The holiday season officially starts this week. I, like many others, love the hoildays. The music, lights, festivities, and good cheer truly lift my spirits.
However, there is one aspect of this time of year that really depresses me. From now until about end of January, on most days the only time I'll see the sun is during my 15 minute drive to work in the morning. Most of the problem is caused by the fact my office and my building does not have any windows. (Side note: At least my office is large and I have an office with a real door. I'd hate being in a cube). Unless I have meeting somewhere else at RTI, it's very easy to not see the sun all day. With sunset at 5 PMish, it is always dark on my drive home.
A few years ago when Shannon still worked, it used to be worse. At this time of year, I could go all week without seeing the sun! I suppose I should be thankful for the little sunlight I do see!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
November Photos
Some new photos are posted in the slideshow. This picture of Jacqueline is worthy of being posted here, though.
She is not super-baby though. Jon is holding her up. He craftily hid his arm behind the crib.
She is not super-baby though. Jon is holding her up. He craftily hid his arm behind the crib.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Epilogue
I survived my reunion. I think the verb "survived" is apt. It wasn't horrible but not extremely enjoyable either.
My two days in L.A. were enjoyable. I became convinced a family vacation to Disneyland & the beach will occur when J&S are older. The thought of taking them to Rat Beach and building sand castles makes me smile. My imagined looks on their faces as we walk down Disney Main Street makes me giddy with excitement. The ability to share something Shannon and I find special with J&S is a neat feeling.
From a practical point of view, my remembered familiarity with L.A. will make the vacation that much more enjoyable. I can find a clean, inexpensive hotel near the South Bay. I know where the beaches with free parking are located. I know how to drive to from South Bay to Disneyland and other attractions without getting lost. If I didn't, the entire vacation would be very stressful and/or expensive.
As for my last day on vacation, I spent Sunday in the Redondo Beach area. There was a reunion event at the high school, but the idea of hanging out someplace fun sounded more enjoyable. I found a coffee shop in the little commercial area off PV Boulevard (behind the Vons). It also happened to be next door to the Redondo Beach Brewing Company, the brewery I wanted to visit on Saturday. How lucky could I be? After getting jazzed on a couple cups of joe, I wandered next door to mix in some relaxants.
The coffee was fantastic! The beer was mixed.
The pale ale was like watery hops. I could imagine one brewer saying "we need to reduce cost....let's cut back on the barely." The second brewer responded "sounds great, but let's add some more hops to scald the customer's taste buds. they'll never know the difference." Well, starch & bitter flavors are tasted on differed parts of the tongue. You can tell the difference.
The porter was more enjoyable. It was served too cold, so I watched football while it warmed some. Nice malted chocolate undertones with clean sweetness. A touch thin in the middle, but porters are difficult to balance perfectly. Overall, a nice beer.
Eventually, I headed to Pasadena for the opening session of the conference I was attending.
My two days in L.A. were enjoyable. I became convinced a family vacation to Disneyland & the beach will occur when J&S are older. The thought of taking them to Rat Beach and building sand castles makes me smile. My imagined looks on their faces as we walk down Disney Main Street makes me giddy with excitement. The ability to share something Shannon and I find special with J&S is a neat feeling.
From a practical point of view, my remembered familiarity with L.A. will make the vacation that much more enjoyable. I can find a clean, inexpensive hotel near the South Bay. I know where the beaches with free parking are located. I know how to drive to from South Bay to Disneyland and other attractions without getting lost. If I didn't, the entire vacation would be very stressful and/or expensive.
As for my last day on vacation, I spent Sunday in the Redondo Beach area. There was a reunion event at the high school, but the idea of hanging out someplace fun sounded more enjoyable. I found a coffee shop in the little commercial area off PV Boulevard (behind the Vons). It also happened to be next door to the Redondo Beach Brewing Company, the brewery I wanted to visit on Saturday. How lucky could I be? After getting jazzed on a couple cups of joe, I wandered next door to mix in some relaxants.
The coffee was fantastic! The beer was mixed.
The pale ale was like watery hops. I could imagine one brewer saying "we need to reduce cost....let's cut back on the barely." The second brewer responded "sounds great, but let's add some more hops to scald the customer's taste buds. they'll never know the difference." Well, starch & bitter flavors are tasted on differed parts of the tongue. You can tell the difference.
The porter was more enjoyable. It was served too cold, so I watched football while it warmed some. Nice malted chocolate undertones with clean sweetness. A touch thin in the middle, but porters are difficult to balance perfectly. Overall, a nice beer.
Eventually, I headed to Pasadena for the opening session of the conference I was attending.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Baby Update
Jacqueline and Sophie turn 5 months next week. My, they grow fast. I traveled 3 of 4 weeks in October and every time I returned home I could tell they had changed.
After 5 months, it still continues to amaze me how different they are.
Jacqueline has continued to be the "wild" one. She flirts, giggles, explores, touches, grabs, feels, etc. She is an expert at grabbing toys, shaking them, then tossing them aside. She also is the more giggly of the two. Still, though, most activities are conducted on her back. She can roll onto her side, but she doesn't want to very often. She still hates "tummy time" too. I think she doesn't like to be positioned such that she can't see everything around her. We've also started calling her "Plank." Her favorite position is to be perfectly straight and stiff as a board. I hope this doesn't portend her being as unlimber as her Dad. Conversely, she has discovered her feet and toes; so she can bend and flex when she wants. Overall, we're still convinced Jacqueline will be walking first. Jacqueline's hair also is growing fast. She is now a fuzz head, instead of a cue ball.
Sophie's "serious" nature has developed into a cautious personality. She doesn't like loud noises or toys in her face. All her movements are very deliberate. You can see her thinking...."I am going to reach out and grab the toy and I will not miss!" Her deliberate nature also shows in her gross motor skills. She mastered rolling over a long time ago. More recently, she learned to roll onto her stomach, pause, then push herself up on her elbows. Now, she does one smooth, continuous roll, push, & prop. Once she's up, she is starting to figure out that the next step is to get her knees under herself so she can roll from her belly to her back. Although Sophie is not as giggly, she is more talkative. Her array of vowel sounds is impressive. She loves to talk while rolling around on the floor....almost like she is talking her way through the process. She'll definitely will be talking first.
In case you wonder, Mom and Dad are doing great too. We are sleeping great, but we're still both pretty tired all the time. It shows because we're both very forgetful. Mom sometimes is VERY glad to see Dad come home from work. Dad wishes he could spend more time with everyone and he tries to maximize his free time on the weekends. Mom copes with Dad's business trips well. She said up to 3 days is manageable by herself. Dad isn't too keen on traveling....I do love spending time with everyone. After my trip to New Orleans this week, I should not be traveling until the Holidays. YEAH!
After 5 months, it still continues to amaze me how different they are.
Jacqueline has continued to be the "wild" one. She flirts, giggles, explores, touches, grabs, feels, etc. She is an expert at grabbing toys, shaking them, then tossing them aside. She also is the more giggly of the two. Still, though, most activities are conducted on her back. She can roll onto her side, but she doesn't want to very often. She still hates "tummy time" too. I think she doesn't like to be positioned such that she can't see everything around her. We've also started calling her "Plank." Her favorite position is to be perfectly straight and stiff as a board. I hope this doesn't portend her being as unlimber as her Dad. Conversely, she has discovered her feet and toes; so she can bend and flex when she wants. Overall, we're still convinced Jacqueline will be walking first. Jacqueline's hair also is growing fast. She is now a fuzz head, instead of a cue ball.
Sophie's "serious" nature has developed into a cautious personality. She doesn't like loud noises or toys in her face. All her movements are very deliberate. You can see her thinking...."I am going to reach out and grab the toy and I will not miss!" Her deliberate nature also shows in her gross motor skills. She mastered rolling over a long time ago. More recently, she learned to roll onto her stomach, pause, then push herself up on her elbows. Now, she does one smooth, continuous roll, push, & prop. Once she's up, she is starting to figure out that the next step is to get her knees under herself so she can roll from her belly to her back. Although Sophie is not as giggly, she is more talkative. Her array of vowel sounds is impressive. She loves to talk while rolling around on the floor....almost like she is talking her way through the process. She'll definitely will be talking first.
In case you wonder, Mom and Dad are doing great too. We are sleeping great, but we're still both pretty tired all the time. It shows because we're both very forgetful. Mom sometimes is VERY glad to see Dad come home from work. Dad wishes he could spend more time with everyone and he tries to maximize his free time on the weekends. Mom copes with Dad's business trips well. She said up to 3 days is manageable by herself. Dad isn't too keen on traveling....I do love spending time with everyone. After my trip to New Orleans this week, I should not be traveling until the Holidays. YEAH!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Chapter 3: Reunion
After getting lost in downtown Long Beach, I arrived at my high school’s 20th reunion at 7 PM. A woman I did not recognize immediately greeted me, by name. After an awkward second, she introduced herself like I should have recognized her and it hadn’t been 20 years since we’d last seen each other. Another fellow came right up and greeted me by name too. Okay….0 for 2 so far. Will it be a long night?
The first person I recognized was Matt Ralph. We were basketball teammates. We also spent a year at UW together, although he was earning his MA in History while I studied Engineering. He had not changed much. The basketball team had a good showing. Besides Matt, Greg Jones, Ian Filep, John Mika, and Scott Ruston attended. Only Scott brought his spouse. I had enjoyable conversations with John and Scott. John lives in Orange County with his family and owns an insurnace business. Scott is doing his own, free-spirited thing (after 10 years as a Navy pilot).
Most attendees still live on the west coast. A surprising number live in the San Francisco area. I thought I would win “furthest travel”, but someone flew in from Hawaii. They did all the typical awards…..most kids, quickest divorce, longest marriage, etc. I should have won longest marriage but lost to someone more popular. Surprised?
The cerebral nerds congregated for a while too. Funny how those of us with doctorates found each other. I ate dinner (terrible food) with Greg Weiss and his wife. Inquisitive minds always make for good conversations. The other doctorate was Mark Lakata. Mark informed me the matron of honor at his sister’s wedding last year was my high school girlfriend, Carrie. He said she did not look good and her husband was a dud. I didn't know how to respond to that comment.
The person I talked with the most was Mike Riegelhuth. He lived two doors down Via Estudillo from us. His parents still live in the same house. We ran with different crowds in high school so I did not know him well. We talked a lot though. He is a very good natured, easygoing guy. He and his family live in Maryland. Our conversation was the highlight of the night for me.
I did have some other interesting exchanges though. Mitch Booz came right up and asked me how my great Uncle was. I must have looked perplexed because he asked if John Wooden was family. Of course he is…..distantly. I also haven’t seen or talked with him in more than 20 years. Another neighbor, Alice, and I talked about our old homes. When I asked why she never had neighbors over to swim in her pool, she told me that her father was very possessive and did not want her associating with boys. Her four older brothers acted the same way. She said she never dated until college. Finally, I had a nice conversation with Shelly Wallace. She now lives in Austin, TX with her family. She admitted always having a “crush” on me, but never showed any interest because I was not part of the “cool” crowd. Funny, I always had a crush on her too but didn’t bother because of the cliques.
There were a few people that genuinely seemed pleased to see me. James Nelligan and Whitney Allen stood out. We liked each other well enough in high school. Whitney admitted surprise that I had not come to the earlier reunions. We did not talk long though because, as popular classmates, they had many folks to see.
Probably the most interesting part of the night was seeing who did not attend. I’ll admit everyone that attended looked good, seemed successful, and appeared happy. That led to a conversation with John Mika about those that did not attend. We decided they must have crappy lives. Would you attend your 20th if your answers to the typical questions were “divorced twice, several illegitimate kids, unemployed, living with my parents.”? I did hear a few instances of “did you know ‘so and so’ is gay?” In retrospect, the fact one guy is gay does not surprise me. He loved to wear gold necklaces and other bling in high school.
In the end though, most conversations were as long as “married, 2 kids, 2 cats, dog, live in NC”; the recitation that I expected. As the night progressed, people divided into the cliques and reminisced and/or caught up since the last reunion. I did not mind feeling like an outsider. I was one in high school and I haven’t made any attempts to contact anyone from high school since graduation. The reunion ended at midnight, but people were planning to continue at a local bar. Four hours was enough for me though. I left around 11 PM so I could find some decent dinner at a Carl’s Jr.
The first person I recognized was Matt Ralph. We were basketball teammates. We also spent a year at UW together, although he was earning his MA in History while I studied Engineering. He had not changed much. The basketball team had a good showing. Besides Matt, Greg Jones, Ian Filep, John Mika, and Scott Ruston attended. Only Scott brought his spouse. I had enjoyable conversations with John and Scott. John lives in Orange County with his family and owns an insurnace business. Scott is doing his own, free-spirited thing (after 10 years as a Navy pilot).
Most attendees still live on the west coast. A surprising number live in the San Francisco area. I thought I would win “furthest travel”, but someone flew in from Hawaii. They did all the typical awards…..most kids, quickest divorce, longest marriage, etc. I should have won longest marriage but lost to someone more popular. Surprised?
The cerebral nerds congregated for a while too. Funny how those of us with doctorates found each other. I ate dinner (terrible food) with Greg Weiss and his wife. Inquisitive minds always make for good conversations. The other doctorate was Mark Lakata. Mark informed me the matron of honor at his sister’s wedding last year was my high school girlfriend, Carrie. He said she did not look good and her husband was a dud. I didn't know how to respond to that comment.
The person I talked with the most was Mike Riegelhuth. He lived two doors down Via Estudillo from us. His parents still live in the same house. We ran with different crowds in high school so I did not know him well. We talked a lot though. He is a very good natured, easygoing guy. He and his family live in Maryland. Our conversation was the highlight of the night for me.
I did have some other interesting exchanges though. Mitch Booz came right up and asked me how my great Uncle was. I must have looked perplexed because he asked if John Wooden was family. Of course he is…..distantly. I also haven’t seen or talked with him in more than 20 years. Another neighbor, Alice, and I talked about our old homes. When I asked why she never had neighbors over to swim in her pool, she told me that her father was very possessive and did not want her associating with boys. Her four older brothers acted the same way. She said she never dated until college. Finally, I had a nice conversation with Shelly Wallace. She now lives in Austin, TX with her family. She admitted always having a “crush” on me, but never showed any interest because I was not part of the “cool” crowd. Funny, I always had a crush on her too but didn’t bother because of the cliques.
There were a few people that genuinely seemed pleased to see me. James Nelligan and Whitney Allen stood out. We liked each other well enough in high school. Whitney admitted surprise that I had not come to the earlier reunions. We did not talk long though because, as popular classmates, they had many folks to see.
Probably the most interesting part of the night was seeing who did not attend. I’ll admit everyone that attended looked good, seemed successful, and appeared happy. That led to a conversation with John Mika about those that did not attend. We decided they must have crappy lives. Would you attend your 20th if your answers to the typical questions were “divorced twice, several illegitimate kids, unemployed, living with my parents.”? I did hear a few instances of “did you know ‘so and so’ is gay?” In retrospect, the fact one guy is gay does not surprise me. He loved to wear gold necklaces and other bling in high school.
In the end though, most conversations were as long as “married, 2 kids, 2 cats, dog, live in NC”; the recitation that I expected. As the night progressed, people divided into the cliques and reminisced and/or caught up since the last reunion. I did not mind feeling like an outsider. I was one in high school and I haven’t made any attempts to contact anyone from high school since graduation. The reunion ended at midnight, but people were planning to continue at a local bar. Four hours was enough for me though. I left around 11 PM so I could find some decent dinner at a Carl’s Jr.
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