Just wanted to let everyone know I am around. With work and coaching Caiden's football team, I haven't had a ton of time to blog. I really miss doing it though.
So, if there actually is anyone out there that reads my blog, I apologize for letting all one of you down (Alene).
A few updates though:
Family: Ups and downs as always, but I love my family more than anything. Bailey is the cutest little girl in the world and I adore her dearly (even when she throws a tantrum). When I came home late from work tonight I kissed her on the cheek and she kept leaning in for kiss after kiss. Caiden is busy with football and doing well. He could be doing better in school, but we'll just have to stay on top of him. Alene just finished running in the "other" half marathon in Moab and beat her expected time by 10+ minutes!! HOLY CRAP!! She was amazing. We also had the amazing opportunity to meet Alene's son Cade and his wonderful mother Lori. We'll never forget that moment.
Football: I'm coaching Caiden's team as the defensive coordinator. We are currently undefeated at 8-0 and we have our last game of the regular season against a team we are tied for first place with. From there we will have the playoffs, which is two rounds. I keep a team blog with highlights from each week (click on the word "Football" above).
My job: It's going well. I finally have a grasp on what is expected of me, but there is so much more to do in regards to getting organized and having some structure. I REALLY wish I could have an assistant, even a part time one, but I doubt that will ever happen. I've been traveling a lot for work and with the winter coming on, hopefully it will slow down.
Outdoors: I suck in that respect. I have not gotten out for much outdoors stuff all year. Our schedules were pretty hectic this past spring/summer with Alene filling in for other people at work AND Caiden playing baseball. I really hope we can get out more next year. We have a great trip planned for our anniversary next year. Details to come in a few months. I'm so pissed that I failed to even get out mountain biking ONCE this whole year. I really suck.
Alene and I also went a few concerts here and there.
The football season should be over by November 14 if we make it to the championship game. After that we are taking a LONG awaited vacation to a (hopefully) warm place in San Diego, CA. It will be fun to vacation as a family and I look forward to it.
So, you can see my life is pretty boring. Sorry if I've disappointed.
Showing posts with label Thoughts/Rants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thoughts/Rants. Show all posts
Monday, October 26, 2009
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Jack Kemp said it best about this election
While I disagree with a lot of Obama's policies, Jack Kemp (RIP) made some great points about this election of Obama.
A Letter to my Grandchildren
A Letter to my Grandchildren
Sunday, April 12, 2009
It's about TIME!!!
Why do we waste so much time with these guys? What I don't get is that we had snipers on these guys for days and at any time we could have taken them out. Why wait this long? Why show all the other would-be pirates that they too can hijack a ship, hope for millions in ransom, and they can stick it out for a while while we hand deliver them food and supplies?
Why not SHOW these would-be pirates how they will be treated EVERY TIME they decide to hijack a ship. There is no necessary trial for them. There is not chance they were innocent. TAKE THEM OUT. I know it's a life, but there are far more valuable lives of those that choose to NOT be pirates (i.e. the captain and every other vessel that's been taken over).
Click here for the story
Why not SHOW these would-be pirates how they will be treated EVERY TIME they decide to hijack a ship. There is no necessary trial for them. There is not chance they were innocent. TAKE THEM OUT. I know it's a life, but there are far more valuable lives of those that choose to NOT be pirates (i.e. the captain and every other vessel that's been taken over).
Click here for the story
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Focus
Man, when you're busy with work, there isn't much to blog about other than "I'm busy with work". Nothing too exciting although I continue to be amazed at how lucky I am to have a wonderful wife, a great son, and the cutest daughter in the world.
Having a job that you spend all day at makes you appreciate so much more I think. I seem more focused in some aspects. I'm not sure if it's the fact that I have less time, so I try to make the most of it? I mean, I still waste time playing Call of Duty 4 here and there, but not as much as before. I think by shooting enemy players, it allows me to blow off a bit of steam. I would highly recommend this game to the postal service.
What I'm really talking about is my focus on my "one" class I'm taking. Normally I don't put a lot of effort into my schooling. I take the classes and if I can come out with a B, I'm pretty happy. Right now I'm pulling an A in my math class, which is the subject I hate the most. I actually do spend the required 2-4 hrs a week on the homework. I actually do study for the tests. I've only missed one class and that was the second class of the semester because I just plain forgot about it. I'm just kind of surprised with myself so far. I have 2 more exams and a final project before this class is over. It would be pretty amazing if I could pull off an A. If I were to, I'd actually finish my associates with a 3.0 gpa, which is pretty amazing considering how little effort I put into school.
With that said, it's spring break and I'm partying like a rock star. I have my groupie (my wife) and my roadie (caiden) and my business partner (bailey) all with me. For this week off Caiden has started baseball, which is much more competitive, so they practice 3 days a week. It's put a kink in our schedule, but we'll deal with it. It's not easy. At the end of this week my groupie, my business partner, (the roadie will be with his mom) are going to Moab. Alene is going to be running in the "almost-half of a half marathon", then we are going to try to do something fun and outdoorsy. It's been too friggin' long. The weekend after that we're going camping to the San Rafael Swell, then two weekends after that we're going back to the swell. We're going to try to fit in as many camping trips as we can.
OK. Time to focus and get ready for work!
Having a job that you spend all day at makes you appreciate so much more I think. I seem more focused in some aspects. I'm not sure if it's the fact that I have less time, so I try to make the most of it? I mean, I still waste time playing Call of Duty 4 here and there, but not as much as before. I think by shooting enemy players, it allows me to blow off a bit of steam. I would highly recommend this game to the postal service.
What I'm really talking about is my focus on my "one" class I'm taking. Normally I don't put a lot of effort into my schooling. I take the classes and if I can come out with a B, I'm pretty happy. Right now I'm pulling an A in my math class, which is the subject I hate the most. I actually do spend the required 2-4 hrs a week on the homework. I actually do study for the tests. I've only missed one class and that was the second class of the semester because I just plain forgot about it. I'm just kind of surprised with myself so far. I have 2 more exams and a final project before this class is over. It would be pretty amazing if I could pull off an A. If I were to, I'd actually finish my associates with a 3.0 gpa, which is pretty amazing considering how little effort I put into school.
With that said, it's spring break and I'm partying like a rock star. I have my groupie (my wife) and my roadie (caiden) and my business partner (bailey) all with me. For this week off Caiden has started baseball, which is much more competitive, so they practice 3 days a week. It's put a kink in our schedule, but we'll deal with it. It's not easy. At the end of this week my groupie, my business partner, (the roadie will be with his mom) are going to Moab. Alene is going to be running in the "almost-half of a half marathon", then we are going to try to do something fun and outdoorsy. It's been too friggin' long. The weekend after that we're going camping to the San Rafael Swell, then two weekends after that we're going back to the swell. We're going to try to fit in as many camping trips as we can.
OK. Time to focus and get ready for work!
Friday, February 06, 2009
Saying goodbye to my old job
So, as I referenced in this post I am no longer employed by CompuCredit and I will be starting a new job with US Bank on Monday. I'm really anxious/nervous/excited to be starting this new job.
Anyway, with it being my last day today, I was actually busier than I've been in a long time. It's like moving out of a house, but I actually didn't have much to take with me (just a box full of stuff). Since we didn't have anyone hired to fill my job yet, I spent this week typing up a 15 page "manual" on how to perform my job. I finished it this morning, then spent part of the day just taking care of any last-minute things that needed to be fixed.
A few of my co-workers pitched in and bought me lunch today and they also had a card made for me, which was signed by a lot of people. I thought it was all so thoughtful.
I ended up working later than I have in a LONG time on a Friday. In fact, I ended up working an hour past the time we closed! I was trying to get a bunch of files moved for the next person taking over the job, but it was taking FOREVER.
Finally I decided to bag it. I sent an email to the IT guy telling him that it needs to be finished. I then de-activated my own badge (I was the person that created and deactivated keycard badges for access to the building). I did a little glance around my area, waited to see if I'd shed a tear or feel bad (I didn't) then I walked out of the building.
It was kind of odd. I've driven to this place for over 10 years. I started off working here as a phone "sales and service" representative for Providian Financial (which has since folded as a company). Here is a cool picture of me doing what I did. I had 40 "sales" in one week, so my boss took my picture and posted it somewhere:
After 3.5 months of that phone stuff, I couldn't stand it and as I stated earlier, I applied for a Facilities coordinator job. I didn't get it the first time, but I got it the second time. I worked my butt off, but had a lot of fun. Eventually I was promoted to a manager position and I had some great people join my staff and as co-workers.
When I was a manager, I had my own private cubicle. Someone at work took my picture (I think it was Damon) and made my hair look funny:
Damon was the one that made things interesting. Sometimes he would be sitting at his desk and then start grabbing wads of scotch tape off the dispenser and taping them to his face, distorting his eyes, nose, mouth, etc. then turn around and look at us as if it was totally normal. Other times you would hear a loud "bang" in his office and you would run in there and he would be on the floor. He was famous for falling over in his chair. One time he made cool masks for me and him and we took this picture:
Yes, that was work :).
Eventually Providian closed their operations here and I was fortunate to get a job with CompuCredit. I learned a ton and had some great times on visits out to Atlanta to spend time with my co-workers. One time we toured the CNN building and we all got this photo-op with Mr. Ted Turner himself:
Another time we went on a tour of the Atlanta Braves stadium, which was a lot of fun. We got to go in the locker room and in the dugouts too:
On another visit we went Striper (Bass) fishing on Lake Lanier with some of the guys in my department. That was a lot of fun.
Other times our site manager's boss would come out and he'd invite us all to go Skiing with him. Those were fun times too:
Am I sad I'm leaving this job? I'm not sure, but I know one thing is that I'll have great memories of working in the same building for 10+ years. I know it's not common to find people that have worked at one place that long, so I think I kind of wear it like a badge of honor. I hope to make my next job last just as long, if not longer.
My only worry now is that I don't drive to my old work on Monday out of habit.
Anyway, with it being my last day today, I was actually busier than I've been in a long time. It's like moving out of a house, but I actually didn't have much to take with me (just a box full of stuff). Since we didn't have anyone hired to fill my job yet, I spent this week typing up a 15 page "manual" on how to perform my job. I finished it this morning, then spent part of the day just taking care of any last-minute things that needed to be fixed.
A few of my co-workers pitched in and bought me lunch today and they also had a card made for me, which was signed by a lot of people. I thought it was all so thoughtful.
I ended up working later than I have in a LONG time on a Friday. In fact, I ended up working an hour past the time we closed! I was trying to get a bunch of files moved for the next person taking over the job, but it was taking FOREVER.
Finally I decided to bag it. I sent an email to the IT guy telling him that it needs to be finished. I then de-activated my own badge (I was the person that created and deactivated keycard badges for access to the building). I did a little glance around my area, waited to see if I'd shed a tear or feel bad (I didn't) then I walked out of the building.
It was kind of odd. I've driven to this place for over 10 years. I started off working here as a phone "sales and service" representative for Providian Financial (which has since folded as a company). Here is a cool picture of me doing what I did. I had 40 "sales" in one week, so my boss took my picture and posted it somewhere:
After 3.5 months of that phone stuff, I couldn't stand it and as I stated earlier, I applied for a Facilities coordinator job. I didn't get it the first time, but I got it the second time. I worked my butt off, but had a lot of fun. Eventually I was promoted to a manager position and I had some great people join my staff and as co-workers.
When I was a manager, I had my own private cubicle. Someone at work took my picture (I think it was Damon) and made my hair look funny:
Damon was the one that made things interesting. Sometimes he would be sitting at his desk and then start grabbing wads of scotch tape off the dispenser and taping them to his face, distorting his eyes, nose, mouth, etc. then turn around and look at us as if it was totally normal. Other times you would hear a loud "bang" in his office and you would run in there and he would be on the floor. He was famous for falling over in his chair. One time he made cool masks for me and him and we took this picture:
Yes, that was work :).
Eventually Providian closed their operations here and I was fortunate to get a job with CompuCredit. I learned a ton and had some great times on visits out to Atlanta to spend time with my co-workers. One time we toured the CNN building and we all got this photo-op with Mr. Ted Turner himself:
Another time we went on a tour of the Atlanta Braves stadium, which was a lot of fun. We got to go in the locker room and in the dugouts too:
On another visit we went Striper (Bass) fishing on Lake Lanier with some of the guys in my department. That was a lot of fun.
Other times our site manager's boss would come out and he'd invite us all to go Skiing with him. Those were fun times too:
Am I sad I'm leaving this job? I'm not sure, but I know one thing is that I'll have great memories of working in the same building for 10+ years. I know it's not common to find people that have worked at one place that long, so I think I kind of wear it like a badge of honor. I hope to make my next job last just as long, if not longer.
My only worry now is that I don't drive to my old work on Monday out of habit.
Friday, January 23, 2009
My poor little girl...
....and kind of "poor little us" (me and Alene). This is my darling baby girl. After weeks, which have lead to months, of trying to teach Bailey to sleep, we are at a loss. We (mostly Alene) have been so diligent in doing exactly as we have been told by friends, family, books, Dr's and nothing seems to have worked.
We have a "routine" for bed. She get's a bath at the same time, the lights are dimmed, and she get's the same lotion. Alene then sings her a song and reads her a book. We've done this without waivering for 6 weeks or so, but nothing has changed.
We tried to let Bailey cry, but after an hour and a half and sometimes two hours, sometimes she would finally fall asleep, but sometimes it was just too much. For whatever reason, you can hear her scream in our house no matter how far you get away from her. We don't sleep, and neither does she. It never really worked. We were very good about not picking her up and just letting her cry, but after weeks and weeks, it never changed.
We asked our pediatrician and the best responses we got were "she shouldn't be crying for more than an hour" and "just keep trying".
Now, like clock-work, Bailey goes to bed at 8-8:30pm and wakes up between 11pm and midnight. We are so beat that we've gotten back to the routine of just picking her up and rocking her back to sleep. She then wakes up about 3 hours later and is finally up for the day about 6-7am.
When we first started trying this, it was because she was "only" sleeping in 4 hour blocks, but now it's 3.
Everyone in the world has given us advice (and we truly are grateful for it), but nothing is working. This is very depressing and we just kind of don't care to get advice anymore, even though we appreciate it.
What's more, I'm just worried that once Bailey finally does learn to sleep (maybe when she's 1?) Alene and I will both likely be "conditioned" to wake up every 3 hours and it will be hard to sleep through the night ourselves.
We love our baby so much and we want for her to be happy and healthy. It's so hard to hear her cries and screams and frustrations at night and not know what to do, other than what we've been told NOT to do (rock her back to sleep).
Through all of this, I still cherish the times of being able to hold her little body, all wrapped up in her blanket in a dark room and just bounce and rock her. I'm always reminded that while it's very hard being a parent, I wouldn't trade it for the life of a non-parent. Sure, there are times I wish I could just go anywhere or do anything I wanted without thought to my children being affected, but there is something almost magical about being a parent that I cannot describe.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Obama's inauguration to cost close to $150 million
HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE? Read the article:
Obama Inauguration to cost $150 million
Yes, I'm aware that $43 million of it was privately raised, but that is still a LOT of dough. The quote that gets me more peeved was stated by the president of his inauguration committee when asked if the general public will view the costs as excessive:
"That is probably not the way the country is going to be looking at it," said committee spokeswoman Linda Douglass. "It is not a celebration of an election. It is a celebration of our common values."
Common values? What? Like spending beyond our means? Over-spending??? I really don't understand that quote one bit.
Look, I'm one that firmly believes that once we elect a president, whether I voted for him or not, I have to support him and hope he leads our country in the right direction, but this grand entrance really pisses me off as an American Citizen and a tax payer. What pisses me off even more is that they're treating Obama like he's a friggin' rock star when he hasn't done squat yet. He has some big decisions to make soon. I really hope he makes the right ones.
Obama Inauguration to cost $150 million
Yes, I'm aware that $43 million of it was privately raised, but that is still a LOT of dough. The quote that gets me more peeved was stated by the president of his inauguration committee when asked if the general public will view the costs as excessive:
"That is probably not the way the country is going to be looking at it," said committee spokeswoman Linda Douglass. "It is not a celebration of an election. It is a celebration of our common values."
Common values? What? Like spending beyond our means? Over-spending??? I really don't understand that quote one bit.
Look, I'm one that firmly believes that once we elect a president, whether I voted for him or not, I have to support him and hope he leads our country in the right direction, but this grand entrance really pisses me off as an American Citizen and a tax payer. What pisses me off even more is that they're treating Obama like he's a friggin' rock star when he hasn't done squat yet. He has some big decisions to make soon. I really hope he makes the right ones.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Coaching with integrity
On occasion I follow my local hometown newspaper, the sacramento bee, to see how some of the local HS sports teams are doing. Over the past few years Sacramento HS, which is considered an "inner city" school has had a coach named Derek Swafford, whom I've read articles on over the past few years. He took this school from shambles and made them into state contenders every year.
He started with setting ground rules and following them to a "T". There was one season where they were deep in the state playoffs and he benched their star player for missing a class. They lost a close game in which if their star player was playing, he could have been the X-factor in winning. The coach didn't waver in his decision and basically stated that they have other players on the team that could have and should have stepped up.
Well, he's at it again. I read this article in the bee and here is the short summary of what he did. Now, it's only early in the season for their team, so it's not the same as a playoff game, but it's so refreshing to see a coach actually stick to his rules.
Sac High suspends 10 players.
Sacramento High School boys basketball coach Derek Swafford confirmed that 10 players were suspended for Thursday's nonleague game at Fairfield for violating team and school rules.
"They did something stupid over the (Christmas) break that I didn't approve of," Swafford said. "It's a one-game deal. We've dealt with it and moved on."
Swafford brought three players up from the junior varsity to join the five remaining varsity players for the Fairfield game, which the No. 3 Dragons lost 74-53 to fall to 9-5. He said the suspended players will be reinstated for tonight's Metro Conference opener at Grant and will play against Skyline of Oakland in Saturday's Father Kelly Tribute at Jesuit.
Neither Swafford nor Sac High athletic director Justin Gatling would say what rules the players violated. But Gatling said those involved also were suspended from school Tuesday.
Gatling said the 10 players also were suspended for last Saturday's game at Reno High School, but that inclement weather also factored into the decision to forfeit the noon contest.
Some people have criticized him for being too harsh on these kids. They say his rules are way over the top compared to most other schools. I beg to differ. In this generation of "me-first", it's about time someone step up say that you will be rewarded for how hard you work and for the effort you put in and not rewarded for being an idiot.
I would like to hope that as a Head Coach of a program, I would act with the same integrity of this guy. I've always read nothing but good things about him. He's a great educator and from what I hear, a great coach.
He started with setting ground rules and following them to a "T". There was one season where they were deep in the state playoffs and he benched their star player for missing a class. They lost a close game in which if their star player was playing, he could have been the X-factor in winning. The coach didn't waver in his decision and basically stated that they have other players on the team that could have and should have stepped up.
Well, he's at it again. I read this article in the bee and here is the short summary of what he did. Now, it's only early in the season for their team, so it's not the same as a playoff game, but it's so refreshing to see a coach actually stick to his rules.
Sac High suspends 10 players.
Sacramento High School boys basketball coach Derek Swafford confirmed that 10 players were suspended for Thursday's nonleague game at Fairfield for violating team and school rules.
"They did something stupid over the (Christmas) break that I didn't approve of," Swafford said. "It's a one-game deal. We've dealt with it and moved on."
Swafford brought three players up from the junior varsity to join the five remaining varsity players for the Fairfield game, which the No. 3 Dragons lost 74-53 to fall to 9-5. He said the suspended players will be reinstated for tonight's Metro Conference opener at Grant and will play against Skyline of Oakland in Saturday's Father Kelly Tribute at Jesuit.
Neither Swafford nor Sac High athletic director Justin Gatling would say what rules the players violated. But Gatling said those involved also were suspended from school Tuesday.
Gatling said the 10 players also were suspended for last Saturday's game at Reno High School, but that inclement weather also factored into the decision to forfeit the noon contest.
Some people have criticized him for being too harsh on these kids. They say his rules are way over the top compared to most other schools. I beg to differ. In this generation of "me-first", it's about time someone step up say that you will be rewarded for how hard you work and for the effort you put in and not rewarded for being an idiot.
I would like to hope that as a Head Coach of a program, I would act with the same integrity of this guy. I've always read nothing but good things about him. He's a great educator and from what I hear, a great coach.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Training a baby to learn to sleep
Lately I've felt like Bailey, who we are "training" to get used to knowing when it's time to sleep......for a long time. It's not easy and Alene has honestly done most of the work. Alene is so good because she's so consistent and believes in staying focused on the task at hand, no matter how hard it is on her own sleep. She sacrifices so much for Bailey. I think most people would give in here and there and just bring their baby into bed with them, but Alene knows that it would mess up all the work we've been putting into getting Bailey used to sleeping.
Bailey still wakes up a few times every night and what we're trying is to just let her cry until she falls back asleep. It's very hard because that crying keeps us up too. If Bailey cries for over an hour, Alene will then go in and get her up, but she usually cries for 45 minutes to an hour, then falls back asleep. I'm so happy that Alene is so strict in this endavor and doesn't waver. She's a great mother.
So, getting to my point about feeling like Bailey. I haven't done any house "projects" for a good 3-4 weeks now. I've done some small stuff here and there (hanging a shelf, dinging around in the garage trying to pretend like I'm doing something), but it's been weird.
For most of the 10 years I lived in my old house, I was constantly working on some sort of "project". I'd take small breaks here and there and it wasn't always "constant", but there was always something to do. Then after I got married and it became even worse (not Alene's fault, it was my own because we had more money coming in I guess).
Just before getting married I tackled a kitchen/bath remodel (the largest "job" I've done for someone to date) for my ex in-laws. This took a lot out of me at that time.
I started off by putting laminate wood flooring in our front room.
Then, I built a playhouse for Caiden.
Then I did a tub/shower tile job.
Then we re-modeled our kitchen/dining area.
Then I built and tiled a shower for my parents.
Then we re-roofed the house.
Then I tiled the bathroom and back laundry room.
Then I painted our bedroom, Caiden's room, and our office area.
Then I moved all our extra stuff out of our house and into storage so it would look more sellable.
Then we sold the house and moved everything else.
Then we bought another house on our way out of town to Canyonlands.
Then we came back and I had this genius idea of expanding our own bedroom to make more room.
Then we went on a trip to Joes Valley just before Bailey was due and we came home to a flooded basement.
Then I spent the rest of summer/fall re-doing our basement AND adding a bookshelf unit.
Not to mention, over the course of completing all the projects I also coached FB during the fall, went on some great camping trips to Arches, Zion, Glacier, and Canyonlands National Parks. We also camped at Escalante, the San Rafael Swell, Robbers Roost, and the Uintas. We tried to fit in hikes here and there as best we could too.
Now it's done and I'm still busy, but I have this itch to work on something else. It drives my mind mad sometimes like I need to be doing a project, but then I have to just talk myself away from that ledge. It's really funny to think of, but sometimes it actually hurts. Like it's a drug. Like I have to "train" myself to not do a project, even though I look at the house and see stuff that could be done to make it nicer. I know it doesn't have to be done and I'm trying my best to just be patient.
Over the course of this time though, this work has taken a toll on my body. My back is constantly sore, more sore than it's ever been. I'm extremely tired all the time. But I'll live. I know I will. There are still things that we want to finish on the house that kind of eat at me. We bought paint for our front room and hallway, but I have yet to do that....but I'm being patient. I recently bought some material to build a lattice wall around our hot tub, so that will be another little project. For the most part though, it's nice to not feel somewhat burdened by it. My only problem is now wasting the free time I have and making it feel like I'm busy. However, this "free" time couldn't have come at a better time because I'm attempting to get back into school this week AND Alene has started her new job, so I'm pretty busy on Monday/Tuesday afternoons/evenings while she's at work.
The thing is, I wish I was strong enough to simplify my life. I wish I could easily choose one thing over the other. My biggest "vice" I would say in my life is my love of being around the game of football. When I'm not, it eats at me constantly. I first started coaching right out of high school and I found what I thought was my calling. I had dreams/aspirations to coach on the college level someday, but now that I decided to take the route of not teaching, I think it's a little more impossible than it ever was. Still, I have an extreme love of the sport.
My biggest thing I'm torn over is the fact that football is during some of the best times to be doing my "other" love, which is being outside camping and hiking (during the fall). Every year around this time I go through the same little feeling of "why am I doing this". I get this urge to just stop and drop football for good, but here is where it gets complicated: Caiden is now playing and loves it.
So, with Caiden playing, all his games are on Saturdays, which takes out every weekend. So even if I wasn't coaching, he would have games that he is obligated to be at. When it comes to sports, I've always tried to live by the "creed" if you will, that you always finish something you start. I would hate to go against that by telling him he wasn't going to be able to play in a game because "I" wanted to go camping. I think that would be selfish and even if I gave him an option to stay or go, I think it would make it hard on him.
Anyway, I'm currently mulling the fact of at least stopping coaching at the HS level. It takes so much time and energy. I think maybe it would be best if I just focused on coaching Caiden's team and leave it at that. If he keeps playing at the HS level, maybe I could help out there too. I just don't know.
Sorry this post may be so depressing. I know I sound like a whiny idiot to most of you, who are probably saying, "buck up and do what you know you're supposed to do". Well, that is the problem...still can't figure it out.
Bailey still wakes up a few times every night and what we're trying is to just let her cry until she falls back asleep. It's very hard because that crying keeps us up too. If Bailey cries for over an hour, Alene will then go in and get her up, but she usually cries for 45 minutes to an hour, then falls back asleep. I'm so happy that Alene is so strict in this endavor and doesn't waver. She's a great mother.
So, getting to my point about feeling like Bailey. I haven't done any house "projects" for a good 3-4 weeks now. I've done some small stuff here and there (hanging a shelf, dinging around in the garage trying to pretend like I'm doing something), but it's been weird.
For most of the 10 years I lived in my old house, I was constantly working on some sort of "project". I'd take small breaks here and there and it wasn't always "constant", but there was always something to do. Then after I got married and it became even worse (not Alene's fault, it was my own because we had more money coming in I guess).
Just before getting married I tackled a kitchen/bath remodel (the largest "job" I've done for someone to date) for my ex in-laws. This took a lot out of me at that time.
I started off by putting laminate wood flooring in our front room.
Then, I built a playhouse for Caiden.
Then I did a tub/shower tile job.
Then we re-modeled our kitchen/dining area.
Then I built and tiled a shower for my parents.
Then we re-roofed the house.
Then I tiled the bathroom and back laundry room.
Then I painted our bedroom, Caiden's room, and our office area.
Then I moved all our extra stuff out of our house and into storage so it would look more sellable.
Then we sold the house and moved everything else.
Then we bought another house on our way out of town to Canyonlands.
Then we came back and I had this genius idea of expanding our own bedroom to make more room.
Then we went on a trip to Joes Valley just before Bailey was due and we came home to a flooded basement.
Then I spent the rest of summer/fall re-doing our basement AND adding a bookshelf unit.
Not to mention, over the course of completing all the projects I also coached FB during the fall, went on some great camping trips to Arches, Zion, Glacier, and Canyonlands National Parks. We also camped at Escalante, the San Rafael Swell, Robbers Roost, and the Uintas. We tried to fit in hikes here and there as best we could too.
Now it's done and I'm still busy, but I have this itch to work on something else. It drives my mind mad sometimes like I need to be doing a project, but then I have to just talk myself away from that ledge. It's really funny to think of, but sometimes it actually hurts. Like it's a drug. Like I have to "train" myself to not do a project, even though I look at the house and see stuff that could be done to make it nicer. I know it doesn't have to be done and I'm trying my best to just be patient.
Over the course of this time though, this work has taken a toll on my body. My back is constantly sore, more sore than it's ever been. I'm extremely tired all the time. But I'll live. I know I will. There are still things that we want to finish on the house that kind of eat at me. We bought paint for our front room and hallway, but I have yet to do that....but I'm being patient. I recently bought some material to build a lattice wall around our hot tub, so that will be another little project. For the most part though, it's nice to not feel somewhat burdened by it. My only problem is now wasting the free time I have and making it feel like I'm busy. However, this "free" time couldn't have come at a better time because I'm attempting to get back into school this week AND Alene has started her new job, so I'm pretty busy on Monday/Tuesday afternoons/evenings while she's at work.
The thing is, I wish I was strong enough to simplify my life. I wish I could easily choose one thing over the other. My biggest "vice" I would say in my life is my love of being around the game of football. When I'm not, it eats at me constantly. I first started coaching right out of high school and I found what I thought was my calling. I had dreams/aspirations to coach on the college level someday, but now that I decided to take the route of not teaching, I think it's a little more impossible than it ever was. Still, I have an extreme love of the sport.
My biggest thing I'm torn over is the fact that football is during some of the best times to be doing my "other" love, which is being outside camping and hiking (during the fall). Every year around this time I go through the same little feeling of "why am I doing this". I get this urge to just stop and drop football for good, but here is where it gets complicated: Caiden is now playing and loves it.
So, with Caiden playing, all his games are on Saturdays, which takes out every weekend. So even if I wasn't coaching, he would have games that he is obligated to be at. When it comes to sports, I've always tried to live by the "creed" if you will, that you always finish something you start. I would hate to go against that by telling him he wasn't going to be able to play in a game because "I" wanted to go camping. I think that would be selfish and even if I gave him an option to stay or go, I think it would make it hard on him.
Anyway, I'm currently mulling the fact of at least stopping coaching at the HS level. It takes so much time and energy. I think maybe it would be best if I just focused on coaching Caiden's team and leave it at that. If he keeps playing at the HS level, maybe I could help out there too. I just don't know.
Sorry this post may be so depressing. I know I sound like a whiny idiot to most of you, who are probably saying, "buck up and do what you know you're supposed to do". Well, that is the problem...still can't figure it out.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
I hate the BCS
and I'm not a fan of the Utah utes (being they're my favorite schools rival), but I respect the hell out of them. They are getting the shaft with not having a chance to officially be crowned "national champions".
If you hate the BCS, like I do, check out this article by former Sports Illustrated and current ESPN magazine columnist Rick Reilly:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3815656
Utah's dominating win really made a great argument for either the end of the BCS system, or allowing the Mountain West Conference to join. We deserve to be a part of the chance to earn more money based on our performance and for a chance to truly play for a national championship.
Read the article (not too long).
If you hate the BCS, like I do, check out this article by former Sports Illustrated and current ESPN magazine columnist Rick Reilly:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3815656
Utah's dominating win really made a great argument for either the end of the BCS system, or allowing the Mountain West Conference to join. We deserve to be a part of the chance to earn more money based on our performance and for a chance to truly play for a national championship.
Read the article (not too long).
Sunday, November 30, 2008
What makes a Hero? What makes us believe?
I just finished reading the book "In the company of Hero's" by Michael Durant, who was the famous Blackhawk night stalker pilot that was shot down in mogadishu and held captive for 11 days before getting released. First, I cannot fathom going through what he did. He was a brave person alone for just surviving what he went through. However, he brought up some interesting points in his book.
He said that growing up he was a Catholic and attended church every sunday with his family. Once he moved out of the house after graduating high school and joining the military, he said he stopped going, but would on occasion ask for a prayer from a non-denominational preacher on the base.
During his captivity, one of the greatest things that was delivered to him was a tiny Holy Bible. It was great in two-fold. The first was that he used it to secretly keep a journal of everything that happened to him from the crash, to the present. He wrote in any areas of blank space in the bible. Second though, he actually started to read the bible and he conjured up a point that is often said: "There are no atheists in fox holes", which meant that even a non-believer will begin to pray to God when faced with their own mortality.
He didn't always consider himself a non-believer, but going through what he went through seemed to bring him closer to God in many ways. From his time after his captivity, he swore his devotion to making God a priority in his life and it has been that way since.
One of the other cool things from his book was the story of the two Delta Snipers I've spoken about before (Gary Gordon and Randy Shugart), who knowing that they would be stepping into a death pit, begged to be released on the ground from a hovering Blackhawk so they could provide support to Durants fallen chopper and crew. I'm still blown away at Durants recount of how they were both so very calm, despite bullets flying around them and people getting closer and closer. Even when he heard Gordon yell, "I'm hit" , it wasn't a shreak, it was matter-of-factly as if to say "dang"as if he was annoyed. These guys were extremely brave and both obviously earned their post-humous Medals of Honor.
But something interesting Mike Durant found. Upon his arrival home and his rehabilitation, he was asked to come to Gary Gordon's hometown in Maine to speak at a memorial for Gary. When he arrived in the town, he stopped by the local library to check out a book on the Medal of Honor so he could do a little research. He noticed it seemed the book was pretty old, but had not been used much. As he looked at the check-out card, he noticed that years ago, a person by the name of Gary Gordon checked out the book. I'm not sure if he did research or what, but he claimed it was Gary who had checked it out last, when he was a teenager.
So that begged the question, what makes a hero? I believe that heros are born and are within some of us and we just don't know it. Guys that join the military, and especially those that are hard-core committed, say like a Gordon or a Shugart, are people think that have what it takes to be a hero. They're calm under pressure and they think clearly. They have something inside of them that is selfless and proud.
I'm proud of those that choose to truly serve our country, not just get into it to get some schooling paid, or free room and board for a few years (although I'm still grateful for those people at least making a commitment to something), but those that believe in what America does, should, and could stand for. People bitch about our country (and I think most of it comes from within our borders), but I'd like to see someone point out to me a better country and how much greater they have it there. When they do, I'll tell them to pack their bags and get their ass over there and enjoy the rest of their days. I'm not going anywhere.
/rant
He said that growing up he was a Catholic and attended church every sunday with his family. Once he moved out of the house after graduating high school and joining the military, he said he stopped going, but would on occasion ask for a prayer from a non-denominational preacher on the base.
During his captivity, one of the greatest things that was delivered to him was a tiny Holy Bible. It was great in two-fold. The first was that he used it to secretly keep a journal of everything that happened to him from the crash, to the present. He wrote in any areas of blank space in the bible. Second though, he actually started to read the bible and he conjured up a point that is often said: "There are no atheists in fox holes", which meant that even a non-believer will begin to pray to God when faced with their own mortality.
He didn't always consider himself a non-believer, but going through what he went through seemed to bring him closer to God in many ways. From his time after his captivity, he swore his devotion to making God a priority in his life and it has been that way since.
One of the other cool things from his book was the story of the two Delta Snipers I've spoken about before (Gary Gordon and Randy Shugart), who knowing that they would be stepping into a death pit, begged to be released on the ground from a hovering Blackhawk so they could provide support to Durants fallen chopper and crew. I'm still blown away at Durants recount of how they were both so very calm, despite bullets flying around them and people getting closer and closer. Even when he heard Gordon yell, "I'm hit" , it wasn't a shreak, it was matter-of-factly as if to say "dang"as if he was annoyed. These guys were extremely brave and both obviously earned their post-humous Medals of Honor.
But something interesting Mike Durant found. Upon his arrival home and his rehabilitation, he was asked to come to Gary Gordon's hometown in Maine to speak at a memorial for Gary. When he arrived in the town, he stopped by the local library to check out a book on the Medal of Honor so he could do a little research. He noticed it seemed the book was pretty old, but had not been used much. As he looked at the check-out card, he noticed that years ago, a person by the name of Gary Gordon checked out the book. I'm not sure if he did research or what, but he claimed it was Gary who had checked it out last, when he was a teenager.
So that begged the question, what makes a hero? I believe that heros are born and are within some of us and we just don't know it. Guys that join the military, and especially those that are hard-core committed, say like a Gordon or a Shugart, are people think that have what it takes to be a hero. They're calm under pressure and they think clearly. They have something inside of them that is selfless and proud.
I'm proud of those that choose to truly serve our country, not just get into it to get some schooling paid, or free room and board for a few years (although I'm still grateful for those people at least making a commitment to something), but those that believe in what America does, should, and could stand for. People bitch about our country (and I think most of it comes from within our borders), but I'd like to see someone point out to me a better country and how much greater they have it there. When they do, I'll tell them to pack their bags and get their ass over there and enjoy the rest of their days. I'm not going anywhere.
/rant
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Falling gas prices
Man, what a drop in prices huh? I could not believe it the other day when I went to fill up my truck and it stopped around $39.50. I thought for sure the nozzle malfunctioned, so I pulled the lever and it filled about $0.25 more and stopped again. I could not believe I was paying less than $40 to fill up the tank (I was on empty). Just to have a little fun, I topped it off enough right at $40, just to kind of feel normal I guess.
Today I was running an errand for work and again, saw gas around $1.85. I immediately got excited and thought, "do I need gas? should I top off my tank?". Then reality set in and I noticed I still have 3/4 of a tank left.
I hope these prices stay low. I'm not an economics guy, so I have no idea how this is happening, but I do know that OPEC controls the prices, so it must be pressure from the world to lower the price per barrel? I have a buddy who is in with some oil people and when prices got really high, he predicted oil would drop below $70 a barrel before Christmas, and they're now at $60. He based his prediction off both inside information and some sort of formula he uses. He is now predicting that oil could drop down to $30 a barrel. I sure hope he's right. I can't stand the thought of having to drive my subaru camping. I would much rather drive the truck.
On a similar note, I am shocked that a bunch of pirates are able to take over a tanker with millions of gallons of oil and get away with it. They take it to their port in Somalia, then hold it "ransom"? Don't we have some super cool ninja soldiers that could bum-rush that ship and just take it back over? Of course, there is the deal with it possibly being rigged with explosives?
Still shocks me that these people can get away with it. I say send a few missle's to teh ship, blow it to nothing. Sure, it's a waste of a ship, but it would send a message. I know, I know. What about the environment. OK, nevermind.
Here is an article on the ship that has been taken over by "pirates":
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4AH1FV20081118
Today I was running an errand for work and again, saw gas around $1.85. I immediately got excited and thought, "do I need gas? should I top off my tank?". Then reality set in and I noticed I still have 3/4 of a tank left.
I hope these prices stay low. I'm not an economics guy, so I have no idea how this is happening, but I do know that OPEC controls the prices, so it must be pressure from the world to lower the price per barrel? I have a buddy who is in with some oil people and when prices got really high, he predicted oil would drop below $70 a barrel before Christmas, and they're now at $60. He based his prediction off both inside information and some sort of formula he uses. He is now predicting that oil could drop down to $30 a barrel. I sure hope he's right. I can't stand the thought of having to drive my subaru camping. I would much rather drive the truck.
On a similar note, I am shocked that a bunch of pirates are able to take over a tanker with millions of gallons of oil and get away with it. They take it to their port in Somalia, then hold it "ransom"? Don't we have some super cool ninja soldiers that could bum-rush that ship and just take it back over? Of course, there is the deal with it possibly being rigged with explosives?
Still shocks me that these people can get away with it. I say send a few missle's to teh ship, blow it to nothing. Sure, it's a waste of a ship, but it would send a message. I know, I know. What about the environment. OK, nevermind.
Here is an article on the ship that has been taken over by "pirates":
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4AH1FV20081118
Monday, November 10, 2008
Prop 8 thoughts
I've hesitated putting something like this together, but I read a good blog from Alene's friend Kristen that described my feelings on it much better. I'm going to pretty much copy and paste an email she received from a friend, along with my own thoughts on Prop 8.
First, I do not want to offend anyone and I'm open to anyone wanting to call me a bigot, discriminator, etc. The fact is, I'll always disagree and I'll always back my beliefs over what someone who claims to be "peaceful" people, want to throw vile words back at my face....
First I guess I'm not completely surprised by the backlash from the community that lost out, but I didn't expect to see some of the hateful tones coming from them. I feel like the democratic process won out and "the people" have spoken. These aren't people that hate, or want to bring any one group down, they are people that are standing up for something they believe in: the definition of the word "Marriage". While watching the news reports of these people blocking others from attending their religious services, attacking police officers, jumping on police cars, etc. I was bothered by the whole scene. I didn't expect this to change their ways (they are free to do what they want in that regard), but I did expect the democratic process to be respected.
I have friends and family members that are homosexual. This doesn't mean I'm some sort of saint, but at the same time, I do feel like I am accepting of their decisions. Still, that should not stop me from supporting something that is sacred to ME: Marriage.
Here is the email that I wanted to post that I thought expressed more of my thoughts and shed a little more light on what happened with Prop 8:
Dear Friends,
In the aftermath of the recent election, we may find ourselves oddly on the
defensive regarding our support for the Yes on Proposition 8 cause. Our
young people have been especially subject to mean spirited comments by high
school friends and teachers. We have nothing to be ashamed of. We did nothing wrong.
In fact, we did everything that a civic minded American can and should do.
I have put together a few facts that help me to appreciate our position better.
For example:
1. Mormons make up less than 2% of the population of California. There are approximately 800,000 LDS out of a total population of approximately 34 million.
2. Mormon voters were less than 5% of the yes vote. If one estimates that 250,000 LDS are registered voters (the rest being children), then LDS voters made up 4.6% of the Yes vote and 2.4% of the total Proposition 8 vote.
3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) donated no money to the Yes on 8 campaign. Individual members of the Church were encouraged to support the Yes on 8 efforts and, exercising their constitutional right to free speech, donated whatever they felt like donating.
4. The No on 8 campaign raised more money than the Yes on 8 campaign. Unofficial estimates put No on 8 at $38 million and Yes on 8 at $32 million, making it the most expensive non-presidential election in the country.
5. Advertising messages for the Yes on 8 campaign are based on case law and real-life situations. The No on 8 supporters have insisted that the Yes on 8 messaging is based on lies. Every Yes on 8 claim is supported.
6. The majority of our friends and neighbors voted Yes on 8. Los Angeles County voted in favor of Yes on 8. Ventura County voted in favor of Yes on 8.
7. African Americans overwhelmingly supported Yes on 8. Exit polls show that 70% of Black voters chose Yes on 8. This was interesting because the majority of these voters voted for President-elect Obama. No on 8 supporters had assumed that Obama voters would vote No on 8.
8. The majority of Latino voters voted Yes on 8. Exit polls show that the majority of Latinos supported Yes on 8 and cited religious beliefs (assumed to be primarily Catholic).
9. The Yes on 8 coalition was a broad spectrum of religious organizations. Catholics, Evangelicals, Protestants, Orthodox Jews, Muslims – all supported Yes on 8. It is estimated that there are 10 million Catholics and 10 million Protestants in California. Mormons were a tiny fraction of the
population represented by Yes on 8 coalition members.
10. Not all Mormons voted in favor of Proposition 8. Our faith accords that each person be allowed to choose for him or her self. Church leaders have asked members to treat other members with "civility,respect and love,"despite their differing views.
11. The Church did not violate the principal of separation of church and state. This principle is derived from the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof . . ." The phrase "separation of church and state", which does not appear in the
Constitution itself, is generally traced to an 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson, although it has since been quoted in several opinions handed down by the United States Supreme Court in recent years. The LDS Church is under no obligation to refrain from participating in the
political process, to the extent permitted by law. U.S. election law is very clear that Churches may not endorse candidates, but may support issues. The Church as always been very careful on this matter and occasionally (not often) chooses to support causes that it feels to be of a moral nature.
12. Supporters of Proposition 8 did exactly what the Constitution provides for all citizens: they exercised their First Amendment rights to speak out on an issue that concerned them, make contributions to a cause that they support, and then vote in the regular electoral process. For the most part, this seems to have been done in an open, fair, and civil way. Opponents of 8 have accused supporters of being bigots, liars, and worse. The fact is, we simply did what Americans do – we spoke up, we campaigned, and we voted.
These are my personal opinions and thoughts; any errors are mine and in no way reflect official Church policy or doctrine.
Thanks,
Kevin Hamilton
I really hope that before someone wants to refer to me as a mindless bigot or discriminator, that they consider this email.
First, I do not want to offend anyone and I'm open to anyone wanting to call me a bigot, discriminator, etc. The fact is, I'll always disagree and I'll always back my beliefs over what someone who claims to be "peaceful" people, want to throw vile words back at my face....
First I guess I'm not completely surprised by the backlash from the community that lost out, but I didn't expect to see some of the hateful tones coming from them. I feel like the democratic process won out and "the people" have spoken. These aren't people that hate, or want to bring any one group down, they are people that are standing up for something they believe in: the definition of the word "Marriage". While watching the news reports of these people blocking others from attending their religious services, attacking police officers, jumping on police cars, etc. I was bothered by the whole scene. I didn't expect this to change their ways (they are free to do what they want in that regard), but I did expect the democratic process to be respected.
I have friends and family members that are homosexual. This doesn't mean I'm some sort of saint, but at the same time, I do feel like I am accepting of their decisions. Still, that should not stop me from supporting something that is sacred to ME: Marriage.
Here is the email that I wanted to post that I thought expressed more of my thoughts and shed a little more light on what happened with Prop 8:
Dear Friends,
In the aftermath of the recent election, we may find ourselves oddly on the
defensive regarding our support for the Yes on Proposition 8 cause. Our
young people have been especially subject to mean spirited comments by high
school friends and teachers. We have nothing to be ashamed of. We did nothing wrong.
In fact, we did everything that a civic minded American can and should do.
I have put together a few facts that help me to appreciate our position better.
For example:
1. Mormons make up less than 2% of the population of California. There are approximately 800,000 LDS out of a total population of approximately 34 million.
2. Mormon voters were less than 5% of the yes vote. If one estimates that 250,000 LDS are registered voters (the rest being children), then LDS voters made up 4.6% of the Yes vote and 2.4% of the total Proposition 8 vote.
3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) donated no money to the Yes on 8 campaign. Individual members of the Church were encouraged to support the Yes on 8 efforts and, exercising their constitutional right to free speech, donated whatever they felt like donating.
4. The No on 8 campaign raised more money than the Yes on 8 campaign. Unofficial estimates put No on 8 at $38 million and Yes on 8 at $32 million, making it the most expensive non-presidential election in the country.
5. Advertising messages for the Yes on 8 campaign are based on case law and real-life situations. The No on 8 supporters have insisted that the Yes on 8 messaging is based on lies. Every Yes on 8 claim is supported.
6. The majority of our friends and neighbors voted Yes on 8. Los Angeles County voted in favor of Yes on 8. Ventura County voted in favor of Yes on 8.
7. African Americans overwhelmingly supported Yes on 8. Exit polls show that 70% of Black voters chose Yes on 8. This was interesting because the majority of these voters voted for President-elect Obama. No on 8 supporters had assumed that Obama voters would vote No on 8.
8. The majority of Latino voters voted Yes on 8. Exit polls show that the majority of Latinos supported Yes on 8 and cited religious beliefs (assumed to be primarily Catholic).
9. The Yes on 8 coalition was a broad spectrum of religious organizations. Catholics, Evangelicals, Protestants, Orthodox Jews, Muslims – all supported Yes on 8. It is estimated that there are 10 million Catholics and 10 million Protestants in California. Mormons were a tiny fraction of the
population represented by Yes on 8 coalition members.
10. Not all Mormons voted in favor of Proposition 8. Our faith accords that each person be allowed to choose for him or her self. Church leaders have asked members to treat other members with "civility,respect and love,"despite their differing views.
11. The Church did not violate the principal of separation of church and state. This principle is derived from the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof . . ." The phrase "separation of church and state", which does not appear in the
Constitution itself, is generally traced to an 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson, although it has since been quoted in several opinions handed down by the United States Supreme Court in recent years. The LDS Church is under no obligation to refrain from participating in the
political process, to the extent permitted by law. U.S. election law is very clear that Churches may not endorse candidates, but may support issues. The Church as always been very careful on this matter and occasionally (not often) chooses to support causes that it feels to be of a moral nature.
12. Supporters of Proposition 8 did exactly what the Constitution provides for all citizens: they exercised their First Amendment rights to speak out on an issue that concerned them, make contributions to a cause that they support, and then vote in the regular electoral process. For the most part, this seems to have been done in an open, fair, and civil way. Opponents of 8 have accused supporters of being bigots, liars, and worse. The fact is, we simply did what Americans do – we spoke up, we campaigned, and we voted.
These are my personal opinions and thoughts; any errors are mine and in no way reflect official Church policy or doctrine.
Thanks,
Kevin Hamilton
I really hope that before someone wants to refer to me as a mindless bigot or discriminator, that they consider this email.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
It's peanut butter jelly time
It's been a while since I've blogged. Mostly because I've been pretty busy, despite not having to work a lot since Bailey was born. She's just over 3 weeks old now and we're having fun just getting to know her more. Still, I thought I'd get more sleep than I'm getting, or more time for resting and naps and fun stuff like that. Even though Alene gets up with her every night (especially every 2-3 hours every night), I still wake up with her and don't really fall back asleep until Bailey stops crying, or sometimes I have so much on my mind I can't fall back asleep.
So, not as much sleep. Also, I'm coaching football, which takes a lot of time, but not just high school, I'm also an assistant on Caiden's team, so every day I'm gone from 2pm to close to 8pm coaching football. I still have to check into work a couple of times a week to get some stuff done there. AND, I'm trying to get our basement finished. I've got all the rooms mudded and almost ready for paint except for the main living room, where I have to take out our old heat stove and I'm replacing it with a gas fireplace.
Anyway, I really want to blog about Alene and how wonderful of a mother she has been. I honestly can't say enough about how great she is. When I whine about not getting enough sleep, I whine for both of us really, but more for her. She is the one getting up every 2-3 hours through out the night with Bailey, but here is the thing, she NEVER complains. Not one bit and she does it with an almost glee about her, like she's excited to take care of our baby. I could not ask for a better mother for our child. The thing is she could whine to me if she wanted to because she deserves it, but she never does. If it were me and I had to get up, I'd kind of be grumpy or something. Not her. She's amazing and we don't deserve her.
Bailey is amazing too. I really can see the bond she is forming with Alene. When Alene talks, she just stares at her forever. Bailey loves here so much and obviously depends on her, but she's just so cute when she's mesmerized by her mommy talking to her. I love it too when Bailey cracks a little smile. She definitely has the beautiful smile that her mom has.
Caiden has been busy with football and school. He has games every Saturday and practices 3 nights a week. It's nice for him to be able to get up, get dressed, breakfast, make lunch (usually PB&J or a turkey sandwich), and have him walk off to school with the neighbors. A few kids on his team go to his school and are even in his class, so that's nice for him to start off a new school with kids he knows. The only tough part that I'm not sure how to deal with, is that he had an incident where he was chased home by a couple of bullies yesterday. I still don't know how to deal with that. My first obvious reaction is to tell him to stand his ground and fight them, but I know it's the wrong thing. We're going to see if anything happens again. If it does, we'll take action by contacting the school, but other than that, I hope the kids chasing him were just playing around and Caiden just took them too serious.
This is life though.
So, not as much sleep. Also, I'm coaching football, which takes a lot of time, but not just high school, I'm also an assistant on Caiden's team, so every day I'm gone from 2pm to close to 8pm coaching football. I still have to check into work a couple of times a week to get some stuff done there. AND, I'm trying to get our basement finished. I've got all the rooms mudded and almost ready for paint except for the main living room, where I have to take out our old heat stove and I'm replacing it with a gas fireplace.
Anyway, I really want to blog about Alene and how wonderful of a mother she has been. I honestly can't say enough about how great she is. When I whine about not getting enough sleep, I whine for both of us really, but more for her. She is the one getting up every 2-3 hours through out the night with Bailey, but here is the thing, she NEVER complains. Not one bit and she does it with an almost glee about her, like she's excited to take care of our baby. I could not ask for a better mother for our child. The thing is she could whine to me if she wanted to because she deserves it, but she never does. If it were me and I had to get up, I'd kind of be grumpy or something. Not her. She's amazing and we don't deserve her.
Bailey is amazing too. I really can see the bond she is forming with Alene. When Alene talks, she just stares at her forever. Bailey loves here so much and obviously depends on her, but she's just so cute when she's mesmerized by her mommy talking to her. I love it too when Bailey cracks a little smile. She definitely has the beautiful smile that her mom has.
Caiden has been busy with football and school. He has games every Saturday and practices 3 nights a week. It's nice for him to be able to get up, get dressed, breakfast, make lunch (usually PB&J or a turkey sandwich), and have him walk off to school with the neighbors. A few kids on his team go to his school and are even in his class, so that's nice for him to start off a new school with kids he knows. The only tough part that I'm not sure how to deal with, is that he had an incident where he was chased home by a couple of bullies yesterday. I still don't know how to deal with that. My first obvious reaction is to tell him to stand his ground and fight them, but I know it's the wrong thing. We're going to see if anything happens again. If it does, we'll take action by contacting the school, but other than that, I hope the kids chasing him were just playing around and Caiden just took them too serious.
This is life though.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
I'm PRETTY sure we're being cursed now
Hardest hail storm I've seen hits us and gets to some of our stuff that was stored outside. I have no other place for it all right now.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
A somewhat embarrasing moment
We have window washers here at my building and I have a private cubicle next to the windows, which makes for a decent view. Well, as I am curious about rappelling and wanting to learn as much as I can about it, I turned around and was checking out all the climbing gear the dude was using as he rappelled down the building to clean the windows. We have tinted windows on the outside, so my subconscious thought the dude couldn't see me. As I was getting a count of all his gear, I noticed he stopped what he was doing and as I looked up, he was staring at me, kind of wondering what the hell I was looking at. Since he couldn't hear me, I just turned around and decided to not try to explain.
Dude probably thought I was checking HIM out. Oh well.
On a side note (I was going to post this, but then the awkward situation came up), what is with the fascination for hot stuff? Who gets satisfaction by burning the crap out of their mouths? I sure don't. It seems to me that people that like really hot stuff are just in competition with other people that like really hot stuff. They want to prove how their "hot tolerance" is so bad ass. I like mild stuff with a tang of hot in it, but I'm not about to wolf down some alien powder or something like that.
Dude probably thought I was checking HIM out. Oh well.
On a side note (I was going to post this, but then the awkward situation came up), what is with the fascination for hot stuff? Who gets satisfaction by burning the crap out of their mouths? I sure don't. It seems to me that people that like really hot stuff are just in competition with other people that like really hot stuff. They want to prove how their "hot tolerance" is so bad ass. I like mild stuff with a tang of hot in it, but I'm not about to wolf down some alien powder or something like that.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Honoring the Past
I'm very proud of my grandparents. My dad's father worked as a supervisor during WWII building cannons for the battle ships. I remember when we was younger (around 9 or 10 in fact, it's in my journal), going to the Sacramento Delta with my grandparents where there were two giant battle ships that were brought into port for show (they were obviously retired). My grandpa Root specifically pointed out the giant cannons on these guns and how he used to work in factories that built them. He was quite proud of the job he did, as was I.
Later on, I learned that my mom's dad "Grandpa Pete", was in the Army Air Corps when he was fresh out of high school and he fought in many battles during the war (Pacific), one of which he was shot twice. I was blown away that my grandpa pete had been a soldier in the war, that he actually saw battle.
On a particular visit with us, my mom asked if he would sit down and talk about his experience in the war and what he went through. My grandpa was always a very easy-going type and fun to be around (the dude is 85...or is it 86?? and he's still maintaining an acre plot filled with a garden, christmas trees, etc.) and it was odd to me to think that he was one of those soldiers you see in remake movies and TV shows; he just didn't seem to be that type.
Anyway, he went on to tell us that he had just served in a few battles in the pacific and was on leave in seattle it seemed? He said there was a cargo plane heading out to an un-marked island to drop supplies to some of the guys there. He said they needed some help, so he volunteered to go along. He said they made their landing, dropped the supplies, then as they took off, their plane was shot. He had to jump from the plane at a low altitude with his parachute. He said as he parachuted down, he was shot twice. He landed, ditched the chute, then hid in the brush for a couple of days until more help arrived.
He talked about it so matter-of-factly. I often wonder what details he left out, or what kind of fear he remembers having. What were his thoughts, laying in the brush after having been shot?
Anyway, my brother Russ is wanting to make some sort of documentary on my grandpa. In making it, he sent my mom with his uniform and a description of all the medals on it.
I'm so proud of my ancestors and grateful for the example they've set for me. They were raised in a tough time and I think they will always be remembered as Tom Brokaw calls them, the "Greatest Generation".
Click on the link above each picture that will take you to a link with descriptions of each medal attached to it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/root_family/2627467282/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/root_family/2626658575/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/root_family/2626657561/
Where is the motivation??
I know this kid who is an immigrant from another country here. They've lived here for roughly 9-10 years. Dad doesn't work, mom works p/t under the table as a motel maid or something like that. Older 20 year old brother doesn't work. As I got talking to him a bit more about finding a job this summer, he said he wasn't allowed to work because if he does, his parent's rent goes up. He basically said that his parents make the same amount of money NOT working as they would if they had to go find a job with their education and skill sets. Both of his parents only speak VERY broken english, so it's hard enough as it is to find a job that would pay decent enough (my guess is barely above minimum wage).
At first I was fuming thinking about our welfare system and in general, the flaws of socialism. Then, I calmed down and began to consider that it's just his interpretation of the situation. If I was to assume he was wrong, then I could blame it on his parents just being lazy. If I was to assume he was right, I could definitely blame it on our system. I'm leaning toward him being right and the system because this isn't the first time I've heard of this.
Which brings me to a point of sorts: Flaws. Both Capitalism and Socialism are flawed in many ways. I'm not educated enough to go over all the points of each, but in general it seems to me that in Capitalism, the flaws that come with it is the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. In Socialism the flaws are that you can still have an extreme rich and extreme poor, but you also breed a lot of laziness.
I was listening to Glenn Beck the other day (yeah, yeah, he's a nut-case, but he can be pretty entertaining and sarcastic) and he made a good point in favor of capitalism. He was going off about how people were up in arms about some oil exec making 20 million a year salary when prices were so friggin' high. He explained that that was how capitalism works. He then went on to say why we aren't freaking out about movie stars making 20 million a movie when the cost of going to the movie and vending prices rise? Now, I know a movie ticket isn't $13 (yet), but it was an interesting point.
I'm very confused what to think. I would be anti-capitalism if I were to say "exec's of major companies and movie stars should have caps on what they can make", but I'd be anti-socialism if I were to say "let them make all the money they want; it's nobodies business".
Isn't there a middle ground?
I'm so torn on what to believe and what to stand for. I know I basically stand for decency, pride, hard work, responsibility, taking care of the sick/needy (the TRULY sick/needy), and loving your neighbor. I believe in going to war for a good cause. I'm so tired of this war we are in right now. I used to believe it was for a good cause and I still don't think we were lied to about the whole "weapons of mass destruction" thing, but I'm just tired of it. The good thing is that we don't have a death rate of say a Vietnam "conflict", but it's just getting to me. I'm not sure what to think of it anymore. I choose to support our troops there in getting the job done, but that is about the best I can think of doing. On those lines, are we the world's police? Should we be involved with "the world" or should we only take care of ourselves?
Lot's of things I'm pondering from time to time.
At first I was fuming thinking about our welfare system and in general, the flaws of socialism. Then, I calmed down and began to consider that it's just his interpretation of the situation. If I was to assume he was wrong, then I could blame it on his parents just being lazy. If I was to assume he was right, I could definitely blame it on our system. I'm leaning toward him being right and the system because this isn't the first time I've heard of this.
Which brings me to a point of sorts: Flaws. Both Capitalism and Socialism are flawed in many ways. I'm not educated enough to go over all the points of each, but in general it seems to me that in Capitalism, the flaws that come with it is the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. In Socialism the flaws are that you can still have an extreme rich and extreme poor, but you also breed a lot of laziness.
I was listening to Glenn Beck the other day (yeah, yeah, he's a nut-case, but he can be pretty entertaining and sarcastic) and he made a good point in favor of capitalism. He was going off about how people were up in arms about some oil exec making 20 million a year salary when prices were so friggin' high. He explained that that was how capitalism works. He then went on to say why we aren't freaking out about movie stars making 20 million a movie when the cost of going to the movie and vending prices rise? Now, I know a movie ticket isn't $13 (yet), but it was an interesting point.
I'm very confused what to think. I would be anti-capitalism if I were to say "exec's of major companies and movie stars should have caps on what they can make", but I'd be anti-socialism if I were to say "let them make all the money they want; it's nobodies business".
Isn't there a middle ground?
I'm so torn on what to believe and what to stand for. I know I basically stand for decency, pride, hard work, responsibility, taking care of the sick/needy (the TRULY sick/needy), and loving your neighbor. I believe in going to war for a good cause. I'm so tired of this war we are in right now. I used to believe it was for a good cause and I still don't think we were lied to about the whole "weapons of mass destruction" thing, but I'm just tired of it. The good thing is that we don't have a death rate of say a Vietnam "conflict", but it's just getting to me. I'm not sure what to think of it anymore. I choose to support our troops there in getting the job done, but that is about the best I can think of doing. On those lines, are we the world's police? Should we be involved with "the world" or should we only take care of ourselves?
Lot's of things I'm pondering from time to time.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
I wish I could play music
I LOVE music, but I don't know music theory. I don't know really how to read music. I don't know really how to play an instrument. I can strum the following chords: A, C, D, E, F, and G. These are with a basic tuning. I still suck though because I really don't know how to "basically" tune my guitar. I mean, I know how to hold down strings and make them match up to move onto the next string, but I couldn't tell you what note I was tuning it to (is it D???). I really wish I understood it all.
It's not as if I wish I was a rock star (OK.....I do, but not for the sex & drugs portion of it). I wish I could just play well enough to jam in a band and have fun doing it. I wish I understood it.
While watching this project that Rivers is doing, where he's allowing the fans to help him create a song, I wish I had some level of talent to at least TRY to contribute, but I don't. I suck.
Anyway, I'm 31 now, and I have an acoustic guitar and Caiden's little kid drum kit. I'm guessing I could start off with something like that. I have this dream one day that I'll take guitar lessons, or that playing the guitar will just "come easy" when i pick it up. I watch people play on TV, then I think, "that looked easy", then I'll pick up my guitar and I'll attempt to try the basic chords and it will sound like crap.
Anyway, just a rant. I'm just jealous of those people that music comes easy to, or that are creative enough to take a chord and make a song, or are able to hear a song and play the right chords to match up to it.
It's not as if I wish I was a rock star (OK.....I do, but not for the sex & drugs portion of it). I wish I could just play well enough to jam in a band and have fun doing it. I wish I understood it.
While watching this project that Rivers is doing, where he's allowing the fans to help him create a song, I wish I had some level of talent to at least TRY to contribute, but I don't. I suck.
Anyway, I'm 31 now, and I have an acoustic guitar and Caiden's little kid drum kit. I'm guessing I could start off with something like that. I have this dream one day that I'll take guitar lessons, or that playing the guitar will just "come easy" when i pick it up. I watch people play on TV, then I think, "that looked easy", then I'll pick up my guitar and I'll attempt to try the basic chords and it will sound like crap.
Anyway, just a rant. I'm just jealous of those people that music comes easy to, or that are creative enough to take a chord and make a song, or are able to hear a song and play the right chords to match up to it.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
It's FRICKIN' SNOWING!!!!!
Holy crap, this has been the coldest/weirdest winter I've ever experienced here. What happened to Global Warming????? I'm sure there is some explanation that Al Gore can spin about how this is a side-affect of global warming, but we should all be assured that the polar caps are still melting.
Anyway, I was hoping for warmer weather by the end of April. We have a camping trip to make on May 1st, but luckily it's in Canyonlands.
Anyway, I was hoping for warmer weather by the end of April. We have a camping trip to make on May 1st, but luckily it's in Canyonlands.
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