SJWGator

Half a year makes us whole . . .

2008-02-29T15:46:00.004-05:00

My wife and I made it. 6 months. It's not as bad as everyone says it is. It's challenging, but so is everything in life. She is our world, our life, our everything. Our daughter has grown so much, and surprising us in new ways every day. Last night she gave us a gift for her 6-month birthday . . . 8 hours of sleep. First time she's EVER done that. Hopefully, it's a sign of more sleep to come. We shall see.

She has been such a wonderful daughter. We watch her coo, fake cough (yes fake cough), stick out her tongue while trying to speak, and scream high-pitched at random. We laugh at it all. It makes us realize how lucky we are . . . and how we worry about life too much. She'll be crawling soon . . . then talking . . . then walking . . . then growing up so fast it'll blink by in an instant. But I look forward to interacting with her more. Talking to her. Teaching her what I know. And just plain enjoying being with her.

A new beginning . . .

2007-09-04T09:50:00.000-04:00

One phone call was all it took for me to rush home and get Angela to the hospital. We didn't think "today was the day", but the doctor told us otherwise. Nerves kicked in with both excitement and anticipation. I never thought it would be a 22 hour labor, but our daughter's birth led into the next day. She was a surprise (we did not know the gender), and I couldn't be happier. For all those non-parents out there, I can't even begin to describe the feeling you get holding your own child, a person you helped create. It is an amazing feeling, and I am utterly overjoyed. Life literally changes overnight. No question about it. When my daughter, Addison Marie, arrived last Tuesday at 11:40 AM (she's a week old today!) my life, my wife's life, and Addison's life completely changed. And my wife and I are completely happy and welcome that change with open arms. She has become the most important person in our lives. As many sleepless nights and stay-at-home weekends we will have, nothing will compare to the happiness I am feeling for my daughter. She is amazing and I am happy to be her father.

Time to say goodbye . . .

2007-07-30T15:28:00.000-04:00

15 years ago, I was in my parents' backyard (I guess it was my backyard too) mowing the lawn, earning my allowance. Underneath my Dad's work hut, popped out a little black kitten. She looked a bit hungry and I fed her a little milk, which she lapped right up. I had no choice but to keep her, and hesitantly named her Axl. That changed to Cat after I realized "he was a she". And so Cat lived with me most of the time (she stayed with my parents while college -- allergic roommate -- but got her back when I kicked the roommate out) climbing up screens, laying on my chest when I came home from school, begging me to feed her every time I got home, and just providing some great companionship along the way. She has given me some great years and I am happy to pass her along to the next owner. I would love to keep her, but I have a baby coming and do not want to risk the cat interacting with the baby. This was one of the toughest and hardest decisions of my life. She has been a wonderful pet and my wife and I really hated to give her up. However, we were happy to find a wonderful animal love her to take her, even though the cat is much older than most. I am both happy and sad to leave my cat behind -- happy that she has found a wonderful person to take her, but sad to let go my own very first pet. She will be greatly missed and for the next month, I will be looking for her begging for food, jumping up on the bed to sleep with me, and just following me around the house to see what I'm doing. I know she will be happy in her new home, and I hope that her new owner finds as much companionship in her as did I. Goodbye Cat.

Already a football fan . . .

2007-07-19T13:14:00.000-04:00

Well, how about that? My little one is already a football fan . . . he/she knows how to do the Wave. No joke. Just watch my wife's belly and you'll see for sure. One minute her belly is a nice, round pregnant-like shape, and the next thing you know you see a hand/foot/elbow/knee poke through and move fluidly from one side my wife to another. He/she is pretty packed in there. I can't wait to meet my child. Wondering what he/she will look like. I'll find out in no time. Only 6 more weeks to go (give or take a week or two)!

Rumblings from the belly . . .

2007-05-18T10:08:00.000-04:00

No, it's not hunger. It's not a stomach ache. It's a fully grown baby in there. My wife is now close to the six-month mark, and her stomach is doing flip-turns and soccer kicks every time she eats ice cream (the baby is his/her father's son/daughter). The baby started moving right around 21 weeks, and he/she hasn't stopped. It's unbelievably surreal, yet there is a living human being moving around inside my wife right now. Our entertainment for the evening is watching her belly pop, shake, and roll. Yes roll. One of the baby's extremities pokes out and rolls right across the stomach. It's quite exciting to see the baby move right before our very eyes. This makes it real (not that it hasn't been real). This makes it a baby. This makes it a life. The baby hasn't made me nervous yet even though I do worry a bit about Angela. It's just my nature. She's my wife and I want to take good care of her. The rumblings make it exciting. The rumblings make it all real. The rumblings make it our new baby.

Hello, I'm no longer a PC . . .

2007-05-17T16:46:00.000-04:00

. . . user. This is it . . . I made up my mind and I'm ready. No more regedits, no more BSOD (yes, they happen in XP), and no more driver downloads. In the next few weeks, I will move from PC User to Mac Geek. I will be the proud owner of a brand new iMac, and no longer a slave to the Windows PC world. Not that I can't handle Windows, but I just refuse to move to Vista. It's no longer an option. I cannot face another ME debacle. And I think my security skills are fine as they are, thank you very much. I don't need Windows telling me what I can and cannot view. I look forward to being an Apple geek -- I already own a couple of iPods. Now I'm ready to move on to the big dog!

Baby On Board . . .

2007-02-21T21:29:00.000-05:00

Everyone probably remembers this best from the GREAT novelty items you could stick on your car's window to let everyone know that you have a kid. Well, I remember it best from a great "Simpsons" episode where Homer started a Barbershop Quartet to make a little extra money. A nice Beatle-esque twist to it as well.

Anyway, in less than 6 months, I am going to be a Dad! I am so excited and look forward to the adventures in front of me. It's going to be quite the wild ride, but I think my wife and I can handle it. So far, we're doing pretty well with the pregnancy. Today, we just got finished with her 13-week appointment, and got to see what you're seeing here. The kid did what I like to call the "Wadsworth Roll" while we were viewing the screen. It's as if he/she knew we were there and rolled over to take a look at us. He/she even wiggled the arm. It was an amazing site. One that you never know until you actually experience it. There is a living person moving, growing, and rolling around in my wife right now. Unbelievable.

It begins . . . TODAY

2006-12-04T14:54:00.000-05:00

It's time . . . no more junk food. No more sweet snacks in the office kitchen. No more beer (well, we're getting kinda carried away here . . . maybe a little beer). I'm tired of being in the overweight category. I'm ready to be healthier. It's time. And I'm not making a New Year's Resolution . . . I'm doing it NOW. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Not January 1st. RIGHT NOW.

Sore legs, but not sore pride

2006-10-25T13:20:00.000-04:00

After all the early Saturday mornings to "beat the heat" and "get this long run overwith", my wife finally achieved a feat she will never, ever do again . . . run a marathon. And I finally got what's been plaguing me since I've met my wife . . . run the Chicago Marathon. Injuries, lack of funds, and just all around laziness have prevented me from running the Chicago Marathon, and finally I got to experience the thrill of running my 3rd marathon. Angela encountered her first marathon here, and was both nervous and excited before the run. She did quite well for her first time, 5 hours 28 minutes. And I accomplished my goal to beat my 2003 Marine Corps Marathon time, coming in at 4 hours 34 minutes. Nothing could please me more than to see Angela running a marathon for the first time. We are both quite sore, but not in spirit. I still think Angela will go for another one (even though it's probably years and years away) because I really think she enjoyed the overall experience. You don't have to ask me twice, but don't ask me too soon. I'm ready for my next marathon, but as to when . . . not anytime soon.

Marathon warmup

2006-10-16T14:01:00.000-04:00

This coming weekend, I will run my 3rd marathon, The Chicago Marathon. I have been running ever since I realized I was 70 lbs overweight and my younger brother, Chris, encouraged me to try some running for exercise. Boy, was it a shock to my body, but how different I feel about it now. It's been 7 years since I started running, and I have to say it is one of the best things that's happened to me. I'm not sure I'll continue marathoning after this run, but I will definitely keep the running trend going. I'll keep doing runs like the Army 10-Miler (picture to the left) and the Cherry Blossom, but I think the 26.2 miles along with 4.5 months of training is taking a toll on my 30-year-old body. The Army 10-Miler was just a quick warmup to the "nice little jog in downtown Chicago" I have this Sunday. And you always go into your marathon with a goal. The Paris Marathon, my goal was to finish. The Marine Corps Marathon, my goal was to run for a fallen Marine. The Chicago Marathon, my goal is to beat my MCM time of 5 hours, 12 minutes (and a side goal to run the entire thing . . . yes, you do walk in your first marathons, guaranteed). And I'll leave you with my running motto: "Healthy. Happy. Running."

Adventures in William-sitting . . .

2006-10-02T15:05:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend, my wife and I volunteered to watch my nephew. By no means do Angela and I have kids, but we (or at least Angela) got to be parents for a weekend. My beautiful, wonderful wife was kind enough to let me run my full 20 miles in preparation for the Chicago Marathon. Whew! Watching William or running 20 miles??? That was a tough decision! Of course, I would have preferred to watch William. I had the privilege of joining my wife after a long day of William-sitting (long after he went to bed too), and found her slumped on the couch, ready to throw in the towel. I spent the night and actually got to spend the day with William. I love the little guy, but I got to see first-hand what it's going to be like to be a parent. I am thrilled, but at the same time quite nervous about being a father. Granted, it will be quite some time before we have kids, and I am sure I will be ready. William was a handful, but he was also a joy to be around. The innocence of children amazes me. How observant they are. How curious about EVERYTHING they can be. And yet how dependent they are. But don't ask me if I changed his diaper. I left that up to Angela.

What the Tebow?

2006-09-23T22:43:00.000-04:00

OK, I get it. Chris Leak is the starting quarterback for Florida. That's awesome. He's doing an excellent job as a Gator. Here's what I don't get. Urban Myer puts Tebow in for 3 plays which takes them from the Florida 45 down to the Kentucky red zone. Then he puts in Chris Leak only to have him throw an interception in the end zone on 3rd and goal!!!! Tell me why, if your momentum is flowing with the QB at hand, why the heck wouldn't you keep him in to score? And don't get me started with the commentators. The fans starting booing after the Gators got the ball back and Urban put in Chris Leak. Of course, the commentators don't understand why. Why do you think? No Tim Tebow, who ran over the entire Kentucky defense without a scratch on his helmet. Let's go back to the days of Spurrier where two QBs were the starters and we won a National Championship. Go Gators!!!!!

It's All Just a Fantasy

2006-09-19T16:23:00.000-04:00

As the ever wise, all knowing, dumbfounded Homer always says, "D'oh!". D'oh is right. What drives Fantasy Football into our lives? Is it the life we always wanted to lead but never could? Is it the everlasting struggle and thrill of the bet with your friends and/or enemies and/or family? No, my friends. It's the excuse to drink beer all Sunday while "D'ohing" your way through the players you thought were "sleepers" (really, they're sleeping on the sideline) or you knew "this is their year to shine". Well, we were all wrong weren't we???? Some are proving thier worth, while others are slacking in the Fantasy Points (give me some yardage Carnell!!!!!). All I'm trying to do is win a bet, and what happens? My luck runs out and I'm "D'ohing" all the way to the poor house.

The 30 year dilemma

2006-09-14T16:21:00.000-04:00

Today is my wife's 30th birthday. This weekend is my wife's birthday present: camping and whitewater rafting out at the Gauley River (GULP!). Excited and nervous, I cringe at names such as "Lost Paddle" and "Sweets Falls" (Falls being the key word there), but electrify at the adrenaline rush that is whitewater rafting. We are camping and rafting through Ace Adventure, which we did 4 years ago (we did the Lower Gauley -- this time it's the Upper Gauley). Anyone who hasn't gone down the Gauley and loves to whitewater, this is an added "To Do" on your list of life's adventures. The water's cold, the early morning start is rough, but the river and energy are the reward. Bring on the adventure, I may look 30 years old, but I'm still 18 inside.

My Tools

2005-12-21T12:14:00.000-05:00

Well, I love to download and try new tools from the web. I'm starting to discover a whole new realm of nice, geeky tools to use that I always wanted, but thought I could never have.

Take del.icio.us . . . it's a way to keep my bookmarks all online. So, if I'm ever fired or my computer blows up in my face, I still have all my bookmarks safe on del.icio.us. In addition, you can look through the "popular" section of del.icio.us and find other people's useful bookmarks, like . . .

GCalendar . . . of course, I love Google's tools and why not use Google's Calendar? Still in beta, but a very useful, online AJAX calendar, GCalendar lets you easily add calendar events.

Gmail . . . see my previous post.

CoolRunning.com . . . yes, I'm a runner, and if you're looking for a GREAT tool to keep an online running log, this is the place to go. It's got everything you would want in a running log, including what the weather was like when you ran, what shoes you wore, and comments on the run. It also automatically calculates your pace after entering your distance and time. Plus, you can save and add shoes, frequent runs, and types of runs (race, training run, etc).

Snapfish.com . . . of course, most of you know about the online photo albums, and this is my favorite. I really like the interface and the ease of use. Photography is a great hobby of mine and I really enjoy how easy it is to upload and view my photos online. However, if you're a desktop user . . .

Picasa . . . another one of Google's many, many excellent tools, this picture editor automatically indexes every picture, which makes it easy to find any picture on your hard drive. Also, it's very easy to print, upload, and save pictures. Editing a picture won't change the original either. It will save it as another picture, in case you mess up. And finally, if you like to keep your photos online and want to be able to download them for free . . .

Bubbleshare . . . nice easy-to-use AJAX application for uploading, storing, editing, and downloading photos. Plus, you can share albums with your friends, family, etc. online.

Gaim . . . the easiest way to bring all your instant messaging accounts into one tool. Or even to use one instant messaging account (which is basically what I do).

Gmail: Fan-damn-tastic

2005-10-19T14:48:00.000-04:00

When I first searched using Google, I never turned back. Becoming my one and only search engine has proved to help me find anything from pictures of Florida beating FSU to how the hell do you add more swap space to Linux. Yep, Google has helped me in many pinches. Now, I have to say Google has really turned a corner . . . Gmail. I know what you're saying . . . "everyone already knows about Gmail" or "it's been around for a long time". And I whole-heartedly agree. However, why is it still in Beta? When are they going to release a "Production" version? I absolutely love Gmail, and I hope it stays for quite some time. In fact, I am waiting for some features to be added (like a Google Calendar), and maybe that's what Google is waiting for. Gmail is by far the best thing that has happened to e-mail, and I can't wait to see all the improvements Google will make to it over time. Fan-damn-tastic!!!!!

2005-09-12T20:41:00.000-04:00

Angela, my beautiful wife

Marriage

2005-09-12T20:09:00.000-04:00

My wife . . . Angela. I'm extremely happy to say that. Marriage is a huge step in life, but I'm loving every minute of it. I knew that I was going to be nervous, but I also knew I was making the right decision.

I met the love of my life in an instant . . . that's always the way it seems to happen. And I'm glad I met her. She has taught me so much, especially how to love with your entire heart unconditionally. No matter what's going on in your life.

And as you should know, marriage is all about compromise. Always meet halfway, or sacrifice one thing for another.

2005-02-10T16:55:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of me with a NYC cheesecake.

Welcome . . . .

2005-02-10T16:42:00.000-05:00

Without sounding too cheesy or warm, I welcome you to my blog site. Really, this is a first for me. I've seen them before, but I've never really tried blogging. My intention here is still in progress, but I hope to create a meaningful insight into daily life. I used to keep a journal at my bedside and sink my thoughts right into that book. I hope this to be a continuation of those ramblings. Enjoy.