Well it’s about time your home!
Well after a long journey through the lines of the DFW airport customs department we are finally back. The kids were all very happy to see us and have been shadows since we walked in the door. They were well taken care of while we were gone by Joanne and Glen so they have nothing to whine about, but that’s not stopping them.
Now that I’m home it’s time to get back into the swing of things and jump back into my little monster of a project. The team I left in charge did manage to finish most of the things I left, but then I figured it was too much anyway. I’m looking to have this monster tamed and put to rest by tomorrow, a lofty goal I know. We’ll see how it goes. It’s not due until Monday anyway.
Although Jamaica was a ton of fun I did miss talking to Bonnie. We have started a routine of talking with each other and it was strange to not have that call everyday.
I had a few firsts while in Jamaica, starting with shopping for a 7 year old, Luke. All week long I was stealing glances at kids and their parents trying to see what an average boy that age would wear. I ended up with something I hope he likes and can actually use, not just the typical t-shirt. Hannah is 14, very artistically talented and mature for her age and was much more difficult to shop for. I’m still wondering if I went the right direction. Bonnie on the other hand was easy … lol 
I just need to come home and keep moving forward in the direction we have talked about. Of course, she has some presents too, but it’s nice to be loved again.
The best presents I could give would be honesty and trust. I guess that goes for everyone too. You know, I might be flying blind here and this is so new to me, but I am having fun. I only hope I can exceed or live up to any preconceived notions the kids might have about me. Then again the bar hasn’t exactly been set in too challenging of a position. In this situation I almost have a built in barometer and an example of what not to do. Plus I’ve always thought that if the average moron can bring up a child successfully then I should be alright. Words I am sure to eat eventually … 
Have a good day kids … and Mom.
What a vacation!
Well Bryan and I are almost finished with our Jamaican vacation, and not a moment too soon! We’ve managed to single handedly drink the resort out of Red Stripe Light, and the locals are also mumbling something about us devastating local vegetation, but we’re still not sure where they’re going with that …
One more night here in Montego Bay. Wheww … I’ll try and muster the strength to party one more night, but it will be a long time before I’ll crave another Red Stripe. I really need to find something other than beer to drink. Man, my trainers are going to kill me …
As it was in the begining
Here we go, time to head to the airport! I’ll try and post some pictures once in a while. Have a good week kids.
enero
Jamaica Mon …
I’m getting ready to depart for Jamaica with Bryan in the morning. I’ve been waiting a long time for the chance to reclaim my “happy spot”. I’m looking forward to sitting with my feet in the sand relaxing and soaking up the good luck that has been bestowed upon me lately.
I’ll post more later, but that’s all I have for now.
What a weekend
On the spur of the moment I asked Bonnie to fly down and spend the weekend with me and it was amazing. We had so much fun.
We acted like kids again and really got to know each other and make a few decisions. With kids involved planning of some type has to occur, although we do seem to be throwing caution to the wind right now. But oh well, it feels good.
I can honestly say I understand what someone once told me, “it was never as close as …” Now I get it. This bond is beyond anything I have felt before. We have so much history and are so comfortable with each other, it’s amazing.
I’m not going to get mushy, but I sure am smitten.
…
Are you done yet?!
Well it was a long weekend of yard work. The beds were tilled, turned, weeded, rearranged, and then mulched. It doesn’t sound that bad until you factor in the fact that it was 100 degrees for the entire weekend. Needless to say we took our time doing this. I say we because Bryan helped out significantly. I think the heat really got to me and it really took two people to pull it off. Now that it’s done, it looks really good, but I might have sweat five pounds off in the process.
Saturday night was spent watching the UFC fights over at Glen and Joanne’s house. They were at it again with the home remodeling and this time it was the master bathroom. It looks great! To me it looked like I had just walked into the bathroom at a five star resort. I really liked the tile they used and I’m thinking of going with that in a 16″ size for the house. The pipe dream of concrete is just to expensive and after thinking about it for a long time I finally agree that it would not help the resale value if and when I ever sell the place. Fine, I was wrong … you better write that down or something … lol
Well I just finished cleaning up after dinner and now I’m spent. I think I’ll retire to the varanda and enjoy the warm evening. Goodnight kids.
Good morning Texas
It’s nice to be home again, waking up in Texas to 90 degrees and sunny skies. A little coffee, the morning paper, and my girls playing together in the yard; now that’s my kind of mellow morning. I might be tired but its still really nice to wake up to a morning like this.
So yea, I woke up on the good side of the proverbial bed today. Sometimes all it takes is being out on one of those shows to really make you appreciate things. Not that it was a horrible one, but then again being bored is akin to torture for me. Next time I will be more vigilant in my own efforts to make sure we don’t spend needless dollars; lesson learned.
Alright kids, I guess I have to drag my butt to the office now. Have a good day.
Sunday, Sunday, Sunday
Today is my last day in Chicago on this wonderful romp through the world of hand surgery review. I’ve been privy to some of the best Cliff notes for doctors studying for their annual board review exams, and I think I may have actually learned a few things. Not all bad I suppose. Although this has been one of the most boring weeks of my life. But as someone close to me put it, “at least you still have a job!” So I guess its not all bad.
So while sitting here bored out of my mind I have beeen reading lots on the subject of physical fitness. Despite the sad fact that I have not worked out once since being here, I still think I’m on the right track. Days consisting of 12 hours stints siting in one room watching presentation after presentation ends up in you being essentially brain dead in the end. I’m going to have to try a little harder when on the road to get a good workout, that’s for sure.
So check out the picture to the left and take a good look at what our bodies do over time (Full article). I found it to be very interesting, and so did a few of the doctors I have surrounding me. Seems they saw an AV guy looking at something medical and it sort of shocked them … lol
Have a good day kids.
Thought for the day
As I sit here with my brain slowly turning to mush, this is my thought for the day …
How’s that iPhone of your’s doing?!
It’s finally here, the new must have gadget for the aspiring geek, the 3g iPhone. That’s if you can get one. The lines here in Chicago at both the Apple store and the AT&T store down the block have been quite long. I figured they would have disapated a bit by now but I guess not.
Of course all this hoopla hasn’t gone without its share of problems. The Apple store site has been down at times (or at least unresponsive), the At&T store site has been down at times, and those of you with first generation iPhones who tried to upgrade the “official way” have beeen lucky to get through the entire upgrade process without it stalling and essentially stoping your iPhone from making calls over the phone network. But like all things Apple I’m sure this will pass and it will be on the cover of every magazine and newspaper for the next few weeks of not months.
I myself will be getting one, but not just yet. I have a few months left on my Verizon account and I want to sit back and let the dust settle a little on the iPhone apps side. There are over 500 of those apps and some look really interesting. Here are a few that caught my eye:
Truphone - VOIP for your iPhone over WIFI (this sounds great for those of us who travel!)
Remote - Remote control for your iTUnes Library (s)
Evernote - complete life capture software for your iPhone
Jott - converts your voice mail into text, messages, and emails
Yelp - Location aware software for the traveler
Where - the most sofisticated location aware software for your iPhone
Those were all from the lifehacker article found here. Take a look, there list is far longer than mine, as this was just the few that I have my eye on for now.
Ok, go and enjoy the day for me kids. See ya’
All things iPhone …
The new iPhone is finally out today and I think I am going to get one. I’m certainly not one of those who would camp out for the damned thing, but I do admit being drawn to it by my geeky inner self.
So with that thought I went to log into my Verizon wireless account and see how long I really have left on my plan. Funny thing is I can’t get any page in their “My Verizon” family of sites to even pull up. Apparently I am not the only one wanting out. Maybe I’ll just wait for all the crazy kids to get one first and try this next week …
Wow, apple.com doesn’t even pull up … there go those crazy kids again!
Until then I’m going to be assembling a good list of places to go for information regarding all things iPhone. I figure this will give me something to do and might even educate me a little.
Lifehacker - iPhone Application Impressions
A stormy Chicago night
It looks like I brought the famous Texas storms up to Chicago. Its been thundering, lightning, and raining like home tonight. Which is kind of weird. The sounds are bouncing off the glass of the skyscrapers and the lightning is reflecting so its really weird but cool. Plus I am overlooking the L Train tracks so when it all gets rolling its fairly loud!
Well the show I’m on has turned into a good learning experience for me and the company. Seems if we’re not recording anything than its really not necessary to have two combat AV specialists on this one, especially when we’re in a union town. There were seven of us running one room with three computers and speakers that went for almost an hour each. Talk about boring … and I hate to be bored. To me there is almost nothing as painful as being locked in a room with literally nothing to do for eleven hours a day. It makes you go slowly insane as you feel like your life is at times slipping away.
Well that might be a bit of an over dramatization but you get the point. Needless to say I’ll be happy to get back from this one. Oh well, maybe something will go terribly wrong tomorrow and I’ll have something to fix. Then again it could be much worse. Guess I’ll just sit down and shut up.
Goodnight kids.
