| It's a boy! |
[Sep. 13th, 2009|05:15 am] |
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Alexander Wyatt Kent, born in the Kent home at 1:21 A.M. on September 13th, 2009 after just 3 hours of labor! 19 inches, 9 lbs. 2 oz, and a head full of brown hair! Baby, Momma, Poppa, and big brothers are all doing well. Pics to follow soon. |
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| Kinda spent |
[Jun. 20th, 2009|04:34 pm] |
Yeah... that's how I'm feeling.
I want to be away from it all. |
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| Responding to the 419 |
[Jun. 3rd, 2009|03:46 pm] |
Got an e-mail from "Mellisa J Perez @ stevens.edu". Here's what it said, and my response:
I am Mrs.Mary Parker,suffering from cancerous ailment.I am married to Late.
Mr.Robert Parker ,my husband worked with Chevron/Texaco in the United Kingdom
for twenty years before he died in the year 2005. My late husband deposited the
sum of £ 17.5 Million (Seventeen Million Five Hundred Thousand Pounds) with a
Bank in The United Kingdom.Recently,my Doctor told me that I have limited time
to live due to the stroke and cancerous problems I am suffering from.I have
decided to donate this fund to you and want you to use this gift which comes
from my husbands effort to fund the upkeep of widows and charities worldwide.I
took this decision because I do not have any child that will inherit this money
and my husband relatives are bourgeois and very wealthy persons and I do not
want my husband's hard earned money to be misused.Awaiting your urgent reply via
my email.address:pmrsmary76@yahoo.co.uk
With God all things are possible.
Your Sister in Christ,
Mrs.Mary Parker
Please only contact me through my personal email as i had to use my doctors:
pmrsmary76@yahoo.co.uk
My response:
Dear Mrs. Parker/Perez.
Thank you for your generous offer, but as I have already won the lottery several times this week, I am not in need of your paltry 17.5MM quid. Have you considered donating it to cancer research?
Sincerely,
Samuel |
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| Up with Learning! |
[Jun. 3rd, 2009|10:00 am] |
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At work, Matt D showed me how to reformat some our reporting software using iReport for Jasper Reports. Sure, it was technical and nerdy, but I turned around and used what he'd taught me to solve a perplexing problem. This made me feel good about myself in the middle of what was otherwise a sucker of a day. |
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| Our lizard friend |
[Jun. 1st, 2009|12:01 am] |
Toph was outside with me when I caught the Anole. He saw me holding it and wanted to try and hold it as well. As squeamish as he is about bugs and such, I knew better that to try to let him hold it by himself. Those little suckers scramble to get away and I could just see it crawling up his shoulder and scratching his neck and Toph freaking out.
I did let him touch it. When Toph initially reached for it, he went too close to its head and the Anole jerked toward him. It didn't bite or scratch, but Toph jerked back and shouted "Ow!"
I was proud of Toph for being brave and trying though, and within a minute, he tried again and petted the Anole's neck.
When we were done, I put the Anole back in his favorite hiding place behind the gutter downspout. |
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| Where poop comes from |
[May. 29th, 2009|02:29 pm] |
As I talked with Andrew while we made dinner together, our conversation turned into a learning experience about all sorts of things. We talked about the good food that we like to eat. Then we discussed what happens to the food that goes into our belly. I asked him whether the food stays in there forever or if it ever comes out again, and he said, "It just stays in there forever".
Despite the grossness of the subject, it was fun to see Andrew realizing where his poop and pee come from. He was excited that his body does something and that he actually make the poop and pee instead of them just happening. |
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| Where the heck am I? |
[May. 23rd, 2009|06:41 pm] |
I seem to have dropped off of livejournal, and to an extent, this is true. Facebook has provided me with a lot of the daily-connection I was needing to feel (almost everyone who reads my LJ is already my friend there as well).
I still read everyone else's posts here about once every other day, but most of my posting in the last month has been to another blog: http://elevenquestions.blogspot.com. Check it out!
I'll continue to post here because a lot of things that are happening in my life are better covered here. that log is for daily introspection and accountability only, but I would love it if my followers here were my followers there.
So things are going well. We're getting ready for baby #3, work is keeping me busy and I've started drawing more. I'll have some pictures to post in a little bit (I just found a power patch for my scanner yesterday). |
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| A billion here, a billion there... |
[May. 7th, 2009|10:49 am] |
GM had an operating loss of 6 BILLION dollars over Q1.
That's a ridiculous number, but I want to put it into perspective as to how bad this company is doing.
Let's say that GM opened its doors to all of its 252,000 employees every day for the last 90 days. Once they got there, they were paid to do absolutely nothing. (For the sake of this argument, we'll assume that they're doing something productive when they're in the factories now).
How much were they paid? Well, let's also assume that every one of those employees represents a single household in Detroit. Clearly, this not also correct, but remember this is all about perspective. According to some reliable data, the average household income in Detroit (where not every GM employees lives, mind you) is about $34,500/year. You can then assume that the average quarterly income of each of these individuals is $8,625.
If GM would have paid their employees to not make cars instead of making cars, they would have only spent $2.174 Billion dollars, a savings of almost four billion dollars.
Some them might argue based on this that it will vastly benefit the economy for GM to go out of business.
For those that argue, "But GM is an institution!", let me remind you of another institution: capitalism. basic economics tells us that when the need is present, if GM can't do it better and cheaper, someone else will. Ideally, yes, their replacement will be an American company, but it's clear - at least to me - that some changes are going to have to be made. |
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| I can has only one house? |
[Apr. 11th, 2009|10:26 am] |
Yes.
As of Thursday, I own only one house. Whew. Praise the LORD.
I paid off $125K in debt in one day. That felt pretty good. What didn't feel so great was buying a house, living there for 5 years and then selling it for almost exactly the same price which I paid for it. After real estate costs and state taxes (NJ takes 1% of the sale of a home, the bastages), We made about $620.
On the one hand, what a disappointment that if we had sold it a year ago, we could have netted about $20K. On the other hand, I'm very glad that we didn't lose money. Furthermore, we're thankful that for the entire time that we had to float two house payments, we had a second job that covered our additional costs. This also covered the expenses of moving to Alabama. Again with the "Praise the LORD".
I must also keep in mind that we saved a ton of money on the house here because of the same rotten economy. Probably well more than $20K.
I'm happy to help with the side-gig, but I'm a little glad that it's not going to last forever. I miss having free evenings to study.
Now, to focus on getting Sam back into shape. |
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| clever, clever me |
[Mar. 23rd, 2009|10:18 pm] |
Today, baby #2 put an un-popped popcorn kernel up his nose. We panicked for about 60 seconds about what to to in order to get it out.
Tweezers?
Nose sucky-thing?
We couldn't find either and wouldn't have known exactly what to do if we had. So, in a moment of brilliance, I acted.
I stood behind him, put my hand over his mouth, leaned over him and blew hard into his one unblocked nostril. The kernel shot out of the other like a rocket.
He laughed. I think he wanted me to do it again.
And that was the most mentally challenging thing I did all day.
Tomorrow I go back to work. |
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| Life with reduced caffeine and saddle sores |
[Mar. 19th, 2009|03:56 pm] |
It still took me a long time to get to sleep last night. I was laying in bed staring at my clock long past midnight. Once I did get to sleep, though, I seemed to sleep a little deeper than I've been sleeping. I still had trouble getting up and still can't get up to ride my bike in the mornings, but I believe that I can get there if I put my mind to it. Sleep is my favorite thing to do, and electing to stop when I have time, I'm already comfortable and it's easy is a real challenge.
All of that being said, I didn't seem to drag as much this morning. In fact, I only had one cup of coffee at all and no Dr. Peppers. Hmm. This may skew the results of my experiment, but if it means more sleep, so be it.
I went for another ride today. I wasn't sure that I was going to get time, but my lunchtime availability changed rather suddenly. Woohoo! Another 9 miles.
I found myself hungry before the ride for the first time. This is nothing shocking, but an interesting note. Could this be a sign of a changing metabolism?
My hands didn't go numb as quickly but the new seat position made my rump plenty sore. I have got to figure this out and soon. If all else fails, I can go back to my other seat. It doesn't hurt my rump, but it makes my groin numb, which is the problem I was trying to avoid before.
Maybe I'm just saddle sore. |
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| The gloves - they do nothing! |
[Mar. 18th, 2009|03:04 pm] |
That's not entirely true. I still got numb in the fingers, but it was later than previous bike rides. I still need to adjust the seat and handlebars, and I believe this will help some. I intended on doing this last night, but the boys didn't cooperate and I was unable to adjust my seat. Furthermore, I neglected to put the tools back into my car again. Tonight, hopefully, I'll remember AND have opportunity.
Different grips might also make a difference. If adjustments don't make an impact, perhaps I'll try that.
My friend Alan encourages me a lot about my riding. He's a fellow cyclist though admittedly out of practice. He asks about my rides each day and it helps me keep my eyes open as I ride.
Today, I was nearly attacked by a sheepdog. That was a little frightening. On the other hand, the clothes that people are wearing as they walk/ride are more revealing, adding a bit of eye candy as I traverse the course. That was worth being barked at and charged by the dog.
I'm beginning to wonder if the "fading" in the afternoon is actually a symptom of too much caffeine. Here's what I figure: too much caffeine in the afternoons means a harder time going to sleep in the evenings. Harder time going to sleep in the evenings equates to shorter nights. Shorter nights means less rested in the morning, and subsequently less energy in the afternoons, necessitating more coffee later in the day.
I'm going to try and break that cycle, or at least experiment for a bit and see if there is causation and not just correlation. I'm cutting myself off from caffeine after 2:00 today and will continue to do so again for the next week to see if it makes a difference in getting to sleep. I'll still drink caffeine in the mornings - I hate to think about not doing so - but the late afternoon java break needs to be eliminated.
The down side of exercising so far seems to be a little soreness in my rump (again with the maladjusted bike seat) and sweating after I ride. I think the sweating is a latent result of the exercise, but may be a result too of a prolonged metabolic jolt (which would be good too). I continue to sweat long after my showers, which (for the most part) are cool and refreshing.
Okay, need to be productive for the afternoon. Here's to finishing strong! |
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| New gloves for bike riding |
[Mar. 17th, 2009|08:10 pm] |
I bought some new biker gloves after work at the cycle shop near my office. They cost $30 bucks and have padded palms that take the pressure off of the ulnar nerve. This should help with the numbness I'm having in my hands... or so the google tells me.
I'm still going to fix my seat and handlebars, though I'm not sure when I'm going to get a chance to do it. The boys aren't being so cooperative tonight. Maybe I can try after the boys are both asleep.
Dinner was pretty big tonight. We had some skillet meal that didn't fill me up, so after that I had a bowl of cereal. I really trying to determine if I'm still hungry or if I just want to eat. I think maybe a little of both. I'll wait a bit and see if I need some more. In the mean time, I'm going to get some water.
Speaking of water, drinking more did not help me stay awake though I didn't feel as thirsty for sure. When 4:00 came around, I was still very tired. Nevertheless, I worked until 5:45.
I'm hoping I can make it to bed a little earlier tonight. Maybe if I can get in before I'm exhausted, I won't feel so spent. |
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| Today's bike ride |
[Mar. 17th, 2009|12:54 pm] |
I went farther than I did yesterday - I think almost 9 miles - but took a little longer than the last ride. I had to pedal through some latent soreness. I'm going to have to get faster if I'm to keep this up. I can't afford to take 90-minute lunches every day.
I guess I could forego the shower after, but I don't like the smell of my own butt after I work out, and I imagine my coworkers don't either. (Do that too often and I won't have a job, and then no place to ride my bike at lunchtime.)
I am doing something wrong as I ride and I need to figure it out. My thumb, pointer and index fingers are still going numb as I ride. It's worse on my right hand than on my left, but it's noticeable on both about halfway through the ride. I'm pushing down on my palms too hard as I ride. I think I need to do one of these three things or a combination of all three: adjust my seat forward, lower my seat, or raise my handle bars. I'm going to try adjusting my seat forward tonight when I get home. I failed to put my tools back in the trunk of my car and couldn't do it before my ride.
I should probably think about bringing a hand/nail brush with me for the shower. Putting the wheels on and taking them off occasionally results in greasy fingers and I'd like to get it off before returning to my desk. It makes me look like a mechanic, and I went to college for a long time so that I wouldn't have to have grease on my fingers every day.
Starting today, I'm also going to try drinking more water in the afternoons and see if it helps me recharge. I have a sneaking suspicion that it's part of why I feel lethargic, and I'm certain that it has some relation to this persistent thirst of mine. |
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| Who needs sleep? |
[Mar. 17th, 2009|08:45 am] |
I do. I'm not sleeping well, nor have I in several weeks.
I am determining that the problem is probably one of being over-tired, although last night it was also a problem of being over-frisky without a willing accomplice.
Stacy and I both woke up exhausted this morning, and (sadly) I hit my snooze alarm for an hour this morning instead of getting up and exercising.
We have decided that what we should probably try to do is go to bed earlier, and will attempt this tonight, boys willing. Bedtime for both of us has gotten later and later. Last night we weren't down for the night until 11:30, but it was closer to 1:00 before I was asleep.
I discovered yesterday afternoon that I haven't been mixing my protein shakes correctly. I'm putting in 1/2 as much powder as I should for the water I'm using. I misread the instructions, I guess, or misremembered them. I tried it again with the proper mixture and I was pleased with the results.
I stopped by Sam's on the way home to get some power bars and in the last 2 weeks, they quit carrying the brand that I like, so I got a different variety. I tried one this morning as a part of my breakfast and was a little surprised at how crunchy it was (I was expecting chewier). It was pretty good, and the consistency reminded me of a Carnation instant breakfast bar (oh, how I miss those)!
My plan today is to work out during lunch. That was a success yesterday. I haven't decided whether I'm going to ride my bike again or if I am going to go and work out at the gym downstairs. I also have the option of joining the Y across the street. My company will reimburse my membership fee if I go 3 times a month or more (YMCA is our main customer). Nevertheless, I stopped by the grocery store this morning for shampoo and deodorant, and I remembered to bring a towel today.
Okay, time for coffee and a productive day. |
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| more about focusing on myself |
[Mar. 16th, 2009|07:43 pm] |
Dinner tonight was huge - we had breakfast. I was STARVING so I ate my fill and then I stopped. I don't feel bad about eating so much because I was so hungry and I ate as long as I felt hungry.
When I was done, I made a symbolic gesture to myself and went and brushed my teeth. Now, perhaps, I'll hesitate about eating anything else.
In a little while, when I typically start getting bored, I'm planning on picking up my Java book and studying for a little bit.
I'm planning on riding my bike again tomorrow. I went and bought a watch to replace the one that Baby#2 ate. Then, on my way home, I mapped out a 5-mile course through my neighborhood.
In other news, my neighborhood is freaking huge and has both lots of hills and valleys. It should be a fun ride, and I hope I can get up the gumption to get up in the morning.
During the day today, when I needed a break from what I was doing, I went to the building's gym and lifted weights for about 10 minutes. It helped me feel a little energized and was a better way of spending my break time than grazing on the fruit and drinks that the company provides.
I'm impressed with myself that I had the energy to do all of this today. I know I may lose some steam along the way, but I hope I can keep going and push myself a little more every day. |
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| My bike ride |
[Mar. 16th, 2009|12:22 pm] |
I don't know how far I rode today at lunch. It was enough to make me feel tired.
There's a pretty long fitness trail that runs behind the building where I work. I rode the full length of that and back, and then about 1/2 way again and back. If google maps can be trusted, it was about 8 miles.
The thumb, index and middle fingers on my right hand went numb during my ride. I think I'm pushing too hard on my handle bars when I ride.
It was raining the whole time, but not too heavily. I thought, "well, if on my first day it's raining, then every other day, it should be a pleasant experience." I also figured before I left, "How wet can I really get anyway?" The answer to that questions is "Pretty wet." I look forward to dryer days, but know that hotter ones are coming too.
I took a shower after my workout and I feel much better, but I need to remember to bring a towel and deodorant if I elect to do this again tomorrow.
I got back to my desk and downed a protein shake and a couple of power bars. I'm recharging already. Now to have a productive afternoon without falling asleep from exhaustion. |
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| Making decisions that I can be proud of. |
[Mar. 16th, 2009|10:17 am] |
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I just put half-n-half in my cup before I made my coffee, and then changed my mind and poured it out. It wouldn't kill me to switch to black coffee, and goodness knows, I don't need the calories and fat from 10 half-n-halfs every day. |
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| So, focusing on myself... how's that going? |
[Mar. 16th, 2009|08:43 am] |
Yesterday I fixed my bicycle. I put in new tubes and added a new comfort seat (it has no pointy jam-into-your-crotch part, but is instead square on the front).
My intention was to go riding before work this morning, but the rain that we've had since Friday is still going. I did bring it with me to the office today however, and rain or otherwise, I'm going to go for a ride at lunch today. My rationale is that if it's raining, I'll be starting the riding regimen in a situation that can only go "up" - or at least no lower.
I haven't really figured out what I'm going to do to adjust my intake, but a week or so ago, I started drinking protein shakes. Mostly, I'm doing this because I felt I wasn't getting enough protein in my diet and if I do lose weight, I want to lose as little as possible from muscle mass.
I didn't weigh myself this morning, and I have no intention of doing so again until I start feeling better about myself. On the day that I first feel good about how I'm doing, I'll weigh myself and that will become my right weight, not any numbers I calculate from books or stuff online while I'm feeling poorly about my body image.
How long am I going to ride my bike today? I don't know. I'd love to say an hour, but I expect to poop out before them. What I am determined to do is to push myself as hard as I can for as long as I can (time permitting - I could go longer than an hour). |
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