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New Years 2008!
2008 Happy New Year. Mine was low-key. (No hangover today.) Spent the evening at Tom's. His wife whipped up a yummy batch of organic veggies (with dijon mustard & lemon) for dinner. Healthy stuff. I like hanging out there cuz...
Learning About Web Hex HTML Color Schemes on the Winter Solstice
Winter solstice yesterday. Shortest day of the year (for those of us living in the northern hemisphere). The word solstice comes from a latin term » solstitium, meaning sun stoppage. Extra cool with a full moon tonight.The exact time (when...
Matto's Mantra & Downloading Free Books from Wowio
Back when I was living in Pennsylvania, a friend there (Michael Matto) was fond of saying » "You'll be the same person 5 years from now except for: 1. the books you read, and 2. the people you meet." Along these lines, I stumbled upon a new site yesterday called » Wowio, which offers free books (for download, PDF format). I was skeptical at first, but it actually seems legit. You have to register (via valid email addy), and you can only download 3 books/day (enough for even the most voracious reader).
First-ever Mountain Bike Ride during Heat Wave Impairs Cognitive Function
At the coffee shop yesterday, I let my rock-climbing buddy (Tom) talk me into a mountain bike ride (my first ever). Unfortunately, yesterday brought a record-breaking heat wave. It was sooo freakin' hot. Tom estimated 105 degrees on the trails where no breeze blew. We didn't get started until after noon, finishing 3 hours later » smack dab in the heat of the day. (We stopped to fix his broken chain, then later, my flat tire.) This was the most physically stressed I've ever been. I actually noticed myself suffering impaired cognitive functions. For example, while Tom was fixing my flat, he told me to drink more water. So I walked over to *his* bike and picked it up, thinking it was my own.
Synchronicity, Coincidence & the Sedlec Ossuary
I've never seen those skulls before. Now I see them twice in the same day .. from two seemingly unrelated sources. What are the odds of that? Small, I assure you. Very small. What might it mean? I have no idea. Why would he put that picture on his web site? On the main page, no less? These weird coincidences don't occur all the time. But when they do (like now), they tend to come clumped together in bunches. I seem notice them most when I'm in love, tho (unfortunately) I'm not in love right now. I have no answers .. only observations and questions.
The Bug is Back | The Dog is Married
This was the longest stretch I hadn't seen him since .. well, since those dark days of '05 (.. which I'd rather not remember). It had been more than 2 weeks. As I pulled up to the curb, he ran over to the car. I reached across and opened the passenger door. Into the car-seat he scrambled .. all by himself. His mom shut the door behind him and we drove away. (Pick-ups don't get any smoother than that.)
U.S. Naval Nuclear Power School | An Inside Look - Part II
Far from being coddled, Nuclear officers were taken to task and held responsible. Do you recall the fiasco at Abu Ghraib prison? .. the one where the officers in charge claimed ignorance? before fingering the enlisted folk? That would've never happened under Rickover's watch. He would've had their officer nuts hanging in his office by sunset. Nobody told Rickover, "Sir, I uh, didn't know that was going on ..." .. uh, not if they wanted to keep their jobs. In Rickover's Navy, not knowing about something (ignorance) is *worse* than condoning it.
United States Naval Nuclear Power School | An Inside Look - Part I
The Wikipedia entry for the US Naval Nuclear Power School says » "It is regarded as one of the most difficult academic programs in the world." The words in the world caught my attention. Never quite sure how much I can (.. or can't) say .. cuz the curriculum is comprised, largely, of material labeled confidential (big red stamp).
Difficulty Relating to an Enthusiastic Parent | Skinny-dipping in the Baptistry
Before becoming a dad, I had a job where one of my bosses spoke often & enthusiastically about his kids (teenagers at the time). Despite my best efforts (to suck-up to the boss), I had difficulty relating to his stories. I remember thinking, "If I ever have kids, I need to realize that people who don't (yet) have kids might have trouble relating."
Musings on Being a Part-time Dad & Milestones in Potty-Training
Played Rad-dad the last few days. This was the first time I changed *no* poopy diapers. Woohoo! All poopies went in the toilet. (A beautiful thing.) Let the celebration begin. He seems to enjoy this new activity. "Dada, come look," I hear him call from the bathroom. Eyes gleaming with pride. High-fives ensue. Quickly tho, he dismisses me with a wave » "Dada go away." (Plea for privacy.) Sometimes he even slides shut the door behind me.
A Father's Thorn in the Flesh | Weekend Visitation Snatched Away
The Apostle Paul wrote (in 2nd Corinthians) > "There was given to me a thorn in the flesh..." I may not be an apostle, but I know the feeling. A thorn in the flesh .. with a little poetic license, using modern vernacular, could be interpreted thusly > pain in the @ss. At first I refused to let her take him. She was buckling him in his car seat while I was unbuckling him. Ugly situation, and I could see it was upsetting him. So I let her take him.
Father's Day 2007 | Not So Happy, Could Be Worse
Father's day. Not so happy, tho. Was kinda hoping the bug's mom would offer me the day with him. But when she came to get him Friday, it didn't happen. Things between us lately haven't been exactly a day at the beach (or a walk in the park). So, can't say I'm completely surprised, tho really thought she'd come through in the clutch.
When Feeling Bad = Looking Good | AKA The Black-belt Syndrome
Been dealing with an assortment of life-challenges recently. Consequently, I've been feeling blue and generally crappy (both physically & emotionally). So you can imagine my surprise to hear so many people commenting this past week (some guys, but mostly girls) how "good" I look. "Say what?" I feel like hammered dog-krap, and naturally suppose I look the same (like krap). Tho apparently not.
Learning Dad Tricks & all about Virtual Private Servers (VPS)
Been playing Rad dad last few days. The bug is getting to that age where he knows what he wants (and what he doesn't want). No longer can I just grab him and do what I want. Now he must be dealt with. Been looking into Virtual Private Servers (VPS) .. by trading emails with Lunarpages support to learn how that deal that works. Odd how Basic Hosting (which I have now) comes with 350 gigs of storage (which few will ever use) & costs less than 10 bucks a month. Yet a VPS account only comes with 20 gigs storage (still way more than the 2 or 3 I need) .. tho costs $40/month. Seems like the numbers are backwards (you pay more, but get less). So I asked why. Their response:
Cinco de Mayo 2007 (Laguna Beach)
Today is my favorite party of the year > Teri & Alan's annual Cinco de Mayo party. Good food, good people, great location (right on the beach in Laguna). I'm here now .. connected to their wireless network. This is my 4th year at their party. I originally met them cuz they wanted someone to build them a PC designed to edit digital video. That was right up my alley, after having dated a Film school student for several years.
Comparing Joomla vs Drupal Content Management Systems - Part I/II
Thinking of splitting-out site content pertaining to my experiences as a dad .. to a NEW site, such as raddad.com (oops, that domain name already taken) .. or rad-dad.com (uh, that one is also taken). Anyway, I'll find some new domain that will work. (Cost ~$10/yr, and I already have tons of content I could transfer.)
The Bug No Longer Stuttering
Heading out for a bike ride, but first I wanna share > the bug is no longer stuttering. Everybody told me not-to-worry, but it still bothered me. He stuttered for ~ a month. Broke my heart. No more, tho. You can't imagine the sense of relief. (Happy days here again.)
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