Day 347 - 02/03/2008

I took advantage of this unseasonal weather by going for a bike ride to Giant by way of Shirley Gate Road (about 10 miles out of the way). This was on purpose. Actually, it was a pretty good ride as the weather wasn't too cool at speed and traffic wasn't too bad (on those roads where I eschewed the "bike" path for the roads anyway). All in all, I was in the saddle for about 18 miles for about 90 minutes. That wasn't all riding, though, as I stopped a few times to pick up roadkill (a crescent wrench and a pint glass) and to take a couple pictures of a bust of a horse.

I'm really not sure what the point of this is. It's just a hunk of stone (marble?) sitting on the side of the road in front of an apartment building. I guess it's supposed to be some kind of art, but I don't get it. It's not like Fair Oaks is (or was) a hotbed of thoroughbred horse farming or anything.

After I got home from my ride, I made some white chili for the Super Bowl Big Game party we attended tonight down the street. It turned out quite good and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Here's the recipe in case you'd like to make it yourself:

1 lb boneless/skinless chicken breast (or thigh), cubed
1 white onion, diced
1 can cannellini/navy beans (14 - 16 oz), drained (reserve the liquid)
1 can diced chilies (4 oz.), drained (reserve the liquid)
1 can corn (14 - 16 oz), drained
2 c. chicken stock
1 tbsp oregeno
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp McCormick California Blend Garlic Powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp olive oil

Brown chicken in olive oil, remove to plate until later. Add diced onions to olive oil and cook 2-3 minutes. Add beans, corn, chilies, stock, spices and chicken and simmer for 20 - 25 minutes or so. If it's too thick add some of the reserved liquid.

I've made this with cubed tofu instead of the chicken and although it was pretty good, wasn't as nearly as good as it is w/ the chicken. Another option would be to add shrimp.

As for the game itself, I thought it was alright, but as I told the folks I was watching the game with, had it been a Sunday afternoon game in October, I would've turned off the set and done something else. It just wasn't exciting enough for me. Oh well, there's always next year.

Day 326 - 01/12/2008

Happy Birthday, Dad! I hope you enjoy your day!

Our plan for the day wasn't to celebrate his birthday (that'll be tomorrow), but to make some homemade ice cream and raviolis (separately, not at the same time). Things got switched around, however, as Chris invited us to the Mason basketball game. M, N and I joined Chris, Connor and Lindsay as we watched Mason trounce Northeastern 80-52. It was quite the game. The kids enjoyed it, although N didn't like it when I put him on my shoulders and jumped up and down screaming in hopes of getting a pizza delivered to us by the cheerleaders. Apparently we weren't loud enough (I think it was a lost cause from the get-go as the pies went to folks higher up in the cheap seats).

While there, I saw a few of my fraternity brothers sitting a couple rows in front of us. I wasn't able to talk to them as they hit the Patriot's Club during halftime (we went and got Dippin' Dots instead) and then we left early to get Lindsay to her basketball pictures.

After we got home, we went ahead and started the ice cream, which turned out pretty good, although it was a pain in the ass to remove the lid to get the ice cream out. Unfortunately, M threw away the wrench that makes opening the lid a snap, so I had to use a small pair of vise grips instead. Fortunately, they didn't break the lid.

We had bowling tonight, which wasn't all that great. None of us were on the entire night. Instead, we went in fits, with one of us having a great game while the others were middling. Oh well, I don't think we'll be in the hunt for anything anyway, so it looks like we're just out for fun. After bowling a group of us went over to Burke and Heather's where the guys sat around the deck in the cold trying to keep warm by the fire, while the women enjoyed the warmth of the house and stayed inside. D asked why I didn't come inside if I was cold, but I had to remain in front of the fire. It's a guy thing you know.

Day 319 - 01/05/2008

I took advantage of the break in the weather (it was about 50° or so and dry) and took down the outside lights. Although the Christmas season doesn't end until February, it was time to take down the decorations. We'll take the indoor decorations up until tomorrow, but after that, it's business as usual.

D went to a baby shower for Donna, so it was just the kids and I at home. We spent the afternoon watching the 'Skins lose (as I had expected) and then they were off to bed. N's tooth is loose and we tried to jimmy it out, first with floss and then with my fingers, but it's just not ready yet. I told him about how I would yank the tooth out as a boy by tying floss to it and then the other end around a door knob. I would then slam the door and the tooth would pop out. I don't recall how many times I did that, but I know it was at least once. It worked, but I didn't feel like doing that to him in case it wasn't ready to come out. Compared to M, though, he's not shy about wanting it out (nor is he afraid of the blood).

After the kids got to bed, I focused on sorting through various papers that need to be filed. After putting the safe to use, I discovered a Xerox box full of papers going back to 2004 that needed to be filed (or shredded, as the case may be). I spent most of the night doing just that while watching the Steelers-Jaguars game in the office. I was glad to see the Jaguars win, although I think they'll give the Patriots a tougher time than the Steelers would have.

Looking through the papers, I came across lots of old stuff (as was expected), including the trail of appeals to United Healthcare concerning their payment for the neonatalogist called in when N was born. They said he was out of network and therefore would only pay 25% of the bill (vs. 90%). Our argument was that since this was an emergency situation, they should treat it as such. As it turns out, the neonatalogist's office was at fault for not having a contract with the insurance company and they had to end up eating the amount we owed.

Compare that with the estimated cost worksheet we got from Aetna for how much it would cost us in out of pocket expenses when M was born and the difference couldn't have been greater: She was (literally) the $5 baby. It's amazing how much healthcare coverage changed in just four years.

What's even more ridiculous is that now that I'm working for a company with 100k+ employees, we're paying more in healthcare costs (deductibles, coverage, co-pays, etc.) than we were when I was working for a 500+ employee company. I guess the savings is passed on to the shareholders vs. the employees. I hope that maybe, just maybe, this will change in the coming months as open season comes up on the calendar, but, for some reason, I don't think it will. If anything, I would expect to see another increase in healthcare costs. Oh well, at least we have insurance.

Day 315 - 01/01/2008

Happy New Year!

2008 started off the way 2007 ended...on the dance floor. As I said yesterday, we stayed out pretty late and didn't get to bed until after 3a. I was up a couple of times during the night and even contemplated getting up at 9a, but thought better of it. I'm glad I did. I finally rolled out of bed around 11a, giving me my just about 8 hours of sack time.

I spent most of the day in the basement finishing the shelves. I skipped breakfast and fueled my motor with coffee instead. D made some coffee for me as well (not thinking I had made any) and so I was double-dosing. The jitters finally hit around 4p and I had to take a break. That was perfect timing as friends of M and N were over so we spent some time visiting with Tim and Jen while the kids played. After they left, I headed back to the basement to finish the shelves.

Once they were done, I started filling them with various and sundry items. I set up the safe and, after one final sweep of the floor, rolled the Shop-Vac into place. I called D down for a final reveal of the project and we both considered it a success. It looks much better than it did before and makes the space look much better (as I was hoping it would). Now if only we can get rid of the pile of garage sale worthy crap, we'd be nearing the finishing line in terms of getting the basement in order. Given that we've been in the house for a little over 2.5 years, I'd say we're doing pretty good. I'm sure there are other folks who would've done it in 6 months, but we had other projects to focus on around the house. Our attention didn't get focused on the basement until three or four months ago.

After the late night last night, we all hit the sack a little earlier than usual (well, what's become usual over the past few weeks). I still stayed up later than I should have, but that's the price to be paid for being a Bowl fan: Regardless of who's playing, I'll be watching it. You never know when you'll come across a game like Boise State vs. OU last year.

Day 313 - 12/30/2007

After going to 1045a Mass, the kids and I ate lunch and headed over to Springfield. They were going to go to a movie with Grandma while I hung out at the house visiting with Rudy (and watching football). D met Maria for lunch, so we all had plans over the course of the afternoon.

Mom and the kids got back from the movies just after the 'Skins game started (vs. Dallas). They were playing like I haven't seen them play in years. Not only did they end up winning the game, but they dominated it the whole way through. (Don't let folks tell you Dallas wasn't trying to win the game, they had their starters out there for the better part of the game, even though it was meaningless to them. Had they not cared about it, they wouldn't have had their starters out there.)

After the game and getting the kids put to bed, I headed over to Falls Church to see the New Potato Caboose put on a reunion show at the State Theater. It's been years since I've seen them and was looking forward to seeing them again. Not only seeing them, but also seeing some friends from high school I hadn't seen in a year or so. As it turned out, Leah didn't make it home, so I didn't get to see her. Brian was there, however, so we chatted and hung out for a while. Larry and Joan were there as well (he was the one who told me about the show, so I knew I'd be seeing him). I also ran into a fraternity brother of mine from Mason, a guy I used to play lacrosse with at Mason and Dude-Man, one of the bartenders I used to work with at Fat's. It was like old home week all over again.

Larry and Joan left shortly after the first set was over and I left shortly after the second set started. During intermission I went up to the balcony and observed the scene below. I was having a harder and harder time convincing myself to stay. I really don't know why, but I just didn't feel like staying. I decided to wait a little longer, to see if I would change my mind and climbed on the fence, teetering between leaving and staying, while the crowd did their thing below waiting for the band to begin playing. After opening the second set with "Me and Julio," they immediately went into "Uncle John's Band" and followed that up with "Brokedown Palace." That was all I needed to make my decision; I left.

I surprised D by arriving home so early, but when I explained to her why I left, she told me that Maria, when asked whether she was going to the show or not, told D that "that was a time in my life in my past and that's where I'm going to leave it." I wish I had done the same. Not that I didn't enjoy myself, but it's not where I belong anymore.

Day 312 - 12/29/2007

We headed down to Fred for the day to get in some shopping before Nancy's employee discount expired. We ended up doing a bit of damage, but also saving a bit of money. Traffic on the way down was terrible. We left our house about 1115a, expecting to get there around 1215-1230p, but ended up getting there around 1p. Every time traffic started moving, it stopped just as suddenly. Then, when I was about to jump off, it started moving again. Oh well, at least we made it down in one piece.

While we were there, M made a cake and decorated it for dessert. She'd been wanting to decorate a cake using the fondant she got months ago and decided today was the day. I helped her roll it out, but the design was all hers!

As you can see, she did a pretty good job at decorating it, but even as good as it looked, the fondant wasn't all that good. (For the record, the pic was taken with my phone.) A couple of bites was more than enough to get the sense that fondant is not to be eaten in bulk. I'm not sure whether the cakes made on "Ace of Cakes" are made to be eaten or looked at, but if they're to be eaten, I hope their fondant tastes better than what M had!

We had to bug out early to get home in time to watch the Patriots-Giants game. Fortunately, traffic wasn't too bad and we ended up making it home just in time for kick-off.

Under normal circumstances, I really couldn't care less about the game, but with the Pats at 15-0, I wanted to see if they could go undefeated. They did and now I'll be rooting for them to make it all the way. Of course, should the Redskins find a way to make it to the playoffs and then make it to the Super Bowl Big Game, I think I'd still have to root for the Patriots. The opportunity to end the season with a perfect record doesn't come along very often! The Patriots ended up winning, so they're in the playoffs and are looking to continue their quest for the perfect season. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Day 306 - 12/23/2007

We decided to do split shift at Mass today as M's not feeling too well. Since I was showered and ready to go, I went to 1045a (D went to 530p). Caroline came by on her way to the airport and we had a brief visit. She's the last out-of-towner to leave (well last of three, so it's not like there were scores of visitors from out of town this week). After she left, I started prepping for dinner tomorrow.

I decided I'd make a different cabbage recipe and it was pretty simple. Much simpler than Grandpa Pete's recipe and it tasted pretty good to boot. I got it from Scandinavian Feasts, which is also where I got the recipe for the stuffed pork loin I'll be cooking for dinner tomorrow.

The rest of the day was spent watching football, especially enjoying the Redskins beating the Vikings to continue on their way to a playoff berth (should they beat the Cowboys next week, that is). As much as I'd love to see them in the playoffs, I don't think they'll go very far even if they do make it in. They're playing on emotion right now and it looks as if the tanks getting low. That being said, if they continue to play the way they played against Minnesota, it won't be a question of if they make the playoffs, but a question of how far they'll go once they get there. I guess only time will tell, but for now, let's just enjoy the ride.

Day 285 - 12/02/2007

I paid for staying up so late last night, but at least I got to sleep in until 845a. I told N that if he didn't sleep in, we'd go to Mass immediately. That must've done the trick. Either that or he was worn out from yesterday's trip.

Regardless of being able to sleep in, I was still tired. That being said, I went outside to take care of the leaves that had amassed over the past week and a half. Fortunately I was able to get them up before it started raining too heavily (actually, the rain held off until later on this afternoon, so I was in the clear). I was hoping the leaves on the pear trees would have dropped while we were gone, but that wasn't in the cards. It looks like I'll have one more chore to do with regards to raking leaves before winter sets in. I really need to get rid of both of them, I don't think either of them do much in the way of providing shade and/or privacy during the summertime and they only prolong the leaf raking season as they're always the last to drop their leaves.

After the leaves were raked, I washed up and plopped myself on the couch to watch what I thought would be a Redskins victory. After Sean Taylor's death, I figured the 'Skins would be fired up and not let anything get in the way of a victory. Well, they were fired up alright, but the flame went out midway through the third quarter and, yet again, they failed to put away the game.

In between being disgusted at the game, I brought the tree up and set it up so the kids could decorate it. We got a pre-lit tree last year after Christmas and the difference in the time it took to set up was incredible. With the old tree, it took about 30 minutes to put the tree up and then about 3 hours to get the lights on. With this one, it took less than 15 minutes for everything! Three hours later the tree was decorated and we were heading out the door to Mass!

Day 161 - 07/31/2007

Happy Birthday, Tom!

Here's hoping you're enjoying your day. What am I talking about?!? Of COURSE you're enjoying your day...you're on vacation and it's your birthday!

Today is also the day we decided to thank our intern for all his hard work and we took him out to lunch at the Malibu Grill. If you've never been there, it's a Brazilian place where guys walk around with meat on sticks. They'll keep giving you their meat (get your mind out of the gutter) until you tell them to stop. I had way too much (as is the norm in an all you can eat setting), but sort of planned it that way (w/ D out of town, I wasn't planning on dinner, so I took that into consideration).

Of course, I also rode my bike to work and hit the gym, so I took that into consideration, too. I needed the extra protein to replenish my muscles.

After forcing my way through the day without lapsing into a food coma, I rode home and tackled the chores I had ahead of me. As scheduled, I sealed the driveway, ruining a 13 year old t-shirt along the way. (Actually, it was on the road to being ruined after I splattered deck sealer on it when I sealed the deck. It was for this reason that I chose it to use when sealing the driveway.)

After finishing the driveway, I showered (surprisingly enough, the sealer came off easily with soap and water) and, taking advantage of the kidless house, watched a few episodes of The Sopranos on Tivo in the family room. Midway through the second episode, however, I realized the Giants were playing the Dodgers and switched over to the game to see if Bonds would tie the HR record. I finally called it quits at midnight and Tivo'd the rest of the game. I figured that if he did hit another HR, I'll watch the rest of the game. If he doesn't, well, I just saved some time!

Day 135 - 07/05/2007

I went to the AT&T National at Congressional Country Club today. It was a good time. This was the second golf tournament I've been to and hope there will be many more. It's not that I'm good at the sport or that I follow it like I do football or hockey, but there's something about the live atmosphere surrounding a golf tournament that I find enjoyable. Maybe it's the etiquette that the gallery exudes when an errant shot forces professional golfers to hit from three feet away. Or the notion that you could play the course (well, not this course...not without connections, money or both!) these guys play and do better on the hole than they do (although if you did, you'll probably not do so consistently). Or maybe it's just the chance to get out on the course and enjoy the great outdoors. Whatever it is, it's a magical feeling that I hope to replicate often. I'm not sure whether I'll be able to see Tiger Woods up close and personal next year like I did this year, but that's alright, I'm sure I'll have just as much fun.

Tonight I packed and got ready for the trip out West. Well, to the Midwest anyway.

I'll fill in more when I get back, but if you find my posts lacking for the next week or so, I'm not sure what my computer access will be like, so you'll have to bear with me and wait until I get back.

Or not.

Just know that my posts will probably consist of fishing and eating.

Day 74 - 05/05/2007

So even though it's Saturday, I still had to set the alarm and rouse the kids from their beds. M had practice at 830a, after which she was going to her friend's house for the morning. She got dressed and had breakfast without fussing (shocker!) and at 8a I awoke N from his slumber. He wasn't happy to get up, but he finally came around. After dropping M off at practice, he and I rode our bikes over to Bare Island Drive to see what the noise was that was coming from that direction. As it turns out, there was a tree crew taking down some trees from a homeowner's yard and turning them into mulch via the chipper. N was very interested in seeing them take the tree down and I was pretty impressed as well. The took three 30' trees down (and turned them into mulch) in less than 10 minutes. Wow.

After growing tired of watching the tree folk do their thing (and our ears being assaulted by the the noise), we rode down to the house that caught on fire a few weeks back (I had originally thought the sound was coming from this house and it was the sound of them tearing it down). It's currently covered in a number of blue tarps in order to keep the elements out, although from the looks of it, you've got to wonder whether they'll end up tearing the frame down and just keeping the brick front in place.

We then rode home and got ready for N's pictures.

It was because of M's practice and N's pictures and game that we had to postpone our yard sale. We've got quite a bit of stuff in the basement we've been meaning to get rid of as we either a) not longer use it; b) no longer need it; or c) both (a) and (b). Oh well, maybe in a few weeks. It probably worked out for the best anyway as with D out of town, it would've been a bit much to try and cram into one morning.

After pictures and N's game (which was another exercise in chaos and frustration at kids who don't want to be there), we went to pick M up from Riley's house. On our way over, she called and said she was at Riley's brother's game at the school, so we altered our course and went up to the school. The weather had turned unseasonably cold over the course of the morning and, with me only wearing a t-shirt and shorts, I was quite uncomfortable (especially once the rain started). N was wearing his uniform and M was wearing a sweatshirt (fortunately she asked for a sweatshirt on the way to practice), so both of them were somewhat oblivious to the weather. Not so much, though, when I made them walk home from school -- I wasn't about to let the two of them get in the van w/ them being as muddy and as dirty as they were!

Once we got home, I took a long, hot shower to warm up and got dressed in clothes that I'd normally wear in March (jeans, long sleeve shirt and wool socks). I was seriously contemplating turning on the fireplace, but my sanity prevailed and I didn't; I decided to suffer instead, while I sat on the couch watching the playoffs in HD. Since the kids were also dirty, I made them take a bath in the middle of the afternoon, which they balked at until I said they could take on in my tub. They relented and while I watched the game, they washed themselves up. Yay, now that that's out of the way, we could relax the rest of th afternoon.

Not too much, though, as D was due home and I had to get dinner ready. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't want to come home to either pot-pie or take out. So we headed out the door to Whole Foods to peruse what they had to offer (I was also looking for a reason to shop there as I'd never been to it since it opened). On the way, though, we stopped by Target and Toys'R'Us for a kickstand for N. (Ever since we took his training wheels off his old bike, he's been wanting one.) Since we were in no rush to get back, we took our time looking at bikes, as well as Lego.

We finally made it to Whole Foods and I decided to forego cooking dinner and instead seek out pre-prepared meals. Well, that thought was quickly put to rest when I saw the sesame seed encrusted tuna with wasabi. Yum. I love that stuff and had been craving it for the past few weeks (not sure why, though, but I have). I picked up some baby carrots, some lettuce mix and some sides from the hot food bar before checking out and heading home. (It really wasn't that quick, though, as the kids were with me and we sort of made a side detour upstairs to the bathrooms.)

Returning to the car, I discovered that D had called, wondering where we were. (I didn't leave a note and had forgotten my cell in the car.) I called her, but got her voice mail, so left a message and then headed home, where I unloaded the groceries and started dinner while we waited for her return from her trip to the store.

I got dinner going and then planted myself in front of the TV to check out the Kentucky Derby. I decided not to attempt any mint juleps this year as it just didn't seem right what with the cold weather and all. While we were waiting for the race to start, D came home and joined us.

After dinner (which wasn't all that great due to my lacking skills in the tuna searing department), we all headed upstairs and got ready for bed. Once the kids were in bed, D and I watched Heroes and then called it a night to get ready for the long day ahead of us in Richmond on Sunday.

Day 39 - 03/31/2007

Hi, this is N and I'm Coach M.

Today begins my career as a youth sports coach. In this case, I volunteered to help coach N's T-ball team. I'm not sure what to expect, but hopefully will have as much fun as I can, while attempting to teach the fundamentals of baseball to a group of 5-6 year olds. It should be interesting to say the least.

There are about a dozen or so kids on the team. Some of them are in his class, so that should make it better (for N) in terms of reducing his anxiety about playing. Not that he's shy or anything, but he seemed a bit nervous when we were walking towards the field (which quickly faded when he saw Tristan, one of his buddies from school). The first practice went fine, except for the fact that N didn't have a hat. He didn't like that and when they were handed out at the end of practice, he put it on his head, where it remained for pretty much the entire day.

M had softball practice in the morning, so when N and I got home, we hung out until she got home. The neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt was in the afternoon, so we had lunch and rode our bikes to the community center to meet D (she had volunteered to help out). I love it that we're able to ride around the neighborhood. I recall riding bikes with my family as a kid in Germany and continued to use the bike as a mode of transportation through college. It's a great form of exercise (even if it's not advertised as such) and it's a great way to do something as a family. Hopefully our family bike rides will become somewhat of a regular thing, especially as the kids get older and can go longer distances.

Saturday night M got in trouble (again). N got a bath in our tub and she thought it wasn't fair that he could get one in there, but that she had to take a shower in her bathroom. (It wasn't that she couldn't take one in there, she chose to take it in there.) Words were cast towards him about how she hated him, etc., and the next thing she knows, she's being sent to her room. I told her she needed to go apologize to her brother and then wait in her room until it was time to read Narnia, but she decided that that wasn't acceptable and was insubordinate towards me. The next thing you know, she's lost Narnia and Webkinz for the next week. After thinking about it further, I decided it wasn't fair to N to lose Narnia, since he didn't do anything wrong, so I changed the consequence from missing that to staying in her room from the time she got home from Mass on Sunday until dinner time. That didn't sit well.

That being said, once we read Narnia, she calmed down for the rest of the evening. I can't believe what a difference there is between hers and N's personalities. He's so very easy going, especially at bedtime and with regards to discipline, whereas she's a holy terror. I'm not sure if it's a result of her being the first and therefore we made most of our mistakes on her with regard to parenting, or if it's just her nature. I really don't know, but I do wish she'd learn to learn from her mistakes as it seems like this is becoming a weekly recurrence.

Day 38 - 03/30/2007

Rode to and from work for the second time this year. On the way home, I passed by the Craig girls, who thought I was a professional biker decked out in my gear. It was a little chilly in the morning, yet I decided that shorts would be enough -- this due to the fact that I'd go running in shorts in this weather -- why not biking as well? I guess I didn't take into consideration the fact that I'd be riding at a much faster clip and basically be making my own wind. (Easy there, I said making -- NOT breaking -- my own wind.) Once I got to work, I hit the gym. Usually when I ride in, I use that as my 30 minutes of cardio, as well as my warmup for lifting. This time, I had to hit the stationary bike for another 15 minutes to warm up my legs. They were a bit stiff!

The ride home was much better since it had warmed up. To top it off, I didn't get stopped at a single light the entire way home. I'll have to check the time and see if I can replicate getting across 50 w/o having to wait for the light. Even though I didn't stop for a light, it still took me 30 minutes. I guess it'll take a few more weeks to see an increase in fitness before I start seeing a decrease in time.

The day ended on a sour note, however, as M and N were melting down. They both lost Narnia and were put to bed without songs. This nice weather is making it harder for them to be brought in at night since they both want to play outside until it's too dark to see.

We'll see what happens tomorrow. Speaking of which, I start my stint at Assistant Coach for N's t-ball team -- that should be interesting.