000-04:00

Happy big 3-0 Yeller! Jeeez! You're SOOOO old!

Quitcherbitchin! You're still pickin' bits of shell off!