He’s two weeks old already?

Published on June 27, 2009 in Daily Life. 0 Comments

There’s nothing in my life I’ve come to love more than when I get to forget about the outside world and just spend time with my family.

It blows my mind that Seth was two weeks old yesterday. It seems like we waited forever for him to get here and now it’s hard to imagine him not being a part of our family. That’s not to say that everyday doesn’t bring with it new and exciting experiences. Me, Lisa, and Maggie had really developed a routine for most any occasions and needless to say routine doesn’t find its way in our vocabulary much these days. But it is amazing.

I said before that it seemed like forever that we waited for him to get her. It speaks to how much something so small can change everything about your world. These first two weeks have taken me back to when Maggie was first born in my mind like nothing else. I find myself looking through old pictures and watching movie clips. It doesn’t seem like she was ever as small as Seth. But likewise, it’s almost impossible to think of Seth being any smaller if I wasn’t so aware of how much he’s grown. The only word I have is that it is surreal.

I remember talking, and thinking, and rambling this way about Maggie, but despite having been a parent to a newborn before, it is all new to me all over again.

Seth is amazing. He has so much personality and he’s not even a month old. He’s not yet to the point developmentally when he’s really able to smile or laugh, but already he has such a personality. It may not be something that everyone notices, but it’s there. Me and Lisa already call him our Little Old Man because of an expression he has where he’ll sit and stare at you, his mouth a very small oval, and a little wrinkle up forehead and looking like, you guessed it, a little old man.

And Maggie is a very proud big sister. She was more than a little unhappy at first about having a brother and not a sister, but you wouldn’t know it now. I know this hasn’t been the easiest for her having not had to share her parents for 4 years and now having this new little thing take up more of their time and attention. But she has been awesome and I couldn’t be more proud of her. Last Saturday we got to have a Daddy Daughter Date Night put on by our church and it was an amazing time to let her be the center of attention. And she played the part of Princess Under the Sea with perfection.

I’m so proud of my little man and I can’t wait for each new day to see what it will bring. My princess is absolutely amazing and nothing lights up my world like seeing the smile on her face when she runs to me yelling, “Daddy!” I didn’t think I could love someone as much as I loved Lisa until Maggie came into our world, I felt the same way about the two of them when Seth joined our family. I’m blessed beyond measure and pray everyday that I can grow to be the husband and father they all deserve.

Seth is here!

Published on June 12, 2009 in . 0 Comments

Seth is here! He was born June 12, 2009 at 12:04pm weighing 8 lbs and measuring 20 in long. He is amazing!

Two weeks and counting

Published on June 2, 2009 in . 0 Comments

Well, Lisa’s belly button has gone from “innie” to “outie”. Isn’t that supposed to be like a timer for when the “bun” is done in the “oven” and ready to meet the world? Yes or no, today we are at two weeks and counting until the due date. I can’t wait to be a dad again, and it makes it all the more cooler that this time Lisa’s having a boy. Here’s hoping these two weeks pass quick.

More things I don’t understand: App prices

Published on May 15, 2009 in . 0 Comments

Okay, so here’s the thing – I’m cheap. And when I say cheap what I mean is that there isn’t a lot of software I’m willing to pay for. (Unfortunately the software that I am willing to pay for tends to start with “A” and ends with “dobe” and it definitely is not cheap.) I’m talking about reluctance to pay for software for my computer, but now I’ve got the App World on my phone and I think some of these people are nuts! In all seriousness, there aren’t many programs on my computer that break the $20 price point. So hopefully with that in mind you understand my confusion when I see items in the App World ON MY PHONE that are like $20-$30! What?! Hey, if your software is useful and does it’s job well I don’t mind paying for it, but a few things to think about:

First, let me try your app and don’t make me drop cash on it and hope for the best. Yes, I know there is a demo period where you offer refunds. How about we just try a demo period where I pay at the end if I like it? Oh, that’s right, you’re hoping I pay for it and either forget or don’t request my refund in time and you get to keep my money for a sub-par product. Not cool.

Second, you’re asking me to pay more for app that is less useful than an app I can get on my computer which does more for CHEAPER. Again, you = on my phone and not as useful vs. program on my computer = on my computer and more useful. Additionally, you = more expensive w/ no demo vs program on my computer = less expensive if not free w/ a trial period.

I’ve admitted that I’m cheap. Maybe you’re trying to charge a premium because it’s portable or it provides a function that is uniquley tailored to a portable form factor. Either way, despite a few exceptions, a lot of what I’ve seen doesn’t really break $9.99 threshold for me.

Things I don’t understand: Casual Lost viewers

Published on May 15, 2009 in . 0 Comments

If you’re a Lost fan and have seen the finale you are fully aware of the level of “WHAT THE?!?!” you are left with at the end of the episode. Well, if you know me I’m not what you would call a casual Lost fan which is why the following (paraphrased) conversation makes no sense to me:

Me: What did you think of the finale?
Lisa: It was really good.

Me: So with what we’ve learned, where do you think we’re headed? What’s gonna happen next season.
Lisa: I don’t really think about it that much. I just enjoy watching the show.

Me: … What?

from Qik: Lost Season 5 Finale Discussion

Published on May 13, 2009 in . 0 Comments

I talked Pat and Bean into playing Question and Answer while we were waiting for the Season 5 finale of Lost. We all throw out one thing we hope to know by the end of the episode as well as ponder where we think we’ll be left at the end of the episode.

Seth’s dresser is finished!

Published on May 11, 2009 in . 0 Comments

Seth's Dresser

Seth’s dresser is finished! Which means that the room is pretty much ready for Seth. That’s really the last big thing on the to do list. With only about 5 weeks left and things really coming together it all feels more real each day.

My lil’ athlete

Published on May 11, 2009 in . 0 Comments

Maggie at the TUSC Classic

Maggie’s first season playing soccer finally came to a close this past Saturday. Overall she really seemed to enjoy the experience. The kids definitely seemed to prefer practice to games, however. I think we fried the poor children’s brains because all week at home we tell them, “Play nice. You better share.” But get them on a soccer field we’re yelling for them to take the ball from the other kids. But at the end of the day Maggie has a cool medal she is rather proud of and had fun with some new friends. We’ll take that as a win at least.

Back in Black(berry)

Published on May 9, 2009 in Geek. 0 Comments

Well, it was a nice run, but after a couple months with a G1 I’m back to old faithful – Blackberry. It was my original intention when going in for my long awaited upgrade to simply take a step up the Blackberry ladder from my Curve 8300 to the Curve 8900. But before I made the leap I was going to try and be a responsible consumer and at least see what other options were on the table and I ended up walking away with a G1. It was a good run, but after being back in my Blackberry for a few weeks I have to say it’s nice to be home.

I have long been past being able to use just a phone. Having used a Blackberry or other smart phone with work the last few years, I’ve just gotten too used to have all my pertinent data – contacts, calendar, e-mail, apps, etc. – all at my fingertips. The upgrade in the Blackberry family seemed a done deal because going in I didn’t see any products as contenders for me. That’s not to say there were not options, the problem is that the chief alternative was Windows Mobile and that simply held no interest for me. Despite that, I briefly looked at the Shadow 2, but it just came up lacking for me. I wanted a full QWERTY keyboard, not SureType again – I used that on the Pearl and while I didn’t mind it, I got used to a full keyboard again. And probably the most detrimental is that after you get past the initial GUI layer HTC drops on the device, it’s still Windows Mobile and I’m just not going to put myself through that frustration on a daily basis. At this point I was looking at either old faithful or the G1 so I started looking at T-Mobile’s best iPhone alternative.

The device really did catch me off guard. Being an Apple fanboy I had spent a fair amount of time poking and prodding the iPhone and really liked some of the fun and polish it seemed to offer. The G1 seemed to offer a lot of the fun of the iPhone but also answered one of my chief iPhone complaints – it has a physical keyboard. I hadn’t ever taken the same time to mess around on a G1 that I had the iPhone so I really didn’t know what to expect. From the first time I picked the phone up I was pleasantly surprised. Even now there is a lot I like about it, but in the end it just wasn’t the right fit for me.

First and foremost I was always afraid I was going to break the screen off when in typing mode. Even now Android doesn’t include an on-screen keyboard which only leaves the hardware keyboard for text entry. Any time I had the device in typing mode and had to use the touch screen it just made me nervous. Also there is the issue of what is affectionately referred to as the G1’s “chin”. It just made the keyboard annoying to use. It seems that one design change could have fixed two things that annoyed me about the device. Other HTC devices that have a hidden keyboard typically keep the screen and face buttons together instead of on two seperate pieces. On these devices the screen has seemed much more stable and you also don’t have a 1/4″ of plastic you have to work around to type. The keyboard may not be as much of an issue for some, but I use my phone as a notebook, not to mention I email and text at least twice as much as I make phone calls, and that makes these two issues a huge fail point for me. The next two upcoming Android handsets from HTC seem to answer this complaint, but I really wanted a phone that worked well for me now. We won’t even start talking about battery life.

Up until now my complaints lied almost solely with the hardware. I say solely because a software keyboard may have alleviated some of my frustration, but that’s beside the point. I really, really did like the Android software. I’m a huge Apple fanboy and would love to have an iPhone if it wouldn’t cost me considerably more a month to use AT&T instead of T-Mobile, but T-Mobile it is so here we are. But what I like about the iPhone isn’t just that it’s an Apple product, but I think it performs it’s function incredibly well. Because of that, going forward it is the standard by which all touch screen phones will and should be judged by. The Storm is a fail. Most Windows Mobile phones are a fail. All the other copycats I’ve seen work – sort of, but aren’t real contenders. Android, however, gets a lot of things right. The biggest reservation I still have about the device is that it is tied hand and foot to Google. I’m a big Google fan and a user of many of their services so I don’t mind the phone incorporating Google, what I do mind is that Google is the beginning and ending of the phone. At this point I admit that a lot of this may be a issue of perception, but as your perception often dictates your reality, it was enough for me. You just don’t have any way of doing things than Google’s way, you don’t have any options other than Google’s options. There isn’t one specific thing Android did or didn’t do that I did or didn’t like, it simply became an issue of workflow. As I used the device I just missed my Blackberry.

I like Android and have no doubt that I’ll use another Android phone some time in the future, but the G1 just didn’t cut it for me. The hardware was much more a significant fail point for me than the software, but even there I found myself missing the workflow I had developed with Blackberry. I can’t wait to see the Android devices rumored for T-Mobile later this year, not to mention Blackberry’s Storm 2, and even the Pre has my interest piqued. But despite all this I still can’t wait for what Apple has in store for us. Hey, I love my Blackberry, but like I told you, I’m an Apple fanboy.

Is the cost more than I can bear?

Published on April 8, 2009 in Daily Life and Reflective. 0 Comments

The last year has been in some ways the most gratifying year of my life while also being one of the hardest. I guess what they say is true, that nothing worth it is ever easy. With that being said I’m in an interesting place, of course I always feel like I’m in an interesting place. I’ll disect that train of thought later. Back to the interesting place I am now.

For some reason or another I relate various situations in my life or emotions I’m feeling at a given time to a song or scene from a TV show or movie. Often times I could articulate what I mean and how I’m feeling, but the added depth of seeing relatable emotions played out on screen or in music is useful in helping people understand. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the opening scene in First Knight that introduces us to Lancelot. If you’ve seen the movie, I’m sure the scene sticks out because that one scene does a great job of setting up this movie and catching your attention right off the bat, but I digress. So, for those who haven’t seen the movie or its been awhile and you’re not sure what I’m talking about, the scene goes something like this. Basically Lancelot travels from town to town making a living by challenging all the town’s fighters to duels for money. In these duels it’s not a contest to the death, to win you must simply disarm your opponent. After watching Lancelot fight a time or two what we can assume is the town’s best fighter steps out to challenge Lancelot and seems to give me a decent go. However, in the end Lancelot disarms him and wins the contest. In shock and admiration the fighter asks Lancelot, “Is it a trick? How’d you do that? Can you teach me to do that?” To which Lancelot tells him that he can teach him and that there are only three things he must do: One – you must study your opponent so you know what he’s going to do before he does it. Two – you have to know the one moment in every fight where you win or lose, and you have to know how to wait for it. The fighter quickly acknowledges his ability for the first two, but it’s the third that stops him in his tracks. Three – and you have to not care whether you live or die.

I’m not trying to be melodramatic when I draw the parallel of life being a battle, it just works especially in the context of the current illustration. But life is a fight and there is a cost that must be paid for whatever we do. But what if that cost is more than we can pay? In the Patriot, Mel Gibson’s character has a line in which he says, “I have long feared that my sins would return to visit me, and the cost is more than I can bear.” You see each of us carries into each new situation the weight of the last “battle” and it seems that no matter what you do, how hard you try, or how far you run those past sins will catch up to you. And when they do you must confront them. That brings me back to my point, hopefully.

When things come to a point that they must be dealt with you have to stand and fight and this is where I find myself thinking of the scene in First Knight. Because I know my mistakes better than anyone. So in that, I answer Lancelot’s first requirement that I study my opponent because so often in life our opponent is ourself. I know lately my adversary has been myself. Secondly, knowing what decision your opponent will make before he does and know the moment where the battle is one or lost. The first part gets convoluded because I’m already battling myself and if I knew what I was going to do in the end, the battle would be uneccesary. (Ooh, brain hurts like it does at the end of a Season 5 episode of Lost) But I kind of hone in on the second part of knowing the point when the battle is either won or lost. To me this is almost an echoing of the first requirement, but just slightly different. It goes back to knowing what you’re getting yourself into to. You have to know your opponents moves and you have to know when to strike. But it was thinking about Lancelot’s third requirement and the fighters response to it that started this whole idea to begin with. You have to not care whether you live or die. Now, again, I’m not trying to sound melodramatic because I know not everything is life or death. What that translates to me is, that in any given situation, before you make your choice you need to understand the choice you are making and be prepared for the consequences.

Where I find myself now is the place after the decision is made and I’m dealing with those consequences. Truth be told, the fallout of different choices and decisions isn’t far from what I originally anticipated. It is, however, different than what I hoped it would be. That’s where I find myself mulling over Lancelot’s last requirement and reminding myself that I did count the cost and I made the only decision there was for me to make.