She's not hurt.
Becca was supposed to be visiting for a few hours tonight. She just called Courtney, and told her that she got in an accident. Apparently she hit a sign on the way here. Courtney is waiting for another call to let us know if we need to go get her.
Unfortunately, she is WAY closer to Tally than here. We'll see what's going on when she calls back.
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Customizing w.bloggar
So far, I am pretty happy with w.bloggar. That is a stupid name, by the way. I just modified one of the custom tags to more easily create post titles, since it doesn't have a seperate text entry area for the title. So far, so good. No more messing with www.blogger.com to get my posts out there.
Oh yeah, I can save posts locally, too, which should let me write some longer ones, and break the writing up into smaller chunks; thereby making me feel less guilty about not coding.
Oh yeah, I can save posts locally, too, which should let me write some longer ones, and break the writing up into smaller chunks; thereby making me feel less guilty about not coding.
Listening to: Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.) - Mötley Crüe - Music To Crash Your Car To Vol 2 - Disc 1 (04:13)
RSS Bandit 1.3.0.26 Released!
Haacked writes about "RSS Bandit 1.3.0.26 Released!" on you've been HAACKED.
Until now, I used RSS Bandit 1.2.* for my news aggregation. The new software is MUCH nicer. They obviously put some time into making the interface look nicer. The icons and look-and-feel is wonderful, and the app seems much faster, too. Startup used to take like 60 seconds, and now takes like 20.
I am very happy with the new version.
Until now, I used RSS Bandit 1.2.* for my news aggregation. The new software is MUCH nicer. They obviously put some time into making the interface look nicer. The icons and look-and-feel is wonderful, and the app seems much faster, too. Startup used to take like 60 seconds, and now takes like 20.
I am very happy with the new version.
Listening to: These Boots are made for walki - Karoke - Shrek 2 Party Cd (02:28)
Another Desktop Blogging tool
This post was created with w.bloggar, another desktop publishing tool. It's a lot better and easier to use than imho. That imho software was horrible.
Listening to: Life Of A Salesman - Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue (03:18)
Testing Desktop Blog Software
This post was placed by IMHO, a free desktop blog
publishing program. I am tired of www.blogger.com being down at work. Very
frustrating.
Windows Media Center
Should we ditch Tivo? We have to pay 12.95/month for Tivo, and Tivo doesn't record HD signals. If we build a WMCE pc, we get all of tivo's features, no monthly fee, and HD recording, not to mention easy Hard drive size upgrades. There is a limit on the Tivo of like 256GB, the limit on WMCE is like 3 TB or something like that.
Here's an article describing it: ExtremeTech Article
Here's a review of WMCE: PC Magazine Review
Oh yeah, one important point to remember is that I get WMCE with my action pack subscription, so the OS is free.
Here's an article describing it: ExtremeTech Article
Here's a review of WMCE: PC Magazine Review
Oh yeah, one important point to remember is that I get WMCE with my action pack subscription, so the OS is free.
Windows Server 2003 as a workstation
here is an article I found about how to convert a windows server 2003 box to a workstation:
http://www.msfn.org/win2k3/
http://www.msfn.org/win2k3/
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Does my writing compare?
Is my blog interesting enough to attract outside readers? I don't use flowery language like this woman from Baltimore:
Bemused Musings from Baltimore.
I don't really write about things that are generally interesting, like this guy:
The Last Nail.
I find that most of the time, I am writing about my wonderful daughter and equally wonderful wife. While these two topics are my personal favorites, how many other people are interested? I feel like my writing has changed since I moved my blog from my personal journal site to this public space.
Am I less edgy and funny when I write now? Are you all still entertained? Comments are welcome on this one.
Bemused Musings from Baltimore.
I don't really write about things that are generally interesting, like this guy:
The Last Nail.
I find that most of the time, I am writing about my wonderful daughter and equally wonderful wife. While these two topics are my personal favorites, how many other people are interested? I feel like my writing has changed since I moved my blog from my personal journal site to this public space.
Am I less edgy and funny when I write now? Are you all still entertained? Comments are welcome on this one.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Heartwarming, and good for the richies to read
Here is a great story about some poor guys kicking the crap out of richies from MIT in an underwater robot competition.
Highlights:
Highlights:
| Poor Folk | Richies | |
|---|---|---|
| Budget: | $800 | $11000 |
| Team Size: | 4 | 8 |
| Wins: | 1 | 0 |
The COOLEST work environment EVER
I would kill to work in an environment like this. I particularly like the cottages, and the continuing, free education provided by the company, to all employees. This is a really good read.
http://aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=19658#1
http://aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=19658#1
Monday, March 28, 2005
Busy, Tiring weekend
I didn't get all that much sleep this weekend. Friday morning, Courtney woke up with extreme abdominal pain. We called her doctor, and they told us that we needed to go to the hospital(again). Courtney's pain subsided a little, and she went back to sleep.
We headed to the new Baptist South hospital around noon on Friday. They were full. Not the ER, but the whole hospital. No open beds. So, we ended up waiting like 3 hours before they were ready for Re. Since sitting up hurt her really badly, she and Tiffany went to Tiff's house, and Re took a nap on Tiff's bed. I sat at the hospital, and waited for them to call her name.
Once she got back to the ER, it was another hour before a doctor came to see her. They did some blood work, and got an ultrasound of Courtney's abdomen, and basically told her they didn't know what was wrong with her. She didn't have an infection, or kidney stones, or gall stones, or anything else that would show up in the ultrasound or blood work. They gave her a prescription for pain, and sent her on her way.
She was in pain all weekend. Since it was her stomach that was hurting, she couldn't help out with Mik too much. I took the point on caring for Mikayla again. What a dad, right? Except that little booger wore me out like you wouldn't believe.
We spent Sunday at Granny Coates' house, and all the family oohed and ahhed over MyKayla. Mik seemed to have a really good time hanging out with everyone, and was really tired when we got home.
We got in the tub after having our dinner at like 8:45 or so. Mik was calm during her bath, just enjoying and relaxing. When we got out of the tub, she seemed fussy, so I gave her another ounce of formula(5 ounces over 2 hours). That was a mistake. She fell right asleep on my chest, and I put her in her crib. She woke up like 20 minutes later. I went to get her out of her crib, and put her back to sleep, when she threw up all over us.
So, back in tub for us. Another bath, more chilling out, and we were back in the feeding mode. Poor kid puked up all her food; it seemed like she must have puked up food she ate a month ago, there was so much.
After she was cleaned and fed again, she fell right asleep. So I put her in her crib. She woke up 10 minutes later. So I went and put her back to sleep, and back in her crib. 10 minutes later, she is crying. The kid finally went to sleep after 12 pm.
She woke up around 4:40 because her blankets had been kicked off. I gave her her passy, and recovered her, and she went right back to sleep.
I felt so bad for her, and then I had to wake her up at 7. That is quite a bit less sleep than she is used to. She is probably pretty tired today, and granny and papi are planning to take her on a bunch of errands today. Poor little girl is going to be exhausted by tonight.
Man, it has been a rough year for Courtney's belly area. I feel so bad for her, especially since there isn't anything I can do for her.
Oh yeah, I'm a little tired today too.
We headed to the new Baptist South hospital around noon on Friday. They were full. Not the ER, but the whole hospital. No open beds. So, we ended up waiting like 3 hours before they were ready for Re. Since sitting up hurt her really badly, she and Tiffany went to Tiff's house, and Re took a nap on Tiff's bed. I sat at the hospital, and waited for them to call her name.
Once she got back to the ER, it was another hour before a doctor came to see her. They did some blood work, and got an ultrasound of Courtney's abdomen, and basically told her they didn't know what was wrong with her. She didn't have an infection, or kidney stones, or gall stones, or anything else that would show up in the ultrasound or blood work. They gave her a prescription for pain, and sent her on her way.
She was in pain all weekend. Since it was her stomach that was hurting, she couldn't help out with Mik too much. I took the point on caring for Mikayla again. What a dad, right? Except that little booger wore me out like you wouldn't believe.
We spent Sunday at Granny Coates' house, and all the family oohed and ahhed over MyKayla. Mik seemed to have a really good time hanging out with everyone, and was really tired when we got home.
We got in the tub after having our dinner at like 8:45 or so. Mik was calm during her bath, just enjoying and relaxing. When we got out of the tub, she seemed fussy, so I gave her another ounce of formula(5 ounces over 2 hours). That was a mistake. She fell right asleep on my chest, and I put her in her crib. She woke up like 20 minutes later. I went to get her out of her crib, and put her back to sleep, when she threw up all over us.
So, back in tub for us. Another bath, more chilling out, and we were back in the feeding mode. Poor kid puked up all her food; it seemed like she must have puked up food she ate a month ago, there was so much.
After she was cleaned and fed again, she fell right asleep. So I put her in her crib. She woke up 10 minutes later. So I went and put her back to sleep, and back in her crib. 10 minutes later, she is crying. The kid finally went to sleep after 12 pm.
She woke up around 4:40 because her blankets had been kicked off. I gave her her passy, and recovered her, and she went right back to sleep.
I felt so bad for her, and then I had to wake her up at 7. That is quite a bit less sleep than she is used to. She is probably pretty tired today, and granny and papi are planning to take her on a bunch of errands today. Poor little girl is going to be exhausted by tonight.
Man, it has been a rough year for Courtney's belly area. I feel so bad for her, especially since there isn't anything I can do for her.
Oh yeah, I'm a little tired today too.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Dynamic User Controls in ASP.Net pages
Creating Dynamic user controls and adding them to asp.net pages can be tricky. I searched for a while on google, and found tons of helpful articles about how to add dynamic controls to a page. All of the articles basically said the same thing:
Here's an example:
This will ensure that your control is visible on the page, and the control's viewstate will be saved across requests.
The simple method breaks down when adding User Controls, though.
If you want to add a user control, and be able to access it's child controls(why wouldn't you?), you have to follow the same steps, but instantiating the control is different.
Note that you have to call LoadControl( string Path ) to get your control loaded, else all of the child controls that are owned by your user control will be null.
Man that was hard to find. Here's the original article where I found the info:
http://aspalliance.com/565.
- Create the control in code
- Add the control to the page's Controls collection
- Set properties on the control
Here's an example:
private void Page_Load(object, System.EventArgs )
{
CheckBox cb = new CheckBox();
Page.Controls.Add( cb );
cb.Checked = true;
}
This will ensure that your control is visible on the page, and the control's viewstate will be saved across requests.
The simple method breaks down when adding User Controls, though.
If you want to add a user control, and be able to access it's child controls(why wouldn't you?), you have to follow the same steps, but instantiating the control is different.
private void Page_Load( object, System.EventArgs)
{
MyControl mc = LoadControl( "MyControl.ascx" );
Page.Controls.Add( mc );
mc.Controls[0].Text = "Hello";
}Note that you have to call LoadControl( string Path ) to get your control loaded, else all of the child controls that are owned by your user control will be null.
Man that was hard to find. Here's the original article where I found the info:
http://aspalliance.com/565.
Monday, March 21, 2005
Happy Birthday, Dad
My Father, Cullen Jackson "Jack" Waters, turns 62 today. He is an amazing man. He dedicated the largest portion of his life to the common good, actively serving with the Tampa Police Department on patrol.
During his time with TPD, he was promoted to Sergeant, and given command of a squad of patrolmen. While I was growing up, the cops who worked on my dad's squad told me that it was an honor to be on the squad, and that people competed to get to work for him.
Dad never sought a promotion above Sergeant, because Lieutenants and above sat a desk, and he wanted to be on the street, among the people he was helping.
Dad's desire to help the community resulted in him being given command of TPDs COP team. The COP team was charged with making communities safer by being active members of the community. Team members attended functions, rallies, and meetings with the people who lived in the areas they patrolled. The COP team made police in Tampa real people, and as a result, the civilians reported more crimes, and were more active in catching the perpertrators of those crimes.
Once family pressures caused Dad to retire(we had been bugging him for like 8 or 9 years), he took a non-sworn position with the TPD, as the head of the Reports and Information Unit. Since then, he has been promoted to be commander of the Crime Scene Unit. My dad is the head CSI!
Dad working on the boats for HHS Crew
Apart from his work, dad is really an amazing individual. He is the only man I know who can weld, build furniture, re-roof a house, work on cars, fix computers, steal cable, re-plumb a house(twice), re-wire a house, build train layouts, model tanks, and manages to read 5-10 books a week. Every day, I try to emulate him in some small way. I can do most of the same things he does, although I read slower, but he does them much better than I do.
I remember, once about 10 years ago, dad was working on something near the roof of his little covered patio(where his grill is), and he cut the back of his hand on a roofing nail protruding through the roof. He didn't even grunt. Just kept on working, till I kinda freaked out about his hand bleeding, and dripping on the floor. He told me not to worry, and that he was going to let it bleed, so it would be clean.
I think my dad may be one of the last remaining men in the world. He carries a gun, and knows how to use it. He doesn't back down from danger, and will do what is necessary if a bad guy tries to hurt someone he loves. He is pretty patient about the big things(not so much on little stuff, but hey, everyone needs a character trait), and will answer any question you ask to the best of his ability.
Building the new HHS Crew boathouse.
My dad is a generous man, and has passed that generosity along to his kids(even when we wanted to be selfish). He donates hundreds of hours a year to charitable organizations, primarily the Human Development Center, where adults with developmental disabilities are assisted in being members of society. He also donates a lot of time every year to the Hillsborough High Rowing Club(both of my sisters were team members). During crew season, he drives all over the state, dragging a huge trailer(like 15,000 pounds) full of boats behind him. Without his contributions, the club would not be able to race. His only reward for these actions is the good feelings he gets helping people.
More Boathouse work
Dad, we love you, more than you can possible know. Courtney and I are extremely proud to be your children. I cannot imagine a better Papa for my daughter, and I think you will fill out my Papa's name just fine.
I am proud of you, and I know that Papa is proud of you too.
Happy Birthday, Dad.
During his time with TPD, he was promoted to Sergeant, and given command of a squad of patrolmen. While I was growing up, the cops who worked on my dad's squad told me that it was an honor to be on the squad, and that people competed to get to work for him.
Dad never sought a promotion above Sergeant, because Lieutenants and above sat a desk, and he wanted to be on the street, among the people he was helping.
Dad's desire to help the community resulted in him being given command of TPDs COP team. The COP team was charged with making communities safer by being active members of the community. Team members attended functions, rallies, and meetings with the people who lived in the areas they patrolled. The COP team made police in Tampa real people, and as a result, the civilians reported more crimes, and were more active in catching the perpertrators of those crimes.
Once family pressures caused Dad to retire(we had been bugging him for like 8 or 9 years), he took a non-sworn position with the TPD, as the head of the Reports and Information Unit. Since then, he has been promoted to be commander of the Crime Scene Unit. My dad is the head CSI!
Dad working on the boats for HHS Crew
Apart from his work, dad is really an amazing individual. He is the only man I know who can weld, build furniture, re-roof a house, work on cars, fix computers, steal cable, re-plumb a house(twice), re-wire a house, build train layouts, model tanks, and manages to read 5-10 books a week. Every day, I try to emulate him in some small way. I can do most of the same things he does, although I read slower, but he does them much better than I do.
I remember, once about 10 years ago, dad was working on something near the roof of his little covered patio(where his grill is), and he cut the back of his hand on a roofing nail protruding through the roof. He didn't even grunt. Just kept on working, till I kinda freaked out about his hand bleeding, and dripping on the floor. He told me not to worry, and that he was going to let it bleed, so it would be clean.
I think my dad may be one of the last remaining men in the world. He carries a gun, and knows how to use it. He doesn't back down from danger, and will do what is necessary if a bad guy tries to hurt someone he loves. He is pretty patient about the big things(not so much on little stuff, but hey, everyone needs a character trait), and will answer any question you ask to the best of his ability.
Building the new HHS Crew boathouse.
My dad is a generous man, and has passed that generosity along to his kids(even when we wanted to be selfish). He donates hundreds of hours a year to charitable organizations, primarily the Human Development Center, where adults with developmental disabilities are assisted in being members of society. He also donates a lot of time every year to the Hillsborough High Rowing Club(both of my sisters were team members). During crew season, he drives all over the state, dragging a huge trailer(like 15,000 pounds) full of boats behind him. Without his contributions, the club would not be able to race. His only reward for these actions is the good feelings he gets helping people.
More Boathouse work
Dad, we love you, more than you can possible know. Courtney and I are extremely proud to be your children. I cannot imagine a better Papa for my daughter, and I think you will fill out my Papa's name just fine.
I am proud of you, and I know that Papa is proud of you too.
Happy Birthday, Dad.
Friday, March 18, 2005
Friday got me
The friday bug got to me about 1 pm today. I haven't accomplished much work since lunch today. I don't know why I am having such a hard time getting to work, but it is kicking my butt today.
Worse than women
Naval officers are worse than women. Especially naval officers who got out after 10 years. What kind of officer gets out after 10 years, you ask? A BAD one. Good officers stay in and retire after 20, or get out after their initial contract is up(4-6 years). Someone who stayed in 10 and got out got themselves kicked out because they sucked.
I've got two naval officers in my room/office now. They spent the last 20 minutes complaining about how stupid the navy was. Basically, they couldn't hack it because they suck, and now they are going to spend the rest of their lives convincing people that they were good officers, and got out because they were tired of the beauracracy.
What a load of crap. Thank god for headphones.
I've got two naval officers in my room/office now. They spent the last 20 minutes complaining about how stupid the navy was. Basically, they couldn't hack it because they suck, and now they are going to spend the rest of their lives convincing people that they were good officers, and got out because they were tired of the beauracracy.
What a load of crap. Thank god for headphones.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
The waiting game
Damn if I am not still waiting to hear about a closing date. Ed(my mortgage guy) is really dropping the ball on this one. He told me 10 days ago that everything was complete, and we just needed to set up a closing date. I got an email a couple of days ago saying everything was complete, and we were just waiting for a closing date. Frustratin.
The yellow bike is still listed on CycleTrader.com, though, so hopefully he hasn't sold it yet. I really like that bike, even better than the black one.
Hurry up Ed! After closing, I have to wait four days before I can request any money, since the HELOC is on my primary residence. So I am looking at end of next week at best to buy the bike. This is so hard. It's harder to wait now, when I know the financing is on the way, than it was last year, when there was no end in site.
On a positive note, the weather has been crappy, so I wouldn't be riding even if I already had the bike. Of course, the weather is supposed to clear up tomorrow, for the weekend, and it's supposed to be a beautiful weekend.
Bastards are going to be out in force this weekend, watch.
The yellow bike is still listed on CycleTrader.com, though, so hopefully he hasn't sold it yet. I really like that bike, even better than the black one.
Hurry up Ed! After closing, I have to wait four days before I can request any money, since the HELOC is on my primary residence. So I am looking at end of next week at best to buy the bike. This is so hard. It's harder to wait now, when I know the financing is on the way, than it was last year, when there was no end in site.
On a positive note, the weather has been crappy, so I wouldn't be riding even if I already had the bike. Of course, the weather is supposed to clear up tomorrow, for the weekend, and it's supposed to be a beautiful weekend.
Bastards are going to be out in force this weekend, watch.
Monday, March 14, 2005
New Truck!
Ford Explorer Sport Trac 2004
We decided to get a new truck. Courtney and I went to the dealership yesterday to test drive a Toyota Tacoma. We ended up testing a Ford Explorer Sport Trac. Then we went to the Chevy dealership, where we saw a 2004, with 15,000 miles. The truck had just been traded in the night before. We got a really good deal, both on trade and on the price of the truck. I am so stoked.
Since the truck hadn't even been there 24 hours, they couldn't give it to me yet; they have some inspections and cleanup and stuff to do. I am going to get it in about 45 minutes or so, after this lunch meeting thing we have today at work.
Tough night for Courtney
She is such a trooper. Courtney didn't come to bed until 3 am. She stayed up with Mik for like 4 or 5 hours after I went to sleep, and didn't complain once(so far).
Mik did not sleep well last night. She woke up at 5 this morning. I don't know what her deal is. She sleeps great on days when she and mommy are staying home together. On the nights when she is going to Pita's the next morning, she gets up crazy early.
I was hoping that last night she would stay asleep until after I got up and had a chance to do my morning routine. That was not to be. She woke me up an hour early, and was awake until after 7. It sure does take longer to get ready when she is up. My morning ritual takes max 30 minutes usually. I wasn't ready to leave today until 7:30, and I got up at 5. That is an extra two hours.
Sure do love her, though.
Seriously, I think I am the luckiest man alive. I have the most wonderful wife and daughter a guy could possibly have. I'm not sure I'll feel the same way about my hothead daughter in 13 to 15 years, but maybe.
Mik did not sleep well last night. She woke up at 5 this morning. I don't know what her deal is. She sleeps great on days when she and mommy are staying home together. On the nights when she is going to Pita's the next morning, she gets up crazy early.
I was hoping that last night she would stay asleep until after I got up and had a chance to do my morning routine. That was not to be. She woke me up an hour early, and was awake until after 7. It sure does take longer to get ready when she is up. My morning ritual takes max 30 minutes usually. I wasn't ready to leave today until 7:30, and I got up at 5. That is an extra two hours.
Sure do love her, though.
Seriously, I think I am the luckiest man alive. I have the most wonderful wife and daughter a guy could possibly have. I'm not sure I'll feel the same way about my hothead daughter in 13 to 15 years, but maybe.
Friday, March 11, 2005
Do any developers read this?
I am designing the classes for my ftp client, and want some input.
I am creating an FTP connection class. This class will represent the physical connection between the server and my client. What properties should I keep in the class?
Right now, I have the Socket object I send commands through, and a flag to show whether it is connected. Is there anything else I need?
Here's the code right now:
I am creating an FTP connection class. This class will represent the physical connection between the server and my client. What properties should I keep in the class?
Right now, I have the Socket object I send commands through, and a flag to show whether it is connected. Is there anything else I need?
Here's the code right now:
public class FTPConnection
{
private bool _Connected;
private Socket _CmdSocket;
private IPEndPoint _RemoteServer;
public IPEndPoint RemoteServer
{
get{ return _RemoteServer; }
set{ _RemoteServer = value; }
}
public bool Connected
{
get
{
_Connected = CmdSocket.Connected;
return _Connected;
}
set{ _Connected = value; }
}
public Socket CmdSocket
{
get{ return _CmdSocket; }
set{ _CmdSocket = value; }
}
public FTPConnection()
{
...
}
public bool Connect( )
{
...
}
}
I did it all by myself
Success! I have validated myself as a father. Last night, Courtney was struck by extreme tiredness during a hockey game. We were just sitting there, having a conversation, and all of a sudden, she was slurring and acting funny and unable to walk correctly. I was really worried about her, but she said it was just lack of sleep catching up with her.
So, we go back to my mom's and get Mik. I take the girls home, and tell Re to get in the sack. For once, she listened, and jumped right into bed. It was like 9:30 or 10. Right at the dangerous time for Mikayla. Mik had been sleeping in the car on the ride home, which meant I was going to have to wake her. She does NOT like being woken up. I think she got the worst possible combination from me and her mom with that one.
After waking her up to get her out of the car seat, I tried to calm her right back down and put her in her bed. She was not having that. So, since she was awake, I changed her and held her for a while. I tried wrapping her up in her swaddle blanket, to see if she would chill out with that. Yeah, right. So, I figured she might be hungry(despite eating twice at mom's between 6:30 and 9:00). I get her a bottle, she takes one drink, and spews all over herself, me, and the swaddle blanket.
Now, I am used to being puked on at this point, and she is definitely used to having half digested formula running down her, but the swaddle blanket has been contaminated. This is BAD. How am I going to get her to sleep, without her mom's help, and with no swaddle blanket? I had to wake Courtney up to help me get puky Mik into the bathtub, so we could all clean up. After I got in the bath, I told Re to go to sleep, and wonder of wonders, she listened. Again. Twice in one day. Holy open ears, batman.
Me and Mik had a nice little bath time, and then got dried off. Of course, as I was re-diapering Mik, she decided to pee all over the clean diaper and her cool little towel. I wrapped her in my towel, and we were off into the cold part of the house to get a diaper. Once I got her diapered up, she let me know she was hungry(and didn't scream to do it!).
One four ounce bottle later, and it is clear that she is sleeeeepy. Droopy, red eyes. Bags under the eyes. Half sleepy cries. But the swaddle blanket is covered in puke. How to get her to sleep?
That swaddle blanket is the cat's meow. Once she is asleep in that thing, she is OUT. You can drop her off the couch, and she won't wake up. Normally, if you move her 2 inches vertically, she is awake and screaming. The swaddle blanket apparently blocks her perception of vertical displacement.
The end result is that now Courtney should feel totally comfortable leaving the house and having fun without me. I survived a night with Mik, by myself(mostly), and no one got hurt. I even managed to make enough bottles to see her through most of today. And I got a full night's sleep, to boot; I was in bed at 1. All this on a night full of screaming, crying, puking, and pooping. Man was that a smelly poop, too. That poop is a story for another time, though.
So, we go back to my mom's and get Mik. I take the girls home, and tell Re to get in the sack. For once, she listened, and jumped right into bed. It was like 9:30 or 10. Right at the dangerous time for Mikayla. Mik had been sleeping in the car on the ride home, which meant I was going to have to
After waking her up to get her out of the car seat, I tried to calm her right back down and put her in her bed. She was not having that. So, since she was awake, I changed her and held her for a while. I tried wrapping her up in her swaddle blanket, to see if she would chill out with that. Yeah, right. So, I figured she might be hungry(despite eating twice at mom's between 6:30 and 9:00). I get her a bottle, she takes one drink, and spews all over herself, me, and the swaddle blanket.
Now, I am used to being puked on at this point, and she is definitely used to having half digested formula running down her, but the swaddle blanket has been contaminated. This is BAD. How am I going to get her to sleep, without her mom's help, and with no swaddle blanket? I had to wake Courtney up to help me get puky Mik into the bathtub, so we could all clean up. After I got in the bath, I told Re to go to sleep, and wonder of wonders, she listened. Again. Twice in one day. Holy open ears, batman.
Me and Mik had a nice little bath time, and then got dried off. Of course, as I was re-diapering Mik, she decided to pee all over the clean diaper and her cool little towel. I wrapped her in my towel, and we were off into the cold part of the house to get a diaper. Once I got her diapered up, she let me know she was hungry(and didn't scream to do it!).
One four ounce bottle later, and it is clear that she is sleeeeepy. Droopy, red eyes. Bags under the eyes. Half sleepy cries. But the swaddle blanket is covered in puke. How to get her to sleep?
- First try: put her to sleep on my shoulder (relatively easy), and then transfer her to the bed. Yeah right. Her head hit the bed, and her back hit the cold blanket, and she was wide awake, and pissed (remember she doesn't like to be woken up).
- Second try: Old fashioned swaddle, using a light blanket. Yeah right. She was out of that thing in like 2 seconds. I tried to rewrap her, and she was not happy. Apparently, the swaddle blanket gives her just enough freedom of movement to avoid frustration, but not enough that her waving arms wake her up.
That swaddle blanket is the cat's meow. Once she is asleep in that thing, she is OUT. You can drop her off the couch, and she won't wake up. Normally, if you move her 2 inches vertically, she is awake and screaming. The swaddle blanket apparently blocks her perception of vertical displacement.
The end result is that now Courtney should feel totally comfortable leaving the house and having fun without me. I survived a night with Mik, by myself(mostly), and no one got hurt. I even managed to make enough bottles to see her through most of today. And I got a full night's sleep, to boot; I was in bed at 1. All this on a night full of screaming, crying, puking, and pooping. Man was that a smelly poop, too. That poop is a story for another time, though.
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Approved!
I heard from my mortgage guy today, and I got approved for my HELOC. He told me it might take up to a week for closing, when I get access to the money. Hopefully the yellow and silver bike won't sell before then.
Cycletrader.com was down for two days. That site is run by a bunch of yahoos, and was coded by a one eyed idiot. The search is slow, and poorly designed. They let their domain name registration run out on TWO sites. idiots.
On the other hand, that means that the bike wasn't being viewed for two days, and people couldn't get the guy's contact information for that time. Hopefully that will help keep it unsold.
Cycletrader.com was down for two days. That site is run by a bunch of yahoos, and was coded by a one eyed idiot. The search is slow, and poorly designed. They let their domain name registration run out on TWO sites. idiots.
On the other hand, that means that the bike wasn't being viewed for two days, and people couldn't get the guy's contact information for that time. Hopefully that will help keep it unsold.
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Hobbies
Well, my r/c plane(trainer) and helicopter and car are all built. I haven't built anything in quite a while(except baby furniture), and I am starting to get the itch again. I think I am going to buy another r/c plane kit, and start building it. I am going to hold off for at least a week or two, though, so I can see if I will have the time to mess with it.
When I do get the kit, I think I am going to build the structure without most of the systems, since that stuff gets expensive(especially radio gear). I really like the building the most, so I am going to focus on that. I may try to sell the plane at a local hobby shop once I get it built. If I can sell planes for the price of materials, I will do that all day long. The building is really the best part, and there is no way I will ever find time to fly more than one or two planes. I want to build about five, though.
Plus, I want to build an F-16 model that just came out. This thing is awesome! The engine even slides in and out of the fuselage on rails modeled after the real deal! Talk about detail. And anyone who has known me for a while knows that the F-16 is my favorite jet of all time. The model costs $167. For that price, it better be pretty damn detailed. Here's the link: http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=60315
When I do get the kit, I think I am going to build the structure without most of the systems, since that stuff gets expensive(especially radio gear). I really like the building the most, so I am going to focus on that. I may try to sell the plane at a local hobby shop once I get it built. If I can sell planes for the price of materials, I will do that all day long. The building is really the best part, and there is no way I will ever find time to fly more than one or two planes. I want to build about five, though.
- RV-4
- C 130(or other multiengine)
- Float plane
- P-40 Tigershark
- F4F Wildcat
- P51 Mustang
- Cessna 151
- F4U Corsair
Plus, I want to build an F-16 model that just came out. This thing is awesome! The engine even slides in and out of the fuselage on rails modeled after the real deal! Talk about detail. And anyone who has known me for a while knows that the F-16 is my favorite jet of all time. The model costs $167. For that price, it better be pretty damn detailed. Here's the link: http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=60315
Bike Search II
So, on Friday, I applied for a HELOC(Home Equity Line Of Credit). If we get the loan, we are going to pay off the higher-interest loan from Re's engagement ring, and buy me a bike. I haven't found a black one, but I found this one:
I actually like this one better than the black one. It will probably cost around $5500. Man, that is the sweetest bike I have seen yet. I am totally in love with it.
We should know about the loan on Tuesday, according to my mortgage guy. I hope we get the loan. The tax savings would be nice, and then, once we sell the house and move, we will have gotten rid of almost all of our debt(minus cars & house). The only other thing we will have is my RTG account, which we should have paid off next year. Go us!
I am so stoked about getting a motorcycle. My wife is the best ever. I have talked to a lot of other guys whose wives/girlfriends have either poo-pooed on them getting a bike, or downright stopped them from doing it. My wife has tried several times to purchase me one, just couldn't get the funding together. Many other new moms tend to stop their husbands from doing anything remotely dangerous, my wife encouraged me to get us a gun, and is totally supporting me on the motorcycle.
I am so lucky to have found such a wonderful woman. I wish everyone in the world could be as happy as Courtney and I are together. I love you, Re.
In Totus Vici
I actually like this one better than the black one. It will probably cost around $5500. Man, that is the sweetest bike I have seen yet. I am totally in love with it.
We should know about the loan on Tuesday, according to my mortgage guy. I hope we get the loan. The tax savings would be nice, and then, once we sell the house and move, we will have gotten rid of almost all of our debt(minus cars & house). The only other thing we will have is my RTG account, which we should have paid off next year. Go us!
I am so stoked about getting a motorcycle. My wife is the best ever. I have talked to a lot of other guys whose wives/girlfriends have either poo-pooed on them getting a bike, or downright stopped them from doing it. My wife has tried several times to purchase me one, just couldn't get the funding together. Many other new moms tend to stop their husbands from doing anything remotely dangerous, my wife encouraged me to get us a gun, and is totally supporting me on the motorcycle.
I am so lucky to have found such a wonderful woman. I wish everyone in the world could be as happy as Courtney and I are together. I love you, Re.
In Totus Vici
Long Night
Tonight was a long, tiring night.
We left the house around noon today, and didn't get home till about 10. We went to a couple of stores first, then had lunch, and then went to Mark & Rachel's house. We got to their house around 4. Mark & I went to publix, and I got stuff for brats.
Mark, Dave and I pretty much played XBox the whole time. This apparently bored Courtney out of her mind. I didn't realize that she got so bored watching us play. I thought that since her and the other girls chatted the whole time that she was having fun. Next time, we are going to have to skip the XBox gameage. We can always play XBox when they aren't around.
Once we got home, Mik was overtired. She was really fussy tonight, and kept screaming herself awake. She ate a couple of times, and that helped to calm her. We finally got her in bed a little after midnight. She still isn't sleeping too soundly, though. Very noisy in her sleep tonight. Hopefully, since she ate right at midnight, she will make it till 6 or so before she needs to eat again.
Courtney has been having a hard time getting to sleep lately. Seems that my snoring has been keeping her from passing out. Last night, she came out and slept on the couch for a couple of hours. I didn't want her doing that again(it hurt her neck). So, tonight, she was going to come out to the couch, but I stopped her and told her I would hang out here for a while, until she was asleep, then come back to bed. Thus the late night post.
Courtney and I aren't really feeling good, either. Courtney took the wrong pain pill at Rachel's, and she threw up once we got home. I seem to have a hard time eating at their house, too. I always get at least some form of diarrhea when we go over there. Usually it is just an urgent need to visit a bathroom before we head for home. Tonight it was a little worse. I had to stop about 5 miles from Mark & Rachel's to use the potty in a starbucks, and then barely made it home before the next potty break. My stomach has been a little upset, too. I don't know what they do to the food over there, but I always have trouble with my guts after being at their house.
So, I have to kill another 10 minutes or so before bed. Guess I'll write another entry.
We left the house around noon today, and didn't get home till about 10. We went to a couple of stores first, then had lunch, and then went to Mark & Rachel's house. We got to their house around 4. Mark & I went to publix, and I got stuff for brats.
Mark, Dave and I pretty much played XBox the whole time. This apparently bored Courtney out of her mind. I didn't realize that she got so bored watching us play. I thought that since her and the other girls chatted the whole time that she was having fun. Next time, we are going to have to skip the XBox gameage. We can always play XBox when they aren't around.
Once we got home, Mik was overtired. She was really fussy tonight, and kept screaming herself awake. She ate a couple of times, and that helped to calm her. We finally got her in bed a little after midnight. She still isn't sleeping too soundly, though. Very noisy in her sleep tonight. Hopefully, since she ate right at midnight, she will make it till 6 or so before she needs to eat again.
Courtney has been having a hard time getting to sleep lately. Seems that my snoring has been keeping her from passing out. Last night, she came out and slept on the couch for a couple of hours. I didn't want her doing that again(it hurt her neck). So, tonight, she was going to come out to the couch, but I stopped her and told her I would hang out here for a while, until she was asleep, then come back to bed. Thus the late night post.
Courtney and I aren't really feeling good, either. Courtney took the wrong pain pill at Rachel's, and she threw up once we got home. I seem to have a hard time eating at their house, too. I always get at least some form of diarrhea when we go over there. Usually it is just an urgent need to visit a bathroom before we head for home. Tonight it was a little worse. I had to stop about 5 miles from Mark & Rachel's to use the potty in a starbucks, and then barely made it home before the next potty break. My stomach has been a little upset, too. I don't know what they do to the food over there, but I always have trouble with my guts after being at their house.
So, I have to kill another 10 minutes or so before bed. Guess I'll write another entry.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Road Raging
Apparently, half the world got up on the wrong side of bed every morning this week. Yesterday, some prick in an old beat up truck with no brake lights got pissed at me when I changed lanes BEHIND him.
Today, some guy shot me a death look because I hit the brakes, instead of hitting the car in front of me.
Some days I am really glad I don't have my concealed carry permit yet. At least I don't have to make a decision whether or not that guy deserved to be shot(he probably did).
Today, some guy shot me a death look because I hit the brakes, instead of hitting the car in front of me.
Some days I am really glad I don't have my concealed carry permit yet. At least I don't have to make a decision whether or not that guy deserved to be shot(he probably did).
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Personal Projects
I have several personal projects to announce:
It's an exciting time, even if I never get to all of these items. I have a feeling that Mik will keep me from completing all of them, or maybe any of them. She is so cute, though.
- I am creating an FTP client. I will be distributing this as freeware, from my site, once it is done.
- I am working on an add-in for Windows Media Player that adjusts your playback volume based on the rating you give your songs. So, if you go through the library tab and give every song a rating from 1-5 stars, your volume level is adjusted proportionally. This product will probably be sold for around $5, through my site.
- Broderick and I are starting to develop an asteroids-type game together. Broderick is one of my coworkers. We worked on a project together, and it went really well. I think we are going to make this freeware, but if it's good enough, we may make it shareware, and sell it through the site.
- I am going to start development on an inventory tracking application soon. I want to sell this one, so I am going to be in design mode for a while, and will eventually be soliciting beta testers for it.
It's an exciting time, even if I never get to all of these items. I have a feeling that Mik will keep me from completing all of them, or maybe any of them. She is so cute, though.
Work Rocks
It is so nice to finally be doing what I am really in to. I am now, for the first time, really doing object oriented programming. The stuff we do here is amazing, and there is enough work to be busy. Actually, I have the perfect amount of work now. I have time to write the occasional quick blog entry, and work to do when I get done with that.
This morning, I tested a couple of changes from yesterday, and got a list of 11 new items to complete. I got 6 items done before lunch. The code is very interesting, and so object oriented I get lost sometimes. I am going to learn a ton at this job. Hopefully, I will be here for a couple of years, and will be able to learn a whole pile of new stuff.
This morning, I tested a couple of changes from yesterday, and got a list of 11 new items to complete. I got 6 items done before lunch. The code is very interesting, and so object oriented I get lost sometimes. I am going to learn a ton at this job. Hopefully, I will be here for a couple of years, and will be able to learn a whole pile of new stuff.
8 Hours ?!!?
I think we did it. I think we have cracked the code on Mik's sleeping.
Last night, I went to bed early( around 11 ). Courtney was feeding Mik. Re came and got me about two hours later, all stressed out because Mik wouldn't sleep. So, Daddy to the rescue. I hate to sound like I'm gloating, but for once, Mik fell right asleep for me. Usually, I have to get Courtney to help me get her to sleep. When I come and ask Re to help, she usually has Mik snoring in like 2 seconds. Well, last night, I was the hero. I got Mik knocked out in like 3 minutes.
Here's what I did: I redid her burrito, I think Courtney had the excess too low on Mik's body(like under her legs). So, Mik was kicking her feet up and that let the blanket loosen enough for her to get her arms out. So I rewrapped her, and put the excess squarely under her back. Then I rubbed her head, back and forth, from forehead to the back of her head, while she sucked her passy. Almost as soon as I touched her head, her eyes snapped shut, and she calmed down(stopped screaming like a banshee). I kept up the head rub for about 5-10 minutes, just to be safe, and then I was out of there and back in bed.
I wanted to go to bed early because I figured she would wake up around 4 and be up for 2 hours like she did Sunday night. That sucked. Getting up for work at 4 am is BAD. Well, I went to sleep around 11, until 1, when I helped Courtney out, and then back to sleep. My alarm woke me up. Did you catch that? I actually woke up to my alarm. That is the first time I have had a full nights sleep in two months. I got 5 solid hours, and about 7 total. I feel so rested today it's crazy.
Mik ate last night around 10:30 - 11. She didn't wake up for food until 9 am. And then she only needed 4 ounces to be happy. Woo Freakin Hoo! Ooh rah even.
Last night, I went to bed early( around 11 ). Courtney was feeding Mik. Re came and got me about two hours later, all stressed out because Mik wouldn't sleep. So, Daddy to the rescue. I hate to sound like I'm gloating, but for once, Mik fell right asleep for me. Usually, I have to get Courtney to help me get her to sleep. When I come and ask Re to help, she usually has Mik snoring in like 2 seconds. Well, last night, I was the hero. I got Mik knocked out in like 3 minutes.
Here's what I did: I redid her burrito, I think Courtney had the excess too low on Mik's body(like under her legs). So, Mik was kicking her feet up and that let the blanket loosen enough for her to get her arms out. So I rewrapped her, and put the excess squarely under her back. Then I rubbed her head, back and forth, from forehead to the back of her head, while she sucked her passy. Almost as soon as I touched her head, her eyes snapped shut, and she calmed down(stopped screaming like a banshee). I kept up the head rub for about 5-10 minutes, just to be safe, and then I was out of there and back in bed.
I wanted to go to bed early because I figured she would wake up around 4 and be up for 2 hours like she did Sunday night. That sucked. Getting up for work at 4 am is BAD. Well, I went to sleep around 11, until 1, when I helped Courtney out, and then back to sleep. My alarm woke me up. Did you catch that? I actually woke up to my alarm. That is the first time I have had a full nights sleep in two months. I got 5 solid hours, and about 7 total. I feel so rested today it's crazy.
Mik ate last night around 10:30 - 11. She didn't wake up for food until 9 am. And then she only needed 4 ounces to be happy. Woo Freakin Hoo! Ooh rah even.
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