The Expanding Universe Of Staunton VA

The Abominable Snow Honda

2010-01-31T10:32:00.009-05:00

My wife and I are very fortunate to own two cars. We have the van, of course, but we also have my wife's old Honda, which I drive almost exclusively to and from work. I'm not fond of the Honda, but it runs and gets me from point A to B, which is all I can really ask for. It does have it's little eccentricities, such as a speedometer that only works 10% of the time and the a window that doesn't roll down.

*Fun Fact: A car will pass VA State Inspection if the speedometer doesn't work, but if the driver side window can't roll down, it'll fail.

Anyway, it's not the driver side window that fails now but the window in the back seat behind it. The gear is busted and as a result the window doesn't stay rolled up. Most of the time, regardless of weather, the window is open about 2 inches.

Enter yesterday's snowstorm.

As I was shoveling out the Honda this morning, I noticed the crack in the Honda.

So I made my way around to the other side and opened the door.

That's quite a bit of snow accumulation, don't you think? Fortunately, I learned long ago not to put anything of value in that back seat, so no worries. Still, in all my years living in Western NY, I never had to shovel off the inside of a car. To funny!

*I apologize for the poor photo quality - the limitations of a cell phone camera!

Adventures In IT #5: Dell Goes Ghetto

2009-07-14T11:54:00.003-05:00

It dawned on me recently that I haven't updated my blog much* and have been thinking of something worthwhile to post. Fortunately, inspiration struck at work today...

*Darn you Facebook - sucker of time and life force!

Replacing a hard drive in a laptop is easy. It is even easier when Dell sends one to you with the operating system already loaded on it. All I have to do is swap out the drive, start it up and let it run through its paces. Naturally I was quite surprised when I got error saying that the system failed to nobulate.

Nobulate? Huh?

I never heard that word before, so I hopped onto Dictionary.com and looked it up - no entry found. Dell has apparently created it's own lingo. So next I entered the word into Google, and for the most part found posts of fellow humans who have also encountered this error and were obviously confused. There was, however, one site that provided a definition: urbandictionary.com

For those of you too lazy to click on the link, here is the official urban definition of nobulate: The rapid movement of a control nob on apparatus (Ex: Don't nobulate the volume, just pick a setting.)

Wow. Did we really need a singular word for that action? Was "playing with the dials" that hard to understand? And why did Dell feel the need to use this word to describe a technical issue?

As it turned out, I ended up chatting with a Dell Technician later on, and asked him to clarify the message. He or she* explained that it simply meant something failed to initialize and had me reboot the computer.*

*Sorry, Indian/Pakistani names are very hard to determine gender-wise when all you have to go on is its printed form. It reminds me of an old episode of Head of the Class where Jawaharlal mentioned that half of the people from his country were named Jawaharlal. When someone asked what the other half were called, he quipped : Mrs. Jawaharlal.

*The funny thing about this solution is that the error message made it very clear in capital letters: DO NOT REBOOT THIS SYSTEM!

So there you have it. Nobulate could mean to initialize or to play with volume knobs, depending on your background. Makes me feel sorry for all the poor confused urban computer geeks out there...

Best Case Senario

2009-02-25T20:18:00.004-05:00

SOFT TISSUE, RIGHT SPERMATIC CORD, EXCISION:
- BENIGN FIBROVASCULAR TISSUE, NO EVIDENCE OF MALIGNANCY

LYMPH NODES, PERIAORTIC, DISSECTION:
- NO HISTOPATHOLOGIC ABNORMALITY (6 NODES)

LYMPH NODES, PERICAVAL, DISSECTION
- NO HISTOPATHOLOGIC ABNORMALITY (5 NODES)

And there we have it. I had my follow up appointment today, two weeks after my surgery, and the news could not have been better. Everything came back good. What this means is that I am for all intents and purposes cancer free! Well, not completely 100% guaranteed - there is still a microscopic chance something went to the lungs. Because of that, I will be closely monitored for the next 5 years. The first two years are the important ones. For the first year, I'll have to get blood work and chest x-rays every two months. After a year, it goes to every three months, and will get progressively more infrequent with each remaining year. I'll take that over any more CT Scans and surgery!

Speaking of surgery - I'm recovering quite well. My little holes are healing nicely, I'm not in any pain and have resumed working. The only limitations I have is that I can't hold Victoria for very long.

Thanks again to everyone who have been so supportive during these past 3 months!

Surgery Recap

2009-02-14T19:22:00.003-05:00

I'm back from my luxurious 2-night stay at the UVa Medical Center. I'm feeling OK - I'm sore, but not as bad as my first surgical procedure in December.

As requested, Meredith and I arrived at UVa around 9:30am, and then proceeded to wait for about two hours. The laproscopic surgery was done with a robot and took about 5 hours to do. I really can't give much more detail about it, because I was out the entire time. What I can say is that they shaved my belly and poked 5 holes in me. (I look like the 40-Year-Old Virgin after a mob hit.) I was told that the procedure went as smoothly as possible, and that to the naked eye, nothing looked wrong. The removed lymph nodes will be sent off to a lab for biopsy, and we'll know the result by the time I have my follow up visit on the 25th. They kept me at the hospital long enough to be sure I could walk, go to the bathroom, and eat solid foods without any difficulty.

So now I'm home. I have to wear these TED stockings as much as possible to help prevent blood clots, I'm forbidden from lifting anything heavier than a full gallon jug for at least 4 weeks (That in particular will suck, as my daughter weighs significantly more than a milk jug), and I have my good friend Percoset to ease any pain.

I want to sincerely thank everyone who kept me and my family in their thoughts and prayers during this unfortunate time. I greatly appreciate it and I am humbled to have so many caring friends.

3 Favors

2009-02-11T07:24:00.004-05:00

The Good News: After working a minimum of 5 hours every day for the past 41 days, I'll have the next 5 days off.

The Bad News: I won't get to enjoy it.

Those of you who have been reading my blog, communicating with me on Facebook, or have had actual human contact with me know that tomorrow I'm going to the hospital for more surgery. If I'm lucky, this will be the last thing ever removed from my body. Today I get to prep by drinking like a fish and eating nothing but jello or chicken broth. The surgery is set for 10:00AM tomorrow, and I'll be spending a minimum of one night there. My personal hope is that I'm home by Valentine's Day. I'm sure my wife will post updates on her Facebook and MySpace pages, but I'll give a complete report when I am able to get back online.

So while I was thinking how I was going to word this post, I thought of the concept of asking for 3 favors - one for me, one for yourself, and one for someone else. All 3 are quick and simple to do, and it would mean a lot if anyone reading this performed these small tasks.

A Favor For Me - I'm a big proponent of the power of prayer. I honestly believe it is our greatest weapon against all the crap that happens in our lives. So, tomorrow, I ask you say a small prayer for me, that my surgery goes well and my recovery is swift. Nothing fancy. And for those of you who don't have the Lord on speed-dial, sending warm happy thoughts my way works too.

A Favor For Yourself - Give yourself a test. The ball got rolling (literally!) on all this when I checked myself and found a lump. It easy to do, doesn't take long and can be done in the privacy of the shower. Don't know what to look for? Click here if you're a guy or here if you're a gal.

A Favor For Someone Else - I've been meaning to post this for awhile, and now is good a time as any. Go to The Breast Cancer Site and click on the link to donate a mammogram to someone who may need it. It doesn't cost anything!

Thanks again for all the support. I'll see you in a few days!

Choices

2009-01-09T09:05:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, my wife and I traveled to the urology department at the UVa Medical Center. The purpose of this trip was to discuss what options I had in my treatment for my cancer. My father-in-law, who works in the cardiology department there, joined us. Basically I had three options:

1. Surgery: Testicular cancer is very predictable. From the testicles, it travels up towards a set of lymph nodes near my intestines and kidneys. There are actually two sets - one associated with each testicle. Although my blood tests and the markers the doctors looked for came clean, there is still a chance something microscopic got through. By removing the lymph nodes, they can biopsy and see if they are clean. If they are, great, I close that particular door and proceed to be observed. The observation segment would involve CT scans every 6 months for a few years, followed by yearly scans and at year 5, just doctor's visits. If the biopsy finds something, it's still good because we removed it already, and my observation schedule would be more frequent.

2: Observation only: I could avoid surgery and choose to be monitored only. I would submit myself to frequent blood tests and CT scans, with the amount decreasing over time. The downside to this option is if they find anything during one of these tests, I still have the surgery and start over with the observations.

3: Chemotherapy: Basically I was told that because of my situation and the type of tumor I had, this wasn't a recommended option. This of course, relieved me to no end.

Given the options (mainly between surgery and observation), I elected to have the surgery. It seems more finite to me and will allow me to return to a normal life sooner. Obviously, with all surgery, there are risks - the biggest one being that it can cause what is called retrograde ejaculation. What this means is that when I release sperm, instead of traveling the normal route, it gets redirected to my bladder. I won't feel a thing, but when Mer and I try to conceive, we'll need some help from medical science. This risk occurs in less than 10% of cases, so I thought that was acceptable. Anyway, the surgery is set for Feb 12st, with a pre-op date set for Feb 5th.

Of CT Scans and Staples

2008-12-16T19:47:00.003-05:00

Is there anything worse than having to wait hours in a hospital/doctor waiting room?

That was my day in a nutshell. I had an appointment for a CT Scan this morning. For those of you unfamiliar with the experience, patients are usually required to drink bottles of water containing a metallic element, I believe Bromide. This help the radiologist get a better picture. Well my urologist didn't believe it was necessary, so I never got any of the bottles. When I arrived, the radiologist decided i should have them - three bottles, one every hour. They gave me one to drink there, and one to take with me. I was to come back in two hours and drink the third and final. So that's two hours right there, which my wife and I spent picking up some item at Wal-Mart.

Finally when it was time for the scan I went in, to be pleasantly surprised by the fact that I didn't have to change into one of those horrid hospital gowns. I laid down on the CT bed, and got scanned. It was a little weird, especially when they injected me with a solution that made me warm all over and, to be perfectly blunt, gave me the sensation that I had wet myself. Fortunately the experience lasted about 20 minutes, and I was out of there quickly.

From there, I had to go to the urologist and get my staples removed. His office was packed and we ended up waiting there for 2 hours. It is at this point that I'd like to mention i had not eaten anything in about 9 hours, and had three bottles of water in me. Eventually I did get in. Dr. Beebe informed me that the CT scan looked good and he was 95% sure everything was as it should (No CT scan ever comes out perfectly clean, but what was found in my scan was not cause for alarm.) Snip snip went the staples, replaced with a sticky tape.

Next up is a date with an oncologist, which will get set up tomorrow. I also have another follow up visit with Dr. Beebe in a month.

I continue to feel well and in good spirits. I can pick up my daughter now, and sneezing is no longer unbearable. Thanks to all for the well-wishes and prayers!

I Haven't Done Any Of These Lately

2008-12-12T21:02:00.000-05:00

You Are Ernie

Playful and childlike, you are everyone's favorite friend - even if your goofy antics get annoying at times.

You are usually feeling: Amused - you are very easily entertained

You are famous for: Always making people smile. From your silly songs to your wild pranks, you keep things fun.

How you life your life: With ease. Life is only difficult when your friends won't play with you!

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

Your Vocabulary Score: A-

Congratulations on your multifarious vocabulary!
You must be quite an erudite person.

How's Your Vocabulary?

Happy Birthday Nick!

2008-12-12T10:06:00.001-05:00

My brother turns 16 today! Drive safely bro!

Lights Out

2008-12-11T15:15:00.000-05:00

Random observations here:

It's been raining all day today. As I was driving home for lunch, I couldn't help but notice a number of cars driving without their headlights on. I was always taught that when the weather was bad enough for you to need windshield wipers, you had to put your lights on. This is especially true in the Shenandoah Valley region, where we're high enough up to get lots of fog during rainstorms. But it seems like a large portion of the driving community around here just don't bother. How large a group you ask? Well, I decided to count how many mobile cars I saw sans headlights on my way back to work. I counted 14 cars in a 2.5 mile stretch along some well traveled roadways. Granted, I probably saw over a hundred cars total, but doesn't 14 seem high to you? It does to me. Later that evening when it was darker, it appeared everyone had their headlights on. So I guess I can't classify this as people being stupid so much as just being "not bright".

That was a bad pun even for me...

So What Else Is New?

2008-12-11T15:09:00.008-05:00

Since I've gotten back into the blogging habit again, it seems like I should write and catch everything up on whats been happening since I last regularly posted in June. I'll try to keep this short and simple:

Home Life/Victoria: Pretty much the same thing here, as most new and exciting stuff revolves around the little one. We did manage to take a trip up to New York over the summer to see the Red Sox play the Yankees at the soon to be demolished Yankee Stadium. It was wet and rainy, and my Sox unfortunately lost, but it was a good trip and the baseball fan in me was glad to see such a historic stadium, especially Legends Feild. Victoria continues to grow by leaps and bounds. On the plus side, she's as cute as ever , her vocabulary has grown to a point where I can actually have a small conversation with her, and she's shown a real fondness for music, dancing, books and coloring. On the downside, she's started the terrible twos early. She quite determined to get her way and isn't shy to throw a fit or exaggerate an boo-boo. Despite this, she remains my perfect little princess.

Family: the big news here is that I became an uncle again! My brother Andy and his girlfriend decided to adopt a newborn, who was born November 19th. Welcome to the family Cameron Michael! My mom is doing very well. She recently returned to work and has just started the last stage of her treatment. She's in good spirits and things are going very well. Also along the new uncle vein, Meredith's brother Mark and his girlfriend are expecting in March, and my niece Angelina had the first of her procedures to remedy the cleft lip. Her beautiful smile is even better now.

Work: I'm still working at both LCC and Radio Shack. LCC recently moved to a more visible location in Staunton, and as result we've gotten more customers, which keeps me quite busy. I'm still enjoying both jobs, even if all those hours wear me out sometimes.

And finally, to those who've had birthdays since I last blogged regularly: Happy Birthday (Belated) to my wife Meredith, siblings Andy and Tess, Goddaughter Gail, nephew Cameron, and sibs-in-law Ronald, Inez, Ryan, and Tiffany!

Follow Up Appointment

2008-12-09T15:18:00.005-05:00

Today was my follow up appointment with the urologist, Dr. Beebe. The biopsy of the mass did find some malignant elements. However, the rest of the results indicate that it did not spread anywhere and that most likely everything went away with the surgery. Unfortunately, when dealing with cancer, "most likely" isn't how you want to end things. So I'm still traversing that bump in the road. Next Tuesday I go in for a CT scan, where they'll check my chest, lungs, and pelvic region for any signs of spreading. From there it looks like a visit with an oncologist. From what I gather there are a couple different routes I can take, but whichever path it looks like I'll be closely monitored for the next 3 years or so.

As to how I'm feeling, I'm good. It's obviously still sore, and I still need help putting on my socks and shoes, but the pain has been minimal, everything is healing as it should, and I'm in good spirits. I even get the staples taken out next Tuesday.

More to come later. Thanks for all the comments!

Recovering At Home

2008-12-07T09:27:00.002-05:00

I have never had surgery before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I got to the hospital and was led into the recovery room (by a nurse who just so happened to be a friend of my brother-in-law Ronald and was actually at my wedding reception - small world!) From there I got to change into those lovely hospital gowns and then get hooked up to all the standard equipment. The nurses took really good care of me and kept my anxiety to a minimum. Although I opted to stay awake and have the anesthesiologist numb just the lower half of my body, I ended up falling asleep before the procedure began - missed it completely. By the time I awoke it was all done and I was back in the recovery room. I went home later that day.

So now I'm recovering, and I've spent most of my time in the recliner. I'm obviously quite sore, but so far the pain hasn't been any worse than say a leg cramp. I have to keep my groan area iced for 24 hours, take a single pill of ibuprofen every 6 hours for the next two days, and have Percocet as needed (Works wonderfully, but doesn't last as long as I'd like). Honestly, the worst part of all this is that I can't lift my daughter up for a whole week. Still, I should be fine to return to work on Tuesday, so long as I don't overdo it.

That's about it. Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes!

A Little Less Nutty

2008-12-05T23:12:00.004-05:00

Our story so far...

Last Friday (Black Friday as it is more commonly known), I felt a lump on one of my testicles. I managed to get to the doctor Wednesday, and got some blood work done. Yesterday, I treated myself to an ultrasound, after which I was told I most likely had a tumor. Today was a visit with the urologist. The good news was that the blood work came back and the test markers for a cancerous tumor were negative. What they now think I have is a teratoma, which is a technically still a tumor, but more along the lines of a mass of tissue and such that's taken over my right nut. Needless to say it's got to go, and I have surgery scheduled for tomorrow morning. It's an outpatient procedure - I'll be home later that day, and back to work on Tuesday.

I'm rather upbeat about the whole ordeal. It suck that a part of me has to be removed, but given how this could have turned out, I've never been so happy to lose a testicle. You could say I gave my right nut for a better outcome (*groan - I apologize, I've been making these sophomoric jokes all week!)

I'll post again with an update after the surgery. In the meantime, keep me in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow!

Reflections On Fatherhood

2008-06-15T09:26:00.003-05:00

Technically, this is my 2nd official Father’s Day. However, last year, I was a rookie dad still soaking in the concept that I was the father of a 2 month old baby girl. My Father's Day then was little more than a continuation of the swirl of events and emotions that I have been riding since the day Victoria entered my life and made me officially a dad. It was an acknowledgment into that wonderful fraternity of father figures, more than a celebration of any paternal accomplishments I've had up to that point. Now that I’ve had well over a year experience at this dad thing, I feel I can better appreciate exactly what it means to be a dad. I look at my daughter now, and reflect on how she was this time last year. In the past year, Victoria has learned:

• to sit up, crawl, pull herself up, stand, and now finally walk
• to climb stairs
• to clap
• to blow kisses
• to high-five
• to feed herself (or at least grasp a spoon and aim for the general direction of her mouth)
• to “talk”
• to open up a cell phone, put it up to her ear, and “talk”
• to identify eyes, ears, mouth, and nose
• to identify me and mommy
• that she can move one smaller object to help her climb onto one much larger
• that keys go in a door
• and others too numerous to list

To us grown people, they’re trivial things we do without thinking. To her, they’re major steps in her growth and development. To me, they’re windows to the person my daughter will be. (Heaven help my cell phone bill when she becomes a pre-teen!) I see how much she’s grown, and it boggles my mind that I have had a significant role in getting her to this point. It hasn’t been easy – the messy diapers, the food thrown on the floor, the tantrums when she doesn’t get her way, the sleepless nights – all of it, completely worthwhile for no other reason than those random moments when I am blessed with a smile, a laugh, a kiss, a hug.

To all my fellow fathers, have a wonderful day. Watch your children with reflective eyes today, see how much they have truly grown since they’ve entered your lives. That, my friends, is our real gift today.

This post has been cross-posted here

I Married A Model

2008-06-14T22:54:00.000-05:00

Can I just take a moment to say how proud I am of my wife? Today, my wife participated in a fashion show put on by one of the stores in the mall. The store was celebrating the anniversary of their plus-size department, and had asked her to be in it.

Those of you that know Meredith know that she is very self-conscious about herself, particularly her body. (Honestly, who isn't?) Doing something like this was a risk for her, something that put her out of her comfort zone. She did it anyway. She was nervous and scared but she did it anyway. She walked a platform in the middle of the mall in front of 20 or so people, plus countless people walking by. That took courage.

Happy Aniversary

2008-06-02T10:51:00.004-05:00

Congratulations to my parents, Tom and Sally, on their 29th wedding anniversary! They were role models as I was growing, as I got married, and when I became a parent. Have a great day, mom and dad. We love you.

Catching Up, Again...

2008-05-30T06:26:00.008-05:00

Random tidbits to bring the blogging world up to speed...

What do you do when you have a blog but haven't updated consistently lately? You agree to contribute to a 2nd one of course! I have been contributing to Parents2Parents, a blog started by my good friend Jen. It's just a bunch of parents sharing their parenting stories. Good stuff - check it out!

I'm officially at the half-way point in my effort to grow 10 inches of hair for Locks For Love. So far I've resisted putting it back into a ponytail, but with the summer heat coming around, I may have no choice. If the average growth of 1/2 inch per month holds, I'm looking getting my next haircut March 2009! My wife, who is also growing her hair out, has decided to donate hers instead to breast cancer victims. Obviously influenced by my mom's situation, but with the added benefit of needing only 8 inches. (If she cuts her hair short, she's at 7 already!)

Victoria continues to grow way too fast. She hasn't started walking yet, but has recently started taking steps. She has begun to say/understand the word "up" and even said my sister's name "Abbey" while we were up in New York.

I'm still working two jobs. Things have been slow lately at both, although there have been some real nasty computer viruses coming in lately at LCC that have been keeping us on our toes.

Tomorrow I get to go to Baltimore to see the Red Sox play the Orioles. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll get to see Manny hit his 500th HR.

Reality Check

2008-05-29T06:33:00.008-05:00

And just like that, the world changes forever.

The weekend before Memorial Weekend, I found out my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. My mom found out during a routine mammogram. (Smart woman, my mom - breast cancer runs in our family. Learn the lesson well, women of the world - it's worth the inconvenience to get checked.) Anyway, this past Friday she went in for surgery to remove it. The doctor removed the tumor, along with 8-10 lymph nodes, a relatively small amount, and part of her breast. The doctor was confident he got everything. She had to spend one night in the hospital, then was able to come home and relax. Next up is probably some radiation treatment.

Needless to say, my wife, daughter, and I made a last-minute trip up north. We felt it was important to be there as a show of support. Besides, what better distraction than a cute 1-year-old who my family absolutely adores? It was a worthwhile trip, as there were plenty of smiles and laughs all around.

Where things go from here, no one knows. My folks consider this a "bump" in life's road, and I can consider it nothing greater as well. I am however still getting used to the concept of my mom as an official "cancer survivor". "Mom" and "Busha" were and always will be more fitting labels.

One Year Ago...

2008-04-13T23:17:00.002-05:00

From a post in April 2007:

On Friday, April 13th, my daughter was born into this world. We finally got to bring her home today.

We went in to AMC at 8am Friday morning for induction. They started my wife on pitocin, and later broke her water. Things were going good for awhile, but unfortunately Meredith never fully dilated. The doctor decided to do a C-Section. They prepped her for surgery, while I put on surgical scrubs. When they led me into the room they had already started. My wife was strapped down, and there was a cloth separating her head from the rest of her body. It happened very quickly, and at 11:17pm Victoria was born. I'm still in awe from the whole experience.

We had a longer stay in the hospital than expected. C-Sections require a minimum 3 night stay, and had Victoria been born 43 minutes later, that first night wouldn't have counted. On Monday we were all set to bring our little bundle of joy home when she developed jaundice. We had to keep her another night and put her on a "Billie bed" which made Victoria look like a space alien. The jaundice wasn't gone by today, but they let us take her home with our own little billie bed to finish the treatment.

Jaundice aside, baby is very happy and healthy and is already displaying traces of personality. My wife is recovering well, but as anyone who has had a C-Section can tell you, the healing process is a slow one. More details and photos to follow soon!

Easter 2008

2008-03-24T22:22:00.004-05:00

There are people in the Christian Faith who I like to call Bi-annuals - they only come to mass on Christmas and Easter. I think my family is unintentionally becoming the opposite. After missing Christmas Mass due to illness, we completed the bookend by missing Easter Mass. We got ready, hopped in the van, and headed onto the interstate to make our way to church. Along that interstate, we got a flat tire. A piece of metal was in our lane, and I thought I served enough to avoid it, but it just got the side of a back wheel and tore it up. By the time we got a spare on, Mass was over. Oh Well. We decided to use our time to visit baby Angelina and then on to the in-laws for Easter dinner. A strange beginning to the day, but a good ending.

Not Quite Dead Yet!

2008-03-24T22:04:00.003-05:00

Yeah, so here I've been, constantly noting endless things to blog about in my mind, and yet not actually updating the blog in quite some time. What can I say, my life is apparently moving way to fast for me to document. I've been busy with work, obviously, and the rest of my time is usually quality time with Victoria and Meredith. Next thing I know, it's late and I'm too tired to blog. Let's try catching up a bit, shall we?

First of all, a belated welcome to the world to my niece, Angelina Faith, who was born February 26. My brother-in-law Paul and his girlfriend Ashley have a beautiful young daughter now. She's quite tiny, and it's amazing to see how my little Victoria is so much bigger than her cousin.

Speaking of Victoria, she's doing great. She's almost a year already! She's crawling around everywhere, including up the stairs, in the kitchen, etc. She can stand on her own, and walk when someone holds a hand. She even has about 6 or 7 teeth. She growing way too fast.

Meredith is doing good too. She's still working part time as a mentor, and has done an excellent job as a stay at home mother.

Work is going well for me, although Radio Shack has been very slow lately. LCC however is keeping me busy. I'm still growing my hair out for Locks For Love, and currently I'm about 4 or 5 inches in length. Not much else going on though. Baseball season begins soon, and I've got my fantasy teams set. Otherwise my life has been work, family, eat, sleep. Fun stuff.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T10:44:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Dad & Rich!

2008-01-31T12:31:00.000-05:00

Happy birthday to my dad and brother, who both celebrated birthdays this month. Dad/Grandpapa was born on the 17th, while Rich/Uncle Buck celebrated his birthday yesterday.

An Evening With Tito

2008-01-28T07:23:00.001-05:00

As many of you know, I'm a huge Red Sox fan. This past Saturday I was lucky enough to meet the manager of the team, Terry "Tito" Francona. He was the guest speaker for the UVa baseball team's annual fund raiser. Meredith got me tickets to the event as a Christmas gift.

Thinking this was a somewhat fancy event, I put aside my championship hat and sweatshirt and actually got dressed up. Fortunately, I just happen to possess a Red Sox tie, so I was set. It wasn't that fancy, but it was worth getting dressed up purely for the compliments my tie got. We entered the auditorium along with over 900 other people, and immediately got in line to meet the 2008 Virginia baseball team. Everyone got posters, which each player signed as you passed through the line. After making my way through the line, Meredith and I spent a good 15 minutes looking for a seat. Most of the best seats near the dais were taken, so we ended up on one of the outside tables. At each seat was a UVa baseball T-shirt and a goodies bag filled with gum, Baby Ruth, and other baseball assorted treats. Dinner was also baseball/summer related - hot dogs BBQ pork, fried chicken, potato salad, etc. It was good, and since we were on the outer fringes, our table was among the first to feed.

After everyone ate, they started the program with a recap of the season and speeches by some of the college bigwigs. Terry was introduced, and shared some stories ranging from being the lucky manager of Michael Jordan's ill-fated attempt at baseball to the diminutive Dustin Pedroia swinging like he's David Ortiz. He then kindly answered questions from the crowd. Unfortunately, by the time I decided to raise my hand, they stopped taking questions.

Once everything ended, I joined the majority of the crowd by getting to the front and hopefully getting an autograph or picture. Fortunately I got both, as well as the opportunity to shake his hand and thank him for a great season. Yeah, this is definitely the coolest Christmas gift ever.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T11:48:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to all our dear family and friends. Enjoy the day, and each other.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2007-12-24T11:42:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to my Mom, who has the joy of celebrating her birth every Christmas Eve. This will be the first of her birthdays that I won't be there in person for, but thanks to modern technology, we can get around that. As an early gift, my wife and I got a set of web cams and mailed one to my folks in NY. Now my daughter can see and hear her Busha (that's grandmother for you non-Polish types) and wish her a happy birthday.

Happy Birthday Nick!

2007-12-12T07:30:00.000-05:00

A very happy birthday to the youngest of the Keppel boys! Nick celebrated by doing what every young teenager dreams of - he got his permit. have a good one Nick!

Abbey

2007-11-27T07:21:00.000-05:00

Today my sister Abbey went through her Confirmation ceremony. It's a bittersweet moment for me. She asked me to be her sponsor, a tremendous honor, but I was unable to attend due to work. My mom substituted for me though. I'm very proud of the young woman my sister has become, and hope her faith grows with her every day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T10:15:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! This year I have a lot to be thankful for. In addition to my family, my friends, and my health, this year brought two profound changes in my life - a new job (two actually!) and of course, my daughter!

To all my friends and relatives, have a wonderful and blessed holiday. You have my permission to gorge yourself on turkey, yams, stuffing, and pumpkin pie!

Happy Birthday Tessie!

2007-11-20T06:52:00.000-05:00

Happy 14th birthday to the youngest of my siblings! 14 years! She was born while I was away for my first semester of college. I feel old now. Tess, I hope you have a great birthday!

Halloween Pictures

2007-11-08T06:53:00.001-05:00

Victoria was a ladybug for Halloween, and we're fortunate to have a neighbor who is quite a photographer.

Boston Red Sox - 2007 World Champions

2007-10-29T06:10:00.000-05:00

Random baseball thoughts as I soak in the joy of knowing my team has won the World Series for the second time in four years...

...Sometimes the best trades are the ones you don't make. Last winter, the Red Sox almost traded for the Rockies' Todd Helton. The player they would have lost? 2007 World Series MVP Mike Lowell. In 2003, Boston almost traded with the Texas Rangers for Alex Rodriguez. They would have given up 2004 World Series MVP Manny Ramierez and 2007 Game 4 Winner Jon Lester.

...Speaking of Lester. If Disney needs another feel-good baseball movie (a la The Rookie), look no further than the incredible tale of Jon Lester. At this time last year he was going through chemotherapy treatments.

...The Red Sox need to re-sign Mike Lowell. He's another Bill Mueller - classy, works hard, does the little things

...Jonathan Papelbon has offically obtained cult status in Boston, all because of that jig

...Prediction: Yankees don't make the playoffs next year. The only reasons they survived that horrible start this year were Torre and A-Rod.

Happy Birthday Gail!

2007-10-27T10:08:00.001-05:00

Special birthday greetings to my cousin/God-daughter Gail. She turns 11 today! I hope she has a fantastic day today filled with all sorts of great surprises.

It Begins Tonight!

2007-10-24T06:35:00.001-05:00

For the 2nd time in 4 years, my beloved Red Sox will be playing in the World Series. I'm excited and I personally feel the Red Sox can easily win it all this year. My official prediction will be Sox in 5 games.

Equally exciting, my wife and in-laws are having a collective lapse in judgment. My father-in-law, a die hard Yankees fan, actually said two weeks ago that if Boston advanced to the World Series, he'd allow Victoria to wear the Red Sox onesies my family got for her over the summer. Needless to say, I'm taking advantage of the situation.

Go Sox!

Happy Anniversary!

2007-10-14T22:17:00.001-05:00

I know, it's a bit cheesy to wish oneself a happy anniversary, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that today is our two year anniversary. To borrow from the last post, time does indeed fly. It really doesn't seem like its been two years since Meredith and I got married. I can still vividly recall that day as if it just happened.

Supposedly, the traditional 2 year gift is cotton, so I'm tempted to get her a box of Q-tips as a joke. Then again, one of her gifts will be a pair of really comfy slippers, so maybe that will count. Unfortunately, I have to work both jobs today, so our celebrating will be limited to a lunch date and whatever we can decide to do later this week. Regardless of what we do, it'll be special.

Times Flies

2007-10-13T22:02:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's been over a month since I last posted. It's not intentional. I have a whole bunch of things over the past month that were blog-worthy. Just haven't had the time/energy.

Hard to believe that it's been six months since Victoria was born. Six months! Has half a year gone by so quickly? What amazes me is how much she has grown and developed over these past six months. She had a checkup this past week and for the record she now is 17.8 lbs. and 26 inches long. She converses with us endlessly in her baby gibberish and has become quite jovial. It's becoming easier to make her laugh, which delights me to no end.

I'm looking forward to watching her continuing growth over the next 6 months.

100th Post!

2007-09-06T17:14:00.000-05:00

It occurred to me last time I updated this thing that this post would officially be my 100th blog post. Technically that's a bit off, since maybe 20 of these posts aren't really creations of my mind, just random quizzes and silliness to fill the time. Nonetheless, this is my century mark, and I have the urge to make it a special post. With that in mind, I have an announcement....

I'm growing my hair out again!

Those who remember me from my college days no doubt remember my trademark long locks, which went mainly down my back. Well, my father-in-law decided he was going to grow his hair for Lock of Love, and he talked my wife into doing it too. The two of them in turn talked me into it. I have to grow a minimum of 10 inches of hair. Right about now I have maybe an 1/8 of an inch.

And for the record, no, the fu-manchu isn't coming back too.

Homeward Bound

2007-09-03T21:15:00.000-05:00

It's Labor Day Weekend , and for many, it's a weekend to travel and visit with family and friends. For me, that time gets to happen next weekend. My family and I are taking a 4 day weekend to go up to my hometown of Dunkirk. Next Saturday is the 45th annual Keppel reunion. I missed the reunion for my mother's side of the family last month, so I'm really glad to have this opportunity to go to this one. It will be the first time most of my extended family will get to see the newest Keppel. It will also be the first time my immediate family has seen her since her baptism in May. (Except for my brother Rich, who has yet to meet his his niece.)

I also will be lucky enough to take a small side trip up to Rochester to see a bunch of friends from my Fisher days. One friend, Vallon, is visiting from Trinidad for awhile, so it'll be good to see him especially. Hopefully I'll be able to catch up with most of my friends in the area.

Needless to say, I'm looking forward to this upcoming weekend. I can't wait for everyone to meet my daughter!

2007-09-03T20:49:00.000-05:00

nine months ago, I was unemployed and searching desperately for a job. Now I have two. I recently picked up a second part-time job as a sales associate at Radio Shack. Just something to put a little extra coin in the old bank account, and hopefully build up a savings account for Victoria in the process. So far, it's been OK. Half my time has been spent doing these training videos, which are boring as heck. I worked 3 hours today, and because it was Labor Day, it was dead. Nothing like standing around for 3 hours. Whoo-hoo.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

2007-08-30T19:44:00.000-05:00

Last night I went to Richmond to watch the Richmond Braves, the AAA farm club of Atlanta. I went with my father-in-law and some friends. The game itself wasn't all that great - it wasn't well pitched or high scoring, although Richmond beat the Durham Bulls 2-1. To love baseball is to love the history of the game, and I got to see two great players from my childhood. The first base coach for Durham was Gary Gaetti, who played mostly for the Minnesota Twins, although he did end his career with the Red Sox. Gaetti played in the 1987 World Series, considered one of the greatest ever. Practically next to him, playing first base for Richmond, was none other than Julio Franco. You can't be a baseball fan and not respect Franco. He's 48, and has been playing in the majors since 1982 (I was 7!) He has so much passion for the game, he went to the minors so he could continue playing. Other than that the only real highlight was a runner getting picked off first base. He was nowhere near the bag it was just too funny. It was reminiscent of that scene from Major League where Williw mays Hayes tries to steal and stops a good foot away from the bag. ("Missed it by that much!") Hopefully next time, I'll be able to catch a game when they play the Bisons or Red Wings.

Green Valley Book Fair

2007-08-25T14:44:00.000-05:00

In what has become one of my favorite things to do down here, my wife, daughter, and I went to the Green Valley Book Fair, a discount book outlet that has a huge selection of books for cheap. It's only the third time I've gone, but I love it. My goal each time out is usually the same: find one spiritual/religious book I can read during Adoration, and one book to read for fun. This time around, I picked up Pop Goes Religion, a look at spirituality in pop culture, and Spaulding's World Tour, an attempt to spread baseball throughout the world in the late 1800's. For this particular trip, we spent about $30 on 10 books, mostly children's books for Victoria. We also spent another $15 on a stuffed bear and raffle tickets to support the American Cancer Society, which had a table out side the entrance. It was a good trip, and I'm very thankful we had a chance to go again, especially since the place was air conditioned.

Adventures In IT #4: Dinosaur

2007-08-21T16:36:00.000-05:00

Some people are very attached to their computers. I understand this, and to a degree I respect it. However, sometimes you need to learn to let go. Recently an older gentleman brought in his computer for repair. It was a Pionex 486. Now the computer geeks among you now what nature of beast I get to deal with when I say "486". He's had this computer since 1993, which makes it ancient in computer years.

To put it in perspective, here's an incomplete list of components that are currently obsolete:
*
5.25" floppy drive

*serial mouse port

*turbo button

*16MB memory sticks

How this thing lasted so long I'll never know. The only reason he brought it in was because the CMOS battery had finally started to go. I hope I can get this running, for no other reason than to see if it's running Windows 3.1

Happy Anniversary!

2007-08-21T16:27:00.001-05:00

Happy anniversary to my good friends Jen and Chuck! They've been married 8 years, which seemed like a long time to me until it dawned on me that I've known Jen (and by proxy Chuck) for 13 years. Anyway, a happy and blessed day for two great people! Congrats!

Happy Birthday Meredith!

2007-08-18T08:41:00.000-05:00

Today is Meredith's birthday! 27 years ago, my wife was born. Victoria and I made her breakfast in bed, and later today we're going out to dinner with her parents. Happy birthday, Dear! I love you!

August 17th Takes A Breather

2007-08-17T23:35:00.000-05:00

Few people know this, but August 17th is a special day in the Keppel household. It was August 17, 2005 when I moved to Virginia, months before our wedding. On August 17, 2006, Meredith and I found out we were going to be parents. That's two significant life-altering events occurring on the same day in back-to-back years. I couldn't help but wonder what could possible happen this year.

Absolutely nothing.

Not that I'm complaining. Tomorrow is a much more important day anyway.

An Unexpected Slumber Party

2007-08-10T22:12:00.000-05:00

My in-laws are coming over to spend the night. They have well water at their home and they just discovered it has gone dry. Apparently the pump used to give water to the horses wasn't shut off properly, so now they have no water for dishes, showers, etc. Hopefully they won't have to dig a new well, as that would cost a few thousand dollars. Throw in the fact that their AC went bye bye recently, and now they get to spend a luxurious night at the Hotel Keppel. Maybe I should put a mint on the air mattress?

Victoria Update

2007-08-09T06:25:00.001-05:00

It's been awhile since I've written about Victoria, and since she just had a checkup yesterday, this seems like an opportune time to catch everyone up.

The doctor said she's right on schedule developmentally. She only gained a pound since last month, but the doctor wasn't too concerned about that. She currently weighs 11.5 lbs and grew to 24.5 inches long. She's doing everything a normal 4 month old should be doing - grabbing things, sitting up, cooing, laughing, etc. She's even started teething already!

The doctor suggested starting her on cereal, so today Victoria was fed her first "real" food - a watery bowl of rice cereal. Yum! She naturally was a bit apprehensive about it, but we managed to get a few spoonfuls in her mouth.

I think I've mentioned this before, but for that past month, she's been sleeping through the night. I cannot tell you how wonderful this is. The trade off, however, is that she fights taking any daytime naps. When she does fall asleep, usually on mommy or daddy, any attempts to move her to her bed result in loud cry. I've started comparing it to diffusing a bomb - one wrong step, the slightest noise and BOOM off she goes. Still, for a solid 8 hours of sleep it's worth it.

Hopefully, in the near future I can get her MySpace updated. I've been so bad with that since she's been born...

Augusta County Fair

2007-08-07T22:20:00.000-05:00

Just got back from a evening at the county fair. It was alright, just like every other small county fair I've been too. The outing was actually a part of Meredith's job. The place she works for took some of the teens out for the opening night of the festivities. Everyone got to bring a friend, and I was Meredith's.

The evening started with my wife and I driving in a van with 5 teenage girls. I couldn't help but feel I was getting a glimpse of my life 13+ years from now, when I'll be driving around teen Victoria and her circle of friends. Let me tell you, I do not miss all that high school drama! The girls were well behaved at least.

It was my first trip to this particular county fair, and I was generally unimpressed. It was maybe half the size of my hometown's county fair, and I was never impressed with that one either, to put it in perspective. They had a few rides which were your run-of-the-mill stuff - you spin, you twist, you drop from a safe height, etc. (Although I was rather impressed with this one young lady who was on a ride called the Tornado who proceeded to text on her phone while spinning around at dizzying speeds.)

The food was rather disappointing. The funnel cake, a favorite of mine, seemed bland, and the lemonade was little more than sugar water with half a lemon in it. It's fair food, so you shouldn't expect high quality, but when you shell out $14 for two cups of lemonade (with refills), I prefer not to suck down pulp and seeds.

The highlight for me was the fireworks display, which was pretty good considering everything else. Then again, when it comes to fireworks, I'm easy to please.

If nothing else, it was a nice distraction from the ordinary weekday night. And although it was way to expensive, my wife was on the clock, so we pretty much broke even.

We're Moving To Springfield!

2007-08-04T22:46:00.001-05:00

OK, not really. But I can now share with the world what my family and I would look like if we did. Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to see the movie yet. But as many Simpson fans know, you can convert yourself into a Simpsons character. For fun, my wife and I uploaded photos to see what we'd look like.

Here I am! It's a pretty good likeness if I do say so.

Here's Meredith! Again, a pretty good likeness. I can't complain!

And here's little Victoria! Unfortunately, this looks a little too generic. It doesn't capture the cuteness that is my daughter.

Jazz In The Park

2007-08-02T22:38:00.000-05:00

One of the great things about Staunton is that there is usually something going on. On Thursdays during the summer, they have free jazz concerts in the park near where I live. Meredith and I had been planning on going for some time now, but something has always come up to change our plans. This week we finally got to go. We met up with one of Meredith's friends and her family and enjoyed a cool night of music by the Jennifer Kirkland/Bert Carlson Quartet. Surprisingly, Victoria was quiet and well behaved. She sat on my lap most of the evening and just took in the music and all that surrounded her. It was a fun night, and hopefully we'll be able to go again before the summer ends.

Guardian Angel

2007-07-31T22:26:00.000-05:00

God truly works in mysterious ways. Sometimes the most difficult times turn out to be blessings in disguise.

Last Autumn, I left my job as a teacher at Guardian Angel Regional Catholic School. My official story was that I left to find a more financially stable job that would allow my then pregnant wife to be a stay-at-home mom. While that's was definitely true, it wasn't the whole story.

Last July, the school got a new principal, Dan. Dan's job was to turn the school around and make it profitable, something the school had been struggling to due for a number of years. He had his own agenda, and this agenda completely changed the spirit and atmosphere of the school.

As for my role in this, he basically forced me out. When he came on, he was surprised to find that I was a full time, salaried staff member. Apparently, I wasn't on the budget for the school year. That, plus the fact I was not a licensed teacher, pretty much made me expendable in his eyes. He eliminated the computer classes I taught; He had me switch classrooms the same day as the school's open house; and generally assured my school year wouldn't be a pleasant one.

I left Guardian Angel with the hope that I could get a new job quickly. That didn't happen. Instead, my family and I had to endure 5 months of unemployment at a time what seemed the worst possible time - in the early stages of my wife's pregnancy. We got by due to various contract jobs and the generosity of our family and church.

Why do I bring this up now?

Goodbye Gaurdian Angel

I cannot fathom what I would be going through now had I stayed there this year. Limited monetary resources suck when you have a child on the way, but it would have been devastating had I lost my job now. Throw in the fact that my wife worked there to (she left due to medical reasons), and it's magnified that much more. I didn't know it at the time, but God was looking out for me then. My family is much better off now.

My heart goes out to the teachers (who are pretty much screwed since this happens a month before the school year starts) as well as the students and there families, who no doubt will find someplace else to learn, but it won't nearly be the same. Since I've left, I've run into many of my former students and their families. The things I heard that were happening to the school - teachers constantly fearing they'll get fired, students fighting and selling drugs, among other rumors - it would have killed me to see that place deteriorate so quickly firsthand.

Ironically - In Sunday's church bulletin, there was a blurb on how GARCS had raised $200,000 in funds this summer, and how they were even looking to hire a teacher.

R.I.P. Guardian Angel

Happy Birthday Andy!

2007-07-27T22:12:00.000-05:00

A happy 27th to my brother Andy! 2007 seems to be a good year for him so far. He and his long time girlfriend recently moved into a new house, so hopefully it won't be too long before we get to see it. He also got his accounting degree and will soon start classes again to get his associates in personal finance. Happy birthday Bro!

Playoffs: Main St. Methodists 17, St. John's 6

2007-07-21T11:12:00.000-05:00

This gamed sucked. Not because of the score, or because of how I or the team collectively played; this was one of those games that are unfortunately common in any sport or competition - one where a few overly competitive people completely took the fun out of it.

Amongst my teammates there is a father and his two sons. Good people, all of them, but sometimes they take the games way too seriously, and when they do, it can get ugly.

The father, rounding second when the ump called the play dead, was upset that the ump didn't allow him to continue to third. he started yelling and jawing with the ump, and it pretty much lasted the rest of the game. If you have a problem with the ump's decision, I have no problem if someone tells him so, provided the issue is dropped shortly thereafter. Didn't happen in this case. What's ironic is that the father, when he's not playing for our team, is an ump himself. While it means that he has complete knowledge of the rules and was probably right in his argument, he should have known better.

One son got injured during the game and was going to be replaced. He refused to come out, after we had informed the team of the switch. This caused some confusion that resulted in us batting out of order.

The other son is one of the cockiest people I can think of. He plays within the rules of the game, but he plays to win, even if that means not listening to his teammates or taking out a fielder to reach base safely. Today, he got a hit and made it to second. Rather than listen to the base coaches and hold there, he decides to take off for third, and ends up getting caught in a rundown. He ended up sliding/bowling into the first baseman, preventing him from fielding the ball cleanly and causing him to fall. Yeah, sure he was safe, but it wasn't worth potentially hurting someone. He also ended up swearing at the ump when a play didn't go his way.

It was embarrassing. I was ashamed to be on that team. This is a recreational softball league. There are no trophies, no prize money, no fame and fortune. If you can't play and have fun, win or lose, you shouldn't be playing. We were representing a church! We were playing another church! It was sad and it bugged me to no end.

So that's the end of of our season. We played well, but inconsistantly. I managed to end up with an average over .300, which was one of my goals for the year. (The other, to hit the ball out of the infield, didn't happen. What can I say, I'm a line drive hitter with no power.) The only thing left if the eventual end of the summer pool party. Although there is a kickball league starting up in the fall...

My Season Totals: 5-16 (.312 Ave.) 5 BB, 5 R, 1 RBI

Benchwarmers: A Lot, St. John's: A Little

2007-07-16T20:07:00.000-05:00

We played our last regular season game today, and lost once again to the dreaded Slaughter Rule. I had a horrible game striking out twice and having my only two fielding chances end up a fraction of what they could have been. The first, I just tipped a screamer down the first base line that almost took the glove right off my hand. I knew I could have gotten it. Granted, it was hit so hard I might have broken my hand, but still, so close. The other opportunity was a grounder that I fielded cleanly enough, but juggled on the transfer to my throwing hand, allowing the runners to reach safely.

We end our season in third place with a 4-12 record. Fortunately, everyone qualifies for the playoffs regardless of record, so we have at least one more game on Friday. If we win that, we get to play Sunday as well.

My Season: 4-14 (.286), 5 BB, 5 R, 1 RBI

I Sound Like Who?

2007-07-14T18:32:00.001-05:00

Meredith's sister Inez came over today, with her new boyfriend. During the course of the visit, the boyfriend, Brian, slapped his hands together and exclaimed "I know who you sound like! Dennis Miller! You sound just like him!" That was a new one to me. Neither my wife, her sister, nor I could hear it, but he was fairly certain I sounded like the former SNL cast member. If any friends out there reading this can verify this claim, I'd be curious to know. Do I sound like Dennis Miller? Who do I sound like?

The First Of Many

2007-07-12T21:02:00.000-05:00

To quote Peter Griffin: "I've brought you the greatest gift of all. A child's laughter."

Today marked a monumental day in the life of a first time father. For the first time, I made my daughter laugh. Our neighbor had done it last weekend and I've been trying to get a laugh out her all week. I finally accomplished my goal today with a variation of Peek-A-Boo.

No matter what kind of mood I'm in or what kind of day I've had, a smile from Victoria instantly lifts my spirits. I wager her laugh will be equally addictive.

Free Methodist Church 16, St. John's 3

2007-07-12T20:57:00.000-05:00

We played another "slaughter Rule" game today. Unfortunately we just couldn't keep it close. On a positive note, I finally got my first RBI of the season, driving in my sister-in-law with a single. I also fielded both chances I got cleanly, even getting a runner out trying to advance to third. We've got one more game to make-up on Monday, then the playoffs start next week Friday.

My Season: 4-12 (.333 Ave), 5 BB, 5 R, 1 RBI

St. John's 10, WWRC 7

2007-07-08T17:15:00.000-05:00

Whew, was it ever hot today! It was easily high 80s/low 90s. Unfortunately, our opponents had a game in the sun right before facing us, so I definitely felt sorry for them. Their pitcher threw the ball very flat with some back-swing on it, so he struck out a bunch of us during the game (including me twice). We were able to get some good solid hits off him though.

Personally, this was my best game defensively. I made a fantastic stabbing catch of a line drive to the left of me. I also fielded everything cleanly, except for one ball that hit the third base bag. I need to work on transferring the ball from the glove to my throwing hand and getting the ball to the first baseman. Twice I fielded a grounder and didn't get rid of it in time. At the plate, in addition to the two K's, I did manage a base hit. Alas, I tried to reach second when the first baseman missed the catch, but I was too slow and thrown out at second.

My Season: 3-10 (.300 Ave), 5 BB, 5 R

Any Doubt She's My Daughter?

2007-07-06T22:54:00.000-05:00

McClung 20, St. John's 0

2007-07-06T22:48:00.000-05:00

To quote the great philosopher Shaggy: "Zoinks!" What more can I say? The hit the ball everywhere our fielders weren't, and we hit right to their players. I had what was probably my best defensive game, fielding 3 balls cleanly, although I did make a mental mistake by throwing to an empty base. I only got one at bat this time around, the last out of the game. From what I've been told, we've played this team 4 times already and lost every one. Here's hoping we rebound on Sunday!

My Season: 2-7 (.286 Ave), 5 BB, 5 R

Adventures In IT #3: Geniuses

2007-07-05T21:29:00.000-05:00

In the past 2 weeks, I've had to deal with...

...A woman with a laptop that keeps crashing. After I fix what I can, she informs me that when it crashes, she can get it going again by dropping it a couple of inches onto a table.

...Another lady who had a CD stuck in her computer, and proceeded to completely mangle the drive with a screw driver. She could have saved herself roughly $70 had she just stuck a paper clip in the small hole on the CD Drive.

...A gentleman who brought in his computer because the sound didn't work. I hooked it up and tested it, it worked fine. He tries it at home, no sound. I figure his speakers are faulty, so he brings them in. I proceed to show the man the knob on the side that turns them on. Problem solved.

There's a techie term out there, PEBKAC. It stands for Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair. It's people like these that keep me employed I guess.

Main St. Methodiths 8, St. John's 7

2007-07-02T21:37:00.000-05:00

Although we lost, this was a fun game. Both teams came back from behind, with our opponents finally winning during the bottom of the last inning, after we had tied it the half-inning before.

I played third, and only had one potential play. I let a high pop-up drop that I should have caught. Fortunately, it was in foul territory, so no harm done. At the plate I went 1-2 with a single and a strikeout (looking too - ugh!) With this hit, my average is now officially over .300, so I feel like I'm actually doing well, even if I have yet to hit the ball out of the infield. All in all, a good, fun game.

My Season: 2-6 (.333 Average), 5 BB, 5 R

Fathers Day Reflections

2007-06-17T22:08:00.001-05:00

You would think Fathers Day for a first time father would lend itself to a natural blog entry, but to be honest, I really don't have much to contribute in that regard. Don't get me wrong, I had a great day, it's just hard to feel worthy of the recognition thrown my way. Victoria is merely 2 months old, and too be honest, it's been easy going so far. She eats, she sleeps, she poops. My job has been easy so far. (I know, I know...it won't last.) Basically what I mean is I don't feel like I've done anything worthy of accolades yet.

So instead I dedicate this post to one more deserving than I. In the 9 months leading up to parenthood, I had plenty of time to wonder what fatherhood would be like and what kind of father I'll be. Fortunately, I'm blessed with a fantastic role model. If I do half the job that my father has, Victoria will be just fine. I was reminded again today exactly what kind of man my dad is. I called him this afternoon, and as luck would have it, he had just gotten home from working a double shift. (He works the midnight shift) On a day when the focus should be on him, he focuses on his family. On a day when he should take it easy, he works a double so my siblings never lack for anything. That's my dad for you - selfless. What's more remarkable is that he didn't have much of a role model for fatherhood himself. his dad, my grandfather, died when he was I think 14. Where he learned to be such a great father, I don't know, but I have big shoes to fill. I think I'm up for the challenge.

Here's to you dad. Happy Fathers Day. You earned it.

McClung ?, St. John's 8

2007-06-15T22:10:00.000-05:00

In softball, there is what is known as the "slaughter rule" - if one team is up by 10 or more runs after 5 innings, the game is called. Going into the 4th inning, we were only trailing by a 14-8 score. Then it got ugly, so much so I lost count to how many runs they scored. They may have reached 30 for all I know. Needless to say, we got crushed. What's funny is that St. John's played this same team yesterday and got crushed by them too.

Personally, I didn't do much. I came in as a substitute after the 4th inning, when it was still a game. During McClung's clinic on hitting, I manned 3rd base and didn't have anything hit my way except for a screamer down the 3rd base line I had absolutely no chance at. After their half of the inning we had our last ups, and I didn't get to have an at-bat. Oh well, it happens. Hopefully our next game on Tuesday will be better.

My Season: 1-4 (.250), 5 BB, 5 R

Attack Of The Gigantic Baby

2007-06-14T12:18:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile since there was a Victoria update, huh? Victoria reached the 2 month mark this past week, and had her 2 month checkup as a result. She has grown! Check out these two pictures, one taken at a few days old and the other last week. She weighed in at 10.5 lbs this week, and is now 22 1/2 inches long. We're almost at that "too big for newborn size" stage.

She's been very well behaved so far. She's been sleeping through most of the night, and even slept for 8 solid hours a few days ago. (Granted, it was from 8PM - 3AM, but still...) We were even able to take her out to a restaurant and have lunch last Sunday.

Over Memorial Weekend, Victoria got baptized. It was a beautiful weekend, and we were fortunate to have many family and friends in attendance. My mom and Father-in-law stood in as proxy for Victoria's Godparents, who were unable to make it. Victoria behaved for the most part, even falling asleep at one point. (She can sleep anywhere!) Afterwards we had a small reception complete with cake from the same place that did our wedding cake.

I need to update Victoria's MySpace page, as well as continue with my longstanding project of getting pictures on Flicker. Maybe this weekend I can get stuff done.

St.John's 18, Main St. Methodists 7

2007-06-10T20:02:00.000-05:00

Holy Cow! I'm a lefty! Ok, a little back story - I am not a very good hitter. I stink, to be polite. Well, anyway, back on Mother's Day, we went to the park with Mer's family and decided to get a little practice in. I needed work on my hitting, but despite everyone's best advice, I kept swinging and missing. For fun, I tried batting left handed, and surprisingly I had much better luck making contact.

Fast forward to today - I decided to bat lefty, and wouldn't you know, I got my first hit of the season! I almost got a 2nd hit too, just missed by a nanosecond. For the day I was 1-2 with a walk and 2 runs scored. Defensively, they put me at second. I've never played that position before, and although it was a shorter throw to 1st than I'm used to, it's a lot more ground for me to cover. fortunately I fielded my one opportunity cleanly but overeagerly threw the ball to first when I had no chance to get the runner.

Now that I got my first hit out of the way, hopefully I can get my first RBI soon!

My season: 1-4 (.250), 5 BB, 5 R

Games People Play

2007-06-03T14:39:00.000-05:00

So I was catching up on my blog reading today...

One friend of mine, Chuck, recently made the paper in recognition of a gaming club he started.

Another friend, Olivia, is a avid Scrabble player and recently participated in her first official tournament.

It got me thinking about how games, particularly non-computer games, have had a significant role in my life and how they've consistently strengthened the friendships I have in life. Games have even played a significant role in my marriage. When my wife and I were doing the long distance relationship thing, we would spend almost every night chatting online. To help pass the time, we'd play checkers through Yahoo Games. It became one of "our things", so much so that I used a custom made checker board to propose.

In college, many nights were spent playing Dungeons and Dragons. After college, my best friend Paul got me into Legend of the Five Rings. And sprinkled throughout were games of Scrabble, Clue, Chess, Settlers of Catan, and Cosmic Encounter, among others. Each game was fun, and provided nights filled with laughter and pure, unhindered fun.

Computer games are fun, don't get me wrong. I still play Snood regularly, and count my Atari 2600 among my prized possessions, but I never really got into it at the level others like my brother have. Truth is, and I may get my geek membership revoked for this, I really don't care for the major online games out there, especially first-person shooter type games. They really don't compare with board and card games.

I really need to start playing more. Perhaps I'll look to see if there's a group in the area, or maybe I'll take a cue from Chuck and start my own. Time's precious, especially when you have a baby, but it'd be worth it making time for this.

I hope that as Victoria gets older, I'll be able to pass along my love of games to her. Cheesy as it sounds, I can visualize future family game nights and giving her a game every Christmas. Maybe she'll like them, maybe she'll outgrow them, but she gets half as much out of them as I do, it'll be worth it.

Allow me to end by giving a short list of my favorite games. try them if you haven't already. My favorites, in no particular order:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checkers: a classic game with simple rules, this is one my wife and I bonded over.

Pentago: A variation on the classic Tic-Tac-Toe, this game involves a good deal of strategy. I picked this game up last year and have enjoyed it immensely.

Legend of the Five Rings: My all time favorite collectible card game, L5R is the 2nd longest running CCG behind Magic. Steeped in samurai lore and fantasy, it was unique in that it told an ongoing story, with the story developed directly by the players. How many games have their own story team?

Kung Fu Samurai on Giant Robot Island: Another card game, this game is just flat out silly and fun.

Settlers of Catan: A game my friend Chuck got me into online, it's another game of strategy.

Munchkin: For those of you who love D&D but don't have 6 hours, this is a great compromise.

There are of course many others, but to list them all would be too much. Happy gaming!

Happy Anniversary!

2007-06-02T14:25:00.001-05:00

Today is my parent's 28th wedding anniversary. If ever there was a model of love and friendship for me to base my own marriage on, this is it. For that, I am eternally blessed. Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! Lots of love from your son, "daughter", and granddaughter!

Sister-In-Law Meets A Former Sox Star

2007-05-29T21:22:00.000-05:00

So apparently, my sis-in-law Inez was at a salsa club in DC last night and got to met a few members of the L.A. Dodgers, who were in town to play the Washington Nationals. Among those she got to meet was former Red Sox Star Nomar Garciaparra. Pretty nifty, huh? Nomar was such a great player before he suffered so many injuries. It's good to see him healthy and productive again.

St. John's 18, WWRC 14

2007-05-29T21:06:00.000-05:00

We played the team from Woodrow Wilson again, and this game was much more evenly matched, and therefore, much more fun. Unfortunately, I stunk. Yeah, I got another walk and scored another run, but i also struck out swinging and messed up two plays I should have had. I let a ground ball skip by less than a foot from me, then later i dropped what should have been an easy pop up. Oh well. Hopefully next time I can do better. There's a makeup game Thursday, but I'll have to miss it due to class.

My Stats so far: 0-2 (.000), 4 BB, 3 R

Holy Blog Filler, Batman!

2007-05-25T18:58:00.000-05:00

Your results:
You are Spider-Man

Spider-Man		80%
Superman		65%
Robin		55%
The Flash		45%
Iron Man		45%
Green Lantern		40%
Supergirl		30%
Wonder Woman		20%
Batman		20%
Catwoman		15%
Hulk		15%

You are intelligent, witty,
a bit geeky and have great
power and responsibility.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

I'm a little concerned that I'm more like Supergirl than I am like Batman...

Your results:
You are Riddler

Riddler		50%
The Joker		49%
Dr. Doom		42%
Lex Luthor		39%
Mr. Freeze		36%
Apocalypse		34%
Green Goblin		32%
Magneto		31%
Juggernaut		28%
Venom		27%
Dark Phoenix		24%
Kingpin		24%
Poison Ivy		19%
Mystique		16%
Catwoman		15%
Two-Face		12%

Riddle me that, riddle me this, who is obsessed with having a battle of wits??

Click here to take the "Which Super Villain am I?" quiz...

Half Riddler, Half Joker....what does that say about me?

Busy, Busy, Busy!

2007-05-24T16:17:00.001-05:00

Shame on me for letting 2 weeks pass without a post! Memorial Weekend is going to be hectic, as Victoria is getting baptized Sunday. We been making the preparations for awhile, and the out of town guests start arriving tomorrow. My family will be here Saturday. Coincidentally, the baptism will be held at the Frontier Culture Museum, in the same pavilion Meredith and I had our wedding reception. (Just to clarify, Sunday is Pentecost in the Roman Catholic calendar, and my church celebrates each year by holding Mass in the local park, which was switched this year to Frontier. And no, we didn't realize it was Pentecost when we chose Memorial weekend to baptize Victoria - we just picked a long weekend so more out of town relatives could make it.)

In other news...

The first batch of birth announcements went out this week, although we still have more to order/send out.

Speaking of Victoria, she's doing very well and has grown quite a bit. I'm still working on getting more pictures online, and hopefully will be able to do that next week sometime.

Meredith is doing well. She recently went back to work part time at People Places, mentoring the two high school girls.

Work is going well for me. It's been 3 months already! The company is paying for me and some other techs to take a 6 week, Thursday night, non-credit course at the local community college that will prepare up to get our Cisco Networking Certification. I actually had my first class tonight. It was fun, if you enjoy setting up small networks fun of course.

No softball games to report. We had 2 rain-outs and one game I had to miss due to a prior engagement. Next week Tuesday is our next game, so I'll post about that one

And just because it's funny to laugh at things that look like dictators, I give you Cats That Look Like Hitler. They're cute in an evil sort of way!

St. John's 23, WWRC 2

2007-05-09T12:27:00.000-05:00

Yeah, we won, but this really wasn't a fun game. The Woodrow Wilson Rehab Center is usually a much better team than this. They unfortunately had a pitcher who was having a very difficult time finding the strike zone. To put it in perspective, I got on base all 3 times at bat, and I never swung at a single pitch. Our team tried to help by swinging at anything even close, it just didn't matter. The ump called the game after 2 1/2 innings. For the day, I was 0-0 with 3 walks and 2 runs. Defensively, I fielded 4 plays as the 3rd baseman but recorded no outs. I probably could have turned two of them into outs though. One I threw wide of the first baseman, who was having a hard enough time with the sun in her eyes, and another I just didn't react quickly on. Oh well. The more I play the better I'll get. Next game is next week Friday!

My season so far: 0-1 (.000 Ave.), 3 BB, 2 R

Adventures in IT #2: The Dell Conspiracy

2007-05-04T16:12:00.000-05:00

Some people are just..out there. Had a lady come in today to drop off her computer for repair, when she noticed that we were a Dell reseller. She told us how she will never buy a Dell because they put little black tracking devices in their computers that not only track where we are, but also gather our financial data stored on the system. She apparently has some high ranking Washington friends that told her this.

Wait, it gets better...

After hearing this, our dispatcher offhandedly/sarcastically remarks that we'll all have microchips placed under our skin. This lady got real wide-eyed and told us that "Bush has already signed the bill and that we'll all be required to get them within 2 years." Furthermore, her husband has a web site that lists the "camps" where any rebellious American who refuses these chips will be housed.

She then proceeded to state that Bush and Rumsfeld bought some land in Paraguay and have made arrangements so they can't ever be extradited.

First of all, there are no little back boxes in Dells. I work on Dells all the time, never saw one. Besides, if Dell was going to do that sort of thing, why would they put a piece of hardware in their systems? These things can be done just as easily through a Trojan Horse program.

As for the chips in our skin, I know they've got the technology; They use it to track lost pets . We have GPS systems in our cars, our cell phones, even in shoes, but to force people to get them? A little sci-Fi, isn't it?

And I hope Dubya and Doanald have a lovely life together in Paraguay....

Electric Baby-Land

2007-05-01T16:53:00.000-05:00

A while back, I blogged about some less-than-the-usual baby items that were just plain cool. During our hospital stay, a nurse directed us to another cool site, Psycho Baby. This site is worth it alone for the newborn sized rock T-shirts. In the near future, little Victoria can expect to be clothed in her new T shirt while she listens to some lullabies. Rock on, little Victoria!

Play Ball!

2007-04-30T21:59:00.000-05:00

We interrupt this blog for a non-baby-related post...

My church has a softball team, and for the 2nd strait year I'm on it. Having never played before last year, it's an easy guess to say I'm not all that great. It's not that I'm bad, I just can't hit, run, catch or throw! Yesterday was our first game, against the Main Street Methodists. Unfortunately, we lost 11-4. Personally, I went 0-1, just a step away from reaching first on a grounder to the third baseman. In the field, I played a flawless right field. (Easy to do when no balls are hit to you.) I was actually kind of nervous playing RF. I normally play third, and greatly prefer the corner infield because I'm not a fast runner. I hoped I didn't have to run down any balls my side of the outfield, because there's no way I'd catch up to it. All in all it was a good first game, and I'm eager to get back and try again. Hopefully this time I get a hit.

Meet The Family

2007-04-30T21:58:00.001-05:00

This past weekend, my parent and 3 of my siblings made the trip down from New York to meet the newest addition to the family. Busha (that's Polish for Grandmother), Grandpapa, Aunt Abbey, Aunt Tess, and Uncle Nick were only here for the weekend, but every minute of it was time well spent. They'll be back Memorial Weekend for Victoria's baptism. As if I wasn't lagging behind on my photograph organizing, now I have twice as many to deal with!

Victoria's First Week

2007-04-21T14:10:00.000-05:00

Time sure does fly! It's already been a week since Victoria was born! Some info that I didn't mention last post:

born at 11:17pm on 4/13
6 lbs, 12.8 oz
20 in. long

As for pictures, they're coming, slowly but surely. The plan is to combine all the photos from the digital camera, my camera phone, and from grandfather's camera into one convenient folder, then put it on Flickr. Major updates to Victoria's MySpace Page is planned too. For now, enjoy these favored photos:

A picture of Victoria's first few seconds of life in the outside world. We had to stay behind the blue screen while the doctor performed a C-Section, and held her high for us to see when she arrived. Rather than tell us "It's a Girl!", the staff had asked us the names we picked and told us they'd call out the proper name. I can still hear the chorus of "Victoria!" whenever I see this picture.

One of the first pictures of the three of us together. It's amazing how she reacts to the two of us. She's so animated!

A close up of Miss Victoria. The general consensus is that she has my eyes and Meredith's mouth. We're still trying to place the nose.

As I mentioned before, poor Victoria has jaundice. As part of the treatment, she had to be placed on this bed with lights under it. A sticker sensor was placed on her forehead so the nurses can check her progress. As you can see, the whole thing made her look like a Space Baby. (Sound familiar, Paul and Jess?)

Introducing Victoria Grace

2007-04-17T22:54:00.000-05:00

On Friday, April 13th, my daughter was born into this world. We finally got to bring her home today.

Big Day Tomorrow

2007-04-12T22:36:00.000-05:00

Well, it's finally here! Tomorrow morning, my wife and I will be on our way to the hospital. They'll induce her, and before the weekend's out, we'll be a family of three. it's a weird feeling. I can only explain it as a cross between waiting for Christmas as a kid, and entering a dark room and not knowing what's in there. Can't imagine what it'll be like. Keep us, especially Meredith, in your prayers. Next post will be a big one!

An Explosion In My Pants

2007-04-10T18:08:00.000-05:00

A funny thing happened at work today. The bookkeeper somehow got a hold of a bag full of travel-sized cans of Edge shaving gel. Having no use for them herself, she brought them to work. They were placed in the men's bathroom, free for anyone who wanted them. While I was using the facilities, I decided to partake of one of the free cans. I took one, did my business, and headed to the sink to wash my hands. I nonchalantly put the can of gel in my pocket and turned on the faucet. No sooner than my hands had touched water than BOOM! The can had exploded. Let me repeat that for full effect: A can of shaving cream exploded in my pant pocket! I look down and see blueish foam coming out of my black khakis. Oh, and did I mention the pocket also contained my cell phone?

had my phone or my pants been ruined, I no doubt would have been extremely miffed. But the cream wiped off my phone easily, and though it took some time, my pocket was cleaned out as well. No damage done, aside from the fact I smelled of shaving cream the rest of the day.

Lesson to be learned: never put free shaving cream in your pants.

Easter Greetings

2007-04-08T08:15:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter to all my family and friends.

For those of you who are Christian, may God Bless you on this Holy day.
For those who aren't, may the Easter Bunny bring you lots of chocolate.
Aw, what the hey, the Christians can have chocolate too!

For my part, Easter will be spent at church, then at the in-laws, with softball practice thrown in for kicks. Then I'll end my holiday watching Curt Schilling and the Red Sox beat the Texas Rangers on TV.

A Trial Run at the Hospital

2007-04-07T17:08:00.000-05:00

We had an appointment with the doctor on Friday morning. For the past few days, Meredith had been having headaches, which we believed were sinus related. Throughout the pregnancy, Meredith has had fluctuations in blood pressure and Friday morning was no different. What this means is that the doctor has to watch out for Gestational Hypertension and Toxemia. Having the headaches made it difficult to diagnose what was serious and what wasn't, so to be cautious, he decided Meredith should be observed at the hospital overnight. Long story short, she's fine. Her BP was perfectly normal the entire time, the baby moved during the non-stress tests.

What the stay did provide for us is a small idea of what to expect. For starters, there was another woman in labor on the floor, and she let out some blood chilling screams! It scared the daylights out of Meredith, and made us both glad she's opting for the epidural. For my part, I was happy to know that:
The chair that pulls out into a bed is fairly comfortable
The nursing staff is extremely nice
The cafeteria is on the same floor, but they don't take credit or debit
The food in the cafeteria is rather good, and thankfully cheap
There's nothing good on TV, so it's likely I won't be missing anything
The toilet has a super charged flushing unit (what can I say, it caught me off guard!)

The biggest news however is that the doctor decided that if Baby K doesn't come out by next Friday, he's going to induce labor. One more appointment on Tuesday and then that's it! We have at most one week left. Wow!

Bending Space and Time

2007-04-07T16:27:00.000-05:00

Hello, my name is Matt, and I am an internet addict. We've just gotten internet access back at the townhouse for the first time in about a week. A storm knocked out a fiber optic cable and left us without service. After 2 days without service, we called Comcast and were told that if we didn't have service by the next day to call again. Since we didn't have service, I decided that it would be a good time to move the computer. It had been in the spare bedroom, but with that becoming Baby K's new room, I lugged computer, desk, and everything associated with downstairs into the dining room. Next day comes, no service. We call, and of course, Comcast cannot send anyone out until this past Wednesday. So I set up an appointment. The tech was going to show up between 8am - 10am. Well, they didn't show. Instead they called the house phone to verify the appointment. We weren't told that they would call, and we definitely weren't told that the tech wouldn't show unless we verified. Otherwise, my wife would have picked up the phone when it rang. (99.99% of calls to our house phone are solicitations, so we never pick up. Family and friends call our cells.) So Comcast didn't show, and when I called, they said they couldn't do anything until next Monday. ARRRGGG! They didn't honor their appointment, so we have to wait longer? Make no sense to me. At least they said we'll get credit for the week we lost. And it turns out we didn't totally lose service - on a whim, I plugged the modem in upstairs again, and it worked! It's just the cable line downstairs that's messed up! So the computer is back upstairs for now, resting on a card table without any peripherals other than the monitor, mouse and keyboard.

The real tragedy of it all is that I actually had a horde of things to blog about. Lots of little thoughts and fun tidbits to share, but no means of sharing it. (I made a real effort not to surf during my lunch breaks at work.) So anyway, there should be numerous updates coming soon. And because I don't feel like repeating the phrase "Last week", I'll be backdating some of the posts. So pardon the cheating and bending the laws of space and time. It's Comcast's fault anyway.

First Sign

2007-03-24T21:48:00.000-05:00

Today I saw my first official sign that Spring is finally here. The daffodils on the side of the townhouse have bloomed. Impressive considering that it snowed here last week. The lady that lived here before us had a green thumb, and as a result we get to enjoy various annuals throughout the Spring and Summer right in our own backyard. On an unrelated note, I'm quite impressed with my picture here. Not bad for being shot on a camera phone.

If You Can't Laugh At Global Warming...

2007-03-18T15:12:00.000-05:00

My wife sent this to me. I thought it was funny so I decided to share it with all of you.

Wallowing In My Blessed Geekiness

2007-03-18T08:52:00.000-05:00

So, for those you who may know, Captain America is dead. Marvel Comics officially killed him off in the latest installment. Although I never got into comic books, I always enjoyed the superheroes that were portrayed. My father-in-law also loves superheroes, especially Spider-Man, and was an avid collector in his youth. We talked recently about Captain America's death and what it could mean for the value of his older comics. Yesterday he showed me a tote filed with old comics from the 60's. Only true geeks know how incredibly cool that is. He took out what Captain America comics he had and gave to me. I'm going to put them on Ebay and see what they'll fetch. In the meantime, I have 10 classic comic books to carefully leaf through and read. Awesome. Now if I can just get use to that mothball smell long enough to read an entire issue.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2007-03-17T22:50:00.000-05:00

More importantly, 1 month until the due date. Time is rapidly approaching, and the anxiousness is at an all time high. Hopefully this kid comes early.

Adventures in IT #1: Printer Logic

2007-03-15T21:50:00.000-05:00

So when you work for a computer consulting company, you get to deal with a lot of fascinating people. The stories of IT misadventures are near legendary. Although I haven't encountered anything even remotely close to the famous "Can't find the Any Key", I've had some mildly interesting tales to tell. This first one so much isn't funny Ha-Ha, more funny What-Are-You-Thinking-You-Illogical-Humanoid! When I first started, there was a printer on "The Bench", which is where there having me start out. Normally we don't repair printers, it's just not worth it, but this was one of those All-in-one fax/scanner/printers, so we accepted this challenge. This printer frequently jams, and the diagnosis was that it was either the rollers or the motor that needed to be replaced. Now the thing about printers is, there comes a point where the cost of the repair exceeds the cost of the printer. This was one of those times. The cost of new rollers for this outdated and unsupported printer would be about $125 (including labor). I called HP and for a few extra dollars, our customer could invest in a new all-in-one printer complete with warranty. Logic dictates you ditch the obsolete printer and spend the money on a newer model, especially if the repairs do not guarantee fixing the printer!

You know where I'm going with this.

On top of it all, it turns out this guy is the IT guy for a non-profit organization. He above all should know this printer isn't worth it, especially if he's on a tight non-profit budget. I have a creeping suspicion that he tried to fix it himself, failed, and secretly passed it on to us to save face.

Next Time: Shaking hands with a guy I think sells male enhancement...

The Things I'm Learning...

2007-03-15T21:37:00.000-05:00

What's wrong with me? I just spent 2 hours listening about and looking at the exposed female breast, and it was 2 of the most boring hours of my life. My wife and I started birthing classes last week, and tonight was all about the breastfeeding. The teacher was incredibly boring, and spent more time telling us why mommy milk good, formula bad. I wanted to sleep. At least the other classes have been informative. I've learned a lot about what my poor wife will be going through and how to properly bathe my child. I've seen video footage of little screaming infants coming directly out of the birth canal (gross!) and came to the realization that should we be blessed with a boy, the choice to circumcise is really a choice between the lesser of two evils. Next week will be a refresher on infant CPR. I hope I don't have severe mental overload...

First Day

2007-03-01T22:25:00.000-05:00

Well, today was my first day at the new job. I got to meet everyone on the staff, and they all seemed pretty friendly and helpful. After a couple of hours of orientation, they put me to work. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed fixing computers. They offer a challenge that the analytical part of my brain likes to tackle. I even got to spend time showing an elderly lady how to burn photos onto a CD. Fun stuff. Now if I can only figure out how to get a printer to work properly...

Bring It On!

2007-02-28T16:32:00.000-05:00

Far be it for me to put much stock in these fun little quizzes, but I can't help but feel slightly validated.

You Will Be a Cool Parent

You seem to naturally know a lot about parenting, and you know what kids need.
You can tell when it's time to let kids off the hook, and when it's time to lay down the law.
While your parenting is modern and hip, it's not over the top.
You know that there's nothing cool about a parent who acts like a teenager... or a drill sergeant!

Would You Be a Cool Parent?

One Last Gig

2007-02-28T16:03:00.000-05:00

So in the months I've spent searching for full time employment, I earned some extra money as an independent contractor for various staffing companies. I had one last job today. Easiest money I ever made. This PA based staffing company hired me to install a printer and wireless router for the local Army Recruiter office. I had set up the equipment, make sure it worked, then box up the old printer for recycling. When I got there, everything was already set up! One laptop couldn't print though. All I had to do was change the systems default printer setting. There wasn't even any old hardware to box up! The staffing company said they'd still pay me! $35 for a half-hour of my time. Not bad, not bad...

On an unrelated note, I must say that I left the Army Recruiter Office wondering how they ever convince anyone to sign up. Every third word out of the sergeant's mouth was an expletive. Plus he let out two really loud farts. I have nothing against the Army, I support our troops and everything, but if that guy represents today's US Soldier than no wonder they have so much trouble getting kids to enlist. It stands to reason that if you work for an organization or company, you represent that group. Swearing and passing gas like you were at home watching football in your underwear is unacceptable behavior regardless of where you work. It that really a difficult concept to understand?

I'm No Longer A Bum!

2007-02-27T09:09:00.000-05:00

I finally have a new job! After 5 months of endless resumes, cover letters, interviews and follow-ups, I finally have gainful full time employment! Whoo-Hoo! After being interviewed yesterday morning, I was offered the job that afternoon. Starting March 1st, I will be a PC Technician for theLCC Corporation, a local technical support company that's about a mile from where I live. It's better pay than I was making at Guardian Angel, decent benefits, and a great work environment.

There's nothing worse than being unemployed when you have a child on the way. When I left Guardian Angel, I never thought it would take this long to find something new. I will not go through that again!

Hooray for gainful employment!

My What Lovely Elbows You Have!

2007-02-23T22:07:00.000-05:00

It's time for another baby update! We had another ultrasound yesterday. So far things are good - baby is at 4 pounds and growing. The picture here is the only shot we got. I swear this kid does this on purpose, or camera shy. It looks like its doing a sit up, doesn't it? You can see the face at least between the two arms. And no, the one arm isn't a hollow stump - that's just where technology decided to stop working. Only about 7 weeks left to go!

Fun With Food

2007-02-16T16:24:00.000-05:00

There are many people, like myself, who love J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Some people, however, take this love to strange extremes. God bless them for that. In honor of this recent find, I present my top 3 favorite websites devoted to things people have done with food:

#3: Turning pumpkins into computers

#2: Animal testing of Marshmallow Peeps

And my favorite thus far...

#1: Grocery Store Wars

And I thought I had too much time on my hands...

No Love For Sacagawea

2007-02-15T16:23:00.000-05:00

Golden George

So the U.S. Mint is catering to numismatists again, this time printing new golden dollar coins with each of our country's Presidents on them. That's cool and all, but what I really want to point out from this article is the 3rd paragraph:

"I think it's cool because we get to see a coin with the first president on it," said 7-year-old Jack Garbus, an avid coin collector and second-grader..."

OK, I know I should cut the kid some slack because he's only a second grader, but since he collects coins, you'd think he would have seen a quarter before! I'm sorry, it's the teacher in me, but now and again kids say things that really make me question our education system. Reminds me of the former student I had who thought Mark Twain was Shania Twain's husband...

If the U.S. wanted to market cool dollars, they should steal Canada's idea and make really cool multi-colored bills.

A Year of Babies

2007-02-15T08:17:00.000-05:00

First of all, congratulations to my friends Paul and Jess, who became parents for the first time on Tuesday.

On the same day my wife and I find out about the the birth of my best friend's son, we find out that Meredith's best friend is pregnant. Another one to add to the list. Since February 2006, there have been roughly 14 births/pregnancy announcements among our collective family and friends, including ourselves of course. That's a lot. Starting with Paul and Jess, I think there's a baby due every month for the next 5 or 6 months. Yikes.

Speaking of pregnancies, Meredith is doing fine. Baby K is kicking up a storm now, and we get to go for another ultrasound next week. And for those who haven't heard yet, we picked a boy's middle name. Despite the polls favoring James, we're going with Xavier. So Victoria Grace/Mathias Xavier has less than 10 weeks until arrival.

I Can't Decide

2007-01-28T18:31:00.000-05:00

Which is more exciting?

The latest in food technology

A singing Bruce Campbell wanna-be

Life in America has improved slighty.

Speaking of Bruce Campbell, further proof of his awesomeness:
My Name Is Bruce
Bubba Nosferatu