Nearly 3 months since writing here. I'm fairly sure that no one reads anymore, if they ever did. So is this like talking to myself? (edited: my friend Matt Covel told me that he checked here recently...)
Probably not, because even if this isn't read within a few days of me writing it, then it still could be read by people (like you) who visit later, after I send out an email reminder.
I guess the "big announcement" to put here is that I'm going to Egypt in February. I will return (theoretically) in 2006. Yeah, that's 3 years.
But most of my friends know that.
I'm hoping to do some writing on this journal and also for a newspaper while I'm there. My volunteer position will be teaching English to adults, but that will leave me "free time" for other endeavors.
In the meantime, I am spending my time with family and friends. Thanksgiving was a joyous holiday, spent with my loving family.
Monday, December 02, 2002
Tuesday, September 03, 2002
My friend Mark VanDyke, who I've known for 20 years was killed in a car accident on the Saturday night of Labor Day weekend.
It's been 2 months since I've written in here, but the last time was right after I went camping with Mark and some other old friends.
At the visitation tonight, Mark's wife told me how he always enjoyed checking my journal to see what I was putting out here. I feel like I let him down by not writing for so long. I never even shared the pictures that I took on the camping weekend...
For anyone reading this, don't take life for granted. Don't take the time you have with your friends and loved ones for granted. Make the most of every minute! That's what Mark did. My image of him is always with a grin on his face...
Never forget...
It's been 2 months since I've written in here, but the last time was right after I went camping with Mark and some other old friends.
At the visitation tonight, Mark's wife told me how he always enjoyed checking my journal to see what I was putting out here. I feel like I let him down by not writing for so long. I never even shared the pictures that I took on the camping weekend...
For anyone reading this, don't take life for granted. Don't take the time you have with your friends and loved ones for granted. Make the most of every minute! That's what Mark did. My image of him is always with a grin on his face...
Never forget...
Wednesday, July 03, 2002
Ah, the places I've gone...the people I've seen...
Being in/on/near the water this past week really makes it tough to be on a computer.
Oh well! Yeah, that doesn't give me much of an excuse but it's the best one I could come up with.
Let's see...in the past 2 weeks, here's what's been going on:
June 19th I went to Cedar Point with Stephanie and met up with a bunch of my relatives, after that Steph and I went to the Alive Christian Music Festival in Ohio for the 20th and part of the 21st, then to Pokagon State Park in Indiana for a weekend of camping with some of my old high school friends.
I made it back here for about a day and then went to my parent's house at the lake for the 25th to help with watching my niece and nephew on the 26th, played a bit of volleyball, and then went to a Toledo Mud Hens baseball game on the 27th.
Lucky me, I got to be on the big screen in the stadium! How?
Well...
While walking around the stadium before the game, I entered a drawing to play the "Roll the Dice" game. As luck would have it, the promotions people drew my name, so during the middle of the 2nd inning, they took me out to the 1st base line and I started rolling these big, foam dice. If I got all 5 the same, then I would win cash or a car.
I was lucky, but not _that_ lucky! *smirk* I won a $20 certificate for the merchandise shop so I now have a nifty Mud Hens T-shirt and my nephews have a hackey-sack with the Mud Hens logo on it.
Fun to be out there, but I also got to talk with some of the summer promotions interns about what they do, see Muddy (team mascot in huge outfit), and stand underground beside the visitor's dugout for an inning. Very cool to see the game from there!
Back to the lake for part of the 28th, then back here to meet up with Chris and Brian for a trip to Lake Erie for the weekend. Chris' parents have a great condo and boat there and it was good, relaxing fun!
Now, it's hot. Very, very hot. Trying to walk a bit in the early evenings and looking forward to some fireworks too!
Looking back, the winner of the bonus points from my "this is Jack's long-awaited update" is my friend Mel! Congratulations, Mel! She knew that the reference was to "Fight Club". A No-Prize to Erik Eid for his guess of "The Shining". Nice try, Erik.
Being in/on/near the water this past week really makes it tough to be on a computer.
Oh well! Yeah, that doesn't give me much of an excuse but it's the best one I could come up with.
Let's see...in the past 2 weeks, here's what's been going on:
June 19th I went to Cedar Point with Stephanie and met up with a bunch of my relatives, after that Steph and I went to the Alive Christian Music Festival in Ohio for the 20th and part of the 21st, then to Pokagon State Park in Indiana for a weekend of camping with some of my old high school friends.
I made it back here for about a day and then went to my parent's house at the lake for the 25th to help with watching my niece and nephew on the 26th, played a bit of volleyball, and then went to a Toledo Mud Hens baseball game on the 27th.
Lucky me, I got to be on the big screen in the stadium! How?
Well...
While walking around the stadium before the game, I entered a drawing to play the "Roll the Dice" game. As luck would have it, the promotions people drew my name, so during the middle of the 2nd inning, they took me out to the 1st base line and I started rolling these big, foam dice. If I got all 5 the same, then I would win cash or a car.
I was lucky, but not _that_ lucky! *smirk* I won a $20 certificate for the merchandise shop so I now have a nifty Mud Hens T-shirt and my nephews have a hackey-sack with the Mud Hens logo on it.
Fun to be out there, but I also got to talk with some of the summer promotions interns about what they do, see Muddy (team mascot in huge outfit), and stand underground beside the visitor's dugout for an inning. Very cool to see the game from there!
Back to the lake for part of the 28th, then back here to meet up with Chris and Brian for a trip to Lake Erie for the weekend. Chris' parents have a great condo and boat there and it was good, relaxing fun!
Now, it's hot. Very, very hot. Trying to walk a bit in the early evenings and looking forward to some fireworks too!
Looking back, the winner of the bonus points from my "this is Jack's long-awaited update" is my friend Mel! Congratulations, Mel! She knew that the reference was to "Fight Club". A No-Prize to Erik Eid for his guess of "The Shining". Nice try, Erik.
Tuesday, June 11, 2002
6 days since my last update.
Not bad, since I was away for most of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
I went with my friends Matt, Mark, Chris, and Eric to canoe on the Pine River, near Manistee, MI.
Good fun and good companions! We stayed at Chris' family cabin that was really close to the river, like just a few miles.
Back in Clawson this week and trying to beat the heat! It's been gorgeous and in the 80s which is a bit of an adjustment to make! I've been going to the gym in the mornings, so that's good to be in the A/C even if I am working out and sweating!
Monday night, my church (Genesis) hosted a dinner at the local BBQ place in Royal Oak. The idea was to bring our friends, hang out, meet people, and also be visible in the community. I think it worked! The Wings game was on at 8pm so people stayed to watch that, too.
Not much on the job front. It's tough -- nothing is really jumping out at me as something I'd enjoy all that much and with unemployment coming in, I can just coast this summer and enjoy myself.
Watched a DVD today -- Full Metal Jacket (review by Roger Ebert, 1987). Stanley Kubrick, yeah!
Not sure what's up for this evening -- both my roommate and I seem to be stuck at the house. I was going to catch some music, but this cool Coffee House called Xhedos Cafe in Ferndale changed their Tuesday nights for the summer, so there's nothing good there tonight.
Not bad, since I was away for most of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
I went with my friends Matt, Mark, Chris, and Eric to canoe on the Pine River, near Manistee, MI.
Good fun and good companions! We stayed at Chris' family cabin that was really close to the river, like just a few miles.
Back in Clawson this week and trying to beat the heat! It's been gorgeous and in the 80s which is a bit of an adjustment to make! I've been going to the gym in the mornings, so that's good to be in the A/C even if I am working out and sweating!
Monday night, my church (Genesis) hosted a dinner at the local BBQ place in Royal Oak. The idea was to bring our friends, hang out, meet people, and also be visible in the community. I think it worked! The Wings game was on at 8pm so people stayed to watch that, too.
Not much on the job front. It's tough -- nothing is really jumping out at me as something I'd enjoy all that much and with unemployment coming in, I can just coast this summer and enjoy myself.
Watched a DVD today -- Full Metal Jacket (review by Roger Ebert, 1987). Stanley Kubrick, yeah!
Not sure what's up for this evening -- both my roommate and I seem to be stuck at the house. I was going to catch some music, but this cool Coffee House called Xhedos Cafe in Ferndale changed their Tuesday nights for the summer, so there's nothing good there tonight.
Wednesday, June 05, 2002
I am Jack's long-awaited update.
My friend Shane just reminded me that I should write in here. It's been nearly a month.
Ah...and all the things that have happened in that time!
The internet connection is back and working fine.
I'm at full strength again after my injury and only twitch funny every once in awhile.
My job has gone *poof*
How's that for a short summary?
So I'm looking into different options for a new job but enjoying some time for relaxation now.
Hmmm...I guess I should get around to sending an email to my extended family with this information since I've been procrastinating on that!
(bonus points for those who identify the movie reference from the first line of this update)
My friend Shane just reminded me that I should write in here. It's been nearly a month.
Ah...and all the things that have happened in that time!
The internet connection is back and working fine.
I'm at full strength again after my injury and only twitch funny every once in awhile.
My job has gone *poof*
How's that for a short summary?
So I'm looking into different options for a new job but enjoying some time for relaxation now.
Hmmm...I guess I should get around to sending an email to my extended family with this information since I've been procrastinating on that!
(bonus points for those who identify the movie reference from the first line of this update)
Thursday, May 09, 2002
Feeling good, going to a Jack Johnson concert tonite.
Internet connection at home is still down but a repair guy will be there Friday morning to swap out the cable modem (hopefully)
Getting back to work on Monday, probably full days. Appointment with my facial surgeon went well today and he continues to say that things are going well. Need to talk with my opthalmologist on Friday to get the ok from him too.
Lots of ideas bouncing around my brain these past few days about future plans. More on that later...
Internet connection at home is still down but a repair guy will be there Friday morning to swap out the cable modem (hopefully)
Getting back to work on Monday, probably full days. Appointment with my facial surgeon went well today and he continues to say that things are going well. Need to talk with my opthalmologist on Friday to get the ok from him too.
Lots of ideas bouncing around my brain these past few days about future plans. More on that later...
Tuesday, April 30, 2002
The bad news:
Our cable modem access through Comcast is still down so I can't check email from home. It's been down for a week now and we have no estimate about when it will be fixed. So that's the reason for the lack of updates to the journal.
The good news:
I'm definitely feeling better after my surgery. That was on Friday, 4/19 so it has been 11 days. My face is still a bit swollen and that makes it so I can't fully close my right eye. As a result, the eye itself dries out and has become irritated. I saw my opthalmologist on Monday and he prescribed an ointment for me to apply at night which is a lubricant and an antibiotic. That, plus drops throughout the day is helping.
But the eye is still bothering me and it is sore and blurry at times. I am not back at work yet and will not be until sometime after Thursday, May 9th. That is the next time I see my cranio-facial surgeon.
So I've been relaxing and not accomplishing much. For the first few days after surgery, I was very tired and slept a lot. I was at home with my parents, so I went to church with them and also got to see my sisters, their husbands, and children. After a few days, I had a bit more energy, so my big celebration was to spend a few hours at a high school track meet where my friend Jake was coaching and Toya, the exchange student my parents are hosting, was participating.
That's all for now.
Saturday, April 20, 2002
I'm back!
Well, since I last wrote I'm a bit heavier from the screws and stitches but a bit lighter since all I ate on Friday was a small bowl of jello! I was supposed to be on soft foods while at the hospital but they brought me frosted mini-wheats, toast, and scrambled eggs for breakfast! Oh well, it tasted good! *smirk*
Yes, hospital food was good. Yet another reason Beaumont hospital is ranked as the best in SE Michigan.
Everyone has been so supportive and I am incredibly thankful for that. I'm feeling pretty good now, but it will still be a few weeks before I'm really feeling right again.
My girlfriend Stephanie was with me before the surgery and then my friends Rob and Kevin were there when I came out and woke up. My mom was there for most of the evening and then I occupied myself after she left by listening to the Red Wings lose their 2nd playoff game! *grrrr*
Mom and Kevin are headed here now to pick me up and take me to their house for a few days of relaxation. I'm looking forward to that.
Friday, April 19, 2002
Well, CCR rocked last night. Pretty much, they did all the songs off "Chronicle" and did 2 encores. The crowd was thin at the beginning, but the place was pretty packed by about 1/3 of the way through their set.
For those of you in the Detroit area and craving donuts, I have a secret for you.
If you go to any of the Krispy Kreme locations (stand-alone, not gas stations) between now and April 21, you can get free donuts. (locations in Warren, Livonia, Roseville, and Dearborn Heights)
Yes, I said free. If you walk in and say "Hot donuts now!" then order a dozen, you get a dozen free!
This is according to 96.3 DVD radio. Krispy Kreme was voted the best donuts in Michigan, so they are celebrating!
Unfortunately, there will be no donuts (or anything else) for me this morning. My surgery is at 11:30am (2 hours from when I write this) so I can't eat, drink, or even chew gum!
I won't be posting here for at least a few days, so let me leave you with some things to occupy your time.
The captions aren't finished but the pictures from my Seattle trip are available to view...
Well, I'm hoping to take a walk around the neighborhood before we leave for the hospital so I'll leave it at that...
Thursday, April 18, 2002
I'm back on the Internet at home after the purchase and installation of a router/hub yesterday.
So that meant that this afternoon I was able to chat with Michael and post some pictures.
You may have noticed that the picture on the right side of the page has changed. That was me, at about 11pm on the day of the injury. Other pictures are available in the "Jason's Accident" gallery.
On Friday, Stephanie is taking me to the hospital at 10:30 and then I go into surgery at 11:30. Please keep me in your prayers and also think of my friend Shelby out in California who on Wednesday had a pacemaker-type device implanted.
Tuesday, April 16, 2002
UPDATE: I'll be at the hospital for "23 hours" starting Friday morning.
Why 23 hours?
*shrug*
Apparently, there is a distinct difference between an "overnight stay" and a "23 hour stay" which happens to include a person being in the hospital overnight.
The difference?
Probably price and I'm hoping that 23 hours is cheaper than overnight...
I get to leave the hospital at around 9am on Saturday morning.
So, more changing as a result of finding that. Basically the doctor wanted one thing (the 23 hour stay) but the administrative staff booked another.
But all is well and I'm heading out to see the sunshine!
Why 23 hours?
*shrug*
Apparently, there is a distinct difference between an "overnight stay" and a "23 hour stay" which happens to include a person being in the hospital overnight.
The difference?
Probably price and I'm hoping that 23 hours is cheaper than overnight...
I get to leave the hospital at around 9am on Saturday morning.
So, more changing as a result of finding that. Basically the doctor wanted one thing (the 23 hour stay) but the administrative staff booked another.
But all is well and I'm heading out to see the sunshine!
Surgery = Friday, April 19th "in the morning".
Unfortunately, I won't know until Thursday what time the surgery will actually take place, what time I need to be there to check in, etc.
My doctor had been talking with me all along about having me stay the night after the surgery but now it appears that we are doing it out-patient. Just 5-6 hours from check-in to check-out time!
As one of my last "I'm still feeling good events", I'm going to a Creedence Clearwater Revisited concert on Thursday night at the Palace. Yes, for those of you keeping score, that name is "Revisited" while the original band was called Creedence Clearwater Revival. Why the difference? Well, of the 5 people in this band only 2 are still around from the original CCR. Doug "Cosmo" Clifford (drums) and Stu Cook (bass) brought in 3 other guys to fill in for John Fogerty and Tom Fogerty. Yes, that's 3 people filling the spots of 2 and they still can't quite do it! *laugh*
More about the original CCR can be found on this page...
I just have to make sure that I don't eat or drink anything after midnight that night!! That's one of the requirements for having the anesthesia for the surgery.
While doing a google search for my cranial facial surgeon (Dr. Jefrey Fishman), I only come up with 2 results. Is that a bad sign? One is saying that he is a faculty member in a plastic surgery program. That's good. The other tells me that he is a bit of a car enthusiast and really likes his '96 Chevy Impala SS. *smirk*
Imagine his surprise when I mention that one to him!
This is good homework though because after my surgery, I'm going to talk with Dr. Fishman about setting up a website for him. It's what I do every day and I've never really gotten very active in doing independent projects so this seems like the perfect time! I'm still looking for the things I am supposed to learn/change from this experience and I think maybe that is one of them!
More later (maybe).
Unfortunately, I won't know until Thursday what time the surgery will actually take place, what time I need to be there to check in, etc.
My doctor had been talking with me all along about having me stay the night after the surgery but now it appears that we are doing it out-patient. Just 5-6 hours from check-in to check-out time!
As one of my last "I'm still feeling good events", I'm going to a Creedence Clearwater Revisited concert on Thursday night at the Palace. Yes, for those of you keeping score, that name is "Revisited" while the original band was called Creedence Clearwater Revival. Why the difference? Well, of the 5 people in this band only 2 are still around from the original CCR. Doug "Cosmo" Clifford (drums) and Stu Cook (bass) brought in 3 other guys to fill in for John Fogerty and Tom Fogerty. Yes, that's 3 people filling the spots of 2 and they still can't quite do it! *laugh*
More about the original CCR can be found on this page...
I just have to make sure that I don't eat or drink anything after midnight that night!! That's one of the requirements for having the anesthesia for the surgery.
While doing a google search for my cranial facial surgeon (Dr. Jefrey Fishman), I only come up with 2 results. Is that a bad sign? One is saying that he is a faculty member in a plastic surgery program. That's good. The other tells me that he is a bit of a car enthusiast and really likes his '96 Chevy Impala SS. *smirk*
Imagine his surprise when I mention that one to him!
This is good homework though because after my surgery, I'm going to talk with Dr. Fishman about setting up a website for him. It's what I do every day and I've never really gotten very active in doing independent projects so this seems like the perfect time! I'm still looking for the things I am supposed to learn/change from this experience and I think maybe that is one of them!
More later (maybe).
Friday, April 12, 2002
Surgery will be either next Wednesday or Friday and then I will stay in the hospital that night. I won't know for sure which day until Monday. Scheduling would probably be better for Friday, but I seem to be healing quite quickly so it is probably better to do it Wednesday if possible.
Still no pain. Soreness, for sure and probably more than I realize but I've just kinda gotten used to it.
And no, even with the screws they will put in place -- I will _not_ set off metal detectors. The screws are titanium which goes through undetected and also will not mess up CAT scans. Yeah for modern medicine!
Still no pain. Soreness, for sure and probably more than I realize but I've just kinda gotten used to it.
And no, even with the screws they will put in place -- I will _not_ set off metal detectors. The screws are titanium which goes through undetected and also will not mess up CAT scans. Yeah for modern medicine!
Saw George Clinton and P-Funk last night! What a party! A local band, the Howling Diablos opened for them and they were what I expected. Local rock band trying to look/feel like a national/international rock band. But they were fun!
I'd link to the website for George Clinton but it annoys me so much that I can't do that in good conscience. It's badly-designed, hasn't been updated since at least November and kinda slow... (yes, I'm a website snob) I'd also link to the website for the Howling Diablos but it's pretty outdated, with lots of broken links and images too. I just sent an email, offering to help out and improve the site.
Clinton and P-Funk sure know how to put on a show and now we all know why the tickets were $30+ -- they had over 20 people on stage at various times! Vocalists, back-up singers, guitarists, horn players, and George up there bellowing and conducting the whole thing. Leading the group but also taking the crowd anywhere he wanted.
20 years since Clinton started up his journey on the Mothership, right here in Detroit...
Unfortunately they didn't go on until almost 10:30 and by about 12:30 everyone I was with was exhausted (myself included). I'm sure that the show went on for at least another hour and finished up around 2am.
Fortunately, I was able to sleep in a bit before coming into the office.
I'd link to the website for George Clinton but it annoys me so much that I can't do that in good conscience. It's badly-designed, hasn't been updated since at least November and kinda slow... (yes, I'm a website snob) I'd also link to the website for the Howling Diablos but it's pretty outdated, with lots of broken links and images too. I just sent an email, offering to help out and improve the site.
Clinton and P-Funk sure know how to put on a show and now we all know why the tickets were $30+ -- they had over 20 people on stage at various times! Vocalists, back-up singers, guitarists, horn players, and George up there bellowing and conducting the whole thing. Leading the group but also taking the crowd anywhere he wanted.
20 years since Clinton started up his journey on the Mothership, right here in Detroit...
Unfortunately they didn't go on until almost 10:30 and by about 12:30 everyone I was with was exhausted (myself included). I'm sure that the show went on for at least another hour and finished up around 2am.
Fortunately, I was able to sleep in a bit before coming into the office.
Wednesday, April 10, 2002
Back in the office.
Trying for 1/2 day today, 1/2 day on Thursday and probably most of the day on Friday.
Surgery is next week, either Wednesday or Friday but probably Friday. That's when my facial surgeon, Dr. Fishman, has reserved time in the ER each week. They'll knock me out (gas, not a blow to the head) and I'll be on a breathing machine of some sort for a couple of hours while they operate. Total of 3 incisions made and a bunch of screws added to hold things together.
The surgeon let me ask lots of questions on Tuesday and explained things really well, but I forgot to ask one important question:
Will the screws set off the metal detectors at airports and elsewhere?
*laugh*
Seems like they would. I guess I'll have to carry a doctor's explanation or something.
Oh well, I'll see the facial surgeon again on Thursday afternoon and I can ask him then.
My boss just stoped by as I was writing this to chat. He (like many others) was surprised to see me. This is a pretty serious injury so I've been surprised that I am currently in no pain even without any medication right now! Initially I was taking lots of Advil but the facial surgeon asked me to stop taking that, in preparation for the surgery. We thought I might need to hit the vicodin but there has been no need yet.
I will be out of commission for about 2 weeks following the surgery so I'm trying to get things accomplished before the surgery.
On Tuesday, an opthalmologist confirmed that there is _no damage_ to my eye. *smile* That was great news! I thought it was fine and the ER staff thought it was fine, but it was good to have a thorough exam to confirm that. Even though it's undamaged, there was some trauma so it is sensitive. I think the drugs were taking the edge off that, so last night and this morning it bothered me a bit.
Irritated from the smoke at the restaurant, probably. Stephanie was in town on Tuesday for her birthday an to cart me around to my appointments. We baked banana bread and, watched the Wallace and Gromit movie "A Grand Day Out". I think she enjoyed it, but I forgot how much better both "The Wrong Trousers" and "A Close Shave" are. Stephanie asked about the tapes sitting on my movie rack and it was easier to show one than to explain...
We also watched "Law and Order", which I have gotten a bit hooked on over the past month.
For dinner, Stephanie wanted barbecue, so we went to Memphis Smoke in Royal Oak and stuck around for some music.
The Tuesday night entertainment is called "The Pazman Super Sessions" and essentially it's a big jam session of people from local bands who don't have gigs on Tuesday night. There were 2 guys from Mudpuppy, 2 of the Brothers Groove performing last night.
This morning I rested and watched "The Fast and the Furious". Decent flick. Good for a solid wake-up at 10 in the morning.
If you're still reading this and thinking that I'm really pushing it being so active, you're right. I know I'm going to be feeling cruddy for awhile after the surgery so right now while I feel ok I am trying to enjoy myself and run errands that need to be accomplished. I _still_ need to do my taxes and hopefully I can get that taken care of this evening.
Long entry, stopping now...
Thanks to everyone for their prayers, comments, phone calls, and emails.
Trying for 1/2 day today, 1/2 day on Thursday and probably most of the day on Friday.
Surgery is next week, either Wednesday or Friday but probably Friday. That's when my facial surgeon, Dr. Fishman, has reserved time in the ER each week. They'll knock me out (gas, not a blow to the head) and I'll be on a breathing machine of some sort for a couple of hours while they operate. Total of 3 incisions made and a bunch of screws added to hold things together.
The surgeon let me ask lots of questions on Tuesday and explained things really well, but I forgot to ask one important question:
Will the screws set off the metal detectors at airports and elsewhere?
*laugh*
Seems like they would. I guess I'll have to carry a doctor's explanation or something.
Oh well, I'll see the facial surgeon again on Thursday afternoon and I can ask him then.
My boss just stoped by as I was writing this to chat. He (like many others) was surprised to see me. This is a pretty serious injury so I've been surprised that I am currently in no pain even without any medication right now! Initially I was taking lots of Advil but the facial surgeon asked me to stop taking that, in preparation for the surgery. We thought I might need to hit the vicodin but there has been no need yet.
I will be out of commission for about 2 weeks following the surgery so I'm trying to get things accomplished before the surgery.
On Tuesday, an opthalmologist confirmed that there is _no damage_ to my eye. *smile* That was great news! I thought it was fine and the ER staff thought it was fine, but it was good to have a thorough exam to confirm that. Even though it's undamaged, there was some trauma so it is sensitive. I think the drugs were taking the edge off that, so last night and this morning it bothered me a bit.
Irritated from the smoke at the restaurant, probably. Stephanie was in town on Tuesday for her birthday an to cart me around to my appointments. We baked banana bread and, watched the Wallace and Gromit movie "A Grand Day Out". I think she enjoyed it, but I forgot how much better both "The Wrong Trousers" and "A Close Shave" are. Stephanie asked about the tapes sitting on my movie rack and it was easier to show one than to explain...
We also watched "Law and Order", which I have gotten a bit hooked on over the past month.
For dinner, Stephanie wanted barbecue, so we went to Memphis Smoke in Royal Oak and stuck around for some music.
The Tuesday night entertainment is called "The Pazman Super Sessions" and essentially it's a big jam session of people from local bands who don't have gigs on Tuesday night. There were 2 guys from Mudpuppy, 2 of the Brothers Groove performing last night.
This morning I rested and watched "The Fast and the Furious". Decent flick. Good for a solid wake-up at 10 in the morning.
If you're still reading this and thinking that I'm really pushing it being so active, you're right. I know I'm going to be feeling cruddy for awhile after the surgery so right now while I feel ok I am trying to enjoy myself and run errands that need to be accomplished. I _still_ need to do my taxes and hopefully I can get that taken care of this evening.
Long entry, stopping now...
Thanks to everyone for their prayers, comments, phone calls, and emails.
Monday, April 08, 2002
Appointment with specialist = delayed
I called in the afternoon and they said that if I'm doing fine (which I am) and if I wanted to go to the office that is only 1 mile away instead of 20 (which I do), that was fine.
So, the appointment is at 11:30 Tuesday morning. Stephanie is going to be here for the day (Happy Birthday to her!) and that will be one of our errands for the day...
For tonight, Rob and Beth invited me over to their house and I accepted. Beth works just a couple of miles west of me and will pick me up on her way home from work. Relaxation time with friends plus being able to pet their beautiful Collie, Chase will be nice.
Looks like my mom is going to come up later in the week but I'll wait to cofirm that until after my appointment tomorrow.
Before I left the ER on Sunday, they gave me my X-rays to take to the facial surgeon. Today, I opened them up, took a look and snapped a few digital photos of them. *grin* My new roommate (among others) will laugh about that one! He'll laugh mostly b/c one of the first things I had him do after I got home on Sun. night and explained the situation was to ask him to take a couple of digital pics of me.
I have to wait before posting them b/c right now I'm on Bart's (roommate) computer. Mine isn't hooked up to the internet yet.
In other news, I got a parking ticket last night. I was parked in front of our house and apparently you cannot do that between 2-6am. *sigh* So, Tuesday I'll pay a personal visit to the city offices, show my face, explain and hope that they wave it. Sure $10 isn't bad and under ordinary circumstance I would pay it, but... Talk about hitting a guy while he's down!
Made some butterscotch pudding and it's cooling in the fridge. I was going to do some green beans with mushroom soup but will wait for that. Decided this will be a good time to start using my Cuisinart/juicer. My buddy John likes doing carrot juice, but I'm not so sure about that one! I can eat and had leftover spaghetti for dinner but soft things are good too! Crackers with jam and a banana was breakfast.
After that exciting discussion of food, I should stop. It seems like I'm at least a little bit loopy from the meds. No need for the vicodin yet. Trying not to resort to that.
I called in the afternoon and they said that if I'm doing fine (which I am) and if I wanted to go to the office that is only 1 mile away instead of 20 (which I do), that was fine.
So, the appointment is at 11:30 Tuesday morning. Stephanie is going to be here for the day (Happy Birthday to her!) and that will be one of our errands for the day...
For tonight, Rob and Beth invited me over to their house and I accepted. Beth works just a couple of miles west of me and will pick me up on her way home from work. Relaxation time with friends plus being able to pet their beautiful Collie, Chase will be nice.
Looks like my mom is going to come up later in the week but I'll wait to cofirm that until after my appointment tomorrow.
Before I left the ER on Sunday, they gave me my X-rays to take to the facial surgeon. Today, I opened them up, took a look and snapped a few digital photos of them. *grin* My new roommate (among others) will laugh about that one! He'll laugh mostly b/c one of the first things I had him do after I got home on Sun. night and explained the situation was to ask him to take a couple of digital pics of me.
I have to wait before posting them b/c right now I'm on Bart's (roommate) computer. Mine isn't hooked up to the internet yet.
In other news, I got a parking ticket last night. I was parked in front of our house and apparently you cannot do that between 2-6am. *sigh* So, Tuesday I'll pay a personal visit to the city offices, show my face, explain and hope that they wave it. Sure $10 isn't bad and under ordinary circumstance I would pay it, but... Talk about hitting a guy while he's down!
Made some butterscotch pudding and it's cooling in the fridge. I was going to do some green beans with mushroom soup but will wait for that. Decided this will be a good time to start using my Cuisinart/juicer. My buddy John likes doing carrot juice, but I'm not so sure about that one! I can eat and had leftover spaghetti for dinner but soft things are good too! Crackers with jam and a banana was breakfast.
After that exciting discussion of food, I should stop. It seems like I'm at least a little bit loopy from the meds. No need for the vicodin yet. Trying not to resort to that.
Major event of the weekend:
Sunday afternoon, during our first softball practice of the year, I "took one for the team". One (a ball) in the eye, that is.
After many hours at the Beaumont Hospital ER in Royal Oak, they determined that the orbital around the eye
(the bony part) that protects your eye was fractured. The x-rays showed 2 fractures, but then the CAT scan
gave more detail and showed that there are actually 6 fractures.
Today, I am taking meds, resting, and getting ready for an appointment with a specialist today at 2:45. Most likely, my recovery is going to include reconstructive surgery of some sort.
Stephanie will probably be here for the day on Tuesday and my mom said she would drive out later in the week if I want her to.
That's all for now. This is just something that happened, so I'm dealing with it. Fine to talk about and all that.
The softball team was with a group from church, so the guys have been very supportive. My friend John is the captain and he stayed with me almost the entire time I was in the ER. Bill was the guy who hit the ball and he felt terrible about what happened. I tried to explain that it's just an accident and that I wasn't mad at him (which I'm not) -- he was with us at the hospital the last couple of hours and then helped get my car back to my new place.
Fortunately, everything is moved into my new place and pretty well situated. Still a few boxes around but not bad.
Sunday afternoon, during our first softball practice of the year, I "took one for the team". One (a ball) in the eye, that is.
After many hours at the Beaumont Hospital ER in Royal Oak, they determined that the orbital around the eye
(the bony part) that protects your eye was fractured. The x-rays showed 2 fractures, but then the CAT scan
gave more detail and showed that there are actually 6 fractures.
Today, I am taking meds, resting, and getting ready for an appointment with a specialist today at 2:45. Most likely, my recovery is going to include reconstructive surgery of some sort.
Stephanie will probably be here for the day on Tuesday and my mom said she would drive out later in the week if I want her to.
That's all for now. This is just something that happened, so I'm dealing with it. Fine to talk about and all that.
The softball team was with a group from church, so the guys have been very supportive. My friend John is the captain and he stayed with me almost the entire time I was in the ER. Bill was the guy who hit the ball and he felt terrible about what happened. I tried to explain that it's just an accident and that I wasn't mad at him (which I'm not) -- he was with us at the hospital the last couple of hours and then helped get my car back to my new place.
Fortunately, everything is moved into my new place and pretty well situated. Still a few boxes around but not bad.
Friday, April 05, 2002
Tuesday, April 02, 2002
Heard/read lots of interesting news bits over the past couple of days, but I'm waiting to post links until decisions are made on what was an April Fool's Joke and what was just weird and happened to hit on April 1st.
Happy belated Easter, everyone!
I was able to spend time with my co-workers (Friday lunch), extended family (Friday night and Sunday), plus good friends (Saturday night).
For those of you who don't know or have forgotten, I grew up near a small town south of Hillsdale, Michigan. Hillsdale is about 30 minutes south of Albion or Jackson.
Anyway, I bring this up because for years every restaurant in the area has been mediocre at best but now there is a great restaurant nearby. It's in Jonesville and is called the Chicago Water Grill (it's on/near Chicago Street). The chef grew up in the area and then went to culinary school in Colorado Springs and came back to open the restaurant. Beautiful place with an interesting menu.
Shark, grouper, pheasant soup, and pirogies (I know I'm spelling that wrong) were the most unusual items and the menu also included ribs, prime rib, and peanut-crusted chicken. The desserts were phenomenal too!
Stephanie and I went to dinner Saturday night with my friends Andy, Carrie, Shane, Amanda, Mark, and Carla. Good conversation and only a few "old times" stories. Looking forward to making more memories as we plan our camping trip for this summer.
That's all for now -- off to watch the Osbournes!
Happy belated Easter, everyone!
I was able to spend time with my co-workers (Friday lunch), extended family (Friday night and Sunday), plus good friends (Saturday night).
For those of you who don't know or have forgotten, I grew up near a small town south of Hillsdale, Michigan. Hillsdale is about 30 minutes south of Albion or Jackson.
Anyway, I bring this up because for years every restaurant in the area has been mediocre at best but now there is a great restaurant nearby. It's in Jonesville and is called the Chicago Water Grill (it's on/near Chicago Street). The chef grew up in the area and then went to culinary school in Colorado Springs and came back to open the restaurant. Beautiful place with an interesting menu.
Shark, grouper, pheasant soup, and pirogies (I know I'm spelling that wrong) were the most unusual items and the menu also included ribs, prime rib, and peanut-crusted chicken. The desserts were phenomenal too!
Stephanie and I went to dinner Saturday night with my friends Andy, Carrie, Shane, Amanda, Mark, and Carla. Good conversation and only a few "old times" stories. Looking forward to making more memories as we plan our camping trip for this summer.
That's all for now -- off to watch the Osbournes!
Thursday, March 28, 2002
Interesting article in the New Yorker called "The Myth of a Paperless Office". It's the discussion of a book by that name, but there's quite a bit of information in this review.
For those of you with messy desks, it gives you justification for it!
(and as many of you know, I love being able to justify things so it's great for me)
Also in the New Yorker is an article with new evidence of Saddam Hussein's genocidal war on the Kurds. Difficult topic, but important to read. It's very long, but a quick skim over the article will show you how powerful it is. I need to go back and finish up later.
On a happier note, it's time for the weekend!
Packing up tonight, going to Genesis, and stopping by to see my new roommate for a bit. Need to look at how we're going to network the computers and talk a bit about colors for my room.
Hopefully going to watch Space 2001 on Friday morning.
Tuesday, March 26, 2002
I'm a designer again.
Well, I've always considered myself more of a "web designer" than a "webmaster" (my actual job title) and over the past few months, my job has been slowly creeping even further into the "web developer" realm. That means dealing with databases, programming code, and lots of trial/error trying to figure out why something won't work and it usually ends up that you forgot a semi-colon or something.
But at least in the short term, I've been given a reprieve from that. Sure, I still need to be learning and fiddling with things on the development side but it looks like redesigning the look of the website, navigation, and some of the department areas is more important.
Money.
That's the bottom line. The college needs to concentrate on "revenue sources" like getting new students to take classes. Lots of 'em. Many new students would be good.
It seems like this is going to be a work-dominated post.
Sitting in my boss' office today, discussing all of this and going back-and-forth with out usual good-natured banter. He's a 30-something former English major, so we can relate to each other.
Anyway, the college closes at noon on Friday b/c of Good Friday and we have been trying to plan a going-away lunch for one of my co-workers. This is my last Friday not to be at the office before my schedule changes to 5 days x 8 hours.
But he asks me "are you available on Friday?".
I ask him, "can you define 'available'?" *smirk*
So he starts explaining that he's trying to plan the going-away lunch for Friday, since we don't work in the afternoon, etc. I begin to ask if we could do it on Thursday and then it hits me.
--He wants to do it on Friday b/c none of us need to go back to the office and that means we can have drinks with lunch!
*laugh*
His word for what I experienced was an "information bomb". Dennis (my boss) just dropped the information and then waited to see how long it would take before it exploded.
Twerp!
Well, I've always considered myself more of a "web designer" than a "webmaster" (my actual job title) and over the past few months, my job has been slowly creeping even further into the "web developer" realm. That means dealing with databases, programming code, and lots of trial/error trying to figure out why something won't work and it usually ends up that you forgot a semi-colon or something.
But at least in the short term, I've been given a reprieve from that. Sure, I still need to be learning and fiddling with things on the development side but it looks like redesigning the look of the website, navigation, and some of the department areas is more important.
Money.
That's the bottom line. The college needs to concentrate on "revenue sources" like getting new students to take classes. Lots of 'em. Many new students would be good.
It seems like this is going to be a work-dominated post.
Sitting in my boss' office today, discussing all of this and going back-and-forth with out usual good-natured banter. He's a 30-something former English major, so we can relate to each other.
Anyway, the college closes at noon on Friday b/c of Good Friday and we have been trying to plan a going-away lunch for one of my co-workers. This is my last Friday not to be at the office before my schedule changes to 5 days x 8 hours.
But he asks me "are you available on Friday?".
I ask him, "can you define 'available'?" *smirk*
So he starts explaining that he's trying to plan the going-away lunch for Friday, since we don't work in the afternoon, etc. I begin to ask if we could do it on Thursday and then it hits me.
--He wants to do it on Friday b/c none of us need to go back to the office and that means we can have drinks with lunch!
*laugh*
His word for what I experienced was an "information bomb". Dennis (my boss) just dropped the information and then waited to see how long it would take before it exploded.
Twerp!
Monday, March 25, 2002
Friday = "In the Bedroom" (movie review to follow later)
Saturday = Amber and Marshall's wedding
Sunday = early wake-up to do work stuff
You know it's a small, informal wedding when you go as a guest and end up as a participant... *laugh*
Yup -- I arrived at the chapel as the date of the Maid of Honor (Stephanie looked fantastic in her dress) and ended up with my own small role in the wedding. *smirk*
First, they asked if I would light the candles at the front of the chapel. No problem, fire is good. Turns out that meant I would be the first person walking into the chapel with guests watching.
The second task they asked me about was unrolling the paper for the bride to walk across on the way down the aisle. Not a problem...squat down, calmly move the roll, everybody's happy.
Finally, they asked me to walk the mother of the bride down the aisle!!! Mind you, I just met the woman that afternoon!
Essentially, my thought at times like these is "well, I'd rather be useful than to just be standing around".
Everything went well. No massive fire from the candles and I didn't trip the mother of the bride as she was walking. The roll of paper wasn't long enough to come all the way down the aisle, but that was the only small complication.
The family also asked me to videotape the ceremony, but fortunately they found someone else b/c it would have been tough to do that while also taking care of the other little things.
After all that?
I got to ride in the limo and drink a beer. (purchased by the groom) *grin*
The reception was fun, with much eating and dancing. Due in part to the fact that I helped out at the wedding, I was asked to join the head table. I didn't know anyone there, except Stephanie, so it was good. The bride was eager to taste the meatballs. The groom was just glad to have the ceremony over and couldn't wait to go gambling. She got her wish right away, but he has to wait until later this week.
Dinner, toasts, speech, laughter, dancing, and lots of chatting followed. Everyone was there for a good time and both families were filled with fun, easy-going people.
There are a few constants at wedding receptions. One is cake, another is the Macarena, a third is the throwing of the garter and bouquet.
(Can anyone see where this story is going?)
As you may have guessed...Stephanie caught the bouquet.
I caught the garter.
We had little choice in the matter. Amber (the bride) dropped a fairly strong hint that she was going to make the toss in Stephanie's direction. I say again, this was the bride, and it's not good to cross a bride on her wedding day.
Marshall (the groom) did his best Babe Ruth imitation when the single men (only 2 of us) walked up. He checked the wind direction, compensated for the gusts, and pointed. It was a screaming line-drive right to me!
Stephanie and I make a great couple, so who can blame Amber and Marshall (plus the D.J.) for having a little fun with us?
Saturday = Amber and Marshall's wedding
Sunday = early wake-up to do work stuff
You know it's a small, informal wedding when you go as a guest and end up as a participant... *laugh*
Yup -- I arrived at the chapel as the date of the Maid of Honor (Stephanie looked fantastic in her dress) and ended up with my own small role in the wedding. *smirk*
First, they asked if I would light the candles at the front of the chapel. No problem, fire is good. Turns out that meant I would be the first person walking into the chapel with guests watching.
The second task they asked me about was unrolling the paper for the bride to walk across on the way down the aisle. Not a problem...squat down, calmly move the roll, everybody's happy.
Finally, they asked me to walk the mother of the bride down the aisle!!! Mind you, I just met the woman that afternoon!
Essentially, my thought at times like these is "well, I'd rather be useful than to just be standing around".
Everything went well. No massive fire from the candles and I didn't trip the mother of the bride as she was walking. The roll of paper wasn't long enough to come all the way down the aisle, but that was the only small complication.
The family also asked me to videotape the ceremony, but fortunately they found someone else b/c it would have been tough to do that while also taking care of the other little things.
After all that?
I got to ride in the limo and drink a beer. (purchased by the groom) *grin*
The reception was fun, with much eating and dancing. Due in part to the fact that I helped out at the wedding, I was asked to join the head table. I didn't know anyone there, except Stephanie, so it was good. The bride was eager to taste the meatballs. The groom was just glad to have the ceremony over and couldn't wait to go gambling. She got her wish right away, but he has to wait until later this week.
Dinner, toasts, speech, laughter, dancing, and lots of chatting followed. Everyone was there for a good time and both families were filled with fun, easy-going people.
There are a few constants at wedding receptions. One is cake, another is the Macarena, a third is the throwing of the garter and bouquet.
(Can anyone see where this story is going?)
As you may have guessed...Stephanie caught the bouquet.
I caught the garter.
We had little choice in the matter. Amber (the bride) dropped a fairly strong hint that she was going to make the toss in Stephanie's direction. I say again, this was the bride, and it's not good to cross a bride on her wedding day.
Marshall (the groom) did his best Babe Ruth imitation when the single men (only 2 of us) walked up. He checked the wind direction, compensated for the gusts, and pointed. It was a screaming line-drive right to me!
Stephanie and I make a great couple, so who can blame Amber and Marshall (plus the D.J.) for having a little fun with us?
Friday, March 22, 2002
Snow. Cold. Sunny. Michigan.
Weekend!
Yes, my weekend has officially begun! All the work for the day is complete, after numerous calls back-and-forth with people at the office and also to my roommate in his office at Ford. Previously, he worked for Quicken Loans doing software testing.
Yet another reminder that I need to do my taxes on Sunday!
The weekend now begins with the exciting tasks of picking up tax forms and going for a haircut! Oh, the life I lead! *laugh* Action...Intrigue...mundane tasks...
But after that, Stephanie is meeting me at my place. *grin*
We're thinking about a movie, so there could be a review and links up early next week. That, or we're going to see a Jimmy Buffet cover band called "Air Margaritaville". Saturday is a wedding with Stephanie in Davidson, so not too far away. She is in the wedding and they are having a limo take them from the chapel to reception hall. I might get to ride with them!! (can you tell I'm excited about that?) I've been in 2 weddings, but didn't get in a limo for either.
I hope everyone has a good weekend -- I plan on it!
Weekend!
Yes, my weekend has officially begun! All the work for the day is complete, after numerous calls back-and-forth with people at the office and also to my roommate in his office at Ford. Previously, he worked for Quicken Loans doing software testing.
Yet another reminder that I need to do my taxes on Sunday!
The weekend now begins with the exciting tasks of picking up tax forms and going for a haircut! Oh, the life I lead! *laugh* Action...Intrigue...mundane tasks...
But after that, Stephanie is meeting me at my place. *grin*
We're thinking about a movie, so there could be a review and links up early next week. That, or we're going to see a Jimmy Buffet cover band called "Air Margaritaville". Saturday is a wedding with Stephanie in Davidson, so not too far away. She is in the wedding and they are having a limo take them from the chapel to reception hall. I might get to ride with them!! (can you tell I'm excited about that?) I've been in 2 weddings, but didn't get in a limo for either.
I hope everyone has a good weekend -- I plan on it!
Thursday, March 21, 2002
Yikes!
Getting ready for the Genesis services tonight and more sign-up sheets for our Outreach events. Today, I sent the link for this journal out to a few more people. I wonder if they (Matt, Mark, Eric, Chris) will stop by to read? (if so, "Hi!")
Friday is my day off, one of my last free Fridays before my schedule changes at the end of the month.
So what am I doing?
Working.
*smirk*
Well, at least a bit in the morning to prepare for some maintenance that we are doing on Sunday. When on Sunday?
6am
Yeah, I know -- life is tough. *smile*
Fortunately, through the wonders of comp-time, I'll kinda make up for working like this.
To home, I go!
Getting ready for the Genesis services tonight and more sign-up sheets for our Outreach events. Today, I sent the link for this journal out to a few more people. I wonder if they (Matt, Mark, Eric, Chris) will stop by to read? (if so, "Hi!")
Friday is my day off, one of my last free Fridays before my schedule changes at the end of the month.
So what am I doing?
Working.
*smirk*
Well, at least a bit in the morning to prepare for some maintenance that we are doing on Sunday. When on Sunday?
6am
Yeah, I know -- life is tough. *smile*
Fortunately, through the wonders of comp-time, I'll kinda make up for working like this.
To home, I go!
Wednesday, March 20, 2002
In my haste yesterday, I didn't say how much I enjoyed the David Copperfield performance at the Fox on Friday. I don't think I've watched him on TV in about 10 years so I had forgotten how funny the guy is! (actually, after talking with people at work, they say that the funny bits are edited out of the TV shows and it's just the illusions)
Copperfield was cool and the Fox Theatre was gorgeous! This was my first time to be there for anything and I'm very impressed. When they did renovations in 1988, they really did a great job. The place looks amazing. I haven't found any good pictures of before and after for the Fox, but here are some nice pictures of downtown Detroit. Yes, I said "nice". *smirk*
An Optimist's View of Detroit...
After the show, Stepanie and I stopped at Comet Burgers in Royal Oak for a tasty banana split. I love that place! (yes, there is supposed to be an "s" on the end of "Burgers")
Saturday, I met Stephanie at her apartment and we went to a wedding in Caro (correcting an error there -- originally I put "Clio" but Stephanie corrected me on Thursday -- oops!), just a few blocks from where she grew up. Not a bad drive from Davidson, where Stephanie lives. A bit over an hour and we were there. It reminded me a bit of going to Hillsdale, but bigger. Lots of farm country in the surrounding areas though.
The wedding featured not 1, not 2, but 3 ministers. One was the groom's father. Can you imagine that? Having your dad conduct part of your wedding? We stopped to see Stephanie's parents and little brother for a few minutes before the wedding and set up a toy robot for her little brother, Brian. He's 7 and just a ball of energy!
We got the robot at Gags & Gifts in the mall on Friday. I own one too, b/c it's so cool! It's a radio-controlled base, with about a 3 foot tall inflatable robot sitting on top of it. The robot has a little area on his back where you can put small things and then a serving try held in its hand.
Kinda like a robot butler.
Okay, a weak robot butler. Brian tested it out and once he put in his GameBoy and some games, that was too much for the motor. It's pretty cool just to drive around. Definitely a good toy for when I'm in my new place.
Stephanie's parents are good people and her dad even got out on the dance floor a bit during the reception. He said that it was because Brian wouldn't go out there by himself, but I think he just wanted to boogie! *laugh* The DJ was ok, but tried a bit too hard. He played some definite dancing music and even threw in a couple of swing tunes. Stephanie is a good sport, so she let me spin her around a bit!
I've been talking with lots of people lately, both on the phone and on email. Last night I heard some great news (!) from my friend Andy while making plans with him for Easter weekend and I have been exchanging emails with my Aunt Alonna, plus my old friends Matt and Mark as we make plans for a canoe/camping trip for this summer.
Also trying to coordinate a date with Andy, Carrie, Shane, Amanda, Jake, Kendi, Mark, Carla, and Trent for our yearly camping weekend over the summer. Okay, by coordinate I mean that I talked with Andy about it, got an email from Jake saying he's thinking about a good date, and thought about calling Shane.
More calls tonight, definitely.
Heading for home now.
Yes, I realize I still haven't finished the Seattle story, or posted pictures. Yeesh, what do you people expect from me??? *smirk*
Copperfield was cool and the Fox Theatre was gorgeous! This was my first time to be there for anything and I'm very impressed. When they did renovations in 1988, they really did a great job. The place looks amazing. I haven't found any good pictures of before and after for the Fox, but here are some nice pictures of downtown Detroit. Yes, I said "nice". *smirk*
An Optimist's View of Detroit...
After the show, Stepanie and I stopped at Comet Burgers in Royal Oak for a tasty banana split. I love that place! (yes, there is supposed to be an "s" on the end of "Burgers")
Saturday, I met Stephanie at her apartment and we went to a wedding in Caro (correcting an error there -- originally I put "Clio" but Stephanie corrected me on Thursday -- oops!), just a few blocks from where she grew up. Not a bad drive from Davidson, where Stephanie lives. A bit over an hour and we were there. It reminded me a bit of going to Hillsdale, but bigger. Lots of farm country in the surrounding areas though.
The wedding featured not 1, not 2, but 3 ministers. One was the groom's father. Can you imagine that? Having your dad conduct part of your wedding? We stopped to see Stephanie's parents and little brother for a few minutes before the wedding and set up a toy robot for her little brother, Brian. He's 7 and just a ball of energy!
We got the robot at Gags & Gifts in the mall on Friday. I own one too, b/c it's so cool! It's a radio-controlled base, with about a 3 foot tall inflatable robot sitting on top of it. The robot has a little area on his back where you can put small things and then a serving try held in its hand.
Kinda like a robot butler.
Okay, a weak robot butler. Brian tested it out and once he put in his GameBoy and some games, that was too much for the motor. It's pretty cool just to drive around. Definitely a good toy for when I'm in my new place.
Stephanie's parents are good people and her dad even got out on the dance floor a bit during the reception. He said that it was because Brian wouldn't go out there by himself, but I think he just wanted to boogie! *laugh* The DJ was ok, but tried a bit too hard. He played some definite dancing music and even threw in a couple of swing tunes. Stephanie is a good sport, so she let me spin her around a bit!
I've been talking with lots of people lately, both on the phone and on email. Last night I heard some great news (!) from my friend Andy while making plans with him for Easter weekend and I have been exchanging emails with my Aunt Alonna, plus my old friends Matt and Mark as we make plans for a canoe/camping trip for this summer.
Also trying to coordinate a date with Andy, Carrie, Shane, Amanda, Jake, Kendi, Mark, Carla, and Trent for our yearly camping weekend over the summer. Okay, by coordinate I mean that I talked with Andy about it, got an email from Jake saying he's thinking about a good date, and thought about calling Shane.
More calls tonight, definitely.
Heading for home now.
Yes, I realize I still haven't finished the Seattle story, or posted pictures. Yeesh, what do you people expect from me??? *smirk*
Tuesday, March 19, 2002
Tuesday?
No posts since Friday?
And the Seattle pictures aren't available yet?
Not finished with the Seattle description, either?
Answer to all 4 questions: Yes.
Life happened.
While I report on what happens here and talk about random things, this weekend was taken up with making the stories that I will tell here.
Friday, Stephanie and I drove down to the Fox Theatre in Downtown Detroit to see David Copperfield do his stuff (illusions/magic).
No posts since Friday?
And the Seattle pictures aren't available yet?
Not finished with the Seattle description, either?
Answer to all 4 questions: Yes.
Life happened.
While I report on what happens here and talk about random things, this weekend was taken up with making the stories that I will tell here.
Friday, Stephanie and I drove down to the Fox Theatre in Downtown Detroit to see David Copperfield do his stuff (illusions/magic).
Friday, March 15, 2002
Well, I slept through the entire day on Thursday so that's why there was no update here.
Nah -- I'm making that up! *laugh* I just didn't get around to posting.
Updates:
--New Handspring PDA works great!
--Seattle picture captions in progress
--Going to see David Copperfield do his magic tonight at the Fox
--Bought tickets for George Clinton and P-Funk this morning
--Heading to a wedding on Saturday, plus meeting some of Stephanie's family
Nah -- I'm making that up! *laugh* I just didn't get around to posting.
Updates:
--New Handspring PDA works great!
--Seattle picture captions in progress
--Going to see David Copperfield do his magic tonight at the Fox
--Bought tickets for George Clinton and P-Funk this morning
--Heading to a wedding on Saturday, plus meeting some of Stephanie's family
Wednesday, March 13, 2002
Tuesday, March 12, 2002
Not enough time right now for the Seattle Day 2 description, so I'll just post something short for now.
Movie Reviews from the weekend!!!!
I saw 3 movies while in Seattle. Yes, there were many better things to be doing but relaxation was necessary.
Movie Titles:
Evolution
The Eruption of Mount St. Hellens
Shanghai Noon
For my rankings, I am introducing a radical new scale. It's called the "Z" scale and here's how it works:
The scale runs from zero Z's up to 100 Z's and a higher number signifies a better movie.
Numbers before the Z represent the percentage of people who will stay awake if the movie is viewed at midnight, presuming the people have been awake for an average of 16 hours.
Evolution -- 34Z's
Eruption of Mount St. Hellens -- 50Z's
Shanghai Noon -- 60Z's
How did I develop this scale and these scores? Testing in real-life situations. *smirk*
While watching Evolution, only 1 person out of 3 stayed awake past the 1st hour. Yes, it really was that bad.
Eruption of Mount St. Hellens was at an IMAX theater during the middle of the day and still only 1 of us (me) stayed awake.
The highest score here goes to Shanghai Noon with Jackie Chan. Not one of his better movies, but pretty ok. Well, at least the part I was awake for. I'm fudging the numbers a bit here, as well. All 3 people watching fell asleep for different parts of the movie, but 2 of us were awake for the ending and it was definitely better than Evolution.
Movie Reviews from the weekend!!!!
I saw 3 movies while in Seattle. Yes, there were many better things to be doing but relaxation was necessary.
Movie Titles:
Evolution
The Eruption of Mount St. Hellens
Shanghai Noon
For my rankings, I am introducing a radical new scale. It's called the "Z" scale and here's how it works:
The scale runs from zero Z's up to 100 Z's and a higher number signifies a better movie.
Numbers before the Z represent the percentage of people who will stay awake if the movie is viewed at midnight, presuming the people have been awake for an average of 16 hours.
Evolution -- 34Z's
Eruption of Mount St. Hellens -- 50Z's
Shanghai Noon -- 60Z's
How did I develop this scale and these scores? Testing in real-life situations. *smirk*
While watching Evolution, only 1 person out of 3 stayed awake past the 1st hour. Yes, it really was that bad.
Eruption of Mount St. Hellens was at an IMAX theater during the middle of the day and still only 1 of us (me) stayed awake.
The highest score here goes to Shanghai Noon with Jackie Chan. Not one of his better movies, but pretty ok. Well, at least the part I was awake for. I'm fudging the numbers a bit here, as well. All 3 people watching fell asleep for different parts of the movie, but 2 of us were awake for the ending and it was definitely better than Evolution.
Monday, March 11, 2002
Returned from Seattle today after a great trip! If I am able to stay awake long enough, I will post pictures tonight. If not, then later. (how's that for a profound statement? *smirk*)
The trip was great, but too short!
I think I'll do a one-day-at-a-time description so that I don't end up with a 5-page long post...
Thursday, March 7 -- Tom and I left work around noon, headed for the airport to catch a 1:40pm flight. Bags are packed, we're ready to go... Park the car, shuttle to the terminal, and walk up to security.
Security Person: "I'm sorry, the dates on your companion travel certificate have passed"
ME: "But due to the tragedy in September, United extended the dates through the end of March"
Security Person: "Well, unless you have paperwork showing that, I can't let you through. Go talk with the staff at the United check-in desk."
ME: *shrug* "OK." *walk to line for the service rep*
*wait in line for 20 minutes*
So, I described the above situation and the helpful service representative knods a lot, then goes to make a photocopy of a document from United corporate detailing what I explained. With that, we're headed back to see the not-so-friendly security officer. She lets us past, but this only gets us to the metal detectors and carry-on baggage screening.
My bags go through fine, I do not. (something I was wearing set off the metal detector as I walked through*
Security Person #2: "Sir, can you step over here."
ME: "Sure -- it was probably the zippers on my pants that set off the metal detector". (I had pants with zippers at the knees to take off the lower part of the leg)
Security Person #2: "Just stand on this mark, sir."
--He then scans me with a hand-held metal detector and my pants go off again, my belt buckle sets it off, and so do my shoes.
Security Person #2: "Please take off your shoes, sir."
--Apparently the soles of my shoe have something metalic in them, so they put them through the conveyor belt for the big metal detector.
Convinced that I'm not a threat, security allows me past. We head to the gate and get ready to ask if there is any space available, but the answer is given before we even get to the front of the line -- flight is full (and they're even offering vouchers to have people not fly).
ME: "What about the next flight?"
Gate Representative: "It doesn't look good."
ME: "Maybe the one after that?"
Gate Representative: "Pretty full, too."
Tom and I discuss our options -- wait for flights that we most likely won't make it on or head for home and try Friday. Then, in a moment of brilliance (?), it hits me -- we can drive to Chicago!
After some brief explaining to Tom, we're off. Wearing sunglasses and with half a packet of cigarettes, we head down I-94 West. (Well, we did start driving but the sunglasses and cigarettes part is a joke -- just a reference to the movie Blues Brothers, for anyone paying attention.)
I drive...and drive...and drive. We left Metro Airport at 2:30pm, which got us into Chicago around 5:30pm local time. Yup -- rush hour! *laugh* I didn't quite take that into consideration while thinking about our travel itinerary, but we battled through.
Park car, shuttle to terminal, stop to talk with Service Representative (currently 7:00pm):
ME: "I'm trying to use these vouchers and in Detroit the security staff didn't know about the date being extended so it was a problem. Can you help me?"
Service Representative: *smiling* Well, this is Chicago -- not Detroit. Our staff knows all about them. *smirk* (clearly, his opinion of the Detroit staff was not high)
ME: "Great, we're hoping to catch the next flight."
Service Representative: "OK, let me check on the 9:40."
ME: "No, I mean the flight leaving in 20 minutes"
Service Representative: *smiling* "You better go now!"
And he was right -- no problem with the passes at security but I did repeat the performance of setting off the metal detector, having my shoes scanned, etc.
Got to the gate, presented companion vouchers, and got on the flight. Easy.
Arrived in Seattle with the slight complication that the plane was struck by lightning. Yes, you read that correctly. On our descent, the plane was struck by a bolt of lightning but apparently there was no damage. However, it was a spectacular sight!
Into the terminal, shuttle to Thrifty rental car, pick up car, drive to home of Tom's relatives, wake them up. (It's now 11pm Pacific time -- 12 hours after we first got to Metro Airport)
Sleep.
To be continued...
The trip was great, but too short!
I think I'll do a one-day-at-a-time description so that I don't end up with a 5-page long post...
Thursday, March 7 -- Tom and I left work around noon, headed for the airport to catch a 1:40pm flight. Bags are packed, we're ready to go... Park the car, shuttle to the terminal, and walk up to security.
Security Person: "I'm sorry, the dates on your companion travel certificate have passed"
ME: "But due to the tragedy in September, United extended the dates through the end of March"
Security Person: "Well, unless you have paperwork showing that, I can't let you through. Go talk with the staff at the United check-in desk."
ME: *shrug* "OK." *walk to line for the service rep*
*wait in line for 20 minutes*
So, I described the above situation and the helpful service representative knods a lot, then goes to make a photocopy of a document from United corporate detailing what I explained. With that, we're headed back to see the not-so-friendly security officer. She lets us past, but this only gets us to the metal detectors and carry-on baggage screening.
My bags go through fine, I do not. (something I was wearing set off the metal detector as I walked through*
Security Person #2: "Sir, can you step over here."
ME: "Sure -- it was probably the zippers on my pants that set off the metal detector". (I had pants with zippers at the knees to take off the lower part of the leg)
Security Person #2: "Just stand on this mark, sir."
--He then scans me with a hand-held metal detector and my pants go off again, my belt buckle sets it off, and so do my shoes.
Security Person #2: "Please take off your shoes, sir."
--Apparently the soles of my shoe have something metalic in them, so they put them through the conveyor belt for the big metal detector.
Convinced that I'm not a threat, security allows me past. We head to the gate and get ready to ask if there is any space available, but the answer is given before we even get to the front of the line -- flight is full (and they're even offering vouchers to have people not fly).
ME: "What about the next flight?"
Gate Representative: "It doesn't look good."
ME: "Maybe the one after that?"
Gate Representative: "Pretty full, too."
Tom and I discuss our options -- wait for flights that we most likely won't make it on or head for home and try Friday. Then, in a moment of brilliance (?), it hits me -- we can drive to Chicago!
After some brief explaining to Tom, we're off. Wearing sunglasses and with half a packet of cigarettes, we head down I-94 West. (Well, we did start driving but the sunglasses and cigarettes part is a joke -- just a reference to the movie Blues Brothers, for anyone paying attention.)
I drive...and drive...and drive. We left Metro Airport at 2:30pm, which got us into Chicago around 5:30pm local time. Yup -- rush hour! *laugh* I didn't quite take that into consideration while thinking about our travel itinerary, but we battled through.
Park car, shuttle to terminal, stop to talk with Service Representative (currently 7:00pm):
ME: "I'm trying to use these vouchers and in Detroit the security staff didn't know about the date being extended so it was a problem. Can you help me?"
Service Representative: *smiling* Well, this is Chicago -- not Detroit. Our staff knows all about them. *smirk* (clearly, his opinion of the Detroit staff was not high)
ME: "Great, we're hoping to catch the next flight."
Service Representative: "OK, let me check on the 9:40."
ME: "No, I mean the flight leaving in 20 minutes"
Service Representative: *smiling* "You better go now!"
And he was right -- no problem with the passes at security but I did repeat the performance of setting off the metal detector, having my shoes scanned, etc.
Got to the gate, presented companion vouchers, and got on the flight. Easy.
Arrived in Seattle with the slight complication that the plane was struck by lightning. Yes, you read that correctly. On our descent, the plane was struck by a bolt of lightning but apparently there was no damage. However, it was a spectacular sight!
Into the terminal, shuttle to Thrifty rental car, pick up car, drive to home of Tom's relatives, wake them up. (It's now 11pm Pacific time -- 12 hours after we first got to Metro Airport)
Sleep.
To be continued...
Thursday, March 07, 2002
Accomplishments from yesterday:
1) Graphic mock-ups for the new Walsh website complete and ready for a 10am meeting today
2) Dropped off sign-up sheets for this weekend's service projects to my friend John from Genesis
3) Found a new place to live!!!! *smile* In mid-April, I'll be moving about a mile northwest of where I am now.
My buddy Bart from church just bought a house and I'm going to use 1 bedroom. "Nifty" place, complete with pool table in the basement!
4) Decided that when I move, we will not have a phone line but just our cellphones and cable modem for the computer.
5) Packed for my trip to Seattle!
Today?
Talking with people at the office to make sure things go well in the few days while I'm gone and the 10am meeting about changes to the website. Then -- to the airport!
Suggested reading for all of you, since I won't be updating again until Monday:
http://www.wilwheaton.net
Star Trek fans (and others) may recognize that name as the actor who played Wesley Crusher in ST:TNG but he's also really fun and a technology geek! He writes about his family, his job, and plenty of normal things but then every once in awhile comes a fun story from the past or something happening with an audition. He's also in the upcoming Trek movie, so there's the possibility of information on that too.
1) Graphic mock-ups for the new Walsh website complete and ready for a 10am meeting today
2) Dropped off sign-up sheets for this weekend's service projects to my friend John from Genesis
3) Found a new place to live!!!! *smile* In mid-April, I'll be moving about a mile northwest of where I am now.
My buddy Bart from church just bought a house and I'm going to use 1 bedroom. "Nifty" place, complete with pool table in the basement!
4) Decided that when I move, we will not have a phone line but just our cellphones and cable modem for the computer.
5) Packed for my trip to Seattle!
Today?
Talking with people at the office to make sure things go well in the few days while I'm gone and the 10am meeting about changes to the website. Then -- to the airport!
Suggested reading for all of you, since I won't be updating again until Monday:
http://www.wilwheaton.net
Star Trek fans (and others) may recognize that name as the actor who played Wesley Crusher in ST:TNG but he's also really fun and a technology geek! He writes about his family, his job, and plenty of normal things but then every once in awhile comes a fun story from the past or something happening with an audition. He's also in the upcoming Trek movie, so there's the possibility of information on that too.
Wednesday, March 06, 2002
Must leave work...but cannot...
"Issues" -- by any other name, they are still problems and that's what we've had a few of today.
Not really involving web design or development, which is what my job is and I like it to be, but related elements (email system)
*sigh*
Up until yesterday, I didn't really feel like I needed a vacation but now I sure do! Things have been going great in every area of my life (Praise God) so I have to keep that in mind even though the past couple of days have been frustrating at work.
So...the vacation. My friend Tom and I are "leavin' on a jet plane" for Seattle.
Email problem solved -- happy day!
"Issues" -- by any other name, they are still problems and that's what we've had a few of today.
Not really involving web design or development, which is what my job is and I like it to be, but related elements (email system)
*sigh*
Up until yesterday, I didn't really feel like I needed a vacation but now I sure do! Things have been going great in every area of my life (Praise God) so I have to keep that in mind even though the past couple of days have been frustrating at work.
So...the vacation. My friend Tom and I are "leavin' on a jet plane" for Seattle.
Email problem solved -- happy day!
Tuesday, March 05, 2002
Responding to Reader Comments:
1) Yes, I (and hopefully Stephanie) will be heading to Camden (where I grew up) for a day/weekend sometime within the next 6 weeks.
2) My friend Shane wrote a brief comment and then let me know he was headed to Mexico. Considering how blasted cold it is in Michigan, I have a few choice words to give him when he returns. *smirk*
3) In my recent discussion of movies, I did not give Metropolis its due (thanks to Erik for reminding me about this topic) so let me say a few words here...
Metropolis is in limited release, mainly playing in art theaters but will be available on DVD in April. Note, this is the anime version of the story not the silent film from the 1920s of the same name. On a random note, Metropolis (80-year old version) was the first DVD I thought about buying. Maybe I should do that now...still pictures in a magazine were an "inspiration" for the anime version so it might be interesting to compare the two. Someone has probably already done that though.
*pause for 5 minutes of searching*
--Roger Ebert discusses a few similarities in his review of the Metropolis anime...
--For further discussion, see the text from NPR's Morning Edition.
--there are also some interesting pictures and descriptions of the original Metropolis on the "Metropolis Walkthrough" site.
I can't say it as well as Ebert or other reviewers, since my journalism skills have slipped a bit, but Metropolis is gripping. The visuals pull you into the scenes and I often found myself behind on reading the subtitles while enjoying the visual imagery. The stereotype of anime is often that it is violent or graphic (in a negative way). That may be true in some cases, but I found Metropolis to be the exception. Certainly there were violent scenes, but none of it was gratuitous. Plot, characters, and stunning city-scapes drive the film.
1) Yes, I (and hopefully Stephanie) will be heading to Camden (where I grew up) for a day/weekend sometime within the next 6 weeks.
2) My friend Shane wrote a brief comment and then let me know he was headed to Mexico. Considering how blasted cold it is in Michigan, I have a few choice words to give him when he returns. *smirk*
3) In my recent discussion of movies, I did not give Metropolis its due (thanks to Erik for reminding me about this topic) so let me say a few words here...
Metropolis is in limited release, mainly playing in art theaters but will be available on DVD in April. Note, this is the anime version of the story not the silent film from the 1920s of the same name. On a random note, Metropolis (80-year old version) was the first DVD I thought about buying. Maybe I should do that now...still pictures in a magazine were an "inspiration" for the anime version so it might be interesting to compare the two. Someone has probably already done that though.
*pause for 5 minutes of searching*
--Roger Ebert discusses a few similarities in his review of the Metropolis anime...
--For further discussion, see the text from NPR's Morning Edition.
--there are also some interesting pictures and descriptions of the original Metropolis on the "Metropolis Walkthrough" site.
I can't say it as well as Ebert or other reviewers, since my journalism skills have slipped a bit, but Metropolis is gripping. The visuals pull you into the scenes and I often found myself behind on reading the subtitles while enjoying the visual imagery. The stereotype of anime is often that it is violent or graphic (in a negative way). That may be true in some cases, but I found Metropolis to be the exception. Certainly there were violent scenes, but none of it was gratuitous. Plot, characters, and stunning city-scapes drive the film.
Monday, March 04, 2002
"The three grand essentials of happiness are:
something to do, something to love, and something to hope for."
- by Thomas Chalmers
Who is Thomas Chalmers, and why did I just include this quote?
Well, from what I could find out with some quick searching, Chalmers was associated with the Free Church of Scotland and was a very intelligent man. He studied at the University of St Andrews (Scotland) and finished his studies in 1798 while just 18 years old.
There is much more written about him and that's a poor summary, but follow the links here for more information.
"The power of his oratory, the earnestness and deep feeling that it conveyed, its dramatic quality are beyond our capacity to reconstruct." -- from www.freechurch.org
Oh...and the answer to "why is Jason writing about this?" Well, Stephanie sent me the quote about the essentials to happiness and then I was curious about who the wise author was.
something to do, something to love, and something to hope for."
- by Thomas Chalmers
Who is Thomas Chalmers, and why did I just include this quote?
Well, from what I could find out with some quick searching, Chalmers was associated with the Free Church of Scotland and was a very intelligent man. He studied at the University of St Andrews (Scotland) and finished his studies in 1798 while just 18 years old.
There is much more written about him and that's a poor summary, but follow the links here for more information.
"The power of his oratory, the earnestness and deep feeling that it conveyed, its dramatic quality are beyond our capacity to reconstruct." -- from www.freechurch.org
Oh...and the answer to "why is Jason writing about this?" Well, Stephanie sent me the quote about the essentials to happiness and then I was curious about who the wise author was.
A little more about "The Royal Tenenbaums":
The actor who plays Pagoda, the family's doorman/butler and friend of the matriarch is named Kumar Pallana, from India. My initial theory after leaving the movie involved his being a well-known Indian actor, just doing a bit part in this movie.
Well, I was a little bit off on that...
According to the Internet Movie Database, "[Pallana is the] former proprietor of the Cosmic Cup coffee shop on Oak Lawn Avenue in Dallas where director Wes Anderson used to hang out."
*laugh* Okay, I wasn't even close with my theory!
He was also in 2 previous films directed by Anderson, "Rushmore" and "Bottle Rocket". All 3 of these movies were also co-written by Owen Wilson who plays "Eli" in Tenenbaums and feature Owen's brother Luke.
Finishing up the family connections, Pallana's son (Dipak) plays a small part in all the Anderson/Wilson films, as well. In Tenenbaums, he is the Indian doctor.
For even more trivia (including some of what I put together here), see: TRT Trivia
The actor who plays Pagoda, the family's doorman/butler and friend of the matriarch is named Kumar Pallana, from India. My initial theory after leaving the movie involved his being a well-known Indian actor, just doing a bit part in this movie.
Well, I was a little bit off on that...
According to the Internet Movie Database, "[Pallana is the] former proprietor of the Cosmic Cup coffee shop on Oak Lawn Avenue in Dallas where director Wes Anderson used to hang out."
*laugh* Okay, I wasn't even close with my theory!
He was also in 2 previous films directed by Anderson, "Rushmore" and "Bottle Rocket". All 3 of these movies were also co-written by Owen Wilson who plays "Eli" in Tenenbaums and feature Owen's brother Luke.
Finishing up the family connections, Pallana's son (Dipak) plays a small part in all the Anderson/Wilson films, as well. In Tenenbaums, he is the Indian doctor.
For even more trivia (including some of what I put together here), see: TRT Trivia
Watched "The Royal Tenenbaums" with Stephanie on Saturday. [Ebert Review] What an unusual film! I think the best way I have been able to describe it is "uncomfortably funny". There were moments when I wanted to laugh, but wasn't really sure if I should...
Gene Hackman, Anjelica Houston, Bill Murray, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Danny Glover, and a host of others form the cast. Not necessary to see this one on the big screen, but definitely catch it on video.
I _might_ have a new place to live! My roommate George is getting married soon, so I need to be out of where I'm living either at the end of March or by mid-April. So, I talked with a buddy at church about moving in with him at the house he just bought. Well, I'm going to check the place out either Tuesday or Wednesday night and hopefully will have a new address to start distributing soon! It also means a change of phone number and it's possible that my cellphone may become my only phone. More on that later.
So far today, it's been my usual morning of email and other things I'm behind on after the weekend. For lunch, my boss and I went out for our monthly "one-on-one" meeting. We tried for Thai, but the place was too busy so we went to the Japanese place a few doors down. I do love the Metro Detroit area sometimes!
No sushi for me! (or for my boss) Oddly enough, we wanted to order the same thing -- shrimp and vegetables lightly breaded and fried. Dennis (my boss) ordered first and I briefly thought about changing my order, but it sounded good (and it was) so I stuck with it.
Sitting at my desk this afternoon, with no meetings in sight! A bit of time for playing with possible new designs for the Walsh site and some planning for the week.
After that, it up to GameWorks for silly video games with Stephanie!
Gene Hackman, Anjelica Houston, Bill Murray, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Danny Glover, and a host of others form the cast. Not necessary to see this one on the big screen, but definitely catch it on video.
I _might_ have a new place to live! My roommate George is getting married soon, so I need to be out of where I'm living either at the end of March or by mid-April. So, I talked with a buddy at church about moving in with him at the house he just bought. Well, I'm going to check the place out either Tuesday or Wednesday night and hopefully will have a new address to start distributing soon! It also means a change of phone number and it's possible that my cellphone may become my only phone. More on that later.
So far today, it's been my usual morning of email and other things I'm behind on after the weekend. For lunch, my boss and I went out for our monthly "one-on-one" meeting. We tried for Thai, but the place was too busy so we went to the Japanese place a few doors down. I do love the Metro Detroit area sometimes!
No sushi for me! (or for my boss) Oddly enough, we wanted to order the same thing -- shrimp and vegetables lightly breaded and fried. Dennis (my boss) ordered first and I briefly thought about changing my order, but it sounded good (and it was) so I stuck with it.
Sitting at my desk this afternoon, with no meetings in sight! A bit of time for playing with possible new designs for the Walsh site and some planning for the week.
After that, it up to GameWorks for silly video games with Stephanie!
Saturday, March 02, 2002
Busy weekend, but good.
I missed a day on writing here -- how terrible! Activities for Friday included watching the Gladiator DVD, then Stephanie came over in the afternoon and we did a bit of shopping. She was successful at Bath & Body Works, but I didn't really find anything anywhere. I feel old shopping at some mall clothing stores!! *laugh*
For the evening, Rob and Beth met Stephanie and I at Sangria in Royal Oak. Mike was there with his co-workers, so he was table-hopping. Fantastic Spanish food at Sangria! After dinner, we went upstairs to Sky Club but we didn't feel like shouting to talk, so we ended up going to Fifth Avenue. Our first thought was shooting pool, but it was busy so we settled for darts. Fun, fun, fun!
To finish the evening, we marched on over to Caribou Coffee for hot beverages and sweets. Yum!
"Casablanca" is a great film! I was happy to watch it with Stephanie and share it with her, since it was her first time watching it.
Lazy day so far on this Saturday. Hey, it's 45 degrees outside! Maybe I should actually step outside. Yeah, soon enough! I'm heading for Flint to see Stephanie this evening...
I missed a day on writing here -- how terrible! Activities for Friday included watching the Gladiator DVD, then Stephanie came over in the afternoon and we did a bit of shopping. She was successful at Bath & Body Works, but I didn't really find anything anywhere. I feel old shopping at some mall clothing stores!! *laugh*
For the evening, Rob and Beth met Stephanie and I at Sangria in Royal Oak. Mike was there with his co-workers, so he was table-hopping. Fantastic Spanish food at Sangria! After dinner, we went upstairs to Sky Club but we didn't feel like shouting to talk, so we ended up going to Fifth Avenue. Our first thought was shooting pool, but it was busy so we settled for darts. Fun, fun, fun!
To finish the evening, we marched on over to Caribou Coffee for hot beverages and sweets. Yum!
"Casablanca" is a great film! I was happy to watch it with Stephanie and share it with her, since it was her first time watching it.
Lazy day so far on this Saturday. Hey, it's 45 degrees outside! Maybe I should actually step outside. Yeah, soon enough! I'm heading for Flint to see Stephanie this evening...
Wednesday, February 27, 2002
Off to pick up my PDA, a Handspring Visor Edge!
Had a quick trip to the airport this afternoon. More on that tomorrow.
Getting ready for a trip to Seattle, provided a couple of things fall into place. *crosses fingers* Vacation request needs to be granted...
Going to the film Metropolis tonight with Erik and David.
Had a quick trip to the airport this afternoon. More on that tomorrow.
Getting ready for a trip to Seattle, provided a couple of things fall into place. *crosses fingers* Vacation request needs to be granted...
Going to the film Metropolis tonight with Erik and David.
Tuesday, February 26, 2002
They're going to let me out of my cage tomorrow!!!
(translation: I will be leaving my cubicle Wed. afternoon so that I can drive a consultant to the airport)
Long day again today with said consultant. Meetings from 8am-5pm, but we have hit on many important topics regarding the Walsh website and ways to make improvements to it and also to the processes and committees behind it all.
Brain = fried
Pretty pictures = good
Visit http://www.danheller.com for some gorgeous pictures from around the country and places across the pond.
(translation: I will be leaving my cubicle Wed. afternoon so that I can drive a consultant to the airport)
Long day again today with said consultant. Meetings from 8am-5pm, but we have hit on many important topics regarding the Walsh website and ways to make improvements to it and also to the processes and committees behind it all.
Brain = fried
Pretty pictures = good
Visit http://www.danheller.com for some gorgeous pictures from around the country and places across the pond.
Monday, February 25, 2002
People are writing comments! *smile*
So far, they have come in from my uncle, mother, and sister. That's a good showing from the family portion of my readers but what about the friends?? Let's hear from you!
At the moment, I'm drained. This feeling comes from just a few hours in meetings at work with a consultant. Tomorrow, I will be in meetings with him most of the day. The outcome will be good, but the process will be tiring.
Just a few minutes ago, I had my biggest moment of laughter for the day. Story in a later entry, once I'm re-energized.
Fear not, all is not doom and gloom! I'm off to check the parking lot and make sure I'm not snowed in yet.
So far, they have come in from my uncle, mother, and sister. That's a good showing from the family portion of my readers but what about the friends?? Let's hear from you!
At the moment, I'm drained. This feeling comes from just a few hours in meetings at work with a consultant. Tomorrow, I will be in meetings with him most of the day. The outcome will be good, but the process will be tiring.
Just a few minutes ago, I had my biggest moment of laughter for the day. Story in a later entry, once I'm re-energized.
Fear not, all is not doom and gloom! I'm off to check the parking lot and make sure I'm not snowed in yet.
Sunday, February 24, 2002
More bowling last night! I managed to improve my score by over 30 pins from last week. My high game was a 169!! You can see the whole album from that link, if anyone cares.
While posting those pics, I also got around to putting up the pictures from Jas Ruiter's "birthday" celebration.
Channel 7 has a neat download you can get which shows you the current temperature wherever you live. They also let you sign up for email updates of the weather forecast. The connection with this and Jas' party is that Louise told me about how to access this, but I just did it today.
Why is the weather important today? Well, it's 50 degrees right now, headed for a high of 55! Now I just need to stop being lazy and go outside to enjoy how beautiful it is!!!
Or I could just sit inside, with the sun streaming in and read. That's a good option, too!
While posting those pics, I also got around to putting up the pictures from Jas Ruiter's "birthday" celebration.
Channel 7 has a neat download you can get which shows you the current temperature wherever you live. They also let you sign up for email updates of the weather forecast. The connection with this and Jas' party is that Louise told me about how to access this, but I just did it today.
Why is the weather important today? Well, it's 50 degrees right now, headed for a high of 55! Now I just need to stop being lazy and go outside to enjoy how beautiful it is!!!
Or I could just sit inside, with the sun streaming in and read. That's a good option, too!
Saturday, February 23, 2002
I am now a "boyfriend". *grin* Conversely, that means I have a girlfriend...and her name is Stephanie. This probably surprises some of you, while for others it helps explain why I've been so happy over the past few weeks!
Stephanie might be reading this, so I won't elaborate too much, lest she become embarassed. Suffice it to say, she is an amazing person and I think we will grow together.
In other news...I got my first message in the "Comments" area here. My uncle Ladell wrote one and hopefully that breaks the ice for others. (hint, hint)
As a PDA update, I think I know which one I want but it seems that Rob wants to talk me out of it and get a different one. He knows the choices and capabilities better than I do given his work at Franklin-Covey, so I value his opinions on this subject.
Had a breakfast meeting with John from church this morning. Yummy little place near my house called the Breakfast Corner. Good food and nice conversation.
Bowling again this evening, but with people from work this time. 2 weeks in a row that I'll be out bowling!! Relaxation before that time -- maybe reading some of Oliver and catching up with Buffy and Enterprise on tape.
Listening to the soundtrack from Vanilla Sky as I write this. Great music! Dowload the mp3 files or buy yours today!
Stephanie might be reading this, so I won't elaborate too much, lest she become embarassed. Suffice it to say, she is an amazing person and I think we will grow together.
In other news...I got my first message in the "Comments" area here. My uncle Ladell wrote one and hopefully that breaks the ice for others. (hint, hint)
As a PDA update, I think I know which one I want but it seems that Rob wants to talk me out of it and get a different one. He knows the choices and capabilities better than I do given his work at Franklin-Covey, so I value his opinions on this subject.
Had a breakfast meeting with John from church this morning. Yummy little place near my house called the Breakfast Corner. Good food and nice conversation.
Bowling again this evening, but with people from work this time. 2 weeks in a row that I'll be out bowling!! Relaxation before that time -- maybe reading some of Oliver and catching up with Buffy and Enterprise on tape.
Listening to the soundtrack from Vanilla Sky as I write this. Great music! Dowload the mp3 files or buy yours today!
Thursday, February 21, 2002
Rolling into the weekend now. Fun planned for Friday night and then more bowling (a big group from the office) on Saturday night!! I do have to wake up by 8:30 am for a conference call, but I get to do that from home in my pj's. *laugh*
Still shopping for a PDA. Thought I knew what I wanted and then looked at some other options, so now I'm not sure! Isn't that the story of my life, though?
Still shopping for a PDA. Thought I knew what I wanted and then looked at some other options, so now I'm not sure! Isn't that the story of my life, though?
Can it be true that none of my friends have websites?
Mike has some pictures up, so go check 'em out!
There are others with pictures and I will add links in subsequent days, but does anyone have a series of pages or a journal?
Mike has some pictures up, so go check 'em out!
There are others with pictures and I will add links in subsequent days, but does anyone have a series of pages or a journal?
Yesterday, 2 people mentioned things which they read in this journal. (you know who you are) The reference via email was specific and included a request for the story behind some terminology in Cribbage. Still working on finding the answer to that one.
In the meantime, check out cribbage.org from the "American Cribbage Congress". A south-east Michigan group is forming now!!
The other reference came during a phone call. I said something and the response was "oh yeah, you wrote about that" (or something similar).
It's odd. I sent out the address for this journal so that I could share it with people, yet it still feels mostly like I'm writing to/for myself. Every so often, it's nice to have a reminder that people are reading! *smile*
Note: this post was written during lunchtime.
In the meantime, check out cribbage.org from the "American Cribbage Congress". A south-east Michigan group is forming now!!
The other reference came during a phone call. I said something and the response was "oh yeah, you wrote about that" (or something similar).
It's odd. I sent out the address for this journal so that I could share it with people, yet it still feels mostly like I'm writing to/for myself. Every so often, it's nice to have a reminder that people are reading! *smile*
Note: this post was written during lunchtime.
Wednesday, February 20, 2002
Microsoft Outlook and Adobe PDF have been the bane of my existence these past few days.
What does "bane of my existence" mean, anyway?
Well, according to MerriamWebster, "bane" is "a source of harm or ruin".
So, "bane of my existence" is "a source of harm or ruin of my existence".
Yeah, that about covers what Outlook and PDF files have been doing to me today!
What does "bane of my existence" mean, anyway?
Well, according to MerriamWebster, "bane" is "a source of harm or ruin".
So, "bane of my existence" is "a source of harm or ruin of my existence".
Yeah, that about covers what Outlook and PDF files have been doing to me today!
Tuesday, February 19, 2002
Trying to relax now. Perhaps music from Jack Johnson will help?
Listened to Mode earlier, but it was a bit too lively -- given my current mood.
In other news...the comments have been pouring in about this new journal. Okay, one person wrote and said they skimmed it. Thanks Mary! Anyone else lurking out there?
Listened to Mode earlier, but it was a bit too lively -- given my current mood.
In other news...the comments have been pouring in about this new journal. Okay, one person wrote and said they skimmed it. Thanks Mary! Anyone else lurking out there?
Monday, February 18, 2002
Fiddling with the look of this page a bit (okay, a lot). Trouble is, blogger is being flaky and Interland still hasn't fixed the server for gautscheconstruction.com yet. It was up most of the afternoon, but now it seems to be down again. So, if things don't look quite right...it's not my fault!!!
Time to call it a day and head for home!
Time to call it a day and head for home!
Attempt #3 to write this post. Each time before this, I have gotten distracted and then my connection timed out...so I lost what I was writing.
Speed is the key!
So the quest for today is to find a PDA. Back in the day (just a few years ago), I bought an Apple Newton Message Pad 2000 on eBay. Great unit! Fantastic handwriting recognition, good battery life, and nice user interface. Unfortunately, it was a bit large and I didn't feel like carrying it around in a case. So I turned a quick profit by selling it!
Now I'm looking at the offerings from Palm. Fortunately, I my friend Rob works at FranklinCovey and is helping me with information. So many choices! Right now I'm thinking about a refurbished m500 or m505.
Speed is the key!
So the quest for today is to find a PDA. Back in the day (just a few years ago), I bought an Apple Newton Message Pad 2000 on eBay. Great unit! Fantastic handwriting recognition, good battery life, and nice user interface. Unfortunately, it was a bit large and I didn't feel like carrying it around in a case. So I turned a quick profit by selling it!
Now I'm looking at the offerings from Palm. Fortunately, I my friend Rob works at FranklinCovey and is helping me with information. So many choices! Right now I'm thinking about a refurbished m500 or m505.
It's Monday.
On Sunday, I decided that I was ready to send out the link for this journal so that people could start reading it. I like talking to myself, but there is a limit! *laugh*
So...I made a quick check of the site and -- nothing. The gautscheconstruction.com domain was unreachable. Called the provider (Interland) this morning and apparently there was a hardware failure with the server. No estimate on when it will be fixed. I guess these things happen. Up to this point, in almost 2 years of using Interland, this is the first serious problem I have encountered. It will be interesting to see how quickly they fix the problem.
In the meantime, I am going to keep writing so that when I am finally able to share the site, there are lots of things to read at the beginning.
On Sunday, I decided that I was ready to send out the link for this journal so that people could start reading it. I like talking to myself, but there is a limit! *laugh*
So...I made a quick check of the site and -- nothing. The gautscheconstruction.com domain was unreachable. Called the provider (Interland) this morning and apparently there was a hardware failure with the server. No estimate on when it will be fixed. I guess these things happen. Up to this point, in almost 2 years of using Interland, this is the first serious problem I have encountered. It will be interesting to see how quickly they fix the problem.
In the meantime, I am going to keep writing so that when I am finally able to share the site, there are lots of things to read at the beginning.
Sunday, February 17, 2002
2 questions which stuck in my mind from yesterday:
Q1) What are lingonberries?
A1) "Lingonberries are small, red, edible berries that grow on a perennial, woody, evergreen shrub with a low growth habit. They are related to both blueberries and cranberries. Lingonberries are native to Scandinavia, Alaska, and northeastern Canada.
They are similar to cranberries but not quite as tart and they make great jam, jelly, juice, sauce, wine and liquer." Quoted from -- http://agsyst.wsu.edu/lingonberriesbroc.pdf (warning: large PDF file)
More information on lingonberries is available at: http://www.weeksberry.com/LING.HTML
Q2) Why is 3 strikes in a row while bowling called a "turkey"?
A2) From www.bowlingfans.com: "Over 100 years ago a turkey was given away as a prize for 3 strikes in a row since it was a rare feat."
Q1) What are lingonberries?
A1) "Lingonberries are small, red, edible berries that grow on a perennial, woody, evergreen shrub with a low growth habit. They are related to both blueberries and cranberries. Lingonberries are native to Scandinavia, Alaska, and northeastern Canada.
They are similar to cranberries but not quite as tart and they make great jam, jelly, juice, sauce, wine and liquer." Quoted from -- http://agsyst.wsu.edu/lingonberriesbroc.pdf (warning: large PDF file)
More information on lingonberries is available at: http://www.weeksberry.com/LING.HTML
Q2) Why is 3 strikes in a row while bowling called a "turkey"?
A2) From www.bowlingfans.com: "Over 100 years ago a turkey was given away as a prize for 3 strikes in a row since it was a rare feat."
Friday, February 15, 2002
So as you can see, the title of this journal is "Jtravels" at least for now. That's my nickname "J" plus something I try to do fairly often and greatly enjoy...
Not much traveling lately, at least since a big trip to California in Nov. of 2001 to Shelby's wedding but I am traveling in other ways.
How does a person travel without leaving a specific physical location? By exploring parts of their life in new ways -- this journal will discuss that type of traveling.
My big exploration for Thursday was stepping into a leadership role at Genesis, the church I attend in Royal Oak. I will be helping out as the administrative head of our monthly Outreach efforts in the community for a pilot program from March - June.
In the year I have been attending Genesis, I have become involved very slowly -- due partly to my schedule at the beginning and also a desire to just enjoy my time and learn for awhile before becoming active.
As I said, I will be the administrative person, while a wonderful and enthusiastic woman named Mary Ellen will be my partner, the "Visionary" for the project. We will both coordinate 3-4 service projects each month, with additional leaders for each event. The idea is to not have anyone overly burdened.
Projects include working with children on Saturday mornings in downtown Detroit, cooking meals for people at a shelter in Royal Oak, doing repairs for the home of a single mother in Detroit, and possibly spending time with a blind woman.
God's hand moved me into this role. Of that, I am certain.
So...that means I'll be staying around the area for awhile. (more on that later)
That's it for now, off to dinner with Chris and Brian, then to play some pool.
Not much traveling lately, at least since a big trip to California in Nov. of 2001 to Shelby's wedding but I am traveling in other ways.
How does a person travel without leaving a specific physical location? By exploring parts of their life in new ways -- this journal will discuss that type of traveling.
My big exploration for Thursday was stepping into a leadership role at Genesis, the church I attend in Royal Oak. I will be helping out as the administrative head of our monthly Outreach efforts in the community for a pilot program from March - June.
In the year I have been attending Genesis, I have become involved very slowly -- due partly to my schedule at the beginning and also a desire to just enjoy my time and learn for awhile before becoming active.
As I said, I will be the administrative person, while a wonderful and enthusiastic woman named Mary Ellen will be my partner, the "Visionary" for the project. We will both coordinate 3-4 service projects each month, with additional leaders for each event. The idea is to not have anyone overly burdened.
Projects include working with children on Saturday mornings in downtown Detroit, cooking meals for people at a shelter in Royal Oak, doing repairs for the home of a single mother in Detroit, and possibly spending time with a blind woman.
God's hand moved me into this role. Of that, I am certain.
So...that means I'll be staying around the area for awhile. (more on that later)
That's it for now, off to dinner with Chris and Brian, then to play some pool.
Thursday, February 14, 2002
Blast! I can't figure out how to make text as a link at the moment. *sigh*
So here's the ugly version of the address for the piece I wrote about Cascarelli's:
http://www.walshcol.edu/~jallgire/writing/cascarellis.html
So here's the ugly version of the address for the piece I wrote about Cascarelli's:
http://www.walshcol.edu/~jallgire/writing/cascarellis.html
I'm really not sure what I'll be using this space for, or who I will ask to read it...
Can you tell I'm a bit undecided at the moment? *laugh*
The day at work is winding down. Next is church -- always a good thing to look forward to on Thursday evenings.
Right now, I am reading Oliver Twist and greatly enjoying it. For some reason, I have never read it. Bad English major! Especially true since I took a class devoted entirely to Dickens and even wrote a description of Cascarelli's a restaurant in Albion) in Dickensian style.
Can you tell I'm a bit undecided at the moment? *laugh*
The day at work is winding down. Next is church -- always a good thing to look forward to on Thursday evenings.
Right now, I am reading Oliver Twist and greatly enjoying it. For some reason, I have never read it. Bad English major! Especially true since I took a class devoted entirely to Dickens and even wrote a description of Cascarelli's a restaurant in Albion) in Dickensian style.
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