happy birthday --
Richard had this to say at
1:09:59 AM on
7/7/2010.
Today I am 33 years old. Many things have happened since my last news item, most notably Dave came and went. We always have projects available for him to do while he's out here, if he feels up to them. This time was finishing the windows. Since he has mad drywall skillz I watched as he put the finishing touches on the windows. Then we ripped out our old deck and built a new one. That was a little more work than I signed up for, but I am quite pleased with the result. We had a deck party and invited all our friends.
The fourth was uneventful around our house. With Molly's birthday being the third, we did our hanging out and barbequing Saturday at the Nelson's. The rest of the weekend was yard work and tidying.
Post a comment wishing Molly and me happy birthdays.
The fourth was uneventful around our house. With Molly's birthday being the third, we did our hanging out and barbequing Saturday at the Nelson's. The rest of the weekend was yard work and tidying.
Post a comment wishing Molly and me happy birthdays.
 4 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
Happy Anniversary --
Richard had this to say at
9:10:58 AM on
6/25/2010.
Today is Roger and Shelly's anniversary. I think it's their 6th. You may remember Roger and Shelly from previous news items doing such things as moving to Washington and moving from Washington. Post a comment wishing Roger and Shelly a happy anniversary.
| 2 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
truck --
Richard had this to say at
11:09:53 PM on
6/1/2010.
My truck leaks. I just put in a new radiator to replace the leaky radiator and I thought that would cure the leak. I wouldn't have noticed the puddle except the rain finally stopped. The puddle wasn't very large and is gone today so it seems the leak only occurs as the engine is cooling. I don't know; I haven't had any time to look at it.
The weekend was full of rain and not much else. I feel bad for David mostly because it's too wet to play outside, and he gets cabin fever being cooped up inside all day. We drove to Leavenworth on Saturday and enjoyed lunch and some sunshine. It's amazing how different the weather can be on the other side of 7,000 foot mountains. Sunday we dined at the Nelson's for dinner and Monday Kate worked while David and I hung out.
In case you haven't heard, Roger and Shelly are moving to southern California. Roger got a job down there which will afford Shelly the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom. If you think of anything they might need for the trip or the new location, don't buy it; they have too much stuff already. Well, maybe buy it and ship is to my dad's house; he can store it until they arrive.
Other than the items listed in the above paragraphs, not much is going on around here. Post a comment aoubt what is going on in your area.
The weekend was full of rain and not much else. I feel bad for David mostly because it's too wet to play outside, and he gets cabin fever being cooped up inside all day. We drove to Leavenworth on Saturday and enjoyed lunch and some sunshine. It's amazing how different the weather can be on the other side of 7,000 foot mountains. Sunday we dined at the Nelson's for dinner and Monday Kate worked while David and I hung out.
In case you haven't heard, Roger and Shelly are moving to southern California. Roger got a job down there which will afford Shelly the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom. If you think of anything they might need for the trip or the new location, don't buy it; they have too much stuff already. Well, maybe buy it and ship is to my dad's house; he can store it until they arrive.
Other than the items listed in the above paragraphs, not much is going on around here. Post a comment aoubt what is going on in your area.
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new radiator --
Richard had this to say at
10:37:39 AM on
5/25/2010.
Ever since I replaced my head gaskets in December, my truck has been leaking coolant. I discovered I nicked my radiator several times. This past weekend I installed a new radiator and flushed my coolant system. So far, no leaks. I think I may take the truck to a shop and have them flush and fill the coolant as well, since the shop will have access to better chemicals than I. The check engine light still comes on every time I drive, but the truck is getting back to its pre breakdown state.
This weekend was also softball. We forfeited, again, but the other team lent us players and we managed a good scrimmage. Roger hit a home run, not becase the ball went over the fence, but because he ran fast.
Post a comment about losing your coolant.
This weekend was also softball. We forfeited, again, but the other team lent us players and we managed a good scrimmage. Roger hit a home run, not becase the ball went over the fence, but because he ran fast.
Post a comment about losing your coolant.
| 2 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
Illin, and Mother's Day --
Richard had this to say at
11:33:09 PM on
5/12/2010.
I have been ill for the past several days. Not that the illness can explain the weeks of quiet on the site, but really, what can? I haven't travelled to the office since Monday, and I only went on Monday because we were having my five year anniversary lunch and I didn't want to miss out. Luckily, the boy has not bee ill. Maybe I should say miraculously, although he does have a better diet and gets more exercise than I do so perhaps it's not all that strange. Kate is just now starting to get sick, but she doesn't have the luxury of working from home that I have, so she just has to suffer.
This past weekend was Mother's Day. To celebrate moms everywhere we cooked meat on the grill and had friends over. I was reluctant at first to cook on the grill since I don't want David to learn it's hot the hard way. I grabbed some pieces of wood from my wood pile and surrounded the grill to keep youngsters at bay. It occurred to me that perhaps my wood pile with rusty nails and a charred toaster is the real threat, so maybe I'll clean that up this weekend.
Saturday Kate and David came to watch me play hockey. In the 18 months or so that I have been playing street hockey, this was the first time they came to watch. It was also the first time I got a bloody nose. I was trying to impress Kate with my mad defensive skills and ended up with an elbow to the nose. To top it all off, she wasn't even looking at the time. David enjoyed watching everyone run around after the ball, something he wanted to help with. Since the weather has turned nicer, he and I have spent more time outside and I made him a little hockey stick so we can play together. Not that he knows what to do, but it makes me feel better knowing I am better than someone.
Post a comment about being sick or not going to work or about not being sick and going to work.
This past weekend was Mother's Day. To celebrate moms everywhere we cooked meat on the grill and had friends over. I was reluctant at first to cook on the grill since I don't want David to learn it's hot the hard way. I grabbed some pieces of wood from my wood pile and surrounded the grill to keep youngsters at bay. It occurred to me that perhaps my wood pile with rusty nails and a charred toaster is the real threat, so maybe I'll clean that up this weekend.
Saturday Kate and David came to watch me play hockey. In the 18 months or so that I have been playing street hockey, this was the first time they came to watch. It was also the first time I got a bloody nose. I was trying to impress Kate with my mad defensive skills and ended up with an elbow to the nose. To top it all off, she wasn't even looking at the time. David enjoyed watching everyone run around after the ball, something he wanted to help with. Since the weather has turned nicer, he and I have spent more time outside and I made him a little hockey stick so we can play together. Not that he knows what to do, but it makes me feel better knowing I am better than someone.
Post a comment about being sick or not going to work or about not being sick and going to work.
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weekend of ball games --
Richard had this to say at
12:28:42 AM on
4/19/2010.
It's been a while since my last post, but since I don't remember much before Friday, that's all I will cover.
Marcie was in town, and then she left. She hung out with David two days while in town and he was a well behaved young man both days. Kate got a new sewing machine and so far has made a bag and a potato. The bag is pretty sweet; it has little pockets on the inside for her phones and stuff. The potato is okay, for a potato made of felt. Kate also got a new bed. I guess that means I got a new bed also, but the surface on which I sleep is never in the forefront of my thoughts, so it does not occur to me the mattress and box springs are new.
Starting Friday, I enjoyed three days of ball games. Friday night we watched the Mariners host and beat the Tigers and then did the same thing Saturday night. Sunday was the start of our church softball season. Neither team had enough to field a side, though, so we just scrimmaged. Roger and I saw the movie Kick Ass, which I enjoyed, but if brutal, ruthless acts of violence by teenagers is not your thing, you should probably steer clear.
Also, happy birthday to Wendy. You may remember Wendy from previous news items, or you may not. She and Floyd and Molly spent the weekend on the coast, presumably celebrating her birthday.
Post a comment about ball games or wishing Wendy a happy birthday.
Marcie was in town, and then she left. She hung out with David two days while in town and he was a well behaved young man both days. Kate got a new sewing machine and so far has made a bag and a potato. The bag is pretty sweet; it has little pockets on the inside for her phones and stuff. The potato is okay, for a potato made of felt. Kate also got a new bed. I guess that means I got a new bed also, but the surface on which I sleep is never in the forefront of my thoughts, so it does not occur to me the mattress and box springs are new.
Starting Friday, I enjoyed three days of ball games. Friday night we watched the Mariners host and beat the Tigers and then did the same thing Saturday night. Sunday was the start of our church softball season. Neither team had enough to field a side, though, so we just scrimmaged. Roger and I saw the movie Kick Ass, which I enjoyed, but if brutal, ruthless acts of violence by teenagers is not your thing, you should probably steer clear.
Also, happy birthday to Wendy. You may remember Wendy from previous news items, or you may not. She and Floyd and Molly spent the weekend on the coast, presumably celebrating her birthday.
Post a comment about ball games or wishing Wendy a happy birthday.
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Easter --
Richard had this to say at
10:15:53 AM on
4/6/2010.
Sunday was Easter. We had some friends and family over for dinner and then went to Roger and Shelly's for some after dinner conversation. We considered staging a small egg hunt for the kids, but decided David is still a bit young for that sort of recreation.
Speaking of David, he is feeling better. His anti biotics seem to have done their job. Althogh now every time he pulls at his ear we get a little concerned. I want my boy to be healthy, but I don't want to be a paranoid parent.
Today Marcie arrives to hang ouut for a week. On the docket for her visit is a trip to the zoo. Post a comment about the zoo or about being paranoid.
Speaking of David, he is feeling better. His anti biotics seem to have done their job. Althogh now every time he pulls at his ear we get a little concerned. I want my boy to be healthy, but I don't want to be a paranoid parent.
Today Marcie arrives to hang ouut for a week. On the docket for her visit is a trip to the zoo. Post a comment about the zoo or about being paranoid.
| 1 comment | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
weekend fun and unfun --
Richard had this to say at
2:18:41 AM on
3/29/2010.
As you may have guessed by the title of this news item, this weekend was filled with fun and unfun activities. The first fun thing was Kate returned from Arlington safe and sound. Then she picked up David from daycare and discovered the first unfun thing: David had a fever. We scheduled an appointment with the pediatrician for Saturday and we were told the same diagnosis and last time. Yep, David has a double ear infection and bronchialitis. Since he had amoxicilin last time, this time he is on azithromax. I called the voice of experience and discussed how long we should continue this cycle before exploring other causes.
The rest of Sautrday was chlling with the boy, as was most of Sunday. I stayed home from church to make sure no one else got sick. Sunday afternoon I began a brake job on the Camry and only 6 short hours later I was done.
Post a comment about what you think the fun things are and what the unfun things are.
The rest of Sautrday was chlling with the boy, as was most of Sunday. I stayed home from church to make sure no one else got sick. Sunday afternoon I began a brake job on the Camry and only 6 short hours later I was done.
Post a comment about what you think the fun things are and what the unfun things are.
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just the boys - day 4 --
Richard had this to say at
1:47:37 AM on
3/26/2010.
So today really wasn't just the boys. Shelly came over with Roger and Jonathan and we all hung out and wathced Jeopardy! She brought pizza though, so we can count her as one of the boys for the interim. Kate arrives back in Seattle Friday morning about 11, at which point I will pick her up and she will drop me back off at work and return home. I wrote a list of all the items we are low on, not that I couldn't have purchased the items myself, but if she's going to take the rest of the day off anyway, she may as well go to Target and buy diapers. I've struggled for the past three days to come up with a second paragraph worth reading and I believe I failed most of those times. This time I am going to just give up. Post a comment about what you think I left out of this news item.
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just the boys - day 3 --
Richard had this to say at
10:56:17 PM on
3/24/2010.
Today David and I had dinner and then went for a walk. I discovered the hard way that David prefers pasta more done than I. I was hungry and took the rigatoni off the stove before it was actually done. David did his best to get through the pasta, but really just wanted more broccoli. After dinner David was extra fussy, presumably because he misses his mum, so the walk was a good distraction for both of us. Tomorrow should be pretty mcuh the same, except Roger and Shelly may stop by for dinner.
Post a comment if you thought Roger and Shelly were coming to your house for dinner.
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just the boys - day 2 --
Richard had this to say at
1:04:13 AM on
3/24/2010.
Today, with Kate still being in Arlington, David and I watched hockey and had mac n cheese for dinner. Then David had a bath and went to bed. Kate will be in Arlington all week and I imagine if you read this site each day, you will see much the same content as the day before. I bought Kate a new cookbook for her birthday and it arrived today. It's all about fancy cupcakes. We had a dessert auction at church this past Sunday and two of Kate's creations were in the auction. One was corn on the cob cupcakes and the other was spaghetti and meatball cupcakes. Both of those recipes are from this new book. Look for a news item in the near future about me buying bigger pants. Post a comment about fun cupcake designs you have experienced.
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just the boys, day 1 --
Richard had this to say at
12:30:10 AM on
3/23/2010.
Kate left this morning for Arlington, Virginia. She loves the show NCIS so much, she is going to be an agent there. Actually, she is in Virginia for some report training for work, so David and I had a boys' night. We ate cookies and watched hockey; what could be better.
Today is Kate's birthday. She gets extra homesick around her birthday and the holidays, which is something I can't really fathom, since I grew up away from family. The only comfort she'll have is a database ready to be mined, which can be a harsh mistress.
Today is also mom's birthday. You may remember mom from previous news item doing such things as visiting Seattle. She said she enjoyed her visit thoroughly and can't wait to see her boys again.
Post a comment wishing both mom and Kate a happy birthday. You can post two comments if you like.
Today is Kate's birthday. She gets extra homesick around her birthday and the holidays, which is something I can't really fathom, since I grew up away from family. The only comfort she'll have is a database ready to be mined, which can be a harsh mistress.
Today is also mom's birthday. You may remember mom from previous news item doing such things as visiting Seattle. She said she enjoyed her visit thoroughly and can't wait to see her boys again.
Post a comment wishing both mom and Kate a happy birthday. You can post two comments if you like.
| 1 comment | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
new phone and skinny site --
Richard had this to say at
9:09:01 AM on
3/19/2010.
As you may have noticed, the site is skinnier than usual. Kate and I bought new phones Wednesday evening and i was playing around with the layout trying to determine why things don't show up correctly. As you can see, I failed to put the site back the way it was.
My new phone is an upgrade of my old phone, but Kate's new phone is an iPhone, which she is very excited to have. This weekend we have several thasks to accomplish; the brakes on the camry being the most important. It looks like snowboarding is done for the season, if not because of the weather than because my weekends are full with spring cleaning and general home/auto maintenance.
Post a comment about spring cleaning or snowboarding.
My new phone is an upgrade of my old phone, but Kate's new phone is an iPhone, which she is very excited to have. This weekend we have several thasks to accomplish; the brakes on the camry being the most important. It looks like snowboarding is done for the season, if not because of the weather than because my weekends are full with spring cleaning and general home/auto maintenance.
Post a comment about spring cleaning or snowboarding.
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weekend fun --
Richard had this to say at
12:33:27 AM on
3/17/2010.
Saturday, Floyd and I went snowboarding for what may have been the last trip of the season. The conditions were phenomenal though and we were all over the mountain, so it would be okay if we don't go again. Also on Saturday we enjoyed dinner at the Nelson's. Mom was still in town and Wendy made corned beef. Mom left on Sunday to go back to Michigan and her last semester of teaching.
The rest of Sunday was driving around with David while Kate worked. I dropped her off at her office after church and drove to let David get a good nap, then he fell asleep again when I went to retrieve Kate in the afternoon.
Sorry for the irrelevancy of this news item; I hope you weren't too disappointed not to find my usual heady banter.
The rest of Sunday was driving around with David while Kate worked. I dropped her off at her office after church and drove to let David get a good nap, then he fell asleep again when I went to retrieve Kate in the afternoon.
Sorry for the irrelevancy of this news item; I hope you weren't too disappointed not to find my usual heady banter.
| 0 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
visit --
Richard had this to say at
11:03:06 AM on
3/12/2010.
Mom is in Washington visiting us and the other Riddles. She arrived Saturday and is headed back to Michigan on Sunday. She and David hung out Wednesday, after David acclimated to her presents. Mom is hanging out with Jonathan today; I don't know if bribery was involed there as well.
In David news: he is feeling much better. Let's hope the voice of experience turns out to be the voice of a mother with a son who had an immune deficiency and that David just gets sick sometimes because he goes to daycare, hopefully.
We are celebrating some birthdays early this year, so if you are in town and would like cake for mom's and Kate's birthdays, head to the Nelson's on Saturday.
In other Saturday news: I am going snowboarding if Floyd ever calls back. I don't want to be presumptious and just show up at Floyd's house early Saturday morning, but I am not above it.
Post a comment about snowboarding or Saturday.
In David news: he is feeling much better. Let's hope the voice of experience turns out to be the voice of a mother with a son who had an immune deficiency and that David just gets sick sometimes because he goes to daycare, hopefully.
We are celebrating some birthdays early this year, so if you are in town and would like cake for mom's and Kate's birthdays, head to the Nelson's on Saturday.
In other Saturday news: I am going snowboarding if Floyd ever calls back. I don't want to be presumptious and just show up at Floyd's house early Saturday morning, but I am not above it.
Post a comment about snowboarding or Saturday.
| 1 comment | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
dishwasher and sick boy --
Richard had this to say at
10:07:59 AM on
3/3/2010.
In the tradition of all our appliances with water going through them, our dishwasher starting making a loud grinding noise during the wash cycle. I hate to sound like a one note banjo, but it appeared the bearings in the motor were going bad. Sears wanted $200 for a new motor which I was unwilling to pay just yet. I dismantled the motor and found one of the bearings was shot. After some online research and a trip to Mukilteo, I was the proud owner of a new bearing, for considerably less than $200. The next day I installed the new bearing and now we have a quiet dishwasher that works.
In David news, he is ill. At his one year appointment he received a shot which we were told might cause a fever after a week or so. Six days later he was sent home from daycare because of fever. The next day we called the doctor and she said bring him in. The diagnosis from that appointment was a double ar infetion plus bronchialitis. Now he is on amoxicillin with breathing treatments to relieve the symptoms of the bronchialitis and on the road to recovery.
Post a comment about fixing appliances or about fixing little boys.
In David news, he is ill. At his one year appointment he received a shot which we were told might cause a fever after a week or so. Six days later he was sent home from daycare because of fever. The next day we called the doctor and she said bring him in. The diagnosis from that appointment was a double ar infetion plus bronchialitis. Now he is on amoxicillin with breathing treatments to relieve the symptoms of the bronchialitis and on the road to recovery.
Post a comment about fixing appliances or about fixing little boys.
| 4 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
house projects, and the zoo --
Richard had this to say at
11:10:09 PM on
2/21/2010.
I was trying to remember what all happened during the week worth reporting, but there really isn't anything. All we've been doing at home is watching the Olympics, except for Friday through today. Friday I went to Silverdale for a client visit and Kate and David picked me up at the ferry and we intended to eat dinner downtown, but Bon Jovi wouldn't let us. Not that Jon and Richie were personally stopping us, but the specific neighborhood we chose for food also contains KeyArena, where they were performing later that evening. We travelled farther north and the second restaurant we chose had no highchairs available, so we opted for a booster seat for David. This was not a good choice. Even though he is a goodish listener, trying to keep him interested in food and drink was much more difficult without him being strapped in.
Saturday Kate and Wendy had a church thing so David and I hung out with Floyd and Molly. We enjoyed a walk around their neighborhood and coffee. After the church thing, Kate, David and I went to the zoo. We only had about an hour to walk around before it closed, but it was still a good time.
Sunday was Jonathan's baptism and then a lunch afterward. Following that, I replaced our garbage disposal, which had begun failing a month ago and finally stopped working altogether on Friday. With confidence built from the garbage disposal project, I built David the wagon he got for his birthday. Even though the box said Little Tikes, I feel Cadillac had something to do with the design. The wagon has a removable panel in the floor so the kids can sit upright instead of having their legs extended along the wagon. It came with its own soft cooler and hooks on the back. There's an umbrella and attached umbrella stand, seatbelts, cup holders, and the side lift up so the kids can use it for a bench. I can't wait to go to the zoo again to try it out, but we may have to take the truck since I don't think it will fit in the trunk.
Post a comment about wagons, or about the zoo.
Saturday Kate and Wendy had a church thing so David and I hung out with Floyd and Molly. We enjoyed a walk around their neighborhood and coffee. After the church thing, Kate, David and I went to the zoo. We only had about an hour to walk around before it closed, but it was still a good time.
Sunday was Jonathan's baptism and then a lunch afterward. Following that, I replaced our garbage disposal, which had begun failing a month ago and finally stopped working altogether on Friday. With confidence built from the garbage disposal project, I built David the wagon he got for his birthday. Even though the box said Little Tikes, I feel Cadillac had something to do with the design. The wagon has a removable panel in the floor so the kids can sit upright instead of having their legs extended along the wagon. It came with its own soft cooler and hooks on the back. There's an umbrella and attached umbrella stand, seatbelts, cup holders, and the side lift up so the kids can use it for a bench. I can't wait to go to the zoo again to try it out, but we may have to take the truck since I don't think it will fit in the trunk.
Post a comment about wagons, or about the zoo.
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toddling about --
Richard had this to say at
10:03:14 AM on
2/17/2010.
Now that David is a full-blown big kid and toddling everywhere, we are beginning to wean him off the formula. Given that's he has woken up to and been put to sleep with a bottle every day his entire life, I understand his reluctance to change. This is going to be a long process.
| 1 comment | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
365 days of David --
Richard had this to say at
11:10:20 PM on
2/10/2010.
Today is David's birthday; he is 1 today. I have gone through several drafts of this news item and this is the only version I am really happy with.
Post a comment wishing David a happy birthday.
Post a comment wishing David a happy birthday.
| 4 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
weekend fun --
Richard had this to say at
11:45:35 PM on
2/7/2010.
This past weekend we had a party to celebrate David's first trip around the sun. It was a baseball themed party so we had hot dogs, nachos, popcorn and sodas. David had a personal cake, a baseball, which he devoured most of. Luckily, the sugar high wore off quickly and he slept through the night. We also had some family pictures taken this weekend; look for those to be posted some where on the internet in the coming weeks.
In other David news: he's a crazy walker now. I don't think I have mentioned his mobility since he started crawling, but he's been walking for two weeks or so. He started like most other kids, just stepping here and there and then falling, but now he has all but given up crawling. To concide with his new found freedom, he is also moving from the infant day care room to the toddler day care room. This is a big shift because it means no more bottles and naps on the floor instead of a crib. We have been trying to ween him off bottles, but have so far had no luck.
In work news: we hired an assistant developer. I thought I would be able to get more accomplished since I would be able to give projects to this new assistant, but before I could rearrange my workload, two new projects came up so now we are both crazy busy.
Post a comment about why I haven't posted in a while, or a comment theorizing why my dishwasher is making noise, or if you can't think of anything else, something about David.
In other David news: he's a crazy walker now. I don't think I have mentioned his mobility since he started crawling, but he's been walking for two weeks or so. He started like most other kids, just stepping here and there and then falling, but now he has all but given up crawling. To concide with his new found freedom, he is also moving from the infant day care room to the toddler day care room. This is a big shift because it means no more bottles and naps on the floor instead of a crib. We have been trying to ween him off bottles, but have so far had no luck.
In work news: we hired an assistant developer. I thought I would be able to get more accomplished since I would be able to give projects to this new assistant, but before I could rearrange my workload, two new projects came up so now we are both crazy busy.
Post a comment about why I haven't posted in a while, or a comment theorizing why my dishwasher is making noise, or if you can't think of anything else, something about David.
| 1 comment | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
Another birthday --
Richard had this to say at
1:03:22 AM on
1/20/2010.
Today is Kelly's birthday. You may remember Kelly from previous news items doing such things as hosting a Christmas party at her folks house while we were in Michigan.
In washer news, it works. The new part arrived Monday and I put everything back together and had no parts left over. The washer is still in the garage though because it is heavy. I have run three test loads, all of which came out clean. I had to build a small scaffold for the dryer though, since the exhaust hose is too short to reach the exhaust port on the dryer. The distance is about 2 meters.
Roger said he would come over this week to help move the washer back into place, so when you post a comment wishing Kelly a happy birthday, or Tyler a happy birthday if you missed yesterday, also post a comment thanking Roger for being a good big bro.
In washer news, it works. The new part arrived Monday and I put everything back together and had no parts left over. The washer is still in the garage though because it is heavy. I have run three test loads, all of which came out clean. I had to build a small scaffold for the dryer though, since the exhaust hose is too short to reach the exhaust port on the dryer. The distance is about 2 meters.
Roger said he would come over this week to help move the washer back into place, so when you post a comment wishing Kelly a happy birthday, or Tyler a happy birthday if you missed yesterday, also post a comment thanking Roger for being a good big bro.
| 4 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
Happy Birthday --
Richard had this to say at
9:27:20 AM on
1/19/2010.
Today is Tyler's birthday. You may remember Tyler from previous news items doing such things as hosting a Christmas party at Grandma Riddle's house.
Post a comment wishing Tyler a happy birthday.
Post a comment wishing Tyler a happy birthday.
| 2 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
washer --
Richard had this to say at
10:06:11 AM on
1/12/2010.
For a while now, maybe a year or so, the washer was leaving grease marks on clothes after they were washed. Also, the spin cycle has been increasing in volume. I don't know why I waited until this weekend to really research the issue, knowing we would be without a washer for a while. Online research indicated the bearings which surround the shaft connected to the motor were on their way out. There were several guys online who had step by step instructions for removal of the spider joint and shell and drum, but none discussed the bearing removal in any detail. One guy even went so far as to list the part numbers for each of the bearings at a local bearing shop, but no means of removal. In the end, we decided just to order a new shell, which comes with new bearings installed. So on Monday, we will be able to wash clothes at home again.
In David news, he was sick for several days after returning from Michigan. The vomiting ended Wednesday for the most part, but he has yet to have a solid bowel movement. He is slowly regaining his appetite, but it will probably be another week or so before he's back to consuming food at pre-vacation levels.
Post a comment about convenient times to be without a washer.
In David news, he was sick for several days after returning from Michigan. The vomiting ended Wednesday for the most part, but he has yet to have a solid bowel movement. He is slowly regaining his appetite, but it will probably be another week or so before he's back to consuming food at pre-vacation levels.
Post a comment about convenient times to be without a washer.
| 2 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
new year --
Richard had this to say at
10:03:54 AM on
1/4/2010.
In the week or so since I last posted, many things have occurred. Kate, David and I all went to Michigan for Christmas and I came back to Washington. Kate and the boy will return Tuesday morning. It was good to see the fams and Ron and Sarah and the kids, but like always, there was not enough time to see everyone.
To keep myself busy during my temporary bachelorhood, I made a list of unfinished projects I would tackle. Once I get the projects done, I will post pictures.
In work news, we are migrating to a new network and my piece is holding up the show. I have been u late several nights tinkering with settings and retesting. Hopefully it will all work this evening so I don't have to neglect my family upon their return to Washington.
Post a comment about a project you think I may have completed.
To keep myself busy during my temporary bachelorhood, I made a list of unfinished projects I would tackle. Once I get the projects done, I will post pictures.
In work news, we are migrating to a new network and my piece is holding up the show. I have been u late several nights tinkering with settings and retesting. Hopefully it will all work this evening so I don't have to neglect my family upon their return to Washington.
Post a comment about a project you think I may have completed.
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Christmas party --
Richard had this to say at
11:19:32 PM on
12/20/2009.
Tonight we went to Roger and Shelly's and joined the Nelsons in celebrating Christmas. The adults didn't exchange gifts but each couple bought gifts for the others' kids. David received a bunny which teaches colors and a truck he can push or ride, as well as a tool belt with the same voice as on the mailbox and his table. He really enjoyed pushing the truck around but hasn't quite figured out turning yet, so we still have to help him with that.
I played street hockey on Saturday for the first time in several months. The venue is in Ballard, which is a good 10-12 miles from the house. This was the longest trip for the truck by far since the repair. I am happy to report the truck had no issues with sputtering or hesitation.
Also on Saturday Kate and I left the boy with a baby sitter and went to Tricia's house for a party. It was good to see all the folks I used to commute with. Before coming home, Kate and I enjoyed a romantic dinner at Dick's drive-in. We put David down to bed before the baby sitter showed up, but he woke up before we left. We sent her in with the bottle and said "We'll be home about 11." She said he was unhappy a stranger was attempting to feed and comfort him, but quit protesting after 20 minutes and succumbed to fatigue.
Today was church and moving more items to the shed. I don't want to be hasty in my decision about which items should be in the shed, because I believe there in less chance the item will be thrown away if in the shed, and we didn't build the shed to store items which should be thrown away. If you got bored reading that last sentence, then you are more awake than I am right now.
Post a comment.
I played street hockey on Saturday for the first time in several months. The venue is in Ballard, which is a good 10-12 miles from the house. This was the longest trip for the truck by far since the repair. I am happy to report the truck had no issues with sputtering or hesitation.
Also on Saturday Kate and I left the boy with a baby sitter and went to Tricia's house for a party. It was good to see all the folks I used to commute with. Before coming home, Kate and I enjoyed a romantic dinner at Dick's drive-in. We put David down to bed before the baby sitter showed up, but he woke up before we left. We sent her in with the bottle and said "We'll be home about 11." She said he was unhappy a stranger was attempting to feed and comfort him, but quit protesting after 20 minutes and succumbed to fatigue.
Today was church and moving more items to the shed. I don't want to be hasty in my decision about which items should be in the shed, because I believe there in less chance the item will be thrown away if in the shed, and we didn't build the shed to store items which should be thrown away. If you got bored reading that last sentence, then you are more awake than I am right now.
Post a comment.
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Congratulations, and other news --
Richard had this to say at
11:46:50 PM on
12/14/2009.
Congratulations to my cousin Tara, who got married this past weekend to Craig. I met Craig once; he seems cool. The honeymoon includes a stopover in Seattle, I can only assume so that he can meet more of the family.
In other news, David has a toy mailbox. Like most of his toys, the mailbox requires batteries and makes copious amounts of noise. Being the thinker I am, I like to run through all the permutations of the functions of the mailbox to see what the patterns are and just basically to see if the toy designers did what I would have done, were I a toy designer. My thinking would be to make the toy as simple as possible, since that would presumably cut down on design time. Two things about the toy mailbox aren't consistent with that design.
First, the toy has two modes, Learning Time and Music Time. Actuating the flag on the mailbox causes the mailbox to say "up" or "down" during Learning Time, depending of course on the position of the flag. This indicates to me that the circuitry knows which way the flag was pointing and is now pointing. During Learning Time, two different songs are played when the flag is actuated, but the songs played do not match the position of the flag. The first song is played when the flag is first actuated after turning the mailbox on, regardless of the original position.
I wonder why the designers chose to set up the mailbox to behave this way. I would think that the decision making for noise production would be easiest if the only decision is whether the switch is set to Music Time or Learning Time. Perhaps it was a mistake, perhaps the team who designed the inner workings for Music Time were not the same who designed the inner workings for Learning Time. Either way, my emails to Fisher Price have gone unanswered, so if you know anyone over there, forward their contact info to me. I'll make it worth your while.
Post a comment wishing Craig and Tara congratulations or offering any insight about the mailbox.
In other news, David has a toy mailbox. Like most of his toys, the mailbox requires batteries and makes copious amounts of noise. Being the thinker I am, I like to run through all the permutations of the functions of the mailbox to see what the patterns are and just basically to see if the toy designers did what I would have done, were I a toy designer. My thinking would be to make the toy as simple as possible, since that would presumably cut down on design time. Two things about the toy mailbox aren't consistent with that design.
First, the toy has two modes, Learning Time and Music Time. Actuating the flag on the mailbox causes the mailbox to say "up" or "down" during Learning Time, depending of course on the position of the flag. This indicates to me that the circuitry knows which way the flag was pointing and is now pointing. During Learning Time, two different songs are played when the flag is actuated, but the songs played do not match the position of the flag. The first song is played when the flag is first actuated after turning the mailbox on, regardless of the original position.
I wonder why the designers chose to set up the mailbox to behave this way. I would think that the decision making for noise production would be easiest if the only decision is whether the switch is set to Music Time or Learning Time. Perhaps it was a mistake, perhaps the team who designed the inner workings for Music Time were not the same who designed the inner workings for Learning Time. Either way, my emails to Fisher Price have gone unanswered, so if you know anyone over there, forward their contact info to me. I'll make it worth your while.
Post a comment wishing Craig and Tara congratulations or offering any insight about the mailbox.
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video of the boy --
Richard had this to say at
12:16:16 AM on
12/9/2009.
You may have already seen this on flickr. If not, click the link for a video of David falling asleep in his highchair.
the video itself
the video itself
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happy birthday Dad --
Richard had this to say at
7:51:37 AM on
12/4/2009.
So Thursday was Dad's birthday. I was a good son and called him and sent a card, but I forgot to post a news item about it. To help me correct my transgression, imagine it is Thursday again and post a comment wishing Dad a happy birthday.
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the truck, she runs --
Richard had this to say at
12:13:14 AM on
12/1/2009.
First, happy birthday to Jen. Jen and I were roomates in college and today is her birthday. She also recently got married, so congratulations as well.
I finally got the truck all put back together Saturday afternoon. I don't know how many hours I spent on it, but there are still more things to be done. I wasn't able to line the rotor up correctly so the timing is off. And she idles at about 1500 rpm instead of the normal 800. Also, there is hesitation and loping when the throttle engages after reaching normal operating temperature. The diffuclty is what problem to tackle first. The throttle position sensor should be the easiest and might take care of the hesitation issue, but the hesitation might also be caused by the timing being off. But I can't adjust the timing until the idle is back to normal, but the idle might not get back to normal without the throttle position sensor being fixed. Either way, I am going to rent the tools necessary for adjusting the timing and idle speed Tuesday and have at it.
Thanksgiving was also this past weekend. Kate and I were both sick on and off througout the weekend. I worked from home Monday because I couldn't shake my head cold. David is doing fine though, just a little runny nose. We messed him up over the long weekend though, because we let him nap with us either in the lazyboy or in our bed, which meant he did not sleep well at night. Today was his first day at day care in four days and he had one nap, which meant it only took two minutes for him to go to sleep on his own at bedtime. Hopefully that translates to sleeping through the night also.
Now the the truck is mostly out of the way, I can shift the focus to the shed again. With the sun going down sooner each night, I think the first task ought to be lights, then shelves.
Post a comment about the truck or about David or about the shed.
I finally got the truck all put back together Saturday afternoon. I don't know how many hours I spent on it, but there are still more things to be done. I wasn't able to line the rotor up correctly so the timing is off. And she idles at about 1500 rpm instead of the normal 800. Also, there is hesitation and loping when the throttle engages after reaching normal operating temperature. The diffuclty is what problem to tackle first. The throttle position sensor should be the easiest and might take care of the hesitation issue, but the hesitation might also be caused by the timing being off. But I can't adjust the timing until the idle is back to normal, but the idle might not get back to normal without the throttle position sensor being fixed. Either way, I am going to rent the tools necessary for adjusting the timing and idle speed Tuesday and have at it.
Thanksgiving was also this past weekend. Kate and I were both sick on and off througout the weekend. I worked from home Monday because I couldn't shake my head cold. David is doing fine though, just a little runny nose. We messed him up over the long weekend though, because we let him nap with us either in the lazyboy or in our bed, which meant he did not sleep well at night. Today was his first day at day care in four days and he had one nap, which meant it only took two minutes for him to go to sleep on his own at bedtime. Hopefully that translates to sleeping through the night also.
Now the the truck is mostly out of the way, I can shift the focus to the shed again. With the sun going down sooner each night, I think the first task ought to be lights, then shelves.
Post a comment about the truck or about David or about the shed.
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one more week with no truck --
Richard had this to say at
11:27:20 PM on
11/15/2009.
I was able to spend some time with my truck this weekend after putting it off too long. I managed to remove a piece I thought would give me access to the cylinder head, but it turned out I only removed the cylinder head cover and I had many hours of work ahead of me. The instructions in the book that I have list 30 steps for removing the cylinder heads, and my cursory reading led me to believe it was going to be an all day endeavor. After spending four hours the second day and still being only half way through removing parts to get to the cylinder head, I am beginning to lose heart. I guess it wouldn't be so bad except the bolts in the exhaust system are all so badly rusted that I risk stripping the bolts and skinning my knuclkes trying to loosen them.
I did manage to put the door on the shed this weekend. I figured since my truck repairs weren't going as planned and Kate and the boy were sleeping, why not get something accomplished. We decided to go with just a deadbolt and no knob. In hindsight, this was a bad choice. Since there is no knob, I have to use the key to pull the door closed, and then turn the key so the deadbolt locks. Either way, the door is on and we can begin to fill it.
Post a comment about why I can't seem to finish a project.
I did manage to put the door on the shed this weekend. I figured since my truck repairs weren't going as planned and Kate and the boy were sleeping, why not get something accomplished. We decided to go with just a deadbolt and no knob. In hindsight, this was a bad choice. Since there is no knob, I have to use the key to pull the door closed, and then turn the key so the deadbolt locks. Either way, the door is on and we can begin to fill it.
Post a comment about why I can't seem to finish a project.
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no truck news, just shed news --
Richard had this to say at
12:25:14 AM on
11/2/2009.
This week has felt extra long. Kate's folks left on Tuesday; it was sad to see them go but we will see them again at Christmas. The rest of the week was pretty normal, except we failed at buying the boy a jacket three times. Each evening we intended to go to a store and buy him a coat and each evening either Kate had something going on or I worked late or he didn't cooperate. We found one that Kate's grandma bought and he's been wearing that for a couple days now.
On Halloween Roger, Shelly and Jonathan came over and brought Chinese food. We ate and passed out candy and played with the boys. Also on Saturday I hung the fascia on the shed and bought some more shingles. Using several calculators online, I determined the number of bundles I would need, so I was a little surprised when I had to go back to Lowe's on Sunday for another bundle and then even more surprised when I ended up five shingles short again. Floyd came over to retrieve his tools so he and I went to Lowe's and picked up the real last bundle and then finished the roof. He said he just needed his ladder and that I could keep the rest of the tools and I said he couldn't get his ladder back until the shed roof was done.
Next comes the soffit, then shelves and then the door and we will be able to put our stuff in it. We should have enough room left over to put some of Angie's stuff in there as well, just in case. I am sure there is more I could post about, but I am tired from two days of manual labor and looking forward to staring at a monitor all day Monday.
Post a comment about my truck, because I didn't.
On Halloween Roger, Shelly and Jonathan came over and brought Chinese food. We ate and passed out candy and played with the boys. Also on Saturday I hung the fascia on the shed and bought some more shingles. Using several calculators online, I determined the number of bundles I would need, so I was a little surprised when I had to go back to Lowe's on Sunday for another bundle and then even more surprised when I ended up five shingles short again. Floyd came over to retrieve his tools so he and I went to Lowe's and picked up the real last bundle and then finished the roof. He said he just needed his ladder and that I could keep the rest of the tools and I said he couldn't get his ladder back until the shed roof was done.
Next comes the soffit, then shelves and then the door and we will be able to put our stuff in it. We should have enough room left over to put some of Angie's stuff in there as well, just in case. I am sure there is more I could post about, but I am tired from two days of manual labor and looking forward to staring at a monitor all day Monday.
Post a comment about my truck, because I didn't.
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shed --
Richard had this to say at
12:54:04 AM on
10/26/2009.
This weekend we built a shed. Let's back up; Kelly left Tuesday and Dave and Marcie arrived Thursday. Thursday and Friday night Dave and I laid out the plans for the shed and came up with a materials list. Saturday morning we went to Lowe's and picked up the stuff for the floor and foundation. Roger and Floyd showed up and we laid the floor. Somewhere in there, my truck died. You may remember my truck from previous news items overheating. The symptoms were worse this time, but since Dave is a carpenter and not a mechanic, the needs of the truck became unimportant.
When the floor was about done and most of the crew was lunching, Dave and I went back to Lowe's for the walls and siding in Floyd's truck. Thankfully Floyd recently bought a new truck, a Colorado V8, because my truck would not have survived with that sort of a load. Once the floor was finished, we erected the walls. We got the walls framed and set in place and then called it a day.
Sunday after church Kate and I went to Lowe's for the roofing material and the door. We had more trouble becuase the boards were 16 feet instead of 14 feet like we had wanted. Floyd again came to help, but Roger was preparing Jonathan's stuff for his first trip to day care this week. The three of us put in the rafters and nailed most of the roof sheeting. After Floyd left, Dave and I got one end of the roof done before the rain made the work site unsafe.
I posted some pictures of the shed in gallery, with some pictures of David thrown in there. I'll post more pictures as the shed nears completion and I'll post more Monday about the truck.
When the floor was about done and most of the crew was lunching, Dave and I went back to Lowe's for the walls and siding in Floyd's truck. Thankfully Floyd recently bought a new truck, a Colorado V8, because my truck would not have survived with that sort of a load. Once the floor was finished, we erected the walls. We got the walls framed and set in place and then called it a day.
Sunday after church Kate and I went to Lowe's for the roofing material and the door. We had more trouble becuase the boards were 16 feet instead of 14 feet like we had wanted. Floyd again came to help, but Roger was preparing Jonathan's stuff for his first trip to day care this week. The three of us put in the rafters and nailed most of the roof sheeting. After Floyd left, Dave and I got one end of the roof done before the rain made the work site unsafe.
I posted some pictures of the shed in gallery, with some pictures of David thrown in there. I'll post more pictures as the shed nears completion and I'll post more Monday about the truck.
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happy birthday --
Richard had this to say at
10:01:27 AM on
10/16/2009.
Today is Marcie's birthday. To celebrate Marcie's birthday we are having Brigette and Jake over for dinner. Kelly is also in town, and no doubt will be joining us in the celebration. Marcie and Dave will come for a visit next weekend and maybe we will celebrate more then. Post a comment wishing Marcie a happy birthday.
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more crawling --
Richard had this to say at
10:07:10 AM on
10/15/2009.
I have several videos of David crawling which I tried to post last night with no success. One of the problems with writing all your web code is you have no one to blame when it doesn't work. Not that the videos are anything special, but I like to lay on the floor while filming so David takes up the whole screen usually. If I can't figure out how to make the videos work this evening, I will just post a link to the flickr stream where you watch the videos at your leisure.
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crawling --
Richard had this to say at
7:30:45 PM on
10/5/2009.
Kate may or may not have posted videos to our flickr page of the boy crawling. I know I recorded the event, I just don"t know if the videos are accessible yet. David crawled for the first time on Saturday while I was outside working in the garage. Apparently she was not fixing the oatmeal fast enough so he decided to come into the kitchen to help. He"s been belly crawling and pulling himself around for about a fortnight, but this weekend was the first time he travelled about on all fours with coordinated movement and not just dragging and flopping.
It was funny to me how quickly we began to realize how little our house has been babyproofed. Maybe some time this week we will get around to moving the fun things higher off the ground.
In other news, most of the house projects are nearing comppletion. All the windows are installed and the exterior trim has been hung. The last thing to do is wait for the finish carpenter to come and fix the interiors. After that will be a serious dump run.
Post a comment about finish carpentry or going to the dump.
It was funny to me how quickly we began to realize how little our house has been babyproofed. Maybe some time this week we will get around to moving the fun things higher off the ground.
In other news, most of the house projects are nearing comppletion. All the windows are installed and the exterior trim has been hung. The last thing to do is wait for the finish carpenter to come and fix the interiors. After that will be a serious dump run.
Post a comment about finish carpentry or going to the dump.
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pictures --
Richard had this to say at
12:40:24 AM on
9/30/2009.
I added the before and during pictures of the window installation to the house gallery. I have the trim up but don"t have a picture yet, hopefully by this weekend. I also added more pictures to the baby gallery, some of us in San Francisco. The issue is though because 27 comes before 9 alphabetically, the new ones are in the middle.
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window installation --
Richard had this to say at
1:09:19 AM on
9/28/2009.
Before we went to San Francisco Kate and I ordered two new windows for the house, one to replace the front window and one to replace the master bathroom window. The front window didn"t open any more and was quite drafty because it was single pane and measured 10 feet wide by 5 feet tall. The window we bought to replace it is 8 feet wide by 5 feet tall, meaning a box had to be constructed to take up the extra 2 feet.
We installed the big window Saturday. It"s more difficult to get projects done quickly with a little person around the house because when he expresses displeasure about the sawing taking longer than expected, he doesn"t use kind words. So now it"s Sunday night, and while the window is installed, the exterior trim is not yet hung and the siding boards aren"t fully caulked or nailed yet and the scaffolding still hasn"t come down and there"s wood all over the garage and car port.
The problem I am running into now is we have scheduled events during the week which have to be worked around to complete the window project. The good thing for all you loyal readers is I have been documenting the project with our camera, which you may remember from a previous news item.
Post a comment with unfinished projects at your house.
We installed the big window Saturday. It"s more difficult to get projects done quickly with a little person around the house because when he expresses displeasure about the sawing taking longer than expected, he doesn"t use kind words. So now it"s Sunday night, and while the window is installed, the exterior trim is not yet hung and the siding boards aren"t fully caulked or nailed yet and the scaffolding still hasn"t come down and there"s wood all over the garage and car port.
The problem I am running into now is we have scheduled events during the week which have to be worked around to complete the window project. The good thing for all you loyal readers is I have been documenting the project with our camera, which you may remember from a previous news item.
Post a comment with unfinished projects at your house.
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happy birthdays --
Richard had this to say at
11:57:19 PM on
9/24/2009.
Thursday and Friday are Marcus" and Ron"s birthdays. In all the years I have known those two, I don"t remember celebrating their birthdays with any special events. Ron and I had a tradition in high school where we would spill a drink at Taco Bell each year on his birthday and maybe there was a bon fire one year on Marcus" birthday. Perhaps that means I am a bad friend, because Ron and Sarah came to visit Washington for my birthday. Either way, post a comment wishing those two happy birthdays.
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San Francisco --
Richard had this to say at
11:01:18 PM on
9/20/2009.
Kate and I are on our second trip with David. The last trip was to Michigan over Mothers" Day and Kate had David several days before I arrived in Michigan. This time it is a little different because we arrived together and I am leaving with the boy on Wednesday and Kate comes home on Thursday. She attending a conference for the learning management system her company just implemented and we figured we would make a family vacation out of the trip. It"s my first trip to San Francisco since the Tiger Cruise on board the USS Carl Vinson and it"s Kate first visit since seeing her cousin Brigette in high school.
The plane ride started rough because David was upset about being awakened early. The first 20 minutes of the plane ride were him being upset but then after he went to sleep the rest of the ride was smooth sailing, er flying. Since we didn"t bring a car seat, it"s been trains and walking if we wanted to go anywhere. We moseyed down to Fisherman"s Wharf and by that point had been gone long enough that David needed a nap. Luckily he fell asleep in the stroller on the walk back. Monday will likely include a trip back to that area, but probably by bus so we have more time to enjoy the attractions.
We purchased a different carrier for David since the baby bjorn is no longer up to the challenge. The new one is an Ergo Carrier and it supports up to 45 pounds. I"m sure I will use it extensively while I"m touring the city on Tuesday when Kate is attending her conference.
Also, Kate bought a new camera, a Nikon d40. Dad has the Nikon d60 but that"s too much camera for us. The picture in the previous news item was taken with Dad"s Nikon d60. Hopefully there will more be pictures of the Riddle families with our new camera. Post a comment wishing me luck while playing tourist and single dad or post a comment with potential subjects for our new camera.
The plane ride started rough because David was upset about being awakened early. The first 20 minutes of the plane ride were him being upset but then after he went to sleep the rest of the ride was smooth sailing, er flying. Since we didn"t bring a car seat, it"s been trains and walking if we wanted to go anywhere. We moseyed down to Fisherman"s Wharf and by that point had been gone long enough that David needed a nap. Luckily he fell asleep in the stroller on the walk back. Monday will likely include a trip back to that area, but probably by bus so we have more time to enjoy the attractions.
We purchased a different carrier for David since the baby bjorn is no longer up to the challenge. The new one is an Ergo Carrier and it supports up to 45 pounds. I"m sure I will use it extensively while I"m touring the city on Tuesday when Kate is attending her conference.
Also, Kate bought a new camera, a Nikon d40. Dad has the Nikon d60 but that"s too much camera for us. The picture in the previous news item was taken with Dad"s Nikon d60. Hopefully there will more be pictures of the Riddle families with our new camera. Post a comment wishing me luck while playing tourist and single dad or post a comment with potential subjects for our new camera.
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visit from Dad --
Richard had this to say at
8:29:48 PM on
9/12/2009.
Dad"s in town these days. He arrived last Thursday and stayed with Roger and Shelly Thursday and Friday night. Saturday and Sunday he will be at our house and then he takes off on Monday. Here is a picture of Dad with David and Jonathan. There are more in the gallery.
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role reversal --
Richard had this to say at
10:20:18 AM on
8/28/2009.
For most of our marriage thus far, if one of us worked extra hours, it was always me. Not that Kate"s job never afforded her opportunities to work more, it"s just that she has more well defined priorities.
She is in the middle of spearheading the implementation of a new learning management system at her office and has been working past her normal quit time this week, which means I have been arrive home first and fetching the boy from day care. I have enjoyed spending the extra time with him and I hope headed happy to be spending the time with me.
Kate will be working this weekend and next weekend, so if you want to stop by and hang out, David and I will be there.
She is in the middle of spearheading the implementation of a new learning management system at her office and has been working past her normal quit time this week, which means I have been arrive home first and fetching the boy from day care. I have enjoyed spending the extra time with him and I hope headed happy to be spending the time with me.
Kate will be working this weekend and next weekend, so if you want to stop by and hang out, David and I will be there.
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update from the bus --
Richard had this to say at
10:15:30 AM on
8/20/2009.
I am headed downtown right now and figure a good use of the time is posting a news item. I don"t have any pictures of Jonathan yet, maybe next time. I also don"t have any pictures of David, but that because our camera is crap.
As some of you may know, Kate is in charge of music at our church. Part of her job is organizing special groups and providing those groups with music to sing. She found a song but wanted the practice recording to be in a different key, so she sat at the keyboard and played the song in the new key while I recorded everything on the computer. I will never claim to be a musician, but I enjoy the technical aspects of music production.
Post a comment about music production or pictures you wish I would post.
As some of you may know, Kate is in charge of music at our church. Part of her job is organizing special groups and providing those groups with music to sing. She found a song but wanted the practice recording to be in a different key, so she sat at the keyboard and played the song in the new key while I recorded everything on the computer. I will never claim to be a musician, but I enjoy the technical aspects of music production.
Post a comment about music production or pictures you wish I would post.
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truck repair --
Richard had this to say at
10:07:41 AM on
8/18/2009.
Friday night David and I hung out at home while Kate went to church for the contemporary service. She called while parking the truck and said it overheated and that she wasn"t going to drive it home. I gathered my tools and drove to the church so Kate could have the car and carseat. Floyd and I looked all over the engine and so no sign of a coolant leak anywhere so we filled it up with water and drove the truck home without issue. Saturday and Sunday were filled with more diagnostics, none of which pointed to the cause. I ended up replacing the thermostat and draining and filling the coolant system, but I am not confident the truck won"t overheat in the near future.
Post a comment about your auto repairs. Pictures of Jonathan are on the way.
Post a comment about your auto repairs. Pictures of Jonathan are on the way.
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back to routine --
Richard had this to say at
8:47:35 AM on
8/12/2009.
Mom and Cassandra went home Tuesday morning, so now we are getting back into some routine. Roger and Shelly are doing well with their little one and I think her parents may be back in town for a visit. Floyd and Wendy are back in town after being on the coast for several weeks.
This past weekend Kate and I went to a wedding. One of my friends from the ferry got married. Mom watched David while we were enjoying the festivities. It was good to get away for a couple hours, although I was very excited to see my boy when we got back home.
I don"t want to think this is the end of the news item. For as long as it took me to write this, I can"t believe nothing else has happened in our lives that"s worth writing about. Post a comment if I talked with you about something which isn"t included in this news item.
This past weekend Kate and I went to a wedding. One of my friends from the ferry got married. Mom watched David while we were enjoying the festivities. It was good to get away for a couple hours, although I was very excited to see my boy when we got back home.
I don"t want to think this is the end of the news item. For as long as it took me to write this, I can"t believe nothing else has happened in our lives that"s worth writing about. Post a comment if I talked with you about something which isn"t included in this news item.
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Another Riddle boy --
Richard had this to say at
1:24:18 AM on
8/3/2009.
Jonathan Roger Riddle was born around 11 pm on Saturday August 1, 2009. He weighed 7 pounds 15 ounces and was 20.75 inches long. Contact Roger and Shelly before you put that information on any gift; I was awakened by Roger"s phone call and may not recall exactly what he said. The whole family is resting at the hospital and should be home some time Monday morning. Post a comment congratulating Roger and Shelly on the addition to their family, even if you already did in the previous news item.
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what happened? --
Richard had this to say at
12:52:20 AM on
7/29/2009.
I was doing so well with the posting and then I sort of fell off the wagon. I missed anniversaries and birthdays and many other newsworthy events. To say I am sorry for not posting for the past week is an overstatement. I would say I have a twinge of remorse would be more accurate. If I just would have taken 5 minutes out of my day to wish that special someone a happy anniversary or happy birthday, then perhaps the rest of the week would have gone more smoothly.
Anyway, happy anniversary to Dad and Cindy. I"m not saying I should get a reprieve for not calling on the actual day, but Kate and I did send a card which hopefully arrived on time. I included a Starbucks gift card, because 17 is the Starbucks anniversary. 18 I think is either the Macy"s anniversary or the Home Depot anniversary.
Happy birthday to Aunt Claudine. I don"t think Aunt Claudine gets much press on this site, although I did read on Facebook she wanted to know what Amy cooked for dinner.
Now, on to the rest of the news. It"s been unseasonably hot here. The day care David attends does not have air conditioning, so they have resorted to spritzing the kids with water bottles to keep them cool. Apparently David really enjoys it. We haven"t resorted to that at home; we just turned on the air conditioning.
Sunday we attended Kate"s company picnic. I left my sunglasses there but one of Kate"s coworkers was kind enough to grab them and deliver them to Kate on Monday. Kate has yet to bring them home, so post a comment reminding Kate to bring home my sunglasses. Maybe a tweet shortly before 4 pm PDT on Wednesday would help also.
Roger and Shelly are entering the home stretch in their pregnancy. Shelly"s sister arrived today, I think. Shelly"s inducement date is July 31, so maybe the next time I post I will be an uncle, again.
Post a comment wishing the appropriate people the appropriate things and don"t forget to remind Kate to bring home my sunglasses.
Anyway, happy anniversary to Dad and Cindy. I"m not saying I should get a reprieve for not calling on the actual day, but Kate and I did send a card which hopefully arrived on time. I included a Starbucks gift card, because 17 is the Starbucks anniversary. 18 I think is either the Macy"s anniversary or the Home Depot anniversary.
Happy birthday to Aunt Claudine. I don"t think Aunt Claudine gets much press on this site, although I did read on Facebook she wanted to know what Amy cooked for dinner.
Now, on to the rest of the news. It"s been unseasonably hot here. The day care David attends does not have air conditioning, so they have resorted to spritzing the kids with water bottles to keep them cool. Apparently David really enjoys it. We haven"t resorted to that at home; we just turned on the air conditioning.
Sunday we attended Kate"s company picnic. I left my sunglasses there but one of Kate"s coworkers was kind enough to grab them and deliver them to Kate on Monday. Kate has yet to bring them home, so post a comment reminding Kate to bring home my sunglasses. Maybe a tweet shortly before 4 pm PDT on Wednesday would help also.
Roger and Shelly are entering the home stretch in their pregnancy. Shelly"s sister arrived today, I think. Shelly"s inducement date is July 31, so maybe the next time I post I will be an uncle, again.
Post a comment wishing the appropriate people the appropriate things and don"t forget to remind Kate to bring home my sunglasses.
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houseguest --
Richard had this to say at
10:22:39 AM on
7/21/2009.
Marcie has been staying with us since Wednesday. She had some free time and figured she would spend it with David and us. It"s always a good time hanging out with our son. Having her out here allowed Kate and me to have a date night, which everyone enjoyed. I also insttalled new windows in the front of the house. Floyd lent his tools and expertise to the window project. One day I"ll post some pictures again and you can have visual proof of all these things.
Marcie is heading back to Michigan Wednesday morning, and then both she and Dave will visit again in October. Post a comment about houseguests.
Marcie is heading back to Michigan Wednesday morning, and then both she and Dave will visit again in October. Post a comment about houseguests.
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happy days and a haircut --
Richard had this to say at
1:01:39 AM on
7/14/2009.
Since last Tuesday was my birthday, that means that Wednesday was Dave and Marcie"s anniversary, Friday was Marissa"s birthday, Saturday was Roger"s birthday and Sunday was Floyd"s birthday. There was a time when I would have posted a news item for each of those days individually, but now that I am an old man I am lazy and crotchety. Anyway, happy day to those listed above.
The weekend included festivities at Roger and Shelly"s, a combinbed party for Roger and Floyd. We enjoyed hot dogs and ice cream cake. Sunday was church where I spent the entire service in the nursery hanging out with Wendy and her charges. The church has been doing a contemporary service once per month which is all music and all contemporary arrangements. Kate sang at this service Friday night. I took David to enjoy the music but he was unhappy with being awakened from his nap and let everyone know about it. I spent the whole time walking outside with him attempting unsuccessfully to calm him.
Monday was bath day for David and we figured since he was calm in his tub he could use a trim. While I was washing his lower extremities and keeping him occupied, Kate lowered his ears. We did more after the bath on his changing table and then more back at the sink while we were rinsing from the first round. Maybe Kate will post some pictures of David with the new do so all the loyal readers can see.
The weekend included festivities at Roger and Shelly"s, a combinbed party for Roger and Floyd. We enjoyed hot dogs and ice cream cake. Sunday was church where I spent the entire service in the nursery hanging out with Wendy and her charges. The church has been doing a contemporary service once per month which is all music and all contemporary arrangements. Kate sang at this service Friday night. I took David to enjoy the music but he was unhappy with being awakened from his nap and let everyone know about it. I spent the whole time walking outside with him attempting unsuccessfully to calm him.
Monday was bath day for David and we figured since he was calm in his tub he could use a trim. While I was washing his lower extremities and keeping him occupied, Kate lowered his ears. We did more after the bath on his changing table and then more back at the sink while we were rinsing from the first round. Maybe Kate will post some pictures of David with the new do so all the loyal readers can see.
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It"s birthday time again --
Richard had this to say at
8:16:04 AM on
7/7/2009.
Today I am 32 years old. Not much has happened since my last news item, but I"ll type a couple paragraphs anyway. Last night I picked David up from day care as Kate went to Melissa"s to work on my cake. I don"t know what the cake looks like yet, but it"s going to be awesome. The craftiness of those two is often unsurpassed.
For those concerned, David is feeling better each day. His antibiotics regimen is complete and he slept most of last night in his crib. I say most because he was asleep in our bed from 7:30 until 10:00.
Speaking of birthday time, Molly turned 1 on Friday. Roger and I were the representatives for our families. Kate was home with David and Shelly is on bedrest until she becomes a mom. We enjoyed a nice party at the Nelson household and witnessed first hand the emotional roller coaster that is a child at bedtime who just had all the frosting off her cake.
Post a comment about David getting better or wishing Molly a happy birthday.
For those concerned, David is feeling better each day. His antibiotics regimen is complete and he slept most of last night in his crib. I say most because he was asleep in our bed from 7:30 until 10:00.
Speaking of birthday time, Molly turned 1 on Friday. Roger and I were the representatives for our families. Kate was home with David and Shelly is on bedrest until she becomes a mom. We enjoyed a nice party at the Nelson household and witnessed first hand the emotional roller coaster that is a child at bedtime who just had all the frosting off her cake.
Post a comment about David getting better or wishing Molly a happy birthday.
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much has happened since dad"s day --
Richard had this to say at
10:23:27 AM on
7/6/2009.
If you are a loyal reader, then you know the last news item I posted was on Father"s Day. If you aren"t a loyal reader, scroll down and review the events of that weekend. Many events have happened since that weekend but only hit the highlights, for brevity"s sake.
David got his first prescription over the weekend. He has had a cold for quite some time which has since turned into bronchitis. He had a breathing treatment at the clinic and has some cherry flavored antibiotics. He stayed home from day care four days last week. Tuesday and Wednesday Kate stayed home and Thursday and Friday I stayed home. We are both very fortunate that we work at places which offer such flexibility. Along with not going to day care, he didn"t sleep in his crib, either. Because of the chest congestion, he wouldn"t last more than 30 minutes laying flat. Kate and I took turns sleeping with him in the lazyboy.
Today he is mostly better and definitely not contagious so it"s back to day care so both Kate and I can go to work. There"s more that happened, but I"m tired of typing on my itty bitty phone keybooard. Maybe I"ll post more highlights on Tuesday, if there is nothing else exciting to post about.
David got his first prescription over the weekend. He has had a cold for quite some time which has since turned into bronchitis. He had a breathing treatment at the clinic and has some cherry flavored antibiotics. He stayed home from day care four days last week. Tuesday and Wednesday Kate stayed home and Thursday and Friday I stayed home. We are both very fortunate that we work at places which offer such flexibility. Along with not going to day care, he didn"t sleep in his crib, either. Because of the chest congestion, he wouldn"t last more than 30 minutes laying flat. Kate and I took turns sleeping with him in the lazyboy.
Today he is mostly better and definitely not contagious so it"s back to day care so both Kate and I can go to work. There"s more that happened, but I"m tired of typing on my itty bitty phone keybooard. Maybe I"ll post more highlights on Tuesday, if there is nothing else exciting to post about.
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Dad"s day --
Richard had this to say at
1:26:00 AM on
6/22/2009.
Today was father"s day. I had to ask Kate what we did for mother"s day and she reminded me we were in Michian visiting our mothers. Today we were not visiting our dad"s though. She had intended on letting me be lazy all day, but that plan did not work out too well. We did skip church though, because David was awake more than he was asleep Saturday night.
I worked from home on Friday and Kate stayed home as well. We felt guilty dropping off David at day care when we were both going to be home, but passed the feeling off as hunger and went to Starbucks for breakfast. Kate spent the day cleaning and tidying and I spent the day working. After a full day"s effort on both our parts, we picked up the boy and ran some errands. Friday night we enjoyed Long John Silvers, which are few and far between in Washington. The newest one is in Everett and only about 15 minutes away in good traffic.
Saturday we went to the zoo with Roger, Shelly, Floyd, Wendy and Molly. It was Molly"s first trip to the zoo and many pictures were taken of everyone having fun and acting like animals. After the zoo we went to Roger"s house to provide motivation. Their nursery needed painting and I said I would help. After taping and removing outlet covers and providing my thoughts on techniques, we left. David was getting quite fussy and needed some good sleep. As you may have read earlier, he did not get it.
Sunday was hanging out with David doing guy things, like napping and drinking milk. After the guy things was softball. I managed to hit the ball over the short stop"s head more times than he caught it, which is what I had hoped to do. I also made a great running catch, which is a plus.
After softball was a trip to Lowe"s for many little things. I got two flex pipes for my garage sink and some wire to move the garage door opener. I also purchased some hooks so I can hang up my bike and have a little more room in the garage. Post a comment with how you spent your Dad"s day.
I worked from home on Friday and Kate stayed home as well. We felt guilty dropping off David at day care when we were both going to be home, but passed the feeling off as hunger and went to Starbucks for breakfast. Kate spent the day cleaning and tidying and I spent the day working. After a full day"s effort on both our parts, we picked up the boy and ran some errands. Friday night we enjoyed Long John Silvers, which are few and far between in Washington. The newest one is in Everett and only about 15 minutes away in good traffic.
Saturday we went to the zoo with Roger, Shelly, Floyd, Wendy and Molly. It was Molly"s first trip to the zoo and many pictures were taken of everyone having fun and acting like animals. After the zoo we went to Roger"s house to provide motivation. Their nursery needed painting and I said I would help. After taping and removing outlet covers and providing my thoughts on techniques, we left. David was getting quite fussy and needed some good sleep. As you may have read earlier, he did not get it.
Sunday was hanging out with David doing guy things, like napping and drinking milk. After the guy things was softball. I managed to hit the ball over the short stop"s head more times than he caught it, which is what I had hoped to do. I also made a great running catch, which is a plus.
After softball was a trip to Lowe"s for many little things. I got two flex pipes for my garage sink and some wire to move the garage door opener. I also purchased some hooks so I can hang up my bike and have a little more room in the garage. Post a comment with how you spent your Dad"s day.
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It"s Tuesday, almost --
Richard had this to say at
11:31:54 PM on
6/15/2009.
Over the weekend, Kate and I went to the Deming Logging Show, in Deming. We were on the road by 11 for the 1 o"clock start of the show and arrived just past 12:30. After unloading the gear and the family and making our way into the grandstand, they had finished the introductions and we were just in time for the national anthem. In the first event, the contestants had to chop down a fake tree so it landed on a cone they placed on the ground. Soon after the first event we realized we were sitting in the sun and David was getting quite warm. We found a shady spot by the food tent and had lunch and then headed home. As I review past news items I see that many times when we go places we leave early because one reason or another related to our son. I wonder if this is because we are catering too much to his wants and needs or if we are using him as an excuse to leave events we probably weren"t too exciting about attending in the first place.
The rest of the weekend was yard work. I mowed the back lawn and front lawn and weed whacked around the driveway. I installed a new heat tent and burner in the grill and made headway on installing my sink. For those who haven"t been following my sink saga, I am attempting to install a sink in my garage. I say attempting because I want to do this for zero dollars out of pocket. The previous owner of the house left behind many plumbing supplies which I have been using for my sink. I did have to spend $10 to get the purple stuff and two valves, but the sink and all the connecting pipes came with the house. I am missing one more piece, though, to connect the PCV to the sink itself. Perhaps another $5 investment is in order before the project can be complete.
Sunday was softball. The one area where I shine on our softball team is my speed. I play left field and rarely does a ball get by me in the air or on the ground. Similarly, I am rarely thrown out while running because I traverse the 65 feet between the bases quickly. Part of my success getting on base is hitting the ball slowly and on the ground. Generally the short stop has to come in six or seven steps to field one of my grounders, by which time I am on first base.
This past Sunday the distance of my hits increased, to the detriment of my batting average. Instead of taking several steps in, the infielders were able to field my hits off one hop or even in the air, causing me to get on base 2 of 5 chances. Perhaps next week I"ll be able to hit out of the infield or return to my slow rollers.
Today was work and not much else. I did go in a little later than usual because I was hanging out with Kate and David before he went to daycare. If you didn"t wish Clay a happy birthda in your last comment, don"t forget to do that. If you did wish Clay a happy birthday in your last comment, comment this time about the content of this news item.
The rest of the weekend was yard work. I mowed the back lawn and front lawn and weed whacked around the driveway. I installed a new heat tent and burner in the grill and made headway on installing my sink. For those who haven"t been following my sink saga, I am attempting to install a sink in my garage. I say attempting because I want to do this for zero dollars out of pocket. The previous owner of the house left behind many plumbing supplies which I have been using for my sink. I did have to spend $10 to get the purple stuff and two valves, but the sink and all the connecting pipes came with the house. I am missing one more piece, though, to connect the PCV to the sink itself. Perhaps another $5 investment is in order before the project can be complete.
Sunday was softball. The one area where I shine on our softball team is my speed. I play left field and rarely does a ball get by me in the air or on the ground. Similarly, I am rarely thrown out while running because I traverse the 65 feet between the bases quickly. Part of my success getting on base is hitting the ball slowly and on the ground. Generally the short stop has to come in six or seven steps to field one of my grounders, by which time I am on first base.
This past Sunday the distance of my hits increased, to the detriment of my batting average. Instead of taking several steps in, the infielders were able to field my hits off one hop or even in the air, causing me to get on base 2 of 5 chances. Perhaps next week I"ll be able to hit out of the infield or return to my slow rollers.
Today was work and not much else. I did go in a little later than usual because I was hanging out with Kate and David before he went to daycare. If you didn"t wish Clay a happy birthda in your last comment, don"t forget to do that. If you did wish Clay a happy birthday in your last comment, comment this time about the content of this news item.
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happy birthday --
Richard had this to say at
10:02:34 AM on
6/11/2009.
Today is Clay"s birthday. If my math skills are what they used to be, he"s 17. Post a comment wishing Clay a happy birthday.
As much as I would love to devote an entire news item to a birthday wish, as I have done in the as, overlooked tidbits from the previous news item are more pressing.
David"s checkup went well; he is 26 inches long and weighs 20 lbs, 2 oz. Legally he can still ride in his original car seat, but his girth makes extraction more of an ordeal than necessary. He is not quite over his cold, although now he"s only phlegmy in the mornings.
My review is Thursday afternoon, so by the time you read this, it may have occurred. My boss provided me several topics for discussion, including accomplishments, needs, and ways they can improve. Given the fluid nature of my tasks and the size of the company, enumerating my long term needs is quite difficult.
Post a comment about my review if you wish, but don"t forget Clay"s birthday.
As much as I would love to devote an entire news item to a birthday wish, as I have done in the as, overlooked tidbits from the previous news item are more pressing.
David"s checkup went well; he is 26 inches long and weighs 20 lbs, 2 oz. Legally he can still ride in his original car seat, but his girth makes extraction more of an ordeal than necessary. He is not quite over his cold, although now he"s only phlegmy in the mornings.
My review is Thursday afternoon, so by the time you read this, it may have occurred. My boss provided me several topics for discussion, including accomplishments, needs, and ways they can improve. Given the fluid nature of my tasks and the size of the company, enumerating my long term needs is quite difficult.
Post a comment about my review if you wish, but don"t forget Clay"s birthday.
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more happenings in my life --
Richard had this to say at
11:15:18 AM on
6/9/2009.
Last week not much was accomplished by me around the house because the Stanley Cup Finals are on. We didn"t go to Roger"s to watch any of the games, but he and I usually talk on the phone at least 3 times per game.
Friday was David"s 4 month checkup. The appointment was supposed to be this week, but he"s had a cough and some phlegm, so we moved the appointment up. Thankfully, he has been relative well-mannered through his cold, although Kate and I each spent a night with him in the lazyboy because laying flat was no good.
Sunday was church and softball. I stayed home from church with David because of his cold. At softball, I was 4 for 4 with 4 runs scored. Monday was a CRM meeting in Bellevue and that brings us to today. Don"t forget to comment with your Stanley cup predictions.
Friday was David"s 4 month checkup. The appointment was supposed to be this week, but he"s had a cough and some phlegm, so we moved the appointment up. Thankfully, he has been relative well-mannered through his cold, although Kate and I each spent a night with him in the lazyboy because laying flat was no good.
Sunday was church and softball. I stayed home from church with David because of his cold. At softball, I was 4 for 4 with 4 runs scored. Monday was a CRM meeting in Bellevue and that brings us to today. Don"t forget to comment with your Stanley cup predictions.
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banged up --
Richard had this to say at
12:55:56 AM on
6/2/2009.
After a week of more rock shoveling and general lawn care, body is wondering if a career change is next. While I am capable of grunt work, I certainly wasn"t cut out for it. Friday night I went out for drink with some friends. One of the people who used to commute on the ferry got a new job and we were celebrating her not having to commute on the ferry any more.
Saturday was playing ball hockey where I scored two goals and then hanging out with David at Roger"s watching the Red Wings beat the Penguins. Sunday was church and then yard maintenance. We have a small flower bed in the front yard that we built last August. Kate bough some new garden soil and I re-screened the dirt to make the flower bed nice and lush.
Sunday afternoon was church softball, where I sustained my first softball injury. After several spectacular catches and hitting the ball out of the infield multiple times, I misread a pop up. I was sprinting in because the hit was shallow and I wasn"t able to get my glove in the right spot and the ball hit my chest. Thankfully, the next batter ended the inning, but by the time I had walked back to the dugout, a nasty bruise had developed.
My annual review should be this week, now that all the decision makers are back in the office. I"ll let everyone know how it goes after it goes.
Saturday was playing ball hockey where I scored two goals and then hanging out with David at Roger"s watching the Red Wings beat the Penguins. Sunday was church and then yard maintenance. We have a small flower bed in the front yard that we built last August. Kate bough some new garden soil and I re-screened the dirt to make the flower bed nice and lush.
Sunday afternoon was church softball, where I sustained my first softball injury. After several spectacular catches and hitting the ball out of the infield multiple times, I misread a pop up. I was sprinting in because the hit was shallow and I wasn"t able to get my glove in the right spot and the ball hit my chest. Thankfully, the next batter ended the inning, but by the time I had walked back to the dugout, a nasty bruise had developed.
My annual review should be this week, now that all the decision makers are back in the office. I"ll let everyone know how it goes after it goes.
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long weekend --
Richard had this to say at
11:42:16 PM on
5/24/2009.
Many things have happened since my last post; unfortunately, I forgot most of them so I will just post what I"ve done over the weekend. Monday was David"s first day at day care and Kate"s first day back at work. Both have done some adjusting over the past week to the new schedule. Maybe this week I will be able to take David to day care and see how things are there.
The rest of the week was just like Monday: Kate and I went to work and hung out with our son after work. Friday afternoon I rode the bike home from downtown. It"s about an 18 mile ride and I did it in 95 minutes. This is about 15 minutes slower than the last time; I blame the monstrous head wind. Floyd rode part of the way with me. He would have ridden the whole way with me, but he works farther north than I and it didn"t make any sense for him to ride south just to ride north.
Saturday I was at Lowe"s before 7 to purchase plumbing supplies to fix our guest bathroom sink. The sink has been draining very poorly for quite some time now and I just got tired of nobody being able to use that sink. My plan was to pull out the galvanized pipe and replace it with PVC and to re-route the drain from the sink to where the washer drains. After removing the galvanized pipe I discovered the problem was not in the drain pipe as I initially thought but in the galvanized pipe I had just removed. My plan then changed to just replacing the galvanized with PVC. I ran into my first problem when the galvanized pipe was 1.25 inches and the PVC I bought was 1.5 inches, so the PVC pipe would not fit into the hole in the floor. After I got the pipes all run, a quick test revealed the sink drains perfectly.
Also on Satuday I helped Roger take some cardboard to the recycle center and donated two truck loads of rock to Floyd. All in all, it was a busy day and I am glad it"s over.
Sunday was church where I played guitar and then watching the Red Wings on TV. David wasn"t as exited that the wings were winning; he was alseep on Kate. After that was lawn mowing. I tackled the back yard for the first time this year. Some of the grass was waist high on me and my mower had problems attacking the yard. I had to use the weed whacker to get the grass to a level the mower could handle.
After the lawn care was more rock shoveling. My neighbor across the back fence mentioned his fence was leaning. This isn"t the same neighbor who had the soil erosion problem from last year; this is his next door neighbor. The previous owners of our house put a 2 foot wide strip of rocks along the back fence line and as the rocks have settled they have formed a wedge pressing against the back fence. After all that rock shoveling the only analysis I have is this: rocks are heavy.
Tomorrow is Memorial Day. Kate is headed to the office so she can get some work done with nobody else in the office and I am hanging out with David until barbeque time at Roger and Shelly"s. Post a comment with your Memorial Day plans or rock shoveling analyses. Feel free to stop by my house to shovel rock if you feel you cannot speak intelligently about rock shoveling.
The rest of the week was just like Monday: Kate and I went to work and hung out with our son after work. Friday afternoon I rode the bike home from downtown. It"s about an 18 mile ride and I did it in 95 minutes. This is about 15 minutes slower than the last time; I blame the monstrous head wind. Floyd rode part of the way with me. He would have ridden the whole way with me, but he works farther north than I and it didn"t make any sense for him to ride south just to ride north.
Saturday I was at Lowe"s before 7 to purchase plumbing supplies to fix our guest bathroom sink. The sink has been draining very poorly for quite some time now and I just got tired of nobody being able to use that sink. My plan was to pull out the galvanized pipe and replace it with PVC and to re-route the drain from the sink to where the washer drains. After removing the galvanized pipe I discovered the problem was not in the drain pipe as I initially thought but in the galvanized pipe I had just removed. My plan then changed to just replacing the galvanized with PVC. I ran into my first problem when the galvanized pipe was 1.25 inches and the PVC I bought was 1.5 inches, so the PVC pipe would not fit into the hole in the floor. After I got the pipes all run, a quick test revealed the sink drains perfectly.
Also on Satuday I helped Roger take some cardboard to the recycle center and donated two truck loads of rock to Floyd. All in all, it was a busy day and I am glad it"s over.
Sunday was church where I played guitar and then watching the Red Wings on TV. David wasn"t as exited that the wings were winning; he was alseep on Kate. After that was lawn mowing. I tackled the back yard for the first time this year. Some of the grass was waist high on me and my mower had problems attacking the yard. I had to use the weed whacker to get the grass to a level the mower could handle.
After the lawn care was more rock shoveling. My neighbor across the back fence mentioned his fence was leaning. This isn"t the same neighbor who had the soil erosion problem from last year; this is his next door neighbor. The previous owners of our house put a 2 foot wide strip of rocks along the back fence line and as the rocks have settled they have formed a wedge pressing against the back fence. After all that rock shoveling the only analysis I have is this: rocks are heavy.
Tomorrow is Memorial Day. Kate is headed to the office so she can get some work done with nobody else in the office and I am hanging out with David until barbeque time at Roger and Shelly"s. Post a comment with your Memorial Day plans or rock shoveling analyses. Feel free to stop by my house to shovel rock if you feel you cannot speak intelligently about rock shoveling.
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the zoo and daycare --
Richard had this to say at
9:48:49 AM on
5/18/2009.
Saturday we went to the Woodland Park zoo. For mother"s day I bought Kate a zoo membership so we can go whenever we want. The line to get in the zoo was long and parking was difficult to find, so I was immediately ready for more to go wrong. We found out that members don"t have to wait in line and proceeded to bypass the whole line and start our zoo adventure. The zoo itself was a good time, although we cut the visit short because David soaked two bibs and most of my clothes in protest of the outdoor bottle feeding. Perhaps next weekend we will return to the zoo to complete the circuit.
Monday is David"s first day at day care. Kate and I have been dreading the day. We both wish she could stay at home with the boy, but that is not meant to be just yet. David"s doc said he will be extra clingy after spending all day with strangers, so I look forward to him not being resistant to being held in the evenings.
Post a comment with encouraging words for Kate or your favorite animals at your local zoo.
Monday is David"s first day at day care. Kate and I have been dreading the day. We both wish she could stay at home with the boy, but that is not meant to be just yet. David"s doc said he will be extra clingy after spending all day with strangers, so I look forward to him not being resistant to being held in the evenings.
Post a comment with encouraging words for Kate or your favorite animals at your local zoo.
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going home --
Richard had this to say at
11:29:42 PM on
5/11/2009.
Tonight is our last night in Michigan, and I figured I would post a news item while Kate packs our stuff. To recap our adventures:
Friday a photographer came to Kate"s folks"s house and took several family shots of us, David, Kate"s folks, Kate"s grandparents, and Kate"s sisters. Friday evening Kate and her family went to Anna"s pinning ceremony, and I took David to Milford to see Ron and Sarah and the kids. Everyone enjoyed hanging out with David and some of us enjoyed the lentil soup. Sarah went for a walk with David and Ron and I talked nerd.
Saturday was a party for Anna"s graduation. I mowed some of the lawn with Dave"s grasshopper and drove around southeastern Michigan purchasing gifts. David was a trooper through most of the day, but the pass and review wore on him about 9 pm.
Mother"s day included a wonderful breakfast by Marcie, then a drive to Mt. Pleasant for a wonderful dinner by my mom. Everyone in Mt. Pleasant enjoyed seeing David, and us, I think. I repaired some items around mom"s house, although the leaky sink will have to wait until Christmas, when I can perform a full repair. The pipes under her sink are corroded to the point that bits of copper are appearing in the aerator. I am so glad I used PVC for the sink installation in my garage.
Monday was driving to campus to show David off to more people, then dinner at Jon and Becky"s in Lansing. Jon beat me at ping pong, again. We didn"t play as many games as my last visit, but it was clear from the get-go I was not meant to be the victor.
Kate"s about done packing, so I will close this off by saying: post a comment about techniques I can use to beat Jon in ping pong the next time we play.
Friday a photographer came to Kate"s folks"s house and took several family shots of us, David, Kate"s folks, Kate"s grandparents, and Kate"s sisters. Friday evening Kate and her family went to Anna"s pinning ceremony, and I took David to Milford to see Ron and Sarah and the kids. Everyone enjoyed hanging out with David and some of us enjoyed the lentil soup. Sarah went for a walk with David and Ron and I talked nerd.
Saturday was a party for Anna"s graduation. I mowed some of the lawn with Dave"s grasshopper and drove around southeastern Michigan purchasing gifts. David was a trooper through most of the day, but the pass and review wore on him about 9 pm.
Mother"s day included a wonderful breakfast by Marcie, then a drive to Mt. Pleasant for a wonderful dinner by my mom. Everyone in Mt. Pleasant enjoyed seeing David, and us, I think. I repaired some items around mom"s house, although the leaky sink will have to wait until Christmas, when I can perform a full repair. The pipes under her sink are corroded to the point that bits of copper are appearing in the aerator. I am so glad I used PVC for the sink installation in my garage.
Monday was driving to campus to show David off to more people, then dinner at Jon and Becky"s in Lansing. Jon beat me at ping pong, again. We didn"t play as many games as my last visit, but it was clear from the get-go I was not meant to be the victor.
Kate"s about done packing, so I will close this off by saying: post a comment about techniques I can use to beat Jon in ping pong the next time we play.
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fun in Michigan --
Richard had this to say at
12:25:49 AM on
5/8/2009.
I arrived in Michigan early Thursday morning, having slept 5 minutes of a 3 hour and 25 minute flight. After sleeping for a couple hours Kate, David and I travelled to Clarkston to see Grandma Riddle. We had intended to see more of the Riddle family, but we found out on the drive there that Clark left Thursday morning to go back to Florida, Nan was still working and Kirk was in Florida on a golf outing. I wish we had some free time to get back out there so at least Nan could see David.
After getting back to Kate"s folks" house from Clarkston, Kate and the other women in her family took David to a banquet at church. I went to Milford to pick up Ron and hang out with him for the evening. Generally speaking, I don"t like to be away from work for more than a day. Not because I think my job is that important or anything like that; I just really enjoy what I do. This time I have been enjoying the time away from work, although I have responded to several work emails, but only because I can do it from my phone.
Here"s a picture of David with great Grandma Riddle. He"s a little blurry, but that"s okay.
After getting back to Kate"s folks" house from Clarkston, Kate and the other women in her family took David to a banquet at church. I went to Milford to pick up Ron and hang out with him for the evening. Generally speaking, I don"t like to be away from work for more than a day. Not because I think my job is that important or anything like that; I just really enjoy what I do. This time I have been enjoying the time away from work, although I have responded to several work emails, but only because I can do it from my phone.
Here"s a picture of David with great Grandma Riddle. He"s a little blurry, but that"s okay.
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no news about David --
Richard had this to say at
9:22:21 AM on
5/4/2009.
If you"re looking for some funny anecdote about my son, you"ll be disappointed and you should stop reading now. Kate and David have been in Michigan since Wednesday. I will be travelling to Michigan this Wednesday to join them for a quick tour of the state.
Since they"ve been gone I"ve been sick. I felt ill when they left, but I attributed that to just missing them and not actual illness. I"m glad I was sick when he wasn"t around so I didn"t have a chance to get him ill. I have done some things around the house though. I put in connections for a sink in the garage and I mowed the lawn. I also tidied the garage, sort of.
We played softball on Sunday and I managed to not get on base once. It"s funny that whenver I come to bat the fielders all back up, even though I have never hit the ball out of the infield. Maybe big Dave can give me some pointers while I am in Michigan.
That"s it; time to go to work. Post a comment about the above topics.
Since they"ve been gone I"ve been sick. I felt ill when they left, but I attributed that to just missing them and not actual illness. I"m glad I was sick when he wasn"t around so I didn"t have a chance to get him ill. I have done some things around the house though. I put in connections for a sink in the garage and I mowed the lawn. I also tidied the garage, sort of.
We played softball on Sunday and I managed to not get on base once. It"s funny that whenver I come to bat the fielders all back up, even though I have never hit the ball out of the infield. Maybe big Dave can give me some pointers while I am in Michigan.
That"s it; time to go to work. Post a comment about the above topics.
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CRM user group meeting --
Richard had this to say at
10:04:53 AM on
4/22/2009.
For those who don"t know what Customer Relationship Management is, think of it as a way to manage the relationships you have with your customers. The company I work for sells the Microsoft CRM package, and my main job duties are to implement and customize these CRM installations.
Tuesday I attended a meeting of the CRM user group, a collection of companies who use CRM and are looking for networking opportunities and a chance to learn more about the product. One of the panelists for the afternoon q and a session about upgrading didn"t show, so they asked me to step in. It was very exciting to get some external validation of my knowledge and skills.
Also, Wednesday is Brianna"s birthday; she is now 7.
Tuesday I attended a meeting of the CRM user group, a collection of companies who use CRM and are looking for networking opportunities and a chance to learn more about the product. One of the panelists for the afternoon q and a session about upgrading didn"t show, so they asked me to step in. It was very exciting to get some external validation of my knowledge and skills.
Also, Wednesday is Brianna"s birthday; she is now 7.
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More about David --
Richard had this to say at
12:12:01 AM on
4/21/2009.
I hate to break up the comment fest, but I"d rather post a news item than discuss the last one. His doctor appointment is so last week. David slept through the night two nights in the past 7, sort of. Last Monday night, before his doctor"s appointment, he slept from midnight to 5 a.m. Kate and I still got up for about 30 minutes though, out of respect for the tradition. Friday night we all went to the Tigers game and David cried most of the ride home because we were going so slow. That night he turned off the monitor, which had been in his crib. He has been a wiggler since we brought him home and he likes to wiggle his way to the foot of his crib. He managed to kick the monitor enough that it turned off. Last night he awoke around 3, but Kate was able to convince him he was still tired using a secret technique she still won"t tell me.
We have some good pictures of the last couple days; once I stop being lazy and upload them you can all see them. Or you can go to our flickr page, which is something else Kate keeps from me. Or maybe she told me and I just forgot. Either way, you don"t get to see them yet. Maybe Kate will post a comment with the universal resource locator.
Now, some news about me. I have been busy at work. Not that I think we can ride the coment wave through two news items, but post one anyway. Maybe if I say thanks to Kasey and Grocki for commenting again after so long, and of course thanks to Angie, mom, and dad for providing the meat of the commenting, then more poeple will be likely to comment.
View our Flickr photostream
We have some good pictures of the last couple days; once I stop being lazy and upload them you can all see them. Or you can go to our flickr page, which is something else Kate keeps from me. Or maybe she told me and I just forgot. Either way, you don"t get to see them yet. Maybe Kate will post a comment with the universal resource locator.
Now, some news about me. I have been busy at work. Not that I think we can ride the coment wave through two news items, but post one anyway. Maybe if I say thanks to Kasey and Grocki for commenting again after so long, and of course thanks to Angie, mom, and dad for providing the meat of the commenting, then more poeple will be likely to comment.
View our Flickr photostream
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David"s two month checkup --
Richard had this to say at
9:42:05 AM on
4/15/2009.
Kate and I took the boy to see his pediatrician on Tuesday. Actually, Kate took him there and I met them. I took the 41 from downtown to Northgate and then the 346. The online trip planner said I should take the 5 instead of the 346, but since I would have had to wait 10 more minutes for the 5, I decided the 346 was a better bus.
David is 16lbs 12oz and 24 inches long. He received three shots during his appointment and enjoyed 0 of them. The doc said David is developing well and the next couple months should be quite fun as he becomes more self aware. Post a comment if you think I missed anything.
David is 16lbs 12oz and 24 inches long. He received three shots during his appointment and enjoyed 0 of them. The doc said David is developing well and the next couple months should be quite fun as he becomes more self aware. Post a comment if you think I missed anything.
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Easter fun --
Richard had this to say at
12:26:53 AM on
4/14/2009.
Sunday was Easter. Kate, David and I went to church and then to Roger and Shelly"s for Easter dinner with them and the Nelsons. Last week was a good week, even though my post frequency was low. I joined a gym. We got a mailer promoting a six-week membership for $10, so I have until May 19 to get myself in shape. I had been lifting weights at home, but once the parade of visitors through my workout area began, I put my physical fitness on the back burner. My new found motivation has been good so far though, I biked three days last week and today and I"ve lifted weights four times so far.
The weekend was nothing but hanging out with the fam and skyping with folks in Michigan. I took care of David Saturday morning so Kate could sleep in a little bit. We also did our taxes over the weekend. We re-did them four times and each time the refund got smaller and smaller. Post a comment with suggestions on where to put the refund.
As I noted earlier, Sunday was Easter. Our friend Jeanne gave David a sweet argyle sweater vest and khaki set, which he proudly wore to church. The tag on the outfit says 9 months, and the shirt fits him quite nicely. The pant legs, however, had to be rolled up several times. I borrowed Roger"s scale while at their house for an impromptu expirement. I weighed myself with Molly and then I weighed myself with David and the difference was about a pound. She"s 9 months old and he just turned 2 months.
Tuesday we go see the pediatrician for his 2 month checkup, so we"ll be able to see exactly how much of a tank he really is. Here"s a picture of David from Easter, the rest are in the gallery.
The weekend was nothing but hanging out with the fam and skyping with folks in Michigan. I took care of David Saturday morning so Kate could sleep in a little bit. We also did our taxes over the weekend. We re-did them four times and each time the refund got smaller and smaller. Post a comment with suggestions on where to put the refund.
As I noted earlier, Sunday was Easter. Our friend Jeanne gave David a sweet argyle sweater vest and khaki set, which he proudly wore to church. The tag on the outfit says 9 months, and the shirt fits him quite nicely. The pant legs, however, had to be rolled up several times. I borrowed Roger"s scale while at their house for an impromptu expirement. I weighed myself with Molly and then I weighed myself with David and the difference was about a pound. She"s 9 months old and he just turned 2 months.
Tuesday we go see the pediatrician for his 2 month checkup, so we"ll be able to see exactly how much of a tank he really is. Here"s a picture of David from Easter, the rest are in the gallery.
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nice weather --
Richard had this to say at
9:48:14 AM on
4/7/2009.
I heard from several reliable soources that there was snow in Michigan yesterday. I figured I would hop on the weather bandwagon and let the world know what the weather was like in the Seattle area. Monday was 65 and sunny. Today will be 65 and sunny. I think we are supposed to see rain before the weekend, but I"ll take it; all this sun is making me less pale.
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a little behind schedule --
Richard had this to say at
10:22:06 AM on
3/30/2009.
Normally I get on a bus at 6:43; today I got on a bus at 7:06. It"s not that the bus was late; it"s that David was awake and I wanted to hang out with him. We hung out some during the night, as well.
Some time after midnight, I was awake with him in my arms, without really knowing how the situation came to pass. I figured he needed calming, so I bounced him until Kate came back in the room. He was also a little irritable this morning, so I delayed my departure to assist with the changing and the burping, since I don"t have the equipment for the feeding.
Over the weekend we bought a web cam and installed Skype. After I had a quick video call with Ron, Kate and David chatted with her family. If you have a web cam and want to see the boy, or any of us, post a comment about it and we will schedule something.
Some time after midnight, I was awake with him in my arms, without really knowing how the situation came to pass. I figured he needed calming, so I bounced him until Kate came back in the room. He was also a little irritable this morning, so I delayed my departure to assist with the changing and the burping, since I don"t have the equipment for the feeding.
Over the weekend we bought a web cam and installed Skype. After I had a quick video call with Ron, Kate and David chatted with her family. If you have a web cam and want to see the boy, or any of us, post a comment about it and we will schedule something.
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Happy Birthdays --
Richard had this to say at
9:23:30 AM on
3/23/2009.
Today is Kate"s Birthday, as well as mom"s birthday. Looking back through previous years, I noticed I haven"t posted a news item for them on their birthday since 2006. 2007 I skipped it altogether and 2008 I was about 30 minutes late. Review the news archive if you don"t believe me.
Since we did several things out this weekend, tonight will probably be dinner in followed by a trip to Cold Stone, where Kate gets free ice cream. David has done his best so far to make sure his mommy spends as much of her birthday awake as possible.
Sunday Floyd and I participated in the Big Climb. We climbed the stairs in the Columbia Tower, the tallest building in Seattle. I climbed 69 flights of stairs in 13 minutes and 26 seconds, with Floyd coming in 3 seconds faster. I knew I shouldn"t have stopped to admire the "view" as much.
Post a comment wishing Kate and mom a happy birthday, and maybe post a comment on the previous news item. I hate to see 0 comments.
Since we did several things out this weekend, tonight will probably be dinner in followed by a trip to Cold Stone, where Kate gets free ice cream. David has done his best so far to make sure his mommy spends as much of her birthday awake as possible.
Sunday Floyd and I participated in the Big Climb. We climbed the stairs in the Columbia Tower, the tallest building in Seattle. I climbed 69 flights of stairs in 13 minutes and 26 seconds, with Floyd coming in 3 seconds faster. I knew I shouldn"t have stopped to admire the "view" as much.
Post a comment wishing Kate and mom a happy birthday, and maybe post a comment on the previous news item. I hate to see 0 comments.
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more pictures and first ferry ride --
Richard had this to say at
3:34:59 PM on
3/21/2009.
Friday I took the day off from work and we took David to our office in Poulsbo for more pass and review. Since I didn"t have to get sleep to be productive at the office, I handled the first feeding of the day, about 1:30 Friday morning. I uploaded some more pictures today and the first of them is David and me during that feeding. Later on Friday we rode the ferry from Edmonds to Kingston and drove to Poulsbo. There are several pictures of me trying to strap myself into the Baby Bjorn and then several pictures of David in said Baby Bjorn. I had kind of hoped he would be awake for his first ferry ride. After a brief visit in Poulsbo, and a picture with our service coordinator Erin, we travelled to Bainbridge for lunch with Tricia. I used to commute with Tricia, and Friday was the first time she had seen David. We didn"t get any pictures with Tricia and David, though, perhaps next time.
Also on Friday Kate went out with some work friends for an early birthday celebration. David and I had boy bonding time as we went to Starbucks and watched "The Right Stuff." Since the effects of Kate"s celebration lasted long after she got home, I fed the boy several times Friday night as well.
Today we have been hanging out. David got another bath and Kate and I are tidying the house. Well, actually Kate is tidying the house and I am posting a news item. Maybe by the time I am done with the news item she will be done with the tidying.
Also on Friday Kate went out with some work friends for an early birthday celebration. David and I had boy bonding time as we went to Starbucks and watched "The Right Stuff." Since the effects of Kate"s celebration lasted long after she got home, I fed the boy several times Friday night as well.
Today we have been hanging out. David got another bath and Kate and I are tidying the house. Well, actually Kate is tidying the house and I am posting a news item. Maybe by the time I am done with the news item she will be done with the tidying.
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new pictures --
Richard had this to say at
9:02:44 AM on
3/18/2009.
I added some new pictures of David to the baby gallery. There are a couple of mom holding him and a couple of Kate holding him. Things are going well, although we are getting more tired. I think we are still trying to have normal lives during the waking hours and that is becoming more difficult.
Friday I went snowboarding again. It was a really good time but there was no new snow. Maybe I"ll go again next week. Saturday and Sunday were full of house projects. I am thinking of putting a sink in my garage next to my work bench. I already have a spare sink and the pvc, so the cost of the project is minimal. Sunday it snowed a lot. The flakes were huge and we had about an inch accumulation when I woke up Sunday morning. By 1:00 pm it was all gone.
Monday was a long day at work; several clients needed help at once. I stayed at my desk until 6:00 pm helping one of our network engineers fix a problem remotely. Tuesday was St. Patrick"s Day, and since we have two Irish pubs in our building, the lobby area was crazy. I can"t imagine what that looked like as the night wore on. They brought in four honey buckets to handle the extra people.
Post a comment about the new pictures. I am still trying to find a good way to show them on the main page without making everyone wait for the pictures to load up, since I know it"s the news you really come to read.
Friday I went snowboarding again. It was a really good time but there was no new snow. Maybe I"ll go again next week. Saturday and Sunday were full of house projects. I am thinking of putting a sink in my garage next to my work bench. I already have a spare sink and the pvc, so the cost of the project is minimal. Sunday it snowed a lot. The flakes were huge and we had about an inch accumulation when I woke up Sunday morning. By 1:00 pm it was all gone.
Monday was a long day at work; several clients needed help at once. I stayed at my desk until 6:00 pm helping one of our network engineers fix a problem remotely. Tuesday was St. Patrick"s Day, and since we have two Irish pubs in our building, the lobby area was crazy. I can"t imagine what that looked like as the night wore on. They brought in four honey buckets to handle the extra people.
Post a comment about the new pictures. I am still trying to find a good way to show them on the main page without making everyone wait for the pictures to load up, since I know it"s the news you really come to read.
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more bad weather --
Richard had this to say at
12:36:14 AM on
3/10/2009.
Over the weekend we got some snow, which is to say snow flakes fell from the sky and accumulated on lawns and cars, but not roads. Today there was more snow, although it came in small, concentrated doses. I left work early to avoid the rush out of the city.
Friday night mom arrived for her visit with David. She will leave Wednesday morning. She brought with her two to-go containers of National Coney Island chili. The one food item they can"t seem to get right in Seattle is the coney dog. It wasn"t exactly the same since National"s hot dogs are stellar as well, but just having the chili on a Ballpark frank was enough.
The rest of the weekend was full of lounging about and caring for the boy. Monday evening we had dinner at Roger and Shelly"s and watched some Jeopardy!. There is no more snow in the forecast, but I doubt I will be back on the bike this week. I don"t like to ride if there is a threat of ice.
Post a comment if you want to see more pictures. The subject of your comment can be whatever, but I will assume if you post a comment that I should upload more pictures.
Friday night mom arrived for her visit with David. She will leave Wednesday morning. She brought with her two to-go containers of National Coney Island chili. The one food item they can"t seem to get right in Seattle is the coney dog. It wasn"t exactly the same since National"s hot dogs are stellar as well, but just having the chili on a Ballpark frank was enough.
The rest of the weekend was full of lounging about and caring for the boy. Monday evening we had dinner at Roger and Shelly"s and watched some Jeopardy!. There is no more snow in the forecast, but I doubt I will be back on the bike this week. I don"t like to ride if there is a threat of ice.
Post a comment if you want to see more pictures. The subject of your comment can be whatever, but I will assume if you post a comment that I should upload more pictures.
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one last orthodontic appointment --
Richard had this to say at
12:12:51 AM on
3/4/2009.
Wednesday is my last appointment with the orthodontist, at least for a while anyway. He will tell me I can start wearing the retainers at night instead of all the time. The weather will be dry Wednesday so I will two-wheel it to the bus stop.
The new grandparents have left the building. Dave and Marcie took off to go back to Michigan, hoping spring had sprung. They arrived to 24 degree weather and were none too happy about it. At first I was reluctant to have two extra people in the house, but after seeing all the help and guidance they provided, it really just made sense for them to be here.
On the first night with the house to ourselves, I did some laundry, watched Jeopardy! and cleaned the kitchen. Kate took a short nap while David was sleeping. Mom arrives Friday night for a short stay, so it"s not like we really have the house to ourselves to for too much longer.
Sorry to everyone who said I should have kept the sideburns; I didn"t realize the debate would be this heated.
The new grandparents have left the building. Dave and Marcie took off to go back to Michigan, hoping spring had sprung. They arrived to 24 degree weather and were none too happy about it. At first I was reluctant to have two extra people in the house, but after seeing all the help and guidance they provided, it really just made sense for them to be here.
On the first night with the house to ourselves, I did some laundry, watched Jeopardy! and cleaned the kitchen. Kate took a short nap while David was sleeping. Mom arrives Friday night for a short stay, so it"s not like we really have the house to ourselves to for too much longer.
Sorry to everyone who said I should have kept the sideburns; I didn"t realize the debate would be this heated.
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weekend fun --
Richard had this to say at
12:48:08 AM on
3/2/2009.
So it"s been a short while since I last posted. I apologize to the loyal readers who have had to phone or email me for their David Richard updates. The little guy is growing steadily and is already out of newbown diapers. Or maybe we just don"t have any left so we bumped him to the next size. He had another bath Sunday night, this one in his new bath tub. Since his umbilical stump came off, we can immerse him, so we did. I don"t have any pictures from this latest bath, we were too concerned with keeping him warm and how to direct his pee away from us.
Also this weekend I worked on my truck. My battery finally died last week; it"s been on its way out for 2 or 3 months now. I decided to do some investigation when I had problems starting the truck the day after I installed the new battery. I discovered all three belts in my truck needed to be replaced and the windshield washer fluid pump was corroded from leaking battery acid. After replacing several little parts over the course of Saturday, the truck is running like a champ again.
Friday I had a meeting in North Bend and then Floyd and I went snowboarding. Kate and I had date night Friday night; we had a wonderful dinner at Claim Jumper thanks to some of Dave and Marcie"s friends in Michigan. Sorry for the delay since my last post. Every day I try to think of things to post about, but unless you want me to post about the color and consistency of David"s messy diapers, be happy with one post a week about the other things I do.
Congratulations to Jon and Becky on the birth of their second daughter, Audrey Anne. Jon and Becky and I went to college together. We were so close, Jon and I have our own secret handshake. Audrey was born Friday, February 27th at 4:25 a.m. She was 7 lbs 3 ounces and 19.75 inches long.
Also this weekend I worked on my truck. My battery finally died last week; it"s been on its way out for 2 or 3 months now. I decided to do some investigation when I had problems starting the truck the day after I installed the new battery. I discovered all three belts in my truck needed to be replaced and the windshield washer fluid pump was corroded from leaking battery acid. After replacing several little parts over the course of Saturday, the truck is running like a champ again.
Friday I had a meeting in North Bend and then Floyd and I went snowboarding. Kate and I had date night Friday night; we had a wonderful dinner at Claim Jumper thanks to some of Dave and Marcie"s friends in Michigan. Sorry for the delay since my last post. Every day I try to think of things to post about, but unless you want me to post about the color and consistency of David"s messy diapers, be happy with one post a week about the other things I do.
Congratulations to Jon and Becky on the birth of their second daughter, Audrey Anne. Jon and Becky and I went to college together. We were so close, Jon and I have our own secret handshake. Audrey was born Friday, February 27th at 4:25 a.m. She was 7 lbs 3 ounces and 19.75 inches long.
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another bath and the sideburns --
Richard had this to say at
1:02:47 AM on
2/19/2009.
We gave David his second bath this evening. I added some pictures of the bath to the gallery. For those who have not been following along, only slightly less newsworthy than the arrival of David Richard was my haircut and cleaning of my sideburns. Several of the pictures, even though they appear to be of David getting a bath, also show my newly trimmed sideburns. Hopefully Marcus, Angie, Dad and Aunt Nancy will approve.
Another day back at the office was tiring. I keep telling myself I can get up with Kate and still be productive at work. Perhaps if I had a job where I was not behind a desk all day I could stay awake. Not that I"m napping, but certainly I have not been as sharp mentally as I usually am. I guess it"s one way to increase billable hours.
Another day back at the office was tiring. I keep telling myself I can get up with Kate and still be productive at work. Perhaps if I had a job where I was not behind a desk all day I could stay awake. Not that I"m napping, but certainly I have not been as sharp mentally as I usually am. I guess it"s one way to increase billable hours.
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back to work --
Richard had this to say at
9:50:35 AM on
2/17/2009.
Today is back to work day for me. Usually, after taking time off I am excited to be back in the office. Today this is not the case. It"s been very rewarding to be with my son and wife as a family.
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Valentine"s Day, and more pictures --
Richard had this to say at
12:44:11 AM on
2/15/2009.
Today was Valentine"s Day. During my running around yesterday I bought Kate a card and gave it to her early this morning. Maybe it was too early, but we were both awake and I figured it was appropriate.
My day was full of projects around the house. Dave and I took off a bedroom door for painting and tested two grouts for filling in a gap by the threshold to the front door. Little David went for his second car ride, errands with Kate and Marcie. David also got his first bath. We tried to get some pictures of the bath time, but I guess I was too focused on bathing him, because they all came out blurry. I uploaded the ones I could; I hope you all enjoy them.
Also, happy birthday to Melissa; the food you cook is awesome.
My day was full of projects around the house. Dave and I took off a bedroom door for painting and tested two grouts for filling in a gap by the threshold to the front door. Little David went for his second car ride, errands with Kate and Marcie. David also got his first bath. We tried to get some pictures of the bath time, but I guess I was too focused on bathing him, because they all came out blurry. I uploaded the ones I could; I hope you all enjoy them.
Also, happy birthday to Melissa; the food you cook is awesome.
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first set of pictures --
Richard had this to say at
2:24:49 PM on
2/13/2009.
So last night was our first night with David home. I won"t say it was a short night, unless by short I mean the amount of sleep we got was short. After he was circumsized and had the PKU test, we were released from the hospital. We made it home about 7:30, and then many people descended upon the house for pass and review.
Everything was fine when we went to bed about 10:30, then about 10:31 he was unhappy. After multiple feedings and comfortings and diaper changes, we finally got him back to sleep about 3:30. Or maybe Kate did all that by herself and I slept; I really don"t remember.
Since he"s sleeping again right now and Kate"s parents are fixing us lunch, I figured I would update the rest of the world with some images: click here.
Everything was fine when we went to bed about 10:30, then about 10:31 he was unhappy. After multiple feedings and comfortings and diaper changes, we finally got him back to sleep about 3:30. Or maybe Kate did all that by herself and I slept; I really don"t remember.
Since he"s sleeping again right now and Kate"s parents are fixing us lunch, I figured I would update the rest of the world with some images: click here.
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Welcome David Richard --
Richard had this to say at
11:54:29 PM on
2/11/2009.
We finally have our baby. David Richard was born at 6:28 Wednesday evening. He weighed 9 lbs 15 oz and was 21 and a half inches long. Mom and baby are doing fine and resting. We will continue to chill at the hospital until Thursday evening, at which point we will transport him to his new home. You don"t have to post a comment if you can"t think of a topic.
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Almost baby time --
Richard had this to say at
9:20:54 AM on
2/10/2009.
Kate and I had our regular visit with our doctor Monday morning, then I went to work. The doctor said everything is fine with the baby and Kate. Now we are just counting the days until the little one arrives.
It snowed here Monday evening. Everyone thought winter had ended, but appparently not. I am on my way to the dentist this morning and I was hoping to ride the bike, but not in this weather.
Saturday we had a boys night to celebrate the impending arrival of our baby. Roger, Floyd, Tim and myself caroused as much as four thirtysomething guys can carouse. We enjoyed some dinner, darts, pool and bowling, as well as a late night run to Dick"s drive in for some burgers and shakes.
Post a comment about your recent boys night, or about a time you rode the bus to the dentist.
It snowed here Monday evening. Everyone thought winter had ended, but appparently not. I am on my way to the dentist this morning and I was hoping to ride the bike, but not in this weather.
Saturday we had a boys night to celebrate the impending arrival of our baby. Roger, Floyd, Tim and myself caroused as much as four thirtysomething guys can carouse. We enjoyed some dinner, darts, pool and bowling, as well as a late night run to Dick"s drive in for some burgers and shakes.
Post a comment about your recent boys night, or about a time you rode the bus to the dentist.
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Wednesday --
Richard had this to say at
12:47:33 AM on
2/4/2009.
It"s not quite Wednesday on the West Coast, but the time stamp will be Wednesday. The past weekend was Super Bowl; we went to Roger and Shelly"s to watch the game on the 65" in HD. We hung out, ate food and enjoyed the good company. Also this weekend Kate went out with her friends for a girls" night. I hung out at Floyd"s house.
Monday was back to work. I dropped the ball on a service call last week and Monday I caught some flack for it. Luckily, that was first thing in the morning, so I had the rest of the day to make up for it. Tuesday we visited a new client. We weren"t sure how to tell the client that if the baby shows up, his work will be delayed. Turns out our client"s wife is also pregnant, due three days before Kate. Right as we sat down to our meeting, he said we have to get this project done because he will be incommunicado for a fortnight after his baby arrives.
Post a comment regarding the above text.
Monday was back to work. I dropped the ball on a service call last week and Monday I caught some flack for it. Luckily, that was first thing in the morning, so I had the rest of the day to make up for it. Tuesday we visited a new client. We weren"t sure how to tell the client that if the baby shows up, his work will be delayed. Turns out our client"s wife is also pregnant, due three days before Kate. Right as we sat down to our meeting, he said we have to get this project done because he will be incommunicado for a fortnight after his baby arrives.
Post a comment regarding the above text.
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mailboxes --
Richard had this to say at
12:58:26 AM on
1/29/2009.
Our mailbox has a lock on it. We did not install the lock or the mailbox; the whole thing was set up when we moved in. Of the three other mailboxes grouped with ours, two also have locks. The mailbox has a slit in it where the letter carrier can put our mail. We received a package this week that is too big to fit in the slit, so we received a notice stating the package was at the post office and we could retrieve the package at our leisure. This is all well and good; I have no problems with official forms telling me where my mail is. What I have a problem with is our letter carrier uses the same form as her soapbox on our choice of mailbox. "would fit in a normal mailbox," she scribbled on the form. I don"t need her commentary on my mailbox. I"m sure somewhere there is a gold standard of mailbox and that mine falls quite short of that standard, but I don"t need her reminding me of this fact every time some one is nice enough to send large mail.
Anyway, the oven works again, I went snowboarding on Saturday, we had commuter friends over for dinner on Sunday, and all in all it was a good weekend and start to the week.
Anyway, the oven works again, I went snowboarding on Saturday, we had commuter friends over for dinner on Sunday, and all in all it was a good weekend and start to the week.
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Kenmore 790 --
Richard had this to say at
9:59:17 AM on
1/23/2009.
I arrived home from work on Wednesday evening and the oven was beeping. Kate had just finished broiling some steaks and apparently the oven, a Kenmore 790, did not like this. The electronic display read F10 err. That"s right, F10 err. A quick flip through the owner"s manual revealed nothing except we should call Sear"s and they would come out and take a look. An online search revealed less helpful information, which stated the F 10 error was a runaway temperature sensor. So the got too hot, that"s fine; luckily we don"t use it to heat things up very often. Anyway, I unplugged the oven to stop the beeping after I found out it was the temperature sensor. I was a little amazed that with all the warnings and disclaimers, not one states I should un plug the oven if I encounter an F error. After the oven had time to cool off and think about what it had done, I plugged it back in and was pleased with the silence. Maybe this weekend we will cook in our Kenmore 790 and will get no F 10 error. Now, I know what you"re thinking: if I keep listing the model and the error, then anyone who searches for Kenmore 790 F10 err will come across my site. To answer: the information about the Kenmore 790 F10 err found on my site is no less useful than similar information found on other sites.
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another birthday --
Richard had this to say at
9:15:04 AM on
1/20/2009.
Today is Kelly"s birthday. You may remember Kelly from previous news items doing such things as staying in Seattle for a long-term nannying job. You may not remember her from that either though, it was quite a while ago. Anyway, Kelly is my sister-in-law, and she"s definitely in my top three of favorite sisters-in-law.
I keep trying to convince Kelly to move back to Seattle on a more permanenet basis, so along with normal birthday wishes, comment about how you too would like to live in Seattle on a permanent basis.
I keep trying to convince Kelly to move back to Seattle on a more permanenet basis, so along with normal birthday wishes, comment about how you too would like to live in Seattle on a permanent basis.
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happy birthday --
Richard had this to say at
11:13:19 AM on
1/19/2009.
Today is Tyler"s birthday. I"m not sure what Ty has planned for the big 25, but hopefully whatever he does will include fun and merriment.
The weekend out here was routine; Kate and I did projects around the house. Roger and Shelly came over for dinner on Saturday. I will try to do more exciting things before my next post. Maybe there"s another birthday coming up that I could post about to carry me through this dry news spell.
The weekend out here was routine; Kate and I did projects around the house. Roger and Shelly came over for dinner on Saturday. I will try to do more exciting things before my next post. Maybe there"s another birthday coming up that I could post about to carry me through this dry news spell.
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Snowboarding and baby furniture buying --
Richard had this to say at
1:29:56 AM on
1/13/2009.
I went snowboarding on Sunday this past weekend, but more on that later. The truck has been starting poorly as of late. I had the truck tested at a local auto parts shop and they said the battery has low cold cranking amps, but that the alternator is good to go. I have disovered, the hard way, that if I turn on my heater on the way home from the bus stop then the truck won"t start as easily the next day. I guess it"s just too short of a drive to charge the battery.
My ear is feeling better. Kate was kind enough to put the drops in at my request, and all my anti-biotics are gone as well. The doctor said I should come back in a few weeks for a follow up appointment, so I may schedule that today. Since I was feeling better, Kate and I drove to Bellingham to pick up baby furniture. Bellingham is about 90 miles north of Seattle, and this week some of the road was closed due to large boulders in the roadway. Luckily, we encountered no moving large boulders and the trip was made without injury. The trip was not without its excitement though.
The rain would not stop the entire way up and way down, and it was not a pleasant northwest misty rain. This was a hard enough rain that intermittent wipers were not necessary. We had to stop on the way home several times to restrap and retarp. The first time we stopped I noticed the boxes were losing their shape from the rain, causing the straps and tarp to be loose. The fourth time we stopped was at a Home Depot, where I purchased two 16" straps and a bigger tarp. After strapping and tarping so much the locals were laughing at me, we were on our way again. Once back in Lynnwood, we unloaded and upacked and discovered all the furntiure was shrinkwrapped, so we probably could have done without any tarps.
Floyd and I went snowboarding on Sunday. Although it was rainy most of the day, conditions were surprisingly good. I had one good crash but was pleased to not have lost much from last season. The worst part of the trip was my headphones broke during my good crash. They were ripped from my ears when I ate snow.
Monday was back to work and finding it difficult to walk with sore legs. I fixed the bike so I will be riding so make sure my legs stayed conditioned. The nursery is more put together now that the furniture is in. I"m sure Kate will post some pictures of the finished room, with or without an occupant.
My ear is feeling better. Kate was kind enough to put the drops in at my request, and all my anti-biotics are gone as well. The doctor said I should come back in a few weeks for a follow up appointment, so I may schedule that today. Since I was feeling better, Kate and I drove to Bellingham to pick up baby furniture. Bellingham is about 90 miles north of Seattle, and this week some of the road was closed due to large boulders in the roadway. Luckily, we encountered no moving large boulders and the trip was made without injury. The trip was not without its excitement though.
The rain would not stop the entire way up and way down, and it was not a pleasant northwest misty rain. This was a hard enough rain that intermittent wipers were not necessary. We had to stop on the way home several times to restrap and retarp. The first time we stopped I noticed the boxes were losing their shape from the rain, causing the straps and tarp to be loose. The fourth time we stopped was at a Home Depot, where I purchased two 16" straps and a bigger tarp. After strapping and tarping so much the locals were laughing at me, we were on our way again. Once back in Lynnwood, we unloaded and upacked and discovered all the furntiure was shrinkwrapped, so we probably could have done without any tarps.
Floyd and I went snowboarding on Sunday. Although it was rainy most of the day, conditions were surprisingly good. I had one good crash but was pleased to not have lost much from last season. The worst part of the trip was my headphones broke during my good crash. They were ripped from my ears when I ate snow.
Monday was back to work and finding it difficult to walk with sore legs. I fixed the bike so I will be riding so make sure my legs stayed conditioned. The nursery is more put together now that the furniture is in. I"m sure Kate will post some pictures of the finished room, with or without an occupant.
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happy new year --
Richard had this to say at
12:30:04 AM on
1/8/2009.
I know, I know, we"re already more than a week into the new year. Lay off, I"ve been busy not doing things. Like snowboarding for instance. I had last Thursday and Friday off and both days were slotted for hitting the slopes. Thursday morning Floyd and I left my house at 7. At 10:30 we turned around, barely two miles from our destination, because the road was closed due to avalanche control. That"s where the state DOT comes out and causes avalanches on purpose, to preclude them from happening for real. We knew these operations were occurring, but we were confident the pass would open again and we would be snowboarding soon. At 10:30, we got word the pass would be closed until at least 4, so we turned around. The pass ended up being closed until 8:15 Friday morning. Huzzah, you think, time to get back in the truck and head back up the mountain. It was not meant to be; I went to bed on Thursday with a nasty headache and woke up Friday with an ear infection. I was housebound most of the day Friday and Saturday.
Sunday I played guitar in church, which was more difficult than I anticipated only being able to hear out of one ear. I never considered myself a musician, just a guy who puts his fingers in the right spot, but apparently not being able to hear is quite the detriment to my performance.
Monday was back to work, snowboarding delayed until the weekend again. Wednesday, though, the pass was closed again because of the record rain and snow fall is causing more avalanches. More avalanches than they can safely handle, apparently. As of press time, there are no roads open through the Cascades. This does not bode well for a snowboarding trip on Saturday.
Post a comment with some suggestions for what I should do on Saturday if I am not snowboarding.
Sunday I played guitar in church, which was more difficult than I anticipated only being able to hear out of one ear. I never considered myself a musician, just a guy who puts his fingers in the right spot, but apparently not being able to hear is quite the detriment to my performance.
Monday was back to work, snowboarding delayed until the weekend again. Wednesday, though, the pass was closed again because of the record rain and snow fall is causing more avalanches. More avalanches than they can safely handle, apparently. As of press time, there are no roads open through the Cascades. This does not bode well for a snowboarding trip on Saturday.
Post a comment with some suggestions for what I should do on Saturday if I am not snowboarding.
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happy birthday --
Richard had this to say at
12:45:14 AM on
12/29/2008.
Today is Cindy"s birthday. I don"t know if she and Dad are back in Escondido now or not. Last I heard from them, they were visiting Cindy"s sister in Las Cruces, New Mexico. If they are back home, you should swing by their house and wish Cindy a happy birthday in person. If you don"t know hwere they live, just post a comment here and I will make sure the birthday wishes are conveyed.
The weather up here has been absolutely nuts. We"ve had temperatures above freezing for two days now, but not above forty, so the snow hasn"t been melting as quickly as I would like. That, and the plow came by our house for the first time on Friday, moving large snow boulders in between our driveway and the road. I broke out the shovel again and made short work of them. I thought about buying a snow shovel for when this happens in the future, but the snow has not been good snow shovel snow. It"s been much too heavy and wet.
Post a comment about how good it feels to get back to work after so many days off or post a comment wishing Cindy a happy birthday.
The weather up here has been absolutely nuts. We"ve had temperatures above freezing for two days now, but not above forty, so the snow hasn"t been melting as quickly as I would like. That, and the plow came by our house for the first time on Friday, moving large snow boulders in between our driveway and the road. I broke out the shovel again and made short work of them. I thought about buying a snow shovel for when this happens in the future, but the snow has not been good snow shovel snow. It"s been much too heavy and wet.
Post a comment about how good it feels to get back to work after so many days off or post a comment wishing Cindy a happy birthday.
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happy anniversary --
Richard had this to say at
12:08:34 AM on
12/19/2008.
That"s right; it"s been three years since Kate and I tied the knot. I don"t recall the exact knot we tied, but I believe it was a bowline on a bight. We enjoyed a nice dinner out and now she is finishing up a movie. The roads are solid ice out here today. Much snow fell on the Seattle are today. Few buses were running and those that were had chains on. Many stores were closed and the mall was much less populated than we expected a week before Christmas. It"s a good thing the truck is 4-wheel drive, otherwise I would not have gotten to the bus this morning. Kate ended up working from home and did not leave the house all day.
Even though no new snow is expected to fall Thursday night, temperatures are only going to get colder, so Friday"s commute may be worse than Thursday"s. If we didn"t have a client in from Chicago for training, I would be working from home. I"m just glad I don"t have to take the ferry any more, so I can go in on whichever bus I choose.
Post a comment about how people in your area are abandoning their cars because they can"t get up a hill.
Even though no new snow is expected to fall Thursday night, temperatures are only going to get colder, so Friday"s commute may be worse than Thursday"s. If we didn"t have a client in from Chicago for training, I would be working from home. I"m just glad I don"t have to take the ferry any more, so I can go in on whichever bus I choose.
Post a comment about how people in your area are abandoning their cars because they can"t get up a hill.
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new office and new commute --
Richard had this to say at
9:25:17 AM on
12/16/2008.
Yesterday I reported to the new office downtown. Before this week, I took a bus that left my stop at 6:07. Monday I took a bus that left the same stop at 6:43. I arrived at the office just after 7:15, worked until about 4 and then came home. The loyal readers are probably tired of hearing this by now, but I am very excited about the new office.
Tonight is dinner with the church staff and then stringing trip wire on my lawn. The neighborhood kids have decided our 20 foot slope is the best place to sled. I wouldn"t mind so much if they asked ahead of time, and if they waited until the grass wasn"t showing anymore. Wednesday we are supposed to get between 1 and 5 inches of snow, so I imagine they will be back in force then. Maybe I"ll take the hose to the lawn and make the sledding faster.
Post a comment about how excited you are about your new office.
Tonight is dinner with the church staff and then stringing trip wire on my lawn. The neighborhood kids have decided our 20 foot slope is the best place to sled. I wouldn"t mind so much if they asked ahead of time, and if they waited until the grass wasn"t showing anymore. Wednesday we are supposed to get between 1 and 5 inches of snow, so I imagine they will be back in force then. Maybe I"ll take the hose to the lawn and make the sledding faster.
Post a comment about how excited you are about your new office.
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home improvements --
Richard had this to say at
12:28:15 AM on
12/10/2008.
Don"t worry, we haven"t undertaken any major projects that might not be done before the baby arrives. We already have enough minor projects that might not be done before the baby arrives. We painted the nursery this weekend. Kate posted pictures on her site, www.kateriddle.com. Don"t worry, we had the windows open and a fan on to minimize the paint fumes as much as possible. We went back and forth on the color choice and finally settled on a chocolate brown color. I was concerned with how dark it was when we painted, but it lightened up quite a bit as it dried.
We should be in the Seattle office on Monday, December 15. I go back to the orthodontist on the island on December 16 and then to a client"s site for training on the 17th. Maybe starting the 18th I"ll be in the office most of the time. I was out of the office most of last week and part of this week, but I was only two buildings away. We upgraded one of our clients from CRM 3 to CRM 4 and found out the hard way that IIS 6 on 32-bit Windows Server 2003 is nothing like IIS 7 on 64-bit Windows Server 2008.
Now that the painting is done, we are focusing on decorating for Christmas. I put the tree up Tuesday and then Kate decorated it. I inventoried my lights for the exterior of the house and even have some left over I can give to Roger and Shelly so they are not the only dark house in their neighborhood. Roger and I are putting up the exterior lights on both houses on Friday evening; you are welcome to join if you are in the area.
We should be in the Seattle office on Monday, December 15. I go back to the orthodontist on the island on December 16 and then to a client"s site for training on the 17th. Maybe starting the 18th I"ll be in the office most of the time. I was out of the office most of last week and part of this week, but I was only two buildings away. We upgraded one of our clients from CRM 3 to CRM 4 and found out the hard way that IIS 6 on 32-bit Windows Server 2003 is nothing like IIS 7 on 64-bit Windows Server 2008.
Now that the painting is done, we are focusing on decorating for Christmas. I put the tree up Tuesday and then Kate decorated it. I inventoried my lights for the exterior of the house and even have some left over I can give to Roger and Shelly so they are not the only dark house in their neighborhood. Roger and I are putting up the exterior lights on both houses on Friday evening; you are welcome to join if you are in the area.
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happy birthday --
Richard had this to say at
1:21:01 AM on
12/4/2008.
If I could convince myself it"s okay to post to my web site while at work; this would have been up much earlier for all to see: Happy Birthday, Dad.
I posted something else entirely Tuesday night, and I was busy cooking breakfast Wednesday morning, so the usual celebratory news item did not occur. I sent a card and phoned dad, and as the wise sage Meatloaf says: two out of three ain"t bad.
Speaking of breakfast, we had the ferry potluck this morning. My usual dish was well-received and everyone enjoyed much food. It was a good thing we had breakfast, because I client visit kept me from the feed bag until a hot dog on the ferry.
Post a comment wishing dad a happy birthday, or about whomever you choose.
I posted something else entirely Tuesday night, and I was busy cooking breakfast Wednesday morning, so the usual celebratory news item did not occur. I sent a card and phoned dad, and as the wise sage Meatloaf says: two out of three ain"t bad.
Speaking of breakfast, we had the ferry potluck this morning. My usual dish was well-received and everyone enjoyed much food. It was a good thing we had breakfast, because I client visit kept me from the feed bag until a hot dog on the ferry.
Post a comment wishing dad a happy birthday, or about whomever you choose.
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It"s December --
Richard had this to say at
12:09:59 AM on
12/2/2008.
The Thanksgiving holiday has come and gone. Kate and I hosted Roger and Shelly, Shelly"s brother and his girlfriend. I would mention them by name but I"m not sure of the spelling. Everyone enjoyed good food and conversation. Kate was feeling a little homesick, having grown up with large family gatherings. To make her feel more at home, I tried to get in her way as much as possible while she was cooking.
Friday was shopping, although not early. We didn"t get out of the house until 1 or so and didn"t end up buying anything. We did see the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace. If you were a fan of Casino Royale or enjoyed the second Bourne movie, then I recommend you see Quantum of Solace.
Saturday included playing and watching hockey and Sunday was church and small group. We have been planning on painting the nursery, but we have been unable to decide on a color. Luckily, we haven"t bought any paint yet, but we had set aside several evenings and weekends already just for the project. Perhaps this weekend upcoming will be paintapollooza.
The office move to Seattle is still looming on the horizon. It seems revenue generating activities always take precedence over moving the office. Perhaps this week or next; I really don"t know. The potluck on the ferry will still happen, so if you are on the 7:05 ferry to Bainbridge this Wednesday, stop by our booth and have some food.
Thanks for posting a comment Dad, who do you think we should pick on next about comment habits?
Friday was shopping, although not early. We didn"t get out of the house until 1 or so and didn"t end up buying anything. We did see the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace. If you were a fan of Casino Royale or enjoyed the second Bourne movie, then I recommend you see Quantum of Solace.
Saturday included playing and watching hockey and Sunday was church and small group. We have been planning on painting the nursery, but we have been unable to decide on a color. Luckily, we haven"t bought any paint yet, but we had set aside several evenings and weekends already just for the project. Perhaps this weekend upcoming will be paintapollooza.
The office move to Seattle is still looming on the horizon. It seems revenue generating activities always take precedence over moving the office. Perhaps this week or next; I really don"t know. The potluck on the ferry will still happen, so if you are on the 7:05 ferry to Bainbridge this Wednesday, stop by our booth and have some food.
Thanks for posting a comment Dad, who do you think we should pick on next about comment habits?
| 2 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
11 days of news --
Richard had this to say at
12:05:54 AM on
11/25/2008.
I can"t believe it"s been 11 days since I last posted news; I am quite the slacker as of late, apparently. And it"s not as if I didn"t have enough content; it was Kasey"s birthday on Saturday and it was Shelly"s birthday the Tuesday before that. I feel like a schmuck because Kasey called the house on Saturday and we totally forgot to say happy birthday. Hopefully the extra couple Lincolns we put in her birthday card will get us back in her good graces. Nicole"s birthday was the day after Kasey"s, not that Nicole and I talk on the phone very often, but happy birthday to Shelly, Kasey, and Nicole.
We got Roger and Shelly all moved into their new house last weekend. This past weekend they did one last cleaning of the apartment before turning in their keys. I played street hockey on Saturday for the second time. Through the Internet, I found a group of guys who play at an elementary school. Most of the guys are far better than I am, but I did notice marked improvement from my playing two weeks ago. It"s just fun to be able to run around again with a purpose.
Things at work have been quite busy as well. It seems the web site updates become fewer and further between the busier we get at work. Maybe I should ask the bosses for an hour or so each day so I can keep the website content fresh. The move to the Seattle office is inching nearer. The other ferry commuters are sad to see me go, and we will probably have a pot luck to celebrate my last day on the ferry. By pot luck, I mean I will cook potatoes and sausage to feed the whole group. The first time we had a pot luck I brought the only warm dish and eveyone marveled at how I was able to keep a dish warm while biking in December. Then Maddy recommended always inviting a midwesterner to every potluck, to ensure at least one warm dish.
Maybe if the comments were more pointed about me not posting as often, then perhaps I would post more. Or maybe if I called people out for not posting, they would comment more often. You hear that, Dad?
We got Roger and Shelly all moved into their new house last weekend. This past weekend they did one last cleaning of the apartment before turning in their keys. I played street hockey on Saturday for the second time. Through the Internet, I found a group of guys who play at an elementary school. Most of the guys are far better than I am, but I did notice marked improvement from my playing two weeks ago. It"s just fun to be able to run around again with a purpose.
Things at work have been quite busy as well. It seems the web site updates become fewer and further between the busier we get at work. Maybe I should ask the bosses for an hour or so each day so I can keep the website content fresh. The move to the Seattle office is inching nearer. The other ferry commuters are sad to see me go, and we will probably have a pot luck to celebrate my last day on the ferry. By pot luck, I mean I will cook potatoes and sausage to feed the whole group. The first time we had a pot luck I brought the only warm dish and eveyone marveled at how I was able to keep a dish warm while biking in December. Then Maddy recommended always inviting a midwesterner to every potluck, to ensure at least one warm dish.
Maybe if the comments were more pointed about me not posting as often, then perhaps I would post more. Or maybe if I called people out for not posting, they would comment more often. You hear that, Dad?
| 2 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
it"s Wednesday, sort of --
Richard had this to say at
12:17:29 AM on
11/13/2008.
I am posting this shortly after 9 pm on Wednesday night, but the time stamp will say Thursday because the server which hosts my web site is in Virginia and I am too lazy a programmer to make my web site smart enough to recognize my time zone. That, and since the code that actually writes the post to my database is ASP, it never gets run on the client so I would have to do extra fun things to get it to recognize my time zone. I guess I could just add a hidden field to the form so when the form is submitted the correct time is there, rather than relying on the server"s time. Either way, it"s still Wednesday.
The list of projects I completed while Kate was away is far shorter than the list of projects I started while Kate was away. Some people might say that I have a problem staying focused and that I get distracted easily from tasks my heart isn"t into. I"ve been meaning to talk to those people about their opinions of me. I didn"t finish trimming the front door, but I did get another piece of trim cut. I didn"t finish weather stripping the garage door, but I did manage to cut the only piece long enough for the top to a length too short for the top. I didn"t finish the siding on the back of the house by the slider, but I did get several pieces installed. All that"s left of that is to frame the vent to the crawl space. I cleaned the bathrooms, but didn"t have time to sweep the floors.
I got my retainer from the orthodontist, but the fool broke one piece of it, so I have to go back on Monday and get a new one. He said to where the retainer, which looks just like my invisalign trays, full time for the next 6 weeks or so, at which point I will then be able to wear it only at night. In six weeks or so I won"t be commuting to Bainbridge anymore, so it will be a good chance to see my commuting buddies again.
We just got a new battery for the camera, so the after pictures of my new grill are on their way.
The list of projects I completed while Kate was away is far shorter than the list of projects I started while Kate was away. Some people might say that I have a problem staying focused and that I get distracted easily from tasks my heart isn"t into. I"ve been meaning to talk to those people about their opinions of me. I didn"t finish trimming the front door, but I did get another piece of trim cut. I didn"t finish weather stripping the garage door, but I did manage to cut the only piece long enough for the top to a length too short for the top. I didn"t finish the siding on the back of the house by the slider, but I did get several pieces installed. All that"s left of that is to frame the vent to the crawl space. I cleaned the bathrooms, but didn"t have time to sweep the floors.
I got my retainer from the orthodontist, but the fool broke one piece of it, so I have to go back on Monday and get a new one. He said to where the retainer, which looks just like my invisalign trays, full time for the next 6 weeks or so, at which point I will then be able to wear it only at night. In six weeks or so I won"t be commuting to Bainbridge anymore, so it will be a good chance to see my commuting buddies again.
We just got a new battery for the camera, so the after pictures of my new grill are on their way.
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it"s been a while --
Richard had this to say at
8:49:44 PM on
11/7/2008.
I don"t remember the last time Kate left home for any significant duration without me. Tonight she and Melissa fly to Michigan for the baby showers honoring the player to be named later. I am driving them to the airport, then I am fending for myself until Tuesday evening, when they return. I have a short list of projects to complete, but haven"t had the time for. When I post again on Wednesday, we"ll see how many are actually done.
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let"s recap --
Richard had this to say at
12:31:24 AM on
11/5/2008.
It"s been a while since I posted, I know. I talked to mom today and she expressed her desire for me to post. So here I am, posting. I posted last about two weeks ago, and not a lot has happened in the previous fortnight.
We had a harvest party at the church on Sunday the 26th. I drove a four-wheeler with a trailer full of hay for the hay ride. I made 9 or 10 trips around the neighborhood during the two hour party. The following week was full of work, but I was in Bellevue on Friday and was able to have lunch with Roger, which is always a treat. Friday afternoon was full of driving around getting the life insurance and voting taken care of. The county where we live only does absentee ballots, so we had our voting done by Halloween. Most of the people waited until Tuesday to mail or turn in their ballots, but we felt good getting it out of the way.
The most recent weekend included playing guitar at church and a small group meeting. Saturday I went to an electronics store to buy a converter cable so I can use my old hard drive in my new computer. I let the guy at the store convince me my power supply had a certain kind of plug, even though it didn"t. Store employees not believing what I"m saying really make me want to never visit the store again, but I need another converter, and no other store in the area carries them. I don"t want to purchase them online, because I can only purchse the converters in sets of 10, and I have no need for nine extra.
Today I had my "last" orthodontic appointment. The orthodontist himself ground off the nubs which kept secure my invisalign trays. I go back on Wednesday to get my retainer. I feel excited to no longer have the braces. It"s been a long journey with the braces, and I"m really glad I did it. Hopefully with the extra effort I had to put in to get through the treatment successfully I will be more disciplined in wearing my retainer than I was the first time.
So, we have a new president now. I hope everyone voted and I assure you that even if your candidate didn"t get elected, you can keep up with the goings on of Richard and Kate from Canada.
We had a harvest party at the church on Sunday the 26th. I drove a four-wheeler with a trailer full of hay for the hay ride. I made 9 or 10 trips around the neighborhood during the two hour party. The following week was full of work, but I was in Bellevue on Friday and was able to have lunch with Roger, which is always a treat. Friday afternoon was full of driving around getting the life insurance and voting taken care of. The county where we live only does absentee ballots, so we had our voting done by Halloween. Most of the people waited until Tuesday to mail or turn in their ballots, but we felt good getting it out of the way.
The most recent weekend included playing guitar at church and a small group meeting. Saturday I went to an electronics store to buy a converter cable so I can use my old hard drive in my new computer. I let the guy at the store convince me my power supply had a certain kind of plug, even though it didn"t. Store employees not believing what I"m saying really make me want to never visit the store again, but I need another converter, and no other store in the area carries them. I don"t want to purchase them online, because I can only purchse the converters in sets of 10, and I have no need for nine extra.
Today I had my "last" orthodontic appointment. The orthodontist himself ground off the nubs which kept secure my invisalign trays. I go back on Wednesday to get my retainer. I feel excited to no longer have the braces. It"s been a long journey with the braces, and I"m really glad I did it. Hopefully with the extra effort I had to put in to get through the treatment successfully I will be more disciplined in wearing my retainer than I was the first time.
So, we have a new president now. I hope everyone voted and I assure you that even if your candidate didn"t get elected, you can keep up with the goings on of Richard and Kate from Canada.
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truck fixings --
Richard had this to say at
12:54:19 AM on
10/21/2008.
The truck is ready to go now; it"s all street-legal and everything. But first, the weekend happenings. Friday night was a soup supper at church and then Kate and I saw "Burn After Reading". I recommend you watch the film if you are a fan of the Coen brothers. If you are not a fan of the Coen brothers, or you don"t know who they are, I recommend you stay away from the film.
Saturday morning Floyd and Molly came over and together we dismantled my truck. The old bumper was the first item to come off, followed by the hitch receiver. At that point I decided to test my spare tire lowering mechanism. Good thing I did, because it was rusted together and did not function. It was Sunday afternoon before I finally got the device apart and enough rust cleaned off to call it good.
The rest of Sunday was filled with more truck goodness, and going to Roger"s new house. He wanted a second set of eyes to look at the place, or he is excited about his new house and wanted to show it off. Either way, it"s a nice house and only about 15 minutes away. I also played guitar at church on Sunday. Even though I have played many times, I still get excited about it. I don"t think I will ever call myself a musician, but I enjoy playing as a means of taking my mind off other things.
Monday at work was the last day with no supervision. The bosses return from their week away Tuesday. This was the first time they have been gone for an extended period since we opened the Poulsbo office, so I didn"t even have the networking guys to talk to in person. For the four days they were gone, I was the only person to go in and out of the office, except for the cleaning lady.
Monday evening I finished the truck. The new bumper included lights for the license plate. It took me longer than I"d like to say to figure out how to wire up the lights, and they are dimmer than I would like. Perhaps Roger or Floyd can offer some suggestions on how to make the lights brighter. I put the new bumper on, replaced the tailgate, and now I am ready to drive myself to the park and ride tomorrow. The bike has a flat tire, and although I have many tools, I don"t have a spare tube, so I am stuck driving one more day before riding again.
In baby news, I felt the little guy kick last week. Don"t infer that we know we are having a boy just because I said guy; we have opted to not find out the gender until the birth. Some of the people we talk to say that not finding out is the best way, others say that not finding out is not the best way. What do you think?
Post a comment about something in the news item, or about something else if you feel compelled.
Saturday morning Floyd and Molly came over and together we dismantled my truck. The old bumper was the first item to come off, followed by the hitch receiver. At that point I decided to test my spare tire lowering mechanism. Good thing I did, because it was rusted together and did not function. It was Sunday afternoon before I finally got the device apart and enough rust cleaned off to call it good.
The rest of Sunday was filled with more truck goodness, and going to Roger"s new house. He wanted a second set of eyes to look at the place, or he is excited about his new house and wanted to show it off. Either way, it"s a nice house and only about 15 minutes away. I also played guitar at church on Sunday. Even though I have played many times, I still get excited about it. I don"t think I will ever call myself a musician, but I enjoy playing as a means of taking my mind off other things.
Monday at work was the last day with no supervision. The bosses return from their week away Tuesday. This was the first time they have been gone for an extended period since we opened the Poulsbo office, so I didn"t even have the networking guys to talk to in person. For the four days they were gone, I was the only person to go in and out of the office, except for the cleaning lady.
Monday evening I finished the truck. The new bumper included lights for the license plate. It took me longer than I"d like to say to figure out how to wire up the lights, and they are dimmer than I would like. Perhaps Roger or Floyd can offer some suggestions on how to make the lights brighter. I put the new bumper on, replaced the tailgate, and now I am ready to drive myself to the park and ride tomorrow. The bike has a flat tire, and although I have many tools, I don"t have a spare tube, so I am stuck driving one more day before riding again.
In baby news, I felt the little guy kick last week. Don"t infer that we know we are having a boy just because I said guy; we have opted to not find out the gender until the birth. Some of the people we talk to say that not finding out is the best way, others say that not finding out is not the best way. What do you think?
Post a comment about something in the news item, or about something else if you feel compelled.
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happy birthday --
Richard had this to say at
10:41:15 PM on
10/16/2008.
Happy Birthday Marcie! For those who don"t know, Marcie is my mother in law. Some of you may remember Marcie from previous news items doing such things as grilling chicken for a party at my house. I apologize for posting this so late in the day, hopefully if you read this and it"s not the 16th any more, you will still be kind enough to post a comment wishing Marcie a happy birthday.
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new computer --
Richard had this to say at
12:42:41 AM on
10/14/2008.
Some time Wednesday night my computer stopped working. When I awoke Thursday morning I found the computer dead; the power button had no effect. Thursday evening I went with Kate to music practice so I had no time to diagnose and repair the computer. I took Friday as a comp day for time worked over the previous two weekends. I opened the case and found the fuse on the power supply had blown. I soldered a new fuse in, then I borrowed a power supply from Roger since I fried the board on my power supply with my less than stellar soldering skills. Even with Roger"s cool new power supply, I still had no computer. Friday ended with the four of us driving to Seabrook, on the Washington coast.
Kate and I have been talking about getting a new computer for several months now, and Sunday seemed like a good time. We went to Staples because they sell Dells and we purchased one. We are now off Windows 2000 and on to Vista. We no longer have 256 MB of RAM, but now 4 GB. We can write DVDs, where our previous computer could not read DVDs. We have a fully licensed copy of Office 2007, where my previous copy of Office 2000 was registered to a.
In other news, I got an estimate for the truck. Luckily only the bumper was mangled, so I purchased a new bumper and will install that later this week. I also coordinated a meeting with the folks who rammed me and they are willing to pay for the bumper in small unmarked bills.
Post a comment about how you went running on the beach of the Pacific Ocean this weekend, or about how you wandered a junk yard while taking a day off from work.
Kate and I have been talking about getting a new computer for several months now, and Sunday seemed like a good time. We went to Staples because they sell Dells and we purchased one. We are now off Windows 2000 and on to Vista. We no longer have 256 MB of RAM, but now 4 GB. We can write DVDs, where our previous computer could not read DVDs. We have a fully licensed copy of Office 2007, where my previous copy of Office 2000 was registered to a.
In other news, I got an estimate for the truck. Luckily only the bumper was mangled, so I purchased a new bumper and will install that later this week. I also coordinated a meeting with the folks who rammed me and they are willing to pay for the bumper in small unmarked bills.
Post a comment about how you went running on the beach of the Pacific Ocean this weekend, or about how you wandered a junk yard while taking a day off from work.
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maybe it"s a sign --
Richard had this to say at
9:24:17 AM on
10/7/2008.
I got the truck fixed. Normally I like to replace parts myself, but since I don"t know how to weld, I left this one to the pros. The mechanic who did the work said I could bring in some rebar and he would weld it to my frame to minimize the chance of the cat being stolen a second time.
As I was driving the truck Monday evening, I was rear ended by a mini Wini. I did not file a police report at the time. We exchanged information and I told the lady (her husband was driving but he wouldn"t talk to me) I would call her when I found out how much a new bumper will cost. I believe I will file a report, but only because Washington state law requires an accident report where more than $700 is damage is inflicted.
I really enjoy the truck, but I am almost afraid to drive it now.
As I was driving the truck Monday evening, I was rear ended by a mini Wini. I did not file a police report at the time. We exchanged information and I told the lady (her husband was driving but he wouldn"t talk to me) I would call her when I found out how much a new bumper will cost. I believe I will file a report, but only because Washington state law requires an accident report where more than $700 is damage is inflicted.
I really enjoy the truck, but I am almost afraid to drive it now.
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where to begin? --
Richard had this to say at
11:55:39 PM on
9/28/2008.
Many, many things have happened since I last posted. I fixed the leaky toilet, or I thought I fixed the leaky toilet, four times. It seems no matter what part I replace or how much I tighten the connections, water still leaks from the tank. Perhaps some strategic caulk and duct tape will finally fix the issue.
I filed a police report because somebody stole my catalytic converter. My truck was at the Park and Ride on Friday while I was downtown for a lunch meeting and when I returned I noticed it was running louder than usual. So loud in fact, that when I left the Park and Ride, I was setting off car alarms. Apparently because my truck is four wheel drive, it is easier to crawl under. And if you know that catalytic converters are lined with platinum and you have an excess of entrepreneurial spirit, you can combine these two pieces of knowledge for a tidy profit.
On the plus side, I went with Kate to our 20 week ultrasound and we got to see some close-ups of the player to be named later. Wendy said Molly gave a definite thumbs-up during their last ultrasound; we got a honest-to-goodness high five. A lefty high five no less.
I toured what we hope will be our new office in downtown Seattle. My bosses have been looking into office space on the east side of the Sound so we can better serve those customers. Getting two hours back every day won"t be bad either, although I will miss some of the people I ride the boat with.
I finished building my work bench so Kate can park the car in the garage again. I even put in an outlet on the workbench; it only took me three tries and two hours to wire it correctly. I worked many hours over the weekend migrating data from Goldmine to CRM. How was your weekend, did you have a birthday, were you waiting by the phone for that special friend to call?
I filed a police report because somebody stole my catalytic converter. My truck was at the Park and Ride on Friday while I was downtown for a lunch meeting and when I returned I noticed it was running louder than usual. So loud in fact, that when I left the Park and Ride, I was setting off car alarms. Apparently because my truck is four wheel drive, it is easier to crawl under. And if you know that catalytic converters are lined with platinum and you have an excess of entrepreneurial spirit, you can combine these two pieces of knowledge for a tidy profit.
On the plus side, I went with Kate to our 20 week ultrasound and we got to see some close-ups of the player to be named later. Wendy said Molly gave a definite thumbs-up during their last ultrasound; we got a honest-to-goodness high five. A lefty high five no less.
I toured what we hope will be our new office in downtown Seattle. My bosses have been looking into office space on the east side of the Sound so we can better serve those customers. Getting two hours back every day won"t be bad either, although I will miss some of the people I ride the boat with.
I finished building my work bench so Kate can park the car in the garage again. I even put in an outlet on the workbench; it only took me three tries and two hours to wire it correctly. I worked many hours over the weekend migrating data from Goldmine to CRM. How was your weekend, did you have a birthday, were you waiting by the phone for that special friend to call?
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happy birthday Marcus --
Richard had this to say at
9:47:37 AM on
9/24/2008.
Today is Marcus" birthday. You may remember Marcus from previous news items doing such things as living at 414 S. Lansing Street. I don"t know how old he is today, but I"m sure it"s old. Post a comment wishing Marcus a happy birthday.
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quick news before going to work --
Richard had this to say at
8:46:40 AM on
9/22/2008.
Over the weekend I moved my workbench in my garage. The workbench was along one wall and now it is along another wall. My workbench is a cabinet the previous homeowners left when they moved out. I moved the cabinet to where a washer and dryer and deep sink used to be. I used the Hilti Concrete fastener to put more studs on the wall so I have someplace to anchor my pegboard for my tools and the cabinet itself. I also built a workspace 8 or so inches above the cabinet, since it is very short.
The project, like most of the projects in my house, is almost done. I ran out of time Sunday evening to finish it, but I will have to wait until Wednesday before I can do more with it. Tonight I have to fix the toilet in our master bathroom; it"s leaking. I don"t know why or how yet, but I turned the water off to prevent further leaks. Tuesday I am going to yoga and I don"t really like to do manual labor after yoga.
I"ll post some pictures once the final project is complete. Saturday Kate and I went to a hockey game. We saw the Everett Silvertips lose to the Vancouver Giants in Everett"s home opener. Kate received the tickets from her work. It wasn"t a good game, but at least we were far away from the action.
The project, like most of the projects in my house, is almost done. I ran out of time Sunday evening to finish it, but I will have to wait until Wednesday before I can do more with it. Tonight I have to fix the toilet in our master bathroom; it"s leaking. I don"t know why or how yet, but I turned the water off to prevent further leaks. Tuesday I am going to yoga and I don"t really like to do manual labor after yoga.
I"ll post some pictures once the final project is complete. Saturday Kate and I went to a hockey game. We saw the Everett Silvertips lose to the Vancouver Giants in Everett"s home opener. Kate received the tickets from her work. It wasn"t a good game, but at least we were far away from the action.
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Bicycling, and more SQL --
Richard had this to say at
12:48:07 AM on
9/19/2008.
My legs are sore today. Generally on nice days I ride to the University District, which is five miles from the ferry. On not nice days I ride to a nearer stop a mile and a half from the ferry. This week I decided to try a new route to the U, a route which has more ups and fewer downs than my original route. I did this route on Monday and then again on Tuesday. The ride on Tuesday was difficult because my legs did not have time to recover from the Monday ride. Wednesday I rode to the near stop, but today I rode the U again. I took the original route today, because time was of the essence. Maybe on Friday I won"t bike at all.
We have had an unusual string of nice days here recently. Rain is predicted for some time this weekend, but that will be the first time we"ve seen significant rain in over a fortnight. Mom was actually the one to draw my attention to this fact, which I guess means I don"t pay enough attention to the weather.
In regard to my previous post, and the title of this post, SQL is in fact Structured Query Language, and it does all the things Dad said it does in his comment in the previous new item. I use SQL mostly to retrieve data for reports or spreadsheets. The CRM software we sell has a fairly robust reporting engine, but sometimes it doesn"t get the job done and so the customer calls in the big guns: me. I could go on and on for many news items about the SQL I write, but that would counteract the current effort of getting more readers to the site.
Speaking of pregnant Kate, we have a checkup on September 25. Apparently we can bring a video tape to the clinic and they will record the ultrasound for us. Then all I have to do is find a VCR to play the tape and a way to get the data into my computer, because I don"t have a DVD drive.
That"s all for now; sorry if I bored you, but not really.
We have had an unusual string of nice days here recently. Rain is predicted for some time this weekend, but that will be the first time we"ve seen significant rain in over a fortnight. Mom was actually the one to draw my attention to this fact, which I guess means I don"t pay enough attention to the weather.
In regard to my previous post, and the title of this post, SQL is in fact Structured Query Language, and it does all the things Dad said it does in his comment in the previous new item. I use SQL mostly to retrieve data for reports or spreadsheets. The CRM software we sell has a fairly robust reporting engine, but sometimes it doesn"t get the job done and so the customer calls in the big guns: me. I could go on and on for many news items about the SQL I write, but that would counteract the current effort of getting more readers to the site.
Speaking of pregnant Kate, we have a checkup on September 25. Apparently we can bring a video tape to the clinic and they will record the ultrasound for us. Then all I have to do is find a VCR to play the tape and a way to get the data into my computer, because I don"t have a DVD drive.
That"s all for now; sorry if I bored you, but not really.
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week o" news --
Richard had this to say at
11:48:01 PM on
9/11/2008.
I posted last Thursday. Following is a recap of all the exciting things I did since then. Thursday night Kate had music practice and we had dinner with the Nelson"s. Friday we had dinner at Brigette and Jake"s; Liam turned 6. We gave him a book and a Mr. Potato Head Playdo set.
Saturday we hung around the house, and then enjoyed dinner with the Nelsons and Roger and Shelly. Afterward, the boys shot some pool while the girls chatted. Sunday we drove around the Puget Sound area looking for baby furniture and a Long John Silver"s.
The work week has gone by quickly; not many exciting things happening in the evening. I did write a SQL query with a case statement in the join, which is braggable.
This evening was music practice for Kate and me and tomorrow is dinner at Melissa"s; stop by if you can make it.
Saturday we hung around the house, and then enjoyed dinner with the Nelsons and Roger and Shelly. Afterward, the boys shot some pool while the girls chatted. Sunday we drove around the Puget Sound area looking for baby furniture and a Long John Silver"s.
The work week has gone by quickly; not many exciting things happening in the evening. I did write a SQL query with a case statement in the join, which is braggable.
This evening was music practice for Kate and me and tomorrow is dinner at Melissa"s; stop by if you can make it.
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414 South Lansing Street --
Richard had this to say at
9:57:17 AM on
9/4/2008.
Because I like to be mysterious, I never told Kate the address of where I used to live during my undergraduate days. The house was owned by a slumlord, who was also the father of a girl I went to high school with, and he was also the curator of the local natural history museum. It was a good house; there were several common rooms and all the bedrooms had individual thermostats so we didn"t have to pay to heat the whole house. We had a pool table, a foosball table, a ping pong table cover for the pool table, a dartboard somewhere, a front porch swing, and a nice grill also on the front porch.
Wendy lived there for a while, as did Angie, as did Matt as did, as did Marcus. Ron never lived there, although he visited occasionally. There are very few storied from the house which are fit for public consumption, so I won"t share any.
Wendy lived there for a while, as did Angie, as did Matt as did, as did Marcus. Ron never lived there, although he visited occasionally. There are very few storied from the house which are fit for public consumption, so I won"t share any.
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big news --
Richard had this to say at
9:06:38 PM on
8/28/2008.
In an effort to get more people to visit the site more often, Kate and I are having a baby. She already spilled the beans on her site but I am lazier than she is so I waited until now to break the news.
We are 15 or so weeks along, depending on when you read this. We are not going to find out the gender, although if you have the bank roll, we could be persuaded on names.
We are 15 or so weeks along, depending on when you read this. We are not going to find out the gender, although if you have the bank roll, we could be persuaded on names.
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bike commuting and rain --
Richard had this to say at
9:23:32 AM on
8/27/2008.
This week has had fewer rainy days than last week; Monday has been the only day with significant rain. However, there was thunder and lightning and all the local weather folks were talking tornados as well. Because the convergence zone was so small, the national weather folks thought it was just partly cloudy.
I rode my bike Monday morning, but then Kate picked me up at the ferry, so I did not ride home Monday. I put my fenders back on in anticipation of more rain, but so far there has been none during the short times I am on the bike.
The rest of this week will include finishing the storm door and music practice on Thursday, then helping Melissa move in to her new house on Caturday. Tune in next week to see if all those things really happened.
I rode my bike Monday morning, but then Kate picked me up at the ferry, so I did not ride home Monday. I put my fenders back on in anticipation of more rain, but so far there has been none during the short times I am on the bike.
The rest of this week will include finishing the storm door and music practice on Thursday, then helping Melissa move in to her new house on Caturday. Tune in next week to see if all those things really happened.
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it"s Thursday --
Richard had this to say at
9:18:28 AM on
8/21/2008.
I am on the bus now, headed downtown. Last night I helped people from the church in the efforts to rid a marsh of purple loosestrife, an invasive weed. It was a long three hours and my pants were quite soaked at the end.
Over the weekend, we went to the church campout at Jim Creek Naval Radio Station. I enjoy trail running more than street running, so I took an opportunity to run from the rec lake back to camp. It turned into a walk moslty because of the switchbacks. The run also did bad things to my brain; I couldn"t do simple math in my head to add up scores in Scrabble.
This past week has been rainy, so no bike riding. Perhaps next week.
Over the weekend, we went to the church campout at Jim Creek Naval Radio Station. I enjoy trail running more than street running, so I took an opportunity to run from the rec lake back to camp. It turned into a walk moslty because of the switchbacks. The run also did bad things to my brain; I couldn"t do simple math in my head to add up scores in Scrabble.
This past week has been rainy, so no bike riding. Perhaps next week.
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seven days without news makes one week --
Richard had this to say at
12:24:40 AM on
8/15/2008.
I can"t imagine the tens of people who have been in the dark about the goings on here in Seattle because I haven"t posted news in a week. Actually I can imagine it, since I log ip addresses. Unless you are one of those crafty people who masks his ip address so you appear to be someone else. In that case, I applaud you and your craftiness.
Now, on to the news. According to my last news item, the in-laws were visiting. They have since left the building. They left on Monday afternoon, well most of them left on Monday afternoon. Kelly left late Saturday night. Dave and I didn"t bond too much during the weekdays they were here, but we made up for it on Saturday and Sunday. He and I put in a new front door and added some siding pieces around the back slider. I"ve said it before and I"ll say it again, I"ll put some pictures up when I get a chance.
To answer Angie"s question from the last news item, the barbecue was fun. There were more people at my house than have been in a long time. We had to have the whole event in the car port, since it was raining. And since Marcie was cooking, I didn"t have the grill to distract me from mingling.
Kate and I babysat for Molly Wednesday night so Wendy and Floyd could enjoy a night out. I was supposed to babysit for Molly when Kate and her fam was in Victoria, but I preempted that by asking Floyd for help with the little wall in our front yard. The other thing Dave and I did to bond was screen dirt. If I"ve ever done anything which made me appreciate my white-collar job, it"s screen dirt.
Reading back through the news item, it seems disjointed. If you feel the same way, you should print the page, then cut out the sentences and rearrange them as you like. You can send me the final result if you would like, but don"t try to contact me using the link in my header; it"s broken.
Now, on to the news. According to my last news item, the in-laws were visiting. They have since left the building. They left on Monday afternoon, well most of them left on Monday afternoon. Kelly left late Saturday night. Dave and I didn"t bond too much during the weekdays they were here, but we made up for it on Saturday and Sunday. He and I put in a new front door and added some siding pieces around the back slider. I"ve said it before and I"ll say it again, I"ll put some pictures up when I get a chance.
To answer Angie"s question from the last news item, the barbecue was fun. There were more people at my house than have been in a long time. We had to have the whole event in the car port, since it was raining. And since Marcie was cooking, I didn"t have the grill to distract me from mingling.
Kate and I babysat for Molly Wednesday night so Wendy and Floyd could enjoy a night out. I was supposed to babysit for Molly when Kate and her fam was in Victoria, but I preempted that by asking Floyd for help with the little wall in our front yard. The other thing Dave and I did to bond was screen dirt. If I"ve ever done anything which made me appreciate my white-collar job, it"s screen dirt.
Reading back through the news item, it seems disjointed. If you feel the same way, you should print the page, then cut out the sentences and rearrange them as you like. You can send me the final result if you would like, but don"t try to contact me using the link in my header; it"s broken.
| 6 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
visit from the in-laws --
Richard had this to say at
8:46:46 AM on
8/7/2008.
Kate"s family is in town, sort of. They arrived Saturday evening and then took off Sunday morning for a trip to Mount Saint Helens and Seaside, OR, returning on Monday evening. Wednesday morning, they took off again, this time to Victoria, BC. They will return again some time Thursday evening. Saturday we are hosting a barbecue for Kate"s Dad"s birthday and since you are reading this you are invited. Contact me if you need directions, but don"t use the contact link; it"s broken.
I wish I could that I"m leaving out many interesting things I have done since the last time I posted, but that"s just not true. I"ve cleaned up the yard, built a small wall in my front yard, trimmed some branches, just very basic duties that come with owning a house.
I wish I could that I"m leaving out many interesting things I have done since the last time I posted, but that"s just not true. I"ve cleaned up the yard, built a small wall in my front yard, trimmed some branches, just very basic duties that come with owning a house.
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visit from mom --
Richard had this to say at
8:47:15 AM on
7/28/2008.
Mom has been in town for the past week. She was staying with Roger up until Friday, when she came to stay with us. Tuesday we will take her to the airport so she can return to Michigan. Saturday we went to Lowe"s and bought items for the house, and Floyd and Wendy came over for a dinner of beef stew. Sunday Roger and Shelly came up for dinner and we went out for pizza. Also Saturday, we went to Lynnwood Honda and I got some advice about my weed whacker, and I was able to put the new head on without any special tools or nonsense. Then I trimmed the edges around the deck and along the back fence.
If you are thinking to yourself that my weekend was much more boring than yours, post a comment about all the fun things you did; I dare you.
If you are thinking to yourself that my weekend was much more boring than yours, post a comment about all the fun things you did; I dare you.
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happy anniversary --
Richard had this to say at
8:09:05 AM on
7/25/2008.
Today is Dad and Cindy"s anniversary. You may remember Dad and Cindy from previous news items doing such things as taking an Alaskan cruise and living near wildfires. To celebrate this day, I am going to go to work. If you know how to contact Dad and Cindy directly, wish them happy anniversary that way. If not, post a comment here and I will relay the message.
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Ctrl + Backspace --
Richard had this to say at
9:22:27 AM on
7/22/2008.
I pride myself on my knowledge of Excel. Kate asks me questions about Excel that cam up during her day and I answer them. Last night she asked me how to select a range of cells and still be able to view the selected cell. I didn"t know the answer and couldn"t figure it out even after 5 minutes of playing with Excel. Like most things, a good night"s sleep showed me the way: Ctrl + Backspace.
In other news, mom is in town. Perhaps her activities will be first paragraph worthy when she is staying with us and not Roger and Shelly. This weekend we made a dump run and ridded ourselves of .49 tons of garbage. A portion of that was Floyd"s. We also finished up some little projects around the house, such as putting up some new trim by the fridge, and replacing the office door which has a Richard Riddle fist size hole in it.
Post a comment if you have been working on or recently finished a project. Don"t discuss the project in your comment, though.
In other news, mom is in town. Perhaps her activities will be first paragraph worthy when she is staying with us and not Roger and Shelly. This weekend we made a dump run and ridded ourselves of .49 tons of garbage. A portion of that was Floyd"s. We also finished up some little projects around the house, such as putting up some new trim by the fridge, and replacing the office door which has a Richard Riddle fist size hole in it.
Post a comment if you have been working on or recently finished a project. Don"t discuss the project in your comment, though.
| 1 comment | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
Celebratory fun --
Richard had this to say at
12:49:26 AM on
7/17/2008.
I can only assume that all the loyal readers feel the same as mom: that I waited way too long to discuss what we did for Roger"s birthday, or that I didn"t mention Floyd"s birthday, or whatever she was talking about.
Friday night Kate was finishing up VBS so Roger, Shelly and I went out for Greek food and a movie. We saw Hellboy 2: The Golden, which I don"t believe was on Kate"s list of must-sees this summer anyway. Saturday was Floyd"s birthday, and Kate and I spent the day doing home improvements, in honor of Floyd. Sunday was nobody"s birthday that I know of, but we went to the Nelson household for birthday cake and dinner. A special thanks to Sue, Floyd"s mom, who made both a carrot cake and a jell-o cake, without even knowing those two are my favorite cakes of all time.
I played ultimate frisbee this evening, for the first time in many years. It"s good to know I can still run around with college aged kids, helps me feel young. Molly is still doing fine; I held her for the first time on Sunday, and she promptly wet herself.
Friday night Kate was finishing up VBS so Roger, Shelly and I went out for Greek food and a movie. We saw Hellboy 2: The Golden, which I don"t believe was on Kate"s list of must-sees this summer anyway. Saturday was Floyd"s birthday, and Kate and I spent the day doing home improvements, in honor of Floyd. Sunday was nobody"s birthday that I know of, but we went to the Nelson household for birthday cake and dinner. A special thanks to Sue, Floyd"s mom, who made both a carrot cake and a jell-o cake, without even knowing those two are my favorite cakes of all time.
I played ultimate frisbee this evening, for the first time in many years. It"s good to know I can still run around with college aged kids, helps me feel young. Molly is still doing fine; I held her for the first time on Sunday, and she promptly wet herself.
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happy birthday Roger --
Richard had this to say at
10:09:53 AM on
7/11/2008.
Today is Roger"s birthday. I won"t say how old he is, but if you know anything about us, you"ll be able to figure it out. We will probably hang out or something. Post a comment wishing Roger happy birthday and check back tomorrow to find out what we did to celebrate.
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You say today is your birthday; well it"s my birthday too --
Richard had this to say at
8:15:56 AM on
7/7/2008.
Today I am 31. Yesterday we went to Safeco Field and watched the Detroit Tigers win against the Seattle Mariners. I took the train to the stadium from Edmonds, which I"m not sure I recommend. I saw Molly Nelson on Friday and she is still doing well. The Nelson family returned home Saturday afternoon to a full house. Floyd"s parents are in town, as were Wendy"s sisters.
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Molly Elizabeth Nelson --
Richard had this to say at
11:30:30 AM on
7/3/2008.
Born 6:40 a.m. PDT July 3, 2008. She weighed 8 pounds, 13 ounces. If you want to know more, come visit, but wait until September or so because all the beds will be full until then.
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auto maintenance and a Wendy update --
Richard had this to say at
12:24:28 AM on
7/3/2008.
I started a tune-up on the truck this evening. I plan on doing the whole thing, but I ran out of time. I changed the plugs, wires, distributor cap and rotor, as well as the air filter. Next I"ll change the oil and make sure the rest of the fluids are where they are supposed to me. You may remember the truck failed an emissions test. You may not remember that if I didn"t post it in a news item; I can"t remember and I"m too lazy to open a new window and look. Anyway, the tune-up is an effort to make sure the truck passes the emissions test. I think having all 6 six cylinders wired to the distributor is a big first step.
Friday is July 4th. It will be a good day to get up early and drive a parade route placing garbage dumpsters. Good thing the truck is running, isn"t it. Maybe I can convince Kate 7:30 really isn"t that early.
Wendy and Floyd have been admitted to the hospital and whenever Kate talked to her last her contractions were 3 and a half minutes apart. Who knows; they could be parents right now. Or now. Or...now. If you didn"t get a phone call from them saying they were going to the hospital, don"t worry, neither did I.
Post a comment about auto maintenance, about my inability to remember my last news item, about how Ron hasn"t posted on his site in many days, or about Wendy and Floyd.
Friday is July 4th. It will be a good day to get up early and drive a parade route placing garbage dumpsters. Good thing the truck is running, isn"t it. Maybe I can convince Kate 7:30 really isn"t that early.
Wendy and Floyd have been admitted to the hospital and whenever Kate talked to her last her contractions were 3 and a half minutes apart. Who knows; they could be parents right now. Or now. Or...now. If you didn"t get a phone call from them saying they were going to the hospital, don"t worry, neither did I.
Post a comment about auto maintenance, about my inability to remember my last news item, about how Ron hasn"t posted on his site in many days, or about Wendy and Floyd.
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long bus ride --
Richard had this to say at
9:49:29 AM on
6/30/2008.
An accident occurred on the Express Lanes going into downtown Seattle. We are traveling about 10 mph. So I thought: it"s a good time for more news. I worked late Thursday retrieving data from Goldmine, so I took off early Friday afternoon. Kate and I took the truck to get an emissions test, a necessary step to renew the license tabs. The truck failed the test, so I guess all the commuting I am doing by bike is being offset by the extra greenhouse gases the truck spews. We dropped the truck off at a shop and they will call today with what they can do and how much it will cost.
Speaking of biking, I bought a wheel truing stand and some spokes and fixed my wheel. I also gave the drivetrain a cleaning and tuning. We"ll see how long I can go this time without breaking a spoke.
Also this weekend, Floyd and I built a turnstile for the upcoming vacation bible school at the church. Once it is painted I will post some pictures.
Speaking of biking, I bought a wheel truing stand and some spokes and fixed my wheel. I also gave the drivetrain a cleaning and tuning. We"ll see how long I can go this time without breaking a spoke.
Also this weekend, Floyd and I built a turnstile for the upcoming vacation bible school at the church. Once it is painted I will post some pictures.
| 5 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
happy anniversary --
Richard had this to say at
9:10:43 AM on
6/25/2008.
Today is Roger and Shelly"s anniversary. You may remember Roger and Shelly from previous news items doing such things as taking us to Greek food and picking us up from the airport. Take a couple minutes to reflect on Roger and Shelly and post a comment wishing them a happy anniversary.
| 7 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
going home (a beaten man) --
Richard had this to say at
7:46:16 AM on
6/22/2008.
We are waiting at Kate"s folks" house to go to the airport. It"s amazing how much faster I can get ready if I don"t shower. The week went by quickly and slowly at the same time. The last several days was the most driving. We came back from Mt. Pleasant after dinner Friday and went to church Saturday for Gram"s ceremony. The ceremony seemed a bit short, but I guess the "real" memorial was back in September. Saturday afternoon was spent at aunt Sue"s house swimming and horsing around. No more news until we are safely back in Washington.
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the hot spot --
Richard had this to say at
11:06:27 PM on
6/16/2008.
We"ve been in Michigan for a couple days now and we have had much fun hanging out with folks we don"t normally see. Saturday we went to the wedding in Kalamazoo, which was fun. The reception was downtown Kalamazoo and was also much fun. They served Bell"s Oberon, which always goes down so smooth.
Sunday we went to the bride"s parents" house for gift opening and more hanging out. After that we came back to the east side of Michigan where Kate hung out with her family more and I travelled to Milford to hang out with Ron and Sarah at a barbeque hosted by Ron"s coworker.
Monday we travelled to Clarkston to visit with my grandmother and other family. Uncle Clark and aunt Sue are in town, and it was cool to see them as well. Clark said he and Kirk have been visiting a coffee shop around there every day since he"s been in town. Apparently at this coffee shop, called the hot spot, the baristas are scantily clad, but they also have great coffee, apparently. Maybe he didn"t say they stop by there every day, but we did discuss the coffee shop.
Tonight we are hanging out back at Kate"s folks" house, and then Tuesday we are hanging out more. Post a comment if you also enjoy hanging out.
Sunday we went to the bride"s parents" house for gift opening and more hanging out. After that we came back to the east side of Michigan where Kate hung out with her family more and I travelled to Milford to hang out with Ron and Sarah at a barbeque hosted by Ron"s coworker.
Monday we travelled to Clarkston to visit with my grandmother and other family. Uncle Clark and aunt Sue are in town, and it was cool to see them as well. Clark said he and Kirk have been visiting a coffee shop around there every day since he"s been in town. Apparently at this coffee shop, called the hot spot, the baristas are scantily clad, but they also have great coffee, apparently. Maybe he didn"t say they stop by there every day, but we did discuss the coffee shop.
Tonight we are hanging out back at Kate"s folks" house, and then Tuesday we are hanging out more. Post a comment if you also enjoy hanging out.
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happy birthday --
Richard had this to say at
1:57:44 AM on
6/11/2008.
Wednesday is Clay"s birthday. You may remember Clay from the previous news item offering to drive somewhere. He turns 16 today. Little does he know that now he can drive his mother will "ask" him to drive Kasey wherever she needs to go. Ask Roger how it feels to be 16 with a younger sibling. Go ahead, I"ll wait.
The busy week continued today; I went to Bellevue to train our new clients on CRM. I spent part of the morning before leaving home tidying up some processes, and then three hours on site installing clients and doing the actual training. Wednesday it"s back in the office to tie up loose ends before leaving on Friday. I"m not sure what I will do Thursday, but I"m sure it will be billable to someone.
Don"t worry, Clark, we have Clarkston already inked in as a stop on our tour of Michigan. So post a comment wishing Clay a happy birthday.
The busy week continued today; I went to Bellevue to train our new clients on CRM. I spent part of the morning before leaving home tidying up some processes, and then three hours on site installing clients and doing the actual training. Wednesday it"s back in the office to tie up loose ends before leaving on Friday. I"m not sure what I will do Thursday, but I"m sure it will be billable to someone.
Don"t worry, Clark, we have Clarkston already inked in as a stop on our tour of Michigan. So post a comment wishing Clay a happy birthday.
| 5 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
busy week --
Richard had this to say at
9:25:22 AM on
6/9/2008.
This week is going to be busy. We have much to do and a limited amount of time in which to do it. Kate and I are flying out Thursday night headed back to Michigan for her cousin Julia"s wedding. We will take the next week for a whirlwind tour of the state.
Before that time though, many things have to be accomplished. Last week was busy as well, so there was no grass mowing, which is now much needed. I also purchased a pair of loppers for pruning, which is also much needed. As part of our music involvement at church, I compile the guitar music for whomever is playing on Sunday, so that needs to be done for two weeks. At work, this week will be busy, but only through tomorrow. I have working on a big project for several weeks now and although I have learned many things, I will be happy it"s over.
In other news, we lost our softball game yesterday. I think the score was 18-9. Also, I broke a spoke on my back wheel, so the bike is on the repair stand, most likely the rest of the week. Post a comment if you want to help alleviate our busyness by mowing our lawn.
For those looking for a Wendy update, she is doing great except she"s bummed because her feet are swelling. Three weeks and counting.
Before that time though, many things have to be accomplished. Last week was busy as well, so there was no grass mowing, which is now much needed. I also purchased a pair of loppers for pruning, which is also much needed. As part of our music involvement at church, I compile the guitar music for whomever is playing on Sunday, so that needs to be done for two weeks. At work, this week will be busy, but only through tomorrow. I have working on a big project for several weeks now and although I have learned many things, I will be happy it"s over.
In other news, we lost our softball game yesterday. I think the score was 18-9. Also, I broke a spoke on my back wheel, so the bike is on the repair stand, most likely the rest of the week. Post a comment if you want to help alleviate our busyness by mowing our lawn.
For those looking for a Wendy update, she is doing great except she"s bummed because her feet are swelling. Three weeks and counting.
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news from the bus --
Richard had this to say at
9:34:32 AM on
6/4/2008.
I haven"t been posting lately because I have been scanning things. I bought a scanner for my mom so she can catalog her books. I"ve been testing it on anything in the house with a UPC. I really don"t know how we lived for so long without one.
We went to a baseball game on Sunday, Tigers vs Mariners. The tigers won simply because their pitcher was not able to give up three more runs before the rest of the team got three outs.
This weekend we are headed to Camp Muir. If you are looking for a long, strenuous hike, be at the Lynnwood park and ride at 6 Saturday morning.
Time to get off the bus now.
We went to a baseball game on Sunday, Tigers vs Mariners. The tigers won simply because their pitcher was not able to give up three more runs before the rest of the team got three outs.
This weekend we are headed to Camp Muir. If you are looking for a long, strenuous hike, be at the Lynnwood park and ride at 6 Saturday morning.
Time to get off the bus now.
| 2 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
Annual review --
Richard had this to say at
9:28:08 AM on
5/28/2008.
One of the benefits of having a blog is the archive of my life. My annual review at work happened yesterday so I looked back through the archive to see what I discussed last year and the previous year.
This year the review was as good as ever and we are all excited to see what the next 12 months hold. I feel over the past year I have really stepped up my involvement in my projects and grown professionally. Last year, I was really just a CRM developer, but since then I have done some SRS work, more Windows services, and installed a garage door. That last one doesn"t directly apply to the job, but the blue collar action certainly makes me appreciate my white collar occupation.
This year the review was as good as ever and we are all excited to see what the next 12 months hold. I feel over the past year I have really stepped up my involvement in my projects and grown professionally. Last year, I was really just a CRM developer, but since then I have done some SRS work, more Windows services, and installed a garage door. That last one doesn"t directly apply to the job, but the blue collar action certainly makes me appreciate my white collar occupation.
| 3 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
going in early --
Richard had this to say at
8:24:47 AM on
5/23/2008.
I have a demo this morning that I stayed late at the office to work on, and worked on from home, and now am going in early to work on. The good news is I got quite a bit done during my non-standard work time. I expect I will get a considerable amount accomplished before the rest of the crew arrives. Who knows, I may even be fully prepared. The biggest issue with going in early is I am still a slave to the transit schedule. It"s not like I can go in a half hour early; I have to take an earlier bus to get on an earlier boat. Fortunately, I don"t have to wake up early. I just skipped my workout this morning so I could be out the door faster. Post a comment about a time when you went in early.
| 4 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
update from the barber shop --
Rich had this to say at
4:36:24 PM on
5/20/2008.
I am waiting to get my hair cut and I already sent some emails, so I figue it"s time for more news. I noticed several of the loyal readers are clamoring for an update. I couldn"t tell from the comments if the loyal readers want an update about me or Wendy, so I will try to get to both topics.
Last week was extra busy; we had things to do pretty much every evening. Kate had more to do than I did, but I helped her with some things. We went to Kell"s on Friday night with Roger, Shelly and Wendy. On Saturday, I hiked Tiger Mountain with some guys from church. The Rainier summit attempt has been postponed until summer 2009, which is cool. That means it"s more likely my close friends will go.
Sunday was a church carnival and then softball. We won our one token game of the year. The carnival was to celebrate another year of Sunday school. Many of the things Kate did last week were in preparation for the carnival.
Wendy is still doing well. She and Floyd have finished the major renovations on their house. If the baby shows up early, everyone will have a place to sleep. This was not the case a short time ago. Wendy also had a baby shower on Sunday in Federal Way. Her sisters and nephew came up from Portland for the festivities.
Sorry for no line breaks, stupid lack of understanding of whitespace in xml.
Last week was extra busy; we had things to do pretty much every evening. Kate had more to do than I did, but I helped her with some things. We went to Kell"s on Friday night with Roger, Shelly and Wendy. On Saturday, I hiked Tiger Mountain with some guys from church. The Rainier summit attempt has been postponed until summer 2009, which is cool. That means it"s more likely my close friends will go.
Sunday was a church carnival and then softball. We won our one token game of the year. The carnival was to celebrate another year of Sunday school. Many of the things Kate did last week were in preparation for the carnival.
Wendy is still doing well. She and Floyd have finished the major renovations on their house. If the baby shows up early, everyone will have a place to sleep. This was not the case a short time ago. Wendy also had a baby shower on Sunday in Federal Way. Her sisters and nephew came up from Portland for the festivities.
Sorry for no line breaks, stupid lack of understanding of whitespace in xml.
| 1 comment | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
Wendy update --
Richard had this to say at
7:07:35 PM on
5/9/2008.
The last thing I heard about Wendy was that she was running errands with Floyd. I can"t more current than that because I can either surf the web on my phone or talk on it, not both. Maybe by the time you read this the errands will be done and Wendy will be home, making dinner. Or maybe she will be at the Channel Marker enjoying a burger. For the loyal readers who don"t Wendy, she and I went to college together and she moved to Seattle the same time I did back in 2000. For more Wendy updates, contact her for her blog address, although she hasn"t updated that since it snowed last.
| 6 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
still no wall, but I am sunburned --
Richard had this to say at
12:28:34 AM on
5/5/2008.
I had a long week of training in Silverdale and I"m glad it"s over. My commute is long enough to get to Bainbridge, having to go 45 minutes longer was brutal. The next time I plan to be off site is on Tuesday, when I will work from home. Kate and I purchased an elliptical and it will arrive on Tuesday.
Also this week I will be back on the bike. I didn"t ride at all this past week since I had to dress more professionally for the training. Now that the weather is getting warmer the bike riding is much more enjoyable. Saturday the weather was not good. I was going to construct my retaining wall, the project that will not go away. It"s not that I don"t like working in the rain, it"s just I don"t want to run the wheelbarrow full of rocks across the lawn when it"s wet, lest I form a rut. Saturday night I hung out with Floyd and some guys from church. We had some dinner and then shot some pool. Sunday was Wendy"s baby shower at church, so we felt Floyd needed some guy time.
Sunday was also softball, where I forgot to apply sunscreen. My arms and the backs of my legs are red from being in the sun. Reading back through the news item, I noticed it"s a little disjointed. Post a comment about what I could have done to make the news item more coherent.
Also this week I will be back on the bike. I didn"t ride at all this past week since I had to dress more professionally for the training. Now that the weather is getting warmer the bike riding is much more enjoyable. Saturday the weather was not good. I was going to construct my retaining wall, the project that will not go away. It"s not that I don"t like working in the rain, it"s just I don"t want to run the wheelbarrow full of rocks across the lawn when it"s wet, lest I form a rut. Saturday night I hung out with Floyd and some guys from church. We had some dinner and then shot some pool. Sunday was Wendy"s baby shower at church, so we felt Floyd needed some guy time.
Sunday was also softball, where I forgot to apply sunscreen. My arms and the backs of my legs are red from being in the sun. Reading back through the news item, I noticed it"s a little disjointed. Post a comment about what I could have done to make the news item more coherent.
| 4 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
I guess it"s time for more news --
Richard had this to say at
8:24:29 AM on
4/28/2008.
Before the talk of unmentionables gets out of hand.
So no wall this weekend either. Roger came up Saturday and he and I dug out some rocks and assessed the situation better. I will spend the week clearing more rocks out so I can actually build the wall on Saturday. Everyone is invited over to help.
Sunday was softball, where my skill as a relief pitcher was fully realized. I pitched three pitches and the inning was over. We still lost by 10 runs, but my inning was awesome.
That"s really all; try to make the news item more interesting without talk of unmentionables.
So no wall this weekend either. Roger came up Saturday and he and I dug out some rocks and assessed the situation better. I will spend the week clearing more rocks out so I can actually build the wall on Saturday. Everyone is invited over to help.
Sunday was softball, where my skill as a relief pitcher was fully realized. I pitched three pitches and the inning was over. We still lost by 10 runs, but my inning was awesome.
That"s really all; try to make the news item more interesting without talk of unmentionables.
| 4 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
more snow --
Richard had this to say at
12:47:36 AM on
4/21/2008.
The retaining wall project this weekend did not occur. Kate and I went to West Seattle to have dinner with Roger and Shelly and watch the Red Wings on TV. We returned home Friday night to 4 inches of snow, very wet snow. Saturday morning I poked around in the backyard enough to determine the wall project was going to have to wait. Perhaps this Saturday I will make it happen.
Instead of building a wall Saturday, I went to Floyd"s and helped him remodel his bathroom. He and I hung some drywall and moved a door. We didn"t get a lot accomplished, but we had a good time. Sunday I played guitar at church, and then hung out with Kate the rest of the day. I enjoy hanging out with my wife; I should make the decision to do it more often.
Saturday was also Wendy"s birthday. In honor of this, we had dinner at the Nelson"s and then Roger and Shelly and I went to a movie. Wendy worked on her scrap book all day and I tried to convince Floyd to go snowboarding. He said it wasn"t the best present he could think of for his wife and politely declined.
This week will be a good week, but busy. I have a data import to accomplish and a customization specification to write. Post a comment with your thoughts any of the above paragraphs. And don"t be afraid to follow the lead of the Clarkston Contingent and post multiple times. Let the comment box be your canvas.
Instead of building a wall Saturday, I went to Floyd"s and helped him remodel his bathroom. He and I hung some drywall and moved a door. We didn"t get a lot accomplished, but we had a good time. Sunday I played guitar at church, and then hung out with Kate the rest of the day. I enjoy hanging out with my wife; I should make the decision to do it more often.
Saturday was also Wendy"s birthday. In honor of this, we had dinner at the Nelson"s and then Roger and Shelly and I went to a movie. Wendy worked on her scrap book all day and I tried to convince Floyd to go snowboarding. He said it wasn"t the best present he could think of for his wife and politely declined.
This week will be a good week, but busy. I have a data import to accomplish and a customization specification to write. Post a comment with your thoughts any of the above paragraphs. And don"t be afraid to follow the lead of the Clarkston Contingent and post multiple times. Let the comment box be your canvas.
| 6 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
news from the coffee shop --
Richard had this to say at
9:56:35 AM on
4/16/2008.
So I"m posting today from the coffee shop. I feel bad that the loyal readers have had to look at the same news item for far too many days now. Now you"ll be able to re-read this news item for far too many days.
This weekend we are building a retaining wall in the backyard to stop soil erosion and maintain good a relationship with our neighbors over the back fence. Before this weekend I am going to learn how to build a retaining wall. My inclination is to go with solid concrete, so we don"t have to mess with bricks. Since the wall is between two back yards, I don"t think aesthetics should be our driver.
Post a comment about retaining walls, or with any advice you have for me.
This weekend we are building a retaining wall in the backyard to stop soil erosion and maintain good a relationship with our neighbors over the back fence. Before this weekend I am going to learn how to build a retaining wall. My inclination is to go with solid concrete, so we don"t have to mess with bricks. Since the wall is between two back yards, I don"t think aesthetics should be our driver.
Post a comment about retaining walls, or with any advice you have for me.
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sorry about that last one --
Richard had this to say at
9:27:14 AM on
4/7/2008.
Apparently, my last news item was a bit on the lengthy side. Perhaps I should have devoted fewer paragraphs to filler and more to content, or maybe I should have done fewer fun things. Either way, the previous news item was too long; I get it.
This past weekend I hiked around in the snow and practiced hiking on a rope team so I know how to do it should I ever want to summit a mountain. After the hiking, Floyd and I went downton for what I hoped was going to be a cool tour of a Peruvian tanker tender. Alas, it was simply a Peruvian history lesson on the ship with no tour.
Sunday was church and putting the finishing touches on the Sunday School rooms. Kate and I hung whiteboards, curtains, and clocks. I borrowed a nail gun and air compressor and installed baseboard. Our friend Jim stopped by to assist; thanks again Jim.
Sorry about the lack of line breaks; I am posting from the bus on my HTC Mogul.
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don"t look now, it"s more news --
Richard had this to say at
12:41:38 AM on
4/2/2008.
This week so far has not been crazy, nor have I been too busy to post a news item; I just didn"t. But don"t worry, this news item won"t just be about how I didn"t get around to posting a news item Sunday evening, like I usually do, or Monday evening, like I sometimes do. I guess I usually post a news item on Sunday night because that"s when the weekend is over and I have the most to write about. If I don"t post on Sunday evening, as was the case this past Sunday, then I generally post on Monday evening, still trying to ride the weekend wave. Since I"m posting on Tuesday evening, I feel that all weekend news is now off-limits and my content must come from Monday and Tuesday only. Or maybe I could write about how I was busy on Sunday night and didn"t have time to post. I don"t like to go back that far though, this is the Internet after all. You should have to read about an event that happened more than 10 hours ago, or so.
Anyway, this weekend Kate and I worked on a spreadsheet project for Marcie. We didn"t get it quite done before our small group on Sunday, after which I felt ill, so Kate had to finish it up by herself. It really was her project; I looked over her shoulder and when I saw her do something the slow way twice, I wrote a macro in Excel so she could double click to make things go faster. I practiced my juggling the rest of the time.
Monday I spent more time trying to convert nvarchar(max) to xml, Sisyphean task if there ever was one.
Today I went to Bellevue with Scott. He rode over on the ferry and we met downtown. After our meeting in Bellevue, we parked at the ferry terminal and wandered the city looking for lunch. We attempted to enter a building, which I thought was locked. By locked I mean I didn"t pull the door handle hard enough. A lady showed us the way, by pushing the handicap accessible button and demonstrating how the door opens automatically. I walked in first and went to open the second set of doors, ready to apply my new found knowledge. As I opened the door, the lady pushed the second handicap accessible button, and the door pinned me against the wall. My life didn"t flash before my eyes, but I did feel a little like Prometheus, except instead of an eagle, it was a door handle.
Sorry to have wasted this much of your time, but I did manage two Greek mythology references, which isn"t too shabby for a Tuesday.
Anyway, this weekend Kate and I worked on a spreadsheet project for Marcie. We didn"t get it quite done before our small group on Sunday, after which I felt ill, so Kate had to finish it up by herself. It really was her project; I looked over her shoulder and when I saw her do something the slow way twice, I wrote a macro in Excel so she could double click to make things go faster. I practiced my juggling the rest of the time.
Monday I spent more time trying to convert nvarchar(max) to xml, Sisyphean task if there ever was one.
Today I went to Bellevue with Scott. He rode over on the ferry and we met downtown. After our meeting in Bellevue, we parked at the ferry terminal and wandered the city looking for lunch. We attempted to enter a building, which I thought was locked. By locked I mean I didn"t pull the door handle hard enough. A lady showed us the way, by pushing the handicap accessible button and demonstrating how the door opens automatically. I walked in first and went to open the second set of doors, ready to apply my new found knowledge. As I opened the door, the lady pushed the second handicap accessible button, and the door pinned me against the wall. My life didn"t flash before my eyes, but I did feel a little like Prometheus, except instead of an eagle, it was a door handle.
Sorry to have wasted this much of your time, but I did manage two Greek mythology references, which isn"t too shabby for a Tuesday.
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happy easter, and birthdays --
Richard had this to say at
12:26:35 AM on
3/24/2008.
Today is Easter. Today is also Kate and mom"s birthday. We celebrated Easter by going to church and listening to Kate sing with the adult ensemble. Roger and Shelly joined us at church as well. We called mom to wish her a happy birthday and then we had Easter dinner and birthday cake at Floyd and Wendy"s.
Saturday Kate went out with some of her girlfriends to a piano bar in Everett. Floyd and I went snowboarding and then hung out with Roger while the girls were doing their thing.
That"s really about it; not much else happened. I practiced my unicycle, I broke my SQL Server discovering nvarchar(max) can"t be converted to xml, even when using the xmlschema keyword, very standard usual things.
Saturday Kate went out with some of her girlfriends to a piano bar in Everett. Floyd and I went snowboarding and then hung out with Roger while the girls were doing their thing.
That"s really about it; not much else happened. I practiced my unicycle, I broke my SQL Server discovering nvarchar(max) can"t be converted to xml, even when using the xmlschema keyword, very standard usual things.
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that"s a lot of steps --
Richard had this to say at
12:04:09 AM on
3/17/2008.
Today Floyd and I did the Big Climb, a race up 69 flights of stairs in the tallest building in Seattle, the Columbia Tower. We didn"t do it to race anybody, and we didn"t raise the recommended $150 per person either; we just did it to say we climbed 1311 steps in one go. My official time was 13 minutes and 52 seconds.
I"ve been sick lately. Luckily today seems to be the last of it, what with the stair climb and all. I worked from home Wednesday, Thursday and most of Friday. I say most of Friday because I actually made it to the office before the weakness overtook me. I guess it was the flu, but I didn"t have any of the nausea, just muscle soreness and a fever. I still have a sinus headache, but I assume that will subside with a good night"s sleep.
Also today, I rode my unicycle twice around the neighborhood. I haven"t done that since the last news item, because I have been sick. Monday my legs may be sore from the stairs, but we"ll see. We haven"t done a whole lot since the last news item because I was so sick. It"s been four days since I slept more than two hours at a time. Post a comment with how long it"s been since you slept more than two hours at a time.
I"ve been sick lately. Luckily today seems to be the last of it, what with the stair climb and all. I worked from home Wednesday, Thursday and most of Friday. I say most of Friday because I actually made it to the office before the weakness overtook me. I guess it was the flu, but I didn"t have any of the nausea, just muscle soreness and a fever. I still have a sinus headache, but I assume that will subside with a good night"s sleep.
Also today, I rode my unicycle twice around the neighborhood. I haven"t done that since the last news item, because I have been sick. Monday my legs may be sore from the stairs, but we"ll see. We haven"t done a whole lot since the last news item because I was so sick. It"s been four days since I slept more than two hours at a time. Post a comment with how long it"s been since you slept more than two hours at a time.
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weekend fun --
Richard had this to say at
11:34:50 PM on
3/9/2008.
This past weekend was fun, in case you didn"t gather that from the title. Friday evening Kate picked me up downtown from the ferry and we had dinner at Red Robin. Then we went to a high school jazz concert. It was pretty much what I expected from high school singers.
Saturday Kate and I went to the mall in Bellevue, toured Pike Place Market, and had reubens in Queen Anne. Floyd and I rode laps around his neighborhood on our unicycles, probably 1.2 miles in all. Saturday night we headed to West Seattle for dinner with Roger, Shelly, and Eric. After dinner we bowled.
Sunday was church, and then movie watching. After dinner we had small group. While Kate was watching movies I rode around our neighborhood on my unicycle. I hooked up my bike computer to the unicycle and I found out a lap is .54 miles, my average speed was 4.3 miles per hour and my maximum speed was 7.1 miles per hour.
This past week was not a good one, schedule-wise. Even though many things were accomplished, the cost was my free time in the evenings. This week I look forward to getting back on track and back into a routine. Post a comment, why don"t ya.
Saturday Kate and I went to the mall in Bellevue, toured Pike Place Market, and had reubens in Queen Anne. Floyd and I rode laps around his neighborhood on our unicycles, probably 1.2 miles in all. Saturday night we headed to West Seattle for dinner with Roger, Shelly, and Eric. After dinner we bowled.
Sunday was church, and then movie watching. After dinner we had small group. While Kate was watching movies I rode around our neighborhood on my unicycle. I hooked up my bike computer to the unicycle and I found out a lap is .54 miles, my average speed was 4.3 miles per hour and my maximum speed was 7.1 miles per hour.
This past week was not a good one, schedule-wise. Even though many things were accomplished, the cost was my free time in the evenings. This week I look forward to getting back on track and back into a routine. Post a comment, why don"t ya.
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one last note about the garage door --
Richard had this to say at
10:17:17 AM on
3/6/2008.
Last night Floyd and I tweaked the garage door. When we first installed the thing, it would go up quite jerky. We hypothesized that the spring had too much tension. When we lessened the tension, the door went up much more smoothly. I also ran some cable to my office last night.
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The garage door is installed --
Richard had this to say at
12:08:55 AM on
3/3/2008.
Dave, Roger, Floyd and myself installed the new garage door on Saturday. We started about 8 in the morning by taking down the old door jamb and constructing a new one. Once we had the opening framed well, we followed the instructions in the book as best as we could. The book did not cover the particular variety we had so we had to fudge it in a couple places. At the end of the day though, we had a garage door that was completely operational.
Sunday we worked on little projects, like trimming the new garage door. Kate should be posting on her site pictures of all the things Dave did while he was visiting. Along with the work he did, Dave also gave us good ideas. Working with him boosted my confidence for undertaking home repair and improvement projects. Some time this week, maybe I"ll post a gallery of images of the works in progress and completed projects.
Anyway, I"m tired from working for two days and I"ll be glad to be back behind a desk tomorrow. Post a comment with reasons why you appreciate being white-collar.
Sunday we worked on little projects, like trimming the new garage door. Kate should be posting on her site pictures of all the things Dave did while he was visiting. Along with the work he did, Dave also gave us good ideas. Working with him boosted my confidence for undertaking home repair and improvement projects. Some time this week, maybe I"ll post a gallery of images of the works in progress and completed projects.
Anyway, I"m tired from working for two days and I"ll be glad to be back behind a desk tomorrow. Post a comment with reasons why you appreciate being white-collar.
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so, i haven"t posted in a while --
Richard had this to say at
9:29:06 AM on
2/28/2008.
Kate"s dad is here until Monday, and we have been doing all sorts of fun things. We put a new outlet in the office and he finish all the trim around the house. He also fixed squeaky things in ourf house. If you want the full details, check out Kate"s site.
Happy birthday Anna, glad to hear your party went well, sorry we couldn"t attend and that we took your dad from you. Maybe next year you should just have the party in Seattle.
The past two days at work have been rough. I am learning new skills and applying them at the same time. Anyway, post a comment about that.
Happy birthday Anna, glad to hear your party went well, sorry we couldn"t attend and that we took your dad from you. Maybe next year you should just have the party in Seattle.
The past two days at work have been rough. I am learning new skills and applying them at the same time. Anyway, post a comment about that.
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more about the garage door --
Richard had this to say at
12:10:09 AM on
2/19/2008.
Since everyone ignored most of the previous post and just commented on the installation garage doors, I will devote this entire post to that very subject.
When we first were looking at replacing the garage door some time ago, I spent several hours researching the best way to install a garage door, including which springs to use, what gauge the springs should be, what the tolerances are for the track and the best way to attach the track to the house, what the recommended r-value is for the door itself and how that affects the weight. Of all the things I read, there wasn"t one thing where I thought "wow, that"s going to be tough." All the big-box home improvement stores have garage door installation guides on their websites and even the door manufacturers have tutorials and tips and tricks. Now I"ll be the first to admit that reading about something is no substitute for hard experience, but I"ll also be the first to say that a proficiency in one area can provide a competency in another area. I"ve been going in and out of doors all my life, some that have slid, some that have opened in or out, even some that I"ve had to use my right hand for. If that sort of broad door opening expertise doesn"t mean I can install a garage door with the help of Roger and Floyd, I don"t know what does. And by the way, we are planning on performing the installation the weekend of March 16, so if you are in the area, stop by and lend a hand.
When we first were looking at replacing the garage door some time ago, I spent several hours researching the best way to install a garage door, including which springs to use, what gauge the springs should be, what the tolerances are for the track and the best way to attach the track to the house, what the recommended r-value is for the door itself and how that affects the weight. Of all the things I read, there wasn"t one thing where I thought "wow, that"s going to be tough." All the big-box home improvement stores have garage door installation guides on their websites and even the door manufacturers have tutorials and tips and tricks. Now I"ll be the first to admit that reading about something is no substitute for hard experience, but I"ll also be the first to say that a proficiency in one area can provide a competency in another area. I"ve been going in and out of doors all my life, some that have slid, some that have opened in or out, even some that I"ve had to use my right hand for. If that sort of broad door opening expertise doesn"t mean I can install a garage door with the help of Roger and Floyd, I don"t know what does. And by the way, we are planning on performing the installation the weekend of March 16, so if you are in the area, stop by and lend a hand.
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impromptu house projects --
Richard had this to say at
11:58:12 PM on
2/17/2008.
Friday, as Kate was attempting to leave the house to go to work, the garage door broke. More specifically, the steel which connects the door to the house broke. The door was stuck in a half open state, but not movable. She called me and I told her to disengage the electric opener and let the door hang. She didn"t feel comfortable trying to put it down, so she left it alone. Floyd and Roger came over Friday night and we got the door off and put up some OSB to cover the opening. Saturday I put some hinges on the OSB and now we have a semi functioning door.
Also Saturday we went to Lowe"s to purchase a new door. We already had a list for Lowe"s since Kate"s dad is visiting, so why not add one more item to his project list? So we got the door and some sawhorses and some peg board and some trim and 2x4"s and some screws and all manner of fun things. Then we went to Floyd"s house and got his table saw and his chop saw and his belt sander and his nail gun. Kate"s dad will be here for two weeks and we want to make sure he is not bored for one minute. Unfortunately, the garage door will take three weeks to come in, so Dave won"t be around for that escapade.
Many people have Monday off. I wish I did, I would like to be at home to help Dave with some of the projects. Post a comment, or don"t.
Also Saturday we went to Lowe"s to purchase a new door. We already had a list for Lowe"s since Kate"s dad is visiting, so why not add one more item to his project list? So we got the door and some sawhorses and some peg board and some trim and 2x4"s and some screws and all manner of fun things. Then we went to Floyd"s house and got his table saw and his chop saw and his belt sander and his nail gun. Kate"s dad will be here for two weeks and we want to make sure he is not bored for one minute. Unfortunately, the garage door will take three weeks to come in, so Dave won"t be around for that escapade.
Many people have Monday off. I wish I did, I would like to be at home to help Dave with some of the projects. Post a comment, or don"t.
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weekend fun --
Richard had this to say at
9:15:49 AM on
2/11/2008.
I have been itching to go snowboarding, because it has been three weeks since I went last. The problem is there is too much snow. The passes have been closed all the times I have wanted to go. I guess it"s not the snow that is the problem; it is the fact that that much snow increases the risk of avalanche to abnormally high levels. As much fun as snowboarding is, getting caught in an avalanche is more not fun.
This weekend Kate and I went shopping. We bought me a new hoodie and she got a 5-quart dutch oven. We also bought me some bike cleaning tools and new lights.
That"s really all that"s been going on since the last time I posted. I remember saying I would give more reasons to move to Seattle, but since you can"t get here on the road, I won"t.
This weekend Kate and I went shopping. We bought me a new hoodie and she got a 5-quart dutch oven. We also bought me some bike cleaning tools and new lights.
That"s really all that"s been going on since the last time I posted. I remember saying I would give more reasons to move to Seattle, but since you can"t get here on the road, I won"t.
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second post from the bus --
Richard had this to say at
9:28:08 AM on
2/7/2008.
As I commute on the bus today, I recall a conversation a had with Ron many microfortnights ago. He called to tell me hiw commuting woes: traffic around Detroit was moving slow and the weather in Michigan in early February wasn"t helping.
I told him that on my commute home, I can enjoy a beer. Also on the ferry are dancing girls. If those aren"t enough reasons to move to the Seattle area, maybe I can come up with more tomorrow.
I told him that on my commute home, I can enjoy a beer. Also on the ferry are dancing girls. If those aren"t enough reasons to move to the Seattle area, maybe I can come up with more tomorrow.
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heavy lifting --
Richard had this to say at
12:51:53 AM on
2/6/2008.
Today I helped Floyd lift heavy things. I don"t know who they"ve told about what they are doing, so that"s all you get about that.
This weekend we painted the kitchen. It"s now the same blue as the wall with the fireplace, I think. In the sunlight all the blues in our house look the same. This weekend we will finish painting the kitchen. Last weekend we didn"t do above the cabinets because we ran out of time before going to West Seattle to hang out with Roger and Shelly for the Super Bowl. Also, Shelly now has the flu, so if you"ve seen her in the past week or so, get a shot.
I had a dentist appointment Monday morning. It"s amazing how regular checkups can make my mouth feel better. When we moved to Washington I was unable to eat ribs at the Outback because the barbecue sauce was too acidic for my gingivitis. Now, after a renewed sense of dental hygiene and four regular cleanings, I can have ribs on the barbie at my leisure.
In related news, I"m back on the bike. I had to be to the dentist by 8, but it"s too far to walk from the ferry in that amount of time. The bike has been fixed for about two weeks, but with all the snow and plans after work, I never rode it. I also rode the bike today, although I don"t think I will tomorrow because we are going to church for the Ash Wednesday service and soup supper.
There are other stories related to biking, but they are too long to write here. Call me for the details.
This weekend we painted the kitchen. It"s now the same blue as the wall with the fireplace, I think. In the sunlight all the blues in our house look the same. This weekend we will finish painting the kitchen. Last weekend we didn"t do above the cabinets because we ran out of time before going to West Seattle to hang out with Roger and Shelly for the Super Bowl. Also, Shelly now has the flu, so if you"ve seen her in the past week or so, get a shot.
I had a dentist appointment Monday morning. It"s amazing how regular checkups can make my mouth feel better. When we moved to Washington I was unable to eat ribs at the Outback because the barbecue sauce was too acidic for my gingivitis. Now, after a renewed sense of dental hygiene and four regular cleanings, I can have ribs on the barbie at my leisure.
In related news, I"m back on the bike. I had to be to the dentist by 8, but it"s too far to walk from the ferry in that amount of time. The bike has been fixed for about two weeks, but with all the snow and plans after work, I never rode it. I also rode the bike today, although I don"t think I will tomorrow because we are going to church for the Ash Wednesday service and soup supper.
There are other stories related to biking, but they are too long to write here. Call me for the details.
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Post from the bus --
Richard had this to say at
9:19:55 AM on
1/30/2008.
As you may or may not have guessed, I have been pretty busy lately. The recent business isn"t work-related; I"ve just been doing more fun things than posting news items. For instance, I have begun a new workout regimen. I get up earlier so I can lift the weights. Supposedly, some of the guys at church are planning to summit Mt. Rainier this summer and I want to be ready when the time comes. As the title indicates, I am on the bus right now. Normally I have a crossword puzzle to do, but since I finished all the puzzles in the paper last night, I figured I would let all the loyal readers know how we are doing.
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very busy --
Richard had this to say at
2:29:57 AM on
1/21/2008.
It"s funny that the more time I spend in front of a computer, the less likely I am to post a news item. I worked many hours this weekend on a data transformation, all of which were spent sitting on the same exercise ball on which I now sit. You"d think in all that time I would have five minutes to update the site, lest Uncle Clark post a record 3 comments in one news item.
More importantly than leaving Uncle Clark hanging, I ignored birthdays. The 19th was Tyler"s birthday. I hope it was good, Ty. The 20th was Kelly"s birthday. Kate talked to her on the phone and said I would send her a birthday gift. Don"t tell it"s going to be a cd by Kate Nash.
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no new garage door yet --
Richard had this to say at
12:48:23 AM on
1/7/2008.
I bought a garage door at Home Depot. I thought it came with torsion springs but the door only came with extension springs. The articles I"ve read about garage doors say that torsion springs will last longer and are easier to maintain, but much more dangerous to install and uninstall. I took the door back to Home Depot after my discovery. I read more about the subject and found that I need at least 9.5 inches above the door to use the low-overhead style lifting mechanism. I only have 5 inches above the door, so I need to do some more calculating.
The past weekend included very little activity, the bulk of which you read about in the last paragraph. I played guitar in church on Sunday and it wasn"t my finest performance. I wasn"t paying attention at the right times; I misplayed two sections of one song and didn"t play one section of another song. I don"t think anybody noticed though, which is disheartening in itself.
Kate had to work Saturday, and so did Roger and so did Floyd. Saturday I snaked the drains in the bathroom sinks, tidied up the office and bought new strings for Roger"s electric guitar he left at my house. I also tuned the guitar, but I didn"t want to put that in the last sentence, lest I"m accused of being a sentence runner-onner.
After that last sentence, I think I"m tired enough to go to bed.
The past weekend included very little activity, the bulk of which you read about in the last paragraph. I played guitar in church on Sunday and it wasn"t my finest performance. I wasn"t paying attention at the right times; I misplayed two sections of one song and didn"t play one section of another song. I don"t think anybody noticed though, which is disheartening in itself.
Kate had to work Saturday, and so did Roger and so did Floyd. Saturday I snaked the drains in the bathroom sinks, tidied up the office and bought new strings for Roger"s electric guitar he left at my house. I also tuned the guitar, but I didn"t want to put that in the last sentence, lest I"m accused of being a sentence runner-onner.
After that last sentence, I think I"m tired enough to go to bed.
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back to work --
Richard had this to say at
12:07:27 AM on
12/31/2007.
Today was the last day of snowboarding for the weekend. Much snow fell as Roger, Floyd, Clay and I drove up the mountain. The wind was coming from all directions and the lifts were having trouble running because of the wind. The snowboarding was still good though, there was much fresh powder to be thrashed. We are also going snowboarding on Tuesday to celebrate the new year. Clay won"t be going, since he will be back in Michigan, so we have an open spot if anyone wants to join us.
Today was the third time I have been snowboarding in four days. That"s the most I"ve snowboarded in recent memory. It was good to see Clay again, and I"m glad he got to snowboard on a real mountain after so much anticipation. As good as it was to have Clay and mom in town, it"s good to have an empty house again. With Shelly"s parents, brother and girlfriend, Wendy"s parents and sisters" family and Clay and mom in town, it always seemed like we were on the go and somebody always had to go somewhere else. After this week, we"ll be able to settle back into our routines and get some work done. This weekend"s project is a new garage door, and maybe a new front door.
Post a comment if you want to reserve a spot in the x-terra for our outing on Tuesday or if you have any advice about installing a new garage door.
Today was the third time I have been snowboarding in four days. That"s the most I"ve snowboarded in recent memory. It was good to see Clay again, and I"m glad he got to snowboard on a real mountain after so much anticipation. As good as it was to have Clay and mom in town, it"s good to have an empty house again. With Shelly"s parents, brother and girlfriend, Wendy"s parents and sisters" family and Clay and mom in town, it always seemed like we were on the go and somebody always had to go somewhere else. After this week, we"ll be able to settle back into our routines and get some work done. This weekend"s project is a new garage door, and maybe a new front door.
Post a comment if you want to reserve a spot in the x-terra for our outing on Tuesday or if you have any advice about installing a new garage door.
| 6 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
happy birthday Cindy --
Richard had this to say at
1:04:36 AM on
12/29/2007.
Saturday is Cindy"s birthday. I say Saturday because it is Friday right now while I am writing this, but because my timers and loggers use EST, it is now Cindy"s birthday. You should post a comment wishing Cindy a happy birthday on this news item, even if you posted a comment wishing Cindy a happy birthday on the last news item.
In other news, family has come and gone from our house and I"ve been snowboarding twice in the past two days. You can post a comment about that if you would like, but I recommend wishing Cindy a happy birthday instead.
In other news, family has come and gone from our house and I"ve been snowboarding twice in the past two days. You can post a comment about that if you would like, but I recommend wishing Cindy a happy birthday instead.
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Christmas - the aftermath --
Richard had this to say at
9:15:25 AM on
12/26/2007.
I hope everyone"s Christmas went as well as mine did. Kate and I opened presents from each other, then we opened gifts with Clay and mom. Thanks to everyone who mailed gifts from afar.
Today I am headed back to work for the most productive day all week. Tomorrow Clay and I are going snowboarding, then Friday Clay and I are going snowboarding. Either Saturday or Sunday Clay and I are going snowboarding. Anyone who wants to come along is invited; we leave my house at eight each morning.
Post a comment about your Christmas or about how happy or unhappy you are to be going bak to work today.
Today I am headed back to work for the most productive day all week. Tomorrow Clay and I are going snowboarding, then Friday Clay and I are going snowboarding. Either Saturday or Sunday Clay and I are going snowboarding. Anyone who wants to come along is invited; we leave my house at eight each morning.
Post a comment about your Christmas or about how happy or unhappy you are to be going bak to work today.
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Merry Christmas --
Richard had this to say at
8:42:54 AM on
12/21/2007.
Rather than actually come up with text for this news item, I"m going to use the comments from the previous news item:
Clay says: Happy Christmas
Dad says: Have a great holiday season
momb says: It"s only six more days
kelly says: It"s only $7 a month
Ron says: can"t you do image resizing in ASP?
Uncle Clark says: TO ALL WHO READ THIS STUFF! CLARK AND SUE RIDDLE WISH YA-LL A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A SAFE, HEALTHY AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Aunt Nanc says: Wow...
If those thoughts don"t sum up the Christmas season for you, post your thoughts as a comment. Or just have a Merry Christmas and don"t worry about it.
Clay says: Happy Christmas
Dad says: Have a great holiday season
momb says: It"s only six more days
kelly says: It"s only $7 a month
Ron says: can"t you do image resizing in ASP?
Uncle Clark says: TO ALL WHO READ THIS STUFF! CLARK AND SUE RIDDLE WISH YA-LL A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A SAFE, HEALTHY AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Aunt Nanc says: Wow...
If those thoughts don"t sum up the Christmas season for you, post your thoughts as a comment. Or just have a Merry Christmas and don"t worry about it.
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happy anniversary --
Richard had this to say at
8:27:15 AM on
12/18/2007.
To Kate and me. Today is our two-year anniversary. We don"t have much planned more than a nice dinner at home. We"ve been quite busy lately and decided the best way to celebrate is with a quiet dinner, rather than trying to coordinate another outing.
I was a little reluctant to post a news item because the commenting has been so great on the last one. Keep it up on this one. You can keep commenting about mobile phones if you like. Oh, and by the way, Kate"s phone has GPS as well. I think mine does too but I never need it since I don"t get lost.
Also, I posted a new gallery with pictures from my commute. Last Monday we had a breakfast potluck on the ferry; the two pictures you see are of that event.
I was a little reluctant to post a news item because the commenting has been so great on the last one. Keep it up on this one. You can keep commenting about mobile phones if you like. Oh, and by the way, Kate"s phone has GPS as well. I think mine does too but I never need it since I don"t get lost.
Also, I posted a new gallery with pictures from my commute. Last Monday we had a breakfast potluck on the ferry; the two pictures you see are of that event.
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post from the ferry --
Richard had this to say at
8:51:45 PM on
12/11/2007.
Along with my new phone, I also got a plan where I can surf the web wherever I want. To prove this, I am posting a news item from the ferry on my way home. Post a comment about how awesome that is.
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happy birthday --
Richard had this to say at
8:50:40 AM on
12/4/2007.
So Monday was Dad"s birthday. It was also Aunt Nancy"s birthday. I feel like a jerk for not posting a news item yesterday. I don"t have a good excuse, but I can at least explain what happened:
I woke up at my usual time and did my usual things to get ready to go to work. I usually give myself extra time on Mondays in case I am going slow, time that I use to post a news item. This Monday, I noticed a voicemail on my phone. My boss called to tell me to work from home because the weather was so bad. I logged in to work immediately to get started on the day and never looked back.
So there you go; it doesn"t make it any better, but at least you know what happened. Monday evening Kate and I put the second coat of light blue paint. Today we"ll tape for the dark blue.
Post a comment either complaining about how I missed such an important day or wishing folks a happy birthday.
I woke up at my usual time and did my usual things to get ready to go to work. I usually give myself extra time on Mondays in case I am going slow, time that I use to post a news item. This Monday, I noticed a voicemail on my phone. My boss called to tell me to work from home because the weather was so bad. I logged in to work immediately to get started on the day and never looked back.
So there you go; it doesn"t make it any better, but at least you know what happened. Monday evening Kate and I put the second coat of light blue paint. Today we"ll tape for the dark blue.
Post a comment either complaining about how I missed such an important day or wishing folks a happy birthday.
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back from Portland --
Richard had this to say at
12:37:23 AM on
11/30/2007.
So apparently no one likes my dares except for those of you old enough to know better. Not saying you guys are old, I"m just saying.
My time in Portland was rather uneventful, which as boring as it may seem in the moment, really makes for good travel. The last thing I want when I take a trip anywhere is something worth writing home about. The trip back was fast though. I got to the airport about 2 pm, and by 2:25 pm I was hanging up on Kate because the flight attendant was glaring at me because I missed the last warning to turn off and stow all electronic devices. 60 minutes later I exited the plane at Sea-Tac. Then the fun really began. Because I arrived in the middle of the day, four hours earlier than expected, Kate couldn"t come pick me up. I took a bus downtown. I studied the routes before leaving for Portland so I knew which bus to take and where to get off. The bus dropped me off downtown about 4:15, less than two hours after I left Portland. Pretty good for 180 miles, I"d say. The next 15 miles were more painful. Kate picked me up at the bus stop near our house at 6:10 because traffic north from downtown sucked that much. I didn"t mind so much because I took a nap for most of the ride.
Today I was back in the office and burning through my task list. Tomorrow will be more of the same. I told my boss I should only work two days every week, for as productive as I am on those two days. Tomorrow evening Kate and I are hanging out at church, there"s some kids event.
Post a comment; I implore you.
My time in Portland was rather uneventful, which as boring as it may seem in the moment, really makes for good travel. The last thing I want when I take a trip anywhere is something worth writing home about. The trip back was fast though. I got to the airport about 2 pm, and by 2:25 pm I was hanging up on Kate because the flight attendant was glaring at me because I missed the last warning to turn off and stow all electronic devices. 60 minutes later I exited the plane at Sea-Tac. Then the fun really began. Because I arrived in the middle of the day, four hours earlier than expected, Kate couldn"t come pick me up. I took a bus downtown. I studied the routes before leaving for Portland so I knew which bus to take and where to get off. The bus dropped me off downtown about 4:15, less than two hours after I left Portland. Pretty good for 180 miles, I"d say. The next 15 miles were more painful. Kate picked me up at the bus stop near our house at 6:10 because traffic north from downtown sucked that much. I didn"t mind so much because I took a nap for most of the ride.
Today I was back in the office and burning through my task list. Tomorrow will be more of the same. I told my boss I should only work two days every week, for as productive as I am on those two days. Tomorrow evening Kate and I are hanging out at church, there"s some kids event.
Post a comment; I implore you.
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holiday weekend fun, and more about painting --
Richard had this to say at
1:33:40 AM on
11/26/2007.
So we decided to paint ourselves. Not our selves, but ourselves. We went to Home Depot Saturday and bought the supplies and got home and promptly took a two-hour nap. After that, though, I taped while Kate spackled and gave the island a second coat of the dark blue. If you"ve visited my house, you know what island I am talking about. If not, you should schedule a visit. After the spackle dried, we should have sanded it and painted, but we took another nap. Maybe later this week we"ll get back into painting.
The Thanksgiving holiday weekend went well; my mom visited. She arrived Wednesday and left Saturday morning. I believe she enjoyed her visit; we certainly enjoyed having her here. She will return to the Pacific northwest mid-December for a longer stay.
This week, before I can get to painting, I am going to Portland, Oregon. I am training one of our clients on Microsoft CRM. I am scheduled to be in Portland until Wednesday evening, but I"d like to get home before then.
Post a comment; I dare you.
The Thanksgiving holiday weekend went well; my mom visited. She arrived Wednesday and left Saturday morning. I believe she enjoyed her visit; we certainly enjoyed having her here. She will return to the Pacific northwest mid-December for a longer stay.
This week, before I can get to painting, I am going to Portland, Oregon. I am training one of our clients on Microsoft CRM. I am scheduled to be in Portland until Wednesday evening, but I"d like to get home before then.
Post a comment; I dare you.
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happy birthday Shelly --
Richard had this to say at
1:09:44 AM on
11/19/2007.
Sunday was Shelly"s birthday. You may remember Shelly from previous news items doing such things as going places with Roger and me. We celebrated Shelly"s birthday Saturday night with a quick jog around downtown, dinner and Kell"s. The musicians at Kell"s weren"t a group I"d seen before, but they were good. We heard the reggae version of Wild Rover. If you have a hard time picturing that, perhaps it"s been too long since you last visited Kell"s and you should plan a trip there for some time in the future. It beats Disneyland, that"s for sure.
Friday was Brigette"s birthday. She doesn"t get a mention in the title because her birthday was actually last Wednesday, which falls outside the range to get her name in the title. We went to the casino for dinner and some card games.
Sunday was church and a dinner at church, as well as some shopping. I played guitar again at church; I surprised myself with how comfortable I"ve become playing in front of people...sober. Monday is the start of a short work week, which will be made even shorter because I have an orthodontist appointment Monday morning.
Mom arrives Wednesday night for the Thanksgiving weekend, then leaves Saturday morning, before the Thanksgiving weekend really gets into full swing. She"s going to miss the pony rides and dunk tank.
If your Thanksgiving plans include eating the meal at my house, let me know so I can get enough chairs.
Friday was Brigette"s birthday. She doesn"t get a mention in the title because her birthday was actually last Wednesday, which falls outside the range to get her name in the title. We went to the casino for dinner and some card games.
Sunday was church and a dinner at church, as well as some shopping. I played guitar again at church; I surprised myself with how comfortable I"ve become playing in front of people...sober. Monday is the start of a short work week, which will be made even shorter because I have an orthodontist appointment Monday morning.
Mom arrives Wednesday night for the Thanksgiving weekend, then leaves Saturday morning, before the Thanksgiving weekend really gets into full swing. She"s going to miss the pony rides and dunk tank.
If your Thanksgiving plans include eating the meal at my house, let me know so I can get enough chairs.
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painting the house --
Richard had this to say at
12:55:32 AM on
11/13/2007.
We are looking into painting the inside of our house. The previous owners were nice enough to do the plumbing and electrical work, but didn"t do nearly enough painting. They painted their child"s room some crazy Tigger orange, but nothing in the main areas of the house. We are still undecided about whether we want to tackle the job ourselves or hire it out. Maybe after you get done reading the rest of this news item, you can post a comment about it. Or, if you are given to distraction, you can post a comment now and come back later to read the rest of the news item.
Over the weekend I drove around Puget Sound. I dropped Kate off at Melissa"s house in Kirkland Saturday afternoon and then drove to West Seattle to see Roger. I drove home to Lynnwood to get changed and then to Bothell for dinner with Kate and Melissa and then to Melissa"s house again to drop off her car so we didn"t have to caravan everywhere. Then we drove to Lynnwood to hang out with friends, then back to Kirkland to drop off Melissa, and then finally back to Lynnwood to go to sleep. Also Saturday we watched some youth hockey, live.
Sunday was church and volunteering for a Veteran"s Day dinner at a local senior center. Monday was working and then cooking dinner, followed closely by practicing guitar and posting this news item.
Over the weekend I drove around Puget Sound. I dropped Kate off at Melissa"s house in Kirkland Saturday afternoon and then drove to West Seattle to see Roger. I drove home to Lynnwood to get changed and then to Bothell for dinner with Kate and Melissa and then to Melissa"s house again to drop off her car so we didn"t have to caravan everywhere. Then we drove to Lynnwood to hang out with friends, then back to Kirkland to drop off Melissa, and then finally back to Lynnwood to go to sleep. Also Saturday we watched some youth hockey, live.
Sunday was church and volunteering for a Veteran"s Day dinner at a local senior center. Monday was working and then cooking dinner, followed closely by practicing guitar and posting this news item.
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short bit of news --
Richard had this to say at
12:57:14 AM on
11/6/2007.
It"s a short bit of news because I am tired, but I feel compelled to give the loyal readers something to tide them over until the weekend, or whenever I feel like posting a news item again.
I fixed my bike today; the brakes weren"t working correctly and the gears have been messed up since the last time I worked on it, but it"s all better now. Except for the gears, they are still messed up. I took the back wheel apart and cleaned everything and determined I just need to get a new back wheel. I"m not really a fan of that because the back wheel is more expensive than the front.
The bosses are out of the office for the first half of the week, so I"ve been cranking up the rock and roll while working. Not that it makes me work more or better, but it"s about the only thing I can do different when the bosses are gone that isn"t against the law.
The past weekend was fun, although I don"t remember exactly why. Friday night Floyd, Wendy, Roger and Shelly and came to our house for dinner and then we all went bowling. Saturday we met Roger and Shelly for reubens at the Hilltop Ale House, in Queen Anne. They claim to have the best reuben in Seattle. Sunday Kate and I volunteered at the Everett Gospel Mission serving supper.
Welcome new reader Angela. She"s a lawyer who commutes with us to and from Bainbridge Island. I don"t know if her son Ethan reads the blog as well, but if so, welcome to Ethan.
I fixed my bike today; the brakes weren"t working correctly and the gears have been messed up since the last time I worked on it, but it"s all better now. Except for the gears, they are still messed up. I took the back wheel apart and cleaned everything and determined I just need to get a new back wheel. I"m not really a fan of that because the back wheel is more expensive than the front.
The bosses are out of the office for the first half of the week, so I"ve been cranking up the rock and roll while working. Not that it makes me work more or better, but it"s about the only thing I can do different when the bosses are gone that isn"t against the law.
The past weekend was fun, although I don"t remember exactly why. Friday night Floyd, Wendy, Roger and Shelly and came to our house for dinner and then we all went bowling. Saturday we met Roger and Shelly for reubens at the Hilltop Ale House, in Queen Anne. They claim to have the best reuben in Seattle. Sunday Kate and I volunteered at the Everett Gospel Mission serving supper.
Welcome new reader Angela. She"s a lawyer who commutes with us to and from Bainbridge Island. I don"t know if her son Ethan reads the blog as well, but if so, welcome to Ethan.
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didn"t forget to set my clock back --
Richard had this to say at
12:27:07 AM on
10/29/2007.
Sunday morning while we were getting ready for church, Kate asked me why the clock on the computer said 6:45. She asked if we missed the end of Daylight Saving Time and if we could have slept an extra hour. I told her we didn"t miss the end of it, we just have an old computer that doesn"t know DST doesn"t end until November 4 this year.
This past week has been a week of ups and downs. I"ve been able to make leaps and bounds on certain problems at work, but others are still plaguing me as they have for months. I don"t like to go into too much detail about my work life on this blog, so I won"t. This week upcoming has two client visits, although they are both on the West side of the Sound, so I won"t be driving there alone.
My bike is in need of repair again. I know I just repaired it, but I guess I"ve been riding it rough these past couple months. I don"t know what evening this week will be the best for bike maintenance, but if you showed up at my house with a six-pack I would let you watch me fix my bike while we enjoy beer.
I apologize for the disjointed paragraphs, but not a lot. I spoke with Dad Sunday evening; he said they got the all clear so they don"t have to worry about a hasty move to Seattle any time soon. Post a comment...or else.
This past week has been a week of ups and downs. I"ve been able to make leaps and bounds on certain problems at work, but others are still plaguing me as they have for months. I don"t like to go into too much detail about my work life on this blog, so I won"t. This week upcoming has two client visits, although they are both on the West side of the Sound, so I won"t be driving there alone.
My bike is in need of repair again. I know I just repaired it, but I guess I"ve been riding it rough these past couple months. I don"t know what evening this week will be the best for bike maintenance, but if you showed up at my house with a six-pack I would let you watch me fix my bike while we enjoy beer.
I apologize for the disjointed paragraphs, but not a lot. I spoke with Dad Sunday evening; he said they got the all clear so they don"t have to worry about a hasty move to Seattle any time soon. Post a comment...or else.
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Seabrook --
Richard had this to say at
12:06:51 AM on
10/22/2007.
This weekend Kate and I went to Seabrook with Roger and Shelly. Wendy coordinated a house rental for the weekend, fourteen of us stayed in the house Friday and Saturday nights. For those not in the know, visit www.seabrookwa.com. The community is right on the ocean, so we took many walks and one bike ride on the sandy beach. The weekend was quite fun, although rainy more often than not. Kate sang in church this morning so we came back early; we got on the road at 5.
Not much happened during the previous week. We had a windstorm reminiscent of the windstorm we had last year. I was in Bellevue at a client site Thursday and the power went out. They had a generator that kept all the servers running, so I was able to get all my work done.
Glad to hear you don"t have the chicken pox, Angie. Post a comment speculating what caused the supposed Pox.
Not much happened during the previous week. We had a windstorm reminiscent of the windstorm we had last year. I was in Bellevue at a client site Thursday and the power went out. They had a generator that kept all the servers running, so I was able to get all my work done.
Glad to hear you don"t have the chicken pox, Angie. Post a comment speculating what caused the supposed Pox.
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happy birthday --
Rich had this to say at
12:17:21 AM on
10/16/2007.
Today is Marcie"s birthday. For those who have only read the past two or three news items and don"t know, Marcie is my mother-in-law. Kate just sent her a text message, so the hope that my birthday wish will be the first has been dashed to bits.
There may be more news, but Marcie"s birthday trumps it and I"m ready to go to bed. Post a comment wishing Marcie a happy birthday or when your birthday comes around again I won"t tell anybody.
There may be more news, but Marcie"s birthday trumps it and I"m ready to go to bed. Post a comment wishing Marcie a happy birthday or when your birthday comes around again I won"t tell anybody.
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more C. Thomas Howell --
Richard had this to say at
12:37:30 AM on
10/11/2007.
Tonight Kate and I watched The Outsiders, because who can ever get enough Patrick Swayze and C. Thomas Howell. This movie is like Red Dawn, except instead of Charlie Sheen it features Emilio Estevez. That really was the only memorable thing we"ve done over the past several days. I have music practice Thursday evening and then I"ll probably chop wood at Floyd"s house. I don"t know what we are doing Friday, but Saturday we are moving Roger and Shelly to West Seattle.
Post a comment about how boring this news item has been and about how boring my life is right now.
Post a comment about how boring this news item has been and about how boring my life is right now.
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Angie says hi --
Richard had this to say at
12:25:57 AM on
10/8/2007.
If you don"t know who Angie is, perhaps you aren"t as loyal a reader as I thought. Angie and I were roommates in college. She now lives in Japan teaching English, or maybe she"s a manager of those teaching English. Angie and Wendy are good friends; they were also roommates in college. Whenever Angie and I are in the same town, we like to get together and reminisce about when we were in a different town.
Now, onto the news. Did you like what I did there? I said onto the news, as though the news is something waiting for us to cover it. This past weekend was spent doing nothing in particular, although I did get a lot accomplished. Friday Kate and I had date night. We enjoyed a nice dinner downtown and then coffee. We went to the theater, but the only movie worth seeing started 20 minutes before we arrived, so we skipped that activity.
Saturday Kate went north with Melissa to a golf tournament. Floyd and I made a trip to the dump and we cleaned up my garage. Then Floyd and I cleaned up his garage. Saturday night was spent shooting pool with Roger and Floyd.
Today was church and small group, and revenge of the bad 80"s movies. We watched Red Dawn and Secret Admirer. Roger and Shelly found an apartment in West Seattle. This week will be preparing for their move, which will occur over the weekend. It"s really been a lot of fun having them stay with us.
Post a comment if you would like. If you"re Angie, maybe you could say hi so I"m not a liar. If you"re not Angie, you could also say hi, although it may not mean as much to me.
Now, onto the news. Did you like what I did there? I said onto the news, as though the news is something waiting for us to cover it. This past weekend was spent doing nothing in particular, although I did get a lot accomplished. Friday Kate and I had date night. We enjoyed a nice dinner downtown and then coffee. We went to the theater, but the only movie worth seeing started 20 minutes before we arrived, so we skipped that activity.
Saturday Kate went north with Melissa to a golf tournament. Floyd and I made a trip to the dump and we cleaned up my garage. Then Floyd and I cleaned up his garage. Saturday night was spent shooting pool with Roger and Floyd.
Today was church and small group, and revenge of the bad 80"s movies. We watched Red Dawn and Secret Admirer. Roger and Shelly found an apartment in West Seattle. This week will be preparing for their move, which will occur over the weekend. It"s really been a lot of fun having them stay with us.
Post a comment if you would like. If you"re Angie, maybe you could say hi so I"m not a liar. If you"re not Angie, you could also say hi, although it may not mean as much to me.
| 7 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
update before work --
Richard had this to say at
8:46:31 AM on
10/5/2007.
I awoke before the alarm went off this morning, so I thought I would take the extra ten minutes to update the loyal readers on the haps here in Seattle. Roger and I took time out of our busy schedules Thursday night to help Floyd. His truck broke and I used my truck to tow it to his house, a distance of 5.3 miles according to Google Maps. Today Floyd is borrowing my truck to get to work. Hopefully we won"t have to tow it home from 135th with Roger"s truck.
In bicycle news, my fenders work well. I don"t really know how to describe the concept any further without using the same words over and over, so if you are easily given to boredom, skip to the next paragraph. The weather has been rainy, and my fenders have kept me dry. I was concerned with the rain that the fender wouldn"t keep my dry, but they did.
I don"t think we have any plans for this weekend, maybe cleaning out the garage and hanging more things on the walls. Floyd didn"t say he needed help fixing his truck, but I"ll probably be there to assist anyway. Kate is playing the flute in church on Sunday, so that should be fun. I don"t play the guitar until next Sunday, the 14th. I"ve already been practicing the music so I can actually accompany the piano and singers instead of just strumming when I feel like it.
In bicycle news, my fenders work well. I don"t really know how to describe the concept any further without using the same words over and over, so if you are easily given to boredom, skip to the next paragraph. The weather has been rainy, and my fenders have kept me dry. I was concerned with the rain that the fender wouldn"t keep my dry, but they did.
I don"t think we have any plans for this weekend, maybe cleaning out the garage and hanging more things on the walls. Floyd didn"t say he needed help fixing his truck, but I"ll probably be there to assist anyway. Kate is playing the flute in church on Sunday, so that should be fun. I don"t play the guitar until next Sunday, the 14th. I"ve already been practicing the music so I can actually accompany the piano and singers instead of just strumming when I feel like it.
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lots of news, loyal readers --
Richard had this to say at
12:03:36 AM on
10/1/2007.
Get ready for a deluge of news. I"ll give you time to get some galoshes.
First, I"m sick. I think a week of little sleep combined with jetsetting between Michigan and Washington all led to illness. Kate also has become ill; I believe for many of the same reasons. I did get back on the bike this week though. Tuesday and Wednesday I rode my bike to and from work. Thursday morning I rode into work, but was feeling sick by the afternoon, and left the bike at my office. I have not yet put my new fenders on, although I will post a picture of the whole rig once I get it all set up.
It was good to get back into the swing of working after so much time away. I really do enjoy my job, and in a lot of ways it"s an escape for me, because I get to do things I really enjoy. The commute is a little long for me, but only in the evenings. I also did some work on the house this week. I put a wall plate over the coax cable in the living room, and hung a curtain rod for Kate.
When I started this post, I really expected more content to flow through my fingertips. Read it again to see if you missed anything, like a hidden message perhaps, then post a comment.
First, I"m sick. I think a week of little sleep combined with jetsetting between Michigan and Washington all led to illness. Kate also has become ill; I believe for many of the same reasons. I did get back on the bike this week though. Tuesday and Wednesday I rode my bike to and from work. Thursday morning I rode into work, but was feeling sick by the afternoon, and left the bike at my office. I have not yet put my new fenders on, although I will post a picture of the whole rig once I get it all set up.
It was good to get back into the swing of working after so much time away. I really do enjoy my job, and in a lot of ways it"s an escape for me, because I get to do things I really enjoy. The commute is a little long for me, but only in the evenings. I also did some work on the house this week. I put a wall plate over the coax cable in the living room, and hung a curtain rod for Kate.
When I started this post, I really expected more content to flow through my fingertips. Read it again to see if you missed anything, like a hidden message perhaps, then post a comment.
| 4 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
Birthdays --
Richard had this to say at
8:40:07 AM on
9/25/2007.
Today is Ron"s birthday. Yesterday was Marcus" birthday. They are collectively 62. I called Marcus and Lakshmi but had to leave a message because neither one answered the phone. Today I will call Ron, and I will leave a message if I have to. Post a comment wishing happy birthdays to these fine fellows.
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Back in Washington --
Richard had this to say at
12:42:32 AM on
9/24/2007.
Kate, Roger, Shelly and I were all in Michigan for the past week. We went back to visit our grandmother, who had been in the hospital since my last visit. She passed away on Friday afternoon. We were supposed to come back to Washington the Wednesday before that, but changed our tickets on Tuesday in case something happened. We all wish we could have been at the funeral to support the family, but it didn"t work out that way. Who knew she would have held on for so long?
If you don"t want to comment on this news item because it"s sad or depressing, that"s fine. There"s a string of birthdays coming up so there will be plenty of happy news items on which to comment.
If you don"t want to comment on this news item because it"s sad or depressing, that"s fine. There"s a string of birthdays coming up so there will be plenty of happy news items on which to comment.
| 5 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
still no bicycle --
Richard had this to say at
12:28:36 AM on
9/14/2007.
The day before I left to go to Michigan I broke my bike. My rear shifter cable sheared on my way up the hill from the ferry to work. I made to work and then back to the ferry in the highest gear because the derailleur was stuck in the most outside position with no cable to bring it back. On the ferry ride home I shortened my chain to turn the bike into a single speed. This worked for about .1 miles. Then, thinking it was my craftsmanship and not my theory that was shoddy, I took several more links out of the chain and managed to make it the other 1.5 miles to the bus stop. That night I decided to move the chain down a gear to make it easier to ride in the morning. I made the change and Friday morning rode all the way to the Park and Ride before the chain came apart again. Kate picked up the bike and I walked on the bus. Over the next weekend I was in Michigan, so there was no bike maintenance. Now that I am back on the left coast, I picked up two new shifter cables, a new chain, two new brake cables, and two new fenders. The fenders probably won"t help the bike run better, but they will keep me dry come the rainy season.
The reason the bike isn"t together yet is I"ve been doing other things. Roger and Shelly"s belongings were delivered to their storage unit, but not all the stuff would fit. He and I brought their 47 inch TV to my house and I had to run some cable to complete the installation. That took all of Wednesday night.
Thursday night I was at the church ripping up the concrete floor in the bathroom so the plumbers can come in and redo all the pipes as part of the renovation project. I had several time-saving ideas that all proved fruitless and we ended up just using a 16 pound hammer and a 10 pound dig bar. We have two more nights work ahead of us, but we made a sizable dent in the floor.
Friday will probably be more concrete destruction and then Saturday I"m helping a friend move a couch. Maybe I"ll be able to get back on the bike Sunday or Monday.
Sorry about the depressing news item; I can see by the 0 comments that you only want to read happy things. In light of that, I"ll keep the update on Gram brief. She"s stable, although her condition is not improving and she has not regained consciousness since before her surgery on Wednesday night.
Post a comment about your bike repair stories or techniques for ripping out concrete.
The reason the bike isn"t together yet is I"ve been doing other things. Roger and Shelly"s belongings were delivered to their storage unit, but not all the stuff would fit. He and I brought their 47 inch TV to my house and I had to run some cable to complete the installation. That took all of Wednesday night.
Thursday night I was at the church ripping up the concrete floor in the bathroom so the plumbers can come in and redo all the pipes as part of the renovation project. I had several time-saving ideas that all proved fruitless and we ended up just using a 16 pound hammer and a 10 pound dig bar. We have two more nights work ahead of us, but we made a sizable dent in the floor.
Friday will probably be more concrete destruction and then Saturday I"m helping a friend move a couch. Maybe I"ll be able to get back on the bike Sunday or Monday.
Sorry about the depressing news item; I can see by the 0 comments that you only want to read happy things. In light of that, I"ll keep the update on Gram brief. She"s stable, although her condition is not improving and she has not regained consciousness since before her surgery on Wednesday night.
Post a comment about your bike repair stories or techniques for ripping out concrete.
| 2 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
update from the hospital --
Richard had this to say at
10:12:34 PM on
9/10/2007.
In the past, I"ve enjoyed updating the site from various locations. Anywhere I happen to be for 10 minutes where I have an internet connection is always interesting enough for a news update. I have been at this hospital, in this particular waiting room before, but it"s been 15 or so years. In that time they"ve updated the carpet and the walls, but the two chairs that become "beds" are still here.
Last time I was here was to visit my grandfather and support my family while his health was poor. This time I here to visit my grandmother and support my family while her health is poor. Like the last time I was here, the day started like any other. Aunt Sue and I took Gram to her doctor for an appointment and told the doctor she"d been naseous and disoriented. He ordered a CT scan, so we swung by the house to get Gram"s purse and jacket and arrived at the hospital. That was about noon. It"s now 10:00 p.m. and we are still here with no signs of leaving. The last time we were here it was the same way. We took over the waiting room there were so many of us. This time there"s only four, three of my aunts and me.
We take turns sitting with Gram in the room; they don"t like when more than two of us are in there at a time. We are waiting for the neuro-surgeon to tell us what"s up. He"s the man with the CT scan and he"s going to tell us when the surgery is, if the surgery is going to happen, and what we can expect regarding recovery.
I didn"t have any plans today, except to run some cable in Gram"s basement for Aunt Claudine and Bill. I didn"t have any plans, but I would have rather sat bored at the airport for 24 hours than sit in this waiting room.
The computer is beeping at me, low battery. I"ll post more when I know it.
Last time I was here was to visit my grandfather and support my family while his health was poor. This time I here to visit my grandmother and support my family while her health is poor. Like the last time I was here, the day started like any other. Aunt Sue and I took Gram to her doctor for an appointment and told the doctor she"d been naseous and disoriented. He ordered a CT scan, so we swung by the house to get Gram"s purse and jacket and arrived at the hospital. That was about noon. It"s now 10:00 p.m. and we are still here with no signs of leaving. The last time we were here it was the same way. We took over the waiting room there were so many of us. This time there"s only four, three of my aunts and me.
We take turns sitting with Gram in the room; they don"t like when more than two of us are in there at a time. We are waiting for the neuro-surgeon to tell us what"s up. He"s the man with the CT scan and he"s going to tell us when the surgery is, if the surgery is going to happen, and what we can expect regarding recovery.
I didn"t have any plans today, except to run some cable in Gram"s basement for Aunt Claudine and Bill. I didn"t have any plans, but I would have rather sat bored at the airport for 24 hours than sit in this waiting room.
The computer is beeping at me, low battery. I"ll post more when I know it.
| 0 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
news --
Richard had this to say at
12:24:10 AM on
9/5/2007.
I made it back to the States. I don"t know how many of you remember I went to Canada, but I am back now. It"s been a couple days since my last news item, but I don"t have much to report. Things at work have been busy since my return; I guess I should have done more work while in Canada. This past weekend (Labor Day in most of the world) we had a bbq. Floyd and Wendy and Brigette and her kids all came over and enjoyed my fine burgers and dogs. This upcoming weekend I"ll be in Michigan, so please don"t plan any surprise visits to my house in Seattle.
Speaking of Brigette and her kids, it"s Liam"s birthday Wednesday. He"ll be 5, I think. We are going to their house for dinner and cake. Thursday is our last softball game of the season. I don"t think we made the playoffs, which is probably a good thing. I had fun playing, for sure, but I"m really glad it"s over. I was never meant to play a sport where I can"t make or break a play in real-time; I just don"t have the attention span for it.
In other news, I"m playing guitar at church more often. Not more often yet, since I"ve only played once, but the music scene at church has been shaken up in recent months. Now the consistory is turning to those of us with less musical ability to help things out. I"m not yet sure how I feel about playing music regularly for an audience. I"ve never considered myself a musician, just a guy who knows where to put his fingers on a guitar. So I"m thinking of picking up cocaine and sleeping on the couch until I get inspired to be a musician.
Speaking of Brigette and her kids, it"s Liam"s birthday Wednesday. He"ll be 5, I think. We are going to their house for dinner and cake. Thursday is our last softball game of the season. I don"t think we made the playoffs, which is probably a good thing. I had fun playing, for sure, but I"m really glad it"s over. I was never meant to play a sport where I can"t make or break a play in real-time; I just don"t have the attention span for it.
In other news, I"m playing guitar at church more often. Not more often yet, since I"ve only played once, but the music scene at church has been shaken up in recent months. Now the consistory is turning to those of us with less musical ability to help things out. I"m not yet sure how I feel about playing music regularly for an audience. I"ve never considered myself a musician, just a guy who knows where to put his fingers on a guitar. So I"m thinking of picking up cocaine and sleeping on the couch until I get inspired to be a musician.
| 3 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
leaving --
Richard had this to say at
9:03:28 AM on
8/27/2007.
Today I am going to Edmonton for CRM training. I am training one of our clients on how to use CRM. I"ll be in Edmonton until Wednesday evening. This is the first time Kate has been alone in Washington. Since we"ve moved out here, she has left three or four times to go back to Michigan or wherever, but this is the first time I"m leaving alone.
The news has been slow lately: Roger and Shelly are looking for a place to live; Shelly found a nice teaching job; I built a Windows Gadget.
Perhaps in Edmonton I"ll have so much free time in the evenings that I"ll post several long news items. Perhaps this is the last news item until Thursday.
The news has been slow lately: Roger and Shelly are looking for a place to live; Shelly found a nice teaching job; I built a Windows Gadget.
Perhaps in Edmonton I"ll have so much free time in the evenings that I"ll post several long news items. Perhaps this is the last news item until Thursday.
| 3 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
middle of the day news item --
Richard had this to say at
3:23:08 PM on
8/21/2007.
First, happy anniversary to Marcus and Lakshmi. I"m on my lunch break and since I didn"t post last night I wanted to make sure everyone had the chance to wish them a happy anniversary.
Second, we got back from California on Sunday night. I"ll post more about that vacation this evening. I"ll also post more about Roger and Shelly living in our house. I may even post something about the quintuple elimination ping pong tournament going on at the church tonight.
Second, we got back from California on Sunday night. I"ll post more about that vacation this evening. I"ll also post more about Roger and Shelly living in our house. I may even post something about the quintuple elimination ping pong tournament going on at the church tonight.
| 4 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
more bro, more go --
Richard had this to say at
1:11:49 AM on
8/14/2007.
Roger and Shelly arrived! They are now living in the Pacific Northwest; although their digs are temporary. They and their dog Lord Stanley are staying with Kate and me until they can find a place of their own.
Kate and I are flying out on Friday for a wedding in southern California. We fly back on Sunday and then we each have Monday off. Then I fly out again on the 27th to Edmonton for training. Then I fly out again on the 8th of September to visit Gram and the folks back in Michigan for a long weekend.
There"s more that has happened, but I"m tired.
Kate and I are flying out on Friday for a wedding in southern California. We fly back on Sunday and then we each have Monday off. Then I fly out again on the 27th to Edmonton for training. Then I fly out again on the 8th of September to visit Gram and the folks back in Michigan for a long weekend.
There"s more that has happened, but I"m tired.
| 3 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
six days of news --
Richard had this to say at
12:41:19 AM on
8/6/2007.
I hope whatever you were looking forward to over the past six days occurred. I did have five days of sitting at my desk developing, and now this week I"ll be out and about again. Right now it"s only Wednesday, but it could be more. The past week has been pretty boring. I"ve been trying to think of news to discuss, but I am drawing a blank.
We saw some movies, the Bourne Ultimatum and No Reservations at the theater, and we rented The Man in the White Suit and Kind Hearts and Coronets. We took Floyd and Wendy to the airport for their mission trip to Alaska. Tim bought some bb"s and we shot bottles in my backyard.
Roger and Shelly should be here Thursday or so for several weeks. If you had a surprise visit out here planned for August or September and you had intended to stay at my house, you really ought to make other arrangements; my house will be full.
Post a comment about full houses.
We saw some movies, the Bourne Ultimatum and No Reservations at the theater, and we rented The Man in the White Suit and Kind Hearts and Coronets. We took Floyd and Wendy to the airport for their mission trip to Alaska. Tim bought some bb"s and we shot bottles in my backyard.
Roger and Shelly should be here Thursday or so for several weeks. If you had a surprise visit out here planned for August or September and you had intended to stay at my house, you really ought to make other arrangements; my house will be full.
Post a comment about full houses.
| 7 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
time for news --
Richard had this to say at
12:34:15 AM on
7/30/2007.
That"s right, time for news. What I mean by that is I now have some time during which I will type the news important to me. Or maybe I mean since you are reading my news right now that it"s your time for news. Either way, I just caused you to waste time you can"t get back.
As I may or may not have mentioned in previous news items, or as you may or may not have noticed if you sent email to my work account, I was out of the office all last week for training. We had two clients with brand spanking new implementations of Microsoft CRM, and they wanted to know how to use it. I spent Tuesday and Wednesday at one client, and then Thursday and Friday at the other client. I certainly am not used to commuting by car; I much prefer the bus, bike and boat commuting.
The only problem with being out of the office training is that the normal workload stays. It"s not like all my tasks just went away because I was out of the office. Most of my nights last week were spent in front of the computer, either preparing for the next day"s training, or replying to e-mails.
Anyway, a recap of activities since the 13th, my last real news item. Ron and Sarah enjoyed the rest of their visit, part of which was spent with Roger, who came out for a job interview and is now moving out here. Shelly couldn"t make it for the visit, but last I heard she was moving with Roger, so we"ll get to see her soon enough. Roger enjoyed his visit, although he did not enjoy that his luggage did not arrive in Seattle as promptly as he did. He said because his plane arrived late to LAX he had to run to catch his connecting flight to Seattle. I guess his luggage just can"t run as fast.
Kate was busy with VBS preparations and VBS itself last week. She"s glad it"s over so now we can get some normalcy back into our lives. I played softball on Thursday and hit a low point in my short career. I"m known for not hitting the ball out of the infield, but I"m generally fast enough that I can beat the throw to first. My last time at bat, the catcher told the third baseman to come closer to the plate, and I subsequently hit the ball right to him. Unfortunately, we had runners on first and second already, so it was a short throw to second to end the game. We don"t have a game next week, so maybe I"ll go to the batting cages and attempt to add some power to my swing. Maybe Kate"s dad will come for another visit and give me some tips.
This week coming up should be five days of sitting at my desk writing code, which I couldn"t be looking forward to more. Post a comment about what you are looking forward to, besides the next time you can see me.
As I may or may not have mentioned in previous news items, or as you may or may not have noticed if you sent email to my work account, I was out of the office all last week for training. We had two clients with brand spanking new implementations of Microsoft CRM, and they wanted to know how to use it. I spent Tuesday and Wednesday at one client, and then Thursday and Friday at the other client. I certainly am not used to commuting by car; I much prefer the bus, bike and boat commuting.
The only problem with being out of the office training is that the normal workload stays. It"s not like all my tasks just went away because I was out of the office. Most of my nights last week were spent in front of the computer, either preparing for the next day"s training, or replying to e-mails.
Anyway, a recap of activities since the 13th, my last real news item. Ron and Sarah enjoyed the rest of their visit, part of which was spent with Roger, who came out for a job interview and is now moving out here. Shelly couldn"t make it for the visit, but last I heard she was moving with Roger, so we"ll get to see her soon enough. Roger enjoyed his visit, although he did not enjoy that his luggage did not arrive in Seattle as promptly as he did. He said because his plane arrived late to LAX he had to run to catch his connecting flight to Seattle. I guess his luggage just can"t run as fast.
Kate was busy with VBS preparations and VBS itself last week. She"s glad it"s over so now we can get some normalcy back into our lives. I played softball on Thursday and hit a low point in my short career. I"m known for not hitting the ball out of the infield, but I"m generally fast enough that I can beat the throw to first. My last time at bat, the catcher told the third baseman to come closer to the plate, and I subsequently hit the ball right to him. Unfortunately, we had runners on first and second already, so it was a short throw to second to end the game. We don"t have a game next week, so maybe I"ll go to the batting cages and attempt to add some power to my swing. Maybe Kate"s dad will come for another visit and give me some tips.
This week coming up should be five days of sitting at my desk writing code, which I couldn"t be looking forward to more. Post a comment about what you are looking forward to, besides the next time you can see me.
| 7 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
quick update from the coffee shop --
Richard had this to say at
11:16:50 AM on
7/25/2007.
I"m on my way to a client site today for training. I"m not being trained; I"m training. I have been super busy in the evenings preparing for the training so the site has been neglected.
I promise I"ll update more when I get time...seriously.
I promise I"ll update more when I get time...seriously.
| 4 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
surprises --
Richard had this to say at
10:37:58 AM on
7/13/2007.
Wednesday night, while I was practicing on my unicycle waiting for Floyd and Wendy to show up for root beer floats, Ron and Sarah arrived. Apparently, everyone I know knew about this event for several months now. It was an excellent surprise. They are hanging out for a week in the Pacific Northwest, which is cool.
Today we are doing more tourist activities, but I"m not sure what yet. The only truly scheduled activity is a major league baseball game between the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners.
Post a comment if you have other suggestions. Also, yesterday was Floyd"s birthday.
Today we are doing more tourist activities, but I"m not sure what yet. The only truly scheduled activity is a major league baseball game between the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners.
Post a comment if you have other suggestions. Also, yesterday was Floyd"s birthday.
| 3 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
Eye doctor, and still no pictures --
Richard had this to say at
8:46:56 AM on
7/10/2007.
If you only visited the site today looking for pictures from the birthday weekend, and you are still reading the news item after reading the title, you will be disappointed. No pictures yet, maybe tonight.
Yesterday I had my first eye exam since 1998. The doctor said I have excellent vision and my eyes are the right shape and size, except I have a funny looking disc. He did say, however, that I am a super focuser. While generally the body does not do more than necessary to get by, mine will overdo it some times. If you would like more explanation than that, contact me; I can"t figure out how to type it succinctly.
Yesterday I had my first eye exam since 1998. The doctor said I have excellent vision and my eyes are the right shape and size, except I have a funny looking disc. He did say, however, that I am a super focuser. While generally the body does not do more than necessary to get by, mine will overdo it some times. If you would like more explanation than that, contact me; I can"t figure out how to type it succinctly.
| 2 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
birthday weekend --
Richard had this to say at
1:26:21 AM on
7/9/2007.
So I"m 30 now. I wasn"t before the weekend, but now I am. The actual day was Saturday, but newsworthy events occurred before Saturday, so I"ll briefly discuss those first.
Friday I rode the bike all the way home from the ferry. The first time I did this I didn"t have the route memorized, so I got turned around and ended up taking the long way. This time I picked a more direct route and stuck with it the whole way. It took me 1 hour and 23 minutes to travel the 16 miles. Friday night I got my first experience with the Wii, which is a video game console. Kate and I had dinner with Melissa and then played Wii games at Melissa"s house until the Wii hours of the morning.
Saturday morning was presents. I received several very nice gifts: an 18-volt DeWalt reciprocating saw, two pounds of dark chocolate M&M"s, the movies Ocean"s Eleven and Ocean"s Twelve, and a unicycle. So far the most enjoyment has come from the unicycle. I can"t ride it more than 10 feet yet, but I feel myself progressing more each time. Or maybe that"s just me not sitting in the seat right.
Saturday evening we had game night at our house. Friends came over and we played games and had Kate"s famous carrot cake. You know you have a good wife when she will make a cake she doesn"t like just because it"s your birthday.
Sunday was ushering at church and more unicycle practice. For dinner, Brigette, Jake, and Bea (Brigette"s mom), and the kids came over. Don"t worry, the whole weekend was documented with our digital camera. Once we sort through the pictures and turn them the right way, I"ll post them in a new gallery. Thanks for Kelly and momb for the birthday comments. For each of the past years I"ve been blogging, I"ve posted a news item on my birthday; this was the first year I didn"t. So they commented pre-emptively, which is cool.
Post a comment if you can"t wait 24 hours to see the pictures.
Friday I rode the bike all the way home from the ferry. The first time I did this I didn"t have the route memorized, so I got turned around and ended up taking the long way. This time I picked a more direct route and stuck with it the whole way. It took me 1 hour and 23 minutes to travel the 16 miles. Friday night I got my first experience with the Wii, which is a video game console. Kate and I had dinner with Melissa and then played Wii games at Melissa"s house until the Wii hours of the morning.
Saturday morning was presents. I received several very nice gifts: an 18-volt DeWalt reciprocating saw, two pounds of dark chocolate M&M"s, the movies Ocean"s Eleven and Ocean"s Twelve, and a unicycle. So far the most enjoyment has come from the unicycle. I can"t ride it more than 10 feet yet, but I feel myself progressing more each time. Or maybe that"s just me not sitting in the seat right.
Saturday evening we had game night at our house. Friends came over and we played games and had Kate"s famous carrot cake. You know you have a good wife when she will make a cake she doesn"t like just because it"s your birthday.
Sunday was ushering at church and more unicycle practice. For dinner, Brigette, Jake, and Bea (Brigette"s mom), and the kids came over. Don"t worry, the whole weekend was documented with our digital camera. Once we sort through the pictures and turn them the right way, I"ll post them in a new gallery. Thanks for Kelly and momb for the birthday comments. For each of the past years I"ve been blogging, I"ve posted a news item on my birthday; this was the first year I didn"t. So they commented pre-emptively, which is cool.
Post a comment if you can"t wait 24 hours to see the pictures.
| 2 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
slow news day --
Richard had this to say at
11:50:26 PM on
7/5/2007.
I hope your fourth went well. I did some more analysis of who visits my site and I found not a significant portion of the unique visits are from outside the United States. The several that are from other countries I have attributed to friends who lives overseas and who appreciate an all American well-wishing.
I am starting a new campaign for fireworks displays to be on the third instead of the fourth. Everyone I know had to go to work Thursday, but most didn"t get enough sleep because all neighborhoods were rocking with personal pyrotechnics. Being so far north, it doesn"t get dark until 10 or so, so even the official civic fireworks don"t start until 9:30. Anyway, enough of me complaining.
We played our second softball game this evening. We performed better than our first week, but still were not able to eke out the win. I played second base, but not because I chose it. The normal coach wasn"t there and I was put in at second because the outfield was full already. I much prefer the outfield because I know exactly where I need to be and I can run. In the infield I spent most of my time running in circles because I didn"t know where to be.
The bosses both left for the week. They are going to a conference in Denver. Normally, when they leave, I get a large data migration to perform. This time is different though; I have two small small migrations, but they are both from system with which I have had no prior experience.
Welcome back to the commenting fray, Kelly. Hopefully your intertubes access will be less sporadic in the future; I need all the commenters I can get at this point.
I am starting a new campaign for fireworks displays to be on the third instead of the fourth. Everyone I know had to go to work Thursday, but most didn"t get enough sleep because all neighborhoods were rocking with personal pyrotechnics. Being so far north, it doesn"t get dark until 10 or so, so even the official civic fireworks don"t start until 9:30. Anyway, enough of me complaining.
We played our second softball game this evening. We performed better than our first week, but still were not able to eke out the win. I played second base, but not because I chose it. The normal coach wasn"t there and I was put in at second because the outfield was full already. I much prefer the outfield because I know exactly where I need to be and I can run. In the infield I spent most of my time running in circles because I didn"t know where to be.
The bosses both left for the week. They are going to a conference in Denver. Normally, when they leave, I get a large data migration to perform. This time is different though; I have two small small migrations, but they are both from system with which I have had no prior experience.
Welcome back to the commenting fray, Kelly. Hopefully your intertubes access will be less sporadic in the future; I need all the commenters I can get at this point.
| 3 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
the weekend --
Richard had this to say at
12:53:48 AM on
7/2/2007.
In anticipation of a warm week, I put my rack back on my bike so I can use my pannier again. I enjoy the messenger bag immensely, but my back gets all sweaty when I ride where the bag rests on it. I also tuned up the brakes and greased all the moving parts.
Friday was another client visit, only this time I was by myself. Both visits last week Scott and I went together. We"ve been super busy recently gathering new clients and trying to keep the current ones happy. Microsoft just released Rollup 2 for CRM, so we have a lot of work ahead of us. With Rollup 1, we only have four companies to tell about it, so I could easily take care of each one. Now we have more and I have too many other things on my plate to install Rollup 2 at all the client sites. Any suggestions; I"m all ears.
Friday night we went out and then slept in Saturday. Roger called and I directed him and Dad to what I"m sure is the best public golf course in Northville, MI. Hope you guys both had good games.
Sunday was church, running errands for VBS and grocery shopping. I"m not sure which of the three was most exciting, but grocery shopping took the least amount of time.
Friday was another client visit, only this time I was by myself. Both visits last week Scott and I went together. We"ve been super busy recently gathering new clients and trying to keep the current ones happy. Microsoft just released Rollup 2 for CRM, so we have a lot of work ahead of us. With Rollup 1, we only have four companies to tell about it, so I could easily take care of each one. Now we have more and I have too many other things on my plate to install Rollup 2 at all the client sites. Any suggestions; I"m all ears.
Friday night we went out and then slept in Saturday. Roger called and I directed him and Dad to what I"m sure is the best public golf course in Northville, MI. Hope you guys both had good games.
Sunday was church, running errands for VBS and grocery shopping. I"m not sure which of the three was most exciting, but grocery shopping took the least amount of time.
| 2 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
busy week --
Richard had this to say at
12:31:54 AM on
6/29/2007.
Here it is, Thursday night, and I"m just getting around to posting a news item. I have so much to say, but so little motivation to type it. Perhaps a podcast would be appropriate. Perhaps Steve Jobs could help out with that. Do you think I should call Steve?
The week has been busy, as I implied in the title. Monday and Tuesday were client visits and I took late boats home both days. Wednesday I took the afternoon off and went to a Mariner"s game with Kate. If you read this Michael, congrats on the baby and thanks for the tickets! The game was good; the Mariners won in the bottom of the 11th.
Thursday night was softball. For those who didn"t know, I joined a softball league. Tim invited me to play. I got a hit my first at bat and ending up scoring our only run. We ended up getting mercied in the fifth inning; the other team was up by 10. I played right field and made two catches. Luckily I had no errors. I really wanted to make a good impression on these guys so they"ll invite me back for a second game.
I"m working on something pretty slick that I"ll talk about when it"s done. Just know now that it"s exciting. Thanks to Amy for being the lone commenter over the past two news items. I couldn"t figure out how her comment related to the news item, but thanks anyway for posting.
The week has been busy, as I implied in the title. Monday and Tuesday were client visits and I took late boats home both days. Wednesday I took the afternoon off and went to a Mariner"s game with Kate. If you read this Michael, congrats on the baby and thanks for the tickets! The game was good; the Mariners won in the bottom of the 11th.
Thursday night was softball. For those who didn"t know, I joined a softball league. Tim invited me to play. I got a hit my first at bat and ending up scoring our only run. We ended up getting mercied in the fifth inning; the other team was up by 10. I played right field and made two catches. Luckily I had no errors. I really wanted to make a good impression on these guys so they"ll invite me back for a second game.
I"m working on something pretty slick that I"ll talk about when it"s done. Just know now that it"s exciting. Thanks to Amy for being the lone commenter over the past two news items. I couldn"t figure out how her comment related to the news item, but thanks anyway for posting.
| 2 comments | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
happy anniversary --
Richard had this to say at
12:46:44 AM on
6/25/2007.
That"s right; happy anniversary to Roger and Shelly. You may remember Roger and Shelly from previous news items doing such things as getting married. It was three years ago that they tied the knot. I know because I was there, standing right next to Roger. I was so touched by his gesture of making me his best man that I got married and made him my best man.
Many things have happened in those three years, much of which has been logged on this site. If the next chapter of his life goes the way I want it to, he"ll be featured in my news items much more frequently.
Other things have happened that would make a good news item, but Roger and Shelly are important enough to get their own.
Many things have happened in those three years, much of which has been logged on this site. If the next chapter of his life goes the way I want it to, he"ll be featured in my news items much more frequently.
Other things have happened that would make a good news item, but Roger and Shelly are important enough to get their own.
| 1 comment | COMMENT ON THIS NEWS ITEM |
no news in a while --
Richard had this to say at
7:12:20 PM on
6/22/2007.
It"s been about a week since I posted, right? Is anybody still reading this sight? Anyway, on to the news. Last Friday my only task was to upgrade one of our customers from CRM 1.2 to CRM 3.0. I failed at this. I failed at this on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. I brought in Microsoft"s help on Sunday and they did their best to help, although they only proved what I already suspected. They did give me a tool though, which helped me identify exactly what needed to be changed for the upgrade to succeed. Wednesdy I decided I had had enough of the supported world and took to editing the database by hand.
Needless to say, everything worked out for the best and the customer is enjoying CRM 3.0. If they weren"t, the title of this news item might be "will write VB.Net code for food."
Today I took some time off from the job to work on the house. I fixed the stairs coming in from the backyard, which had just been some leftover boards Floyd lent me. I also finally cut up the window he and I took out when we installed the slider. My first foray into glass scoring and cutting didn"t turn out too poorly. Of the six lines I scored, one actually broke where I wanted it, which is about average I"ve been told. This week I also fixed the washer. When I was leveling it I noticed the shock absorbers were broken. I ordered the parts online last week and put them in Tuesday night.
It feels like it"s been more than two and a half paragraph"s worth of time since I last updated, but nothing else really happened. If I"ve told you different, post a comment to bring everyone else up to speed.
Needless to say, everything worked out for the best and the customer is enjoying CRM 3.0. If they weren"t, the title of this news item might be "will write VB.Net code for food."
Today I took some time off from the job to work on the house. I fixed the stairs coming in from the backyard, which had just been some leftover boards Floyd lent me. I also finally cut up the window he and I took out when we installed the slider. My first foray into glass scoring and cutting didn"t turn out too poorly. Of the six lines I scored, one actually broke where I wanted it, which is about average I"ve been told. This week I also fixed the washer. When I was leveling it I noticed the shock absorbers were broken. I ordered the parts online last week and put them in Tuesday night.
It feels like it"s been more than two and a half paragraph"s worth of time since I last updated, but nothing else really happened. If I"ve told you different, post a comment to bring everyone else up to speed.
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mid week news --
Richard had this to say at
1:15:12 AM on
6/14/2007.
This evening after I got home from work, Kate and I hung a curtain over our sliding door. I also put the knobs on the drawers and cabinets. Last night I moved the washer because the dryer door wouldn"t open.
I also ordered a part for the washer last night. When I was poking around the bottom of the washer leveling it over the weekend, I noticed one of the vibration/shock absorbers which keeps the drum steady was broken. I couldn"t tell how long it had been broken, or what caused it to break, but I assumed since we had been doing laundry for two weeks with it broken we could keep going. I ordered a new one anway, so in three to five business days I will have a full stabilized washer.
The site where I order the part is pretty slick, I just typed in the part number and I got a picture of it and an exploded diagram of the interior of the washer, so I know where to put it. I enjoy being able to take care of those things. If I had to go to a store and ask someone about getting a new one, I"d probably be insulted for being a city boy, a white collar fool, or a college-educated idiot. Now I can get my washing machine parts in the privacy of my own home, in my underwear if I so choose.
While I was looking around for the code to make my picture gallery, I came across a page I made up many years ago. Ron made up a similar page. They are parodies of realultimatepower.net. I didn"t include that as a link because it"s not the most work friendly site. The content is not at all questionable, but the concept is. Here"s mine: real ultimate accountants. Here"s Rons: real ultimate goths. They were funny at the time; I don"t know how funny they are now.
Post a comment about something, anything really.
I also ordered a part for the washer last night. When I was poking around the bottom of the washer leveling it over the weekend, I noticed one of the vibration/shock absorbers which keeps the drum steady was broken. I couldn"t tell how long it had been broken, or what caused it to break, but I assumed since we had been doing laundry for two weeks with it broken we could keep going. I ordered a new one anway, so in three to five business days I will have a full stabilized washer.
The site where I order the part is pretty slick, I just typed in the part number and I got a picture of it and an exploded diagram of the interior of the washer, so I know where to put it. I enjoy being able to take care of those things. If I had to go to a store and ask someone about getting a new one, I"d probably be insulted for being a city boy, a white collar fool, or a college-educated idiot. Now I can get my washing machine parts in the privacy of my own home, in my underwear if I so choose.
While I was looking around for the code to make my picture gallery, I came across a page I made up many years ago. Ron made up a similar page. They are parodies of realultimatepower.net. I didn"t include that as a link because it"s not the most work friendly site. The content is not at all questionable, but the concept is. Here"s mine: real ultimate accountants. Here"s Rons: real ultimate goths. They were funny at the time; I don"t know how funny they are now.
Post a comment about something, anything really.
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more photos, whoopitidy doo --
Rich had this to say at
1:29:49 AM on
6/12/2007.
I had some free time after I finished tidying the house before I have to pick up Kate so I decided to make a photo gallery. I added a link in the nav section on the right called Photos. Use this link to navigate to the photo galleries. I only have one gallery right now, but that"s because I am lazy. If the thumbnails are too small or if the big pictures are too big, let me know. I downloaded a program to resize the images en masse, so I can tune the results to each loyal reader"s whim...almost.
Now is the time for all good men to pick up their wives from the airport.
Now is the time for all good men to pick up their wives from the airport.
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a birthday wish, and more house stuff --
Richard had this to say at
8:46:39 AM on
6/11/2007.
First, happy birthday to Clay. Clay is my cousin who was fortunate enough to grow up next door to me. He is 15 today. There really isn"t much more to say about Clay. Wish him a happy birthday through a comment on the site or perhaps a skywriter.
Second, I made an important discovery this weekend. The washer was on a hole. We knew the previous owner installed the heat pump system himself and we know the furnace from the old forced air system was in the closet where the washer and dryer now sit. What we didn"t know is that he covered up the intake hole for the forced air system with the washer and dryer. For those who don"t know, the washer and dryer are stacked, but they are full size. I discovered the hole in the floor when Floyd and I were attempting to level the unit so the dryer door would no longer bonk Kate in the head. My temporary solution was to span the hole with a strip of OSB, then we"ll attack the larger hole problem once Kate returns. Post a comment with your thoughts on how to handle this.
Kate comes home this evening at 11. I hope I can get the house cleaned up by then.
Second, I made an important discovery this weekend. The washer was on a hole. We knew the previous owner installed the heat pump system himself and we know the furnace from the old forced air system was in the closet where the washer and dryer now sit. What we didn"t know is that he covered up the intake hole for the forced air system with the washer and dryer. For those who don"t know, the washer and dryer are stacked, but they are full size. I discovered the hole in the floor when Floyd and I were attempting to level the unit so the dryer door would no longer bonk Kate in the head. My temporary solution was to span the hole with a strip of OSB, then we"ll attack the larger hole problem once Kate returns. Post a comment with your thoughts on how to handle this.
Kate comes home this evening at 11. I hope I can get the house cleaned up by then.
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proof of improvement --
Richard had this to say at
1:33:45 AM on
6/6/2007.
Here"s a link to the picture I promised in an earlier news item: house1. I"m sorry the page isn"t a nice slide show, and that there isn"t music, but it"s late and I"m tired. I added to captions to each of the images which you may or may not find absolutely knee-slapping. I did that instead of renaming each image, which would have been better, but it"s late and I"m lazy.
Kate"s back in Michigan for the week. Maybe she"ll post on her site while she"s there and you can read all about it here.
We got our fridge today. Floyd and Wendy sat at the house awaiting the Sears folks whilst I took Kate to the airport. Then Floyd, Wendy and I all had dinner once I got back north.
If you want to see more pictures, or if you have any ideas for potential projects, post a comment. Here"s a link for all the pictures, but it"s not in a nice format, all the pictures.
Kate"s back in Michigan for the week. Maybe she"ll post on her site while she"s there and you can read all about it here.
We got our fridge today. Floyd and Wendy sat at the house awaiting the Sears folks whilst I took Kate to the airport. Then Floyd, Wendy and I all had dinner once I got back north.
If you want to see more pictures, or if you have any ideas for potential projects, post a comment. Here"s a link for all the pictures, but it"s not in a nice format, all the pictures.
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more house stuff --
Richard had this to say at
9:50:09 AM on
6/4/2007.
The best thing so far about buying a house is that I don"t have to worry about content for the web site. This past weekend, Floyd and I put in a sliding glass door and fixed the outlets in the master bathroom. The outlets showed an open ground when tested so we traced the wire back to the panel and fixed them all up right. There was a window in the wall where we put the slider, so we didn"t have to move the header. Once we get to an acceptable "after" state, I"ll post some pictures.
Not much else went on over the weekend besides house stuff, but most of it was cleaning and tidying and not very exciting. Post a comment if you believe otherwise.
Not much else went on over the weekend besides house stuff, but most of it was cleaning and tidying and not very exciting. Post a comment if you believe otherwise.
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house party - party 2 --
Richard had this to say at
9:01:02 AM on
5/30/2007.
Welcome back for the second of two news items about preparing the house and what I found in the house. To briefly recap, we moved in and set up the appliances.
The second step was to look around and see what was left. Thankfully, the previous owners left the leftover paint they used throughout the house and tile they used for the counter and backsplashes. They also left two large boxes of nails for a nail gun, tubes of caulk, a five foot pry bar, and a job box about four feet by five feet which contained an air stapler, right angle grinder, skil saw with worm drive, and the tubing for a welder.
This weekend Kate and I have a trip to the dump planned to get rid of the random stuff they left, like eight pieces of hardwood floor, roofing paper, and a directv dish.
Depending on how many comments I get on this news item, I may post a third item in the series.
The second step was to look around and see what was left. Thankfully, the previous owners left the leftover paint they used throughout the house and tile they used for the counter and backsplashes. They also left two large boxes of nails for a nail gun, tubes of caulk, a five foot pry bar, and a job box about four feet by five feet which contained an air stapler, right angle grinder, skil saw with worm drive, and the tubing for a welder.
This weekend Kate and I have a trip to the dump planned to get rid of the random stuff they left, like eight pieces of hardwood floor, roofing paper, and a directv dish.
Depending on how many comments I get on this news item, I may post a third item in the series.
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house party --
Richard had this to say at
10:46:27 PM on
5/28/2007.
Today we hosted a Memorial Day barbeque to cap off a wonderful weekend. It all started Friday when we got the keys to the house and were able to start moving in. Floyd and Wendy helped us Friday night and then we had the big moving party Saturday morning. Many people helped and thanks to any of them who read this. We finished the moving around noon and fed everyone lunch. Kate"s folks bought us a grill as a house warming gift which we have used three times in the four days we"ve owned it.
Saturday evening we saw Ron White at a local casino. He"s funny on his television specials and just as f
Saturday evening we saw Ron White at a local casino. He"s funny on his television specials and just as f