Saturday, June 11, 2011
Renamed the Blog
I just decided tonight that "Sean's Blog" was just too darn boring. I needed to come up with something more interesting for a name. After a while, I decided on "Playing in Traffic". It just seemed to fit, and for those of you who know what my nickname was in school, you'll get the inside joke.
Thursday, June 09, 2011
Car Shopping... The Good, the Bad & the Ugly
As some of you know, Leilani and I went on vacation back in April to New York City. To save money, and because I hate to fly if I don't have to, we chose to drive. About half way to NYC, I hit a rather large piece of tread with my car. I could immediately tell it had done some damage, but it seemed minor and since we were far from home, I just kept going. There was no body damage, but the car was no longer as smooth as before and over the last 2 months, more and more noises were popping up that made me uneasy. It became obvious we were due for a big repair bill in the near future. Combine that with the fact that I was about to hit 95,000 miles and I decided to start car shopping and possibly trade it in on something new.
Since it wasn't urgent that I make a trade, I took some time to really think out what type of vehicle I needed to best suit my needs and then what brand was best in that class. Here is the list I came up with of what I needed.
1. Gas mileage... At the moment, I work from home so it isn't as critical as it is to some people, but working in I.T. I know this can change at any time. If I did have to change jobs, odds are good I'd have to make the commute to Charlotte and gas mileage would be a BIG deal. Depending on what side of town I was driving to, my commute could be 50 - 75 miles each way. Also, we tend to take my car on vacations since Leilani has a fun, sporty convertible which means no room for luggage.
2. AWD or 4WD... Over the last year, I have really been getting back into shooting IDPA. The dirt roads into the gun clubs where the matches are held are very poorly maintained and driving them in my Nissan Altima was tough and probably contributing to how badly it was starting to drive.
3. iPod connectivity... I listen to my iPod almost 100% of the time when in my car so it was critical that I be able to connect my iPod to my car stereo easily.
4. Reliability... If my job stays the way it is, this will be a low mileage car so I'd like to keep it a long time. If not, I need something that can take the pounding of a long commute and heavy mileage. Either way, I wanted something made well and would last.
After a lot of thinking, I decided the vehicle type that would fit me best was a small SUV or crossover.
The first one I chose to look at and drive was a Nissan Rogue. Up until the incident with the tread, I had been happy with my current Nissan and I also thought the Rogue was the best looking vehicle in this class. Also, my Altima had push button start which I really liked and the Rogue was the only vehicle in its class that was in our price range that had this feature. However, after driving it and then doing some research on line, it got crossed off my list. The biggest issue I had when driving it was that the blind spot was HUGE. Compared to all the other vehicles I test drove later, it had the worst rear visibility by far. Also, when doing research online, I found way too many stories of electrical problems. I decided there were probably better choices for me and I'd just have to live with giving up the push button start feature.
I also really liked the looks of the new Nissan Juke. However, it is a small vehicle and I'm not a small guy. I just didn't fit in it so after sitting in it, I didn't even bother driving it.
All the research seemed to agree on the Top 5 for this class. They were the Chevy Equinox, GMC Terrain, Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Subaru Forester. In reality, the Equinox and Terrain are the same vehicle with different cosmetics so if one of those was my favorite, the choice between the two would just come down to which one I thought looked better.
The next night, I headed back out and drove the RAV4 and the CR-V. The RAV4 is a nice vehicle that seems well thought out and has lots of storage and head room. However, I just didn't like the way it felt when driving it. It was very "minivan-ish". Also, every time I've ever shopped at a Toyota dealer, the salesperson has managed to annoy me and this time was no exception. He spent so much time trying to pressure me into just buying now before even looking at the other vehicles on my list and trash talking the competition that he really turned me off.
Next up was the Honda CR-V. It is a nice vehicle as well and I really liked the salesperson at the Honda dealer much better. I went there to drive it expecting to just check it off the list, but instead I left with it at the top of my list so far. It drove very comfortable, but still had a tight enough steering and handling to not feel like a mini van. Also, there is no denying Honda's quality, but I wasn't ready to make a decision until I had driven the Equinox/Terrain and Forester.
On Saturday, Leilani was off work so she finally got to go with me. We drove down to Mooresville because the Subaru dealer local to us in Hickory closed early and we got a late start. We started at Randy Marion Chevrolet, looking at the Equinox. We had a hard time finding a salesperson at first because they were all with other customers, but after a few minutes, the fleet manager came out and helped us. He was a good salesman and was low pressure which is what I want in a car salesman. He explained the different trim levels and we decided to drive the LT1. The Equinox is very nice inside. The front feels like a cockpit and is nicely layed out. Also, the seats were the nicest of any of the ones I looked at. The only real complaint I had was that the acceleration was very sluggish. After the test drive, we told him we liked it, but we wanted to drive the Forester before deciding.
Since Randy Marion Subaru was just across the street and owned by the same person, he said he could sell on both lots and took us over there to take a look. We even got to take the Equinox with us to look at them side by side which we thought was very cool. The Forester's seats were not quite as nice and the Equinox, but they were still nice. The Forester also had a HUGE panoramic moon roof that we both really liked. As soon as I pulled it out into traffic, my decision was made. The acceleration on the Subaru was the best of any of them I had driven and it just felt right to me. It came with a lot of nice features like a USB port for the iPod, Bluetooth for the phone (Leilani really likes that because she was always fussing at me about holding the phone while driving), fog lights, cargo nets, cargo covers, etc... It also had reclining rear seats which I thought was nice for the rare occasion when we take other people with us.
The only thing left was to pick a color. We had driven the Marine Blue one, but Leilani didn't care for that shade of blue. I was fond of the Red but it wasn't a great shade either. In the end, the color we both liked the most was the Steel Silver and luckily, they had one in the showroom in the trim level we wanted. Here's a picture of my new Subaru...
So far, I love it!
Since it wasn't urgent that I make a trade, I took some time to really think out what type of vehicle I needed to best suit my needs and then what brand was best in that class. Here is the list I came up with of what I needed.
1. Gas mileage... At the moment, I work from home so it isn't as critical as it is to some people, but working in I.T. I know this can change at any time. If I did have to change jobs, odds are good I'd have to make the commute to Charlotte and gas mileage would be a BIG deal. Depending on what side of town I was driving to, my commute could be 50 - 75 miles each way. Also, we tend to take my car on vacations since Leilani has a fun, sporty convertible which means no room for luggage.
2. AWD or 4WD... Over the last year, I have really been getting back into shooting IDPA. The dirt roads into the gun clubs where the matches are held are very poorly maintained and driving them in my Nissan Altima was tough and probably contributing to how badly it was starting to drive.
3. iPod connectivity... I listen to my iPod almost 100% of the time when in my car so it was critical that I be able to connect my iPod to my car stereo easily.
4. Reliability... If my job stays the way it is, this will be a low mileage car so I'd like to keep it a long time. If not, I need something that can take the pounding of a long commute and heavy mileage. Either way, I wanted something made well and would last.
After a lot of thinking, I decided the vehicle type that would fit me best was a small SUV or crossover.
The first one I chose to look at and drive was a Nissan Rogue. Up until the incident with the tread, I had been happy with my current Nissan and I also thought the Rogue was the best looking vehicle in this class. Also, my Altima had push button start which I really liked and the Rogue was the only vehicle in its class that was in our price range that had this feature. However, after driving it and then doing some research on line, it got crossed off my list. The biggest issue I had when driving it was that the blind spot was HUGE. Compared to all the other vehicles I test drove later, it had the worst rear visibility by far. Also, when doing research online, I found way too many stories of electrical problems. I decided there were probably better choices for me and I'd just have to live with giving up the push button start feature.
I also really liked the looks of the new Nissan Juke. However, it is a small vehicle and I'm not a small guy. I just didn't fit in it so after sitting in it, I didn't even bother driving it.
All the research seemed to agree on the Top 5 for this class. They were the Chevy Equinox, GMC Terrain, Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Subaru Forester. In reality, the Equinox and Terrain are the same vehicle with different cosmetics so if one of those was my favorite, the choice between the two would just come down to which one I thought looked better.
The next night, I headed back out and drove the RAV4 and the CR-V. The RAV4 is a nice vehicle that seems well thought out and has lots of storage and head room. However, I just didn't like the way it felt when driving it. It was very "minivan-ish". Also, every time I've ever shopped at a Toyota dealer, the salesperson has managed to annoy me and this time was no exception. He spent so much time trying to pressure me into just buying now before even looking at the other vehicles on my list and trash talking the competition that he really turned me off.
Next up was the Honda CR-V. It is a nice vehicle as well and I really liked the salesperson at the Honda dealer much better. I went there to drive it expecting to just check it off the list, but instead I left with it at the top of my list so far. It drove very comfortable, but still had a tight enough steering and handling to not feel like a mini van. Also, there is no denying Honda's quality, but I wasn't ready to make a decision until I had driven the Equinox/Terrain and Forester.
On Saturday, Leilani was off work so she finally got to go with me. We drove down to Mooresville because the Subaru dealer local to us in Hickory closed early and we got a late start. We started at Randy Marion Chevrolet, looking at the Equinox. We had a hard time finding a salesperson at first because they were all with other customers, but after a few minutes, the fleet manager came out and helped us. He was a good salesman and was low pressure which is what I want in a car salesman. He explained the different trim levels and we decided to drive the LT1. The Equinox is very nice inside. The front feels like a cockpit and is nicely layed out. Also, the seats were the nicest of any of the ones I looked at. The only real complaint I had was that the acceleration was very sluggish. After the test drive, we told him we liked it, but we wanted to drive the Forester before deciding.
Since Randy Marion Subaru was just across the street and owned by the same person, he said he could sell on both lots and took us over there to take a look. We even got to take the Equinox with us to look at them side by side which we thought was very cool. The Forester's seats were not quite as nice and the Equinox, but they were still nice. The Forester also had a HUGE panoramic moon roof that we both really liked. As soon as I pulled it out into traffic, my decision was made. The acceleration on the Subaru was the best of any of them I had driven and it just felt right to me. It came with a lot of nice features like a USB port for the iPod, Bluetooth for the phone (Leilani really likes that because she was always fussing at me about holding the phone while driving), fog lights, cargo nets, cargo covers, etc... It also had reclining rear seats which I thought was nice for the rare occasion when we take other people with us.
The only thing left was to pick a color. We had driven the Marine Blue one, but Leilani didn't care for that shade of blue. I was fond of the Red but it wasn't a great shade either. In the end, the color we both liked the most was the Steel Silver and luckily, they had one in the showroom in the trim level we wanted. Here's a picture of my new Subaru...
So far, I love it!
Friday, March 11, 2011
42 Things about me
A good friend of mine started his own personal page today and one of the things he posted was a "42 things about me" list. I thought it was rather clever and like all clever things, deserving of being ripped off and copied. ;o) In no particular order, here are 42 things about me that you may or may not already know.
1. I am an only child which has been good and bad. The good is that it taught me to be comfortable alone. The bad is that I'm so comfortable alone that I don't feel the need to make many friends.
2. By the age of 12 I had moved from Rock Hill, SC to Gaithersburg, MD back to Rock Hill, SC to Knoxville, TN to Kent, WA to Lakeland, FL and back to Rock Hill, SC.
3. Since the age of 12 I have moved several more times but never more than a 90 minute drive from Rock Hill.
4. My family ran a pawn shop from 1940 until my mother's death in 2001. I met some interesting characters while working there, but I think it made me a more interesting character.
5. 2001 was the worst year of my life... and it is not even close. It started with Dale Earnhardt's death. Then, I married the wrong woman. Then, my mother was diagnosed with cancer WAY too late to do anything about it. Then, my mother died which is the single most painful thing I've ever experienced. And to put the cherry on top, that was the year of the 9/11 attacks.
6. 2002 started out looking like it was going to suck as bad as 2001 when my wife and I separated, but things improved dramatically when I met my current wife a couple of months later.
7. My mother was married 4 times, to 3 men. My dad got 2 tries at it. Each marriage lasted 7 years. She took the 7 year itch thing to new levels.
8. It took me 7 years, 3 schools and 3 majors, but I graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science in 1997.
9. I was there for the very first regular season game in the history of the Carolina Panthers. It was an away game at the Georgia Dome against the Atlanta Falcons and the tickets were a birthday gift from my mother.
10. I was there for the very first regular season win in the history of the Carolina Panthers a month later.
11. I love sushi and hate canned tuna.
12. My favorite part of most vacations is the chance to visit really good restaurants in new places.
13. I have been trying to write the same novel for 20 years and have made very little progress.
14. I've been trying to learn to play the guitar for 23 years and made even less progress than I have on the novel.
15. I am tone deaf, which might explain #14.
16. My big toe on my right foot is paralyzed, but my thumbs are double jointed.
17. I was certified to scuba dive before I was old enough. The instructor issued me a temporary card and waited to mail in my paperwork to PADI until after my birthday.
18. I got the bends when I was 16 and spent 5 hours in a recompression chamber. That sucked.
19. I learned to shoot a rifle when I was 13 years old and have been hooked on guns of all kinds ever since.
20. I shoot in IDPA matches because it is fun and because it helps me test my skills under pressure. Granted the timer does not put as much pressure as a life and death encounter and the targets don't shoot back, but is the best I can do without roaming a war zone or some of the less desirable neighborhoods in Atlanta.
21. I once left work and drove to Atlanta with my mother on a whim to take her to her first Braves game. It was during the NLCS. We got tickets from a scalper and saw John Smoltz get his first Save. It was a very good day.
22. Most of my happiest memories of my mother revolve around baseball.
23. I am almost never unarmed. If I legally can, I will carry a concealed handgun. If not, at least a good pocket knife and/or pepper spray. It is not paranoia if they really are out to get you.
24. I separated my left shoulder while snow skiing in college and it reminds me of that occasionally without warning.
25. I have cartilage damage in both knees and they remind me of that if I take them for granted... or there is a good storm on its way.
26. I have broken my right foot, twice and each of my toes multiple times each.
27. My DVR has changed the way I watch TV to the point that I cannot imagine not having one anymore.
28. I have far too many interests and have to actively make an effort to limit the number of hobbies I have so that I do not get overwhelmed by them.
29. I got to meet R. Lee Ermey at the NRA Annual meeting in 2010 and he is pretty much exactly like his character in Full Metal Jacket.
30. My most prized possession is a Star of David necklace that I never take off. The chain was a gift from my wife, the gold was my mother's high school ring... melted down and the diamond is one from my dad's wedding ring.
31. There are 3 people in this world that I would take a bullet for. The rest of you are on your own.
32. I am finding it is harder than I thought to come up with 42 interesting facts about myself.
33. I tried for 5 years to learn to play golf and never really improved. I finally quit for the good of the game and concentrated on the shooting sports instead.
34. I never order a steak more cooked than medium rare and if I need steak sauce it means the steak sucks.
35. I hate to fly. I hated to fly before the TSA started molesting passengers, but that sure didn't help matters.
36. I have been known to write a poem or two in my life, but don't tell anyone.
37. My earliest memory is actually a very realistic dream I had when I was 3 years old. I have forgotten nearly every dream I've ever had, but I still remember that one 35 years later.
38. I had a brief racing career in the SCCA but it was an even more expensive hobby than shooting or golf.
39. My favorite movie is Tombstone.
40. My favorite TV show is Justified.
41. My favorite song is a bluegrass remix of Snoop Dogg's Gin and Juice by The Gourds, but my wife HATES it.
42. My favorite book is The Hitchhiker's Guild to the Galaxy, which explains my affection for the number 42.
1. I am an only child which has been good and bad. The good is that it taught me to be comfortable alone. The bad is that I'm so comfortable alone that I don't feel the need to make many friends.
2. By the age of 12 I had moved from Rock Hill, SC to Gaithersburg, MD back to Rock Hill, SC to Knoxville, TN to Kent, WA to Lakeland, FL and back to Rock Hill, SC.
3. Since the age of 12 I have moved several more times but never more than a 90 minute drive from Rock Hill.
4. My family ran a pawn shop from 1940 until my mother's death in 2001. I met some interesting characters while working there, but I think it made me a more interesting character.
5. 2001 was the worst year of my life... and it is not even close. It started with Dale Earnhardt's death. Then, I married the wrong woman. Then, my mother was diagnosed with cancer WAY too late to do anything about it. Then, my mother died which is the single most painful thing I've ever experienced. And to put the cherry on top, that was the year of the 9/11 attacks.
6. 2002 started out looking like it was going to suck as bad as 2001 when my wife and I separated, but things improved dramatically when I met my current wife a couple of months later.
7. My mother was married 4 times, to 3 men. My dad got 2 tries at it. Each marriage lasted 7 years. She took the 7 year itch thing to new levels.
8. It took me 7 years, 3 schools and 3 majors, but I graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science in 1997.
9. I was there for the very first regular season game in the history of the Carolina Panthers. It was an away game at the Georgia Dome against the Atlanta Falcons and the tickets were a birthday gift from my mother.
10. I was there for the very first regular season win in the history of the Carolina Panthers a month later.
11. I love sushi and hate canned tuna.
12. My favorite part of most vacations is the chance to visit really good restaurants in new places.
13. I have been trying to write the same novel for 20 years and have made very little progress.
14. I've been trying to learn to play the guitar for 23 years and made even less progress than I have on the novel.
15. I am tone deaf, which might explain #14.
16. My big toe on my right foot is paralyzed, but my thumbs are double jointed.
17. I was certified to scuba dive before I was old enough. The instructor issued me a temporary card and waited to mail in my paperwork to PADI until after my birthday.
18. I got the bends when I was 16 and spent 5 hours in a recompression chamber. That sucked.
19. I learned to shoot a rifle when I was 13 years old and have been hooked on guns of all kinds ever since.
20. I shoot in IDPA matches because it is fun and because it helps me test my skills under pressure. Granted the timer does not put as much pressure as a life and death encounter and the targets don't shoot back, but is the best I can do without roaming a war zone or some of the less desirable neighborhoods in Atlanta.
21. I once left work and drove to Atlanta with my mother on a whim to take her to her first Braves game. It was during the NLCS. We got tickets from a scalper and saw John Smoltz get his first Save. It was a very good day.
22. Most of my happiest memories of my mother revolve around baseball.
23. I am almost never unarmed. If I legally can, I will carry a concealed handgun. If not, at least a good pocket knife and/or pepper spray. It is not paranoia if they really are out to get you.
24. I separated my left shoulder while snow skiing in college and it reminds me of that occasionally without warning.
25. I have cartilage damage in both knees and they remind me of that if I take them for granted... or there is a good storm on its way.
26. I have broken my right foot, twice and each of my toes multiple times each.
27. My DVR has changed the way I watch TV to the point that I cannot imagine not having one anymore.
28. I have far too many interests and have to actively make an effort to limit the number of hobbies I have so that I do not get overwhelmed by them.
29. I got to meet R. Lee Ermey at the NRA Annual meeting in 2010 and he is pretty much exactly like his character in Full Metal Jacket.
30. My most prized possession is a Star of David necklace that I never take off. The chain was a gift from my wife, the gold was my mother's high school ring... melted down and the diamond is one from my dad's wedding ring.
31. There are 3 people in this world that I would take a bullet for. The rest of you are on your own.
32. I am finding it is harder than I thought to come up with 42 interesting facts about myself.
33. I tried for 5 years to learn to play golf and never really improved. I finally quit for the good of the game and concentrated on the shooting sports instead.
34. I never order a steak more cooked than medium rare and if I need steak sauce it means the steak sucks.
35. I hate to fly. I hated to fly before the TSA started molesting passengers, but that sure didn't help matters.
36. I have been known to write a poem or two in my life, but don't tell anyone.
37. My earliest memory is actually a very realistic dream I had when I was 3 years old. I have forgotten nearly every dream I've ever had, but I still remember that one 35 years later.
38. I had a brief racing career in the SCCA but it was an even more expensive hobby than shooting or golf.
39. My favorite movie is Tombstone.
40. My favorite TV show is Justified.
41. My favorite song is a bluegrass remix of Snoop Dogg's Gin and Juice by The Gourds, but my wife HATES it.
42. My favorite book is The Hitchhiker's Guild to the Galaxy, which explains my affection for the number 42.
Sunday, March 06, 2011
What I won't write
I was listening to the Tech Stuff podcast the other day and the topic they were discussing was "social media faux paus". It really got me thinking about what I see some people write on their blogs or Twitter or Facebook. There have been quite a few documented cases of someone posting on facebook that they were leaving their house and then someone broke in while they were gone. There have documented cases of people posting something stupid like a picture of themselves with no shirt on, drinking and getting fired from their job or not getting a job they just interviewed for. I don't think most people realize that once you post it out there for your friends to see, EVERYONE can see it. Yes, there are privacy settings on many of these sites, but most people don't use them or don't use them correctly. So... off the top of my head... here are some things you should never post on the internet.
1. Any plans that say when you will be out of your house. You might as well advertise that your house is unoccupied from x time to y time so the thieves know they don't need to rush. They can take their time and be thorough so they can get all the good stuff. If you want to talk about your vacation on your blog or facebook that is fine, but do it once you get home. Posting that you are 1000 miles from home at the moment is only an invitation to thieves.
2. Anything about your work. I don't post about work except in the most general terms like "I got a new job!" or "Just go layed off." or something like that. I don't even like to name the company I work for, just in case something I say could be interpreted to be a company statement. A public site is no place to complain about work or your boss. Lucky for me, I love my job and have a great boss... ;o)
3. Don't post anything that you wouldn't want your employer or a future employer to see. Many companies have become very tech savvy and they will search for you when they receive your resume' on all the common social network sites. If they see something they don't like (e.g. too many pictures of you with a cigarette in one hand and a bottle of Jim Beam in the other) they won't even call you in for an interview. Also, your current employer could do the same search and even if they can't fire you for it, they can certainly hold it against you when raises and promotions come up.
4. The same rule as #3 goes for your spouse or significant other. If you are on that site, what makes you think they aren't on it too. Facebook or Twitter probably isn't the place to vent about the fight you just had with your spouse. They are going to read it so you might as well get ready for Round 2!
5. Don't "friend" people that aren't smart enough to not say things that will get you in trouble. I had a friend who wrote something rather provocative on my wall on Facebook. It was something that many of my other friends would have been pissed about and could have made me look bad since it was on my wall. I deleted the message and sent him a private message telling him the next time he did something like that, I was going to "de-friend" him. He's behaved since then. If your friends are going to get you in trouble (or tell everyone you are 1000 miles from home right now), it is time to find new friends... at least online.
Anyway, those are just a few of the things that I could think of that I think you need to keep off the internet. The big thing is to think before you post and remember that once it is out there... it is out there forever.
1. Any plans that say when you will be out of your house. You might as well advertise that your house is unoccupied from x time to y time so the thieves know they don't need to rush. They can take their time and be thorough so they can get all the good stuff. If you want to talk about your vacation on your blog or facebook that is fine, but do it once you get home. Posting that you are 1000 miles from home at the moment is only an invitation to thieves.
2. Anything about your work. I don't post about work except in the most general terms like "I got a new job!" or "Just go layed off." or something like that. I don't even like to name the company I work for, just in case something I say could be interpreted to be a company statement. A public site is no place to complain about work or your boss. Lucky for me, I love my job and have a great boss... ;o)
3. Don't post anything that you wouldn't want your employer or a future employer to see. Many companies have become very tech savvy and they will search for you when they receive your resume' on all the common social network sites. If they see something they don't like (e.g. too many pictures of you with a cigarette in one hand and a bottle of Jim Beam in the other) they won't even call you in for an interview. Also, your current employer could do the same search and even if they can't fire you for it, they can certainly hold it against you when raises and promotions come up.
4. The same rule as #3 goes for your spouse or significant other. If you are on that site, what makes you think they aren't on it too. Facebook or Twitter probably isn't the place to vent about the fight you just had with your spouse. They are going to read it so you might as well get ready for Round 2!
5. Don't "friend" people that aren't smart enough to not say things that will get you in trouble. I had a friend who wrote something rather provocative on my wall on Facebook. It was something that many of my other friends would have been pissed about and could have made me look bad since it was on my wall. I deleted the message and sent him a private message telling him the next time he did something like that, I was going to "de-friend" him. He's behaved since then. If your friends are going to get you in trouble (or tell everyone you are 1000 miles from home right now), it is time to find new friends... at least online.
Anyway, those are just a few of the things that I could think of that I think you need to keep off the internet. The big thing is to think before you post and remember that once it is out there... it is out there forever.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Picking up the guitar again
I have tried off and on since I was in high school to learn to play the guitar. A couple of weeks ago, I got the bug again. I pulled out the old acoustic guitar and tuned it up. I've pulled out some old lesson sheets from when I was taking lessons from an instructor and been playing around with it ever since. Maybe this time it will stick. Who knows. I did go out today to a music store and picked up a spare set of strings, some extra picks and a strap.
I've got a pretty major project for the next week, but after that I hope to try to dedicate some real time to learning. If I can stick with it for a month or two, I'll spring for some lessons from a teacher again. In the meantime, I'm getting a new desk this weekend so I'm busy packing up my whole office so I can move out my old desk, bring in the new one, put it together and set everything back up. The only bad part is that since I work from home, the bulk of the work will have to all be done during the two days I'm off so I have a place to work. If I haven't thrown out my back or smashed all my fingers by next week, I'll try to post more.
I've got a pretty major project for the next week, but after that I hope to try to dedicate some real time to learning. If I can stick with it for a month or two, I'll spring for some lessons from a teacher again. In the meantime, I'm getting a new desk this weekend so I'm busy packing up my whole office so I can move out my old desk, bring in the new one, put it together and set everything back up. The only bad part is that since I work from home, the bulk of the work will have to all be done during the two days I'm off so I have a place to work. If I haven't thrown out my back or smashed all my fingers by next week, I'll try to post more.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
I'm baaaaaaaaaaaack...
I hate to admit this, but I actually forgot this blog was here. I stumbled across it today by accident and thought I'd start it back up. I don't think I can completely catch up 4-1/2 years of personal history, but I'll give you the Cliff Notes on the major things that have changed since I abandoned this blog in '06.
We have added several pets. When I last posted we had a boxer named Paden and a cat named Phoebe. We still have both and they are both healthy and well. A few years ago, Leilani's mom moved in with us for a while and brought her Chihuahua named Petey. He and Paden bonded pretty quickly and when her health worsened and she moved into assisted living, Petey stayed with us. She passed away a little over a year ago so I guess he's ours for good now. About 2-1/2 years ago, Leilani's friend Penny gave us a kitten from her cat's litter named Patches. A year after that, a grey kitten showed up on our front porch and made himself at home. We named him Payne and he and Patches have become inseparable. I call the two of them "The Smash Brothers" because of the havoc they can wreak. So, somehow we went from 2 animals to 5. Go figure.
Almost 3 years ago now, I took a job as a contractor at large financial company in Charlotte. After a few months, the person on our team working nights was let go. Back then, the company had a policy that you could not be a contractor for more than 2 years and the night shift guy hit his 2 year mark and had to go. My manager at the time asked for a volunteer to go to night shift and said it came with the benefit of getting to work from home. Since Leilani works nights and the commute was 58 miles each way (at least $100 per week in gas) I jumped at the chance. I worked nights at home from then until February of 2010 when I hit the 2 year mark and had to go just like my predecessor. I was out of work for a while. I did get a 2 week contract at a manufaturing company that stretched to 6 weeks, but they didn't have the budget to keep me and it was an even longer commute so that ended too.
In August of 2010, I was offered a new contractor position at the same company that had laid me off in February. Their policy says that after you leave for the 2 year rule, you can come back after 6 months and it starts over. A few days after the 6 month mark, I was back, but on days and in the office. Unfortunately, it was only a short term contract and in a lower level position than I had been in before. However, on November 1st, they hired me as a permanent employee and promoted me back to my previous level. After several weeks of training on my new position, I got to go back to nights were I preferred it, and after a couple more weeks of training, I got to start working from home again. So, after all that I'm right back to working nights from home... only this time I'm not a contractor anymore. It all worked out in the end.
Also, because of the odd schedule and other distractions, I quit shooting in IDPA matches for several years. I'm trying to get back into that since I enjoyed it so much. I have shot 2 matches in the last 5 months and plan to shoot another one next weekend. I am hoping to get to the point where I regularly shoot a match every month.
I also started another blog a couple of years back specifically about my gun hobby. If any of you are interested, it is called "Watch Your Six" and there is a link on the right hand side under "My Other Blog".
Well, I think that is all the news that is fit to print for now. I will try to post here whenever something happens interesting enough to write about. Until then, I hope everyone is happy and healthy out there.
We have added several pets. When I last posted we had a boxer named Paden and a cat named Phoebe. We still have both and they are both healthy and well. A few years ago, Leilani's mom moved in with us for a while and brought her Chihuahua named Petey. He and Paden bonded pretty quickly and when her health worsened and she moved into assisted living, Petey stayed with us. She passed away a little over a year ago so I guess he's ours for good now. About 2-1/2 years ago, Leilani's friend Penny gave us a kitten from her cat's litter named Patches. A year after that, a grey kitten showed up on our front porch and made himself at home. We named him Payne and he and Patches have become inseparable. I call the two of them "The Smash Brothers" because of the havoc they can wreak. So, somehow we went from 2 animals to 5. Go figure.
Almost 3 years ago now, I took a job as a contractor at large financial company in Charlotte. After a few months, the person on our team working nights was let go. Back then, the company had a policy that you could not be a contractor for more than 2 years and the night shift guy hit his 2 year mark and had to go. My manager at the time asked for a volunteer to go to night shift and said it came with the benefit of getting to work from home. Since Leilani works nights and the commute was 58 miles each way (at least $100 per week in gas) I jumped at the chance. I worked nights at home from then until February of 2010 when I hit the 2 year mark and had to go just like my predecessor. I was out of work for a while. I did get a 2 week contract at a manufaturing company that stretched to 6 weeks, but they didn't have the budget to keep me and it was an even longer commute so that ended too.
In August of 2010, I was offered a new contractor position at the same company that had laid me off in February. Their policy says that after you leave for the 2 year rule, you can come back after 6 months and it starts over. A few days after the 6 month mark, I was back, but on days and in the office. Unfortunately, it was only a short term contract and in a lower level position than I had been in before. However, on November 1st, they hired me as a permanent employee and promoted me back to my previous level. After several weeks of training on my new position, I got to go back to nights were I preferred it, and after a couple more weeks of training, I got to start working from home again. So, after all that I'm right back to working nights from home... only this time I'm not a contractor anymore. It all worked out in the end.
Also, because of the odd schedule and other distractions, I quit shooting in IDPA matches for several years. I'm trying to get back into that since I enjoyed it so much. I have shot 2 matches in the last 5 months and plan to shoot another one next weekend. I am hoping to get to the point where I regularly shoot a match every month.
I also started another blog a couple of years back specifically about my gun hobby. If any of you are interested, it is called "Watch Your Six" and there is a link on the right hand side under "My Other Blog".
Well, I think that is all the news that is fit to print for now. I will try to post here whenever something happens interesting enough to write about. Until then, I hope everyone is happy and healthy out there.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Something Permanent
For about 6 years now, I have been wanting to get a tatoo. The problem was I couldn't decide what to get. I definitely wanted it to be unique and personal. After a lot of thinking I came up with an idea. I decided to list out all the things most important to me and try to find a common theme. When I was done, I had my tatoo idea. I decided to get the Japanese kanji symbol for "frog". I did this for several reasons.
1. The biggest love in my life is my wife Leilani. Since she is Japanese, I wanted something asian to remind me of her.
2. My second biggest love is my first hobby, guns. I have been using the kanji frog as my avatar on all the gun boards that I frequent on-line for years and it has become my symbol.
3. My third biggest love is a hobby I have not had much time to do lately, but still have a passion for, scuba diving. Frogs are amphibious, so it holds some meaning there too.
4. My nickname in Jr. High and High School was Frog, so it reminds me of my youth.
5. While kanji symbols are common tatoos, I have never heard of anyone using that particular symbol, so it would be unique.
6. I really wanted to stay away from the "evil looking" tatoos like skulls, snakes etc... Those just aren't my style. I'm mostly harmless.
So after coming up with this idea about 9 months ago, I decided to think on it for a while. After all, this isn't something like piercing my ear where I can take it out and it will grow back up in a week. This is permanent. After all that time, I had not come up with a better idea and this one still seemed like the best idea.
So.... this past Saturday, Leilani, Erika (Leilani's best friend) and I drove down to Gastonia to Ink Link and I got it done. It did hurt, but not nearly as bad as I thought it would. It is healing now and from what the artist said, it will heal in about 1-1/2 weeks and completely set within a month. Until then, I just have to take good care of it. Here's a pic.
1. The biggest love in my life is my wife Leilani. Since she is Japanese, I wanted something asian to remind me of her.
2. My second biggest love is my first hobby, guns. I have been using the kanji frog as my avatar on all the gun boards that I frequent on-line for years and it has become my symbol.
3. My third biggest love is a hobby I have not had much time to do lately, but still have a passion for, scuba diving. Frogs are amphibious, so it holds some meaning there too.
4. My nickname in Jr. High and High School was Frog, so it reminds me of my youth.
5. While kanji symbols are common tatoos, I have never heard of anyone using that particular symbol, so it would be unique.
6. I really wanted to stay away from the "evil looking" tatoos like skulls, snakes etc... Those just aren't my style. I'm mostly harmless.
So after coming up with this idea about 9 months ago, I decided to think on it for a while. After all, this isn't something like piercing my ear where I can take it out and it will grow back up in a week. This is permanent. After all that time, I had not come up with a better idea and this one still seemed like the best idea.
So.... this past Saturday, Leilani, Erika (Leilani's best friend) and I drove down to Gastonia to Ink Link and I got it done. It did hurt, but not nearly as bad as I thought it would. It is healing now and from what the artist said, it will heal in about 1-1/2 weeks and completely set within a month. Until then, I just have to take good care of it. Here's a pic.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
The Cruise is over... and we are home
Well, I've got a lot to tell, so hold on...
We left about 5am on Sunday, 4/2. The drive down proved to be an adventure in itself. We were travelling east on I-26 in SC about to turn onto I-95 when an older lady passed us going the wrong direction on the interstate! Needless to say, that rattled us a bit, and it made us miss the exit for I-95. We ended up having to turn around at the next exit which was 8 miles down the road.
Around Jacksonville, we ran into my dad who was on his way back to Florida from a visit with his sister in Charlotte. He told us to take Hwy 17 instead of I-95 because there was heavy construction in Daytona. We took his advice and he followed us so we could stop for lunch together. South of Jacksonville, somewhere in BFE we saw a buzzard eating something in the median. Just as we approached it, it took off flying right at us. I swerved and so did it and we barely missed each other. Hitting bugs with the windshield is one thing, but a buzzard would have done some serious damage. In fact, when we stopped for lunch, I found out that the hole in my Dad's grill on his Jeep was from hitting a buzzard a week earlier. Apparently they are a problem in Florida. Go figure.
Anyway, by about 5:00 that evening, we arrived in Orlando to visit my mom's friend Celesta and her family. Their house is unbelieveable. Stunning is all I can say. Anyway, we went to dinner with them at Margaritaville just outside of Universal Studios and had a great time.
The next morning, we got up and headed out to Miami to start the cruise. That drive was reasonably uneventful until we got to Miami. A truck shed its tred right in front of us and the traffic gave me no room to swerve. I hit it but luckily the car still drove fine and we decided to not look at the front end until we got back. If there was damage, there was nothing we could do about it then so why let it spoil the cruise. When we got to the Port of Miami, we took a half dozen laps or so before finding the right parking deck and getting parked.
Check in was pretty painless. We had to stand in a quickly moving line until we got to the check in counter. It was much like checking in at the airport. We found out we had been upgraded to a nicer, oceanview room (we had paid for the cheaper inside stateroom) which was a pleasant surprise. We got checked in and boarded the ship.
We were led to our stateroom and then headed off to explore the ship. The Zenith is an older ship (About 12 years old) and small by cruise ship standards (but still far bigger than anything I'd been on before). I'd give the ship 2.5 - 3 stars. There is nothing wrong with it, but nothing particularly spectacular about it either. It does its job well, but does not have the size our beauty of some of the newer, bigger ships we saw in some of our ports.
That evening, we had our one (and it turned out... only) dinner in the main dining hall. We were seated with 2 couples that could not have been any more different if they tried. One couple was a very "country" couple from upstate NY who ran a cow farm. They would not try anything that sounded too gourmet and seemed completely out of their element just having a waiter take good care of them. They were nice people though and very friendly during dinner. The other couple it turns out did not even speak English. Unfortunately, our waiter did not speak Spanish so their ordering consisted of a lot of pointing and nodding. My impression of them is probably unfair since it was based mostly on appearance and facial expressions since we could not talk, but they struck me as snobs by their mannerisms and they were definitely not having any fun not being able to participate in the table conversation or communicate with the waiter. They were the first to leave after dinner and the waiter said he was going to have them reassigned to a table with othe Spanish speaking guests and a waiter who could understand them.
The next day (which was our anniversary) we arrived in Key West for our first port. We got a quick breakfast and then disembarked in the naval shipping yard. After a brief wait, a tram came to take us to our snorkeling trip we had booked. We went out on the Fury, a very large catamaran and went snorkeling on a reef (the name of the reef escapes me right now). It was very pretty and we got some good pictures with some disposable underwater cameras we bought. When we get them developed, I'll post a few. We were then dropped back off at the marina and had a few hours to shop in Key West before we had to get back on the ship. When we arrived back at the ship, we had a few hours to kill before the Captain's Welcoming dinner which is the formal night. We were worn out from the snorkeling and the sun and decided to take a nap before dinner. Apparently, we were more tired than we thought. We woke up a little after 6am the next morning and had completely slept through the formal dinner. Oops.
The next day (Wednesday) was a day at sea while we sailed to the Caymans. We were pretty bored the first few hours because most of the on board activities did not start that early, but the day picked up as it went on. We played bingo (yes... I know, but it was actually fun), played in the arcade, gambled some (I did quite badly but Leilani did pretty well), add did a few more things that I can't seem to remember now. I remember that the day was pretty full. That night, we decided to skip the main dining room and hit the Sushi Bar instead. It was pretty good and very plentiful.
The next morning, we were at Georgetown, Grand Cayman. Grand Cayman does not have a port large enough for cruise ships to dock so you have to anchor off shore and get tendered in. The Zenith actually uses its life boats for this which do a good job. We were dropped at the small marina right in the heart of the shopping district. Our tour we had pre-booked did not start until just after noon, so we had the morning to shop and shop we did. OMG... the bag we had brought with us to carry our purchases would barely zip by the time we met our tour. We met the tour back at the marina and I saw that by that time, there were 5 cruise ships anchored off shore. Apparently, Grand Cayman is a popular port. We took what was called the Land & Sea tour. It started out by bussing us to a different marina where we boarded the Nautilus. It is a semi-submarine which means the top deck stays above water but the cabin where we were was completely submerged. It was basically a big room with rows of benches and windows. We were taken on an underwater tour that included 2 wrecks and 2 reefs. They even had a diver jump in and feed the fish to make sure lots of them swarmed the windows for some good pictures. I'll post pics of this too when I have time to pull them off the camera. Next we were boarded on the bus again to do the land portion of the tour. We were taken to see 7 mile beach and the governor's mansion. Then, we were taken to Hell, which is a real town on Grand Cayman. Then, we took a trip to the Rum Cake factory for free samples of rum cake and rum. Quite yummy. Lastly, were taken to the sea turtle farm where we got to actually hold some of the smaller sea turtles. Very cool. After that, it was time to get back to the ship before we got left behind and had to sleep on the bus driver's couch. When we got back to the ship, again we were so beat from the sun we spent that evening in our stateroom and ordered room service.
The next morning we got up and headed to the casino. It was another day at sea while we sailed back to Miami. This one turned out to not be so great. Leilani had been complaining for a week or so of a pain on her left side. It was a tender area that seemed to be a pulled muscle from coughing. We had both been fighting colds the week before the cruise. While we were in the casino she had a very hard sneeze and she said the pain in her side felt like her intestines tried to break through her ribs. She was in a LOT of pain. I helped her back to the stateroom and she laid down to try to see if it would pass. After a couple of hours, it became obvious it would not. I went and got the ship's doctor and they had her brought down to the ship hospital. The doctor took xrays, blood work, etc... and in the end, found nothing and decided what I already knew which was that she had pulled or torn a muscle in her side. The doctor gave her an antibiotic for the cold and pain killer for the pain. We headed back to the stateroom and ordered room service again since she was in no condition to venture out. Later that night we got a bill slid under our door for over $600!!! If you are ever on a cruise ship, don't go to the doctor unless you are dying.
The next morning, she was still hurting pretty bad, but it was time to disembark. We were back in Miami. After breakfast we headed down to the show lounge where we waited for our group to be called to disembark. When we were called, we got off the ship and found a porter to help with the luggage since Leilani could not do it and there was too much for me to do alone. We cleared customs quite easily and then the porter took everything to the car. I checked the damage in the front from the tred I'd hit on the way down and it was minor. We got everything loaded and hit the road. We had planned to stop half way (probably Savannah) and finish the drive on Sunday, but after a $600 doctor bill, we didn't want to spend the money. We drove about 900 miles in 14 hours and finally got home right at midnight Saturday night.
Overall it was a good trip, but the injury to Leilani and the LONG drive home put a damper on the end of what started as a great vacation. Our initial feeling was that we would not cruise again, but after thinking about it, most of the negatives were because of the doctor bill which would hopefully not repeat itself and the motion of the ship (Leilani is very sensative to motion sickness) which would hopefully be less on a larger ship. I think we will give cruising another try but probably not next year and on one of the newer, larger ships. We are already planning our next anniversary trip. Next year, we are thinking about visiting an all-inclusive resort in either Aruba or the Bahamas. At least there if we get bored, we have the whole island to explore instead of just a ship.
We left about 5am on Sunday, 4/2. The drive down proved to be an adventure in itself. We were travelling east on I-26 in SC about to turn onto I-95 when an older lady passed us going the wrong direction on the interstate! Needless to say, that rattled us a bit, and it made us miss the exit for I-95. We ended up having to turn around at the next exit which was 8 miles down the road.
Around Jacksonville, we ran into my dad who was on his way back to Florida from a visit with his sister in Charlotte. He told us to take Hwy 17 instead of I-95 because there was heavy construction in Daytona. We took his advice and he followed us so we could stop for lunch together. South of Jacksonville, somewhere in BFE we saw a buzzard eating something in the median. Just as we approached it, it took off flying right at us. I swerved and so did it and we barely missed each other. Hitting bugs with the windshield is one thing, but a buzzard would have done some serious damage. In fact, when we stopped for lunch, I found out that the hole in my Dad's grill on his Jeep was from hitting a buzzard a week earlier. Apparently they are a problem in Florida. Go figure.
Anyway, by about 5:00 that evening, we arrived in Orlando to visit my mom's friend Celesta and her family. Their house is unbelieveable. Stunning is all I can say. Anyway, we went to dinner with them at Margaritaville just outside of Universal Studios and had a great time.
The next morning, we got up and headed out to Miami to start the cruise. That drive was reasonably uneventful until we got to Miami. A truck shed its tred right in front of us and the traffic gave me no room to swerve. I hit it but luckily the car still drove fine and we decided to not look at the front end until we got back. If there was damage, there was nothing we could do about it then so why let it spoil the cruise. When we got to the Port of Miami, we took a half dozen laps or so before finding the right parking deck and getting parked.
Check in was pretty painless. We had to stand in a quickly moving line until we got to the check in counter. It was much like checking in at the airport. We found out we had been upgraded to a nicer, oceanview room (we had paid for the cheaper inside stateroom) which was a pleasant surprise. We got checked in and boarded the ship.
We were led to our stateroom and then headed off to explore the ship. The Zenith is an older ship (About 12 years old) and small by cruise ship standards (but still far bigger than anything I'd been on before). I'd give the ship 2.5 - 3 stars. There is nothing wrong with it, but nothing particularly spectacular about it either. It does its job well, but does not have the size our beauty of some of the newer, bigger ships we saw in some of our ports.
That evening, we had our one (and it turned out... only) dinner in the main dining hall. We were seated with 2 couples that could not have been any more different if they tried. One couple was a very "country" couple from upstate NY who ran a cow farm. They would not try anything that sounded too gourmet and seemed completely out of their element just having a waiter take good care of them. They were nice people though and very friendly during dinner. The other couple it turns out did not even speak English. Unfortunately, our waiter did not speak Spanish so their ordering consisted of a lot of pointing and nodding. My impression of them is probably unfair since it was based mostly on appearance and facial expressions since we could not talk, but they struck me as snobs by their mannerisms and they were definitely not having any fun not being able to participate in the table conversation or communicate with the waiter. They were the first to leave after dinner and the waiter said he was going to have them reassigned to a table with othe Spanish speaking guests and a waiter who could understand them.
The next day (which was our anniversary) we arrived in Key West for our first port. We got a quick breakfast and then disembarked in the naval shipping yard. After a brief wait, a tram came to take us to our snorkeling trip we had booked. We went out on the Fury, a very large catamaran and went snorkeling on a reef (the name of the reef escapes me right now). It was very pretty and we got some good pictures with some disposable underwater cameras we bought. When we get them developed, I'll post a few. We were then dropped back off at the marina and had a few hours to shop in Key West before we had to get back on the ship. When we arrived back at the ship, we had a few hours to kill before the Captain's Welcoming dinner which is the formal night. We were worn out from the snorkeling and the sun and decided to take a nap before dinner. Apparently, we were more tired than we thought. We woke up a little after 6am the next morning and had completely slept through the formal dinner. Oops.
The next day (Wednesday) was a day at sea while we sailed to the Caymans. We were pretty bored the first few hours because most of the on board activities did not start that early, but the day picked up as it went on. We played bingo (yes... I know, but it was actually fun), played in the arcade, gambled some (I did quite badly but Leilani did pretty well), add did a few more things that I can't seem to remember now. I remember that the day was pretty full. That night, we decided to skip the main dining room and hit the Sushi Bar instead. It was pretty good and very plentiful.
The next morning, we were at Georgetown, Grand Cayman. Grand Cayman does not have a port large enough for cruise ships to dock so you have to anchor off shore and get tendered in. The Zenith actually uses its life boats for this which do a good job. We were dropped at the small marina right in the heart of the shopping district. Our tour we had pre-booked did not start until just after noon, so we had the morning to shop and shop we did. OMG... the bag we had brought with us to carry our purchases would barely zip by the time we met our tour. We met the tour back at the marina and I saw that by that time, there were 5 cruise ships anchored off shore. Apparently, Grand Cayman is a popular port. We took what was called the Land & Sea tour. It started out by bussing us to a different marina where we boarded the Nautilus. It is a semi-submarine which means the top deck stays above water but the cabin where we were was completely submerged. It was basically a big room with rows of benches and windows. We were taken on an underwater tour that included 2 wrecks and 2 reefs. They even had a diver jump in and feed the fish to make sure lots of them swarmed the windows for some good pictures. I'll post pics of this too when I have time to pull them off the camera. Next we were boarded on the bus again to do the land portion of the tour. We were taken to see 7 mile beach and the governor's mansion. Then, we were taken to Hell, which is a real town on Grand Cayman. Then, we took a trip to the Rum Cake factory for free samples of rum cake and rum. Quite yummy. Lastly, were taken to the sea turtle farm where we got to actually hold some of the smaller sea turtles. Very cool. After that, it was time to get back to the ship before we got left behind and had to sleep on the bus driver's couch. When we got back to the ship, again we were so beat from the sun we spent that evening in our stateroom and ordered room service.
The next morning we got up and headed to the casino. It was another day at sea while we sailed back to Miami. This one turned out to not be so great. Leilani had been complaining for a week or so of a pain on her left side. It was a tender area that seemed to be a pulled muscle from coughing. We had both been fighting colds the week before the cruise. While we were in the casino she had a very hard sneeze and she said the pain in her side felt like her intestines tried to break through her ribs. She was in a LOT of pain. I helped her back to the stateroom and she laid down to try to see if it would pass. After a couple of hours, it became obvious it would not. I went and got the ship's doctor and they had her brought down to the ship hospital. The doctor took xrays, blood work, etc... and in the end, found nothing and decided what I already knew which was that she had pulled or torn a muscle in her side. The doctor gave her an antibiotic for the cold and pain killer for the pain. We headed back to the stateroom and ordered room service again since she was in no condition to venture out. Later that night we got a bill slid under our door for over $600!!! If you are ever on a cruise ship, don't go to the doctor unless you are dying.
The next morning, she was still hurting pretty bad, but it was time to disembark. We were back in Miami. After breakfast we headed down to the show lounge where we waited for our group to be called to disembark. When we were called, we got off the ship and found a porter to help with the luggage since Leilani could not do it and there was too much for me to do alone. We cleared customs quite easily and then the porter took everything to the car. I checked the damage in the front from the tred I'd hit on the way down and it was minor. We got everything loaded and hit the road. We had planned to stop half way (probably Savannah) and finish the drive on Sunday, but after a $600 doctor bill, we didn't want to spend the money. We drove about 900 miles in 14 hours and finally got home right at midnight Saturday night.
Overall it was a good trip, but the injury to Leilani and the LONG drive home put a damper on the end of what started as a great vacation. Our initial feeling was that we would not cruise again, but after thinking about it, most of the negatives were because of the doctor bill which would hopefully not repeat itself and the motion of the ship (Leilani is very sensative to motion sickness) which would hopefully be less on a larger ship. I think we will give cruising another try but probably not next year and on one of the newer, larger ships. We are already planning our next anniversary trip. Next year, we are thinking about visiting an all-inclusive resort in either Aruba or the Bahamas. At least there if we get bored, we have the whole island to explore instead of just a ship.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Come Sail Away...
Well, the cruise is only a few days away and we are in high gear. The lawn is mowed, the luggage is down from the attic. The dog has to go to the kennel, the cat needs to be taken care of, the trash needs to be taken out, the laundry needs to be done, the bags need to be packed and I'm sure I'm forgetting something. Preparing for a vacation is exhausting. Well... my next post should be a review of the cruise. Until then... stay tuned.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
WAY over due for an update
Okay... so I have done a lousy job of keeping the blog up to date. I'll try harder... really. Let me try to get caught up with the highlights at least...
My friend Allen is still in Afghanistan, but is due home soon. He had to make an emergency trip home in January because his father passed away. It was a very sad reason to get to see him, but I was happy to get to see him again. Also, thanks to his 10 days at home, he and his wife are now expecting their 4th child! He is one fertile boy!
Also, Leilani and I have been busy planning our annual anniversary vacation. Last year was a huge disappointment (Gatlinburg with terrible weather and we were both sick), so we are trying to make up for up this year. We are going on a cruise. We will sail from Miami, FL to Key West, FL to Georgetown, Grand Cayman and then back to Miami. It is a 5 night cruise. It is the first cruise for both of us and we are very excited about it.
That's about all the news that's fit to print. I'll try to put a nice long post up when we get back from our cruise to let everyone know how it went.
My friend Allen is still in Afghanistan, but is due home soon. He had to make an emergency trip home in January because his father passed away. It was a very sad reason to get to see him, but I was happy to get to see him again. Also, thanks to his 10 days at home, he and his wife are now expecting their 4th child! He is one fertile boy!
Also, Leilani and I have been busy planning our annual anniversary vacation. Last year was a huge disappointment (Gatlinburg with terrible weather and we were both sick), so we are trying to make up for up this year. We are going on a cruise. We will sail from Miami, FL to Key West, FL to Georgetown, Grand Cayman and then back to Miami. It is a 5 night cruise. It is the first cruise for both of us and we are very excited about it.
That's about all the news that's fit to print. I'll try to put a nice long post up when we get back from our cruise to let everyone know how it went.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
The Demise of SeanLucas.com
As of today, this blog will be my main website. I have had way too many issues with the web hosting company to continue paying a monthly fee for the site. Also, I believe the journal (now the blog) was the one part most people cared about anyway. I will try to do a better job of keep this blog up to date.
I do plan to maintain a small site at geocities, but it is mostly going to be for keeping my collection of links for my own use. It will also host my journal archive which I have linked on the right. The content that anyone other than myself would care about will all be here.
I do plan to maintain a small site at geocities, but it is mostly going to be for keeping my collection of links for my own use. It will also host my journal archive which I have linked on the right. The content that anyone other than myself would care about will all be here.
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Bat Mitzvah party
This past weekend, my cousin's daughter was Bat Mitzvah'ed in Charlotte. The party afterwards brought back some old faces. I saw family members that I haven't seen in a long time. There were seven of us cousins that all grew up together. It was the first time in either 9 or 12 years (depending on who's version is right) that we had all been together at the same place at the same time. Here's a picture of my whole family.
Monday, August 15, 2005
Settling In
Well, we have finished unpacking in the new house and the house warming party is done. It is finally starting to feel like home. Tonight, we are going over to the old apartment to clean up and turn in the keys.
Now, the new challenge will be to prioritize all the projects we want to do around the house. We need to train the dog on the new invisible fence, widen the driveway, buy some deck furniture, re-seed the lawn, plant some trees and... Oh Boy! I'm tired just thinking about it.
I'll post again when I get caught up on my sleep...
Now, the new challenge will be to prioritize all the projects we want to do around the house. We need to train the dog on the new invisible fence, widen the driveway, buy some deck furniture, re-seed the lawn, plant some trees and... Oh Boy! I'm tired just thinking about it.
I'll post again when I get caught up on my sleep...
Monday, August 08, 2005
Website overhaul
After a lot of hard work, the first draft of the website overhaul (www.seanlucas.com) is done. I've redone the menu to make it easier to manager, changed the color scheme and gotten rid of some content that I felt no one cared about anyway. Hope you like it.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Hello There
I am replacing the journal on my website http://www.seanlucas.com with this blog. To see archival journal entries I will create a journal archive on my site soon. All future entries will be posted here and linked to from my site. I am in the middle of a major re-write of the site so it may be a while before this blog is in regular use.
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