Markwis not Markee

Mud Bath Beer Party

2010-08-16T07:09:00.002-04:00

No, I didn't run in the mud, and it wasn't any kind of crazy frat party, but those words in the title summarize the weekend events. This morning I ran a couple miles fairly easy. It was cool outside, there weren't many cars out, and it was just comfortable.
Yesterday, though, I took a bath in some mud. Mud? Yep. Dave brought over some stuff from Golden Moor and while I had my doubts, I decided to go ahead and give it a whirl. Nasty. That's exactly what it was before I climbed in. When I got in it was great... now I can't attribute that to the mud; it might have been just the bath. However, all told, I felt pretty good afterward.
Prior to that, we drove up to Cincinnati/Northern KY/Ft. Mitchell for Hofbrauhaus and then Mom/Pickle/Rob's joint birthday party. Both were good events, although I probably wouldn't go back to Hofbrauhaus again. I got a decidedly non-German pretzel sandwich, although Piper went with the traditional Makkaroni und Kase and Ashley got a potato pancake. The beer there was okay, although Sandy thought it was the best she'd ever had. When we got to the birthday party, I was too stuffed to enjoy the food that much, but it was still good to see everyone.
Now it's off to start another week. Should be a good one, I hope. Maybe lots more running.

Five Fingers Day 2

2010-08-04T06:26:00.002-04:00

This morning, I went out to "run" again. Took a little advice and went slowly this time. By slowly I mean, walked almost unbearably slowly. Grandma Finnigan in her Bobcat scooter would have lapped me a few times over, I'm sure. Literally, I took 10 minutes to walk to the end of my street!

That said, though, I do feel like I'm getting somewhere. Yeah, yeah, if I'd started slower I'd be getting to that place sooner, but a step back is probably necessary anyway. However, I'm breaking in the new shoes somewhat and I'm feeling all the little stabilizer muscles in my legs for the first time. They're hurting like the dickens, but at least I know they're there.

In my line of work (computers and IT) I see so many people that either never knew or have forgotten how their bodies work. Heaven forbid they try to cross the street at a trot... what you usually get in that scenario is a gangly hobble like a monkey thinking he can imitate a person.

I'm at least grateful for taking karate growing up. Martial arts are very good at letting you listen to what your body is saying and knowing what your body can do. I'm sure yoga and gymnastics and the like are very good for that also. By starting out small and progressively learning more difficult and advanced stuff you get to the point that new stuff isn't quite so taxing because you've got a very good feel for yourself. If you're going to try some crazy new kick, you can tell exactly how far out your leg is going to get your foot and you don't really have to worry about hitting something or someone by accident.

I'll be grateful when my running legs get that comfortable again. I'm sure it will take a few months, but I'll get there. Ashley's running now too, so I'd like to think we can eventually go out together and run. It'll get really exciting when both of us blow out a knee!

It's been awhile

2010-08-02T08:29:00.002-04:00

Long time since I've posted, but I figured I'd go ahead and start back in again. Lots has gone on since... well... since I don't know when.

Today's post is all about running. Christian wanted to start running back a couple of months ago, but he needed shoes. Well, yesterday during our chat on Skype (they went back to Germany for a visit) he showed off his new running shoes and had his stride analyzed and all that stuff.

I was a little jealous. I've tried running lots of times before, and I do enjoy it, but every time I get into it, we have a baby. At any rate, we went to get Ashley some new running shoes yesterday. Running shoes she is NOT to mow the lawn in. Well, we were talking about the barefoot and finger toe shoes, and it happened that they had a pair that they were sent to try out and no one wanted them. I tried them on, they gave me a deal and BOOM, I now have five finger shoes.

Not wanting that money to go to waste, I started out this morning. Two miles was the plan. Not too far; just around the neighborhood. I really felt like things were going great until I decided to stop and walk for a minute because it had been over a year since I last ran. Well, that's when my feet decided to scream. Apparently calves have ears because they heard my feet and joined right in.

Now, you can't just like you've always done when you're sporting a pair of these. Not by a mile. You can't land on your heel at all so it's mid foot or toes or somewhere in between. Which pushes your calves and feet to support all that that it isn't used to. And mine aren't used to it.

So, I ran halfway, walked most of the rest of the way and then fell over trying to get the turds off my feet when I hit my street. Barefoot was bliss at this point and I hobbled the rest of the way home to try and stretch. That was another adventure altogether, but everyone at work this morning laughed at my misfortune. I wanted to drive home, pick up the shoes, and put them on everyone that laughed and make them run a mile in them.

I'm hoping I can do it again on Wednesday.

Pictures

2010-03-15T04:46:00.001-04:00

Everyone's been bugging me about photos of the girls and stuff, so here are some pictures of our trip to Gatlinburg. Rosemary's 5 months old and Piper's 3 years old. Ashley and I are as youthful as ever...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=200729&id=517627929&l=cf5224ba89

Whirlwind

2009-10-10T01:26:00.003-04:00

It has been a whirlwind week and a half. Whirl of the Wind, that's for sure.

We had a baby (Wednesday). She went to the nursery to get cleaned up for an hour, which extended to a 3 day stay in the NICU. Then she went on the bilirubin lamp to help her jaundice. During the NICU stay, our older daughter got H1N1 and passed it on to Mommy and Daddy. Fortunately my case was mild, but we had to keep older daughter away from the newborn so she didn't get it as well.

FINALLY went home only to start a new round of issues when we got the two back together. Throw a healthy dose of anxiety into the mix, put us back on the bilirubin light and give mom some engorgement issues and it just seems like the fun never stops. We're dreading my return to work!

We've been blessed with a beautiful little girl, though. The two girls really get along, though (despite the constant bickering over handwashing). I'm doubly thankful for that!

Rosemary Louise

2009-10-02T09:58:00.002-04:00

Happy 30th!

2009-07-22T06:51:00.003-04:00

My wife turns 30 today. Oops! I probably shouldn't have said it out loud... not sure if it's a secret or not. Really, 30 isn't bad at all, and it fits Ashley nicely. She doesn't look a day older than that first time I met her... oh... 5+ years ago.

I'll be honest, I think everyone should love birthdays. a) you get presents b) everyone's finally all about you for once c) if you're religious (and if you're not, you just don't believe what I'll say here even though it still applies) you've been graced with one more year with His creation and you're one step closer to meeting the Big Guy Himself.

When I hit 60 is when I'll start getting old... then I'm over the halfway mark. I'm not old YET, but just getting there.

Anyway, Happy Birthday Ashley!

Parade displeasure

2009-07-06T08:32:00.003-04:00

Was anyone else disappointed in the 4th of July parade this year (2009) in Lexington? I was so disgusted I sent a letter to the guy in charge. Only two patriotic "floats" and they were for our troops... I'm glad they were there at least, but none of the rest were even remotely American or patriotic. I'm planning to write more about that, but we all know how "planning" to do anything in the blog world usually results in not doing it - unless you're a professional blogger.

Shups

2009-05-04T21:37:00.001-04:00

Started the Hundred Pushups program again at work. I won the last contest but didn't make it to 100... I hit 79, I believe. We're doing it again, though. Hopefully I can make it this time. I've done 100 before, but didn't get it for the contest somehow. Stupid pressure. I think you'll be able to follow my progress at:

http://www.pushupslogger.com/plog/show_user/33432

Look what I caught!

2009-04-15T06:14:00.002-04:00

Was taking a walk with Ashley, Melissa and Sandy and I looked up and there was a girl falling out of the sky! Fortunately I caught her and everything ended up okay...

Easter

2009-04-15T06:10:00.008-04:00

We went up to Ft. Mitchell and Piper got to hang out with Marmie, Pickle and Rob for a while. It was fun! (Although I'm still not sure I'm spelling Marmie right...)

He's Teensy! (or She's Teensy)

2009-03-11T09:30:00.007-04:00

3 (or 5 Depending)

2009-02-25T08:07:00.002-05:00

Happy Anniversary Ashley!

It's been a fantastic 3 years (or 5 if you count the dating... we had our first date to pick up tickets to The Passion of the Christ for our group of friends 5 years ago). I hope for as many more as possible! At least 3 more!

Kidding... kidding... hopefully we'll be one of those couples that gets to stand up at church when they ask about folks that are celebrating 75+ wedding anniversaries. I'll be old then... and probably won't remember who you are, but just stand up and humor me.

Find Me A Home Where the Buffalo Roam

2009-02-24T02:10:00.002-05:00

Went on a jaunt yesterday to see 8 houses... in a row... it was miserable. Found a couple we were okay with, but nothing really jumped out at us. Talking to the mortgage lady today after dropping off the car to get checked out. Finding all the info she wanted was harder than I'd thought. That's what I get for deciding "oh, I can shred that" on a whim a few months ago and then keeping that mentality up to now.

Used to be you couldn't help but find documents you were looking for pertaining to me. I had them all. Every bank statement from the time I opened my first savings account... every big ticket item receipt... every everything. Merging our documents when we got married was actually fun (I enjoy categorizing/organizing stuff) but was a little messy. Finally we decided to revamp the file cabinet and found a mess piling up. You see, my original plan was always pile it up and then every couple of months, sort it. That doesn't work as well when the number of papers doubles. It just piles up faster and you freak out when you see it. Well, you may not, but I did!

Ah well, it's all together now and we'll see what we'll see.

Gettin' back on my feet

2009-02-22T21:34:00.002-05:00

It's surprising how easy and impossibly difficult life can be at times. All things considered, I think the things that most people make out to be terribly scary to do are the easiest, while the little things sometimes come down to being the most stressful of all.

Day to day dinner freaks me out. I'll eat anything, so that's not the problem. What is? Well, I suspect I know what the problem is. I don't like to make people upset with me. I want to help make people's lives easier, and in this case, if I pick the wrong thing for Piper and Ashley, they're going to be upset with me. Maybe. I have chronic "whatever you would call that"edness. It's actually fairly debilitating. Probably linked to my shyness which I started to get over a little bit ever since going to Governor's School for the Arts, but sometimes I feel myself slipping back into it because it's comfortable/easy. Awkward silences are quickly becoming my forte again.

I probably just need to get over it, and that's the easy solution to tell myself: I'll get over it later, or it's not that big a deal. Dealing with it is scary, though, because I know it means that I have to actually DO the thing I'm scared to do. I make a big deal about spiders being the only thing I'm scared of and while I don't want anything to do with those nasty, nasty, crawly, gives-me-the-willies bugs, I'd much rather take them versus having attention drawn to me.

You all are psychiatrists, right? What do you do? I can't imagine everyone in their underwear because, frankly, I don't want to see everyone in their underwear. I suppose they say to take it one step at a time... now to figure out which steps to take...

North Dakota doing something...

2009-02-19T06:10:00.003-05:00

Did ANYONE see the story that was up briefly on Fox News about the North Dakota House giving fertilized eggs human status? I did, but it was up only very briefly and then disappeared. You can search for it and find it now, but it's definitely not on the frontpage anymore. In fact, I can only find it there and in the North Dakota newspapers. Anyway...

I'm sure everyone's going to be loopy on this one eventually. Hopefully the bill goes further than this. I'd like to hear some negative sides to the issue so as I can formulate some comebacks, but as of yet, I don't see them...

Running

2009-02-09T16:28:00.002-05:00

So, I ran a 5k this past weekend. It was miserable... windy and hilly all at the beginning, but I finished in 29 minutes 33.81 seconds. I figure that's a 9.5 minute mile. Pretty okay for a beginner. Right? Sure. Next up: Shamrock Shuffle 3k followed by the KY Derby Festival miniMarathon!

Post-Inauguration Talk

2009-01-21T09:44:00.004-05:00

So I did get to watch the inauguration yesterday. The office ordered in subs and we worked and watched (sat around and watched, really). I hope the guy does great things. I'm not in line with a lot of his positions, but I would be hard pressed to find a politician with whom I was.

Do I think it was a historic day? Sure. It was another presidential inauguration! As much as I think race shouldn't matter, it still does for a whole lot of people, and so it was also historic for the fact that he is our first black president. I don't have any issues whatsoever with that. What I have issues with is the fact that I know there are people that voted for him to get a black person into office. Plain and simple. I have actually heard that statement come from people's mouths before the election, after the election, and even while we were watching the thing on TV yesterday. Those are the people we have to work on convincing that race should not be an issue. Those people that are willing to put aside other values, beliefs and opinions to let a person's skin color sway their vote. Our minority populations have fought too long for equal rights for there to be that kind of discrimination in the most important decision we, as it's citizens, have to make.

I hope this will help those that need it to understand that people shouldn't be boosted up, nor shot down, because of their race. That's not equality... but if this election can give equality a booster shot, so be it.

I have a lot of other hopes, but they're going to have to wait for another post.

Finally!

2009-01-16T06:20:00.002-05:00

When I bought joshmarquis.com way back in 2001, i got it at Yahoo Domains because it was fairly cheap. Then the price went up. To $35 per year! When everyone is doing it cheaper, I finally stepped back and said, "I'm going to keep this thing, why am I paying more than everyone else?" Turns out, I can get it for $10 per year and save myself $250 for the ten years I re-registered it for.

Took some monkey-business to get it all set up the same (for some reason), but it's done and things look the same!

Coming Home to Your True Self 1

2008-12-15T16:49:00.002-05:00

I had thought, when Ashley got me Coming Home to Your True Self for my birthday, that I might start blogging my answers to the reflection questions at the end of each chapter. The problem there is that I read faster than I type... or rather, I read faster than I have time to write a blog entry down. So, I'll do it as I have time. It could be fun... right? I won't do all the questions, as some of them are simply too personal, but I'll do what I can. Anyway, I'm hurting for some information here, so here we go:

Chapter 1:

1. When am I more likely to experience the divine Presence in the present moment?

I'd have to say that this usually happens when I have down time. If I'm driving to work, or if I'm off for the weekend or on vacation. That's when I feel like I can turn off everything else and listen, look and open up to some divine Presence. Sure, sometimes it just happens. I'll be walking down the hall thinking about a particular problem and have an experience, but it isn't typical.

2. When am I most myself?

I hate to say it, but I think this question is silly. All the time! I'm always myself, aren't I?

3. When did my life begin to be riddled with guilt (obsession with the past) or anxiety and worry (obsession with the future)?

I'd be surprised to find someone that didn't say it started when they were on their own. I'm sure there are a few kids out there that were on their own before their schooling was over, but for me, I think it was that last year before finishing my undergraduate work and realizing I had to go out there and do it myself. That was the anxiety and worry piece. Oh sure, I'd been concerned with school projects and such before then, but not on the same level that I'd call it an obsession. Guilt's a different thing. I'm not sure when that began, but I'd say there's always been a little bit of it there. Guilt over a bad grade or missed appointment or something else equally not-important-in-the-grand-scheme... all the little ones add up to just making you feel plain guilty all over.

4. How do my prayers or behavior suggest that God is "up there" and I am "down here"? How can I better experience the reality of Emmanuel, "God with us"?

Ahhh, these questions get more difficult as we go... I think I see how this works, now. At any rate, usually prayers involve God doing something for me rather than with me. If I approached prayer from a "with" standpoint, I think I'd be getting more in touch with the Emmanuel aspect of it all. Certainly, I realize that He's here, but it isn't always easy to notice that when He's not visibly here.

5. What am I trying to "get" in my spiritual life?

Away from Hell? That's probably not the "right" answer, but eternity is certainly a motivator. That's the answer that first springs to mind, but it isn't the only one, and it isn't fair to say it's the most important one on my mind simply because I said it first. There are lots of things I'd like to "get". Absolute trust in God is one of them. I trust Him more than a lot of folks I know... I take the "do not worry" bit to heart because I know things can't get that bad, but there are times when I do lose it and wonder what on earth is going on and how I can fix something that's gone so terribly wrong. After a while I will remember that Jesus already won and that makes me feel better.

6. Which true-self characteristics are already operative in my life?

I don't want to give away the book... you'll have to read it to find out what those characteristics are!

7. Which true-self characteristics are still lacking in my life?

See 6 above.

Creepy Poem (Antigonish)

2008-12-04T00:41:00.003-05:00

Alright, so if these aren't the creepiest verses in any poem ever... I've been reading a ton of these John Bellairs books, which is where I initially saw this and I've got to tell you: they creepy.

As I was going up the stair
I saw a man who wasn’t there
He wasn’t there again today
Oh, how I wish he’d go away...

When I came home last night at three
The man was waiting there for me
But when I looked around the hall
I couldn’t see him there at all!

Fringe

2008-12-03T08:38:00.003-05:00

I don't know how many of you are into fringe science, but this article is pretty interesting. Finding time to post is somewhat difficult lately, so I'll have to leave the comments and thoughts until later, but go ahead and have a read. Here's an excerpt:

"And spontaneous combustion. That's true, too, apparently, albeit in a bigfoot sort of way. People just explode. Mark Roth keeps a file on them, because, well, for one thing, he's interested in the genetics of spontaneous combustion, and, for another, he's interested in what keeps people from exploding, like, all the time. I mean, why shouldn't they? People never ask that. But then, they never ask a lot of things. Human beings are 37 degrees Celsius. That's pretty much the standard. But why? Nobody ever tells you. You can read a thousand books on bioenergetics and they won't even ask the question. So it's unexplained, and that's when you can learn things."

Gilligan!

2008-11-24T06:40:00.002-05:00

Rollin' With Some Good Company

2008-11-18T06:16:00.004-05:00

Yep. We finally replaced the Saturn Vue. If you weren't aware, I totaled it and we finally got the check from insurance yesterday. Yesterday was also technically the last day we got the loaner, although I finagled a couple more days out of the other person's insurance. Won't need it, though, as we bought one last night. Piper did amazingly well through the 3 hour ordeal, but we walked away with a brand new one of these:

In case you couldn't tell, that's a Lexus RX 300. What!?! Yeah, we got a really good deal on it, so that's what we walked away with. I never in a jillion years would have seen myself in one of these. Let's double that... two jillion years.

Also, in case you couldn't tell, that's Andy Rooney in that picture. If he's got one, then everyone should have one. I see him on TV from time to time, but can never quite figure out if everything's going well, there. Sometimes the stories he tells ramble on for a while and then stop without much of an actual "story" behind the scenes. I figure the only difference between Andy Rooney and the crazy old guy sitting at home in his chair, retired, watching his program is that he's actually got a program to talk to and the retired guy has to make do with whoever stops by when he has a story to tell.

I Don't Think I Actually Have To Write Anything Here

2008-11-17T21:44:00.001-05:00

2008-11-03T06:34:00.005-05:00

Halloween Pics!

And because Piper's excited about tomorrow too...

Crash

2008-10-30T10:07:00.002-04:00

Had a great couple of days at CHRP this past weekend. If any of you have a chance to go to one, I'd recommend it highly. You don't get your cell phone, watch or any of that stuff... they do it up right.

Also, was in a car accident this past weekend. We're okay. It was pretty hairy, though. We'll have to see how this plays out as far as getting another car. We're down to one for the time being, but fortunately on Monday Piper will be starting a new daycare that's right smack in between our house and work! I say "new" but what I really mean is "new that her current daycare operators opened on the other side of town". Piper'll still be getting the same level of care, but that much closer to our work/house.

Back to the car, though. Everyone keeps saying that if the airbag is deployed it's usually a total loss cost-wise. We'll see. I'd like a new(used) car... I know the repairs are guaranteed for life if it's fixable, but what does that really mean? How in the world do I track further repair work down to this fix when the whole front of the thing is smashed in?

Craziness... but we coo...

An interesting read by someone I trust

2008-10-24T11:07:00.002-04:00

http://www.ornery.org/essays/warwatch/2008-10-05-1.html

Hidden within this article about the honesty of newspapers (and journalists) is an interesting take on some current issues. Perhaps it's not very well hidden...

Maybe in the market

2008-10-02T09:27:00.002-04:00

Might be looking for someone that knows a thing or two about banks and lenders and all that stuff... might... things are in the works.

Leave a comment if I've piqued your interest.

Musically Inclined

2008-09-29T13:51:00.003-04:00

Well, Piper and I have finally found something else we can agree upon. She may not want to brush her teeth or get dressed or even wake up in the morning, but she likes some good music. Through a series of videos, we both discovered Tony Rice and she loves it! Couple that with her newfound love of clapping along to songs, and it turns out to be a fun time watching these with her. If you don't like bluegrass, it's best not to push play.

I liked this one the best:

She was partial to this one (probably because he says "hell" in it... she's like that):

Just One Reason I Need an MBA

2008-09-24T16:27:00.002-04:00

So I got this email from my Mom today and instead of deleting it like so many forwards I receive, I read it. Now, I know it's a silly idea, but boy does it sound nice... mainly to the greedy Josh inside. I don't know enough about financial... uhh... stuff to say if any of this is feasible or not. I laugh because I assume it's funny because I got it as a forward in my email.

No, I don't know who "Birk" is, but he did do his math wrong... $85,000,000,000.00 to 200,000,000 people is only $425. But assuming the numbers did work out...

I'm against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG.

Instead, I'm in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in a We Deserve It Dividend.

To make the math simple, let ' s assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide adults in the U.S.

Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman and child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up.

So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billion that equals $425,000.00.

My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a We Deserve It Dividend.

Of course, it would NOT be tax free.

So lets assume a tax rate of 30%.

Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes.

That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam.

But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket.

A husband and wife has $595,000.00.

What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family?

Pay off your mortgage - housing crisis solved.

Repay college loans - what a great boost to new grads.

Put away money for college - it'll be there

Save in a bank - create money to loan to entrepreneurs.

Buy a new car - create jobs.

Invest in the market - capital drives growth.

Pay for your parents medical insurance - health care improves

Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean - or else

Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+ including the folks who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces.

If we're going to redistribute wealth lets really do it...instead of trickling out a puny $1000.00 ( "vote buy" ) economic incentive.

If we're going to do an $85 billion bailout, let's bail out every adult U S Citizen 18+!

As for AIG - liquidate it.

Sell off its parts.

Let American General go back to being American General.

Sell off the real estate.

Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up.

Here's my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn't.

Sure it's a crazy idea that can "never work."

But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party!

How do you spell Economic Boom?

I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion We Deserve It Dividend more than I do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington DC.

And remember, The Birk plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.

Polinkical

2008-09-10T08:51:00.002-04:00

Here's a new site I'm reading through pretty thoroughly (when I get the time). Every four years I end up stumped on some of the issues because I haven't followed the history of many of the issues... this is a bit of a Cliff's Notes to help me out. I only found it a few minutes ago, but it looks like it might be a good read. Hopefully it doesn't have any Republican or Democratic tendencies...

100

2008-09-08T10:24:00.002-04:00

http://www.hundredpushups.com

I just finished week 4. You should give it a whirl. This morning was my latest test and I hit 55, which is slightly disappointing. With minute long breaks between a total of 5 sets I can do well over 100.

ImPalin

2008-09-04T06:18:00.004-04:00

While I enjoyed Palin's speech last night (yes, I managed to stay up, but I was doing work whilst it was going on, so it's okay), I have to say that I get tired of each side bashing each other. Okay, sure, making the other side come off bad is a part of the process now, but being rude doesn't cut it as far as winning me over. The nice thing is both (all?) sides are doing it so I get to base my vote on other criteria.

I'll have to admit, she got folks energized. I'm also glad she didn't go too much into her family's personal life in response to the media frenzy around it all. I don't think her daughter being pregnant reflects on her... she's 17. I don't know a single 17 year old that isn't going to rebel in some way. So she's pregnant and keeping it; I think that's fantastic, not a role model kind of situation, but fantastic all the same.

I was perturbed that someone wasn't home with the baby rather than keeping him up that late, but it was nice to get to see him too. Maybe other moms/dads watching felt the same?

(I haven't seen any political posts lately so I thought I'd try to get the ball rolling.)

Lonely

2008-09-04T05:57:00.002-04:00

So Blogger added this thing called "Following" and "Followers". I've started following the blogs that I can, but what stinks is that a) not everyone has feeds set up so that I can follow and b) no one is following me yet. It's okay, though. I understand. If you want to start using the feature, though here's Blogger's post on how to do it!

Potty Time Part II

2008-09-03T10:09:00.003-04:00

Piper went to the potty this morning! She woke up, asked to go to the potty, we put her on and then ten minutes later we heard a miraculous tinkling sound! Last night, even, we put her on and she pooped. We still have to work on flushing and wiping and all that ancillary stuff, but I think she knows that she can sit on the potty and go.

Look at that happy camper! There's no actual bad nudity here, it's no worse than a swimsuit, so critics can get over it!

I Thought I'd Have More

2008-08-25T13:53:00.002-04:00

Here are my results via the poll via Laurie via Andrea via Bianca via The Omnivore's Hundred

Only 43/100!?!? I'm going to have to get to work!

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S'mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Gettin' Ahead and Talkin' Bout Poop

2008-08-20T08:51:00.003-04:00

Gonna make this quick, but last night Piper pooped in the potty. Gross! However, she did, and it's a start. She recognizes when she is or is going to potty most of the time. Last night was a fluke where we were all eating dinner and she started grunting and leaning sideways in her chair (presumably to make room for something extra in her diaper). I asked her if she needed to poop and wanted to go to the potty. She said yes, so away we went! I don't have any delusions of being anywhere near potty trained, that's going to be a while I bet.

It's the Tooth

2008-08-01T06:13:00.002-04:00

So, on Tuesday Ashley had a wisdom tooth out. It had been bothering her all weekend and she could barely open her mouth and chew. So she went in, they said they could take it out, and out it came. At the end of August she'll be having the last two out, which is going to be "fun".

The interesting part came when they billed insurance, who said that the card Ashley gave was "expired". Well, they said we could call back later with the correct information, so I tried getting in touch with our HR person (who is out for the next 2-3 weeks apparently) and ended up calling insurance myself.

Well, they said that there was no expiration on anything and that the group number and everything was fine.

So, back to Ashley who called the dentist who said that they'd run it again. When they did they said that it came back that Ashley wasn't active.

Back to insurance who said that indeed, Ashley was not active. Now, I had gone back through my email and found the one from HR that said Ashley had been added to my plan in April, just so I knew I wasn't dreaming it up. Sure enough, HR said she'd been added and deductions had started coming from my paycheck waaay back in April.

So I went back to our stand-in HR person who said that they were "stupid" and that she'd call them and get it straightened out. Obviously if I was paying, for an extra person, then that person should be active... you would think...

There never seems to be any end of stories like that. I mean, the stories end, but the number of them is all but infinite.

First Tomato

2008-07-30T06:28:00.001-04:00

This is our first Tomato of 2008!

Actually... it's our second. I picked the first and gave it to Piper and said, "Here, Honey, you hold onto this while Daddy gets this other one." I turned to pick another, and when I turned back I found she had eaten/mauled about half the tomato was going in for another bite! Normally that would be okay, but there was one of those yucky parts on it that I didn't want her to eat (not that she probably wouldn't be okay, but you know...

So, this is now our first. It's about three inches wide. Petite, but surely tasty.

Recap and the Morning

2008-07-28T08:30:00.002-04:00

Who would have thought creating pasta from scratch would be so difficult? Okay, the actual making of the dough wasn't bad, but rolling out was, if this makes sense, "reasonably impossible". Oh I ended up getting it, but geez. Now I know why everyone loves those hand cranking things.

After that, though, the lasagna came together easily and we had a good visit with the Hattles. Julia showed off a little by pulling to stand and taking a step. It was pretty amazing. She finished off with a little "Yankee Doodle Dandy" dance number which didn't make much sense since it was in baby-ese, but we got the gist of it.

Anyway, very tired this morning. Ashley and I woke up about 2 this morning and read for a while then went back to sleep. When the alarm went off, I woke and started getting ready when I heard the twitter of a small bird or animal of some kind. Thinking there was a bird loose in the house or maybe a bat or something had somehow gotten in I groaned and got ready to face a morning chasing some kind of feral animal around. Maybe it was a stoat. That would have made it really interesting.

Turns out it was actually Ashley / Piper breathing. I swear I could hear it downstairs, then upstairs, then back downstairs again. Apparently when they're breathing (wheezing and whistling) in tandem, they can throw the noise all over the house. Quite a relief, though.

Guess I'll Go Eat Worms

2008-07-21T08:39:00.002-04:00

I'll tell you what... I want to go see that Batman movie. What? Well of course I do! The only thing that's going to make it odd is going to be probably seeing it myself. Ashley's not into that sort of thing, and it seems like we've lost touch with "the group". I guess it's because of Piper, although I could be wrong... we probably just stink really bad.

We've actually been worrying a bit about that lately. Is stuff just not happening or are we just not being invited or what? Doesn't really matter, I suppose. When kids start to get involved then you run into babysitter issues if it's a non-kid area. Even if it's kid-friendly, you have to plan it so there's no meltdown at the kid-friendly arena.

Ah, but I shouldn't complain. Plan, invite, plan, etc. I need to "light a candle" rather than "curse the darkness" as they say. One of my favorite quotes/sayings/whatever it is. That said... let's see what I can do coming up.

Piper on a Leg

2008-07-17T08:11:00.003-04:00

I think this is one of my favorite shots from our trip. Not sure why, but it looks good to me.

We Got In Trouble

2008-07-17T08:11:00.001-04:00

Signs posted throughout the store said, "No Photography". We either promptly ignored them or just didn't see them (we claim the latter). Piper didn't care either way.

Ashley's Table

2008-07-17T08:10:00.001-04:00

This mysterious table was Ashley's idea and it turned out incredibly well. She got a pat on the back for this one.

Counting

2008-07-10T06:18:00.005-04:00

Now, I don't generally have good luck with these things. I am, however, going to try to post a video of Piper counting last night while we were at the Gap, of all places. I couldn't get my hand on the video trigger fast enough, so it starts at three and the last half is a bit muddled, but hopefully you get the gist of it!

Plus, I have high hopes that this means she'll shun shopping just like her Daddy. I mean, if she'd rather play on the chair in front of the changing room and count that's just fine with me.

That's Not Piper!

2008-07-02T06:38:00.007-04:00

One of the Four Horsemen Perhaps

2008-07-02T06:38:00.005-04:00

Grandpa's Got Silly Ears

2008-07-02T06:38:00.003-04:00

Turtles

2008-07-02T06:38:00.001-04:00

Tomaytoe

2008-07-02T06:37:00.005-04:00

PostBath

2008-07-02T06:37:00.003-04:00

Dinner With Sophia

2008-07-02T06:37:00.001-04:00

Same Birthday, Y'Know

2008-07-02T06:36:00.003-04:00

Taking a Walk

2008-07-02T06:36:00.001-04:00

Course They're Friends

2008-07-02T06:35:00.001-04:00

Another!

2008-07-01T08:55:00.001-04:00

I hear there's a new beh beh in town (Columbus). Congratulations, Meredith and Gerrit!

Us

2008-06-26T05:55:00.000-04:00

I'm sure many of you all have noticed some "changes" in the Marquis household lately, the most recent of which is moving to basic cable from digital. I suppose we're somewhat worried folks will think we're weird or going off the deep end, but really all we're doing is what we think would be best for our family going forward.

I going to venture a guess that it all started about the time we took the Financial Peace University class. At that time, we were newly married, had a baby on the way, and wanted to make sure we were doing things right financially to plan for all that. Neither Ashley nor myself were interested in being in debt. The only debt I had ever had was a car payment that I paid off in a couple years because the majority of it was paid for up front. That's right, no school bills or medical expenses or any of that (thanks Mom, Dad, and Pickle). Ashley was in the same boat, no debt other than her house payment and a car payment.

The first things we did after the class were a) move into a new house and b) pay off the car. Actually, we had Piper in between a and b, but she was a relatively inexpensive operation... she's priceless despite all that! Anyway, we immediately got a college fund going, which is coming along nicely.

While all that was going on, we continued to think about what we'd want for Piper, and one of the things Ashley settled on was breastfeeding. She'll be the first to tell you that she never would have thought she'd be as into it as she is. Here we are at a year and a half and Piper is still breastfeeding - not exclusively, she eats like a bear at times.

Of course, then we started reading all the articles about hormones and crap in beef that kids are getting. Whether or not its true, it's a fact that kids are developing earlier than ever before. There are a lot of theories, but one of them is the growth hormones and stuff given to cattle. (Coupled with the rise of fast food and the amount of control we have over what we're actually eating, it's a plausible concern.) So, we've switched to a primarily organic diet and all our meat is humanely treated and killed. It's still a stretch for me to think about "humanely" killing things, killing's killing more or less, but I don't have a problem with eating cow or pig or whatever.

The humanely treated meat is probably the biggest sticking point for most people. Now, I'm not as into that as Ashley is. I'll eat pretty much anything. However, I'm not breastfeeding Piper, so if that were somehow different, then I'd probably be more careful. I'm finally seeing it from the other side, though. It wasn't that long ago that I'd laugh at people that didn't eat meat or were gung-ho on organic, and if I wasn't laughing, I was definitely thinking they were very weird.

The shoe's on the other foot now. I know people at work think it's weird and I'm afraid our friends probably think we're weird too. Especially the TV thing. Thing is, I feel like there is other stuff we could be doing. Reading, working on the garden, playing with Piper. If, for some reason, we need Piper to zone out for a while, we can just put in a DVD or tape. (To date, I think we've only done that once, and she hasn't got the attention span to sit and watch anything.) I've heard the argument, "How are you going to know what's going on?" My answer to that is that we've still got the internet. News still travels by word of mouth, as well. We're not going into seclusion or anything. I'm still Josh, Ashley's still Ashley, and Piper's still Piper. We're just living a little less connectedly. I think what we need to work on now is more social interaction... having people over, going out, etc.

The next big adventure will be school. There are things I want to protect Piper from, and there are things I want Piper to learn to deal with on her own. We can't do everything for her when she's older and I'd rather her learn to make her own decisions for the right reasons. All I know is that kids are a great adventure and they're scarier than heck and more fun than heck and irritating as heck and fantastic as heck.

Service

2008-06-23T12:01:00.002-04:00

Ashley and I have wailed and gnashed our teeth the last few times we've been out to eat. Wailed and moaned such that we have been invited never to go out to eat again. Anywhere. By everyone.

It's not that we're picky... I hope it isn't that we're picky! I just expect when I go out for the servers to be courteous rather than condescending. If you're having a bad day, leave it at the door! Were I a waiter, every table I'd wait on would be an opportunity for a) a tip and b) a chance to be in a better mood.

I don't want to name names... oh, okay, I'll name names. Sal's, of all places, was what sort of inf lammed something we considered a nuisance to something we got fired up about! I'd expect that at the price we're paying, we'd get more than a plate of food and some wine. However, the server, who was somewhat pleasant, and her assistant, who was significantly less pleasant, were not up to the task of serving at all. We had to ask for butter three times. Once of the assistant, once of the server, once when the manager came over, and finally someone who was neither of those three came with a plate of butter. I'm not sure if they believed we needed it or not, but there was clearly no more butter on the table.

Okay, maybe they were busy, but with less than half the tables occupied and servers standing by the kitchen chatting, I expect the customers to be waited on first.

Ashley's comment was that Cracker Barrel would have gotten her butter. Not a week later, though, that very restaurant failed to deliver. We were crushed. Dismayed. Disenchanted with the food service industry entirely.

Servers, you're doing a fairly simple task in return for an honest wage. There are pieces of that task that some are better at than others... namely interacting with customers. The basic principle is the same for everyone: attend to the customer's needs. You don't have to be a comedian or come off as meek and lowly. All you have to do is refill my drink if it needs refilling and, on occasion, stop by to find out if everything is okay. If I'm obviously looking around for my server, which I try to do fairly obviously so they know I need their help, come on over and ask what I need! It's that easy!

I understand that no one really wants to be a server. Kids don't normally grow up saying they want to be a hostess down at the Jerry's on Route 3. However, that's your position right now and, as such, you should try to excel at it. Mom always said she didn't care if I was a garbage man as long as I was the best garbage man out there. It makes sense, though.

Ashley and I have a tip saved up for the first fantastic service we get. If you're out there working at a restaurant and you serve someone that gives you a pretty generous tip, chances are that was us. Only if you were good, though.

Pretty Princess Dancer

2008-06-16T08:16:00.001-04:00

Pat Pat Goat

2008-06-16T08:15:00.005-04:00

No Smoking, Baby

2008-06-16T08:15:00.003-04:00

Reminds me of Sophia

2008-06-16T08:15:00.001-04:00

Alligator is So Sweet

2008-06-16T08:14:00.005-04:00

Baby Needs Changed

2008-06-16T08:14:00.003-04:00

Mama's Work

2008-06-16T08:14:00.001-04:00

I Have to Take This

2008-06-16T08:13:00.005-04:00

Cuz

2008-06-16T08:13:00.003-04:00

Sunny Disposition

2008-06-16T08:13:00.001-04:00

Lovely Ladies

2008-06-16T08:12:00.001-04:00

Tea Grump

2008-06-16T08:11:00.001-04:00

Marquis Garden

2008-06-16T06:50:00.001-04:00

Pat Pat Jackson

2008-06-16T06:49:00.005-04:00

All Friends Here

2008-06-16T06:49:00.003-04:00

Relaxing

2008-06-16T06:49:00.001-04:00

Mama Cat Kissed You

2008-06-16T06:48:00.005-04:00

Pa and Piper

2008-06-16T06:48:00.003-04:00

Louise

2008-06-16T06:48:00.001-04:00

Awww

2008-06-16T06:47:00.007-04:00

Ka-Chomp

2008-06-16T06:47:00.005-04:00

Someone Loves Watermelon

2008-06-16T06:47:00.003-04:00

A Little Learning

2008-06-16T06:47:00.001-04:00

Holzwarths and Marquises

2008-06-16T06:46:00.001-04:00

Tech Ed

2008-06-04T13:29:00.002-04:00

I'm sitting here at Microsoft Tech Ed and finally starting to get better. Flew in on Monday, had a three and a half hour layover in Charlotte, then got into Orlando. The next day, started with breakfast provided by Tech Ed followed by Bill Gates's keynote. It was pretty good, but I, physically, started to feel bad. After all the sessions I was feeling pretty awful. I tried to stay for the Partner Expo with all the free food and an open bar, but I got through half a Longhammer before I realized I ought to just go back to the hotel (I needed to get a cell phone charger anyway, or so I thought). Got back to the room and shivered/slept/woke up for a couple hours. Then about 9, I decided to get a hot bath going. That was what the doctor ordered, as they say. After that I managed to wakefully sleep again until about 2am, at which point I finally slept until 5, got up and called around trying to find a cell phone charger. Took another hot bath and halfway sweated the sick out of me. Got on the shuttle to the convention center, found out how to walk to Walgreens, walked and sweated out the other half of the sick, and then found a cell phone.

Phew.

The rest of the week proves to be super-busy as well. I can't tell you how good it will be to get back to Ashley and Piper.

Quick Election Article (Link)

2008-05-30T12:50:00.003-04:00

This year's election promises to be messy/crazy. I'm going to have to write more on it later, but as I'm in the midst of some training, I probably shouldn't do it now. I decided I'd just post a link to this article by none other than our favorite author OSC.

Beez

2008-05-29T12:11:00.003-04:00

It's been probably 10 years since I've been stung by any kind of insect... I've been bitten, definitely, but stung? No.

Until yesterday.

Let me tell you, it hurts. I was wearing sandals and a bee got in between my shoe and my foot and stung the crap out of it. It was like a needle made from rocks buried deep within the burning pits of Hades had pierced my foot and was flowing through my bloodstream. I'm going to overstate it a bit just because I had quite forgotten how bad it hurt! I'd take a sweat bee or even a horsefly over that!

When did you last get stung? I'm just glad I didn't have any reaction. Didn't think I would, but you never know.

Interlude for Independence

2008-05-15T10:08:00.004-04:00

Almost finished with 1776. It's taking forever. To be honest with you, I almost don't see how America ever got its independence. You've got Bunker Hill and Boston and then a bunch of terrible losses and retreats, soldiers retreating and deserting, military advisers all but conspiring against Washington. Phew.

I wish I could remember the exact quote, but I don't have the book in front of me now. However, Washington said something fantastic about working with the people he had to in the war; it went something along the lines of, "...we must work with men as they are not as we wish them to be." I'll have to pull that out when I get home and post the real thing. I imagine he had to say that to himself a lot.

Have another longer post in the works, but figured I'd post this one in the meantime.

UPDATE: The quote is:

"we must... make the best of mankind as they are, since we cannot have them as we wish." I was pretty close.

Agreed

2008-05-01T09:05:00.002-04:00

For the most part, I can usually count on old OSC to back me up... or I guess it's usually the other way around... I'm backing him up. Either way, I tend to agree with his line of thinking.

For example, in this article he's talking about the oil and food crisis that's in the news lately. I agree with most everything he says except for global warming. I'm not entirely sure, myself, if global warming is happening because of us or because of natural occurrences. I don't know that anyone CAN know for certain. I don't see that as any reason to back off from putting so much crap out into the air. We know acid rain happens, after all.

I've often wondered why we're not doing more to get off oil. A number of responses to this article have mentioned that there are pieces in place to replace oil but keep the cars we've got. That's an option, I suppose, but it seems like we're trying to jam a square peg into a round hole. I doubt most people's cars were made to do what we'll be trying to make them do, regardless of if they can handle it. Can I put hot coffee in a plastic cup? Sure, but I'm going to burn my hand if I try to pick it up.

We're currently considering carpooling everywhere. One of us drives one car and drops off Piper, the other spouse, and then heads to work. That or I'll work from home a lot more. We'll still have to drive all over the place to get Piper to daycare and Ashley to work, but we'll at least cut out my trip. Every bit helps out as far as the ol' wallet is concerned.

As for saving money, in our family we're trying to get into local stuff. We've got a garden out back which, so far, hasn't saved us any money in trying to get things off the ground. However, once we get the hang of it, I expect it to pay for itself. There are a number of CSAs around that we can take advantage of. We've sort of ruled it out for now, what with our own garden and all, but we're not growing winter vegetables and stuff, so we might need to take advantage of that. Are we going to cut out buying vegetables at the store? No, but we'll definitely cut back.

Back to the topic at hand, though. I don't know where OSC gets his information. I'll bet he keeps up with the news and knows the politics more than I do. I don't know how much ethanol corn cuts into what we export. I don't know how much we cut back what we're sending to other countries or what kind of impact that has, but he makes some good points assuming the facts are true. If we're not sending as much overseas as we used to, then it seems like that should raise prices overseas. It seems like everyone's prices are going up, though. Ah, well. If worse comes to worse, we'll just pack up our provisions, pitch our tent in the middle of nowhere, and start a farm (on someone else's property, no doubt).

I'll have to ask Pickle for the details... he's the economist.

As Promised

2008-04-17T06:12:00.013-04:00

Yeah, yeah. Easter was a month ago. You know how it is with kids, though... you get busy. Stuff happens. Photos languish on your camera's memory card for months before you ever get around to doing anything with them. That's life!

Now, don't be too upset. They're in reverse-chronological order, and some of them are not Easter pictures. (Yes, that's a pea in Piper's bellybutton.)

One small step

2008-04-14T08:12:00.002-04:00

Yesterday (and a little bit of the day before) I finally did something drastic. I got rid of a bunch of my CDs. I just ripped them to the computer, took them to Half Price Books and sold them for less than a quarter what I paid for them. Mostly they just sat on the shelf anyway. There were a few that I kept, but by and large, they're gone. It's a relief, really. The task was frustrating as Piper kept pushing the power button on the computer. It is, in fact, the most prominent button on the thing, so I should have expected that. Ah well.

I know I owe everyone Easter pictures. Don't fret. They're on their way.

I'd Forgotten, I Think

2008-04-03T08:20:00.003-04:00

I pulled out a CD this morning for Piper and I to listen to on the way to daycare and wound up pleasantly surprised. I had grabbed my "Disney's Music from the Park". I haven't listened to the thing in probably three years. (It came out in 1996.)

Would you believe Tim Curry singing The Ballad of Davy Crockett? It's true. I wouldn't necessarily call it singing, but it's one of those surreal kinds of things that makes you laugh. I mean, seriously, who calls him "David Crockett"? Tim does. Hopefully my linking of it here works and you can listen to it.

That cracked me up and about made my day. Then there was the bonus track on the CD. It was also very good. Sort of a medley of stuff all crammed together, which I enjoyed. If you don't like movie soundtrack-like music, you'll probably not like it. I did, though.

Anyway, that's all I had today. Not exciting, but it's something.

Two Kids

2008-03-28T05:36:00.009-04:00

I don't know what to do when you walk in and find your daughter... your baby daughter in this situation. Were I this girl's parents, I wouldn't want this picture to get out. It would be embarrassing... I sure feel sorry for Zach and Nicole - oops.

Then we have a fantastic picture of Piper at Ramsey's enjoying, what else, pinto beans. Fantastic digital camera revealed to us an interesting animation ~~(you'll have to view this in something other than Internet Explorer to see the animation... not sure why... grr...)~~.

Update for My Money

2008-03-25T11:18:00.004-04:00

Turns out, my money is in the receipt. If I bring it in, they'll give me the balance due. Phew!

On another note, has anyone else read 1776? That book's pretty darn good... I don't get along with non-fiction, usually, and I guess this isn't particularly non-fiction, although it is. Anyway, pick it up. Took me a bit to get into it, but now I can't wait to finish.

I wish people were as eloquent and patient as they were back then. Myself included!

Where's My Money

2008-03-24T08:25:00.003-04:00

I thought I had something truly blog-worthy to write about yesterday. I was thrilled. Elated even. It seemed as though God himself had stepped in and made my Easter something to remember. Oh, even without this event, Easter was great, but now it is unbelievable. Now I know, there was no miracle, it's silly, really. And in the end, it was a flop (not Easter... my miraculous event).

Piper and I went to Lowes yesterday to get some stuff. Random stuff. Planters, soil, birdseed, etc. I was paying with two partially used gift cards. Upon checkout, I handed the cashier one card, which he scanned and gave back and said you still owe $x.yz. So I pulled out the other gift card and he scanned that. The machine printed out the receipt and he gave it the once over to find my balance and said, "You have nothing left on this card, do you want to keep it?"

Well, me, being amazed that my two random amount gift cards added up to the total of all my random purchases, asked, "Nothing? You mean those two cards added up exactly to my total?" Apparently this happens all the time and he said, "Yep." Clearly not amazed.

Of course I didn't want to hold on to an empty gift card (even though he already gave me the first one back). So, I told him just to keep it, took the receipt, and left pondering what monumental forces had to align to ensure that I had two gift cards with the exact amount to pay for my 5 random items and their all-but-random total.

When Ashley arrived home from work, I told her all about it and she was as amazed as I was! I even pulled out the receipt to show her. At that point I saw the balance left on the gift card at the bottom. It was not zero. It wasn't a lot not zero, but it was enough that I'm going to have to call today and see what I can do about it. I'm sure it's partially my fault for not verifying, but the cashier is supposed to know what he/she is doing. It's a lot easier to place the blame.

Add 16 Years

2008-03-08T07:13:00.003-05:00

Yes, add 16 years and you'll see what we have to look forward to... shoot. Add 4 years and you might even get a glimpse!

Sick-o

2008-02-11T08:20:00.000-05:00

Had a fantastic dinner at Masala on Saturday night. Who knew we liked Indian? Piper still doesn't know we like it... she slept through the whole thing.

Then planned on going to the shower for Andrea and Nicole, but alas, Piper got SICK. We missed it, which sucks because we'd really been looking forward to it. So, Ashley's staying home from work today and I'll be working from home this afternoon. I'd been cooking dinner last night, so I didn't even realize her temperature was 102 until Ashley got home and mentioned that she was burning up. Yup. You can call me super-dad.

Hutch (past tense of "Hitch")

2008-02-03T14:14:00.001-05:00

Ol Christopher finally got hutch. It's true! See the picture up above this sentence? Thats him and his lady friend - excuse me, wife - dancing at their reception! It was a very nice weekend. The Ogrens and Dyers did a fantastic job putting together all the events for the weekend. From the rehearsal to the reception, I had a great time. Shoot. Brandi made it seem like she had a wedding every week considering the ease with which she got through it. At any rate, I was happy to be a part of it and have to thank Chris for asking me to help out (all I did was stand there).

There's the old man himself. Christopher T. Ogren. Some of us call him "Booger" but most of us call him "Booger". This shot is titled Lt. Booger.

I'm the odd man out in this one. At the rehearsal, I didn't figure I needed to be THAT dressed up, and yet everyone else had on a suit. Nice work Turdquis. Nice work, indeed.

I should have cropped this down some before posting it, but there are the Ogrens looking quite dapper.

Not much to say here... it's a group shot, but it's just about the only one of me in my tux. You can almost make out that it's a tux.

Yes, Tyler and Heather danced. Little icicles formed on the floor from where Hell froze over and the temperature carried through to the surface of the earth. Incredible!

And because this blog is about Piper now, I figured I ought to go ahead and post a little picture of her. This is her first time in a swimsuit ever. She like swimming, but she loved playing on the stairs and making her parents into nervous wrecks.

Calling it a Night

2008-01-28T21:13:00.000-05:00

There are things that stink and there are things that stink. I don't know that I'll ever be completely comfortable with politics, although it is starting to get interesting. I doubt I've paid as much attention to an election year as I have to this year. As usual, I need to read up on this stuff. I don't read much non-fiction, but I'm going to have to start if I want to sound at all coherent when I'm writing about more than Piper's most recent innovation (the letter O has worked its way into her vocabulary).

I'm sitting here watching the State of the Union and it's pretty funny to watch half the room stand up and applaud every time Bush says, "...I will veto it," while the other half of the room sits idly by. Oh every now and then everyone stands up because they don't want to be the odd (wo)man out, but it seems like it's fairly split down the middle. Shoot. I'm surprised half the room is even able to stand up and down that much. But that's not nice, and I'm trying my best to stay nice.

We're hearing big talk on the big issues we hear about in the media. (I don't want to get into the media's increasing role in politics. Ugh, that's a whole other topic.) Bush has nothing to lose at this point, really. He's on his way out and he can say that he'll veto water falling from the sky and I don't know that people will be too upset.

I suppose there are two views on leaders. One is that they're leading for the people. That is, they do what the people want. In that sense, I like candidates changing positions based on what the population at large thinks. I don't want them flip-flopping, but if their values and ideas fall in line with the majority of the US and they will defend that, then that's fantastic for them. We're hiring politicians to do what we want. On the other hand, I want a leader that is strong in his or her own beliefs. Even if it isn't what I believe, if they can defend and stick to a point of view, I'll respect them all the more.

Why can't we have both? Because we don't know what we want.

We don't want Republicans and we don't want Democrats. I only know of a few people that believe everything their party believes. That's why I wish the independant candidates had a better chance of being elected. They don't have the financial backing of the two major parties and less chance of a win. If you can't get out into the public eye, you can't let people know who you are, what you stand for, and what kind of leader you will be. Only the media darlings get that these days.

I don't know if we're just hopeless in this upcoming election. Sometimes I feel like it's hopeless. I want a president that I can be proud of. Someone I can talk about fifty years from now and the youngsters listening to my stories can ask eagerly if I ever got to meet him. Maybe it's just the glamour of history that makes some of the early presidents so attractive.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I didn't know much about the candidates prior to them starting their bid for the presidency. Now all I know has an election spin on it.

It would be easy if we had someone everyone liked, respected and admired. Where are all those guys? I imagine they're in their own town being well liked, respected and admired while doing their day to day job. I'll bet they have little desire to move into the global arena. Who would want that kind of pressure when you've got all you need right there?

I guess what we need is a president that doesn't really want to be president, but that everyone knows would be suited to the job.

I Know Christmas Is All But Over... However...

2008-01-23T22:22:00.000-05:00

So I've tried to make this show up here, but it doesn't seem to want to. You may have to just click on this link to JibJab.

Don't send a lame Holiday eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Update on Mungo!

2008-01-16T08:16:00.000-05:00

We just heard from the WWE again. They've chosen to go with "Maleficent" for her wrestling name. Something about "Mungo" making her sound like she was held back in school numerous times, only won awards for participation, and loved to snack on paint chips. The wheels are turning... you should see her on Raw or Smackdown soon!