Notes From The House Of Ernst

5 Tips for Managing Your Company’s Brand on the Web

2010-07-14T21:04:00.000-07:00

5 Tips for Managing Your Company’s Brand on the Web

I think the most important thing about a corp. facebook site is focusing on keeping your target market entertained. You can't just post specials and think everyone will be happy to see your site - spend time on posts that incorporate interests that you and your fans would share. At SSU, we are going to be using much more video posting and linking to articles and websites that will keep our fans engaged and every now and again put in some specials as a reward.

Update

2008-10-13T14:59:00.000-07:00

It has been quite a while since I last updated the old Blog but free time is not what it used to be. Between getting done all the usual stuff, starting new projects and the new stream of family that wants to see the baby, it is all we can do to have some time just to sit down and take stock.

Caleb is growing like a weed. He has grown out of a number of clothes and is into the next batch. It is quite something how much clothing the little guy has. I guess it's a good thing since he tends to expel on bodily fluid or another on them every day. As far as milestones go, he can hold his head up pretty well and does the push up thing that babies are supposed to do. I am waiting for something exciting but as of yet nothing overly cool. I guess the next step is to sit upright unassisted. Amazing how exciting these events are considering how routine they are.

Meghan and I are doing fine. Trying to figure out what to do with the house - should we redo the kitchen, back yard, bathrooms, nothing - and were the money will come from to do it. We much enjoyed the little rain storm we had the other day which makes us more anxious to move to some place that actually has real seasons. Nothing soon. No way we can sell the house now and probably not for a few years ergo the questions about what to do to the place.

I am wishing that we could get together with friends a bit more often. It seams that we only see friends about every six months for a few hours which is really no way to live. I haven't even talked to Nate since the baby was born which is pretty sad. Friends are a very important part of life and I wish that we made more of a point to see them.

Below are a few recent photos.

Photos from the past few days

2008-09-09T18:45:00.000-07:00

Sorry that I have not been writing much as of late. As it turns out, kids take a lot of work and time. Anyway, all is well here. Caleb is 12lbs. 2oz. as of last Wednesday so everything is going well. Meghan has returned to work on an adjusted schedule and I am enjoying my 3 day work week though it has been a bit hectic with the beginning of the semester. The homestead still is a challenge though I did find time to put in some speakers in the living room and Meghan repainted the family room and we changed the guest room to an office and redid the garage.

Other than that I give a thumbs up to the new release of Lagunitas Imperial Red Ale beer which is now available. It is wonderful.

Hope all is well with everyone who cares to read this blog.

Recent Photos - 6 Weeks Old

2008-08-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

Caleb's first trip to the beach

2008-07-28T18:10:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we went to the beach for Caleb's first beach trip. It ended up being a bit of a debacle as we were unable to locate an adequate sun shelter for the fair skinned lad (Caleb). We actually spent about 2 hours looking for a damn shelter at Wal Mart, Target, Sports Authority, Toys R Us and REI. Finally we found some shade type contraption at REI but it did not really do the job. It was designed to affix to a beach chair and the REI lady said all we needed to do was get "crafty" to make it work. She picked out four tent stakes and two tie downs and sent us on our way. I am not sure what she had in mind but if it was what I made, she had a very bad idea. It ended up being about 1 foot away from Caleb's face and continued to blow away in the wind. After 2 hours of searching and 1 hour of driving, we ended up at the beach for about 45 minutes before the boy got fussy and I got tired of adjusting the damn shade. Anyway, we will look for a new shade online. See photo of mother and child and sweet shade system below.

Everything else is going well. The boy is gaining weight and actually starting to grow out of some of his clothes. I have gone back to work and the three day work week is treating me well. We went out to lunch with the little guy last Friday for his first trip to a restaurant and all went without incident. I am looking forward to the time that he smiles on purpose instead of just when he is going pee.

Caleb's First Snake

2008-07-28T18:02:00.000-07:00

Last weekend the family went up to visit my Dad and Caleb had his first experience with a snake. We were sitting on the patio when the snake slithered down from the hill and began sunning itself on the patio. It was a rattlesnake about 4' long and sat out about 10' from where we were sitting. My aunt "Eagle Eye" Susan saw it and warned us all to move away from the area. Meghan, Caleb and my grandma moved about 100 yards away (they were safe) while my dad went inside to get a gun. After returning he shot that snake in the head. Susan wanted to pet it which we all recommended against.

Very exciting. Afterwards we swam and ate (in that order - no dangerous cramps for this clan).

Here are some photos from the eventful afternoon.

Happy 2 Week Birthday!

2008-07-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe that it has been two weeks already since Caleb was born. Even harder to believe that I have to go back to work next week :( I know that I am very lucky to get as much time off as I do but it is still hard to go back.

Over the past two weeks the family had been adjusting to its new routine and trying our best to keep Caleb as happy as possible. So far we have been doing a pretty good job. He is adjusting to life in the world by eating as much as possible and sleeping pretty well. He only gets up two or three times each night for about 30 minutes each time. I change him and hand him off to Meghan for the feeding. Overall, he is a pretty good baby. He does not spend too much time crying or carrying on and is nursing well.

Last weekend we made it down to Santa Cruz for our first big trip. He slept the whole way which was quite nice. We went down for a wedding and left him with Meghan's sister for about 2 hours on Saturday. But for a poop explosion, he did great and slept the whole time we were gone. I think that it is important for us to keep living our lives as close to normal as we can rather than change everything to be at the beck and call of the child. I am hopeful that this approach will help us in the long run to stay positive and help Caleb learn to be part of the family rather than run the family. We'll see how this approach works out.

Also this week we have had a number of visitors. Both great grandmothers came by along with Great Aunt Susan, Grandma Beth, Grandpa David and my friend Jeff and his wife Megan and their 2 year old Allison. I am glad we got to see everyone and they all got to see Caleb although Jeff's visit was a little odd - both of us walking down the street pushing strollers with our children. Not exactly sitting on the front porch with a beer discussing our next party back in college.

Damn...I really am a grown up.

Some photos - Cali gets the top spot since she had definitely lost it around the house.

Pooh Bear Hat for our little poop machine.

Grandma Beth, Great Grandma Sheila, Ryan and Caleb.

Meghan, Great Grandma Nancy and Great Aunt Susan.

A Few More

2008-07-09T20:47:00.000-07:00

Recent Photos

2008-07-09T20:43:00.000-07:00

Here are a few recent photos. He is doing well and we are trying to get some sleep. He does pretty good at night up till about 3am when he wakes up and wants to hang out with us.

Uno mas video

2008-07-07T17:41:00.000-07:00

Here is an eyes open video. Equally boring to the layperson.

Adjusting

2008-07-07T15:11:00.000-07:00

We are on day three at home now and trying to get adjusted to our new life. Today we took our first outing to Target which was about as fun as one might expect. It was nice to get out of the house and try the stroller and act like regular people again instead of hombound hermits. We also went to see the doctor for our two day checkup and the little man had only lost 6oz. which is better than average they tell us. With the ammount he is eating (over 10x per day) and pooping, he should be a little chubby chunker in no time.

Meghan is doing quite well and is actually holding up better than I am. She is very positive and does not seam to let the lack of sleep phase her. I, on the other hand, am ready for a long summers nap. At least the State gives me some good time off because going back to work today would not have been pretty.

So here we are...all grown up with a healthy baby boy, two pets and a nice 3bedroom 2bath on a cul-de-sac. If my keg-stand buddies could only see me now.

I have posted a very boring (except to grandparents) video of the sleeping baby. Nothing happens for those of you who are looking for excitement but it should be a good test for me of moving forward with modern technology.

More soon...

Cute Shots

2008-07-07T07:38:00.000-07:00

A few eyes open photos

2008-07-06T12:49:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos with eyes open and one with the little man sleeping as requested.

Baby Caleb Arrives!

2008-07-05T18:23:00.000-07:00

Some Quick Photos of Caleb Wyatt. A full account of the events is yet to come along with more pictures. Everyone is doing great and here are the vitals:

Born: 7/3/08 - 2:42am

Weight: 7lbs. 21oz.

Length: 21"

The family grows

2008-07-04T21:08:00.000-07:00

To put it mildly, July 2nd and 3rd were long but productive. I am happy to report that the family has increased by one little man. Young Caleb Wyatt was born on July 3rd at 2:42am weighing in at 7lb 13oz and 21". He now appears to be a human being though that call was a bit iffy at the beginning (FYI a "cone head" is not actually conical).

A will give a quick rundown of the days events as I am sure we will be regaling everyone with all the details over the next few weeks.

7/2 - 05:00
Wake up and get ready for the day. Shower, pack the car, feed the animals and get mentally prepared for our 6:30am appointment.

7/2 - 05:45
Meghan calls the hospital - they are full. They will call us back at 7 and let us know.

7/2 - 05:46
I go back to sleep

7/2 - 07:08
Hospital calls - they have space, come in at 8:30am

7/2 - 08:00
We get in the car and head to the hospital.

7/2 - 08:30
Check in, Meghan gets on her sexy new hospital gown, I go to admitting. All of the nurses are very nice, happy and positive. Overall, we were happy with all the staff over the entire day and night (we saw all 3 shifts!). Our room was the same one we saw on the hospital tour. It was about 25' x 25' with an inordinate amount of furniture and a full bath. The first exam shows she is 2cm.

7/2 - 09:30
Meghan and I are sitting in our room. The monitors show that she is having regular contractions every three minutes but she does not feel them leading the nurse to say that the contractions are not effective. It is rather peculiar for us as we sit across from each other reading magazines and chatting. We knew it would not be like this all day but we had a positive outlook.

7/2 - 10:00

The midwife begins the Petosin I.V. to start making the contractions more effective. It works.

7/2 - 12:00

By now the contractions have begun to get a bit more uncomfortable for Meghan. She is still smiling and keeping positive but she definitely knows they are there. We have moved onto our second RN as the first one has gone off shift. The midwife is still around till 6 at which time our Doctor will be on duty. Our doctor comes by around this time to say hello and see how we are doing which was nice. Right around noon a particularly strong contraction comes and the water breaks. There is no turning back now. The exam shows she is at 5cm making us pretty excited. Only 5 more to go and she is going at 1cm per hour. We should be out by 6 or 7 and should be able to go home tomorrow morning...or so we thought. Why is none of this like the movies?

7/2 - 18:00

During the last 6 hours things have begun to get difficult. Contractions have gotten harder but the baby is beginning to show distress with a heart rate dip every so often. This makes them turn off the Petosin ever now and again and let the baby rest. This is a bit disappointing especially since we thought we would at least be at the pushing stage by now. Meghan is feeling some massive pain and is very much disliking the experience. The one good thing is that the midwife has examined her and she is at 8cm. Almost to the pushing.

7/2 - 19:00

Over the past hour the contractions have become unbearable. Meghan has taken a shower which was supposed to be helpful with the warm water but were some of the worst 20 minutes of the entire event. When she finally was back in bed, she continued to suffer horrible pain. As her mom said sometime before the big day, "It's like getting your leg cut off with a chainsaw." She is beginning to talk about wanting an epidural but is not quite ready to do that as her plan was to do this on her own and she should be around 9cm by now and should only have a little way to go.

Winning the biggest letdown of the night, our regular doctor comes in around 7 to give her an exam. 5cm he says. What a punch in the gut. Meghan was having such a tough time but was holding out hope that it was almost done. Now we had gone back in time about 3 hours and there was no end in sight.

At this point Meghan decides that she needs to go forward with the epidural (and I am glad she did). It has been too much time of very difficult contractions to go so far backwards. I think that if we had really been at 8cm she would have made it but as it was, the epidural was administered somewhere around 8pm.

7/2 - 20:00
At this point our doctor comes in again and we are at 6cm (haven't we heard that before?). The Petosin is working and Meghan is feeling a bit better; no pain but still the feeling of pressure. From here on, things are a bit of a blur. Though it still is almost 7 hours before the baby comes, I think a mixture of fatigue, excitement and fear all make the details go away.

7/2 - 22:00
From 8 till 10 Meghan again has become increasingly uncomfortable. It is not pain so much as intense pressure and discomfort. The nurse and midwife are now our 2nd and 3rd respectively. Meghan asks what else they can give her and an angry Taiwanese man comes in and administers a second epidural. From here on out, the pain and discomfort is gone and both Meghan and I are much happier. Meghan goes to 10cm by the time midnight rolls around and we get a new nurse. Now we have seen an entire days worth of hospital staff. The baby is doing ok but still has a low heart rate every now and again making them stop and start the petosin increasing our stay.

7/3 - 0:00
As a testament to the benefit of the epidural, it is midnight, Meghan is having intense contractions and the nurse is telling us to take a nap and save our energy - and we're doing it! I am on the pullout chair getting as much shut eye as possible (tough as people keep coming in every 20 minutes or so) and Meghan is trying to rest in the bed but is getting a bit anxious about pushing and worried that the pain might return.

7/3 - 01:30
We are resting in our beds trying to sleep when the nurse comes in and says "why don't we try pushing?" A rude awakening if I have ever had one and I am sure worse for Meghan. The pushing begins with a few practice pushes and the nurse is surprised by the effectiveness of Meghan's pushes. I think it is a mixture of extreme determination to get the kid out and her athleticism. With the practice pushes out of the way, the nurse calls the midwife and has her come in to do the delivery around 1:50. For the next 50 minutes, Meghan pushes, I coach and the midwife and nurse encourage. Meghan does the actual work and at about 2:42, the midwife says, "You need to do it now! Push!" One push later, out he comes!

7/3 - 02:42
Holy crap! Newborn babies are not what they look like in the movies. Caleb came out purple with a funny looking head. A conehead is not cone shaped. Caleb had a cone head and it looked like a pygmy head was coming out of his regular head. Mix that with his purple color and lack of noise and it was a mixture of fear, surprise and wonder the moment he arrived. The pediatrician and nursery room nurse had arrived only a few seconds before he came out and they took him to a special table to work on him. They had originally been called as there was some maconium (poop) in the fluid when the water broke and it was a good thing they were there as Caleb had a drop in heart rate just before birth and he was not breathing well when he came out. The doctor did some suction and "positive pressure breathing" also known as using a CPR style bag to get him breathing correctly. Meghan was concerned but the staff told us he was breathing and he would be fine which made us feel a bit better. I cut the cord and Meghan was able to hold him before he was whisked off to the nursery for observation.

Epilogue
I neglected to mention earlier that Meghan's family and my Mom and Joe waited from around 2pm till nearly midnight in a waiting room the size of a closet. I gave updates when I could and they came in at one point but I encouraged them to go home around 11 as we had no idea when the baby would arrive. Their support was great and we were happy they were there.

Over the last day and a half, everything has gone very well. Meghan and Caleb were released on 7/4 around noon and we have been laying low ever since. We are about to take a walk down to the store and expect to see family next week.

I think both of us are adjusting to our new life. It is a mixture of learning, excitement and fatigue but overall rewarding. I will post more pictures soon and we appreciate everyone's well wishes!

The Day Has Arrived...Almost

2008-07-01T22:31:00.000-07:00

Funny thing waiting for a child to become part of your family. After the last 41 weeks of waiting it still does not seem real that tomorrow we will welcome a new addition to the family. Every night we go to bed thinking that tonight might be the night and every morning we find out that we were wrong.

Tonight is different. Tonight we know that in a matter of hours we will be making our way to the hospital and in (hopefully) less than 24 hours we will add one more to the family. Not that we are ready...or not ready. I guess alot of it comes down to wondering what we will do. Will we raise the kid right or will we fail miserably? I think that is a common wonder among new parents. I guess most of them figured it out though as I know quite a few normal people (and a fair number of oddballs too).

I have been thinking alot about what I will do with a son. It seams to be such a grown up idea to have a child. Someone to take care of and lead in a direction that I feel is right. Alot of time has been spent wondering what will happen if he turns out to be a deviant or a general pain in the ass but I guess that is something that I can not really control. All Meghan and I can do is lead him down a path and hope that he takes some of our guidance to heart and becomes a healthy and successful person.

On the eve of becoming a father I am strangely calm. I am not overly concerned nor afraid. Whatever will happen will happen and I will be along for the ride. It is simply time for me to take the next step forward in life and begin a time that does not revolve solely around Meghan and I. It is time to really experience a family that I am responsible for.

Good luck to us.

Anyway...as we have been waiting for Caleb to come, Meghan and I have gone to the beach and done some work in the yard. Below are a few photos. (Sorry not before and after shots of the yard - suffice to say that it looks better now than it used to ).

The Waiting Game

2008-06-25T12:13:00.001-07:00

And so we wait...

The boy is a day late today and we are both getting quite anxious about getting this show on the road. Meghan has been off for almost 2 weeks and she is getting a bit board and increasingly uncomfortable. I have been working and keep waiting for "the call." So far...nothing. We did make it to the doctor yesterday and made an appointment for 7/2 as the day she will be induced. We know it can happen before then but it is nice to know that we have an end date in site.

Meghan has been a very good pregnant lady. All the stories I hear about how the wife gets moody, and a general pain have not come true. But for the few complaints about discomfort, it really is hard to tell she is even pregnant (except for the large growth on her tummy). She hits the gym every day and we go on walks every night. I could not hope for a better mommy to be.

And so we wait. Every night we go to bed wondering if this will be the night and every morning we wake up to the same question - will today be the day? The house is ready, the bags are packed, the carseat is in the car, the family has all been by - just waiting on the baby.

Maybe today...

The Baby Shower

2008-05-19T19:40:00.000-07:00

Baby showers, as far as I know, are pretty boring affairs. The females of the family get together with the mother-to-be and her friends and play various games and open gifts. Everyone but the pregnant mother gets to have champagne and drinks while she sits in relative discomfort caused both by the baby inside and being the center of attention for numerous hours. We decided this would not be the way of our baby shower. So, in an effort to make sure everyone could enjoy the event, we had an old fashioned backyard BBQ for our shower complete with grilled steak, fruit salad and 100 degree weather.

All-in-all the event went great. Thanks to the generous sponsorship from the Ernst-Hayden-McClelland-Voelker-Woodward (alphabetical order) families, we were able to provide a great spread, plenty to drink and beautiful grounds for our event. The only part that didn't cooperate was the weather (pretty hot!) but thankfully Costco was stocked up with patio misters which kept everyone cool and gave them all hairdos glistening with water.

Meghan and I are truly lucky to have family and friends that not only get along but love and support us so much. Check out the pictures from the big event here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ernst.ryan/BabyShower

Albums...

2008-04-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

So I added a link on the post to 5 albums that I would have if I could only have 5. Like being stuck on a desert island (but oddly with a stereo or iPod and electricity) and only having 5 albums to take with me. They may not be the best 5 albums ever made but would provide a good cross section of the music I like. For your reading pleasure I will explain my choices now...

Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run

Awesome album. There have been countless words written about this album but for me it is a great mix of classics that I love. Great to sing along to or just listen and figure out your own interpretations of how the lyrics apply to your own life.

Favorite song...very hard to choose just one but I would say Backstreets touches me most.

Dave Matthews - Live at Luther College

Maybe it is just nostalgia for me but Live at Luther College I feel is one of the best albums ever. I am not a huge DMB fan especially post Crash but this album is great from start to finish. I am a fan of live music and acoustic music and this album has both. Great to chill out to or listen on a long car ride.

Favorite song...Jimi Thing - used to get real hazy to this one...

John Mayer - Continuum

I admit - I am a big John Mayer fan. He is a bit kooky looking and may be overplayed but I think he has great songwriting ability and, like Springsteen, has songs that anyone can relate to. This album has quite a few great songs that I think anyone at any stage of life could say "yeah, I've felt like that before." I also like the fact that I can picture this guy singing at a local Bar which, to me, gives a sense of realism to his songs.

Favorite song...Gravity - according to the iPod it is my favorite song.

Pearl Jam - Ten

In my opinion this was the best Pearl Jam album. It had a nice mix of hard and soft stuff and I especially liked the feel of Oceans and Garden. It flows nice from beginning to end so it's easy to listen to without much skipping around. Reminds me of High School which is not a bad thing in my book.

Favorite song...Alive - anyone can sing this in the shower and sound like a star.

Third Eye Blind - Self Titled

This again may be a nostalgia choice but I think this album also has a great group of songs. Jumper is a great track with an interesting message. There are a few good faster tracks but the last part of the album where it slows down is my favorite. Very introspective writing on this album.

Favorite song...Motorcycle Drive By - Truthful and expressive.

Information

2008-04-04T18:56:00.000-07:00

So it has been a month since my last post. I feel bad about not posting but really, what would be considered post worthy? Meghan and I move along with our day to day lives with really little to report. I guess, looking back at it, things have happened but I wonder if anyone outside our circle of friends and family really cares.

No matter...I will bore you (or excite you) with the details.

In early March, Meghan and I went to Phoenix for one of my conferences. It was quite nice, pool time, took in a Giants spring training game, slept in...and went to the conference. It is kind of odd going on a trip with Meghan pregnant as I know the next time we go to Phoenix (if ever again) we will have a baby and the trip will be alot different. But as it was we had a nice time. I think that we will have to hit up Spring Training again next year. It is pretty cool. No crowds, close to players, sun...all in all, pretty fun.

After Phoenix the next big thing was going to San Francisco last weekend with Meghan's family. It was Meghan's dad's 60th birthday so we hit up SF for some hiking and an awesome dinner at the Cliff House. On Saturday we met the Woodwards at Chrisy Field for a picnic and then walked across the GG Bridge. I have not been there since...well a long time ago and Meghan had never walked across so it was pretty fun. After the bridge we checked into the Sir Frances Drake hotel in SF and then went down to the Cliff House for dinner which was great. We stayed for the sunset in clear skies Finally, we cabbed it back to the hotel and took in a few bars before heading off to bed. The next day we took a hike at Lands End which was also quite nice.

On Sunday of this week we are headed to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada for another of my conferences. Meghan will be spending most of the time by the pool at Treasure Island. It should be a nice vacation and probably the last one before the baby arrives as we have a number of weddings, showers, etc. to attend.

It is amazing that I am able to go to these work events and learn so much at the conference sessions while still having time to get out and enjoy the surrounding areas.

Working on the Baby's Room

2008-03-04T12:43:00.001-08:00

Got a call from Babies 'R Us this Friday saying that our furniture was in. After going to Tahoe and having a great time, we went down to Marin City to pick it up. Lucky for us we called ahead as we needed both vehicles to bring it all home. Anyway, here are some pics of the furniture and room. We are going to go with a vintage theme with some old photos on the wall and neutral bedding. The barn yard animals all over the room are a little much for our tastes.

Blogging is hard to keep up

2008-02-21T18:23:00.000-08:00

So...it has been 21 days and 1 lunar eclipse sine last I blogged. There are many things that I may or may not have found out since then. I have a hard time remembering sometimes where things fall in my internal calendar.

One item I am sure of:

We are having a Boy. Note the handy arrow that the radar operator (not actual job title) has added to the photo in our sonogram scans. The rest of the photo is very difficult to make out unless you have specific training or are a mother to be.

Item 2 (sure):

We have purchased baby furniture from Babies R Us.

Item 3 (sure):

Driving to Babies R Us twice in one weekend is not the best way to spend time off of work. It is located in Marin City which is almost in San Francisco. From our home in Santa Rosa, count on 1 hour each way with no traffic.

Item 4 (sure):

You can spend a lot of time and even more money at Babies R Us. Who knew babies (and kids for that matter) required so much crap. Crib, play crib, bassinet, moses basket, swing, rocker, dresser, exercise saucer, foldable bath tub. I am afraid that our days of a nice neat house with most things in their proper place are over. Just the things we put on our registry will take up most of the living room.

In other news...plants are blooming in the yard - at least those that did not get blown away in the last storm. After Meghan and I spent 3 full afternoons pruning roses and shrubs, things are starting to look pretty good out back. This is a photo of the wisteria from last March. Here is a full gallery from last year. I am hopeful that it comes back in just as nicely.

Meghan is doing well and increasing in size every day. You can be sure she is pregnant and thankfully she has not been too sick at all. We are both getting pretty excited about the upcoming birth though it is still four months away. I think the time will start going by a bit faster as we get closer.

A few weeks ago we went up to Tahoe and snowshoed. Snowshoeing is very tough but I can only imagine how hard it would be with a baby in the belly. The dog enjoyed the snowshoeing too and here is a photo of our experience. I also made a very boring video which I would be happy to share if I could figure out how to do it. For now the still photo will have to suffice.

Being sick takes off pounds

2008-02-01T19:00:00.000-08:00

I have been sick as a dog for the past five days. Just a head and chest cold really with fever and the like. I found two major benefits to the illness.

1) Got to go home early every day this week.

2) Lost 6 pounds.

I think that I would prefer to be sick and lose weight than actually work out. Plus I always enjoy the Day Quil high that you get on an empty stomach. I believe that Day Quil actually has speed in it - whatever it is, I like it!

In other news, last weekend Meghan and I installed a number of recessed lights in our kitchen and family (or is it living) room. They look quite nice and I avoided electrocuting myself which is always a plus. See photo of completed project.

For some reason I am having issues with the check spelling tool so you can view how I spell in real life. It is pretty frightning. Actually, it is so sad that sometimes when I am writing with a tool that does not have spell check, I have to change the words to ones I know how to spell. What a doofus.

Shout Out To Vince Chiaro

2008-01-24T18:20:00.001-08:00

The reason I began writing this blog was Vince Chiaro. I have been reading his blog since he began and I have to admit that I was impressed. His thoughts are often interesting and make me ponder about my life. I also wonder where he became such an astute thinker and philosopher. His blog makes him appear to be smart.

Actually his is quite smart and I guess the blog is an accurate extension of who is really is. For me, I hope it at least makes me appear to be smart. However, in reading my previous posts, I don't think that is the feeling most readers will get.

*aside* Do you think the idea of blogging came from Sex in the City? As I sit here typing all (not all) I can think of is the end of each episode where Sarah Jessica Parker is writing and narrating about her deep thoughts. I am currently and (in my head) narrating about my thoughts. Coincidence?

Anyway, Good Job Vince. Yur Smrt!

The Adventures of the 180lb man

2008-01-24T18:06:00.000-08:00

On Monday, January 21st I weighed 180lbs. This is the first time in my life that I have achieved that momentous mark. It is really kind of sad. I was feeling a bit rotund and so I bought a scale. 180 it read when I first got on. Sad and also scary.

I have known I was getting fatter and fatter just by looking at myself in the mirror. And yet, I continued to eat and drink to my heart's content and shunned exercise as it took up too much of my time. 180 is what I have to show for that.

On Tuesday, January 22nd I weighed 177.2lbs. I felt better about myself so I had Taco Bell. I was not aware of the caloric intake in a simple bean burrito. 300 calories in each $.59 burrito. I buy them because they are cheep but it looks like that is not the best choice.

*aside* - Off He Goes by Pearl Jam is an awesome song

On Wednesday, January 23rd I weighed 178.2lbs. This time I did not feel better. Worse in fact.

Today, January 24th I weighed 178.2lbs again. Finally some consistency.

So what to do about this excess weight. Lose it is the easy answer - but how. The obvious way is to stop drinking but I have problems doing that (I can't). So what else? Right now Meghan is working out. She is 4.5 months pregnant and working out and all I can do is sit here and drink a beer (as a reward for washing the dog btw) and write this boring diatribe on my weight.

Perhaps a bit of self discipline on my part would help the situation.

Friday - No Work And Much Rain

2008-01-04T16:54:00.000-08:00

Today it rained...alot. We got about 2.68 inches of rain and both Meghan and I stayed home. Meghan stayed because of the treacherous conditions on her way to work and I stayed because my boss called and said work was canceled. I always like when work is canceled. Apparently there was a power outage so there would have been nothing to do.

The morning brought the most rain and wind with a gust here at 37mph. Interestingly enough, we did have a bit of sun right around 4:30. Now the clouds are back and we await more rain. It is supposed to continue to rain off and on through next Thursday.

Today I filled my time by working on drainage while Meghan did work. I spent about an hour under the house working on the puddles that form on three corners of the crawlspace. The water is all old and moldy looking and smells bad. I think it is bad for me to ingest. I believe the area needs more work and I will try to get on it soon.

Currently Meghan is doing TaeBo and I am waiting for her to finish so that we can make our Rice Krispy Treats and cookies.

I enjoyed my two day work week this week.

It's Stormy

2008-01-03T12:28:00.000-08:00

The rain is falling here in Santa Rosa. We expect to get a few inches of rain over the next few days. I have been monitoring the roof mounted weather station at home feverishly.