Video and an Update

So, for those 8 billion people out there that DON'T read my blog, I just wanted to let you know that I've changed that little side bar over there on the left today. I've added and removed a few links and page elements. For those that DO read my blog, feel free to comment on how you like or dislike the changes.

In other news, I'm thinking of (and have already started) reducing my internet footprint. It's hard and time consuming to keep traveling back and forth across the inter-web to make my presence known. And clearly my presence isn't that well known, so it shouldn't affect that many people.

I've been pondering this for some time and even tried to move my site to Google's Page Create system, but alas, it couldn't handle the sheer magnitude of my crap. So I gave up. Well, Paul said he deleted his MySpace page and I was a copy-cat and did the same thing (I never used it anyway). And I deleted one of my defunct blogs (about the Virginia SOL) that nobody has viewed in months.

And now I'm starting to think Blogger is the place to be. Thus the new links and page elements on the side.

<------------ Over there.

And the video? How about some bagpipes to wake you up on a Friday afternoon.

Friday Friday

Old World meets New

Saw this via Virtual Globetrotting:

This Weekend

The local high school plays a rival tonight. Our home team has actually been doing well this year (scored over 60 points last week). Dallas plays New England Sunday. Both are undefeated, but I'm rooting for Dallas (because I hate New England, I hate cheaters, and I hate the Redskins).

I also have a decent amount of chores on my To Do List. Hopefully I'll get through everything I'd like to get done. And, if my sister-in-law is willing, Yvonne and I might even get to go out on a date. Haven't done that in awhile.

Today

I need to hit the post office to mail some packages. The first is to get a replacement DVD from HBO. One of my Deadwood discs is cracked and chipped in the middle. Luckily I've already watched it. My second package, and more important one, is sending my copy of The Name Of The Wind off to Patrick Rothfuss to get signed. I'm enclosing some goodies (per his requirements). And I feel like a kid trading baseball cards. "I'll trade you these two autographs for yours." Hope he's okay with that.

How about just one big post for today?

Since I was so wordy yesterday with my multiple posts, I'll just be wordy in one post today.

Soda

It's been nearly 2 months since I've had a soda. I quit cold turkey when I was feeling under the weather and never went back. Well, my hope was I would feel refreshed, lighter on my feet, less like I'm high on something, and maybe lose some weight. Out of all my hopes, the only thing I've seen an improvement in is that I don't feel like I'm high on caffeine. The rest of life sucks because I can't seem to wake up. So, I don't know if my addiction is psychological, pharmacological, or biological, but I'm thinking about going back to drinking. Over the past few days, I've been sorely tempted to get something, but have pushed back and said no. I'm just not sure how long that will last.

Where will you be.....

....when your driver's license expires? Mine expires in 2011 and I have no idea where I will be. I know I'll be 35, Elizabeth will be 7, and William will be 4. Maybe I'll get lucky and win the lottery by then so I can retire.

Bare feet

Where do you go bare feet? I saw a lady yesterday walking her child to the bus stop in her bare feet. No big deal, but her driveway was dusty, rocky, and certainly not clean. And from the looks of her house and clothing, it looked like she was going back inside without cleaning her feet (she looked like she rarely took showers in general). Myself, I like showers. The bathroom is even my favorite room in the house. And I like clean feet. But I'm not a big fan of being barefoot. Even in the house I usually wear socks. I used to go barefoot as a life guard and as a kid, but not often.

Genealogy Update

I've scanned some more documents and filed them away in the closet. And I pulled more out to scan. Work is kind enough to provide me with a copier that doubles as a scanner. It just scans in B&W. Better than nothing and it works for documents as I can feed them in easily. I think what I'll need to do soon (maybe I'll start today) is to sort through the photos I have and remove any duplicates and try to cross-match the similar ones to get names of the unidentified people.

And that's it folks. But before you leave, let me take you back a few years and introduce you to a cute kid I used to know and his grandmother.

Triple post day

You should feel special.

I just feel wordy.

So, we have some new photos from our trip to Edinboro this past weekend. And, as a bonus, we have three new videos from the trip as well.

And all I have left is to simply say that my wife is the best wife out there. I'm glad she agreed to marry me despite all my faults.

Kvothe - Chapter 9

Chapter 9 – Riding in the Wagon with Ben

Kvothe and Abenthy, or Ben for short, quickly become friends. Kvothe is the student of sorts while Ben is the master (minor Star Wars reference for those that missed it). Ben begins to tell Kvothe stories and at the same time prepares him, indirectly, for the University. Not to sorry, Kvothe will get to the University eventually, just be patient. Ben also explains a bit about sympathy, essentially that it would be the “magic” that arcanists perform.

--Read more about the detailed analysis here--

Eddie Murphy, Angela Landsbury, and my grandmother

What do these three people have in common? They were all in my dream last night. Ever have one of those nights where your dreams are completely vivid and bizarre? Well, I did last night.

We (I'm using that term loosely as I don't remember who was with me) were riding motorcycles and stopped for a break at a gas station. We saw Eddie Murphy in the crowd and I approached him and asked if he would meet my grandmother (my mom's mom, Grandma Dorothy). I started to cry as I introduced them, trying to explain how important she was to me. Then he started to cry.

Then somehow we jumped to a murder-mystery movie. One that we were in. Not acting in, but living in I guess. Well, we discovered the culprit was none other than Angela Landsbury who was hiding in the bottom of the closet in a secret room behind a special mirror.

As for the rest of my dream, well, I'm not sharing that. Just call me selfish.

Weekend Report

If you're looking for photos, you can stop reading now. I haven't had the time to upload them yet.

If you're not looking for photos, or still want to know what I did this weekend, then READ ON!!!

Friday we (meaning Yvonne, Elizabeth, William, Henry, and I) got loaded into Dad's new Suburban (or "burban" as Elizabeth calls it) and headed north. Everyone traveled well in the car. We stopped to feed William once and of course took several bathroom breaks. We arrived in Pittsburgh (have you noticed that I love Google?) around 3 in the afternoon and unloaded. And unloaded. And unloaded. I never thought a Suburban could hold that much. I gave up and told Yvonne she had to finish the rest of it since she loaded it the night before and I was dripping in sweat (temps were in the 90s the whole weekend).

Once the magical bag of holding was emptied, we relaxed and had dinner. Saturday was another early day out the door as we loaded up (not as much this time) for the short trip to Edinboro. We met Dave (my old roommate), Jenn (a good friend), her sister Heather, and Jeff and Lindsay (both friends) and their two kids. In all we had 7 EUP graduates. Not too shabby. After parking and visiting, we headed out to find a spot to watch the parade. We got a good spot in the shade and even had some chairs provided. The parade was shorter and later in the day than we remember, but it was still fun.

From there we stopped at the campus bookstore, bought some goodies, picked up lunch, and headed to the lake for a picnic. After enjoying our food (and seeing an alarming number of naked toddlers playing in the water and sand), we took the kids to the playground (which I remember playing on when I was a kid. Well, when I was in college acting like a kid.

Then we stopped at my mom's house for dinner. Elizabeth got to see some cows and play the piano. Mom was also nice enough to pass along a rare family heirloom. Volume 5 of John Newton's Letters and Sermons, with a Review of Ecclesiastical History and Hymns (circa 1796). Turns out this guy wrote Amazing Grace. It's missing the front and back cover, but is in great shape considering its age.

Then we headed back to Yvonne's parent's place. Sunday was an easy day with no traveling. Yvonne's cousins, aunts, and neighbors came to visit and to see William. Easy enough for me as I got to say hi and be left alone. And I got to watch the Steelers beat the Seahawks on a huge flat screen.

Monday we loaded up again (gotta love that magical bag of holding) and headed south to our place. Got in around 3 or 4 safe and sound. Overall, not a bad trip, just a ton of laundry to do and chores to catch up on. And it was reasonably cheap as there was a gas station in Pittsburgh that had E-85 gas for about $2.39 a gallon. Which means I could fill up a rather large SUV for under $50. So stick that in your pipe and smoke it.

So, what did you do this weekend?

Buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz

Thank GOD for Mocha Java Coolers from Daily Grind!!!!!!!!

I have now been thoroughly infused with caffeine!!!!!

Rainbow Fish

I ran across this interesting series of photos. Amazing how some people think three dimensionally .

And of course, here's Elizabeth telling you the story about the Rainbow Fish. Enjoy!

Kvothe - Chapter 8

Chapter 8 – Thieves, Heretics, and Whores

While Rothfuss starts writing in the first person in the previous chapter, he continues full-bore in this one. Many have said how hard it is to write from this perspective and how nobody can get away with writing anything worthwhile with this method. Rothfuss proves them wrong in this chapter as he flings “I,” “our,” and “my” as if Kvothe is talking to you. And that’s the greatest thing Rothfuss does; he invites the reader into the Waystone Inn with Kvothe’s story as if you belong there, inside the story. It goes from writing to artwork.

As to the story being told, we learn Kvothe is of the Edema Ruh. The Edema Ruh are akin to gypsies that travel around in their fancy wagons and entertain people. Kvothe’s father runs the troupe and we learn where Kvothe learned to use words as weapons, though subtle ones. Much like today’s gypsies, the Ruh are not well-liked and are seen as, well, the chapter’s title gives you an idea. This particular troupe is under the sponsorship, protection, and direction (of a sort) by a Baron Greyfallow.

Besides Kvothe’s father, we also meet Trip (a fellow Ruh and a juggler with a dry wit) and Abenthy (an arcanist who becomes a bigger character later). Arcanists in this world are like magicians; loved by some, hated by others, and tolerated by most. We see a tidbit of Abenthy’s power as he actually calls upon the power of the wind by speaking its “true” name; something we’ll learn more about later.

--Read more about the detailed analysis here--

New videos uploaded

I've got 4 new videos (and 1 old one that got stuck apparently) uploaded to Revver. 2 have already been approved and are live, the other 2 should be there later today. This one is funny because, well, it just is for some reason.

New photos

I've uploaded plenty of new photos to view (2 new albums with another on its way). Enjoy!

http://picasaweb.google.com/tk42one

Weekend Report

So, what did you do this weekend? Here's my list of activities:

It is Sunday night and all is well. Not great, but pretty good. We got a lot accomplished this weekend, so I'll begin the run down.

Saturday Yvonne, Elizabeth, and William went to a plant sale at a local church then to swim class. Elizabeth had the pool to herself so she got some extra time to swim. Meanwhile, Dad and I worked on framing a pad for the small door to the shed. I had dug it out a week or so earlier, so it just needed framing. We leveled, squared, and sloped it how we wanted it and put some sand in the bottom.

In the evening (after cleaning up of course), we all went down to a different local church for their harvest festival. They had smoked a couple of pigs and had the usual fixin's (baked beans, cole slaw, rolls, cake, and lemonade). The music was a bit loud at times, but they stopped it often enough to play games that it wasn't an issue. And the food was good as was the company (rare is it that "church folk" are rude - can you tell we don't go to church?). The most interesting event of the evening was one of the ladies that played a game was born in Poland, raised in Russia, and walked 900 miles from a German concentration camp. Wow. Not what I expected to learn while at a church picnic.

Today was filled with more manual labor. Dad came back over and we finished the pad. Together, we hand mixed 10 and a half 80 pound bags of concrete. We poured it into the frame, mashed it down, tapped the sides, used a screed board, waited, troweled, waited more, cleaned the tools, waited more, tried to finish the edges, waited more, finished the edges, waited more, troweled one last time, and were done. Can you tell we had too much water in the mix?

But we finished that by about lunch time. Dad went home and I helped Yvonne and Elizabeth plant plants (from the plant sale yesterday). They had worked on it while Dad and I did the pad, so it was nearly done when I arrived. But we finished nearly all of the plants and still had time to make it inside to cleanup before the big Steeler game at 4.

And that's where things went sour. We lost. So much for being undefeated.

But, we got a lot done, so I guess I shouldn't complain. As Dad said, mark it on the calendar. We started and finished a project in 2 days. That's pretty amazing by itself.

Anywho, that's it for now. I should be back to normal blogging capacity next week.

Birthday Wishes

For those that don't know, my birthday is coming up shortly (as in next week). Normally, I'm not a very big birthday kind of person. After my 21st, it was all downhill for me as I felt that getting old was not fun.

Well, 10 years later and I still feel pretty much the same about getting older. But I'm hoping to use my blog as a medium to let everyone know what I want for my birthday. After all, it is all about me, isn't it?

Okay, maybe not, but at least give me one day a year. Sound like a deal?

So here's what I want (in no particular order):

1 - Go visit Paul's daily comic (technically it's Monday through Friday, but close enough). He's a decent artist and has a great sense of humor. And he's a fan and writer of speculative fiction (aka fantasy, sci-fi, etc.).

2 - Two books. Havoc by Jack DuBrul and Inferno by Troy Denning.

3 - Any amount of gift cards to Lowes. I have a feeling I'll be doing some home improvement shortly (broken porch steps, shed upgrades, etc.) and need all the help I can get.

4 - Any amount of gift cards to Kohls. I think I'll have to wait until Christmas to get them, but I may need to get some pajama pants this winter. I know, it's out of the norm for me, but I'm adjusting.

Everything else I'd ask for I doubt I'd get as it's a bit unreasonable and a little out of the price range of my readers (on the off chance you would like to invest a large sum of money in little-ol' me, you can read this post about buying the family farm).

Who would you call in an emergency?

This pretty much says it all and is completely in line with my thinking. I follow this site on a regular basis and was lucky enough to get a copy of Kate's book through the guys at Fantasy Book Spot. She was great to talk to and is always on top of any RDA news.

Oh, and my mom comes tomorrow. Yeah!

Great day ends poorly

Today started great. I was awake before everyone else and got my shower in. Yvonne, Elizabeth, and William all went to Elizabeth's swim class so I had some time to myself. I organized the family history so all the scanned items were together. i didn't have as much scanned as I wanted, but it fit nicely in our new waterproof/fire resistant lock box. The other two totes will hopefully be scanned over time.

Dad brought some electrical wire and tools around lunch time. We all (all 5 of us) had lunch and went our separate ways. The four of us (me, Yvonne, Elizabeth, and William) all went into town to do some shopping. We couldn't find the car seat at Target (our main reason for going) but got a rain check. We did pick up a costume for Elizabeth (a witch with a broom), a new ceiling fan for the living room, and baffles for the attic. We also stopped for a very filling dinner of steak and baked potato with Cesar salad.

And how did such a great day end so poorly? Well, I can't sleep right now (it's 2330) and I just checked Google Reader and saw that Colin McRae died in a helicopter crash. And to top it all off, Nebraska is loosing 42-10 against USC.

I can only hope tomorrow's Steeler game against Buffalo will go much better.

PS - We may be going to Edinboro for Homecoming this year. That should be fun!

Kvothe - Chapter 7

Chapter 7 – Of Beginnings and the Names of Things

We now see Kvothe and Chronicler working out the finer details of the story that’s about to be told. Also of note in this chapter is the use of a primitive short-hand. Chronicler uses it to write “faster than a man can talk.” Kvothe tests his system and even demands to learn it before he continues. We get an inkling of his intelligence as he learns it very quickly.

This is also where we can find the best part of the book, the part used on the dust cover. The part where we learn his name I pronounced “Quothe” and hoe names of things are important. In short, the cover art hooked me, these words reeled me in.

--Read more about the detailed analysis here--

The Family Treasure Hunt

So, this might be a meme floating out there somewhere, but I got the idea when I was checking out some family sites yesterday. Wouldn't it be neat to see how many people you could find from your own family? Guess my 8th place finish in the Virtual Globetrotting Scavenger Hunt went to my head.

So, here's the name of the game. Find as many photos of your family members out there as possible. Scoring and rules will be as follows:

- One (1) point for each family member photo.

- One (1) extra point for each photo with more than one family member. But you can't count the same person more than once.

- No sites can be used that are administered by yourself.

- Limit the photos to your parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and first cousins (and try to avoid ancestors).

- All photos must have been taken after September 1, 2006 (just shy of a year ago).

The prize? Well, I don't have a prize. But let's see who can win.

My Family Treasure Hunt

Cousin Steve - 1 point

Cousin Glenn (Steve's brother) with unidentified woman - 1 point

Cousin Eric (playing guitar for his band) - 1 point

Aunt Marilyn with Cousin Cinda (her daughter) - 2 points + 1 extra point

Cousin Andy (second from left, Cinda's brother), Aunt Laurie (third from left), and Cousin Cinda (again) - 2 points + 1 extra point

Cousin Mark, Cousin Glenn (again), and Cousin Jeff (Jeff and Mark are brothers) - God, I hope I got those names right - 2 points + 1 extra point

Cousin Jared (and his wife Melissa) - 1 point

My mom (and Steve, her.....well, I'll let mom answer that one) - 1 point

The winner - Aunt Susie, Uncle Eric, Cousins Damon, Sunny, Jarod (again), Abram, and my mom (again) - 5 points + 1 extra point

Uncle Dan and Aunt Gail (far left, Cinda and Andy's father) and Uncle Gary (far right, mom's twin brother) - 3 points + 1 extra point

Total = 24 Points

Kvothe - Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – The Price for Remembering

This is one of the greatest chapters of the book. We learn a lot about Kvothe but not enough to know everything. A great tease of sorts. On top of this, we learn how well Kvothe can strong-arm someone by simply looking at them. We clearly see that Kvothe has lived a full life so far and is worthy of attention. Chronicler, the man that will be writing about him, also has a reputation of sorts as the premiere storyteller in the land. Watching them bandy words about like swords was fun.

Chronicler is on his way to meet an Earl but eventually gives in to Kvothe’s demands and requirements. While Kvothe was reluctant to tell his story, he exacted a price from Chronicler by telling him it would take three days to tell his story. Take note of this as this is directly related to this book is the first in a trilogy. Thus, this is the first “day” of the story. Yes, a few days have passed before, but this is the first day of storytelling.
--Read more about the detailed analysis here--

Weekend Report

Friday night was nothing exciting. At least nothing that I remember. I must be getting old.

Saturday morning I went over to Dad's to take a look at what goodies he brought back from his trip to Nebraska. Turns out he likely more than doubled the collection of family history we have. That was the good news. The bad news? There's even more that he left on the farm.

From there, Yvonne and I took Elizabeth to see Cinderella at the Riverside. They do a children's show on Saturdays and it was okay. A boxed lunch is okay for kids, but I was really hoping for more. And the performance was fine, just long. And not really my type of show. But Elizabeth had a good time and was conducting the music and trying to dance at times. Factor in the meltdown before leaving home (she didn't want anyone to take her picture) and the meltdown leaving the show (she wanted Cinderella to sign "Elizabeth" NOT "Cinderella") and it was about even on the fun scale.

Then I cut the grass (big surprise there). But it needed it and I wanted to cut it short in anticipation of the coming rains.

After that was dinner and a movie. The Last Mimzy was bizarre. Very bizarre. Like, more than THX-1138.

Sunday was shopping with Yvonne and William. He did pretty good but lets you know when he's hungry or messy. We're kind of in a routine, but nothing too set in stone. But I did get to take a good 2 hour nap. Couldn't get the Steeler game, but we won 34-7 over the Browns.

Anyways, that's about it. And in the spirit of Paul (but in reverse), what did you do this weekend?

Kvothe - Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – Notes

Kvothe returns to the inn with the injured and unconscious Chronicler. Bast is upset that Kvothe went alone but is kind enough to help Kvothe stitch his wounds. Another short chapter, something you the reader should get used to.

--Read more about the detailed analysis here--

Sleepy, so sleepy

With the exception of last night, I think I've had on average 3 hours of sleep a night. Not good for this old man.

And last night? I crashed on the couch around 9, went to bed around 9:30, and woke up at 6 this morning. But I'm still tired. I think I even fell asleep in the shower.

My goal for this weekend? To sleep more than 4 hours straight.

Maybe I'll go for a long drive...........

Norwegian to English translator needed

Please contact me (tk42one@gmail.com) if you can translate handwritten letters from Norwegian (Norsk) into English.

Or you can go to this album and pick something to translate on your own. All I ask is you send me the translated text so I can give you credit!

Kvothe - Chapter 3 and Chapter 4

Chapter 3 – Wood and Word

Here we see Kvothe (aka Kote) receive his long awaited plank of wood he uses to mount a sword called Folly. We also see a bit more of Kvothe’s side-kick Bast. Both are interrupted by a large party that arrives at the inn looking for lodging and refreshment. A party of travelers. Included in this party is a young man who seems to know Kvothe’s true identity. But alas, he’s a little intoxicated. And with the help of some subterfuge by Kvothe and Bast, the young man and everyone else are fooled into thinking Kvothe is Kote, a simple innkeeper.

But more interesting than this is that we see Kvothe’s ability to concoct a lie so detailed yet so simple, he can convey it to Bast in just a few words. And with a bit of foretelling, we see Kvothe buy a pair of smithy gloves and apron.

Chapter 4 – Halfway to Newarre

We come back to the Chronicler as he’s walking along alone at night. He approachs a fire and discovers Kvothe baiting his trap for the scrael. He defeats them, but Chronicler takes a beating and doesn’t help much.

--Read more about the detailed analysis here--

Birthdays - Yuck

I was a big fan of birthdays as a kid. When I turned seven, I still remember the chocolate chip cookie my Dad got with white and chocolate icing on it. It was so big we couldn't finish it. So we put it in the freezer in the garage. Where I repeatedly snuck to in order to take a bite before or after school. I think I also got a shirt with a big number 7 on it.

I know I got other neat and cool gifts, but for some reason that one sticks out.

And I remember my 18th birthday. Mostly because it was two days after I started dating Yvonne. I think the greatest gift she gave me then was the fact that she stuck around long enough to hold my hand (and no, she wasn't drunk). And there was my 21st birthday I was surprised by my Mom and Dad when I was in college. That was pretty neat (but I'm still not big on surprises).

But my birthdays have long since run together. There was even a period of a few years where I would have to stop and do the math to figure out how old I was. Is it 27 or 28? Well, thirty hit last year and I was not excited. Which means 31 is less than a month away and I'm still not excited. Hell, I'm more excited about the afore mentioned anniversary of dating Yvonne (it'll be 13 years on October 1st).

The idea of getting gifts at my age is, well, fun and sad at the same time. I love free stuff. But I hate asking for it.

Maybe this year I'll ask for $500,000 dollars. Yes, that's 5 zeroes after the 5. What would I do with it? Buy the family farm to ensure it would continue to stay in the family (123 years so far). But I would donate the house to the local museum or something so they can help me store and research family history, Nebraska history, pioneer history, and everything else under the sun that applies to the area.

I guess that's why I don't get big presents anymore. I tend to give them away.

Maybe I'll just ask for a Lowe's gift card instead.

Kvothe - Prologue, Chapter 1, and Chapter 2

Prologue – A Silence of Three Parts

I tried to read this to my wife one day as she waited on the hospital bed. She didn’t like it. And I can see how most would not as it’s a bit deep on the metaphorical scale

Chapter 1 – A Place for Demons

We are introduced to the main character Kote, the innkeeper of the Waystone Inn located in a small town. Right away we can sense a stereotypical fantasy element in the inn. The innkeeper is serving food and drink while the locals tell tall tales. In the middle of one of these another local arrives having just survived an attack by a creature called a scrael. Scrael are apparently a stone-like spider large enough to kill a man and his horse but mysterious enough to be killed by iron. Even the disposal of the body affords a special pit and a fire.

We are also introduced to Kote’s servant/lackey/sidekick/assistant, Bast. I’m sure his role will play out more in future books, but for now, he’s simply as mysterious as Kote with few answers forthcoming.

Chapter 2 – A Beautiful Day

There is a short interlude of sorts from the Waystone Inn as we meet the Chronicler. He is being robbed by some highwaymen but his cunning is amazing as he hides his coin in his shoe, clothing, loaf of bread, and his ink jar.

--Read more about the detailed analysis here--

Back in the saddle - after a fashion

I'm back at work today and will be the rest of the week. So please bear with me while I get things caught up and get back into the habit of blogging. Yes, I know you want more pictures, they're coming. Give me a day or two and I'll have them up.

In the meantime, I'll be posting more analysis momentarily.

William Charles Richard

Please welcome our newest addition to the family.

William Charles Richard

Born: August 28, 2007 at 1644 (that’s 4:44 pm EST)
Weight: 8 pounds, 9 ounces
Measurements: 20 inches long, 33 cm head, 33.5 cm chest
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown or blue (still hard to tell)

We arrived at the hospital late Monday night as Yvonne was having some labor pains on a regular basis. They were busy with a number of other expectant mothers and we were lucky enough to get a regular birthing room as Yvonne was “most likely to deliver.” Our first round with the anesthesiologist was not good as he said she couldn’t have an epidural. Thankfully our doctor intervened and she got the green light for the “good stuff.” Our nurses were very nice and after several hours of waiting, we finally got the word that things were ready to happen. Labor was very short and actually had to be delayed a bit as we waited for the doctor (he had to be paged “STAT”).

Baby William arrived safe and sound and in time for Yvonne to get through delivery before dinner (she had already missed 3 or 4 meals already). After dinner, we were moved from the birthing room to the regular rooms. We spent the night and did our best to sleep while the nurses came in to check on Yvonne.

Yesterday Elizabeth came to visit and was pretty excited to finally see her baby brother. She has done a great job in helping us change, feed, and take care of him. I’m sure in the coming days and years, she’ll be a good big sister.

Today we spent most of the day waiting for William to get circumcised (for all you expectant fathers out there, I do not recommend even looking in that general direction until it has healed; it’s scary enough to give you nightmares). Once the procedure was done, we were released to come home. We picked up Elizabeth, pizza for dinner, and spent the night getting settled in.

Thanks for reading and good night!

Kvothe - Cover Art, Dedication, Acknowledgements, and the Map

The Name Of The Wind
By Patrick Rothfuss

A detailed analysis by Neil Richard
© 2007 TK42ONE.com Productions

Cover Art

The cover art by Donato is available in two options; the old stone man or the bare-chested teenage boy. While a devout straight man, I was somehow drawn to the bare-chested young man. Something about his eyes and the way he looked out from the cover made me want to buy the book (which is initially what got me hooked on this novel). The old stone man can be seen in the background, but even on the cover without the young man, it’s a little too boring for my tastes.

After reading the book and looking at the cover again, you will want to pay special attention to the lute and the book in his hands.

Dedication, Acknowledgements, and the Map

The book is dedicated to Patrick’s parents. Nothing entirely special but perfectly suited for a man who often sounds like a kid at heart.

The acknowledgements are distinct in that one leads into the other. He ends most with a “I never would have” statement that draws the reader into the next paragraph. A subtle clue to the writer’s ability.

The map is the most disappointing portion of the book. As you read along, you’ll notice that nearly all of the small towns mentioned are not on the map. For those geographically-oriented readers like myself, this is an important setback.

F Dash Dash Dash

First, no baby yet - so don't ask.

Second, kudos if you get the reference to the Title of today's post. One of the best movies ever!

Third, on with today's discussion. How was your weekend? Do anything exciting? Saturday was spent mostly inside for us. It was 100 degrees (plus another 10 or so due to humidity) and I had no desire to go outside to cut the grass. Plus it was so humid it didn't really dry out from the morning dew.

But we did some laundry and various chores. Yvonne took her sewing machine to get repaired. Not sure how much she'll sew on it, but as long as she stays away from sewing buttons on my underwear, I'm cool.

Hmmm, oh, that's right. We also recovered a bit Saturday from our trip (this makes three) tot he hospital. Yvonne had some blurry vision and more contractions. She called the doc, the doc said come in, so we came in. The lab work came back fine, just a little low on potassium. I couldn't help but laugh when the nurse said to eat bananas and leafy green vegetables. That's like getting me to eat raw oysters. Yuck.

Sunday was another lazy day. We went to town to buy new towels (our old ones were getting a bit funky). We got maroon last time so opted for mustard this time. No sea foam - YEAH!

And I picked up another toy. Which brings me back to the title of the post. The 16GB A-DATA USB drive I got from Newegg sucked. It sucked worse than a hoover vacuum. I tried three machines and it wasn't recognized (some stupid Code 10 error in the Device Manager). So, I returned it today to Newegg for a refund.

And my new toy costs the same amount of money (even factoring in the restocking few of the other one) and give me a lot more real estate to work with. I'm now sporting a 120GB Seagate Free Agent drive. It's already been formatted, I've moved my data, and it runs great. Two big downsides to this drive are it's size and cabling. It's roughly the size of a wallet, so it's certainly bigger than my little thumb drive. And the cable it came with is a USB-Y cable, one side for power, the other for power and data. BUT - it works with just a regular cable. So voila! I only have to worry about size now.

See lady's, smaller is better!

And on that note, I'm off to smooth out my Kvothe post for today. Oh, and I'll work on getting some new photos and video of Elizabeth up too.

Late breaking news

No----No baby yet-----keep your pants on folks

The late breaking news? Well, the guy that was going to translate my Norwegian letters pretty much gave me the brush off saying he could only read about half of the sample letter. Well crap. That doesn't help.

But the real news I wanted to report was I have been ...............


without ....................


(dare I say it) ...........................



a soda since (drum roll please) ........................................................................





Tuesday afternoon.

I feel like such a junkie. But a junkie that's really trying to eat healthy.

1 toy down, 1 to go

My first toy arrived yesterday. And the damn thing doesn't work. One would think all USB devices are created equal, but alas, it cannot be read by three different machines (two WIN XP, one Vista).

With my play time foiled, my next toy is due to arrive today. I can only hope for a better reaction.

And no, no baby yet. Believe me, that will be newsworthy enough to announce.

And while I sit idly and wait for feedback on War Wagon and for translations of the Norwegian family letters, I've started yet another project: a detailed analysis of The Name Of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Figured I'd get nitty gritty while doing my re-read. Does anyone have suggestions on how I should format this? So far I've just been keeping notes in a Word document. Should I be posting spoilers out here for the world to read or should I do something different? Suggestions welcome.

And I just finished Season 2 of Deadwood, which means I'll watch some of the special features then crack open Season 3. I'm so excited!

And here's a little blast from the past, Elizabeth showing her team colors:

From Early October

And speaking of Kvothe

Just as I was thinking (and writing) about Patrick Rothfuss' The Name Of The Wind, what do I see? Lo and behold, the cover for book 2.

Source: http://www.patrickrothfuss.com/blog/uploaded_images/Cover-Wise-Man

No baby yet

No change in status yet, but I'm still waiting for Yvonne to call in the next half hour or so after she's done at the doctor's this morning. I know she's ready to have the baby, but I think she'll have to wait a few more days. Not that I want her to wait, but that's just my guess.

As for me, well, I'm still a bit fuzzy headed from my Sudafed, but I'm well enough today to come to work and spread my germs. The only way to truly cure yourself of any illness is to pass it to someone else.

In other news, I put down Scott Lynch's The Lies Of Locke Lamora to re-read The Name Of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Locke was okay and I haven't entirely given up on it, but it just wasn't progressing as fast as I'd like. Not as slow as A Game Of Thrones, but slow enough to make me want to stop reading. So I'm back to reading about Kvothe. And I'm likely setting another new record with this book as I'm re-reading it so soon after I've finished reading it. I don't re-read often, but this book speaks to me (and not just because I'm taking Sudafed either).

Well, still no word from Yvonne, so I'm going to close this post and go back to catching up on work and eagerly awaiting my two toys that still haven't arrived yet - dammit, I want them NOW!

Thunderin' Thumper

* Please pardon my Sudafed induced daze. I seem to have developed a sniffle yesterday that has developed into a night of only being able to breath through my mouth. Yuck.

I'm back to my crazy post titles. Just don't ask where this one came from because I simply don't remember. Something I thought about posting about last night and, well, that particular thought has escaped me. Probably when I blew my nose.

We had some heavy storms last night. Bad enough to take out the satellite TV. Not that there was anything worth watching, but it figures it would go out right when Chef Gordon Ramsey guest stars on Top Gear. And when I tried to watch Deadwood on DVD, it crapped out too. Nuts.

I'm eagerly awaiting two new toys. The first is my new jump drive (aka USB drive, thumb drive, flash drive, etc.). I had been thinking about replacing my 2GB one when Yvonne got a new 4GB one. Well, that made me start shopping. So I found a nice 8GB one that had solid reviews for a decent price and bookmarked it for later. My bonus came and I decided to splurge for the even better priced 16GB model. It's due to arrive this week. And I'll suffer the color when I have all my family history at hand when I do research.

My other toy is something I've been looking to replace for years. I bought a nice Spyderco Delica ClipIt so long ago, I don't even remember when I bought it. Might have been in college. Maybe before then (I'm sure Yvonne will remember though). Well, years of use and abuse has put several nicks and chips in the blade as well as dulled the serrated edge. So, after a long search of about 30 minutes, I found the perfect replacement. Meet the Spyderco Rescue 79.

Not only does it have the rounded tip to prevent inadvertent stabbing, it also has a serrated blade with a section that is non-serrated. But it gets better. The grip has a whistle. Something that can be used in an emergency or survival situation. AND (it gets even better with this), the grip also has a retractable window punch. This means I don't need to search high and low for a easily portable punch that can be used to break windows (something like this device does).

So, those are the new toys arriving soon. Beyond that, I still need to make some sort of tie-down for the drainage pipes we're running from our gutters. Henry has a tendency to get his chain wrapped around the one in the back and it's a pain to get him untangled.

Weekend Report

So, my good friend (should it be "e-friend" since I've never met him in person?) Paul likes to ask his readers what their weekend plans are. Well, I like to tell my readers what I did over the weekend. Maybe if I ask instead of tell, I'll get more responses? A question for me to ponder while I type....

Saturday was, well, Saturday. Yvonne went to her class (part two of the Access class we went to the week before) in the morning. Meanwhile, Elizabeth and I went to swim class, something I endorse but don't enjoy participating in. Something about looking like a young gorilla makes me a bit self-conscious. Yes, young gorilla. I may be going grey, but I'm not that hairy.

After swim class we came home and I cleaned Yvonne's van. Full vacuum, dust, and window cleaning. Plus a wash (but no dry). After that, I took a nap. Yes, I was tired, but from lack of sleep, not from washing the van. Elizabeth was nice enough to color, play with her puzzles, and generally do a good job and not burning down the house. Glad she hasn't learned too many of my bad habits.

Oh, almost forgot. She locked me out of the house too. She's known how to lock the glass/screen door but for some reason decided to do it while I was getting the paper and trashcan. Luckily she let me in. And she got a talking to about it.

After Yvonne got home, I cut our grass. I pulled a few weeds, but nothing major. And technically, I guess it was crabgrass, not weeds. After that, I went to Dad's house to cut his grass. Amazing what bizarre memories come to the surface when you're cutting a yard you haven't cut on a regular basis since high school.

I came home, showered, and we went to the local pizza place to pick up a dinner.

Sunday was a little more laid back. Elizabeth was nice enough to wake up and join us in bed (like it isn't crowded enough). She went back to sleep for a bit then developed a case of antsy pants. So we sent her off to the latest and greatest Sunday morning indulgence (which we've used twice now) ------ Noggin. I hate using the TV as a babysitter, but it's so damn convenient.

We got up a little while later and had waffles before going to town to shop. And that was about it for the weekend. Everything else that occurred wasn't really worth mentioning (do you really want to know about washing clothes or doing dishes?).

So, those are the highlights of my weekend. What did you do?

I'm a star!

Well, this ranks right up there with my not quite staring role on the Snakes On A Plane DVD!

Thanks Paul!

Get those stitches ready

Because your side is going to need them.

I've taken the liberty of proving, yet again, that I'm a spaz. But in today's post, you'll see how it's been a condition I've carried since high school.

* for those having trouble reading the poem, here's a transcription:

Oh, Christmas tree,
oh Christmas tree
watch out for the bumble bee.
But don't worry,
he landed on my knee.
And then he stung me.
It hurt so bad I had to pee.
That's when I saw the bee stinging the flea.
That made me very happy.
'Cuz i don't like fleas.
And they don't like me.

But not to worry. In college I got help. I learned that I'm not the only spaz out there. Though she was not as bad as I was, she was pretty close. Her name was Yvonne Rivera.

Huh? What?

I'm in a daze at the moment. You know when you eat a meal and your body decides to send some much needed energy to your stomach to digest things you start to slip into a post-lunch coma of sorts?

Well, that's where I am at the moment, doing my best not to turn into a narcoleptic.

And along that vein of thought, I'll be keeping myself awake by putting you to sleep with the boring events of my life. No, no. No need for a sleeping pill. And please don't read this while you're driving.

And you might want to put a pillow between you and the keyboard in case things go drastically wrong.

Reading
A Game of Thrones by "Rail Road" Martin - I haven't touched this one in ages. I've just about given up.
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch - Trying to make my way through this one, but I've got limited amounts of interest at the moment.

Writing
War Wagon - Still stuck on hold as I gather steam slowly to return to the writing habit I've lost. I'm awaiting feedback from a professional editor on my first 15 pages as well as feedback from Epheros on the same 15 pages (no rush, whenever you're done with your reviews).
Unnamed 1 - I have an interesting idea around a container ship on the ocean. Simply an idea now.
Unnamed 2 - I have another interesting idea about a modern pirate ship. Same as above, simply an idea.

Listening
O Pioneers! by Willa Cather - Almost done with this one. Kind of depressing, but a decent account of how things were in Nebraska in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Harry Potter #1 - Waiting on deck.

Watching
Survivorman - If it weren't for Les Stroud, I would not know half what I do about survival. Here's to hoping I never have to use it.
Hell's Kitchen - Just finished but I'm curious to see how Ramsey's Americanized version of Kitchen Nightmares will do. His BBC version is pretty good.
Monk - Monk isn't my idol, he's just what I could become under the wrong (or right) circumstances.
Psyche - The funniest show on TV right now.
Deadwood - My guilty pleasure. Plus I need to catch up so I can get into Season 3.
M*A*S*H and Friends - These are during dinner or dish time.

Eating
A bunch of chili for lunch. That's why I'm sleepy and full of hot air.

Sleeping
Clearly not enough if I'm tired. It sounds odd, but I'm hoping to get more sleep once the baby arrives. At least then I know I can get a decent night of sleep every other day.

Upcoming
More family history (hopefully from Dad's Nebraska trip)
A final edit on my video for work (only 4 months late)
A new USB drive (2 GB just isn't big enough)
A new knife (a chipped blade isn't pretty)
New sunglasses (it's been a few years and I'm due)
A final grade in my class (I know what it is, it just isn't "official" yet)
More writing.....well, maybe now I'm getting in the dreams section of life
And let's not forget the new baby (which I still think will come before the end of the month)

Asleep yet? No? Well congratulations.

A little Meme in the morning

So, my cousin's wife Melissa tagged me with this little Meme.

4 things about me you may not have known:
1. I was named after my great aunt and uncle (Neil from my uncle, Lee from my aunt)
2. I'm a bit obsessive-compulsive
3. It takes me at least 30 minutes to fall asleep
4. I learned to drive in a Suburban on I-10 in the middle of Texas

4 Jobs I've Had:
1. Shipping Clerk (two different places)
2. Baker's Assistant
3. Security Guard
4. Lifeguard (three different places)

4 Movies I can watch over and over again:
1. Star Wars (obvious, isn't it?)
2. The Great Escape
3. Goonies
4. Back to the Future

4 Favorite TV shows:
1. CSI (all of them)
2. Psyche
3. Deadwood
4. M*A*S*H

4 Favorite Hobbies:
1. Reading and collecting books
2. Attempting to write
3. Genealogy
4. Ephemera

4 Places I have lived:
1. Shelby, NC
2. Salt Lake City, UT
3. Bellevue, WA
4. Edinboro, PA

4 Favorite Foods:
1. Cheeseburgers
2. Steak (on the grill)
3. King Crab legs
4. Pasta

4 Places I would rather be right now:
1. At home in bed
2. Half Moon Bay, Antigua
3. Anywhere in Europe
4. In Arizona

4 Websites I check daily:
1. Gmail
2. Google Reader (which lets me check hundreds of other sites in one place)
3. Vintage Mustang Forums
4. My credit union

4 People I tag:
1. Epheros (if he isn't too busy to crawl out from under his rock)
2. Mom (because she's one of the few people that will read this)
3. Paul A. (because he might draw a comic about it)
4. Anyone that wants to be my friend (or enemy)

A patron of the arts

Yvonne and I have been going to the local dinner theater for some time now and have had many a good evening on the town. Well, afternoon actually since somebody gets sleepy after dinner.

Anyway, yesterday was A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum. It was fairly funny, but not anywhere near the hilarity of Nunsense. But a good 2nd or 3rd place over all the shows we've seen. And I could clearly see Larry Gelbart's hand in this as there was a very M*A*S*H-like flavor at times to the comedy. And did you know he wrote And Starring Pancho Villa As Himself?

Anyway, the play was good, the food was decent (should have skipped the teriyaki steak for the salmon), I even ate some asparagus, but the coughing lady behind us had to go. She sounded like a 2-pack-a-day smoker with lung cancer and emphysema that had a touch of bronchitis.

Saturday, I cut Dad's grass while he's on vacation. It brought back some odd memories of cutting that yard as a kid. I even used the same damn John Deere mower. It moved slower than I remember, but I think my legs got a bit longer since middle school. In the morning, Yvonne and I went to an Access I class. Very basic, which is what I needed, but I learned that I'll never be using Access unless I have to. I can work much faster and cleaner in Excel.

And Friday I took off to get my eyes checked. Yvonne is a bit upset because she's only slightly better than 20/20 where I'm a perfect 20/10. She doesn't like to loose. We spent the rest of the day (Friday) shopping before going home where I cut (and trimmed) our grass.

So, that was eyes, shopping, and grass for Friday; class and grass on Saturday; laundry and a play Sunday. Long weekend.

But good.

This coming week I hope to finish O'Pioneers! by Willa Cather (on audio CD) so I can start my Harry Potter marathon. Then I have more Deadwood to watch (almost done with all the extras on Season 1). And I'm sure something else will come up along the way.

A Challenge-edited-

So, my cousin's wife Melissa, issued a challenge on her blog a few days back asking for anyone that found this particular blog (or post) to post a message.

But I want to take it a bit further.

So here's my challenge:

Simply post your name and where you are (geographically, not emotionally or mentally......unless you really want to).

I'll start.

My name is Neil and I'm either -edited-

7 Things You Need To Know About Barbers

As inspired by Paul's comic yesterday, here are “7 Things You Need To Know About Barbers.”

First, never say your haircut looks bad when they ask. After all, they are holding scissors or some other sharp object that can easily be thrust into your jugular.

Second, if a barber asks what guard number you prefer, he (or she) is NOT a barber in the truest sense of the word. A real barber will know what to use when you ask for a “long crew” or a “flat top.” Most even know what you mean when you ask for “handlebars” or “fenders.”

Third, I hate to be sexist, but I’ve never met a female barber. I’ve met some that pretended fairly well, but they wouldn’t know the difference between a straight razor and a Gillette Mach 3.

Fourth, a straight razor across the back of your neck is right behind sex and chocolate as one of the best feelings you’ll ever experience. Assuming of course that the individual using it is qualified. Otherwise you’re better off with that damn Gillette.

Fifth, a good barber will know when to speak and when to shut the hell up. My old barber would make some small talk but knew when to keep his trap shut. If I didn’t speak, neither did he. My current barber speaks too much. And it’s because of his open mouth policy that I’ve learned he’s rather bigoted and possible racist. And to top it off, he’s a Republican. Maybe I should cut my own hair.

Sixth, to even out the “sharp object” ratio, I simply carry my gun when I get my hair cut. Now I can say he missed a spot without fearing for my blood spilling on the floor.

Seventh, a good barber will provide you porn and coffee. Not being a coffee drinker, only half of this is important to me. But what’s odder still, my old barber (who has been cutting my hair and my father’s for 20+ years) must still see me as a child because he only gives his copies of Playboy to my Dad.

And the scary part about all this? I came up with these 7 things off the top of my head. Maybe I should do some work today, no?

A letter from Yvonne

Hello all--

We have gotten several calls and emails about the Fisher Price Toy Recall. I have checked out the site with pictures of all the toys and all the information. Elizabeth does have several of the toys listed, however her toys were not purchased in the time window given by Fisher Price (May 1, 2007 - August 2007). The items she has were purchased prior to those dates. She is safe and so are her toys. She does not currently need any "replacement" toys.


On another note, we have been teaching her how to do some typing by color coding the keyboard for her. She seems to be doing well and really enjoys IMing people. We have been using the desktop computer in the baby's room more this summer even though the camera is not hooked up to it she is still having a blast typing. So if you don't have Windows Live Messenger yet, now is a great time to get it. It is free and Elizabeth would love to IM you. She knows how to look to see if people are signed on and how to tell if they are typing to her.

She is learning her phone number and can almost always tell it to you. We are still working on it everyday. She can tell you the name of her street, but not our house number. She is learning to recognize and name her letters as well as how to make them using sign language. She is able to tell you her full name (and will correct you if you call her something else - as many of you know last summer she called her self Bizzy - she became very upset at one of her friends who called her this yesterday at the pool. She told him my name is Elizabeth Leona Richard. The little guy just turned 2 in June and didn't really know what to make of her comment.) She is also able to tell you the baby's full name and will correct people if they try to shorten it. We are also practicing counting and 1:1 correspondence daily. I have been tutoring a girl going to kindergarten and a girl going to 2nd grade and I think she does better than they do on some of the tasks (like counting). She has great recall of stories we read and just stuff in general. But she loves reading and that makes both mom and dad happy.

She has also been very interested in the two hummingbird feeders we have put up on the porch. She likes to watch them and can't seem to understand why they fight over the food. Honestly it is pretty neat to see them out there. We often get about 12 -15 birds buzzing around at a time. Prior to putting the feeders up, I had no idea how feisty they little birds can be, but now I have learned they are like little dogs -- and will fight it out and make themselves known no matter how big the opposition is. (They continue to fight with the finches that have made a nest in one of my hanging baskets). Neil has put some video of the birds on his web page if you are interested.

Well that is about all for now. Have a great weekend.

Yvonne

A little Mustang Paparazzi

Saw this car awhile back and snapped a picture with the camera phone. Totally forgot I had it.

Doing a jig-edited-

So, the minor news first, so it won't be overshadowed by the big news.

First, I've sent a file to a grad student at the University of Wisconsin to be translated. The letter is one of many that I've obtained that are in Norwegian. I have a friend, Kai, in Norway, but don't want to impose on him too much. So, with a little help from the grad student, I hope to have most if not all of the letters translated. Here's one of the envelopes:

From The Richard E...

Second, I've sent the first 15 pages of my story off to a published author (Jeff VanderMeer) for an edit and critique. This is likely my biggest news and the scariest moment for me right now. Not many people know I've been writing anything, let alone a story. We'll see what happens. And apologies to Epheros, as he's been my right-hand man in writing this story (I'll be sending you more to read when you finish what you have).

-edited-

What makes you different?

So I've been scrounging around recently in an attempt to gather family history items. I have been fortunate enough to get a large collection from my aunt in Nebraska as well as a large amount of photos from my uncle in Arizona (one of them). My dad is on his way to Nebraska for a family reunion (his mother's branch) so I can only hope to get more info.

Genealogy is one of those hobbies I dabble in when I get time. To date, with the help of many, many others, I've amassed a family tree that has 29,000 individuals spanning back to 1331.

Let that sink in for a second.

1331. That's before the Black Death in Europe. That's before the Ming Dynasty in China. That's before Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

Frightening and curious all at once.

So, needless to say, I enjoy it. And so far, I've enjoyed the letters and documents I've been able to find (and scan) dating back to 1863 (with most in the 1900-1930 range). Well, this morning I came across one about me.

One that clearly explains why I'm a bit "different" than others. Read this excerpt and tell me what you think.

Status Update

So, where are we now? Hopefully out of the woods. But to get out, I'll need to lead you on a long path from topic to topic, so bear with me. Or skip ahead. Whatever tickles your pickle.

School
I've finally finished all of my assignments for my last week of class (Managerial Communications). I still have another week of posting and responding to do, but the writing is done and turned in. The professor was, well, a bag of hot air. I could get more information form a pile of shit in the street than from this guy. But my fellow students were great and I learned a lot from them. I'll be sitting out the next couple of months due to the pending baby and lack of money and will start again in October.

Weddings
Well, really only one wedding, but anyways. A good friend of ours gets married this weekend. We both want to go, but neither of us feel comfortable being that far from the doctor if the baby decides to come early. So, we're sitting tight and playing it safe. And with Yvonne having contractions everyday, I'd rather play it safe. So sorry, Hutz and Molly, we'll be thinking about you. Guess I have to start calling you Dave now. Or should I call both of you Hutz?

Work
Well, some things don't change. That's good.

Reading
I finished S. M. Stirling's Dies the Fire and promptly took up the next in the series, The Protector's War. Way, way too much Wiccan in it for me, but seeing as one of the main characters is Wiccan, I slog through it. So far The Protector's War has started slow, but there's new characters coming in from Britain, so it should be interesting. After I finish this, I don't know what's next, guess I should look into that. I've also been listening to the Essential Lewis and Clark in the car. Not too bad as it keeps to the interesting parts of their journals, like York getting frostbite on his, well, that "certain male anatomy." I'll listen to Captain Blood next courtesy of LibriVox.

Writing
Ha. No update here. Haven't written a lick in a long time, but I have resolved my issue of where to go next with War Wagon. Epheros, the Chinese invade. That's all I'm saying until I write more. Hopefully soon. And I came up with another idea for a story. Not sure how long it would be, but it's interesting enough to make me curious how everything would work. Think Waterworld meets BioDome. But without the humor.

Survivorman
Les Stroud is back on TV tonight with Shark Week (I'll be skipping that one) and back with new episodes of Survivorman next week. He's the real deal folks, not the faker like Bear Grylls with his conjured bear attacks. I hate to badmouth the guy, but Les humps his own camera gear while Bear has someone else do it for him.

Watching
I've been re-visiting Deadwood lately. I picked up Season 3 on DVD and felt I needed to go back to the beginning to make sure I caught everything. It's been my lunch-time addiction of late. At home, I've been revisiting Firefly. Just a hands-down great show. Dad also picked up a few new movies (Shooter - not so hot, Davy Crockett - decent Disney, and the entire series of Daniel Boone - haven't seen it yet). As for "regular" programming, it's been Hell's Kitchen on Mondays with Monk and Psych on Fridays. Not too much worth my time at the moment.

Waiting
Dad's away shortly to Nebraska for a family reunion and to visit the family farm. I'm eagerly awaiting the goodies he should be bringing back as well as new information for the family tree.

Well, that's about it for now. Catch you all later.

Videos and Photos

So I've uploaded three new videos, two of Elizabeth, one of the killer hummingbirds. Here's one of Elizabeth counting to ten. Not too shabby for a three year old.



Then we have a slew of new photos. Nearly all from Yvonne's camera as I don't download that one very much. I think my favorite is this one.



And in other news, I've stumbled upon my cousin's family blog (why didn't you tell me they had one mom?). Anyway, it's nice to get caught up, even if it is virtually.

And that's about it for now. The weekend is quickly approaching. And what's in store for Neil this weekend? First goal is to fix the plumbing from the water supply under the sink to the backside of the ice maker in the freezer. What should have been a fairly simple fix last night turned into a "we need to remove all the dishes under the sink, pull out the copper, drill the holes larger, snake through the new braided hose, remove the dishwasher, run hose behind dishwasher, turn everything on and hope it works" kind of project. After that's done (hopefully by Saturday afternoon) I'll be able to do some work outside. I might even feel ambitious enough to wash the cars. Maybe I'll get lucky and it will rain. I also have three major papers due for class Sunday. Hope to have those in on time. Then there's the standard chores that always need to be done.

No rest for the wicked, right?

Hope you have a great weekend!

Oh, almost forgot. For those few out there that have even heard of Kurt R. A. Giambastiani (author of the Fallen Cloud Saga), he's doing well and is looking to get back to writing this fall.

Almost there, almost there.....

So I'm almost done with S. M. Stirling's Dies the Fire. It's actually a continuation of his older Island in the sea of Time series. I wasn't impressed with Conquistador, but Dies the Fire is decent. Good enough I want to read the next book in line.

On the flip side, I'm still struggling through GRRM's A Game of Thrones. Everyone keeps telling me it's an awesome book (and series), but I'm still struggling. I just got to the point where Ned get's a dagger shoved into his chin. Well, I guess what they say is true, when Martin gets tired of a character, he kills them.

No estimated start date for the Deathly Hallows. I want to pull a marathon and start from the begining. But I did download Captain Blood on audio so we'll see how that floats.

Harry who?

That potter kid sure has taken the world by storm. Over 8 million copies sold in a single day? That's crazy talk.

Sure, I started reading about harry back when books 3 and 4 came out. I was even lucky enough to work in a bookstore when 4 (that's the Goblet of Fire) made its debut at midnight. And I've enjoyed reading the series since then. I find it hard to knock any book or series that gives kids (and a nation) a reason to read.

But I'm actually more inclined to re-read The Name of the Wind before I take a crack at the Deathly Hallows. What?! you might exclaim. Well, it's like this. Potter is, well, a kid's book. Kvothe is, well, a kid, but so much more.

Source: http://www.patrickrothfuss.com/blog/2007/07/kvothe-vs-harry-potter-cage-match.html

Random Ramblings on Friday Night-edited-

I read today that Google reported their second quarter profits of $3.86 Billion, up 58% over last year's second quarter. Woof!

And, via -edited-, Google wants to or is buying the 700 Mhz bandwidth. I'm guessing they'll be looking to become their own service provider in the cell phone market.

Then we have Microsoft apply for patents to use some sort of search technology or ad technology to search your hard drive and develop ads based on the content. I can't say if they are going to produce the ads or block them. Guess we'll see.

I can't wait for somebody to rip a copy of the latest Die Hard movie online so I can see it. I keep hearing about Pirate Cove from -edited-, but I have no desire to actually download the movie. I know, I know, watching a pirated movie and downloading one are the same.

My college roommate, Dave, let me borrow one of his audio books, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. Well, I hate to stop half-way through, but I couldn't finish it. I don't know how to explain it, but it was just, not right for me. So, I'll look at listening to Harry Potter or one of the classics that can be found for free on LibriVox.

And, I have made progress with War Wagon. Not in writing more, but in getting past my writer's block. I actually have something to write about now, but no time to do it in. Sure, I could write instead of blog, but then what would you read? A newspaper?

Well, blogging is distracting me from Psyche. I'm off!

A big update of sorts

Baltimore

Yvonne, Elizabeth, and I went to Baltimore last week to spend a day walking around the Inner Harbor and visiting the National Aquarium. Overall, it was a decent trip. The Aquarium was so-so with the dolphins being the most exciting thing there. After that we walked around the Inner Harbor a bit. Most exciting thing there for me was the USS Constellation (a really old sailing ship). The most disappointing thing there was that the canons on the piers were plastic, not cast iron. Check out the pictures here.

Seven Years Ago

So, seven years ago, Yvonne and I got married (seven years this past Saturday to be precise). We've been dating since October of 1994 and were engaged a couple of years before we married in 2000. It seems like forever, but at the same time, it's like yesterday. There are days where I get so caught up in going to work and doing chores and trying to relax that I sadly don't pay enough attention to the lovely woman next to me. She's become my best friend, my wife, and the mother of my children all rolled up into one. I've lost myself many times just staring into her eyes. But enough of the mushy stuff.

Shenandoah

We went to see Shenandoah yesterday at the Riverside. A decent play, but too depressing for an anniversary celebration. I love Jimmy Stewart, but I doubt I'll buy this movie.

Flipping for Trash

Now, for the funny stuff. Yesterday I took out the trash and ended up looking like this.

Not to worry, I didn't end up in the trash can. But I came close. As I sometimes do, I took out the trash in my bare feet yesterday morning. I leaned over the railing on the porch to open the trash can (it sits on the ground, about 4 feet below the bottom of the porch). Well, I must have shrunk since the last time I did this because I lost my balance and flipped over the railing. In the instant of falling I happened to notice the nice brown wood and nails as my head passed by. I couldn't tell you how I landed or what I landed on, but I did knock the trash can over. After putting the bag in the can and coming back inside, things went like this:

Elizabeth said "You fell down Daddy."

I said "Yes, Daddy fell down."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, Daddy's okay."

Elizabeth said "It's okay Daddy, I fall down sometimes too."

"Okay honey, Daddy needs to sit down for a second."

"Do you want me to read you a story?"

"Sure Elizabeth."

So she started to read me a Dora story. Halfway through, she stopped and said "Daddy, you need to use the steps."

"Yes, Daddy will use the steps. Mommy's done with her shower so why don't you go tell her Daddy fell down."

Needless to say, if we had security cameras, I would have been on TV with a chance at winning some money. But sadly, all I got was a beat-up face, some scratches on my arms, a sore elbow, and a sore gut from laughing at myself.

Les Stroud and Survivorman News

This just in from Les Stroud:

- Season 2 starts August 10th on Discovery (October 2nd on OLN).

- Les is hosting all of Shark Week on Discovery (July 24th through August 4th).

- Les is swimming with the sharks in a one-hour special (July 31st at 9 pm EST on Discovery).

- Read about Les' latest adventure in Labrador Canada on his blog.

That is all.

Where oh where have you been?

Busy.





















No seriously, I've been busy. And a little lazy. And a little stressed out. And, well, here's a partial list of what I've been doing lately.
- Attending school - I'm now in my second week of my Masters program at the University of Phoenix
- Scanning - I've been scanning letters, documents, legal papers, photos, tons of family history stuff
- Writing - and all of it is for school, haven't had any time to even think about War Wagon
- New baby - there's been lots of prep work getting the spare bedroom rearranged, well I guess it's the baby's new room now, furniture, clothes, etc.
- Work - while the rest of my peers are enjoying the week off, I've been busy at work trying to catch up on things

And I'm too tired to list anything else. Mom went to Salt Lake for a couple of weeks (she's back now). Yvonne and Elizabeth went to Pittsburgh this week (due back in a couple of days). Ugh. And I forgot all about the reading I need to do for class.

Life never is easy.

So I've been busy, just like I said before. believe me now?