Like the field trip yesterday, the game that was rained out was rescheduled for today. It's the second to last game of the season and the kids are looking forward to it. Or that's the impression I'm going with (when I said there were only two games left, the reaction seemed to be mixed in that half of them were were happy about that and the other half were non-committal). Oh well, at least I can say they had fun. (They might not have had fun, but I can say they did!)
The game started at 5p and we rushed it along as daylight is getting short as we head into November. Originally, I didn't like the idea of having Daylight Saving Time end in November vs. October, but had it done so, we'd be done with our season. Anyway, we played quickly and the kids made a few outs in the field (which is always nice) and the game was over in just over an hour. My only question was how come we couldn't play speed-games like that during the rest of the season?!?
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Day 251 - 10/29/2007
The field trip scheduled for last Thursday was rescheduled for today, so after dropping the kids off, instead of going to work, I hit the coffee store and headed back to the school to chaperon N on his field trip.
We got on the buses and headed over to Cox Farm. Upon our arrival, we were told we'd have to wait in the buses until the park opened at 10a (it was 930a when we arrived). Oh well, at least I got to sit in the bus with the rest of the chaperons while the kids yelled and screamed. We were finally able to get off and we went on a hay ride. There was really nothing special about the hay ride and I was glad to get off as I had to find a bathroom.
We only had three hours there since today was a short day, so N and I made the most of it. He really didn't want to hang out with his friends except towards the end, so we went off on our own. And since most of the other boys' parents were chaperoning, I didn't have to worry about anyone but N. Which was good, because even with only having to watch over him, I still lost track of him a few times. (I'm sure his teacher wouldn't have been happy with me had I really lost him!)
After a day of fun, we got back on the buses to head back to school where I signed him out and headed home for the day. I worked the rest of the day from home and then stayed up to watch the Packers beat up on the Broncos. I was able to squeak out a victory as the two players on the opposing team weren't able to get a combined 24 points. I'm now 5-3 and am looking to continue this streak as we head towards the playoffs.
Oh yeah, while I was watching football, I played my guitar (but that goes without saying!).
We got on the buses and headed over to Cox Farm. Upon our arrival, we were told we'd have to wait in the buses until the park opened at 10a (it was 930a when we arrived). Oh well, at least I got to sit in the bus with the rest of the chaperons while the kids yelled and screamed. We were finally able to get off and we went on a hay ride. There was really nothing special about the hay ride and I was glad to get off as I had to find a bathroom.
We only had three hours there since today was a short day, so N and I made the most of it. He really didn't want to hang out with his friends except towards the end, so we went off on our own. And since most of the other boys' parents were chaperoning, I didn't have to worry about anyone but N. Which was good, because even with only having to watch over him, I still lost track of him a few times. (I'm sure his teacher wouldn't have been happy with me had I really lost him!)
After a day of fun, we got back on the buses to head back to school where I signed him out and headed home for the day. I worked the rest of the day from home and then stayed up to watch the Packers beat up on the Broncos. I was able to squeak out a victory as the two players on the opposing team weren't able to get a combined 24 points. I'm now 5-3 and am looking to continue this streak as we head towards the playoffs.
Oh yeah, while I was watching football, I played my guitar (but that goes without saying!).
Monday, October 29, 2007
Day 250 - 10/28/2007
So last night ended up being a late night and this morning was an early one. I suffer from "not being able to fall back asleep" syndrome. That's what you call it when you wake up and, regardless of when you went to bed the night before, you're unable to go back to sleep. Oh well, at least it gave me some time to take care of some Number Nine Software business (which is still capturing sales, just not as many as I'd like to see).
With Rudy back in the hospital, we decided to make a visit today, not only to see him, but also to provide support to mom. I'm sure it's hard on her being in the hospital with him pretty much 24/7 while he's there. Since D's knee is still bothersome, I dropped her and the kids off and met them inside. After parking the car, I met them and we headed up to his room. The kids made him some Halloween decorations to (hopefully) brighten his room and they appear to have done the trick.
After a visit with him, we made our way to the cafeteria before I realized that the long walk probably wasn't the best thing for D's knee, so we turned around and went to the snack shop. However, by the time we got back there, the snack shop had closed so the kids and I made the trek down to the cafeteria and brought food back for D and mom. After we ate, we stopped back in to say goodbye to Rudy and made our way back home. Dave was coming over for dinner and we needed to get home to get ready for that.
Our visit with Dave was a good one. Not only did he help the kids carve a pumpkin, he got schooled in memory by N (who just happens to be really good at memory!). After dinner he showed us some of the pictures he took while in Iraq. Seeing the country in a personal way such as these pictures really brought home that what's being done over there is a good thing. While I don't think a culture a thousand years in the making can be changed overnight, with time progress can be made and good things will come.
During our visit I had the football games on in the background and was excited to see that I was doing pretty good in my game. Of course, seeing the Redskins go down 52-7 didn't help me as a fan, but it did help me win my game (I have the Pats DST).
With Rudy back in the hospital, we decided to make a visit today, not only to see him, but also to provide support to mom. I'm sure it's hard on her being in the hospital with him pretty much 24/7 while he's there. Since D's knee is still bothersome, I dropped her and the kids off and met them inside. After parking the car, I met them and we headed up to his room. The kids made him some Halloween decorations to (hopefully) brighten his room and they appear to have done the trick.
After a visit with him, we made our way to the cafeteria before I realized that the long walk probably wasn't the best thing for D's knee, so we turned around and went to the snack shop. However, by the time we got back there, the snack shop had closed so the kids and I made the trek down to the cafeteria and brought food back for D and mom. After we ate, we stopped back in to say goodbye to Rudy and made our way back home. Dave was coming over for dinner and we needed to get home to get ready for that.
Our visit with Dave was a good one. Not only did he help the kids carve a pumpkin, he got schooled in memory by N (who just happens to be really good at memory!). After dinner he showed us some of the pictures he took while in Iraq. Seeing the country in a personal way such as these pictures really brought home that what's being done over there is a good thing. While I don't think a culture a thousand years in the making can be changed overnight, with time progress can be made and good things will come.
During our visit I had the football games on in the background and was excited to see that I was doing pretty good in my game. Of course, seeing the Redskins go down 52-7 didn't help me as a fan, but it did help me win my game (I have the Pats DST).
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Day 249 - 10/27/2007
The kids' games were rained out. Well, not really rained out as it had stopped raining by game time, but the rains we got this week really put a damper on the fields (no pun intended). With that in mind, we had the day to ourselves. We started carving pumpkins as I had promised the kids we'd do that this weekend (they wanted to do it earlier, but with the warm weather we've been having, they'd be rotten by Halloween!). This year I picked up a pumpkin carving kit so that we could get a little fancy with our pumpkins (vs. the ordinary Jack-o-Lanterns of yore). N picked out a pirate ship and M picked out a cat in the window. We were only able to get N's done today as it took longer than I thought it would.
We finished just in time to get cleaned up for Mass. We decided to go this evening (vs. tomorrow) as D and I are heading to a Halloween Party tonight and I don't know how late the night will be. Before leaving for Mass, however, we got word that Rudy is back in the hospital. He's been stabilized, but they're not sure when he'll be able to be discharged. One of the things he's suffering from is limited kidney functions (~15% last time they checked). His doctors want to start dialysis, but given his overall condition, it'll be a few months before he'll be strong enough to start. That being said, he was in our prayers during intentions.
After Mass, we stopped off and got some dinner for the kids (we'd eat at the party) and went home to get our costumes on.
We teamed up with our neighbors to go as members of High School Musical. D and I went as Sharpay and Ryan (respectively) and Molly and Ted went as Gabriella and Troy. By ourselves (with the exception of Ted), you couldn't tell who we were supposed to be, but as a group it became obvious. I'll let you judge for yourselves after I add a picture.
As it turned out, the evening did get rather late. We ended up heading home around 1230a or so (and we were some of the first to leave). Like last year, most of the people went all out and put a lot of thought into their costumes. There was a potted plant and a bee, Susie Who and the Grinch, Michael Vick and his dog (actually there were two of these), a couple guys came with their dicks in a box (separately, not together, which made it even funnier), a pregnant woman came dressed as a bun in the oven, a couple came as a traveling Tiki Bar and of course there were the superheroes and cheerleaders.
I can't wait until next year to see how people are able to top themselves.
We finished just in time to get cleaned up for Mass. We decided to go this evening (vs. tomorrow) as D and I are heading to a Halloween Party tonight and I don't know how late the night will be. Before leaving for Mass, however, we got word that Rudy is back in the hospital. He's been stabilized, but they're not sure when he'll be able to be discharged. One of the things he's suffering from is limited kidney functions (~15% last time they checked). His doctors want to start dialysis, but given his overall condition, it'll be a few months before he'll be strong enough to start. That being said, he was in our prayers during intentions.
After Mass, we stopped off and got some dinner for the kids (we'd eat at the party) and went home to get our costumes on.
We teamed up with our neighbors to go as members of High School Musical. D and I went as Sharpay and Ryan (respectively) and Molly and Ted went as Gabriella and Troy. By ourselves (with the exception of Ted), you couldn't tell who we were supposed to be, but as a group it became obvious. I'll let you judge for yourselves after I add a picture.
As it turned out, the evening did get rather late. We ended up heading home around 1230a or so (and we were some of the first to leave). Like last year, most of the people went all out and put a lot of thought into their costumes. There was a potted plant and a bee, Susie Who and the Grinch, Michael Vick and his dog (actually there were two of these), a couple guys came with their dicks in a box (separately, not together, which made it even funnier), a pregnant woman came dressed as a bun in the oven, a couple came as a traveling Tiki Bar and of course there were the superheroes and cheerleaders.
I can't wait until next year to see how people are able to top themselves.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Day 248 - 10/26/2007
So after a late night last night, I planned on taking it easy and getting to bed early. That didn't happen, however as when we sat down for dinner, my mom called asking for a ride home. She ran into a pot hole and got two flat tires on her way home. Being the good son that I am, I packed the kids into the van (not only to give them some time with their grandmother and Rudy, but also to give D some alone time) and away we went.
When we got there mom was inside the gas station (where she had parked the car) chatting up someone on the cell phone. Rudy was in the car and he looked pretty tired. After transferring him into the van, we chatted briefly before he started asking the kids questions about school. Ten minutes later we're still in the car and she's still on the phone (we later found out she was coordinating with the towing company). She finally got everything wrapped up with the call and we started the process of transferring in the important things from her car to the van. Stuff like Splenda packets, maps, old receipts; you know, pretty much what you wouldn't want sitting in your unlocked car for the few hours it would take for the tow truck to arrive.
While she was doing that, Rudy started complaining about his chest and just not feeling well. He's approaching 90 and has been in the hospital a couple times in the past month or so. He mentioned that he was just tired all the time and didn't know how much more he could take. It sounded to me that he was tossing in the towel. Not being sure what to say, I tried to lighten the tone a little bit, but I don't think that worked. When mom finally got in the car, she asked him whether he was praying (I couldn't tell what he was doing as he was in the back seat).
I took them home and got them (and their automobile treasures) inside before heading back home. After putting the kids to bed, I shared with D the events of the evening, including Rudy's comment. Hopefully it was just the result of him being frustrated with his health issues and not a sign that he's giving up. After tonight I better understand the lyrics from The Who's "My Generation" where Roger Daltrey "hope[s he] dies before [he] get[s] old."
When we got there mom was inside the gas station (where she had parked the car) chatting up someone on the cell phone. Rudy was in the car and he looked pretty tired. After transferring him into the van, we chatted briefly before he started asking the kids questions about school. Ten minutes later we're still in the car and she's still on the phone (we later found out she was coordinating with the towing company). She finally got everything wrapped up with the call and we started the process of transferring in the important things from her car to the van. Stuff like Splenda packets, maps, old receipts; you know, pretty much what you wouldn't want sitting in your unlocked car for the few hours it would take for the tow truck to arrive.
While she was doing that, Rudy started complaining about his chest and just not feeling well. He's approaching 90 and has been in the hospital a couple times in the past month or so. He mentioned that he was just tired all the time and didn't know how much more he could take. It sounded to me that he was tossing in the towel. Not being sure what to say, I tried to lighten the tone a little bit, but I don't think that worked. When mom finally got in the car, she asked him whether he was praying (I couldn't tell what he was doing as he was in the back seat).
I took them home and got them (and their automobile treasures) inside before heading back home. After putting the kids to bed, I shared with D the events of the evening, including Rudy's comment. Hopefully it was just the result of him being frustrated with his health issues and not a sign that he's giving up. After tonight I better understand the lyrics from The Who's "My Generation" where Roger Daltrey "hope[s he] dies before [he] get[s] old."
Friday, October 26, 2007
Day 247 - 10/25/2007
N was supposed to have his field trip today, but it was rained out (he was supposed to go to Cox Farm). Hopefully they'll be able to reschedule (for his sake), but since I'm covering D in the chaperone department, I wouldn't mind it if it wasn't able to be rescheduled.
So, instead of spending a day at Cox Farm, it was spent watching the rain come down. Rain is something we're in short supply of in these parts. We've had drought conditions the better part of the year (I think we're about 10" below normal as of this month) and we desperately need the rain. Some of us in the neighborhood have been keeping our lawns healthy by watering them, but even that's not enough (I've been watering the yard every few days because I'm too cheap and/or lazy to water it every night.)
After work I hit the gym and then headed over to Bungalow's for happy hour. There was nothing to celebrate, other than it being a Thursday. When I got there I immediately joined the pool queue and ended up going 4-0 before we decided to call it quits.
One thing I like about happy hour at Bungalow's is the large Guinness. Sure, they're $8 each, but they go down smooth and easy.
An old colleague was there and it appears he may be coming back. His new job isn't all it's cracked up to be (I guess he didn't believe the old adage about grass and the other side of the fence). Unfortunately he won't be coming back to our group, but to another one. At least he'll be able to put his product knowledge to work out in the line organizations.
So, instead of spending a day at Cox Farm, it was spent watching the rain come down. Rain is something we're in short supply of in these parts. We've had drought conditions the better part of the year (I think we're about 10" below normal as of this month) and we desperately need the rain. Some of us in the neighborhood have been keeping our lawns healthy by watering them, but even that's not enough (I've been watering the yard every few days because I'm too cheap and/or lazy to water it every night.)
After work I hit the gym and then headed over to Bungalow's for happy hour. There was nothing to celebrate, other than it being a Thursday. When I got there I immediately joined the pool queue and ended up going 4-0 before we decided to call it quits.
One thing I like about happy hour at Bungalow's is the large Guinness. Sure, they're $8 each, but they go down smooth and easy.
An old colleague was there and it appears he may be coming back. His new job isn't all it's cracked up to be (I guess he didn't believe the old adage about grass and the other side of the fence). Unfortunately he won't be coming back to our group, but to another one. At least he'll be able to put his product knowledge to work out in the line organizations.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Day 246 - 10/24/2007
Another uneventful day in Northern Virginia with nothing exciting to report.
Well, nothing exciting other than picking up Smokey from the vet. He's now been fixed and his claws have been removed. Hopefully this will have a positive impact on the relationship between him and Butterfly. if not, it's $500 down the drain. At least he won't claw up the furniture anymore!
Well, nothing exciting other than picking up Smokey from the vet. He's now been fixed and his claws have been removed. Hopefully this will have a positive impact on the relationship between him and Butterfly. if not, it's $500 down the drain. At least he won't claw up the furniture anymore!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Day 245 - 10/23/2007
I met Dad for lunch today and was happy to see he brought along Dave as a surprise guest. He surprised me when I went to get in the front seat and there he was. We enjoyed the extra company at lunch (Preet Palace in Centreville vs. Sho Chiku for sushi -- Sho Chiku is getting a facelift and will [hopefully] continue to provide excellent sushi at reasonable prices. For the better part of the hour, Dave filled us in on what's going on in Iraq (as well as catching us up on his family). It was good to see him; I'm looking forward to having him over for dinner on Sunday to continue catching up.
One thing I don't like about Preet is the smell that persists after you leave. I'm pretty sure it's the grease that's hanging in the air as when we go elsewhere for Indian food, we leave without any lingering odors on our clothes (unless, of course, we spill on said clothes).
All day long it was threatening to rain. I'm sure I wasn't alone in hoping for rain, but it was not to be: the weather didn't cooperate so the kids had practice. I was hoping it was going to rain as I wasn't looking forward to N's practice. However, after all was said and done, I'm glad we did have it as it was pretty productive. We did some fielding work before scrimmaging against each other. It turned out one group of kids had hats and the other ones didn't so they were labeled the "hats" vs. "no hats" (which the liked).
One thing I don't like about Preet is the smell that persists after you leave. I'm pretty sure it's the grease that's hanging in the air as when we go elsewhere for Indian food, we leave without any lingering odors on our clothes (unless, of course, we spill on said clothes).
All day long it was threatening to rain. I'm sure I wasn't alone in hoping for rain, but it was not to be: the weather didn't cooperate so the kids had practice. I was hoping it was going to rain as I wasn't looking forward to N's practice. However, after all was said and done, I'm glad we did have it as it was pretty productive. We did some fielding work before scrimmaging against each other. It turned out one group of kids had hats and the other ones didn't so they were labeled the "hats" vs. "no hats" (which the liked).
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Day 244 - 10/22/2007
I dropped off Smokey this morning to get him declawed and fixed. He wasn't too happy when I put him in his porter (the way it was rocking and being pushed all over the hallway, it looked as if we had captured a rabid raccoon or something!). When I got him to the vet, the receptionist asked me if we could weigh him. I suggested they wait until he was sedated before attempting that. Or at least wait until after his claws have been removed. Hopefully this will cause him to tone it down a little and not be such a spaz.
I went to the gym after work and added a new machine to my routine. I think I overdid it as when I got home and got ready for bed, my shoulders were beginning to ache. I popped a few Advil, but am guessing I'll need more in the coming days (at least until I hit the gym again).
As for Peyton scoring 36, that didn't quite happen. I ended up losing 75-62. Unfortunately, the waiver wire is full of slim pickings so I'll have to rely on what I have so far. If only I had picked up the Giants defense (instead of the Chiefs). And Randy Moss. And a decent running back. That's alright, the season's only half over before the playoffs start. If I can go 4-1 over the course of the next five weeks I should be able to make the playoffs. (Heck, even if I go 3-2, I should still be able to make it...depending on the other folks, of course!)
I went to the gym after work and added a new machine to my routine. I think I overdid it as when I got home and got ready for bed, my shoulders were beginning to ache. I popped a few Advil, but am guessing I'll need more in the coming days (at least until I hit the gym again).
As for Peyton scoring 36, that didn't quite happen. I ended up losing 75-62. Unfortunately, the waiver wire is full of slim pickings so I'll have to rely on what I have so far. If only I had picked up the Giants defense (instead of the Chiefs). And Randy Moss. And a decent running back. That's alright, the season's only half over before the playoffs start. If I can go 4-1 over the course of the next five weeks I should be able to make the playoffs. (Heck, even if I go 3-2, I should still be able to make it...depending on the other folks, of course!)
Day 242 - 10/20/2007
We had back to back games again this morning. N's was at 10a and M's was at noon. Both of them did alright, but you can tell they're also looking forward to the season being over. I guess that makes three of us. While I enjoy helping out, it just seems as if the season just drags on forever. If they were both excited about their games and practices that'd be one thing, but both of them try and get out of going. I guess their enthusiasm is contagious.
I went of a run this afternoon and my knees are continuing to feel good. This time I hit the trail for a run in the woods and made my way over to the Visitor's Center. I was planning on heading back to the North Trail Loop, but I decided to cut it short and head home instead. I was coming up on 20 minutes at the Visitor's Center and wanted to be back in 30-35 minutes. I headed through Walney Park to a cut-through back over to our neighborhood that I've heard about but, as it turns out, the cut-through was not to be. The new owner removed the walkway and put up landscaping (and No Trespassing signs) to prevent people from walking through their yard. The previous owner had no problems allowing people to walk between the two streets and wondered aloud why there wasn't a sidewalk put in to allow access. I don't blame the new owner for not wanting strangers beating a path through their yard, but I needed to get home. I was overheated and ready to call it quits, so I found another way. Other than that, the run was a good one. This is the second run I've had this week and hopefully I'll be able to keep this up next week as well.
Tonight was our bowling league's costume party. We decided to dress up as walking wounded as a show of support for D. She's not sure whether it's our way of supporting her or mocking her, but we all had a good laugh out of it. Actually, the four of us represented only one of the four teams that dressed up (out of 28 teams). It seems the fun times had by all in previous seasons is waning.
The other team wasn't there, so we had to bowl blind. Add that to having D out and our games flew by. Had we not stopped for 30 minutes between the second and third games, we could've been out of there by 9p.
I went of a run this afternoon and my knees are continuing to feel good. This time I hit the trail for a run in the woods and made my way over to the Visitor's Center. I was planning on heading back to the North Trail Loop, but I decided to cut it short and head home instead. I was coming up on 20 minutes at the Visitor's Center and wanted to be back in 30-35 minutes. I headed through Walney Park to a cut-through back over to our neighborhood that I've heard about but, as it turns out, the cut-through was not to be. The new owner removed the walkway and put up landscaping (and No Trespassing signs) to prevent people from walking through their yard. The previous owner had no problems allowing people to walk between the two streets and wondered aloud why there wasn't a sidewalk put in to allow access. I don't blame the new owner for not wanting strangers beating a path through their yard, but I needed to get home. I was overheated and ready to call it quits, so I found another way. Other than that, the run was a good one. This is the second run I've had this week and hopefully I'll be able to keep this up next week as well.
Tonight was our bowling league's costume party. We decided to dress up as walking wounded as a show of support for D. She's not sure whether it's our way of supporting her or mocking her, but we all had a good laugh out of it. Actually, the four of us represented only one of the four teams that dressed up (out of 28 teams). It seems the fun times had by all in previous seasons is waning.
The other team wasn't there, so we had to bowl blind. Add that to having D out and our games flew by. Had we not stopped for 30 minutes between the second and third games, we could've been out of there by 9p.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Day 241 - 10/19/2007
I went out in the community today: I volunteered to help plant trees at Ellanor C. Lawrence park through our Service Days initiative at work. We met at the visitor's center and hiked back to the clearing where we'd be planting the trees. All in all, there were about 25 of us (with about 5 from my immediate office park) and we were able to plant about 100 trees (at least). It rained off and on throughout the morning, which felt pretty good since it cooled us off a bit.
Afterwards, I met Frank over at Willard's for lunch (after stopping by the house to change). I hadn't been there in a while and enjoyed every bit of it. We caught up on stuff and went our separate ways: he back to the office and I headed back home.
After a few hours working from home, I drove D to the doctor's office for a follow up for her knee. It's been a week since she had her fall and every day it seems to be a little better than before. I know it's going to take a while for it to return to normal, but hopefully it will be sooner rather than later. I'd hate for her to be still nursing it once the weather turns and winter arrives.
Afterwards, I met Frank over at Willard's for lunch (after stopping by the house to change). I hadn't been there in a while and enjoyed every bit of it. We caught up on stuff and went our separate ways: he back to the office and I headed back home.
After a few hours working from home, I drove D to the doctor's office for a follow up for her knee. It's been a week since she had her fall and every day it seems to be a little better than before. I know it's going to take a while for it to return to normal, but hopefully it will be sooner rather than later. I'd hate for her to be still nursing it once the weather turns and winter arrives.
Day 240 - 10/18/2007
This morning, for the first time in I don't know how long, I went for a run. Even though it was only 5k+, it still felt great.
M went on a field trip to Williamsburg and was being picked up at 620a so I got up with her and got her out the door. Afterwards, I headed out the door myself. I didn't get that much of a warmup in before starting my run, so I thought my knee would remain tight, but I made pretty good time. (I wasn't trying for anything in particular, just to feel good.)
Hopefully this will be the start of something somewhat regular. I'd love to be able to run 3-4x per week, but I'm in no hurry. I don't have any race plans on the horizon, so what I'm doing now (along with the gym) should help to keep me at somewhat healthy level.
As it turned out, Josh was in Williamsburg today as well. When M got home I asked her if she saw him, but their paths didn't cross. Oh well, maybe some other time.
M went on a field trip to Williamsburg and was being picked up at 620a so I got up with her and got her out the door. Afterwards, I headed out the door myself. I didn't get that much of a warmup in before starting my run, so I thought my knee would remain tight, but I made pretty good time. (I wasn't trying for anything in particular, just to feel good.)
Hopefully this will be the start of something somewhat regular. I'd love to be able to run 3-4x per week, but I'm in no hurry. I don't have any race plans on the horizon, so what I'm doing now (along with the gym) should help to keep me at somewhat healthy level.
As it turned out, Josh was in Williamsburg today as well. When M got home I asked her if she saw him, but their paths didn't cross. Oh well, maybe some other time.
Day 239 - 10/17/2007
Try as I might, I can't come up with anything interesting that happened today, so I won't try and pretend something did just to bore you with the details.
Let's just leave it at mundane, shall we?
Let's just leave it at mundane, shall we?
Day 238 - 10/16/2007
I dropped the kids off early since I had a doctor's appointment this morning. Well, I tried anyway. As it turned out, I was right on time.
I talked with Dr. Carter about everything and then had my blood checked. As it turned out, my cholesterol is still outside the recommended range (108 vs. <100), but it's still lower than it was when I first started getting it monitored. As long as I can continue this downward trend, I should be able to stay off the cholesterol meds.
At lunch I headed over for my guitar lesson. After a while of waiting for the instructor to get the CD player ready, I had all of 15 minutes before it was time to head out. Gary let the lesson overrun though, since he started late (and, like I said, had a hard time getting the CD player working). Once he got that going, however, we started jamming. I was actually able to play "Lookin' Out My Back Door" along with him (and CCR). In addition to getting down the chords, I was successful in playing with the capo. (I'll need to get another one that's easier to use.) After I got home I showed off my newly discovered skills to D and the kids. They weren't as impressed as I was, but that's alright (I don't blame them!).
We had a game tonight, but N was acting out and I made the executive decision to keep him home. I don't think he cared about it anyway. Instead, I made him come with me to M's softball practice. I'm sure he didn't like that, but that's alright, he wasn't going to stay at home either.
I talked with Dr. Carter about everything and then had my blood checked. As it turned out, my cholesterol is still outside the recommended range (108 vs. <100), but it's still lower than it was when I first started getting it monitored. As long as I can continue this downward trend, I should be able to stay off the cholesterol meds.
At lunch I headed over for my guitar lesson. After a while of waiting for the instructor to get the CD player ready, I had all of 15 minutes before it was time to head out. Gary let the lesson overrun though, since he started late (and, like I said, had a hard time getting the CD player working). Once he got that going, however, we started jamming. I was actually able to play "Lookin' Out My Back Door" along with him (and CCR). In addition to getting down the chords, I was successful in playing with the capo. (I'll need to get another one that's easier to use.) After I got home I showed off my newly discovered skills to D and the kids. They weren't as impressed as I was, but that's alright (I don't blame them!).
We had a game tonight, but N was acting out and I made the executive decision to keep him home. I don't think he cared about it anyway. Instead, I made him come with me to M's softball practice. I'm sure he didn't like that, but that's alright, he wasn't going to stay at home either.
Day 243 - 10/21/2007
M had a Girl Scout outing in the morning, so we went to 530p Mass. After she returned from her outing, I took the kids up to the school to work on their hitting. Both of them need help and since we had a few hours, I figured we might as well get some hitting practice while the weather's still nice.
When we got there, Tim and Julia were up there as well so they joined us on the diamond. Tim's son Sam is on N's team and Julia's just about M's age (and also plays softball). Although N never got a hit, he did get to work on his swing a bit. M hit a few of the baseballs, but missed all the softballs. I'm not sure how that happened as the size difference is pretty substantial.
Since we were heading to Mass at 530p, we went ahead and ate early before heading to church.
After church, I checked my score and wasn't happy to see that I was down by 35. I still have Peyton playing tomorrow night, but he'd have to score 36 (and my opposing team's member wouldn't have to score anything). It's possible, but not promising. It looks like I'm going to slip another game back and finish the week at 4-3. I guess time will tell.
When we got there, Tim and Julia were up there as well so they joined us on the diamond. Tim's son Sam is on N's team and Julia's just about M's age (and also plays softball). Although N never got a hit, he did get to work on his swing a bit. M hit a few of the baseballs, but missed all the softballs. I'm not sure how that happened as the size difference is pretty substantial.
Since we were heading to Mass at 530p, we went ahead and ate early before heading to church.
After church, I checked my score and wasn't happy to see that I was down by 35. I still have Peyton playing tomorrow night, but he'd have to score 36 (and my opposing team's member wouldn't have to score anything). It's possible, but not promising. It looks like I'm going to slip another game back and finish the week at 4-3. I guess time will tell.
Day 237 - 10/15/2007
As it turned out, I did end up losing. I wonder if I can learn from my mistakes this year (e.g., drafting a quarterback vs. a running back in the first round) or whether I'll continue to jump at the chance to get a top-notch quarterback.
Not that Peyton has been lighting it up this year like he's done in years past. I should have picked up Brady instead, but at this point, that's neither here nor there.
Not that Peyton has been lighting it up this year like he's done in years past. I should have picked up Brady instead, but at this point, that's neither here nor there.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Day 236 - 10/14/2007
Even though we left on time, I was still late to Evan's baptism. I dropped D and the kids off and parked the car. I stopped by the bathroom before heading into the church and found the ceremony already starting. (I thought it was for 1145a vs. right after 1030a Mass). Fortunately I didn't miss much. Evan was pretty good during the ceremony. Well, until he got hungry and started exercising his lungs asking for a bottle. Afterwards, we went over to The Sunken Well for lunch.
The Sunken Well is a place near Stephen and Stacey's house that they frequent quite a bit. The nice thing about it is that it's within walking distance from their house (five minutes, tops), so it appears it's become a neighborhood hangout. That's a nice amenity to have and one thing I don't like about living in suburbia. Sure, there's community built within the confines of the neighborhood, but there's really nothing within walking distance. I could ride my bike, but most people simply get in their car and drive. If there was something within walking distance, it would allow people to get out into the streetscape and provide them with the opportunity to meet their neighbors vs. stuck inside 2000+ pounds of steel while driving from point to point.
Oh well, as we discussed with Peg and Michael (Evan's Godparents), there's a lot of quality in our lives from the choices we've made. They're right, we're fortunate to have the life we do. I wouldn't call it lucky as it didn't just fall into our laps, we worked hard to get where we are, giving up on some other things in order to obtain what we feel is important.
After lunch we headed over to Doug and Nancy's house for her to pack before we headed back home. D asked Nancy to come up for a few days until she was back on her feet in order to help her out around the house while I'm at work. We hit the road and were greeted with a backup on Route 3 in order to get on 95. Traffic was at a standstill heading south, but even northbound appeared to be stopped. With that in mind, we headed up 17 to 29 to take the back way.
I checked out my Fantasy Football team when I got home expecting to see some great points, but I was disappointed. I had high hopes after seeing Brett Favre play a terrible game against the 'Skins (scoring only 5 points) and hoping Kurt Warner tossing the ball about would prove my coaching genius (I had started Warner over Favre). As I said, I was disappointed. Warner was injured in the second series of the game and scored -1 points. It also looks like he's out for the season. I also lost Sammy Morris and Ron Dayne to injuries. Oh well, at least my decision on which kicker to start paid off (11 points with Ramsey vs. 8 with Graham). That being said, my other decision (to pick up Dayne vs. Wright) cost me 12 points. That wouldn't have won the game for me anyway as the Drew Brees of last year showed up to play against Seattle and pretty cemented the outcome. Unless Plaxico Burress has a phenomenal game Monday night, the game is all but lost. Oh well, at least I'm still above .500 and my starting QB (Peyton) is back next week (in addition to the Pats D playing the Dolphins). Hopefully I'll start a new winning streak next Sunday.
After dinner and getting the kids to bed, I hit the basement to play guitar. I haven't gotten as much playing time as I had hoped over the past week due to one reason or another, but I was able to figure out "Lookin' Out My Back Door" after only 20 minutes of trying. I still need to figure out the bridge between the third and fourth verse, but if I skip over that, I'm golden! (And it actually sounds right!)
The Sunken Well is a place near Stephen and Stacey's house that they frequent quite a bit. The nice thing about it is that it's within walking distance from their house (five minutes, tops), so it appears it's become a neighborhood hangout. That's a nice amenity to have and one thing I don't like about living in suburbia. Sure, there's community built within the confines of the neighborhood, but there's really nothing within walking distance. I could ride my bike, but most people simply get in their car and drive. If there was something within walking distance, it would allow people to get out into the streetscape and provide them with the opportunity to meet their neighbors vs. stuck inside 2000+ pounds of steel while driving from point to point.
Oh well, as we discussed with Peg and Michael (Evan's Godparents), there's a lot of quality in our lives from the choices we've made. They're right, we're fortunate to have the life we do. I wouldn't call it lucky as it didn't just fall into our laps, we worked hard to get where we are, giving up on some other things in order to obtain what we feel is important.
After lunch we headed over to Doug and Nancy's house for her to pack before we headed back home. D asked Nancy to come up for a few days until she was back on her feet in order to help her out around the house while I'm at work. We hit the road and were greeted with a backup on Route 3 in order to get on 95. Traffic was at a standstill heading south, but even northbound appeared to be stopped. With that in mind, we headed up 17 to 29 to take the back way.
I checked out my Fantasy Football team when I got home expecting to see some great points, but I was disappointed. I had high hopes after seeing Brett Favre play a terrible game against the 'Skins (scoring only 5 points) and hoping Kurt Warner tossing the ball about would prove my coaching genius (I had started Warner over Favre). As I said, I was disappointed. Warner was injured in the second series of the game and scored -1 points. It also looks like he's out for the season. I also lost Sammy Morris and Ron Dayne to injuries. Oh well, at least my decision on which kicker to start paid off (11 points with Ramsey vs. 8 with Graham). That being said, my other decision (to pick up Dayne vs. Wright) cost me 12 points. That wouldn't have won the game for me anyway as the Drew Brees of last year showed up to play against Seattle and pretty cemented the outcome. Unless Plaxico Burress has a phenomenal game Monday night, the game is all but lost. Oh well, at least I'm still above .500 and my starting QB (Peyton) is back next week (in addition to the Pats D playing the Dolphins). Hopefully I'll start a new winning streak next Sunday.
After dinner and getting the kids to bed, I hit the basement to play guitar. I haven't gotten as much playing time as I had hoped over the past week due to one reason or another, but I was able to figure out "Lookin' Out My Back Door" after only 20 minutes of trying. I still need to figure out the bridge between the third and fourth verse, but if I skip over that, I'm golden! (And it actually sounds right!)
Day 235 - 10/13/2007
D's leg is still in bad shape, although it's a little better than yesterday. (I emphasize little as she says it's a little better and I would imagine it is. That doesn't mean she's still not in pain whenever she moves it or it's bumped though.)
So, with her stuck at home (I took the van so she couldn't be tempted to leave the house -- there's no way she'd be able to operate the clutch on the Altima without extreme pain), I took the kids to their games. N's was at 10a and M's was at noon. Heather picked M up from N's game and then after his game, we went to her game to see the rest of her game. She ended up getting a hit (yay!) and went on to score the winning run (again, yay!). After the game, she went over to Riley's house and N and I headed home.
We had originally planned on going to Oktoberfest at Hard Bargain Farm, but with D's leg (and Evan's Christening tomorrow), plans were changed. Instead we went to Mass at 530p. The three of us (M, N and I) were barely able to make it through the Mass without closing our eyes. N did fall asleep at one point. I'm not sure why, but we were all out of it. Maybe it had something to do with the change in weather that brought low humidity and dehydrated us. Or maybe because we were tired.
After Mass, we stopped by Baja Fresh for some take-out. Heather and I were talking about food during the game and this was one of the places we touched upon. I opted for the grilled veggie burrito vs. the fish tacos, which is what I usually get, and N got a chicken quesadilla. I was expecting him to give pushback once we got home about eating that, but with enough ketchup, even a chicken quesadilla tastes good to his discriminating palate. (M, on the other hand, has no problems eating food from Baja Fresh. She loves Mexican food.)
After dinner (and after putting the kids to bed), D and I hung on the couch and watched "The Office" on Tivo before calling it quits. We have to get up early tomorrow and hit the road in time to get down to Fred for Evan's Baptism (tentatively scheduled to start shortly after the 1030a Mass).
So, with her stuck at home (I took the van so she couldn't be tempted to leave the house -- there's no way she'd be able to operate the clutch on the Altima without extreme pain), I took the kids to their games. N's was at 10a and M's was at noon. Heather picked M up from N's game and then after his game, we went to her game to see the rest of her game. She ended up getting a hit (yay!) and went on to score the winning run (again, yay!). After the game, she went over to Riley's house and N and I headed home.
We had originally planned on going to Oktoberfest at Hard Bargain Farm, but with D's leg (and Evan's Christening tomorrow), plans were changed. Instead we went to Mass at 530p. The three of us (M, N and I) were barely able to make it through the Mass without closing our eyes. N did fall asleep at one point. I'm not sure why, but we were all out of it. Maybe it had something to do with the change in weather that brought low humidity and dehydrated us. Or maybe because we were tired.
After Mass, we stopped by Baja Fresh for some take-out. Heather and I were talking about food during the game and this was one of the places we touched upon. I opted for the grilled veggie burrito vs. the fish tacos, which is what I usually get, and N got a chicken quesadilla. I was expecting him to give pushback once we got home about eating that, but with enough ketchup, even a chicken quesadilla tastes good to his discriminating palate. (M, on the other hand, has no problems eating food from Baja Fresh. She loves Mexican food.)
After dinner (and after putting the kids to bed), D and I hung on the couch and watched "The Office" on Tivo before calling it quits. We have to get up early tomorrow and hit the road in time to get down to Fred for Evan's Baptism (tentatively scheduled to start shortly after the 1030a Mass).
Day 234 - 10/12/2007
D fell in the bathroom this morning and either sprained her left knee really, really bad or tore her left MCL.
She was rudely awoken at 5a by Butterfly, who was beginning to wretch. Since Butterfly sleeps above D's head, D grabbed her and headed to the bathroom so that she'd get sick in there instead. She was successful in that endeavor, however, that was also the cause of her fall. Butterfly let if fly as they entered the bathroom and D stepped right in it, causing her to go down hard.
I took her to Dr. Aguiar's office later on and she was relieved to hear that surgery is probably out of the question (the MRI will be the final determination). He gave her a knee brace and crutches, but for the time being, she's going to have to stay off of it.
That night I took the kids to movie night at the school. D was going to take them but given her condition, she opted to stay home (as if she had a choice!). This year they showed "A Night at the Museum." It was alright, although the kids seemed to enjoy it. (Well, at least while they were watching it. A lot of time was spent running around the gym vs. watching the movie.)
She was rudely awoken at 5a by Butterfly, who was beginning to wretch. Since Butterfly sleeps above D's head, D grabbed her and headed to the bathroom so that she'd get sick in there instead. She was successful in that endeavor, however, that was also the cause of her fall. Butterfly let if fly as they entered the bathroom and D stepped right in it, causing her to go down hard.
I took her to Dr. Aguiar's office later on and she was relieved to hear that surgery is probably out of the question (the MRI will be the final determination). He gave her a knee brace and crutches, but for the time being, she's going to have to stay off of it.
That night I took the kids to movie night at the school. D was going to take them but given her condition, she opted to stay home (as if she had a choice!). This year they showed "A Night at the Museum." It was alright, although the kids seemed to enjoy it. (Well, at least while they were watching it. A lot of time was spent running around the gym vs. watching the movie.)
Day 233 - 10/11/2007
Yay. I'm finally back to feeling like myself. I got a good night's rest last night and am ready to face the day. Of course, this feeling was short lived as I then went to Happy Hour for a going away party for a colleague.
After getting the kids processed and put to bed, I wasn't ready for that myself so I headed to the basement for a little guitar. The latest song I'm trying to learn "Lookin' Out My Back Door" (another CCR tune). I spent all of five minutes on it before I gave up and started focusing on "Proud Mary". I'm still struggling on the transition between the G and the F in the intro, but it's getting better. I also need to work on the A to Bm transition during the chorus, as well as the solo. Both should come with time with enough practice.
Which reminds me of the old joke about the tourist lost in New York, trying to find Carnegie Hall.
"Uh, excuse me sir," he says to a man on the street, "how do I get to Carnegie Hall?"
"Practice, practice, practice," the man replied.
Even that couldn't keep me going and after a while, I gave up and went upstairs to see if D wanted to watch "The Office" on Tivo. I was too late: She was done and we both hit the land of Winkin', Blinkin' and Nod.
After getting the kids processed and put to bed, I wasn't ready for that myself so I headed to the basement for a little guitar. The latest song I'm trying to learn "Lookin' Out My Back Door" (another CCR tune). I spent all of five minutes on it before I gave up and started focusing on "Proud Mary". I'm still struggling on the transition between the G and the F in the intro, but it's getting better. I also need to work on the A to Bm transition during the chorus, as well as the solo. Both should come with time with enough practice.
Which reminds me of the old joke about the tourist lost in New York, trying to find Carnegie Hall.
"Uh, excuse me sir," he says to a man on the street, "how do I get to Carnegie Hall?"
"Practice, practice, practice," the man replied.
Even that couldn't keep me going and after a while, I gave up and went upstairs to see if D wanted to watch "The Office" on Tivo. I was too late: She was done and we both hit the land of Winkin', Blinkin' and Nod.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)