Thursday, March 31, 2005

Antichristamine

Somehow, it's already Thursday. The past few days I've been wrestling with a sore throat, but some Alavert and Ibuprofen seem to have knocked it down a bit. I'm not totally sure the Alavert was any use though since I've never had allergies before, and since today, I just feel like I have a full-on head-cold.

I didn't sleep very well last night either, and I'm sure that's adding to the misery. The weirdest thing happened last night; I woke up at 3:23 am and immediately realized my wedding ring was missing. Much the same as someone hears a loud noise, and wakes up knowing that's what woke them, the feeling of my ring's absence was immediate. I searched as well as I could given the circumstances but couldn't find it. Thank God Kelly found it a few minutes ago. A panicked phone call to her prompted her rapid search.

Kelly's got to go get a tooth pulled this afternoon, which ought to be a real delight. I'll be watchign the kids while she's gone...which I don't mind doing at all, except for the sheer terror of the whole 'can I handle both of them by myself syndrome.' Again, I realize I don't give her enough credit for managing to handle both of them all day every day. I wish I knew how she does it without panicking like I typically do in that situation.

I've been feeling very creative recently; I really need to start getting that stuff out of my head.

On a semi-related note...I actually seem to be halfway decent at maintaining this page. I didn't think I'd stick with it this well. Go me. w00t.

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Something Wicked This Way Comes

After much anticipation, my confirmation email came in this morning from Apple. :) w00t of all w00ts. I decided against the eMac, and opted instead for a 12" iBook, which is even now working its way across country to me in the back of a FedEx truck. Right now, it's somewhere in the neighborhood of Sacramento, and should be here hopefully by this weekend. My name is Chris, and I am a recovering Windows user. :)

I stopped at Sheetz for lunch today and got an Italian sub, which was quite tasty; that alone isn't post-worthy, but the fact that I decided on iced-tea is. I usually hate store-bought tea, but this stuff is actually quite good. It's Arizona brand 'southern-style real brewed sweet tea' and it's quite refreshing. I might just have a new beverage du jour.

Obviously, nothing of monumental importance has happened thus far today, or else I most likely wouldn't be mentioning my lunchtime discoveries.

On a personal note, I miss my wife and kids. I'll be home in about two hours, but that's not soon enough. They are the only things in my life that really keep me sane and focused. I can't wait to hold Aeryn and wrestle around with Jack. Hmm, the weather is looking a little better today than it has been. It's not raining anymore and I see some sunlight. Maybe we can go for our walk around the park tonight. That's our family time these days. Aeryn sleeps, Jack just absorbs all the sights and sounds, and Kelly and I get to talk freely, something we can't do at home.

Hopefully this weather will hold out. It's 57.2 degrees right now, and that's a good start.

Thursday, March 24, 2005

Hey Brother, Can Ya Spare a Dime?

Poor Kelly, I really feel for her. She is having quite a bit of dental pain right now, having two, not one, but two abscesses. I know how bad that must hurt; I had one about two months ago, and it drove me nuts. Well, some would argue I was already there to start with, but I digress. I wish there were more I could do to relieve her pain, but the best and only thing I can do is be supportive.

In the meantime I've been taking over her night-time 'baby-patrol' and listening for Aeryn. That girl can EAT. She ate for almost three hours straight tonight. I guess that's not a bad thing since she stocks up during her last meal and then sleeps through the night - usually. This morning she was up for an hour at 5:43, and I was less prepared than I thought I would be. Of course, here I sit writing this at almost midnight, so I suppose I have only myself to blame.

In any event, I feel really bad because I got a little aggravated tonight with Aeryn; I just wanted her to finish eating and o to sleep so I could go relax. I feel horrible for thinking that. The sweet little girl just wanted to fill her tummy. I think I've just let the stresses I'm dealing with - or at least think I am - get to me way too much. That, and I vastly underestimated the amount of effort Kelly puts in each day being a full-time mom.

Of course, God's Karmic machinations have once again proven too abstract to decipher. Somehow, every conceivable issue that could arise to drain my wallet has done so this week. I went from having half the money required for my new Mac to having almost none. My wife's unforeseen dental bills and doctor's visits have come as a real shock, and it looks like I'm just going to be computerless a while. I kind of figured something like this would happen. I'll just have to do what I always do, suck it up and smile while I bide my time and save.

After that, the next goal is to move, but that's another post that I don't feel like writing at the moment. Maybe tomorrow. It is Friday after all, and Fridays by default and by definition can not suck. Unless of course said Friday happens to be the 13th.

I've rambled enough. 'Night.

Monday, March 21, 2005

Hurry Up and Wait and Other Cliched Confessions

I sold my laptop last week, and have to wait until Friday to get the second half of the payment for it. I didn't agree to that, but I guess I have to suck it up since I'll be able to get my Mac. In the meantime, I have no computer. Yay. Yay of all yays. Joy.

I just realized I'm going to miss the ease of using Picasa and Hello to update this page. I'm sure I'll find some Mac equivalent which will most certainly look better, work better, and just generally make me happy.

So here I sit, waiting to Jack and Aeryn to the doctor. Somehow the prospect of a dual doctor visit isn't really something I'm treasuring, but it has to be done. Jack's visit shouldn't be anything extraordinary, but Aeryn's visit might be a little stressful since she is due for some booster shots. My little girl is 5 weeks old now, and this is the first time we've been able to actually get her to her regular doctor to get a checkup, thanks to innumerable screw-ups on the part of the insurance company. She had an initial visit with some half-assed doctor the insurance company decided on choosing for her, which went something like the way I would cursorily inspect a used car prior to purchase. A few pokes and prods and some 'uh-huh's' and that was all.

Needless to say, I wasn't too terribly impressed by her, her office, her manner, or her other clientel. If I were to imagine the crappiest most ghetto doctor possible and then somehow bring her to life, it would be her. Those phony TV doctors that hawk male-enhancement pills probably have more medical qualifications. At least we never have to see her again. I'm afraid she'd be the one needing medical attention after a second visit.

On a completely unrelated topic, I've got a theory. It goes a little something like this. I think that my in-laws were genetically designed to piss me off. I'm not going to get into it right now because I don't have the time. I think I'm right though.

To top off my weekend, my cat Comet has apparently decided that life would be better elsewhere; I keep telling myself he went off to find his brother Vader. Wherever he went, his absence will be felt. I miss you buddy, but I understand.

Thursday, March 17, 2005

And now for something completely different...

I never thought I'd be able to say this, especially not so soon, but my days of being a windows user are over. Well, almost. I sold my compaq laptop today, and will be putting the proceeds toward a new Apple eMac, which I hope to order in the next few days. I am officially making 'the switch.'

Why? There are more reasons than I have time to list, but among them are my almost epic distaste for Microsoft. I am so tired of security updates every ten minutes, browser hijackers, spyware, viruses, patches, and most of all, sloppily coded operating systems. I want my pc to work for me, not the other way around. When you reach the point where you are spending most of your time on the computer updating the OS, running virus scans, checking for spyware, or troubleshooting some stupid glitch that should NOT happen, it's time to make a change. I don't game anymore, so that's not a concern...so why not make the leap to the Apple side? Let's see...I get a more stable OS with more features and eye candy, a terrifically supportive community, an abundance of software, a gorgeous computer with a tack sharp display, and the freedom of not using a single Microsoft product. Sounds good to me.

I'm sad to be giving up my laptop, which as a piece of hardware, I loved. But the draw of Apple is too strong. I'm switching, Bill Gates, and you can kiss my Apple.

Monday, March 14, 2005

The Finer Things

Oh, what I would give for a Mac. I've been sitting here playing with some graphics in Photoshop, and just now realized they look much more gray on other monitors. Great, my laptop renders colors wrong. That's a phenomenal perk for a graphic artist. I never noticed this before. Yay me. I want a Mac in the worst possible way.

It was a stressful day, but a beautiful one. Posted by Hello

Tuesday, March 8, 2005

A Sound like No Other

I made an interesting discovery the other night. I was listening to music in iTunes, playing around with different genres, and trying to find something to relax to; I needed a change from my usual standard metal.

By sheer chance, I happened across a girl named Hayley Westenra. I'd never heard of her before, and really had no idea what to expect. Looking through the songs on her CD, I found Amazing Grace, which for some reason is one of those songs that moves me every time I hear it. So, I clicked on the track to preview it.

My impression? I really don't know how to describe her voice and actually do it justice. I have serious doubts that even angels sound that beautiful. Hearing her voice made every care I had at the moment simply vanish; I could literally feel myself becoming more and more calm.

Of course, the 30 second preview soon ended, and I sampled everything else on the disc. At that point, the 'purchase album' button must have cringed with fear due to the alarming speed with which my cursor approached. Within a minute I was $9.99 poorer, and tremendously satisfied.

I thought at one time that Charlotte Church had an incredible voice, but there is no comparison here. They are similar in style and range perhaps, but that's where it ends. I don't think I've ever been this satisfied with an album I've bought, nor this impressed with someone's singing ability.

The Razor's Edge

Let's face it. It's all about the almighty dollar. Frankly, I need more of them than my current job is bringing in, and it's time to do something about it. Thanks to a bit of social networking, it looks like with any luck I may get to skip the usual formalities of the whole interview routine and transition into something new in relatively short order.

Not that I hate interviews, they're actually rather fun. It's pure psychology at work. It's just that I hate setting them up. Actually, hate may be a bit weak. Loathe maybe. Regardless, we'll see what the next few days bring.

Whatever happens, it has to be better than this. It'll be nice to be able to afford things again.

Thursday, March 3, 2005

Blogger's Block

This past week has been utterly maddening. Between the in-laws frustrating the living hell out of me and just the usual comedy-of-errors type routine I seem to fall into once a month or so, it's been entertaining in a truly warped way.

I'm a little unfocused right now, given the stresses I'm under, and presumably amplified by the fact that my birthday is tomorrow. Birthdays have a mysterious and powerful way of forcing me to regroup inside my head at least once a year and think about the past, present, and future.

I've got a ton of things to say, but right now, none of them are bubbling to the top...most of my thoughts are simmering just under the surface. I can't do this right now. I'll come back when my head's clear.