Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. And Happy New Year too.

Random Thoughts: Winter

Well, we wished goodbye to Fall with a foot of snow. What better way to welcome Winter, than with a couple of rain storms and 50 degree temperatures. With any luck, this will be a temporary setback to some nice winter weather. I like snow and cold.

One thing, though, with all the preparation and work, the roads are a mess. I just got back from a run and the roads are a mix of hard packed snow and ice, with some slush on the side for good measure. I don't know why it's so difficult to push the plow blade to the ground. Oh well, it's only my tax dollars at work.

Random Thoughts: Snow

Yesterday's snow has given our family some much needed fun. Last year, Laura was a little too little to go sledding safely. This year, however, she is ready, willing and able to zip down the hill on her butt, back, knees, stomach, etc. We took her over the the small hill right next to her house yesterday, but she didn't last long with the wind driven snow in full effect. Today, however, she was ready to go.

And go she did. It was loads of fun just to watch her shooting down the hill at the high school. She was a bright green blur on a dark green sled barely even making a dent in the snow she ran over. Equally as fun, was watching Erin sledding. If I had to guess, I would say Erin had more fun. When Laura got one more face full of snow and wanted to leave, Erin wasn't ready to go. I loaded Laura into the car slowly, followed by the other sled and my jacket while Erin took a couple more runs. Even still, I had to drag Erin off the hill.

OK, so maybe it wasn't quite as dramatic as that, but neither Erin nor I were really ready to leave. Maybe we should get a baby sitter next time we go sledding.

Entertainment News: RIP Majel Barrett Roddenberry

Majel Roddenbery, aka Majel Barrett, aka Nurse Chapel, aka Lwaxana Troi, aka The Computer Voice died on Thursday. Now, if only the rest of the franchise would follow her into the grave...

Don't get me wrong. I love Star Trek and I absolutely love Star Trek: The Next Generation. I mostly liked Deep Space Nine, and Voyager had 1 or 2 decent moments. That said, Enterprise blew hard, and I can't help but feel that the new upcoming prequel movie is going to suck hard in an equal amount. I want the franchise to go away and stay away for 10-20 years or so, and then come back just in time for Laura's kids to be amazed and intrigued. It's our only hope for the survival of geek civilization as we know it.

Baby Video: Potty Time!!!

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/1TbJKVyr7dk" width="400" height="324"/]

Baby Video: Ride the Chicken

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/U8ZwYKoLtkg" width="400" height="324"/]

Baby Video: Rocking Rhino

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/he9zRpISgPo" width="400" height="324"/]

Baby Video: 4th of July Concert

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/uZLEUPL98wM" width="400" height="324"/]

Random Thoughts: Ready to blow

I don't know if I can hold her together any more captain...

My stomach, that is. Every time I sit or stand for too long, I get closer to loosing it. Laura blew chunks 3 times on Thursday and once yesterday. It would appear I didn't wash my hands quite thoroughly enough after cleaning up. By the time dinner rolled around, I was completely incapacitated. I thought I was better this morning until I almost lost it again when standing up.

Anyway, I'm going back to bed now.

Happy Birthday to Laura!!!

2 years of linear time = an eternity of memories and hapiness. I think that's a pretty good deal. Happy birthday baby.

Baby Gallery: Laura - August, September and October 2008

It's been a while, but here is a new Laura gallery. It covers August through mid-October. Enjoy.

http://www.therhodeislandreview.com/?page_id=205&g2_itemId=10437

Recreation: Running for a year

It dawned on me the other day. I have been running continuously for over a year now. This is monumental for me. In the past, I have taken up various exercise-related activities for months at a time. Even when we were members of the YMCA, we would take multiple months off. If I lie to myself, it always happened because I got busy or preoccupied. In reality, it was because I just got bored.

I mention that because lately I have been getting bored. I am still running, but it feels like maintinence instead of improvement. The only thing really keeping me running is racing. I have the Thanksgiving Day pie run coming up. After that, there is a Christmas 10K and the Super 5K. I may try to find a New Years Day race to pull me through from mid-December to late January.

Anyway, I've had some ups and downs, but generally, I am happy, healthy and strong. While I can't attribute that all to running, every aspect of my life is certainly improved because of it. So, happy anniversary to me and many happy returns!

Here is a photo of the happy couple:

Random Thoughts: Voting

I voted today. It took an hour and forty (1:40) minutes to get through the line for those of us unfortunate enough to have a last name starting with the letters A-I. For those with names starting with J-R, the wait was about 20 minutes. If you were one of the lucky few in the S-Z category, you walked right in to the front of the line and waited about 5 minutes for a free booth. I think someone needs to rebalance the names in each book.

In addition to the long wait, I found myself figuratively assulted by campaigners blocking the walk-way to the entrance to the polling place. I find it annoying that they are even present, but to present an effective blockade is just rediculous. OK, so maybe I'm exaggerating a little when I call it a blockade. At the very least, I had to walk on the grass. If it had been raining, I would have gotten my shoes wet and dirty!

My final and most significant annoyance was the presence of the completely uninformed electorate. I'm not talking about the fact that people don't know their prospective council members. I'm talking about the big game. A woman behind us in line grabbed a sample ballot while waiting. As she looked at it, she exclaimed, "Who are all these people running for president?!? I thought there were only two people running!" Another worman, obviously missing the words in each section stating as much said, "How many of these people do I vote for?"

Seriously, is it that hard to be just a little bit informed? Why bother voting if you don't care about the input or the output? If you don't know who the incumbents are and you don't know who the challengers are and you don't even know how many people you vote for, shouldn't you just stay home? On a plus note, I was entertained by all the dumbasses who over-voted their questions and then just told the marshal to accept it and not count that question. They intend to vote twice, but end up not voting at all. Good effort!

Recreation: SNA 5K Results

Place No. Name                   Div Div   Team Name       Time    Pace
===== === ====================== === ===== =============== ======= =====
   20 145 WILLIAM GAUCH            5 M3039                   20:58  6:45

Overall, I can't compain. I did pretty well, although it still wasnt a personal record. I am still hoping that I can break the 6-minute mile pace. Actually, I guess I have a set of goals which I want to break, in order as follows: 6:30 pace, 20:00 finish, 6:00 pace, 17:00 finish. For those keeping track, a 20 minute finish is about a 6:27 pace, so my first goal and my second goal will probably fall simultaneously.

The 17 minute goal is a "magic number" goal. The powers of the racing world have defined the term "competetive runner" as one who completes a 5K in 17 minutes or less. I honestly don't know if I will ever get there. I know I have the fast twitch muscles in my body to be able to do it, but I just don't know if I could follow a training plan to take me all the way there. The problem is made worse by the fact that most people's prime racing years are in the late 20s to early 30s. As I approach the category of mid-30s, I will only likely get slower.

If I had a little more free time, I would seriously consider volunteering as an assistant high-scool cross country coach. I would have the opportunity to run more frequently. At the same time, I would have to get faster because I couldn't let those punk kids beat me! For now, I think I am going to keep that thought on the back shelf of the brain. I could see dusting it off when Laura gets a little older. She seems to love to run. She spends long periods of time running back and forth down our long hall. All she will need for training is to learn to run with clothes on.

News: Theme Update

If you couldn't tell, I updated the theme on the page. I got bored with the plain theme and general appearance. The layout is pretty much identical, but I think it looks nicer. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. After all, if I don't post content, at least I can make it look pretty.

Random Thoughts: Nebraska

I leave tommorow for a 2-day work conference in Omaha. I'm looking forward to getting away from the normal weekly routine, but I'm really not looking forward to getting away from my family. This will be my first time away from Laura. I know it had to happen sooner or later, but I really am going to miss her. I love Erin and will miss her too, but I can have a thorough, worthwhile conversation with Erin on the phone. Conversations with Laura, while getting more involved, are short and cursory. They go something like this:

Me: Hi, Laura! How are you doing? Are you having a fun day?
Laura: Yeah.
Me: What did you do with mommy today.
Laura: Have breakfast.
Me: Are you going to
Laura: Mommy ready this.
Erin: Hold on, Laura. You have to finish talking to daddy.
Laura: Bye. Mommy read this.

Yeah, you get the idea. Anyway, I know it's only a couple days, but it's still going to be tough. Hopefully, Erin will get by without me. It's always nice to have someone to share the efforts of life with.

Recreation: Race Results

Well, the results are up. I didn't do as well as I would like, but I still did pretty good.

Place Div/Tot  No.      Name             Ag S City            St   Time   Pace
 28    6/35    130   Gauch William       33 M Middletown      RI   21:20  6:52

I have to come up with a better training plan. I need to build my fast stamina. I can run for 10 miles right now and I can run a three minute half mile, but I just can't do both at the same time. I really want to break the 20 minute barrier. As you can see, I didn't even break 21 minutes. I followed one online training plan and had no luck. Maybe it's time to find a different one.

Random Thoughts: Debate

I watched most of the debate last night. There were two things I noticed which I never noticed before. First, Obama stutters and hesitates A LOT. I always noticed his talking style where he sounds like he is calculating and planning his words like he is playing chess. That said, he was full-on stuttering last night. It was almost like he was about to say something and then forgot, for a second, what he was going to say. Oh yeah, and a sub-part that may have contributed to his public speaking difficulties, he seemed tired.

Second, I found that I just couldn't relate to Obama as a person. I make no consideration for status, standing, background, etc., when I assess someone's personality. I don't really care who or what you have been. All I care about is my perception of you. Of course, I am limited by staged television appearances for my assessment. That said, I will use the time-honored metric to say, I could see myself hanging out with Mcain having a beer. I could not say the same thing about Obama.

Now, politically, I would never support someone (Obama) who wants to federalize the health care system, wall street, banking, every aspect of life, etc. Although, come to think of it, it might be nice to have a federal employee to clean my house. It's a mess! I'm just interested in what kind of people the candidates are. That determination gives me a far greater insight into what kind of president each will be. When it comes right down to it, I don't know who will be president. In a highly democratic state like Rhode Island, my vote really doesn't even matter. Obama will win RI whether I vote or not. All I'm trying to figure out now is where to put my money on November 3rd.

Recreation: Tommorow begins a new season

I have been waiting/training all summer for a few races this fall. Tommorow is the first of these. It is the Salve Regina's Ninth Annual 5K Mansion Run/Walk. I hope to do well. There is one thing, however, that might hold me back.

My last training run (this past Wednesday) went terribly. I planned to do three half-mile intervals at 3:07, but I ended up doing one at 3:17 and a second one at 3:33 before I called it quits. At the finish of my cool down, I had an annoying heel pain. Later in the day, my arch cramped up severely. I was able to massage it out, but it still didn't feel right. This morning, I did a quick search and found my symptoms point, most likely, to plantar fasciitis. I am still planning on running tommorow, but after that, I think I will take it a bit easy for a week or two and see how things feel. From everything I read, though, I should stop running until there is no pain, then run easy with stretching and gradual build-up of miles. That sucks!

Anyway, assuming that my foot heals fast from my Wolverine-like mutant healing factor, I have a bunch more races I plan to run or am thinking about running. Here they are, ordered by date:

• The Fall 2008 SNA 5K By The Bay Road Race - Friday, 10/17/2008, Newport, RI, 5:00pm.


• 20th Annual Jamestown Jack-O-Lantern Jog 5K Run/Walk - Sunday, 10/26/2008, Jamestown, RI, 1:00 pm


• Aquidneck Land Trust 5k Race for Open Space - Saturday, 11/08/2008, Portsmouth, RI, 10:30 am


• NewportFed Pie Run 5 Mile Run/3 Mile Walk - Thursday, 11/27/2008, Middletown, RI, 8:30 am

There is also a 10K in December that I am planning on running. Part of me wants to start running some slightly longer races than the 5Ks which I love so much. Mostly, it's because I know I can't keep setting PRs with every race. Eventually, I will have to fight for individual seconds. Depending on my foot, I may have trouble with a PR tomorrow, although I'm sure the rain will help. I know I don't want to be out any longer than I have to.

I really wish I could train like an elite athlete. I trained pretty hard decently this summer, but only three days a week. Between spending time with my wife and baby and working, I just don't have the time or energy to do much more. That said, I feel myself getting slower these days. I think a lot of that thinking has to do with my previously mentioned crappy speed workout. That said, I realized that 3-minute half-miles are still much slower than my 8th grade 1-mile run that I did at 5:13.

I was thinking about what I did to run that fast. What it comes down to, is I was a kid who could run fast. I didn't train, or exercise. I didn't even really participate in any organized sports where runnign was involved. I just used my blazing fast, fast-twitch muscles that I was born with. Had I been pushed in the direction of high school running, I probably would have done well, but I was certainly not interested in it.

Now, I find myself attempting to regain a shadow of what I had when I didn't care that I had it. In other words, I really hope plan on running a 17 minute 5K in my life. At this point, I may just have to accept sub-20 minutes as a realistic goal. Any faster than that will require a much greater commitment to running than I can give. I love running, but I'm just not "in love" with running.

Recreation: See, Avoid, Greet, Run

I went for a long run this morning and had plenty of time to encounter people and think. When out on the street as a pedestrian there is a funny thing that happens. You see another person headed towards you, still a moderate distance away. Now, you pretend like you didn't notice them, or you find the peeling siding of the houses you pass infinitely interesting. You don't want to stare, that would be rude. As you get closer, they are typically doing the same thing. Now, you have to time it just right becuase. If you do it wrong, akwardness and aprehension will follow for both parties. At the perfectly right moment, you "notice" them, smile, maybe even wave and say, 'Hi.' Then you quickly avert your eyes and move along.

It's strange how people greet each other in this manner in almost all situations. OK, sometimes you get a conversationalist. Other times you might get someone who is oblivious, rude, or inexperienced at the See-Avoid-Greet process. In most cases, though, people are the same. I just find it strange that looking at someone is rude if you look too long and rude if you don't look at all.

Random Thoughts: Still not mowing

OK, so why is it that I am motivated to mow the lawn now, and have the opportunity, but not the ability. The ultra-tall grass/weeds are still soaked from last night's rain. I think I may go out and try to mow the front anyway. It's just getting embarrasing how tall it is. The only problem is that the wetness combined with the height will make the front yard take an hour. Usually it's a 20 minute job. I guess it has to be done. Right now, I'm wishing I said yes to the kid down the street who offered to mow my lawn for money.

Random Thoughts: So much to say, so little time

I can't believe I haven't had a chance to post since the 2nd. Lots has been going on lately, but most of it is mundane. I have been working a completely different schedule than I have worked in the last decade. It has been a couple weeks and I am still not used to it. I started to get used to it, but then Laura started nursery school and added another complexity two days a week. Right now, I am having the most trouble finding time to run, work, eat, sleep and do a few minimal tasks around the house. I haven't mowed the lawn in quite a while. I sure will be glad when that task is done for the year.

As for Laura, she is still in the adjustment phase of nursery school. The first full day, I think we caught her off guard. On the second day, she really didn't want me to leave. I don't know what her next day will bring. She has become more clingy and dependant to Erin since her second day. It's strange that kids love their moms, huh?

Generally, the new job is going well. I have no real complaints. I just wish I could manage my time a little better. It's tough getting home from work as late as I do, considering I could, technically, get home several hours earlier if I worked entirely alone. Damn teamwork!

Well, I guess that's it. I didn't really have as much to say as I thought I would. I guess I should get back to not mowing the lawn now. Thank you, rain!

Random Thoughts: How weird

Erin and I have been looking around for a daycare/nursery school for Laura to go to two days a week. We want to get her some social skills to go along with her insane intellect. We had settled on one place, but found a different place that Erin said was better. I say, "Erin said..." becuase I was unable to attend the tour/orientation that they had, therefore I trusted her judgement. Laura had her first alone time there today and it was 50/50. Laura was overtired and, as it turns out, sick. I think she caught what her cousin had up in Vermont.

Anyway, I took an early lunch to go pick Laura up and see the facility. Walking in the door, I had one of those, "Where do I know her from..." moments. Turns out, she (the director) had the same thought. After a mental scan, I remebered her. She was a friend of a friend, in the category of 'bordering on a personal friend'. After all, I have eaten at her parent's house.

How strange is it to see someone you never thought you would ever see again for the rest of your life? She was one of those random people who make up little micro nano-story arcs of life. I knew her, and then I didn't know her anymore. Now, she is caring for my kid. How weird.

Random Thoughts: Oops

I just realized that I deleted all my comments when I was wiping out some spam. Oops. Oh well, there was only nine of them. Seriously, is it too much to ask for interactive readers? :) Anyway, it is indicative of a problem that I have been having lately with a major increase of spam. I think it's because I had been posting more when I was on vacation. I suppose I am just inviting more of the same by posting twice in one day, huh?

Random Thoughts: A new day dawns

It is official. Today was my first day at my new job. I spent most of the day going through briefings, policies, procedures, and setup details. My eyes are tired from looking down at the laptop screen all day. I gotta spend a few minutes tommorow configuring my office so that it is me-friendly. Other than that, it was fun. Should be interesting.

Random Thoughts: Guest Author

From the brain of Laura, referring to cooked pasta shells:

That one looks like a hat. Chomp. Chomp. Chomp.

Squish. That one looks like a squished hat. Chomp. Chomp. Chomp.

Recreation: Me and running

I was thinking about what running means to me today as I read a Runners World blog post (The End of a Season; The Beginning of a Journey) written by one of the "Marathon Moms." I never used to read that blog because I am neither a marathoner or a mom. Erin would always complain about them becuase they aren't marathoners and not really mothers either, so I felt compelled to start reading.

As it turns out, I have the same issues with this blog/the authors that Erin has. Neiter of the writers are current marathoners. Both have run marathons in the past, but neither one is in training to run one in the future. One is into triatholons and the other is into rowing. I personally would think that a blog with that title would provide advice, stories, experiences, etc. for either marathoners or mothers or both.

In addition to their lack of marathoning, they both have nannies. I don't have a problem with that, per se, but it seems like they use the nannies to deal with the challenges of parenthood while taking only a small portion of the joys. Often the tone of the motherhood-related writing is cold, sometimes spiteful and stoic. At times it seems like they perceive their children as burdens instead of little bundles of joy at all times, even when their screaming, kicking, or running around with poop hanging off their naked butt after they just used the potty.

Getting back on track, this specific post was one of the authors writing about her recent triatholon. She talks about her "weariness" (aka, bordom) with her training. Here is the excerpt of the thing that got me thinking:

To be honest, a serious case of weariness set in around mid-July, and I was just hanging on until yesterday, going through the motions of the workouts. I wished away time, waiting for today when my triathlon schedule would be cleared.

Wishing away? Um, sounds familiar. Parenthood, anyone? As much as I wanted to be the mother that noted every accomplishment and documented them appropriately, I am far from it. I honestly can't remember the first word either of my kids said.

WTF?!? Whishing away moments of life with your child?!? I wouldn't trade eight hours of all the previously stated challenges (or any others for that matter) for anything in the world. I can tell you that I fully appreciate the routine, boring moments just as well. I have read The Lorax about 100 times in the last couple weeks and I am still willing to read it again (and again, and again) just to have her sitting on my lap, the floor, the bed, etc. being entertained by my reading.

I love my baby and every thing she does. I cherrish every moment with her. As I sat thinking about my running, Yes, I like to run fast. Yes, I like to run races. Yes, it is relaxing. All those standard reasons that people run do appeal to me. When all is said and done, though, one thing sticks out that I love about running.

Running will help me live longer and that means that I get to spend one more hour, week, month, year, decade, etc. with my baby. Oh, sure... I know she won't be "a baby" when I am at the end of my life, but she will always be my daughter. More time with her is worth all the tiredness, fatigue, boredom, and pain that I might experience. That's why I run.

Random Thoughts: Just in time

I just finished mowing the lawn in the rain. It was kind of nice. One of the reasons I hate mowing the lawn is because I get all hot, sticky, and covered in dried out grass. Today, as the storm approched, a strong wind kicked up and kept me cool. The light rain that started the storm felt nice and refreshing, even though it matted down the grass a bit.

I finished up with enough time to put the mower away, close the windows and pop open the weather radar before there was an instantaneous flash of lightnight and clap of thunder. The radar shows a big blob of yellow and orange over us. Kind of nice to be inside in the basement rather than the 6'2" guy standing out in the rain/lightning like an idiot right next to a big, open field.

Gardening: CSA (aka, farm share)

This isn't really a gardening post, but I really didn't want to make another category. I just wanted to say how pleased I am with the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) at Simmons Farm. If you have the cash and the opportunity to enroll in one of these programs, I highly recommend it. This is especially true if you love fresh vegetables and don't have the time and/or the ability to grow your own.

If you are unfamiliar with how they work, it's pretty simple. You pay a farm a certain amount before the season begins. The farmers plant vegetables, knowing that they are already sold. You show up on a certain day at a certain time and pick up the farm fresh, locally grown produce, take it home and eat it. The only potential downside is a bad year for the farm means less vegetables for you. This year, for instance, we got no broccoli because the 3000 plants they planted didn't produce. This week, we only got small heads of lettuce because the goats got into the lettuce patch and destroyed it.

All said, we have certainly been getting our money's worth. I plan to do it again next year, and I know Erin's parents are probably going to do it too. We will just have to make sure we sign up early because they cut it off this year, so we want to make sure we get in.

Random Thoughts: M&M's Porno

I just saw a commercial that was what I would call soft core M&M pornography. It was for the new triple chocolate premium M&Ms. I guess it was only a matter of time before cartoon candy started peddling sex.

Recreation: Olympics

I can't believe how much I have gotten sucked up into the Olympics. I didn't watch one single minute of Sydney or Athens, but for some reason, I can't get enough coverage. I even find myself wishing that I had cable or sattelite so I could watch more. The only problem I have been having is that I keep falling asleep around 10 or so. I end up missing 2 hours of primetime. I have actually woken up at 4 and watched the west coast replays. One thing I think would be better is if they scheduled the Olymplics for my convenience. I mean, seriously, how hard would it be to call me up and say, "Hey Bill, what do you want to watch and when?" Other than that, the only problem I have had is that I find water polo and synchronized diving extremely boring. I would rather see some the the other events that are taped instead of the boring events live. Oh well, I guess the coverage is US-centric even if it's not Bill-centric.

Recreation: Procrastination

Any time I have an opportunity to run but decide, "I'll go later today because...", I end up regretting the decision. I could have dragged my butt out of bed at 4:30 when I woke up. I didn't because I figured that I could just run with the stroller since my mom can't watch Laura today. OK, honestly, that isn't true. I didn't because I was tired and didn't feel like running, but I had the thought that I could just run with the stroller later in the day. Turns out, it is supposed to rain for most of the day and it is just starting now.

I know Laura won't melt in contact with water, but I just can't subject her to being rained on for 25 minutes or so just so I can go for a run. At this point, it looks like I will be running after Erin gets home. In theory, the rain is supposed to be much more scattered later today, so that's a plus.

Baby Gallery: Laura in mid-summer

After a brief hiatus, I posted a new gallery. Watch Laura have a fun early/mid summer.

http://www.therhodeislandreview.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=9790

Random Thoughts: Cut off your nose to spite your face

Would you do it? I know I wouldn't. I learned of someone today who almost litterally was doing that. Nothing like a little good old fasioned self-flagellation to get someone to do what you want.

Random Thoughts: Out of movies

I am mostly out of movies that I really want to watch. This happened entirely because of companies like Blockbuster and Netflix. We signed up for Blockbuster and, because of the writers strike, watched almost a movie every night for a couple months. In addition to that, we have been consuming a steady diet of three movies a week, plus a fourth or fifth some weeks. At this point, we are down to barely passable new releases, old movies, and "hidden gems." The hidden gems I refer to are the movies that no one has ever heard of and no one will ever watch, but for some reason I add them to the queue and they turn out to be not so bad. Granted, there have been some really, really bad movies in the mix, but generally, a lot of the out-of-nowhere movies are a welcome suprise of quality no-name acting talent and original stories.

With the rise of internet entertainment, I fully expect that there will be a lot more of this kind of art being produced. In reality, the online shows that I have seen so far have some pretty good acting. The one thing they are currently lacking severely is quality writing. Stories that start randomly and go nowhere slowly are not entertainment in my book. Some things I have seen would probably even be better with worse writing filled with cliche and illogical plot holes. I would love to see some crazy crap like that!

Movie Review: The King of Kong

It has been a long time since I did a review and this one will probably be on the short side. That said, I watched a movie that many (all) of you have never heard of. The full title is The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. It is a documentary that is like no other. Its appeal is limited in scope to me, the kid in Blockbuster who said it was great at the checkout line, and possibly Jeremy.

Given the small audience, I am suprised at how good this movie is. At the end, I was left wondering. If this movie is a fully true and real honest-to-goodness documentary, I am amazed at how "human" hard-core retro gamers are. If it was a spoof, I am fully impressed at the acting of the no-name characters. Given the fact that all the actors in the movie are portraying "himself", I have to believe this is real.

The movie tells the story of the fall of the high score record in Donkey Kong set in 1982 by some guy named Billy Mitchell. The movie portreys the subculture that still surrounds classic 80s era video games. It was amazing to see all those images of my past still in full swing in 2008. The haircuts, the t-shirts, and the 4-bit video was all spot-on.

If you want a trip down memory lane, watch this movie. If you are Jeremy's parents and/or wife and want to understand him and others like him, watch this movie. If you have a deep fascination with sociology or anthropology, watch this movie.

Recreation: Five Fast Miles

I'm supposed to go run five miles today with two intervals of one mile each. That means 1.25 miles warm-up and 1.25 miles of cool-down. I never liked the concept of warm-up and cool-down. It seems to blow away necessary fuel, thereby reducing the amount of work one is able to do. I know the intention of it is to get blood flowing where it needs to go, when it needs to go there. Also, with cool-down, there is some risk of fainting if you stop dead in your tracks from a hard run. In addition, training with warm-ups and cool-downs will eventually build one's stamina so that it is completely normal and doable.

I guess, warm-ups and cool-downs kindof have a point, but so do I. My point is the fact that it is 6:30 a.m. and really foggy and I can't seem to motivate myself to go back upstairs, put on my gear and get out the door for five fast miles.

Recreation: Not so bad

After last week's abysmal run, today's run wasn't so bad. Actually, I almost might call it good. My legs felt like jelly for the last half mile and I had to walk twice. Other than that, though, it was pretty good. The training plan called for me to repeat last week's six mile run, which is good. I don't think I could have done seven miles today. Actually, I don't know how I will be able to do seven miles next weekend, but that is something I don't have to think about for another week.

Random Thoughts: Not tired

I had a really broken sleep last night. I did something I haven't done in over a year. I woke up smack in the middle of the night. About 2 a.m., I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep until after 3. Considering I usually wake up at 4, that is right in the middle of what should be a nice deep sleep. Whatever woke me up, my brain wouldn't let me fall back asleep. All things considered, though, I am wide awake today. I haven't even needed much caffeine.

Oh, on that note, I decided that I am giving up caffeinated soda, more or less. It's nothing special, I just don't want to throw money into an addictive habit. I don't gamble. I don't do illicit drugs. I don't really even drink more than occasionally. That said, I am hooked on soda... for now. Soon I will be free of that habit too. I think I might replace it with tea, though. That stuff is great!

Recreation: Worst run ever

I know they can't all be great. I know sometimes, they're downright bad. Today my run was bad. No... Not bad... Abysmally terrible. It was, by far, the worst run I have ever had in my entire life.

The first runs I ever did were pretty bad. The terrible feelings about not being able to even run continuously for half a mile were almost overwhelming. This run was worse.

The run I had this past winter where I decided to increase my mileage was really bad. It was changing between freezing rain and slushy snow with high winds. My knee decided to lock up almost precisely half way through a 6 mile run. After a moderate amount of stretching, I was able to walk again, intermixed with some running and further knee lock-ups. Today's run was much worse... Much, much worse.

I ran and walked a grand total of 1:05:02 to cover a huge distance of 6 miles. Hopefully, next weekend will be better.

Random Thougts: What's new with you?

Nothing much new here, except the world is coming crashing down around on top of me. Other than that, though, I'm great. What's new with you?

Entertainment: Dr. Horrible

I have seen quite possibly the most unexpected, most hilarious thing ever. It is called Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog. If you have never heard of it, that isn't suprising. It is, at this time, an internet-only miniseries from Joss Whedon. It is broken into three parts which are being posted July 15th, 17th and 19th. At midnight on July 20th, they go offline. If you want to watch them, don't delay. If you choose to watch, you won't regret it. If you choose to ignore my advice... Well, actually, that's fine with me too. You can choose your actions and they in no way affect me, good or bad. Seriously, though, you should really give take a look.

Random Thoughts: Feeling "Off"

It's strange. I don't feel sick. I don't really feel all that tired. Everything seems to be in full functioning order, but for some reason I feel "off." I don't really know what it is, but I can most compare this feeling to my preflight state of mind.

I enjoy flying. I am perfectly content to sit and people-watch for long periods of time. I love the fact that I can walk into a metal and plastic cylinder and a few hours later walk out on the other side of the world to see new and different things. Where I encounter my problems is getting to the airport. I don't know why, but for some reason I have this overwhelming anxiety that I will miss my flight. Have I ever missed a flight? No. Never. Not even close. Does that matter? Apparently not. I move around in a blur, talk very fast, drive very fast, walk very fast, and get jumpy standing in line very slowly. I bug the hell out of my wife with this personality "feature."

Anyway, I guess that defines the feeling that I have right now. I am feeling anxious. Why? Maybe it's sleep deprivation. I did wake up at 4:00 a.m. Should I call home and make sure Erin and Laura are OK? I'm sure they're fine. It's me that has the problem. Maybe I left the coffee pot on, even though I didn't (and wouldn't) turn it on in the first place. Actually, come to think of it, we don't even have a coffee pot. Well, I guess everything is OK then.  So, why do I feel like this?

Entertainment: Back by popular demand

I have finally added my movie countdown timer back into the site. I tried countless things to get my old version working, but I don't have the time to devote to understand the intricacies of javascript, php, and wordpress plug-ins. Fortunately, I realized that I don't have to. I don't know why I never thought of this before, but there is a huge library of plug-ins available for free download. I downloaded one, installed it and tweaked it. I suffered a few minor setbacks, but I eventually got it working right.

Anyway, now you can all see the list of movies I am looking forward to watching. Doing this, though, I realize how sad the movie listings are these days. Granted, there are a few movies I might want to see here and there, but the next big one I am looking forward to is Harry Potter in November. Four months of summer and early fall without a "big" movie.

If you go to the site directly, you will see the sidebar that has my list. Enjoy it. Hopefully, there will be more additions to the countdown in the near future.

Update:

It appears that date code in this plug-in isn't exactly precise. Going back in my mind, now, I remember having this problem when I tried to make my own. It looks like the programmers of this plug-in did not fix this bug. I believe, if I remember correctly, that it has something to do with the fact that there are not the same number of days per month or something. Maybe I will fix it. Maybe not. At this point, it's close enough.

Random Thoughts: Endless? Not so much.

What happened to the endless content of the net? I remember back when the "web" was first created there were like 18 sites and it was awesome. I could pull up weather satellite photos and utilize my amateur meteorology skills. The boom times followed with content on anything and everything. Whatever I was interested in, the internet provided. It was a glorious day when someone figured out how to get the internet to provide basic human sustenance (aka, food).

Now, it seems like we have entered the dark times. Gone are the days of the five-minute time wasters that held interest for the full five minutes. Gone are the days of people doing all sorts of stuff for free because they could and it was fun. Now, it's all a business. Now, it's all generic. It only takes 10 minutes to exhaust my daily content, whereas just a year ago, it would have taken an hour.

I have nothing better to do while my report is generating than create my own useless internet content. Damn you, internet! You have failed me!

Random Thoughts: Insulation Update

After making that post the other day, I stopped in Home Depot and purchased three rolls of R-30. Upon closer inspection, I only need to replace a couple sections of the R-19 that is already there. I still haven't figured out what I will do about the stuff I am storing up there. I really don't have a place to keep baby clothes, Xmas ornaments and a few other miscellaneous things. This would be one of those big detractors to owning a raised ranch house. No basement means no storage.

As a long term idea which would be decades from now, I would like to add on an addition to the garage side of the house. If it were open season on house modifications, I would build as close to the neighbor as possible so that we would have a two-car garage facing the street instead of underneath the house. This would allow me to create a dedicated storage area (aka, basement) between the living area and the garage. My aunt and uncle have something similar and it seems to work really well. As a short term solution, I think I will move things around so that they are all in a blocked off area which I can insulate around. Anyone know the R-value of Xmas ornaments?

A mid-term solution I thought of was to build a raised platform to store stuff while insulating under it. Addition aside, I think I still will do this. You can never have too much storage space. The problem there is designing something that is raised up at least a foot, but is still accessible aperiodically. While I'm at it, I think I might add extra lighting up there. A single, exposed 60 watt bulb isn't the best attic lighting system I could imagine. I have lightly bumped it when working up there and burned it out. I don't know what can take the heat-cold cycling that is experienced in an attic. Maybe I'll go for a low-voltage system. They seem to be cheap enough.

Random Thoughts: Warm and Toasty

That's what I want to be this winter without breaking the bank if that's possible. The other day, I saw the post written by a former coworker who is pre-buying the oil to heat his Bed and Breakfast in central Vermont. In his post he discusses the option (converting to wood heat) he is considering as a result of the high price of oil. I have considered seriously using wood as a supplemental heating source, but it is impractical to use it as a primary source unless I want to invest in the infrastructure of a wood boiler. Knowing that I will need it soon, I checked the price from the place I buy my oil. I think I actually heard my wallet faintly scream when I saw $4.44 per gallon.

On my way to work that day, it just so happened that the talk-radio host was taking a deviation from rampant local corruption and outrage. He was soliciting ideas from people to save energy (money) and improve efficiency of their homes. The first and only caller I heard had the best, most cost-effective, logical suggestion... Insulation. That fluffy pink stuff can turn a drafty ice box into an oven.

Naturally, I wanted to know some additional information. First off, I checked what I "should" have. According to various places, in this area of the country I should have an R-49 in my attic. OK, great. So now I have to find out what I currently have. I grab the tape measure and climb up into the attic and find that I have about 4.5-5 inches of partially compressed fiberglass in my 2x6 joists. Being generous, I would have R-19. More realistically, I have somewhere around R-16. Hmm... That doesn't sound all that great.

OK. I have made the choice to find out what it would cost to replace what I have with a full R-19 and add an additional R-30 on top of that. The only place I can think of locally that lists the prices online is Home Depot. The cost per Kraft-backed R-19 roll is $19.78. I would need approximately 18 rolls for a total of $356.04. The cost per R-30 unfaced roll is $23.75. Because they are thicker, they cover less square footage. As such, I would need 28 rolls for a total cost of $665.00. The total comes to $1021.04. That seems like a lot of money. Is it worth it?

A little (actually, surprisingly, a lot) of searching led me to a pretty nice calculator. Using the estimate of 5750 heating degree days, 864 square feet, $4.44 per gallon and a switch from R-16 to R-49, I would save $186.81 per year. Factoring in error and the fact that I couldn't easily find space to store the stuff that is in the attic, I would safely say that I could probably save $125 per year. If the price of oil stays flat, I would make out after 8 years. If it rises, I would obviously do better. It seems like a pretty good investment to me.

Random Thoughts: Blockbuster

I am less than pleased with the service provided by Blockbuster for their through-the-mail rental system. Certain things are and always have been listed as "Very Long Wait" since adding them to the queue. Other things are listed as Available, but never ship. The second one is more troubling because I believe it is a form a throttling. I will have a mediocre movie in my queue that I am willing to give a chance. I put it down the list around 20 or so. I have another much more popular movie in my queue right at the top. Both are listed as Available. I end up receiving the mediocre movie, almost without fail and the wife scolds me for adding nothing but crappy movies to the top of our queue. In the end, we still get to see the good movies because we will trade in the bad movie for a good one in the store, but it's still annoying. If something is listed as available and its at the top of my queue, why isn't it the next one shipped, damn it?!? I wonder if they need some remedial instruction on the technical definition of a queue... First-in, first-out (aka, FIFO).

Anyway, I am not annoyed enough to cancel my service. I'm not even annoyed enough to call and complain, but I am real close. If one more piece of crap comes in from the depths of my queue, I might just call and bitch. Maybe they'll throw me some additional in-store rentals or something.

Random Thoughts: I'm hungry!

Why is it that when I wake up early, I am always ravenously hungry? Anyone else experience this? I should mention that I don't want to be awake, but I am. I guess the good thing about getting into work at 3:45 a.m. is that I can leave as early as 2:45 p.m. Can that really be considered a "good thing"?

For me, the answer is 'yes'. Any time I get to spend with the family is a good thing. In addition, I had a rough day with Laura yesterday due to her absolute refusal to take a nap. I tried everything in my arsenal but nothing worked. I even tried driving around, which I haven't done for several months. The problem was that she was using all her tricks to counter me and stay awake. Usually, I comply with her simple requests or otherwise placate her at nap time to make sure she is calm and relaxed, and that usually works. A few times, though, the hugs for her bear and moose and book reading and the going potty requests are just manipulation. When I finally put my foot down try to rock her, she throws a fit and ensures that she will be awake for another 20 minutes because of how amped up she gets.

From what I've heard, we have a pretty easygoing baby, so I'm not complaining. Well, I guess this is 'sort of' complaining, but not really. I love my baby and no amount of crankiness will change that.

Recreation: SNA 5k by the Bay Results

So I don't have a link to the official posted times yet, but they posted a print out on the wall at the post-race table. I finished 27th overall with a time of 20:49. I did much better than I though I was going to do given that I kept seeing people pass me throughout the race. Thinking back, I feel that about half the 27 passed me and the other half were ahead of me the whole time. I was 9 seconds behind a second place medal in my age group. I was about 5 feet behind that guy with about 1/3 of a mile to go. I started to put on some speed but I almost blew chunks.

Anyway, I'm happy with my results. I can't believe I did so well. It was a very warm 75 degrees. I know anyone who has been to the south would feel that 75 isn't that warm, but running sub-7 minutes per mile raises body temperature significantly. I don't even want to put on a t-shirt right now, let alone pants. Nope, it's the underwear post for me.

UPDATE:

Here are the official results:

Place No.       Name        Div/Tot   Div    Time    Pace
 27   88   WILLIAM GAUCH      4/19   M3039   20:49   6:42
 37   87    ERIN GAUCH        3/10   F1829   22:06   7:07

Baby Video: Slide

Children's Museum of Boston Slide Fun!

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/ifQ44lPJsm0" width="425" height="355"/]

Random Thoughts: I had a feeling

When I was first notified that my website would be migrated to a new "better" server, I had my doubts. Why would a company invest money in something that works well already. That said, it looks like this new server is slower (network wise) and less reliable than the old one. Other than the time that their whole server crashed and I pretty much lost my entire site, the old server served me well. At this point, it's just an annoyance to me, but if people start telling me that the site is inoperable or otherwise unusable, it will escalate in priority.

In running news, I had thought about running the Norman Bird Sanctuary 5k last weekend, but backed out at the last minute. Last night, I convinced my wife that we should run the SNA 5k by the Bay. I hope to set a new PR (better than 21:52), but realistically, I will probably be somewhere in the 22:00 to 24:00. Running-wise, though, I have been feeling pretty good lately. The weather could kill all that, though. If it is hot and sunny, I will probably do poorly. If it is raining, I would probably do better, but running with glasses in pouring rain sucks. In either case, I'm committed now. Wish me luck.

Baby Video: Spring-time fun

New videos are online. I will probably post a bunch more because they are too cute. Anyway, here are the first three:

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/vLLLJlj6fgU" width="425" height="355"/]

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/NAH0tN82DOI" width="425" height="355"/]

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/Xrvoqxr9mbQ" width="425" height="355"/]

Random Thoughts: Do I believe the hype?

At work, there is this big push to make everyone "diverse." According to the company, "Diversity" is EEO, AA, and creating an inclusive environment, plus general career development and leadership development. "That's great," you say, "but, what does that mean?"

Well, realizing that the average age of the company is increasing, they want to hire and retain younger employees. Their way of doing that is by making everyone feel included. Everyone is supposed to accept the fact that others have different ideas and ideals even if they don't agree with the other's points of view. Even if we have a disagreement, as long as we both respect each other's opinions and communicate, we should be able to keep heated arguments to a minimum.

Sound like an unobtainable utopia? It is. The problem is that they focus on managers meeting their "diversity initiatives." Sure, I have had some small issues with managers, but my main issues have always been with coworkers. I've had numerous issues in the past with someone who asks questions makes statements in the form of questions. Any response on my part that is in anyway contrary to what he wants to hear typically evokes a defensive posture on his part. If this progresses, it turns into one of two things... Sometimes, he says something like, "If we just stopped wasting time talking about this, it would be done." Alternately, he starts talking over me, disregarding me or just plain ignoring me.

I know I am not the easiest person to argue with.* I can even deal with people talking over me and ignoring me, to a degree. That said, I have 11.5 years of work experience plus 33.5 years of life experience which can not, should not, and will not be ignored. I do feel excluded. I do feel disrespected. I do feel unappreciated. And just like the training says, I have felt like finding a new job where I will be accepted, even if I won't be agreed with.

I have been give the advice countless times from different parties that I should involve my boss. I just can't help but feel like that makes me the tattle-tale, cry-baby. I don't need someone to fight my battles for me, damn it! I'm smart. I should be able to figure this out... except, I can't. I have no idea how to fight this battle and win, hence the "considering a new job" thoughts. The only thing I haven't tried that leaves me with my self respect intact is talking to my boss.  I just don't know how to do that.

* - I wouldn't be surprised to find out that my wife's head fell off nodding in agreement with this statement.

Random Thoughts: Smoke Detectors

So, I was wondering... Why is it that smoke detector batteries start to die during the early A.M. hours? If you do what "they" say, you won't ever have the problem because you will replace the batteries before they ever get weak. That said, most people only go far enough to install batteries and replace them when they get woken up.

You might think that I am telling you a story about my smoke detector waking us all up. If you thought that, you would be wrong. In this case, my neighbor seems to have a smoke detector in their garage. Due to the extreme heat, I had all the windows open. I jumped out of bed at 1:40 a.m. to kill the beeping before it woke Laura. After standing in the hallway for a couple minutes, I didn't hear anything so I chalked it up to a bad annoying dream. Thirty seconds after climbing back into bed, I hear the beep again. I watch the clock to time how long it is between beeps. Figuring out that it is a one-minute cycle, I walk downstairs and listen and watch the detectors. After three minutes, nothing happens so I again go back upstairs and climb into bed. Another thirty seconds later I hear another beep. After I kill the fan (which had been on low speed), I realize that it is coming from outside and it can't be heard in Laura's room. I clicked the fan back on, this time to medium speed and went back to sleep.

All told, I lost about twenty minutes of sleep to my neighbors. Of course, that isn't the worst "neighbor's smoke detector woke me up" story I have, but it is certainly the most current. I guess, much like their barking dogs, they only care about things that adversely affect them. With the windows shut and the A/C turned on, I'm sure they were snug and cozy in their beds. Must be nice, jerks.

Baby Gallery: May 2008

I posted a new gallery of Laura pictures. It covers a trip to Boston, the carnival, camping and some other miscellaneous things. Anyway, here it is:

http://www.therhodeislandreview.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=8860

Enjoy.

Random Thoughts: Westward Bound

OK, so it's not that far west, but we are going to Connecticut this weekend. It should be fun. Hopefully, the lake will be warm enough to encourage me to go swimming. The pond at the campground on Memorial Day weekend was warm enough, but it is quite a bit smaller than the lake. The air should be plenty warm to encourage a swim no matter how cold it is.

It's strange how different things can be with a small change in position to the North or West. I fully expect temperatures to be 10-15 degrees warmer. The other thing that may occur is a severe thundershower. That would be fun. Laura has experience a couple distant thunderstorms, but never a direct hit. Loud and frequent lightning strikes are always fun, assuming you aren't on a golf course or anything.

On another note, I was hoping to get my latest photos up to the web before this weekend, but it looks like I won't get a chance. I also have a bunch of videos to post to YouTube when I have the time, too. Of course, that all has to wait until Monday or later, because I have to go home, quickly pack, and hop in the car.

News: Mostly Restored

Due to a bug in the back-end (mySQL for those that care) of my website/server, all the posts were being displayed in numerical order, which happens to be approximately reverse chronological order. This is most useless as you might imagine. There is one fix to the problem and one improvement to the problem. The fix, which likely won't happen, is to upgrade mySQL. The reason I say it won't happen is because ipower would have to do it, and from posts I have seen elsewhere, they won't do it. The improvement, on the other hand, is to upgrade my blog software, which I have done. The unfortunate problem with this, though, is that I had to upgrade a plug-in, which required an upgrade to my gallery software, which failed which requires me to reinstall it and re-import all my photos.

The one thing that will make it slightly easier/faster is that I can direct import from the server, rather than uploading them all. Unfortunately, though, all the photos that were rotated on the site directly, are no longer rotated. That means many of the thumbnails will be sideways for the foreseeable future unless anyone is willing to rotate thousands* hundreds of photos one at a time.

* - There are, in fact, thousands of photos, but my guess is around 300-500 need to be rotated.

News: Test Post

Don't know exactly what the deal is, but ipower seems to have migrated my site. It doesn't seem to work quite right though. I just need to post this to see what happens.

Random Thoughts: Cold, wet and windy

I can honestly say I haven't been as cold and tired as I was from Friday and Saturday. All said, I think it would have been much better without the wind. I was much more cold and much less willing to walk because it was so windy. Also, I got very little sleep because the wind kept me up all night. I almost think I would have been better off if I had skipped sleeping all together. At the very least, Jeremy and I would have played a little more cribbage. Anyway, it was a fun event of our own making. Of course, as it turned out, it wasn't really a team event. In fact, it wasn't really an event at all unless you went inside all night. Some teams, it would seem, did just that. The same people that I saw at dinner, pizza party, and breakfast were all clean, dry and had neat and orderly hair. It's a definite sign that they were fair-weather Relayers.

In any case, I don't know if I will do it next year. The event could be much more fun if we truly had a team. As it was, we had more along the lines of half a team. Rain or shine, I could see it being much more fun if the team plus families showed up and stayed the night and walked in groups. Either way, though, I still had a bit of fun.

One other note, there was a kid who was attempting to run for 24 full hours. Getting some of the back story, he was the product of a group home. He really likes running and is really good at it. Back to the story, he was planning on running for a full 24 hour span. Unfortunately, was not successful. He had two things going against him. First, was the previously mentioned weather. The second thing he was lacking was a support system. People were periodically running with him as moral support, but even that was unplanned. He needed people to provide him Goo and Gatorade and water at periodic intervals. He needed coach runners to push him along when the wind picked up and the rain was sheeting in. Heck, he probably could have used more fresh shoes and socks to help with the foot fatigue. All said, it looked like he lost it around midnight. I know he was running when we were setting up around five. Doing the math, he probably ran for about six or seven hours at (I would estimate) a 9 minute per mile pace. Factoring in bathroom breaks, I put him in at 30-45 miles or so. Even though he didn't run for 24 hours, he still ran a quite respectable an impressive ultra-marathon. So, I just have to say, "Congratulations nameless kid I don't know and will likely never see again."

Random Thoughts: Ready to Relay

Well, tonight is the Relay for Life. It should be interesting. We are expected to get 1-3 inches of rain and 15-30 knot winds. I'm thinking that we really, really need to make sure the canopy is secure. The tent won't go anywhere with me inside, but last year the canopy was lifting up a bit with a light breeze.

It's gonna be real tough to miss my good night kisses from Laura. Dead-beat parents just boggle my mind. I don't know how some people can just walk away from their kids. Unfortunately, I think they reproduce more than good, caring parents so they will soon be the norm. It's scary that a movie like Idiocracy could be a premonition-documentary instead of an all-out comedy.

Anyway, I'm done with my work hours now, so I'm just waiting for my cube-mate to get back so we can make a trip to good, old Ocean State Job Lot for high-salt, high-fat "nutrition."

Random Thoughts: Baby Vomit

Sunday was a fun day. I got almost no sleep Saturday night because I had a fever nausea. It wasn't that high, but it was bad enough to cause me to be really hot and really cold at the same time. I also had that scratchy feeling to my skin like I am sleeping under a sandpaper sheet. Apparently, Laura was also sick because she woke up around 5:45 a.m. and proceeded to 'blow chunks' all over her bed. An hour later, she seemed to be OK. We had been planning to go to Erin's half marathon to cheer her on, so I had to assess her condition because I didn't want to take a baby an hour from home to have her barfing everywhere. I gave her three tiny bites of banana. She seemed fine. I gave her two tiny sips of water and sat her on my lap to read a story. Two minutes later she started to gag. Fortunately, I was able to keep my cloths clean/dry by catching her throw-up in my right hand. Ten seconds later, I was fortunate again when I caught the next round in my left hand. Ten more seconds later, I was most unfortunate that I didn't have a third (and a fourth) hand. As I sat on the kitchen floor with a dry-heaving, crying shivering baby and both hands full of baby vomit I calmly called, "Uh, Erin... I need some help."

Laura is well past the newborn spit-up stage. That was never really a big deal, either. A little curdled milk really isn't all that bad. Baby vomit, however, is an entirely different animal. I am really glad Laura never had an illness like this. I really hope this doesn't happen again any time soon.

Baby Gallery: Laura in Spring

Sorry there haven't been any updates in a while. I had been actively migrating all my pictures to the new server, but I ran out of free time. Things are getting a little hectic these days. Anyway, here is three months worth of photos. One thing which I haven't figured out yet is the fact that I can seem to get photos to rotate properly. As such, some of the photos are going to be sideways. Unfortunately, until I have time to figure it out, you will just have to deal with it. :)

Baby Video: Happy Easter

The last of the latest videos...

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/QpQ7IVBYwl0" width="425" height="355"/]

Baby Video: Rhyming - Take Two

The fourth video today… This is part two of a two parter.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/B2R_qSOqQGc" width="425" height="355"/]

Baby Video: Rhyming - Take One

The third video today... This is part one of a two parter.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/TLX84DUgWQo" width="425" height="355"/]

Baby Video: Tangles

The second video in this latest series...

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/3ZdD9NX7FQY" width="425" height="355"/]

Baby Video:My reindeer is cold

The first in a series of videos that I finally got around to posting...

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/WKOTj2zDb2I" width="425" height="355"/]

Random Thoughts: Slow process

Most of you already know this, but I figured out two of the problems preventing me from migrating my server. I have been moving the photo gallery manually because I don't know how well it will work otherwise. What that means is that I will have to go back and re-rotate all the photos that I did on the server because those changes didn't follow across. Also, something I have to look into is that the previous version of the software I used had proportional thumbnails, whereas this one seems to have square thumbnails. It ends up working out "OK" for most photos. Some, though, crop in a way that cuts off a bunch of the photo. Anyway, given the rate at which I am moving this stuff over, it will probably take me the rest of the weekend just to get the photo gallery over. After that, I just have to install wordpress, migrate my latest databases and re-point my domain. No idea when, exactly, that will happen. We'll see.

Random Thoughts: My lack of time and/or interest list

This is a list of all the things I have taken an interest in (that I can think of right now) which I have started or thought of starting. Some were crazy pipe dreams. Many were moderate investments of cash with the idea that I will be encouraged to stick with something. Of course, like most people, I loose interest in most things after a few days, weeks, or months. This list is free form as my thoughts come to me. It has no specific priority or order. Of course, if you look at it subconsciously, I'm sure it does have an order, but not one I intended.

1. Computer Animation


2. TV Series


3. Sail Boat Plans


4. Plant Nursery


5. Telescope Web Camera


6. Electronics for building a watering timer


7. A giant pile of finish lumber (multiple projects)




1. A book case


2. A table


3. Another table


4. Adirondack chairs


5. A blanket chest


6. Many others (I'm sure)




8. My second short story


9. Making home-made bio-diesel


10. Making a home-made wind turbine


11. Making beer


12. Making wine

I can't think of any more right now. Jeremy, help me out... Oh wait...

XX. This list *

* - This will get a number when I finish it. Of course, that will never happen so it will never get a number, otherwise "This list" would not be on this list.

Random Thoughts: I'm gonna do it

I am planning to take down my site this weekend for maintenance. I hope to migrate to the new server. This requires that I upload all the old software to my new site, get it up and running. Then I will install some new software and get it up and running. Finally, I plan to re-point my domain lookup to the new site. In theory, this shouldn't take more than a few hours. That said, I am assuming that everything will go catastrophically wrong and I will fight with it all weekend. With any luck, I will have it up and running again by Monday. If not, my site will likely be out of commission for up to a week. Hopefully all will go well and no one will notice that I upgraded. Although, now that I think of it, I should probably change something so that it is obvious that I upgraded. Otherwise, how would you appreciate my efforts?

Random Thoughts: My baby is great

I don't really have a specific thing that caused me to say that my baby is great. It's all the little things she does. For your entertainment, here are some examples:

• I went for a walk with her yesterday, and my knee started hurting sharply. I muttered, "Ow, my knee!" She says from her stroller, "Daddy... Kiss... Knee." After I let her kiss my knee, she says, "Better."


• Every time I am caring for her, when I say, "Daddy has to use the potty," she goes running off to her room. She grabs a pull-up style of diaper and carries it into the bathroom saying, "Yea! Proud!" She then proceeds to try to get me to lift my foot so she can put it on me.


• Erin showed me pictures yesterday of a great example of Laura helping. After Erin unloaded the dishes, Laura felt that all her plastic cups in a certain drawer needed washing. She pulled everything out and put it onto the bottom rack of the dishwasher. Afterwards, she decided that she should sit in the now empty drawer.


• Recently, Laura learned that she could get up onto the dining room chairs. Erin and I were preparing Easter dinner while Laura played randomly. Erin was facing the stove and I was facing the sink. I had seen Laura getting up into the chair but didn't think anything about it. As I work, in the back of my head I hear, "table, table, table, table..." Erin turns around and screams, "Oh my God!" I turn around and exclaim, "Holy crap!" Erin runs into the dining room and removes Laura from the table, tells her how dangerous it is to do that, and then we both recover from our near heart attacks.

Ah, babies. Is there anything better to keep you on your toes?

Welcome, Spring

It's been a long time since we've seen you last. Actually, you're kinda lingering in the doorway a bit. Usually you've made your arrival known well in advance with some kind of January thaw. In fact, I'm a little disappointed in your performance to date. I'm not mad, just disappointed. I expected better of you. Well, welcome home anyway. Hope we enjoy your stay.

Random Thoughts: Rough Night

Laura had her most restless night in a long time last night. It seemed like every 30 minutes, she was crying out or thrashing. I think its her incisors pushing through. I can't imaging that's all too fun. One positive note... I can get to work early. Sadly, I'm waiting for my pants to dry in the dryer before I can leave. The plus side to that... What's better than slipping into some warm and comfy pants fresh out of the dryer?

Relay For Life

Dear Family and Friends,

I’ve decided to take action against cancer by participating in my local American Cancer Society Relay For Life® event. Relay For Life® is about celebration, remembrance, and hope. By participating, I am honoring cancer survivors, paying tribute to the lives we've lost to the disease, and raising money to help fight it.

Please help support me in this important cause by making a donation. It is faster and easier than ever to support me by making a secure, tax-deductible donation online using the link below. If you would prefer, you can send your contribution to the mailing address listed below.

Whatever you can give will help - it all adds up! I greatly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress.

Sincerely,

William Gauch

To make a donation online, visit my personal page.

Random Thoughts: That settles it

OK. I just loaded the post I just made and noticed that it is 50 degrees out AND I really feel crappy. I'm going home!

Random Thoughts: I'm getting sick

Just in time for a miserable weekend, I'm getting sick. Laura is already sick, and if she feels like I do, I feel bad for her. This started coming on yesterday and has been getting worse in bursts. Up until an hour ago I had a sore throat and some mild sinus irritation. Now, I just started with the nose blowing and coughing and I feel a headache rolling in. I just want to go home and sleep, but I know if I went home and went out for a run, I would probably feel better. I really don't want to be sick all weekend, but I think that's how this is going to play out. Maybe I will bring some fire wood into the house when I get home so we can play in the living room all day Saturday to rest and escape the rain. Although, logistically, fire and babies don't mix. I am betting Erin and I will be trading off on Laura duty and 5 minute breaks all weekend long. No matter what, though, I plan to push on with my garage clean-up. If I don't do it now, I will never get it done.

Recreation: Should I or shouldn't I?

I have been looking for my next run to motivate me in my training. After all, it makes it tough to train for no specific purpose. If you recall from a previous post, I was thinking the June 'SNA 5k by the Bay' was going to be my next race. It still hasn't been posted, so I was in a standstill. I don't want to register for a different race around the same time because I don't want to go overboard. What would I do if they were on the same day or even consecutive days?

That said, I periodically look for newly posted races on Cool Running to see if there is something else that seems interesting. I don't really want to run a 'fun run' associated with a bar or restaurant. I also generally like to keep my distances on the shorter side. That said, I recently discovered the 21^st Annual Narrow River Run. It is a 10K Run/5K Run/Walk. It is on May 17^th, so it would be far enough away from the SNA race to be safe. My only question is whether or not my knees will be in fighting form to run a 10K by then.

My general doctor seemed to think I had some previous meniscus damage that got shaken loose from my running. The running shoe store clerk seemed to think my pain was probably due to my moderate/severe over-pronation combined with the fact that my legs are of different lengths (according to her). A $99 dollar pair of shoes plus a full length orthotic insert plus a lift in my left shoe will probably help a lot (again, according to her).

In reality, it looks like the saleswoman was more correct. This new running gear has completely eliminated all pain from my right knee and has significantly reduced the pain in the left. Although, I say that but it really just moved the pain. Now, though, I think it might be muscle, tendon or ligament based. Some stretching and conditioning should help with that. My only question at this point, though, is will I be in shape to run 6.2 miles in May? I will know better in the next couple weeks, but my prospects are looking good.

Random Thoughts: Breaking the law

I'm going to admit what some people who read this already know. I am breaking the law. I somehow didn't realize that my drivers license expired back in December. It was only a couple weeks ago that I realized it when I read a recent news article stating that you need to bring your social security card when renewing your license. I wondered, "When does my license expire?" As I pulled out and opened my wallet I exclaimed, "Oh, crap!"

I haven't been rushing to gather my paperwork and go spend time in the DMV. I haven't been pulled over yet, so what is the need to rush? For some reason, yesterday I had this paranoid feeling that I was moments away from being pulled over. Having my daughter in the car with me, I realized that getting pulled over would probably mean getting my truck towed and walking home with Laura in my arms. I can't see any typically unreasonable officer trusting that I will drive right home to get my paperwork and go to the DMV posthaste. I made my best possible efforts to drive the speed limit and make full and complete stops at all traffic control devices. It does make it tough, though when you have an expired inspection sticker. Man, I really gotta keep on top of these things.

Random Thoughts: I really don't want to be here

What do you do when everything tells you that you shouldn't do something? To start, today is a holiday. (Happy President's Day everyone.) By rights, I really shouldn't be here. That is continued with the fact that it is now 5 AM and I am already settled into my chair ready to start my day. Given the fact that I would have been writing this 15 minutes ago, except the front door wouldn't let me pass. I finally had to use a little cat burglar skill. Compound that with the fact that this is my usual day to only work 4 hours, but instead I am working 8... Oh man do you have one 'Unmotivated Bill^(TM).'

If I were a smart man, I would go home. I would go out for a 1 hour walk. Upon my return, I would settle into a chair in front of the office computer and browse the internet while I wait for the sun to rise. As the 6 o'clock hour approached, I would climb back into my warm inviting bed where the love of my wife and baby await me. We could eat and play and read and cook and clean and go for a walk together for throughout the entire day. We would have fun.

Instead, I press on. I do my time like a prisoner. I hear the clock tick away the seconds one by one until the moment when I am free. I keep my head down and my ears up and hopefully I will make it through my sentence without getting shivved.

Random Thoughts: Facing my own mortality

OK, so I'm not really facing my own mortality. I have a doctor's appointment today for a "routine" physical plus an assessment of my knee(s). I say "routine" because I haven't had a physical since I was 18. Doing the math, that's 15 years of seeing a doctor only when I need sick/injured care.

Generally, I go through life knowing that I am impervious to pretty much everything. Sure I get the occasional cold or other virus, but they just make life interesting. That said, I am a little nervous about going to the doctor to have him reaffirm my invincibility. I mean, I don't want him to have me forcefully turned into a lab rat just because I am a 100% perfect specimen of humanity. And what if, though sheer jealousy, he makes up some flaw like high cholesterol?

Seriously, though, I am actually a little nervous about what he is going to say about my knees. After my very wet run yesterday, I think I got a little insight to a possible cause. I think my shoes could stand to have more cushion. The soaking rain covered the road with streams and ponds that I was forced to run through. The slight shock-absorbing properties of water splashing out from under my feet seemed to help greatly. Hopefully, between the doctor and my own investigations, I can find out what the problem/solution is. Otherwise, I have to devise a whole new approach to staying fit and healthy. I guess there is always the approach my grandmother took. I could keep my body pure and clean with a daily dose (or two) of gin, shaken with ice, with three olives, served in a martini glass with the ice on the side.

Random Thoughts: What will you spend it on?

Bush signed the "economic stimulus" package into law. According to "Economic Analysts," the plan will help prevent the current downturn from turning into a crisis. Yeah, right!

OK. So, I'm always one for the government giving me money instead of spending it on pointless things (missile defense, farm subsidies, etc.) The problem is that they aren't giving me money instead. They are giving me money in addition to spending it elsewhere. Essentially, they are giving me my daughter's future tax return.

I know I am not alone in this thinking. Sadly, I feel that I am in the ever shrinking minority. I personally feel that people shouldn't get something for nothing. Granted, there are some people who honestly and truly can't earn enough to survive, but I feel that is where the fundamental concept of community takes over.

One of the problems with this is that people get stingy with their money when they feel that the poor are already fully provided for through various entitlements (i.e., Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?). Another problem is that is far easier to give of yourself when you actually know your neighbors. Personally, I don't know anyone who might need my personal help, but I haven't exactly gone looking for them. I occasionally donate time, money and materials to various charity organizations, but I am certainly not immune to the stingy attitude I noted above.

Getting back to the root of the problem, I can't help but feel that the government needs to get it's fingers out of my (and my daughter's) pockets. I don't really want "free" borrowed money so that I can go out and buy something I don't need. I feel like I should put this money in an interest bearing account so that we have the money to pay the absolutely certain tax increases in the future. I figure $1500 ($600 for my wife and I, plus $300 for Laura) compounded annually earning 8% per year gives me about $7000 in 20 years.

Then again, maybe I will just buy a big screen TV.

Baby Gallery: Laura in the New Year

Here is the much anticipated January 2008 gallery:

http://therhodeislandreview.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=13958

Not too many photos this month. I think we were all photoed out after Christmas. Anyway, enjoy what is there.

Random Thoughts: Routine

Is "routine" just another way to say repetitive monotony? That is kinda how I feel right now. Even the internet is letting me down these days. People aren't posting interesting things often enough. News has been boring lately. TV is mostly a dud. The only thing interesting going on is my family life plus a few other interesting conversations with various people here and there. As the days get longer, I'm sure I will find more things to entertain me. At the very least, I'm sure I will keep busy. After all, it's almost gardening season and there is lots of tree pruning to do.

On another note, I just realized that I am well into February and have not posted another gallery. I will attempt to do that today or tomorrow, but I make no promises. It shouldn't be all that large because we didn't really take too many pictures. For the few "events" that occurred, I forgot the camera, so it will just be candid shots.

One other thing... I have been really itching to work on the Cadillac lately. I think it was working on my truck that motivated me to work on the car. Unfortunately, with the race and work and everything else that occupies my time I have not found an opportunity to work on it. I think I may ask the wife for some time this weekend. I also recently realized that I could do some work while Laura sleeps if she takes a nap in the car. That could give me one hour, twice a week to work on it. Although, when pruning time comes, I will be doing that during her naps. At least I could get a few things done until then.

Random Thoughts: Super 5K was more than OK

Alright, I know that title was really lame, but what do you expect coming from me? I had a great race. In fact, I far exceeded my goals. I hoped to finish in the top half. Based on last year's results, I figured I had to do better than about 8:20 per mile. My results are as follows:

Overall: 97/395 Age Group(30-39): 24/49 Time: 21:52 Pace: 7:03

That puts me in the top 25%. All in all, I couldn't be happier. Now, I just have to figure out what my next race will be. I think it might be the SNA 5K by the Bay. Although, at this point, they don't have their June race listed, so I guess we will see.

Random Thoughts: Appearance Matters

As I sit here debugging a problem with fonts on a new system, I can't help but think about the fact that I am spending hours trying to fix (aka, change) the appearance of something to look normal. I have never been one to care much about appearance, in either myself or others. Don't get me wrong, I recognize attractive people (my wife, my daughter, etc.). I just never assumed anything about someone based on how they look. I realized that some of the stagnation of my career can be traced to this attitude. I do what I do without concern for protocol and other people's perceptions. More often than not, this gets me into trouble.

As I write this, I thought about speculating that I might try to change that personality trait. There isn't really a reason to do that, though, because I have a general rule that I don't change for anyone else. The only change I undergo is solely for myself and the betterment of my experience of humanity. Changing to make someone else happy is pointless.

Random Thoughts: I'm a winner

I won an auction on eBay! That is only the third time I have won. Every time I ever bid, I carefully research my item for past bids, increase a reasonable amount past that and place that as my highest bid. Usually I am outbid significantly as the item sells for 2-3 times what it has ever sold for before. In this case, I managed to get it for half what I expected to pay, so that's good for me I guess. Hopefully, it turns out to be the correct part, as advertised.

Other than that, I'm looking forward to eating one or two chickens for dinner tonight. Should be tasty.

Random Thoughts: Soooo Boored

I really want to go home, but I have to stay for another half hour or so. I have pretty much exhausted all the internet has to offer me and I pretty much wrapped up the major parts of what I was working on and don't want to start something new. I don't quite know how many more times I can check the local news page for updates. Perhaps I will go Google search for ancestor's names. The futility of that is that my site contains a good portion of the top links for any unusual names and common names are pointless to search for.

On another note, I really don't like "cobweb pages." If you are unfamiliar with the term, a cobweb page is a page that is old and outdated to the point of having figurative cobwebs on it. Anyway, as I was saying, there are a lot of pages I have found that have interesting content that is well written. For most of them, I have gone to the effort to read all the old, existing content on the site to catch up on everything. Once I finally catch up, the feed stays in my RSS reader never to be updated again. One of the problems is that I regularly ignore the most recent post date which often indicates that the site hasn't been updated in months or even years. I dive right in and read the old content and then get annoyed and complain about it.

Well, writing this post has taken fifteen minutes because I got distracted by work.  I guess that means that I can leave soon.

Random Thoughts: Go away, damn it!

I have this nagging feeling that I am being nagged. I don't really know why, but I'm in a touchy irritable mood today. Actually, that isn't really true. I have gotten irritated by someone due to his words and his actions. This is made worse by the fact that I am biting my tongue and not saying anything. I don't want to make the mistake of posting too much information in the internet, but lets just say I am not willing to take the risks associated with telling this person off.

That said, how does one succeed in the face of impossible odds? How does one fight perceptions and assumptions to earn the respect and recognition one deserves? How do you know when you should fight a battle and when you should walk away? I feel like my only option is to bend the universe to my will and make others accept me or just step aside and let it pass me by. I feel like I am at a critical threshold and I have no idea how things will turn out in the end. I want rewards without risk. I want change while still having stability. I want freedom but I want routine. All my wants, needs and desires are coming up to a head and I will either break away in a new path, follow a slight bend in the trail or fall off a cliff. Only time will tell which one I choose or, possibly, which one chooses me.

Random Thoughts: I had a pretty good weekend

I'm actually surprised, because I thought it would be hectic and stressful, but it was quite the opposite. I went for a 6.5 mile run. I replaced the heater valve and tie rod end on my truck with the help of a coworker friend. The wife and I played outside with Laura blowing bubbles for her. Lastly, I ate hot wings and chili while (sort of) watching a football game. While I'm not a huge (or even mild) fan of football, it was fun watching it.

All in all, I would say this ordinary weekend was probably one of my most enjoyable in the past few months. Of course, due to the nature of my work holidays, I am working today on Martin Luther King, Jr.  Day. They give us "floating" holidays which can be used to take off the standard non-major days. Alternately, you can save them for some other time. Normally, I only work four hours today, so it works out quite well because I can get a few extra hours and still have a short day. Then, because I banked the holiday, I can use it to turn a normal weekend into a three-day or a three-day weekend into a four day.

I'm thinking that will be good come spring/summer. I really want to take a bunch of mini-vacations or at least one or two medium-sized vacations. Also, I will probably end up needing to take some time off to finally install that foundation drain along the high side of my house. Digging a hundred foot trench should be fun.

Random Thoughts: Risk oblivion?

My site is going to move at some point in the not too distant future to a new server. Given the past history and troubles I have had with my site, I am certain that the transition will bring certain doom to my site, at least for a couple days. I think I have everything copied over, with the exception of the databases, but I can't test them effectively until I re-point the domain. I really don't know what I am going to do. If you happen to notice my site completely broken some time in the next month(s), it's probably due to that. I don't know when I will do it, because I would want to ensure that I have a full weekend to work on fixing it, and that isn't going to happen for the next three weeks. Anyway, I really shouldn't have to be concerned about this because my technical abilities would allow me to fix almost anything. The primary reason I have this concern is because I don't have the control that I would like. When it comes right down to it, I guess being out of control in any situation is potential cause for concern.

Random Thoughts: Good morning

Well, it's 4:11 right now and I'm already at work. Is that normal? I go to bed sometime around 10:30 - 11:00. Usually, I wake up two to four times a night. The final wake-up can occur any time between 2:30 and 6:00. What is most strange is that I don't feel overly tired throughout the day. It is only mid-afternoon when I start to drag, but I pick right up as quitting time nears. I guess I am just more efficient than the average human being. Alternately, maybe I'm not really human. In fact, now that I think about it, my parents did have giant black eyes with big gray heads. Hmm... Something to think about...

OK, seriously, though. I should go start working. Gotta have some proof that I actually work. Although, I don't think all the proof in the world will matter much if no one is around to see it. Get in early, you must be slacking off. Stay ungodly late, what a hard worker!

Random Thoughts: My knees hurt

Actually, mostly it is just my right knee. I did a 6.5 mile run on Saturday, and the predicted weather on Monday caused me to run on Sunday as well. I probably definitely shouldn't have done it, but I did and now have to accept the simple fact that my knees hurt. I'm sure they will be fine by Wednesday which is the next time I plan to run. If they aren't I will just take it easy and run again next Saturday.

On another note, I hope you all enjoyed my double-shot of videos today. I had been meaning to post the first one. I couldn't resist posting the second one because Laura was just too cute. As such, I just posted both of them.

Other than that, I did watch American Graffiti this weekend and realized something. I had already seen it. I vaguely remember a former friend insisting that I watch it. He was a guy who said he would "go gay" for Harrison Ford, if given the opportunity.  I don't recall much about the first time that I watched it, but I certainly remembered Carol riding around in the yellow Ford hot-rod. She was the underage girl who was Judy's little sister that "wanted" to ride with him. Maybe it's the father in me, but the thought of my daughter riding around with an adult male until the early A.M. hours makes me want to load "the ol' shotgun." Of course, I would have to buy one first. Maybe I should do that before Laura is of dating age.

Baby Video: Laura has a snow day

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/GIWl0ni1adc" width="425" height="355"/]

Baby Video: Laura's Little Leap Pad

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/fvG6lxoTprc" width="425" height="355"/]

Movie: My AFI Top 100 Page

I made a new page for everyone (which is almost certainly no one) who is interested. I pulled the American Film Institute's (AFI's) Top 100 American Films and turned it into a check-list of what I have seen. Here is my version of it: http://www.therhodeislandreview.com/?page_id=97. This weekend, I will probably watch American Graffiti, so that will be another one to check off. If this writer's strike continues, I will probably watch a bunch more in the coming months.

As a side note, at some point, I have to make my own personal top 100 movies. My biggest problem with the AFI's list is that it is filled mostly with movies that are of no interest to me. I will probably still watch them, just to see why someone thinks they are so good, but knowing something is good is different than liking it.

Baby Gallery: Merry Christmas Baby

A new gallery is up for Laura and friends and family for the month of December. Here it is:
http://therhodeislandreview.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=13106

Sorry I didn't get it up sooner Kris. :)

Random Thoughts: Oil is expensive

I had to fill my tank the other day. Prices are up to $3.25 per gallon. For the math challenged, that's $702 dollars out the window. My wallet feels lighter already.

Random Thoughts: Holy crap! It's cold!

• Temperature: 10°F


• Wind Chill: -5°F

How much would it suck if all those Iowans had to go out and caucus in this kind of weather? I am quite interested in the outcome of todays primary. No matter what, I think we're all screwed.

On the democrat side, how does one choose between unknown, evil and princess? On the republican side, I think the only one who is nationally electable is Fred Thompson, but he doesn't stand a chance in the primaries. Seriously, Romney has two things that I see keeping him from winning a national election. The thing most people point out is the fact that he is a Mormon. While I think that may register in many people's minds, I think the fact that he is from Massachusetts is a much bigger strike against him. Meanwhile, I think the biggest thing Huckabee has against him is this: Will people really vote for a guy with a last name like, Huckabee? Other than that, Mcain is a potential dark horse candidate, but I just don't think he has the numbers to pull him through.

Whatever happens, I am still hoping beyond hope that the great people of this country never get a chance to put Hillary in the white house. I just can't help but feel that people will elect her for all the wrong reasons.

Random Thoughts: And we're back

Well, it was a nice vacation, even though I didn't go anywhere. I was sorry to leave my wife and baby and come back into work. Man, it sure would be nice to have a couple million in the bank so I could live off the interest. I've made the offer before, but if anyone wants to give me that, I am more than happy to accept.

On another note, we started talking about going someplace old and someplace new. Realizing that we haven't seen some friends in six years, we are considering going for a short trip to Florida. Also, realizing that we have been to Florida before, we are talking about going someplace new, like the southwest. A spring trip to Colorado, Utah, Arizona, or Nevada would be lots of fun. Most likely, it would be a fly-to-Vegas-and-drive-from-there trip. I know my in-laws stayed someplace inexpensive out there, so we will have to look into that. I don't know how long we would stay out there, but I am guessing something on the order of 1-2 weeks. Of course, you never know... this could all fizzle out and we may just go somewhere else.

Actually, now that I say that, I think I will also plan a couple concrete long weekends this summer. I need to take some trips with my family that are fun and memorable.  I'm thinking upstate New York, Maine and Vermont are likely destinations for that. Every year we talk about doing that and never follow through. I think this may be the year that we finally go ahead and make it happen.

Happy New Year 2008

I thought about putting the standard three exclamation points (!!!) on the title, but it didn't quite seem worth it. I appreciate the passing of another calendar year as much as the next guy, but I the triple-bang is a little extreme. I was asleep with the passing of the east coast ball drops. I was awake at 11:30 and again at 12:40, but not at 12:00. I don't think I missed anything.

I must say, however, that there is some small part of me that is excited to see what the turning of the calendar will bring. I'm sure there will be lots of changes. Of course, I'm sure that most things will stay the same. Actually, the most significant changes will most certainly be in my daughter. One year from now, she will be two years old and even more of a sentient human being than she is now.

Going forward, I plan to live by the following motto (as much as possible): Remember the past. Anticipate the future. Live in the present.