My Little Corner in Cyberspace

Testing

2008-08-07T20:55:00.001-07:00

Test post from my iPhone.

Finally!

2008-08-01T21:57:00.000-07:00

After having to wait for what seemed like an eternity, I finally have a new iPhone!

These babies are in pretty high demand over here in Southern California. Neither the Apple store nor the ATT store had these phones in stock, and if they happened to get a shipment, they went pretty fast.

So far I am loving it. I am glad that the price went down with this new version. I could not see myself spending 600 bucks for the original phone a year ago.

I like the touch screen, the ease of use, and the intuitiveness that Apple seems to do so well. The touch keyboard is a little awkward due to not having tactile buttons to feel, but it really is easy to use. It is recommended that you start with one hand to get the hang of it and then gradually move to using both hands. I can tell that in a few weeks I will be using the keyboard as if it was second nature.

Another good thing is the willingness for Apple to open the phone to developers. I have been combing through looking for apps. Being how it's new I am sitting back and looking at free apps with good ratings and reviews. Not ready yet to start shelling out serious cash until the developers have had an opportunity to get their feet wet. As of this writing, there are just over 1,300 apps available, and new apps are being added daily. I have 9 applications so far, and I am patiently waiting for Blogger and Flckr to create their apps.

I wanted to get Anduin her iPhone, but her cell phone carrier wanted $200 bucks to cancel the contract that has only two months before the two year agreement is fulfilled. Craziness. Anduin said she would wait. The day after her contract ends, you will find us back at the Apple store getting her iPhone as well.

Whole lot of Shaking going on

2008-07-29T15:10:00.000-07:00

At 11:42 a.m. our time, we had a 5.4 magnitude earthquake here in Southern California. The epicenter was located in Chino Hills, about 2 miles from my work. News has confirmed that we were in the vicinity that received the heaviest and sharpest shaking.

It was very strong, and a bit scary. Some of the girls were a little freaked out due to how strong the shaking was. The building shook violently, the rattling and rumbling made it seem worse. That, with furniture moving, fixtures falling and breaking, no one can blame them.

We (The members of the Emergency Response Team for the campus), were kept busy after the quake. Once the shaking stopped, we made sure there were no injuries, awaited for any immediate aftershocks, instructed our coworkers what steps we would be taking, and waited to hear from our floor captain before we proceeded to evacuate the building, and made sure all of our employees in our dept were accounted for.

We turned things over to the building Marshall and waited for further instructions.

As you can imagine, cell phone service was flooded with people calling loved ones to make sure they were ok. No cell service was available from anyone. I was able to contact my wife via gmail chat before we evacuated the building, and it was about an hour before I could get a hold of my parents and sister via cell phone.

Slowly people left campus, mostly parents going to pick up their children from daycare and schools that evacuated and closed for the day.

According to reports, there was no major damage done to buildings. That is good news. Things could have been bad. Seems that the worst thing was all of the rattled nerves (No pun intended).

Just another day in Sunny Southern California.

New Toy?

2008-07-24T12:47:00.000-07:00

iSee a new toy in my future. iWonder what it can be...

Cruise - Day 3, and 4

2008-07-23T23:56:00.000-07:00

This was the day to relax and kick back. The excursions behind us we spend the entire day at sea.

We decided to sleep in that morning, no rush to go or do anything. Breakfast at the Windjammer cafe was about to change over for lunch service, we got there just in time for breakfast food. Always good choices for food.

After we eat we stroll the decks looking for a place to lay out and soak up some sun. Turns out that is easier said than done. Looks like we were not the only ones with the same idea. We eventually find some spots on the deck overlooking the pool.

During this time there is plenty going on in and by the pool. The performing bartenders were rather entertaining, lots of acrobatic type things with the drinks. With nothing to block out the sun we decide to find some deckchairs in the shade.

The announcement is made that the International Belly Flop competition will be underway and contestants are needed. I find the best location for pictures and enjoy the show. Lots of crowd favorites, including "Banana Hammock Guy" or as Anduin refers to him "Mankini". Mixed feelings from the crowd as to his popularity. Plenty of scores of 2 and 3, with one guy giving Mankini an enthusiastic score of 5 out of 5. LOL.

After the contest my attention shifts, I stop thinking just about me and start shooting what will eventually be going into the "Friends Only" folder. Much love to you if you have access. Hope you enjoyed the pictures as much as I enjoyed shooting them.

Time marches on and before we know it we are headed back to our room to pack and get ready for our final dinner service. We enjoy the lamb and shrimp dinners, more good times with Tyler and Savannah, and this time our staff treated us to music and song. It was so nice to get the staff involved that way. It really did make a difference in the service.

The Sound of Music theater put on a great farewell show for us after dinner. Very talented individuals, at both singing and dancing. Some of the impersonations were dead on, while others required a little imagination. Before the show came to an end we were introduced to all the departments that helped make the cruise a success. Naturally not all of the staff could be there. It would have been tough to get all 800 staff members in the theater. The captain thanked us, lots of recognizing and applause.

One final show for the adults was held at about 11pm. Comedian John Wing was back with his stand up routine. Very funny stuff.

By the time the show was over it was past midnight and Anduin was ready for bed. Tyler and I on the other hand were not. While Anduin headed back to the stateroom, Tyler and I headed to "The Circuit", same place Anduin and I went the night before.

I don't have any guy friends for me to hang with, so it was nice to be able for Tyler and I to sit back, have a couple beers and laugh our asses off while exchanging guy stories. As an added bonus, watching drunk girls on a dance floor can be VERY entertaining.

We actually ended up closing the place down. We were a little surprised at how quickly the place died down after last call.

We finished our conversations on our way back to our staterooms, and I crawled into bed at about 3am. or so. Had to sleep fast as we would be docked back home in a little more than 3 hours.

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The final morning. - With all of the packing done and the luggage gone, we pack our duffel bags and grab some breakfast. There was a delay in customs, so we end up having to wait for our group to leave the ship. Two hours after we were scheduled to be off the ship we are still waiting on deck, and wonder if we will be there long enough for lunch to be served! We did not mind the wait at all, if you have to be stuck waiting somewhere, the deck of a cruise ship next to the pool is the place to be. We are finally called and the four of us head down to disembark. Within the hour we are through customs, have our luggage and are headed back to our car.

Great. Trip.

Can't wait for our next cruise. I'm thinking seven days this time..., in Hawaii.

Cruise - Day 2

2008-07-21T23:59:00.000-07:00

Day 2 was the busiest of the 3. Breakfast served a nice surprise as we were seated next to Anthony and Bonnie (The couple we met the night before while taking pictures). We immediately hit it off and with all the talking, breakfast seemed to fly by.

After breakfast we hang out for a while until we have to meet our party for our excursion. While we wait we realize that Tyler and Savannah will be joining us, good time to get to know them a little better. We get a little nervous because we see large groups (Upwards of 50 people or more) for the other excursions and hardly anyone for ours. So much so that we wonder if we missed it or if maybe it was canceled. As it turns out, our group was purposely limited to 12 people! So out of a ship of 2500 people, only 12 get to attend the bartending and shopping excursion! Not bad, and pretty exclusive if I do say so myself.

Rossy is tour guide for the day, and could not resist having a little fun. Once we are all on our little bus, she starts the tour...in Spanish! She continues speaking and interacting as if nothing is the matter, all awhile everyone has a look in their eyes like deer caught in headlights. Naturally, I am enjoying this being the only person fluent in Spanish, along with one other person who kind of understands a little of what Rossy is saying. You can hear the sighs of relief when she finally kicks the tour in English.

The tour was not so bad. Hit the major points of interest and monuments that were there. Learned about some battles, generals, people who made history and we learned about the gigantic flag on display. Turns out that every port in Mexico has a giant flag. The flag we were looking at was on a flagpole 330 feet high. The flag itself was 93 feet long, 160 feet wide and weighed over 500 pounds. The largest of these flags (So far) can be found in Guanajuato, which has a flag 4 times the size of this one. That is one BIG flag.

Once we finished our tour we headed into the strip, to Papas and Beer, where we had our bartending class. Our bartender for the class is Jesus, and he takes us through a very informative history lesson on tequila. Everything from the region it's made (A town called Tequila, Mexico) to the plants tequila comes from, the process by which it's made and what makes different types of tequila. Tequila can range from $12 a bottle to as much as $800 a bottle and beyond.

Once we started the class the fun really began. Throughout the step by step instructions we were asked questions and quizzes, and were rewarded correct answers by taking shots. Tyler was particularly good at getting the answers. Halfway through the class Anduin was done with our overachieving table and left the shots to Tyler and I. We learned several drinks including the perfect margarita, and we aren't just kidding about that. Maybe it just tastes better knowing we made it ourselves. Either way, they were great.

The highlight of the class (At least for some of us) was when Jesus gave Savannah a taste of what a "popper" was. Pictures 76 through 86 of the trip illustrate it nicely. Lots of shaking going on.

Savannah had no idea what was in store, but she was a very good sport about it. Turns out that the version Jesus gave was a toned down version of what they sometimes do. It's not unusual for thongs and boobs to make an appearance. Check out Youtube for examples. (Strictly scientific of course).

Once the class is over we head out to a place the locals go to eat. Rossy was nice enough to direct me to the less touristy place for some real good seafood. She didn't disappoint. The fish is fresh and Savannah gets to try some Mexican dishes for the first time. She loved it, as we knew she would.

After lunch we spend the next several hours walking down the strip, window shopping, actual shopping and haggling over items to purchase. Ty and Savannah are a little out of their element but quickly learn to stick close to me since the Natives seem to get better deals than the tourists. Sometimes as much as 40% or more!

Time flew by and before you knew it we were heading back to the ship, goodies in tow. We now had roughly 2 hours before dinner, which was the formal dinner of the cruise. I thought I was going to be under dressed seeing how I had just a suit. I was expecting a sea of tuxedos, and while we did see a few, the rest of us were all happy in our suits. We took the formal to mean no bathing suits or thongs at the dinner table. (I know, way to rain on our parade).

We decided to change after dinner to take some night photography while Tyler and Savannah hit the casino. It was a bit chilly that evening so we decided it was time to hit the dance floor. Another quick change and we were dancing the night away. We finally called it quits about 2 am.

Not a bad way to end our second day.

Cruise - Day 1

2008-07-18T17:50:00.000-07:00

We arrive at port and are immediately told by security to put away our cameras and instructed where to park. It seems the port authority does not allow pictures of any of its facilities, inside or out. We are told we can take as many pictures as we want once we are on the ship.

Once on board, we find our stateroom and unpack our carry-on luggage. The rest of the luggage will be delivered a little later.

We head on to the top deck where there are people who are already in the pool! Not having any lunch yet we take advantage of the first buffet of the trip, careful not to overdue it since dinner is just 3 hours away.

Once everyone is on board, and before we set sail, we have to go through a mandatory evacuation drill. Everyone is required to participate, even if you have cruise experience. We all put on our life vests and head out to the designated area. Once there you can hear a mix of laughing, and fun as well as whining and complaining. Why are we doing this when we could be by the pool getting hammered? And they were not kidding, some people never left the pool. They took no excursions, and only ate at the Windjammer Cafe which served buffets and was located (You guessed it) next to the pool. I figured, it's your vacation, you paid for it, spend it any way you want!

We spend some time exploring the ship and take in a short first time cruiser's orientation. We learn the layout of the ship, a little history and future plans. As it turns out this is the last year that this ship sails with Royal Caribbean. It has been sold and will make way for a much bigger ship. Second largest in the world from what we understood.

Dinner at Vincent's. Our original dinner time at booking the cruise was "second dinner" at 0830pm. Turns out that they had changed it to the main dinner time of 0600pm., which worked out better for us. We get there and meet our waitress Armmie from the Philippines. She will be our waitress for all of our dinners at Vincent's. We will have rotating staff for breakfast and lunch if we choose to dine there. We also meet the second couple assigned to the table, Tyler and Savannah. They are there celebrating their 3 year anniversary. They end up being a great couple which whom we end up spending lots of time with.

During dessert our waiting staff surprises my wife with a birthday cake and a song, which I had arranged before the cruise. What can I say, need to keep the romance alive. Tyler also arranged to have cake for Savannah, to celebrate their anniversary. Both of our wives were surprised and happy. Lots of rocking on the ship that night, we blamed it on rough waves.

After desserts our staff treated us to a conga line. So entertaining! It really pumped up the energy level and set the tone for the rest of the trip. They all danced and balanced things on their heads or had a little trick up their sleeves. After that it was our turn, and we danced the Macarena. (At least we tried to. LOL)

After dinner we took a walk to get some sunset pictures where we met Anthony and Bonnie. They asked if we could take their picture and we ended up chatting a little. The Sound of Music Theatre was our next stop for the welcoming show put on by our cruise director. We were introduced to ship's singers and dancers, and were treated to the comedy of John Wing.

After the show we head back to our stateroom, finish our unpacking and turn in for the night. Overall a very good day.

Slight Delay

2008-07-17T21:51:00.000-07:00

Caught up in this called life and was unable to write the first cruise post. Have the day off tomorrow, so I will have time to write.

The Cruise Report

2008-07-16T14:35:00.000-07:00

For my wife's birthday, I took her on a cruise. This was a big year, not only did Anduin turn 40, we celebrated our 15 year anniversary 3 months ago.

The cruise was fantastic. If you have never taken one before, it should be on your list of things to do. If you have been, then you know exactly what we are talking about.

Since there is too much to mention in one post, I am going to follow what Scotty Ice did when he and his lovely wife returned from Europe, write a post for each day. By the way, Scotty has moved his blog, he can now be found raising the standard and setting new trends in livejournal here.

Even though I will be posting on the cruise over the next few days, pictures of the trip are available for your viewing pleasure here. Naturally, IF you have access to the exclusive, rare, and highly coveted "Friends Only" set on my Flickr profile, a very special collection of pictures awaits you. Yes folks, membership does have it's privileges.

Day One of the cruise tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Honey

2008-07-11T08:07:00.000-07:00

Today is my Honey's birthday!! The big 4-0.

Just a few hours away from heading out to our first cruise. We intend to have the time of our lives in the next few days. There will be plenty of pictures from both upon our return.

Again, Happy Birthday Sweetie. I love ya.

Update on Stuff

2008-03-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

It's been over two months since my last post, so I figured I should take the time to check in. Things here are pretty good. Anduin and I have been keeping busy. Still having fun with the photography, and I think Anduin is getting more into taking pictures. She is very good at Black and White photography.

My little sister turned 3, and will be having here baptism later this month. My parents celebrated their 39th wedding anniversary, and Anduin and I will be celebrating 15 years next month.

A few weeks ago one of my friends gave me a gift certificate for a one night stay at a nice hotel out in Irvine (About an hour away from here). It gave us an opportunity to do some shopping at one of the bigger outdoor malls and we took advantage of being a short 15 minute drive from the beach. I think that Laguna Beach is a much nicer beach than Santa Monica or Venice beach, and will more likely be our "go to" beach from now on. The scenic pictures can be found here. There is also a second scenic set that is NSFW (Not Safe For Work) but that is by invitation only. Nothing terribly bad, just a bunch of butts, boobs and bikinis. Let me know if you would like an invite ;)

And Yet Another Change

2008-01-08T22:53:00.000-08:00

About a month ago I posted on how my Nikon D40 had some issues with the flash. I returned it hassle free and was given a replacement.

Here we are one month later, and I find that they have put the D40x on sale. The difference between the two cameras is 4 megapixels, a better CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) sensor, and 3 frames per second as opposed to 2.5 frames with the D40.

So here I go back to the store, D40 in tow to exchange it yet again. Once again I was treated hassle free. The person behind the counter had to pull the camera to make sure that it was in working order. After he snapped a few pictures, he walked over to the camera dept and returned with the D40x kit.

Just like that.

With the difference in price, I ended up with a better camera, and a two year extended warranty for 1/2 of what it would of cost me with the D40. Needless to say I am a very happy camper.

The pictures are huge and have more detail. The D40 has maximum resolution of 3008x2000, while the D40x has a maximum of resolution of 3872x2592. It may not seem like much, but it makes a difference when you crop your pictures.

Oh, did I mention that I also upgraded my lenses? I have now added this lens to my collection. I actually only have two lenses , this being the other. In due time I will add and external flash, a tripod, monopod, and eventually one of the really big bad boys lenses that is priced roughly the same as our first Benz. (That last item is a long, long, long, long term goal).

It's good to have goals.

Is that ME?!? - Delete!!!!

2007-12-17T20:28:00.000-08:00

I work with many vain people. Some might argue that I simply work with women. Rather redundant in my case.

No, this is not a post about bashing women. Just letting out a little steam. So, let's take a look at my day today. We had our office party this last Friday. It was..."nice". Nothing close to Anduin's party, but that is to be expected.

While at the party I took plenty of pictures, well over 12o. I posted about 80 or so on my Flickr account knowing that some were not really good, as well as several not being flattering to the person being photographed. I though I had done a good job at weeding out the pics. I was wrong.

Minutes after sending out the link the phone calls starting arriving. "OMG, Latin Lover! I don't like my picture, I look so fat!" "Ewwww, why did you take my picture?!?! I look terrible. Remove it....NOW" and so on.

I do have to admit that the vast majority of feedback was positive. Here is the thing...None of the people at Anduin's party asked (or demanded) to have their photos removed. Some thought the picture could of been a little more flattering, but opted to keep the pictures in the set. It seems that they are a different crowd, and I'm not just talking about the abundance of cleavage at the party. (Thanks for the observation Scotty!)

Oh well. This was just a reminder as to why I do not serve on the holiday committee, because no matter how hard you try, you can never satisfy everyone.

Office Parties and Cameras

2007-12-10T23:17:00.000-08:00

This weekend we had Anduin's office party. It was at the same location as last year. The owner mentioned to me that he always likes to do something better every year, but he had so many comments and requests to have it at the same location. Everyone mentioned that the place was perfect.

It really was great. The food, music, the dancing and people were all wonderful. The only small snag happened about a 1/2 hour before the party ended. The flash on my spiffy camera gave out. One picture it was good, the next nothing. All of my efforts to get the flash to work were futile. I was a bit put off, but I'm glad that it happened at the end of the party instead of the beginning.

I was dreading having to take the camera back. I was concerned that they would give me a hard time since I purchased it 2 months ago, and I was going to return it at a different location than where I purchased it from.

After work I came home, packed the lenses, camera, all the accessories and paperwork back in the box. (I never throw away boxes from my toys. We still have the box from our HDTV!) Once all was packed I headed to the store.

Have you ever had an experience so pain free you feel that you are having your leg pulled? I mean, life can't be that easy can it? But alas, it can be. After patiently waiting my turn at the customer service line, I was asked how I could be served. Not helped, but rather served. I set the box on the counter and told the young man that the flash was no longer functioning on my camera. He looked at the receipt, scanned the box, looked at his computer monitor and said "OK sir, let's head on over to the the cameras and get you a new kit". He didn't even open the box to make sure that everything was there! He just took my word that everything that came with the box was being returned.

Just like that. Two minutes is all it took for the man with the keys to replace the kit. After we returned to the counter, a new receipt was printed and I was off.

It's nice to get that kind of service. There is a reason why I go to that store, it's nice to be reminded that I am a valued customer and not a burden.

The camera lasted exactly 2 months with 4,703 pictures taken. I looked online and found nothing to indicate that the flash going out was a widespread issue, or even a small issue for that matter, so I am considering this as one of those things that happen. To be on the safe side, both the box and receipt are in a safe place. Just in case.

Internet Explorer = P.I.T.A.

2007-11-08T12:42:00.000-08:00

I don't know what it is about Internet Explorer that it refuses to show my templates with the design changes that I make. The last several templates looked "off" in IE, but look fine in Firefox.

I received a message from one of my readers telling me how surprised she was that I did not know that there should be a space between paragraphs. She further suggested that if I did add the spaces that the site would "look nice". Something about it flowing better.

Well dear readers, if you are using Internet Explorer, please forgive the lack of page breaks between paragraphs, and that the banner should not have that black empty space above it. I really should put a disclosure letting readers know that this site is best viewed with Firefox.

As for the wonderful person who made those suggestions...Girl, I'm surprised at you for even thinking that I is not as good as you when it comes to the rules of writting, gramer and punctumation, since we both know that I am gooder. Shame on you! (Wink).

New Template

2007-11-07T22:58:00.000-08:00

I have been kicking around the idea of yet another template. Having Scotty Ice update his template motivated me to do the same. Actually, you can call it motivation with just a dash of competition. (The good kind of competition mind you). By the way, Thanks Scotty!

The idea to use this template came from one of my favorite bloggers who has decided to retire her blog. Thank you Contessa, I hope to see you online again soon. Your photography was an inspiration and you will be missed.

Speaking of photography, I am really enjoying my new camera. I think that I have most of the settings dialed down and am starting to get some pretty good pictures. Although I think it's time I get out more for my picture taking. Both Yoshi and Anduin give me the same look when they see me break out the camera.

Back to "Normal"

2007-10-27T18:55:00.000-07:00

Just to keep you all updated on the kids, they officially moved out today. What ended up being a few weeks stay lasted just over a year. My sister has a condo now, and today was move in day for them.

I feel bitter sweet. On the one hand I am glad that the kids have a stable home once again. That's important growing up. On the other, well, we are going to miss them. No question about that.

Since there was so much moving going on today, we decided that this was a good time to rearrange some things ourselves. The HDTV is going out of our bedroom and into the living room. The computer is finally going back to the office where it belongs, and we get a little more breathing room in our bedroom.

Of course we only had a few hours before our volunteer time here at the USO, and while it is quiet here I thought I would use this time to do some blogging.

So there you go. Things are once again back to normal. (Whatever that may be!)

More updates on all the things we have been doing this month, and I will try and post some pictures I have taken with my new camera (Just over 2100 pictures in the two weeks that I have owned it.)

Peace out.

My New Toy

2007-10-10T23:37:00.000-07:00

After some discussions with Anduin, I decided that I needed a hobby. Stamp collecting is not really my thing. Neither are dozens of other items that people collect. I decided that after years of tinkering with a point and shoot camera that I wanted to step up and take up photography. Anyone who knows me can tell you that I always have my camera with me ready to take a picture.

I'm not talking professional photography (Although if a super model were to ask me to take her picture, I would not decline by any means. I am a gentleman after all), more of an enthusiast,...semi-pro if you will.

Once the decision was made I quickly did my research and soon found the Nikon D40. After reading several reviews, including this one and this one, I was sold. This would be my entry camera to the Digital SLR world.

This is my first D-SLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera. For those of you who may not be familiar, a SLR camera is...

- a type of advanced camera where light from the lens is directed by a hinged mirror into an optical viewfinder so the user sees precisely the same image as will be captured by the image sensor or photographic film. When the shutter button is pressed the mirror flips up out of the way. Most SLR cameras can be used with a range of interchangeable lenses.

Speaking of, I opted for the two lens kit. The kit came with this lens and this one as well. They look identical but the difference is zoom is great. Naturally I will be taking photography courses to help me understand the intricacies of my new camera, and to get the best pictures possible. Once I know what it is I am doing, I will upgrade to the big lenses.

Once I have some time to play and test I will write a little review of my own. For now, beware everyone. You are hereby forewarned...I have a kick-ass camera, and I'm not afraid to use it!

One year ago today...

2007-09-25T21:49:00.000-07:00

The kids moved in. I can't believe it's been that long. They have changed a lot since they have been here...not in a bad way, just different. They continue to make life interesting, and if you don't believe me, I have a couple thousand pictures to prove it. (No joke, literally thousands!).

We are all looking forward to the holidays. The pumpkin patch, Thanksgiving at Disneyland, and all that Christmas shopping. Can't wait.

So Many Choices

2007-09-24T16:05:00.000-07:00

Anyone here in Southern California can tell you that when it comes to homes, there are no shortages. Yesterday Anduin and I went to see some more homes. This time however they were not resales, but rather new homes. We definitely like the selection of new ones better.

Is it a buyers or sellers market? Well, we saw some town homes that have special reduced prices. These same homes six months ago were priced at $80,000 more than what they currently run for. I'll give you a sec to take that in. ...... By the way, we paid a slightly higher price for our first home 12 years ago. I think it's safe to say it's a buyers market. If we had purchased a home 7 months ago and found this out, I would be slightly put off.

We walked through 12 models yesterday. All nice, some much nicer than others. There are still more that we plan to see. It has to be the right home in the right location. We are hoping that the home values will once again start to climb after we purchase the home. I would hate to think that we overpaid by any amount.

After all the looking, and narrowing down of our choices, it's very exciting to think that if all goes well, we could potentially be in a new home by Christmas.

Looking at homes, round 1

2007-09-15T15:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Anduin and I went out with our real estate agent to look at some homes. I had forgotten how much fun that could be. It also reminded me that what you see on paper, on in this case online, is not always the same when you get there and see it first hand.

Naturally all of the pictures of the available homes were great. Everything looks clean, orderly, new, lawns are immaculate...and then you arrive at the home.

Uhhhhh...hello? What happened? LOL

While I agree that you should always put your best foot forward, it may be a good idea to keep it forward. After homes have been on the market over 30 days, they just seem to get neglected. Shame really. It just seems to me that if you want your home sold, keep it looking nice. Granted some of these are owned by the bank, and have been empty, but it detracts from it. Plus I'm sure the neighbors don't like to see that.

There were 2 we liked out of the group. I can see us in one more than the other. Neither one had that "Oh yeah, this is the one", but our search is early still.

There are plenty of options, and plenty of cities we have yet to see.

High's and Low's

2007-09-03T20:51:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been taking inventory of our current stage in life. We all go through highs and lows, that's a given. The question is how do you handle the lows in your life? Do you handle them or do they handle you? Once you go through the valley, do you look back and learn from it or do you run and hide hoping you never have to face valleys again?

6 years ago Anduin and I went through a big valley. After 5 years of owning a home, circumstances arose which caused us to move back into an apartment. Needless to say, when it rains it pours. Nothing ever just happens, there is a process...a series of steps to lead to the fork in the road. Loss of a job, loss of confidence, a 'mild' case of depression, an unbelievable amount of stress. All theses thing lead you wondering 'Why?'. You do everything you are suppose to do, but things still manages to crumble around you. After you get things under control, you look back and realize something. Shit happens. It's not God after you, it's not that you did something, or didn't do something you should have, life just gets in the way. In our case, like I imagine to be the case with most couples, it was the choices we made. What seemed good at the time was based on emotions, and that's not the way to make major financial decisions. Without the proper planning and preparation, your good intention will fall apart. In our case it took 5 years for it all to manifest itself. Emotional decision, plus the fact that we were unexperienced, and lacked knowledge on how to get back on track made for us to learn a very hard lesson.

Fast forward to present day.

Are we in a better place in our lives? You better believe it. Is it where we want to be? No, not yet, but at least we know how to get there, and we have the patience to see things through. So, why do we fall? To learn to get back up.

...

Anduin and I have decided that it its time once again to buy a home.

Are we scared? A little. Are we excited? Yes, very much so. But we feel that it's time. We will keep you updated on what happens. This time we are not looking to rush into anything. We plan to take our time and ask tons of questions and not settle on anything. Our real estate agent is going to have to earn her paycheck on us.

So there you go. More to follow.

...

2007-08-30T13:51:00.000-07:00

New post arriving soon.

Promise.

Happy Birthday Sweetie

2007-07-11T20:55:00.000-07:00

A quick birthday wish to my beloved wife Anduin. Here is to you sweetie. You have given me the best years of my life, and for that I will be eternally grateful.

I love you!!

Stop...Reverse that.

2007-06-25T21:35:00.000-07:00

So how important is good communication? Well, as it turns out, it's very important. What I can tell you, is that miscommunication sucks, and can even rob you of things dear to you.

First things, first. Please ignore my last post. The kids are staying put. (Yey!!)

No, I am not pulling a John Kerry, where I was first "for" the kids leaving before I was "against" it. My sister and I think very much alike. However we have very different personality styles at times. While we both see eye to eye, we are not always looking at the same pair of eyes.

The kids have officially started summer. Being how they will be home all day while Anduin and I are at work (Something we were not to keen on), I asked my sister "Where are the kids going to be staying during the summer? Let me know before Friday". (Last Friday being the first day of Summer Vacation). She took that to mean "The kids are no longer welcome here for the summer, so you have until Friday to find somewhere else for them to stay".

Now granted, I could have been a little more specific in letting her know that we did not want the kids to stay alone all day unsupervised. I by no means meant that I wanted the little monkeys thrown out.

When my sister told us that the kids would be leaving, I was surprised. But I figured, they are her kids and has the right to move them if she chooses to. Anduin and I discussed this at length, and decided that her actions were out of character, so we asked her about it. Sure enough, she thought we no longer wanted the kids.

We quickly set things straight, and stopped the kids from packing their stuff. I made sure to let my sister know that unless the words "Get the hell out of my home" were spoken by me, she and the kids were always welcome here.

I can now breathe a sigh of relief. Things are going to stay the way they are.

On a funny note - I think it interesting that I don't consider Anduin and I living alone right now as "normal", but having the kids stay with us is. Go figure.

And Just Like That...

2007-06-22T22:39:00.001-07:00

...They are gone.

What started out to be a couple weeks stay, ended up being a 9 month adventure.

I'd be lying if I said that I was not sad to see the kids go. It's amazing how much they have enriched our lives in such a short period of time. I can only hope that we have done the same for them.

They will be missed.

More Phone Calls

2007-04-23T23:47:00.000-07:00

A few more phone calls that I have personally received at work:

(This call was made on April 4th)

Me: Good morning Admissions.

Caller: Dude! I'm trying to register for your Fall orientation, but your system won't let me!!

Me: You wouldn't be able to right now. We have not begun to take Fall orientation appointments, we will open up orientation appointments in the middle of May.

Caller: Ohhhh!!! Well that explains it! Thanks Dude, I'll try again in 2 weeks.

----------------------------------------------------------------

This one is not so much a Dee Dee Dee call, it just made me smile because it showed me what some parents go through with growing kids:

Me: Good morning Admissions, Latin Lover speaking.

Caller: Good morning my good man. I have a question regarding fees. My son currently attends your school, and my daughter will begin this coming Fall. My question is this...Do you offer multi-student discounts??

Me: I'm sorry sir, while some schools do, unfortunately we do not.

Caller: (Deep sigh) Well, thanks anyway.

----------------------------------------------------------------

And finally, the one call that makes me want to deny students on the spot who have too much chlorine in their gene pools:

Me: Good afternoon, Admissions office, how may I help you?

Caller: Yeah. I need to check the status on my application.

Me: May I have your student ID number. (Student gives me number) Sir, for security purposes, what is the name on the application?

Caller: Uhhh.....Where would I find that??

Sometimes I wish I was making this stuff up.

It's Boobfest!!

2007-04-08T22:33:00.000-07:00

Renaissance Faire

Err...I mean the Renaissance Pleasure Faire!!

Anduin and I go every year the faire comes to town. Last year was the exception, in that we went to a different faire because the boys at Sound and Fury were not at the main faire, so we opted to show our support by going to a smaller, less popular faire.

This year was no disappointment, actually, it was better than in previous years. The way that the layout was this year, it made it seem bigger, more vendors and lots more space to just hangout. They also made it more interactive for those attending. "The Puritans" were all throughout the faire making sure we all behaved, "Hey there! You two, no holding hands!!" "For goodness sake woman, cover those ankles!!". They were basically there to make sure the debauchery was kept to a minimum. After all, someone has to watch for our souls!

Among our favorites, (Other than Sound and Fury) were the "Bold and Stupid Men" and "The Washing Well Wenches". Anduin and I both had an opportunity to go on stage, we find it to be more entertaining, and you get the whole experience of the faire. Not to mention that the performers remember you and you become friends year after year.

We had fun and will be going back again before they wrap it up in May.

Our Weekend

2007-03-13T00:05:00.000-07:00

Trip to the Los Angeles Zoo

It has been some time since we had a family outing, so this weekend the family took a little trip to the zoo. I was looking forward to this for some time. I have not been to this particular zoo since I went on a school field trip many moons ago.

Being that it was years since I have been, it was like seeing it for the first time. There are several construction projects in the works, which I am sure will be just breathtaking when completed. Zoos have really come a long way in making the exhibits more like the real habitats of the animals.

We had a nice heatwave hit us. I loved it. I think I was alone in that. Anduin and the kids are not really hot weather people. I on the other hand cannot wait until I retire to the Yucatan. David Letterman once had a top 10 list as to why heat waves were a good thing. The only one I remember was number 1, which was "Hot Babes, Less Clothes, Nuff Said."

Thanks for putting it in perspective Dave!

Sad Day at Work

2007-03-02T23:48:00.001-08:00

Today was a very sad say at work. One of our analysts passed away last night. She had been out on medical leave for quite some time, and yesterday we heard from her husband. He asked that those who wanted to say goodbye to please stop by the hospital.

Cancer was the culprit, and it had spread. So much so that her body began to shut down, and her husband made the decision that it was time to remove the life support. Her husband asked that only people that HE knew stop by the hospital. Although I worked with her for several years, I never knew her husband and was not extended the courtesy of saying goodbye. Given the circumstances, I completely understand his reasoning.

My thoughts and prayers go out to her family. I know what they are going through, and it is not easy.

We will miss her dearly.

Still Here!

2007-02-25T01:14:00.001-08:00

I feel bad that I don't get to blog as often as I use to. It seems like lately the only thing I want to do when I get home is just relax. I think about blogging, I even make the effort to start a post only to stare at a blank screen and wonder if anything that is happening would really want to be read by anyone out in the blog sphere.

For those of you who continue to visit even though you see no new material, thanks!

The crunch and pressure to get all of the initial decisions on the transfer applications at work is over. I sometimes think that the powers that be expect too much from us. There is only so much blood one can squeeze from a turnip, and I think that they have reached that limit.

Things on the home front are well. We have officially started or sixth month with the kids staying with us. That is hard to believe, but true. I know that the arrangement was to be for a few short months, but to be honest, we don't mind if they become a permanent part of the picture. I think they see that as well. At the very least they are OK with that.

Today is little sister's birthday. I am still trying to wrap my mind around the idea that I have a two year old sister. It's not THAT unusual to have sisters 30 years apart is it??

Last but certainly not least, I have a new friend at work. Kind of quiet and shy, I call her Cloe because that is the character from 24 that she reminds me of. Not your typical gal, she marches to beat of her own drum, sometimes sans the drum.

Surprise Visit

2007-02-11T23:02:00.000-08:00

This weekend we had a surprise visit from Anduin's mom. I walked out to the balcony for some fresh air, and saw an SUV pull up. I didn't give it much thought. Just then the passenger window rolled down, and I hear someone calling out "Hi Son!". What a nice surprise. I immediately called out to Anduin and told her that her mom was downstairs.

It has been a while since her mom has visited here. We usually make the trip to her place. It has been forever and a day since she saw the kids. Actually, if memory serves me correct, she had never met the two younger ones, she only knew them in pictures. The kids immediately took to her and before you knew it we were all having fun, laughing and telling stories (Mostly of when Anduin was a little girl). We had a nice lunch, and the kids had some more time to get to know their "Grandma".

After she left, my princess was overheard saying "Auntie's mom is great! No wonder Auntie is so cool."

Yes, they both are.

World of Unknown Errors

2007-02-04T22:31:00.000-08:00

Sometimes being a techie is not all that it's cracked up to be. It doesn't help when the error message is no help either. Last week I began receiving the following error from iTunes:

The iTunes Music Library file cannot be saved. An unknown error has occurred (-1450)

Can it BEEEE any more helpful? Unknown. Gee thanks. I was somewhat disappointed when I realized there was very little useful help on Apple's site regarding the error code given. My search on Google for anyone else having the same error gave little help as well. I found discussion group after discussion group offering all kinds of solutions. All of which were mere temporary resolutions. Everything from virus protection programs being the culprit, to uninstalling itunes, to tweaking the microphone audio properties, uninstalling and reinstalling quicktime only to tweak those settings as well. It was a nightmare. Everything I did rendered my library unusable.

I finally made the connection between the importing of files and the memory usage. It seems that a recently installed program to help with memory usage was responsible. Actually the advanced settings that I had indicated was responsible, unbeknownst to me.

All was back to normal after making the following changes:

Under the Advanced tab of System Properties (Right click 'My Computer' and select properties) select Performance, Settings, Advanced Tab, Memory Usage should be set to "Programs" not "System Cache". Click OK twice, you will be asked to reboot the computer, (Go ahead and do so) launch iTunes and import your library.

I still find it hard to believe that after a week of research and tweaks, that it was that easy to correct. I hope that anyone out there having a similar problem will stumble on my blog and get the solution they need.

Good Days and Bad

2007-02-02T12:51:00.001-08:00

Today is not one of my good days.

I was sitting at my desk processing an application when all of a sudden, out of nowhere I felt very sad, for what seemed like no reason at all. I got up and went to the restroom and went in the empty stall. As hard as I tried to compose myself, I felt sadder and sadder. Then, while sitting down, I had an image that Anduin had passed away.

I lost it.

I was there. I literally felt the the pain and emptiness of losing her. I saw my world turned upside down, as my reason for living was taken away. I don't what brought this on. I was alone. So alone.

I thought I was in the restroom for just a few minutes, I splashed some water on my face and hoped that no one would notice my red eyes. I was gone for over 1/2 an hour. I know this because my computer monitor's screen saver kicks in after 30 minutes.

As soon as I sat down my lead was at my desk, no doubt wondering where I had been. The moment she saw me she asked if I was OK. I told her I was. She said the look in my eyes said differently. After a few moments of dialog, she felt it best for me if I went home.

So here I am.

I am in bed, trying not to cry. It's terribly quiet in here. Yoshi is on my lap purring away, and I still have no idea why I feel this way.

My 10,000th Visit

2007-01-21T17:18:00.000-08:00

I hit my 10,000th visitor this morning!

Here are a few details on my milestone visit:

Time of Visit: 08:01:47 AM PST
Host Name: adsl-65-43-182-35.dsl.clevoh.ameritech.net
IP Address: 65.43.182.35
Country: United States
Region: Ohio
City: Cleveland
ISP: Pppox Pool - Rback6 Bcvloh
Browser: MSIE 6.0
Operating System: Windows XP
Resolution: 1024x768
Javascript: Enabled

I'm trying to triangulate the exact location via satellite and get an image up on google maps, but I'm not going to hold my breath!

A New Pet Peeve

2007-01-20T01:36:00.001-08:00

I have a new pet peeve. It's delivery people who cannot make a delivery. When we order something to be delivered, I expect the product to reach my door. The fact that we live on the third floor is no excuse for not making the trip up the stairs.

We once ordered a pizza to be delivered. An hour after I placed the call, the delivery guy calls me on my cell to ask if I would meet him on the bottom floor because it is too hot and he feels he would not make it up the stairs. As it turns out he was a very heavy set man and was sweating up a storm due to his trip from his car to the bottom of the stairs. OK, I'll cut him a little slack, it was about 100 degrees out, but then again, you deliver pizzas. So make the delivery.

Here is the one that made me say wtf. When we ordered out home theater system, it was shipped in one box via UPS. A 40.5 pound box to be exact. In my opinion not a tremendously heavy box. The UPS delivery person came up to my door empty handed and asked if there was anyone home to "help" with my package, because it was a 41 pound box.

Helllloooooo. You work for UPS! Here is a news flash...You deliver packages for a living. I reluctantly went downstairs only to be handed my package and told to have a nice day. What happened to "help"?? That just burned me up.

In contrast, when the TV arrived, there were two people making the delivery. One came up to the door, while the other waited at the truck to make sure there was someone home to accept the delivery. Makes sense. No use hauling up a huge box if there is not going to be anyone home. When the guy at the truck received the all clear signal from the guy at the door, he proceeded to haul up the TV up three flights of stairs, by himself! And here UPS can't carry a DVD player and some speakers?!? Grrrrrrr.

Maybe I'm just old skool, but these other guys could learn a lesson from TV delivery guy.

An Update

2007-01-18T22:19:00.000-08:00

Don't you just hate it when life gets in the way of blogging? A quick update since last week... Work has been hectic. We received a few thousand more applications this year for admissions than what was projected. As analysts we are expected to make a minimum of 250 initial decisions on these students per week. The last part of December I was cranking out just over 600 a week, which put me a little ahead of the game. Since I am finished with my students, I now have the fun task of helping the other analysts with theirs...Bunch of slackers.

Anduin and I are enjoying our latest toy, a 42 inch flat screen HDTV. Naturally, you just can't get a set without getting the Home Theater system and progressive scan DVD player...That wouldn't make any sense! We are slowly making our way through our movie collection again just to see the difference High Definition can make.

Anduin has started her belly dancing classes and should be as good as Shakira in no time. Schwiiiiiing!

Kids are doing great. I was looking at pictures of them when they first arrived and was a little surprised by the changes I see in them after only a few short months. They are anything but "Kids".

Lastly, I am super buzzed about the new iphone that will be available this June. I am looking forward to switching over when my current contract expires. We saw a video of Steve Jobs unveiling it at this years Macworld 2007. If you care to take a gander head on over to the apple site and have a looksee.

Happy Birthday to Me

2007-01-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

Today is my birthday!

I wanted to take the day off from work, but I have a previous commitment that requires me to be there. Not a big fan of the middle of the week birthday. Birthdays should fall on Fridays or Mondays, and should be given as a holiday to have a three day weekend. It only seems fair.

Anyways, Anduin decided to get me some really nice things. I have some new kick ass headphones, some "personal" gifts, a new template, and the big gift gets delivered tomorrow. (More on that later)

In other news, my co-worker Smitty had her baby Monday evening. Baby girl, 8lbs 3 oz, mommy and baby both are doing fine. Congratulations Smitty!! As you can imagine, all of the girls are just ga ga right now. It's times like these when I wish I was not the only male there.

Happy New Year!!

2006-12-30T19:51:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!

2006 is rapidly coming to an end. May 2007 be filled with Joy and Laughter.

My PJ Day

2006-12-28T00:32:00.000-08:00

Anduin and I both have time off from work until Jan. 02, and we are enjoying the time off. Today was a pj day for me. If you are unfamiliar with the concept, I pretty much stay in my pj's all day and turn into a couch potato(e) for the day.

I have been channel surfing and web surfing ALL day. You may have noticed in your stats that I have been checking your blogs much in the same way a child checks the mailbox 20 times a day during Summer vacation. Which leads me to BlogExplosion. It has been a while since I have logged in and surfed using BlogExplosion. Seems like there has been much keeping me busy. All of the surfing I have done paid off in the form of "Mystery Credits" - Credits given at random. In the past I have won 1, 2 and 5 credits. Today however, within the span of my surfing, I was rewarded with 2, 5, 10, 25, 25 and 100 credits!! When you consider that's an extra 167 visits to my site, it's pretty exciting.

---

Two days ago Anduin, Princess K and I went to the movies. My niece mentioned that she wanted to see the new Will Smith movie "The Pursuit of Happyness". When I heard her say that I thought that was kind of an odd movie for her to want to see. It just seemed somewhat of a heavy movie for her. Her brothers have no interest of seeing the movie. I guess it is true that girls mature faster boys.

Great movie by the way. I like movies that are based on true stories. While discussing the movie on the way home Anduin and I both felt that there were parts that hit a little too close to home. Parts of our lives we have no intentions of revisiting.

As is usual when we go to the movies, we saw two of them. The second movie we saw was "Charlotte's Web", another feel good movie. Both were in the top 5 spots for the week, and both made Anduin break out the tissues. Heh.

Merry Christmas

2006-12-24T14:10:00.000-08:00

Anduin and I would like to wish all of our readers a very Merry Christmas. Enjoy this time with your families. For those who may not celebrate Christmas, enjoy the festive time, and whatever you do, just be safe.

Happy Festivus

2006-12-23T13:38:00.000-08:00

How's That Again?

2006-12-22T21:45:00.000-08:00

I am somewhat of a creature of habit. While on occasion I will go out and cause a raucous, there are certain areas in my life which I rather not change. I like things a certain way, which is why my sister says that I am strict, but structured. For example, I get a haircut every two weeks, at 11:00 a.m. (Today being a rare rescheduling) and for the last 5 years, Ginger has been my hairstylist. She does a good job at keeping me presentable and is great at keeping my appointments up to date. I think she has be down for the next 7 or 8 months. No joking.

Two weeks ago, at my last appointment, Ginger told me of how she had started seeing Marty again. (Her ex-finance). They have been apart for the last 4 years. Apparently Marty has been doing some major maturing, and Ginger was liking what she saw. They were going out to dinner and listening to some live jazz later that evening.

Today when I went to see her, she dropped a bomb on me. Seems like Ginger...Got Married!!

Big Surprise. It's a good thing I was sitting down. Marty felt that he had lost Ginger once, he was not going to lose her again. He proposed that Saturday, they purchased their rings the following day, and were married by Friday.

I am still taking it all in, but as long as she is happy, that's what matters. Right?

So Ginger, Congratulations sweetie. I wish you all the best on what promises to be one great adventure.

Someone get Santa on the Phone!

2006-12-18T20:06:00.001-08:00

I found my Christmas gift!!

Do you think Anduin would go for it? If she gets it for me now, I promise to be good for the rest of the year!

An Outing

2006-12-17T23:57:00.000-08:00

Since the kids have been staying with us, one in particular has been trouble free. J, the oldest. He doesn't moan and groan when asked to do something, chores are done right the first time, and he shows respect when dealing with us.

The other two seem to want to test our limits and push the envelope whenever the opportunity arises. On a few occasions we have asked J to babysit when Anduin and I have plans (Anduin's office party, the ballet, things like that) which he did, again without any resistance. I decided that he and I needed to take a little trip to show my appreciation.

Because my sister works two jobs, the kids have not really had an opportunity to go to many places. The occasional school field trip is the extend of their travels. I think one of the reasons they like it here so much is that they actually do stuff and go places with us. They say that before their stay with us began, that they lived in a cave, not really knowing anything outside of home and school.

So it's no surprise that they have never been to many of the places Anduin and I frequently visit. Knowing this, I took the opportunity to take J to Hooters. At first I thought of not taking him there, but then I started thinking that at 15, there is nothing there that he has not already seen.

Not surprisingly, J had a great time. To make it a little more memorable, I told our waitress that we were there celebrating his birthday. I conveniently left out which birthday . I think I had more fun watching J get so much attention from so many pretty girls. I don't think that I have ever seen him smile so much before. He had 5 different girls tie balloons on him, to let the whole place he was a birthday boy. After a while our waitress came to our table and took him to the front of the restaurant where two other patrons were celebrating their birthdays. They seated them on some bar stools and proceeded to place two balloons in their shirts, so that they resembled most of the waitresses there. Once in place, the girls sang and danced the hokey pokey.

When J returned to his seat he was surprised when one of the customers offered to buy him a beer to celebrate his birthday. However, since he is not yet 21, and cannot drink beer, he had to settle for a nice chunk of chocolate cake.

We finished the night with one final picture of J and our waitress.

Not a bad way to spend the evening. Sure beats the heck out of going to McDonalds, and I am sure that J appreciated it. As for me, I can't wait for MY birthday.

A Night at the Ballet

2006-12-16T22:47:00.000-08:00

Last night Anduin and I went to the ballet. We talk about going every year and somehow never manage to go. I have to admit, each year I a little part of me is relieved we did not go. Who wants to see a bunch of guys in skintight pants with over sized bulges jumping and prancing about? The ballerinas are cool, I don't mind that part so much.

Anduin found a theater in our area, the Bridges Auditorium in Claremont. Here is what it's website has to say about the 2400 seat historic Opera House:

At its opening Bridges was widely regarded as the finest theater in Southern California, and quickly became one of the area's major cultural assets. Its great white columns, vaulting arches grand marble foyer, and hand painted coffered ceilings provide the perfect setting for an enchanting outing at the ballet.

They were not kidding, it really is an elegant place. Each year during the holidays they put on a performance of the Nutcracker. To change things up a little they also put on a performance of the Nutty Nutcracker, it features a zany storyline loosely based on the traditional Nutcracker. It gives the performers an opportunity to put on a fun version of the ballet.

They have made this Nutcracker very entertaining. Think of it as Tchaikovsky meets Weird Al Yankovic. It's kind of difficult to describe. It's the Nutcracker with the following being some of the extras not in the original: Chewbacca in a tutu, football playing ballerinas, two sexy French maids, the cast dancing to Michael Jackson's "Thriller", a shirtless hunky guy in a red leather outfit dancing Disco, a Chinese delivery guy on a bicycle making a delivery in the middle of the play, a ballerina having to sit out due to her getting a call on her cellphone, and did we mention that the main female role was played by a guy??

Like I said, very entertaining. You know you are in for a good time when they announce at the beginning of the ballet that the performers improvise, and even get the stage crew involved. There was so much going on that it was impossible to catch it all in one sitting. It reminded Anduin of Alice in Wonderland, sort of surreal.

Each year the Nutty Nutcracker changes to keep it fresh and entertaining. Too bad all plays aren't this entertaining. If they were, I bet more people would be going to the ballet.

A Meme

2006-12-15T01:49:00.000-08:00

I came across this while surfing blogs and decided to participate. I don't usually, but what the heck. Pretty simple, just highlight those things that you have done. Additional commentary is optional.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink - There were only 3 people in the bar, but at least I did it! Bartender, water on the rocks for everyone!!
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula - I have a fear of spiders, and it was suppose to help. It didn't.
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone - A scene right out of "Pretty Woman".
08. Said "I love you" and meant it - I can still see our unborn children in her eyes.
09. Hugged a tree - You kind of hug a tree when playing hide and seek right??
10. Bungee jumped - Twice.
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise - Would of been nice to share it with someone.
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars - Slept in my car. Does that count?
20. Changed a baby's diaper - Once. That's all it took, after that the novelty wore off fast.
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon - Yes.
22. Watched a meteor shower - We counted dozens of falling stars.
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity - We gave til it hurt at our church. Our finances improved dramatically after we left.
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment - Not necessarily at the worst possible moment, but it was uncontrollable.
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger - With a name like Latin Lover?? Yes.
30. Had a snowball fight - I have great aim when it comes to throwing snowballs.
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster - I LOVE to ride roller coasters.
35. Hit a home run - It was in High School PE, but I still count it.
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment - Still do, despite all that life has thrown.
39. Had two hard drives for your computer - Both were a whopping 2 gigs each.
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk - My brother use to drink a lot. One night his wife beat the crap out of him with a broom when he was passed out. The next morning he woke up sore, bruised and bloodied. He asked her what happened, and she said "Don't you talk to me after what you did last night!" He didn't drink as much after that.
42. Had amazing friends - The Harbins. I miss them so.
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country - My first slow dance was with a beautiful Latin lady named Candy. She was very sweet. (No pun intended).
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach - With a name like Latin Lover?? Yes, with a partner and alone. I do some of my best thinking alone with the sound of crashing ocean waves.
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs - My first database was my CD collection. It was pretty cool.
57. Pretended to be a superhero - Who hasn't thrown on a towel with nothing but your boots and underwear and ran around the house fighting evil?
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day - Sometimes you need to. Just because.
60. Played touch football - Best games were boys against girls!
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater - Growing up we lived down the block from a drive-in and only went once.
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken - Been told that is a rare thing.
69. Toured ancient sites - In Mexico I toured ancient Mayan ruins.
70. Taken a martial arts class - Red belt baby!!
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight - Bet you're thinking to yourself "That explains a lot!"
72. Gotten married - It will be 14 years in April.
73. Been in a movie - My Karate instructor was Sho Kosugi. He put his students in one of his films. Even have my name in the end credits!
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days - Had no choice. It's not that we were so spiritual, we just didn't have the $$$ for groceries. We have come a long way.
77. Made cookies from scratch - It's the only way to make cookies.
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason - From a secret admirer. To this day I have no idea who sent them.
84. Performed on stage - Mostly Karate demonstrations.
85. Been to Las Vegas - Would love to be able to tell you all we did, but what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark - We were in a Japanese establishment, and no, it did not taste like chicken.
88. Kissed on the first date - Yes. It was then that I realized I had just kissed my future wife.
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house - Way too young when we bought. Learned what to do and not do next time we purchase a home.
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently - With a name like Latin Lover?? You bet I do! I speak the language of love, which happens to be Spanish.
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking - We even had a little choreographed dance to go with it.
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived - Yes, but not ready to go into detail about it.
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane - A few years back my wife gave sent me to do some dogfighting areal combat as a Christmas gift. Is she awesome or what?
109. Touched a stingray - School field trip when I was knee high.
110. Broken someone's heart - With a name like Latin Lover?? Sadly yes.
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone - Yes, but not my own. The school bully had it coming.
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol - All of the above, and then some.
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse - Yes. Took my princess horseback riding once.
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi - Living in So Cal, it's almost required. Some of it is OK, Anduin loves it, so I go.
128. Had your picture in the newspaper - School event, it had the caption "One time, when I was at band camp..."
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about - Yes, but I only use my powers for good.
130. Gone back to school - I work at a school, so I go back 5 days a week.
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach - I had a bad experience with a cockroach. That's all you need know.
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - And the Odyssey, and green eggs and ham.
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions - Not one for reunions. Maybe my 20 year. Maybe.
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language - At a restaurant. Had no idea what the language was, but the food was delish.
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts - I'm such a geek.
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life - With a name like Latin Lover?? Yes. Twice if you count not going through with your plans to kill someone. (Well maybe not so much kill kill as beat the living snot out of someone. Then again, that bully REALLY had it coming).

Here is a copy of the list without anything in bold should you choose to participate:

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said "I love you" and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life

I Need a Vacation

2006-12-13T00:21:00.001-08:00

I'm not just saying that because I want to get away from work for a while. (Although that would be nice). Three weeks ago I was notified by Human Resources that I had exceeded the amount of accrued vacation time permitted by my bargaining unit, and to please use the time before December 31st or I would forfeit those additional hours.

As it turns out, I am only allowed a certain number of weeks of vacation on the books. I was under the impression that the hours would just roll over to next year. It would of been nice if they had notified me a little sooner. It's not like they did not know. I can't just leave for an 89.012 hour vacation without notice. (And that is just to drop below the allowable time. Once the 1st hits, I will be over my hours again!) Realizing that this is a crunch time for us (As well as it being a blackout month for vacations), I was asked how I wanted to proceed with this. We talked back and forth and finally agreed that if they could waive the December deadline, I would have no problem in taking the time off after the first of the year.

I was told yesterday morning that the request to have the deadline waived was approved. It had to go through my Director, the Associate Vice President of our Division, and our Vice President to get it done. I now have until the end of April 2007 to burn my additional hours. I hope that this does not make my Director look bad. Dr. B can be a little tough on us at times, but he always "goes to bat" for us, and "has our backs".

Deciding how to spend this vacation time should be interesting. I have never had to schedule my time around like this. I have to decide on alone time with Anduin, or bringing the kids along. I guess it would depend on what it is we will be doing, but I am leaning towards alone time with my sweetie regardless.

Office Parties

2006-12-12T00:52:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again. For some it can be a really enjoyable time, for others just one more attempt by management to say "Thanks, now hurry up and get back to work."

I'm talking about office parties, and when it comes to companies showing their appreciation to it's employees, our two companies are like night and day.

Let's begin with my office party.

This year management went all out and reserved a "private room" for us. I kid you not when I tell you that the big selling point in choosing the location this year, was the private room, and that the place offered tablecloths (Actually made from real cloth.) We will be having it this Friday from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. We will have ten minutes to get to the restaurant, where we will have some kind of all you can eat buffet. During these 2 hours, we get to eat, mingle, have a white elephant type game, and give away three plaques to three deserving employees. Well, actually, they don't keep the plaques. They may take them home for a week and return them so that they can supposedly be prominently displayed somewhere in the office. At least that's the plan. It has been the same plan for the last four years, but for whatever reason the plaques end up stored away until next year because no one has ever taken the time to find or make a place to display them. Once 4:00 p.m. hits we are free to take the rest of the day off. And in case you were wondering, yes, our office closes at 5:00 p.m. Did I mention that each employee has to pay $20 to cover the cost of the party?

Yeah.

Now let's have a look at Anduin's office party. It was held this past weekend (During non-work hours) at the Hilton in Anaheim, a nice little four star hotel across from Disneyland. The owner of the company reserved one of the Lounges there for the night. The lounge was large enough to easily accommodate the 100+ people who attended. It was a split level lounge, the bottom portion housing all of the tables and dance floor. The stage housed the 7 piece band that was hired to entertain. The upper level housed the food and the open bar. (I can only imagine what an open bar tab for 100 people costs).

One of the challenges in attending a party like this is that inevitably someone has to be the designated driver. Knowing that one of us (Yours truly) would not be drinking and not have as much fun as was required, Anduin's boss had a very nice surprise in store for us. To show her appreciation for all of the hard work Anduin does, she offered us a room at the hotel so that we would not have to drive home. That way, we could stay as late as we wanted and really enjoy ourselves. Sweeeet!

The party started at 6:00 and went on until it ended. Diner was great. The owner, Mr G. gave a short speech thanking everyone, and proceeded to announce the employee of the year. The deserving employee was awarded an apple ipod, and a check for a thousand dollars. After that the party went into full swing. We drank some, not enough to get drunk, just enough to loosen up a bit and have some fun. Anduin and I danced our asses off. We are not exactly sure what time the party actually came to a close, but we left just after midnight, where we proceeded to our room for the after party party, in which only really really good looking people were allowed. (Thank you Zoolander).

<Sigh> Tell you what, after a night like that, I can't wait until 2:00 p.m. this Friday.

Cool Download of the Day

2006-12-05T23:22:00.000-08:00

Are you the kind of person that ~~likes~~ needs to have things a certain way?

Me too.

Let's face it, we are all a little anal retentive when it comes to certain things. This is especially true when it comes to my computer. When it comes to work, I NEED to have certain windows opened in a certain order so that it is displayed "correctly" on my taskbar. Email is first, followed by Yahoo! Messenger, next is Internet Explorer (Only because the sites we use to do our work are not Firefox friendly. If they were, IE would be kicked to the curb faster than a greased snake going downhill on an icy road) followed by Firefox, and finally Microsoft Excel. These HAVE to be opened in this order. All other windows are just used for a brief period of time, and end up being closed right away. If by chance any of these windows are accidentally shut down, (Or if the program crashes and needs to restart) and the windows are out of sequence, I shut them down and relaunch them in the correct order.

Welcome to my world.

Countless times have I had to close and relaunch simply because the geniuses that work at Microsoft can not, or will not, allow us to simply drag and drop the windows in the taskbar.

Well, no longer!!

Thanks to Jay, sole resident of the nerd cave and geek extraordinaire, we can all sleep a little better tonight knowing that he has created a program that allows you to rearrange items in your taskbar simply by dragging and dropping.

(*Latin Lover wipes tear from eye.)

The program is called Taskbar Shuffle, and it really cannot get any easier than that. If you can drag and drop, you can use this program. Best of all, Jay has made this download available for FREE. I'm not talking about a free trial for 30 days, or free as long as you don't mind being bombarded with ads, or free if you agree to allow your surfing habits to be reported to a server and your info sold to countless spammers for a price kind of free. I mean free free. If you would like to donate to his cause, you are free to do so, and he even promises not to nag you if you don't.

Thanksgiving Dinner

2006-11-24T19:51:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving 2006

Yesterday was what has quickly become a tradition in the Latin Lover home. Our yearly trip to the Disneyland Hotel for Thanksgiving dinner. We usually invite a couple to join us; last year it was Dr. Boland and his wife, along with Mrs. Boland's parents. This year, as you would suspect, was special in that the kids had an opportunity to join us. This being the first time that the kids have attended this event.

The kids almost did not make it. They were suppose to have Thanksgiving dinner with their step dad. However due to his great-grandmother's ailing health, it was decided that it would be best if the kids spend the evening with us.

They were very excited about joining us. The food was once again superb, and it turns out that our waiter Bob was assigned only to our table, so we had pretty good service to boot. Our evening ended with us taking a walk through Downtown Disney. If you click on the picture above it will take you to my Google Picasa, where I have posted my first web album. Enjoy.

2006-11-23T08:46:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

My Movie Reviews

2006-11-20T19:25:00.000-08:00

This will be my first attempt to review some movies. This weekend was Latin Lovers family day at the movies. If I had it my way, it would be a no brainer. We would simply watch what I wanted to see and nothing else. However being the diplomat that I am, I decided to go and see something the whole family could enjoy. Unfortunately, I could not find any one movie that everyone would enjoy, so I decided it would have to be a double feature. One movie would be for the boys, (And Auntie Anduin) the other would be for my princess. So what are the two movies we saw? "Happy Feet" and "Casino Royale".

Happy Feet - Waste of time. The review really should end there. How it made it to number 1 at the box office, I will never know. From the opening sequence I knew that this was going to require patience. Fortunately for me, I had to make several calls to the restroom, which added much relief on many levels. If it had not been for the fact that my niece was so intent on watching this movie, I would have walked out and demanded a refund. (Can you tell I did not care for this movie at all?) My niece and nephew "R" loved the movie, which makes me very concerned about their mental stability. I will see about getting them to a therapist soon.

Casino Royale - Much better movie. This movie saved the day. Leave it to James to come through. I really enjoyed the beginnings of Bond. After 20 movies of him being the suave, debonair, polished ladies man that he is, it was nice to see him grow into the persona. Seeing him a little unexperienced, and realizing that it's not always easy figuring out whom you can trust. At the risk of spoiling the movie, I will stop here. Just know that I will be adding this to my DVD collection when it is released.

So there you have it. My review of this weekends movies. I doubt that I will be writing for any major newspapers any time soon, but I hope that you get something out of this.

Feeds and New Blogs

2006-11-12T17:04:00.000-08:00

For those of you who keep track of your stats and visitors (Like me), you may have noticed that I do not visit your pages as often as I use to. That's because for the past few months I have been using Google Reader to keep track of my favorite blogs and sites.

It's pretty convenient. The reader checks the sites periodically so that I don't have to. When it detects the blog or site has been updated, it brings the content to me. Lately however, the reader has been notifying me of past posts as new. For example, I know that Anduin has not been on the computer all day, but I noticed that she had 8 new posts. Turns out that they were posted 7 months ago. Not sure why it's hiccuping like that.

So now that I have so much more time on my hands, I am surfing more blogs. Which leads me to the newest blog I am reading, "Princess K's" blog. In case you are wondering, yes, that is my niece's blog. (Link omitted on purpose)

I was (And to an extent, still am) hesitant of giving my 11 year old niece her own blog. As you can imagine, I made a few modifications to her template before it went live. First thing I did was get rid of the NavBar at the top. I did not want her clicking the "Next Blog" button. Too much stuff out there that is not fit for a preteen. I won't bore you with the additional changes I made, but I do feel much better about her having one now. Besides, I feel that it is a good way of her to express herself. I am not ready to put her link on my blog, or release it to the whole blog sphere, only because I want to see what kind of material she will post. However, I do consider it in "beta" mode, and am willing to let a selected few have access. So if you would like a peak into the world of Princess K, let me know and I will provide you with the address.

A Visit to the Observatory

2006-11-05T09:53:00.000-08:00

Space....the final frontier. In our case it was much closer, out on Mount Hollywood, in LA's Griffith Park. After a five-year, $93 million makeover, the Griffith Observatory had its grand re-opening this past Friday. We were there the following morning to visit the newly remodeled facility.

The renovation, the first in the observatory's history, has doubled the size of the facilities, with the help of the new 39,000 square feet of space beneath the existing building. Here you can find among other things, the 200-seat Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon theater, the Gunther Depths of Space, where one wall includes a text-and-imagery rundown on this solar system, along with scales set into the floor, so that you can sample local gravity of each planet and discover that you're overweight on Jupiter. (Don't worry. Everybody is.)

You don't have to look far to see the highlight of this floor. A wall that is covered by a 20-by-152-foot photo mural of space. (Insert theme to '2001: A space odyssey') This thing is huge, at 2.46 gigapixels, it's the largest image of its kind anywhere.

One of the biggest changes you will see there is the planetarium. It's all new. The old one consisted of leaky plaster, and it relied on a 1964 Zeiss projector to entertain audiences, who would sit on one of 600 rickety seats with wooden headrests. The new planetarium which uses the same amount of space, is sheathed with perforated aluminum, holds just 300 thickly padded seats and has a new star projector, again from Zeiss, that by itself carried a price tag of more than $3 million. Although they started the show late (You all know how I feel about timeliness) it was a nice show, even if the live narration was a bit cheesy.

Pumpkins Anyone?

2006-10-22T12:32:00.001-07:00

One of the nice things about the month of October is that thanks to Halloween, there is an abundance of pumpkins. Most pumpkin places take this opportunity for price gouging. There are places around that offer a fairly good size pumpkin for a starting price of $35, and depending on the size of the pumpkin can go as high as $150. Is that insane or what? Is that normal around the country, or is that we here in Cali have some sort of pumpkin shortage that warrants such prices?

At any rate, every year the university puts together an annual Pumpkin Festival. The festival is the largest fundraiser for the clubs in the College of Agriculture and one of the most popular events on campus. Thousands of orange gourds are ready for picking. Most of the pumpkins are only $4 each, the smaller ones sell for $2 each and the really large ones go for $10. Every year there are a few truly massive size pumpkins, and those are set aside and sold for $30 each. It really is a win-win situation for everyone. All proceeds from the Pumpkin Festival go toward the College of Agriculture's student club activities and support farm operations within the college, and we get to have some really nice pumpkins without having to mortgage any homes, or dip into the kids college fund. (Which ironically, will most likely be at Cal Poly).

A Day at the Getty

2006-10-13T07:02:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Anduin and I took the kids to the Getty Center. Since none of the kids had been there before, I thought it would be a nice place for them to visit. If you ever get the chance to go, I would highly recommend it. 15 years in the making, it really is an architectural marvel. It's no easy task building a 110-acre facility atop a hillside, included in that are 6 buildings, and a 134,000-square-foot Central Garden. It took 1.2 million square feet, 16,000 tons, of beige-colored travertine stone to construct the facility. The travertine came from a quarry in Bagni di Tivoli, Italy, 15 miles east of Rome. (The stone was split along its natural grain, revealing the texture of fossilized leaves, feathers, and branches which can be seen throughout the buildings). Other materials include white marble and countless amounts of glass. Natural light is one of the Getty Center's most important architectural elements. The paintings galleries on the Museum's upper level are all naturally lit, with special filters to prevent damage to the artworks. Pictures cannot do it justice, this place really needs to be seen to be fully appreciated.

From the moment we arrived we were enjoying ourselves. There is really only one way for the general public to get to the top of the hill from the parking structure, via tram. Two computer-controlled trams take visitors to and fro. Once at the top, a friendly attendant directs you to the main entrance. From there you are free to wander where you please. You can take the architecture tour or the garden tour if you choose. We planned ahead and had our very own picnic there on the grounds.

I have to admit, I kind of had a swollen head of what a great uncle I was for taking the kids. In my mind they were taking in some great paintings, sculptures, statues, and art. If you think about it, it really was kind of awesome. For example, last time we were there they had a statue of Zeus that was over 2,000 years old. It was originally in a temple dedicated to him. It's safe to say that people worshiped this statue, as well as brought prayers and offerings to it. Now it was here before us. I can only imagine the history and stories that it must have. I don't know about you, but that is mind blowing to me. Unfortunately, the floor where that particular statue was displayed was being remodeled, but that is just one example of the kind of things one can find there. The climax of the day was when we entered the gallery where they kept the master paintings. Here before us, just inches away, were paintings by Van Gogh, Monet, Rembrandt, and Degas, just to name a few. I was feeling pretty good knowing that the kids were witnessing these great works of art. I could almost feel the culture oozing into them. As we left that gallery I was walking on air. Just when I was getting ready to make out my speech for the "uncle of the year" award, my niece made the following statement while looking at this painting by Gerhard Richter..."If I painted this in art class, I would get a 'D' ".

< Insert sound of balloon deflating >

Out of the mouths of babes. Kids have a way of bringing you down to earth and keep you grounded, don't they?? What could I say? I just stood there, unable to move. You could knock me down with a feather, and not a very big feather at that. Once my feet were back on solid ground, I began to laugh. My niece, thinking that I was laughing at her comment, joined in my laughter, continuing with "Uncle it's true! If I turned in a painting like that, my teacher would make me take the class over!"

"Well princess, best we keep that kind of painting away from your teacher. The last thing I would want is to have you retake a class for turning in something that looks like that." After getting a nod of agreement we continued to explore the rest of the gallery.

Despite that, the trip was an enjoyable one, and memorable for many reasons. Princess K enjoyed the gardens, J enjoyed the buildings, R enjoyed the paintings, and Anduin and I enjoyed it all, but mostly we just enjoyed being there with them. Even if they did not fully appreciate what it was they were seeing, I know that the seeds have been sown, and one day they will look back and realize how cool it was to have been at the Getty Center with their aunt and uncle.

Meet the Kids!

2006-10-08T23:38:00.000-07:00

Allow me to formally introduce you to some of the other members of the Latin Lover's family. I know that you may have seen pictures before on Anduin's site, but this is the first time that the 3 of them are together here. And since they are now staying with us and providing some blogging material, I only thought it appropriate to have them say hello.

The handsome good looking guy in the middle is yours truly. The other handsome young man wearing the shades is the oldest of the bunch. His name is J. On my left (Your right) you will notice his brother R, wearing the faded black shirt. In the middle of the picture is my beloved princess K, the youngest and second cutest girl in the house (Anduin being the first).

What better way to get to know them than to have them tell you about themselves. Here is what they had to say:

J - "I'm 15, and want to be a model/lawyer. I have a girlfriend, so sorry to all you single girls out there. On my free time I like to listen to music, like reggaeton, and hip-hop. I like to take digital pictures, mostly of my friends and sister because she is a good model (Like me)."

R - [Chose not to participate]

Princess K - "I am 11. My plans when I am older is to be a fashion designer. In my spare time I like to draw my own designs. You may know me from the other posts, because I know my uncle writes about me. I do speak my mind, so don't come to me with your problems. I do not handle them well, I might give you bad advise. I am a full blooded 'Mexicana', and proud of it."

Y'all it took about an hour just to get that little snippet of information from them. LOL. Most of the time was spent laughing, brainstorming on what to write, with plenty of editing and choice of verbiage . It's a lot of pressure having something to write when the whole blog-sphere may be reading.

Now let me give you my take on them.

J - Is a lot like me. To the point that Anduin finds it a bit scary. Things like mannerisms, personality traits, things that we both do the same, which we did not personally pick up from each other. He is charming, quiet, does not get into much trouble (That we know of. Then again, Being like me, he may just be good at hiding it). He also likes to have food with his ketchup.

R - As you can see, he can sometimes be a man of few words, this being one of those times. You can say he is the opposite of his brother. Which is not a bad thing, he just has a strong personality that needs a little control. I think that it's because he is so smart that he gets bored and acts out. How do you keep a 7th grader with an 11th grade reading level from getting bored?? If anyone out there knows, please comment! We feel he has great potential, and judging from his love of cooking, it would not surprise us if he one day opened his own 5 star restaurant.

Princess K - Not one to mix words, Princess K can hold her own. Having two brothers has made her strong (Both physically and in her opinions), and yet she remains very much a girl who feels right at home at the mall. She enjoys the spotlight, and has a great sense of humor. In short, she is my princess - Nuff said.

There you have it. Three distinct personalities, all challenging in their own way, yet all a pleasure to have. We wouldn't trade them for the world.

Does This Make Me Cool?

2006-10-02T22:21:00.000-07:00

Let me start of by saying that I love my itunes. Before itunes, I kept all of my music in a folder (In no particular order) and let windows media player play my music at random. When I bought Anduin her ipod for Christmas, I took a closer look, and have not looked back since.

As you may have guessed, when it comes to music Anduin and I have very different tastes and styles. Not that it's a bad thing; it's just different. If I am not mistaken, my wife refers to my music as "boring".

Fair enough.

Like most of us, I don't always want to listen to every piece of music in my collection. After all, since our moods change, it only makes sense that our music should change with them. Thank goodness for playlists. This weekend I made a "current favorites" list, which as you may have guessed contains all of my current favorite tunes. The list contains both old and new songs.

Here is the part that made me wonder if I am cool. While flipping through the almost 300 songs in this particular playlist, my niece sat down next to me to see what I was doing. As we passed songs and album covers she would say things like "Ohhh, I love that song!", "that's one of my favorites", "I like the video too" and so on. It finally came to the point where my niece turned to me and asked "Uncle, how come you have so many cool songs?"

Let's all pause for a moment while Anduin reads that last sentence again.

Cool songs.

Me.

Not just one, but many cool songs.

Now I don't know if that makes me a cool person, or just a regular person who has cool songs. Who am I kidding? Of course I'm cool. Besides, how can you argue with an 11 year old? If anyone can define cool, that is the age group to do it. Dontcha think?

Survived Our First Week

2006-10-01T16:36:00.000-07:00

Well we made it through our first week, and it wasn't bad. Little bit of drama, but nothing major. I had my first back to school night, and had a chance to see the dynamics in which the kids interact.

The kids spent this weekend with Grandma K. They are due back here in about an hour or so. I'm glad that they have a chance to spend time with their grandparents, not just because they bond, but because it allows Anduin and I a little time to ourselves.

One thing we did notice is that time seems different when you have kids. It has only been one week, but it honestly feels longer than that. I don't know why, but that must be why parents get that blank expression on their face when you ask them "When was the last time you went out?" You know the look, deer get the same look when staring at headlights. It's like they momentarily go back in time to "freer" days.

We are not quite there yet. The way we see it, the kids have had all their lives to wear down my sister and parents. Anduin and I are fresh meat, and we intend to keep it that way as long as possible.

Anduin and I Become Parents

2006-09-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

...Well, not really...But kind of.

I know what you are thinking..."Latin, you and Anduin have not been gone THAT long!"

No, we have not. Tons has happened since I last posted. To quote one of my all time favorite movies The Princess Bride..."Let me explain. No, too much. Let me summarize".

The biggest thing to happen in our lives right now is that Anduin and I have convinced my sister that the best place for my nice and nephews (Henceforth known as "the kids") is with us. For those of you who may not of heard, my sister miscarried her twin babies a few months back. She has taken it hard emotionally, and realized that she could not properly look after the kids. For the last 2 months, they have been staying with my parents. Normally that would be fine, but with a newly adopted 1 year old, and the two adorable little girls that they are foster parents to, having 3 additional pre/teens makes for a hectic, let alone crowded place.

Enter Anduin and I. As of Monday the kids are staying with us. Instant Parenthood. It's all good though. They are all good kids. Even if one of them had to stay home today due to him being suspended from school for a day. Yeah, suspended. While I am on the topic, a HUGE thanks to Red Clover for posting this a few weeks back. Guess what my nephew is doing right now. Yep, everything on Red Clover's list. Being how he is older, I took the liberty of adding a few additional things that are sure to drive the message home. Thanks again Red Clover, you continue to inspire me.

So as you can see, we are handling it well. I am sure that there will be plenty of material to blog about in the next few months.

It's nice to be back.

2006-08-03T17:01:00.000-07:00

End Act I

Enough with the ads

2006-07-24T00:02:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or are all of these "Ads by Goooooooogle" really getting irritating while surfing for new blogs to read?

The problem with this is that most of the blogs are not really interesting to begin with. Mostly due to the fact that they are "business blogs", just another way that spammers are trying to squirm and push their crap into our lives, and those who are so vain they think that their everyday lives will somehow intrigue people enough to catapult them on their way to that first million.

I wish there was some kind of script that would scan for the Ad sense program, and if it found it, would skip the blog until one without it is found. Of course this would not be fair to those who have a legitimate business, and with blogs being as popular as they are who can blame them.

I am in no way anti-google. I am a huge fan of Google, and always look forward to what new products will be rolling out that I will eventually use on a daily basis like Blogger, Google Talk, Google Desktop, Gmail, Picassa and of course Analytics. Ironic that I love using Analytics so much since it is designed to show you were on your site (or sites) your visitors visit, making it easier for you to decide where advertisement will create the greatest ROI. I use it as a tracker and statistics, much like StatCounter, except it offers soooo much more.

The thing is that I know that advertising and ads have no place on my blog. I just wish that others would recognize that and keep personal blogs ad free. Which leads me back to spammers.

Freakin spammers...I loathe them.

No Dish for you!

2006-07-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

So we decided that after 5 years, it was time to get satellite TV. We have been using bunny ears on our TV, and they have outlived their usefulness. Naturally I did my research and found that DirectTV had the best channel to cost ratio.

When the installer arrived, he informed us that the dish needs to face south; unfortunately, our balcony faces north, and with the newly added awning, it is not possible to have it installed.

Bummer.

No worries, it just means that we have to go with our local cable company instead. Oh well, C'est la vie.

And on a seperate note, a special Happy Belated Birthday to our friend Scotty Ice. Although we have never met Scotty and his wife Nanners in person, (Something that Anduin and I hope to do some day) we can tell you that they are wonderful couple with big hearts. Swing by his site and wish him a happy 40th won't you?

Happy Birthday Scotty. You Da Man.

Elephant Memory

2006-07-21T00:21:00.000-07:00

A man was on holiday in Kenya. While he was walking through the bush, he came across an elephant standing with one leg raised in the air.

The elephant seemed distressed so the man approached it very carefully. He got down on one knee and inspected the elephant's foot. There was a large thorn deeply embedded in the bottom of the foot.

As carefully and as gently as he could he removed the thorn and the elephant gingerly put down its foot. The elephant turned to face the man and with a rather stern look on its face, stared at him. For a good ten minutes the man stood frozen -- thinking of nothing else but being trampled.

Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned and walked away.

For years after, the man remembered the elephant and the events of that day. One day the man was walking through the zoo with his son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to where they are standing at the rail. It stared at him and the man couldn't help but wonder if this was the same elephant.

After a while it trumpeted loudly; then it continued to stare at him.

The man summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing and made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder.

Suddenly the elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of the man's legs and swung him wildly back and forth along the railing, killing him.

My guess is, it wasn't the same elephant.

Zzzzap...Gotcha!

2006-07-20T00:30:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love new toys? For her birthday, one of Anduin's coworker gave her a bug zapper. At first you may think, "A bug zapper?? How cheezy is that!" But let me assure you, it is one fun toy. It brings back memories of me as a little boy torturing bugs, you know, like the magnifying glass on the trail of ants.

Yes, the sadistic side of the Latin Lover is about to peep through. As you can see, the zapper is shaped like a tennis racket, and the strings are actually wires that make up the grill. When you press the button, the two D-cell batteries charge the grill with 1500 volts of power. How cool is that?

When those little suckers fly into the zapper, you get the expected buzzing sound, and the bugs temporarily display a blue "glow" while they get fried.

This is one of those gifts that seems better suited for the person's spouse than for the actual recipient. Now, in addition to the warning label telling you not to touch the net while the red light is on, Anduin quickly set some ground rules:

Do not zap your wife.
Keep the zapper away from Yoshi at all times.
Do not place tongue on zapper.
Do not use zapper for anything other than zapping bugs.
Do not zap your wife.

Even though most of the fun was taken out with the ground rules, it's still entertaining to use. Don't ask me why it's so much fun, it must be a "guy thing". At any rate, after having my body double as a buffet for mosquito's, I eagerly opened the doors and invited all manner of bugs to enter freely in our home.

I think that word got out, because that night only two bugs made it to our place, but that's OK, I am patient, and with this zapper, I am having the last laugh.

A new look (Again)

2006-07-14T01:25:00.000-07:00

You can always tell when I have just gone through a "bored" stage, because soon after I have a different template on my blog.

This one was kicking my butt for over 2 weeks! I finally managed to get it to do what I wanted it to do. I woke up on several accasions in the middle of the night with the solution on how to fix the code swimming in my head. I hate it when that happens, only because I know that there is no way I was going to get out of bed just to test the theory.

Thanks to Chistina for providing the core template, and a special thanks to Glish for providing the crucial code for making the body of the blog "Fluid". I had no idea on how to accomplish that in CSS.

All in all I am pleased with the final product. Goodness, can you imagine what I could come up with if I actually knew what I was doing??

Happy Birthday Honey

2006-07-11T00:05:00.000-07:00

Today is Anduin's Birthday!!

If you have a momment drop bye and congratulate her on being more beautiful today than the first day I met her.

Love you honey.

Heartbreaking News

2006-07-05T23:08:00.000-07:00

I received some really sad news from my mom. I could tell by the sound of her voice that she was sad and upset. As it turns out, my sister lost her twin babies, 6 months into her pregnancy.

It happened last week, and she is not answering her cell phone or returning any calls. Her boyfriend finally called my mom to break the news to her. That's all I have heard. I wish I knew where she moved to, so that I can go see her. My mom gave me another number where I could reach her, but I think that I am going to give her some time. I can only imagine her world imploding on her.

Please keep her in your prayers.

Happy Birthday America

2006-07-04T00:11:00.000-07:00

Betsy Ross showing the United States flag to George Washington and others.*

Happy Fourth of July, and a special Thank You for all of the troops who protect the freedoms that we all enjoy.

*CREDIT: Ferris, Jean Louis Gerome. "Making the flag." Detroit Publishing Company between 1900 and 1920. Touring Turn-of-the-Century America: Photographs from the Detroit Publishing Company, 1880-1920, Library of Congress.

Skeleton Crew Today

2006-07-03T09:05:00.000-07:00

That's the thing about a holiday falling during the week other than Monday or Friday. While it does make for a nice long weekend, (If you request the the day off ahead of time) unfortunately not everyone gets the opportunity to stay home. I suppose that I could of requested the day off, but then again it would not of been much fun since Anduin would be at work.

So today we are working with a skeleton crew. There are 4 of us in the office. 4. Our director, supervisor, and lead are all out today. It makes for a very quiet and peaceful work environment. The only one drawback is that since most of the office was going to be out, the powers that be decided "Why turn on the AC in the building if no one is going to be there?" It's warmer in the office than it is outside, and the temp outside has already hit 90.

I think this would be a good day to go home early. All those in favor raise your hands. Good. Class dismissed.

You're Going to Love This

2006-06-30T23:45:00.000-07:00

I found this file while surfing and almost fell out of my chair. I can't believe how dense this lady is. As a matter of fact, I think she may of called me at work to follow up on her admissions status! The voice did sound kind of familiar. I was starting to think that maybe I had a monopoly on these kinds of calls, turns out that I am not alone. That in itself is a little comforting. After listening to this I had to make sure all of the fluids in my car were at acceptable levels. I hope you all enjoy.

Don't answer that phone!

2006-06-26T23:52:00.000-07:00

I have previously posted on phone calls that I get from students. If you missed them, you can read them here, here, and here.

I could easily start a whole new blog based on these calls. I often wonder, how is it that students seem so...Dense? Well today I had a small glimpse as to where they come from. It seems that nuts really don't fall far from the trees. Allow me to elaborate:

Me: Good afternoon, Admissions Office.

Caller: (Male) Good afternoon, my daughter made a trip to your campus today specifically to pay for her fees before this Friday's deadline, but she apparently did not take any cash, cheques, or credit cards with her. This subsequently caused her to traverse all the way home without paying her fees. What can we do to rectify this?

Hmmmmm...What a dilemma.

What I wanted to say was..."Well sir, does she have any beads or livestock that she can barter with? Perhaps 2 chickens for every 5 units she is taking?" Naturally I did not say that, but believe me, I was This close.

Let's break this down a bit:

A). If your daughter specifically made a trip to the campus to pay fees, why would you not make sure you have the means in which to pay for those fees?

B). Traverse?? Is it just me or does this not really fit in the conversation? I know what he was going for, but it seems like he was trying a little too hard to sound sophisticated.

C). What can WE do to rectify this?? Well, I guess replacing the daughter is not an option...And why are you even asking what should be done? Isn't it kind of obvious? Do you really need to call the university to be told what needs to be done?

I know...How about putting the money in an envelope, pin it to your daughter's shirt and have her return to the university and have her talk to her "homeroom" teacher.

I need to stop answering my phone :P

Care to Chat?

2006-06-25T00:59:00.000-07:00

I have added a new little feature. It's a shoutbox! I really don't care for the name shoutbox, so I am going to call it my little chat room. I have not had a chance to really test it, so if you notice someone online, say hello...It might even be me!

Oh yeah, the weather here is kind of nutty. All weekend we had temperatures hitting 100 degrees, and just a few moments ago it was pouring outside with lightning and thunder! It has stopped, and now there is that recently rained smell. I kind of like that smell. It reminds me of home for some reason.

Hmmm....Weird.

Bring Them Back

2006-06-21T23:56:00.000-07:00

While surfing for things to watch during commercial breaks tonight (Admit it, you do it too), Anduin and I stumbled across an old black and white Spanish movie. It was a comedy of sorts, based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It was in the proper formal use of Spanish. (Think along the lines of old English "thee's and thou's" but in Spanish form). It was nice to hear the actors speaking like that, and the play on words was very entertaining.

During the movie I realized something...We as a society need to bring back capes.

Yes...Capes, or cloaks if you prefer.

I'm talking about full length capes and cloaks. Seriously, how many of you men out there would not love to see your wife or girlfriend wear this? And ladies, what about your man wearing something like this? Personally, I would love to walk around wearing something like this. If anything for the mystery and allure that it brings.

I guess what I am saying is that I want a new cape!

So what do you say? Wouldn't you want to spend a day in my shoes...Err...Cape??

Happy Father's Day

2006-06-18T15:25:00.000-07:00

I wanted to write a very inspirational post on my Dad, but I was not able to put into words all that my Dad means to me. No matter how far I got, it just seemed to be missing something.

All that I can say is Thank you...For everything.

Thank you for being there when I needed you, thank you for being there when I didn't need you as well. The lessons you taught me and continue to teach me will always be remembered.

Thank you for providing for your family, never letting us go without, even though at times it meant that you had to. Thank you for making sure your baby's tummies were full. (Even if it meant you had to skip some meals when they weren't babies anymore).

Thank you for the sacrifices you had to make in order for your children to excel, and for silently forgiving us when we let you down and the sacrifices were made in vain.

Thank you for imparting your wisdom on us, even though then we though you were just loosing your mind. I now hold on to those words and think to myself, "what would my Dad do?"

Thank you for treating Mom with honor and respect, for never raising your hand at her, and for teaching us to treat our wives the same.

Thank you for the countless sleepless nights wondering what your mischievous boys were up to, and not getting overly mad when you found out.

Most of all Thank You for the feeling I get when I hear people say "You are just like your father", for it is at that moment that I feel the proudest. It is without a doubt the greatest compliment that I can get.

Any male can be a father, but it takes a special kind of Man to be a Dad. Thank you for being both.

Thank You for everything. I love you Dad. Happy Father's Day.

Broke My Laptop

2006-06-17T23:44:00.000-07:00

I dropped my laptop today. Cracked the screen. I now have to borrow Anduin's laptop. I was hoping to wait until January to get a new laptop, (Seeing how it would have Windows Vista installed) but now I think I don't have much of a choice. Besides, I would want to wait until the initial bugs are out, maybe after the first service pack comes out.

So now I have the fun task of researching and configuring my new laptop. I went to the Dell website and put together my dream laptop. It came in at just over $7,100!!! Not at all realistic, but I figured as long as I was dreaming I might as well dream big. I know that the laptop I choose will be only a fraction of that cost.

My biggest concern is that my files may not be accessible. (At least all of the files since my last backup). Anyways, better get started on my research. Catch you all later.

Anduin Kicks Butt

2006-06-14T21:42:00.000-07:00

After a week of checking for her grade on-line every 5 minutes, Anduin finally received the news she had been waiting for...She Aced her Spanish class!!

Does she kick butt or what? Being that she has been out of school now for (cough) years, going back was a little scary and nerve racking for her. I knew that she would do well, and we are, after all, our own worst critic. Anduin has shown to be very tenacious, (Not new to me) and I know that she will continue to shine.

Up next...Math. And where is Anduin? Glued to her laptop perusing the syllabus.

Good job sweetie, you are going to look so cute in your cap and gown in the not too distant future.

Lost Siblings

2006-06-14T01:22:00.000-07:00

One of the blogs that I visit frequently is that of Zube Girl. She is an awesome chick that rocks and is an inspiration for many. Like most people she posts the occasional picture on her blog. Imagine my surprise when last week at dinner our waitress was none other than Zube Girl's lost sibling.

Well not really, but she could of easily had been. She looked identical to Zube Girl. That got me thinking...How many people out there look like us? I am sure that on more than one occasion we have been mistaken for someone else. (I know I have) One time in particular Anduin and I went to San Diego for the weekend. We strolled in to this seafood restaurant, and the lady behind the counter said "Oh my God! It is so good to see you again!" Now mind you this was the first time that we had been in this particular restaurant. I tried to explain to her that we had never met, but she insisted that "You have been here many times before".

Not exactly a good way to spend a romantic dinner, trying to explain to your wife that you really have no idea what the hot blonde behind the counter was talking about.

I've always wanted to have a twin, and I would sometimes imagine what we would do if I did have one. Although meeting his friends with my wife was never really on the top of the list. Still, it's nice to know that we would both end up with hot chicks. (Love you sweetie) :P

Congratulations Ofie

2006-06-10T22:49:00.000-07:00

This is my good friend Ofelia, and tonight she graduated with her Bachelors Degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management.

It has been a pleasure watching Ofie mature these last few years. From the first day I met her I knew that we were going to be friends for years to come. Ofie worked in our office for several quarters as one of our student assistants. We quickly developed a friendship which grew beyond the office walls. Ofie has a very personable trait, coupled with her winning smile and work ethic will no doubt help in her career choice.

Congratulations Ofie, we love you and are very proud of you.

Warm Weather

2006-06-01T22:21:00.000-07:00

For the last few days we have had some great weather here. The only thing that would make it better is if we lived or worked near the beach.

The only drawback to that is the warmth tends to bring the spiders out of hiding. We are not talking just little baby spiders, I'm referring to the big ones that are the Mafioso hit men of the arachnid underworld.

Anduin is religious about shaking the blankets before she gets into bed. I now know why. It still freaks her out that the average person swallows 8 spiders a year. She could have gone her entire life not needing to know that.

This is not the first time that we have had little multi-legged visitors. Something tells me that Harry has been spreading the word about our hospitality. I bet it was the sandwiches we packed him.

P.S. - Today is the One year Anniversary of me blogging!! Woo Hoo. I'm going to go out and buy me something nice.

Broken Alarm Clock

2006-05-31T23:48:00.000-07:00

I was late to work today. But it wasn't my fault. My alarm clock did not wake me up. (And by alarm clock, I mean my cat Yoshi).

Yoshi has always woken me up in the mornings, like clockwork. This morning he was slacking. I rolled over to notice that I had 5 minutes to get to work. And where was Yoshi? At the foot of the bed, sprawled out without a care in the world.

Naturally, I could not call work and tell them that I was going to be late due to my cat not waking me. However I can picture my lead just shaking her head and thinking to herself..."Why am I not surprised?".

Guess I am going to have to go back to setting my actual alarm clock.

2 weeks

2006-05-30T22:34:00.000-07:00

When Anduin decided to take a leave of absence, I had no idea that it would apply to me as well! Thanks to all of you who continue to visit even though there is nothing new to read.

Quick little update, Anduin is kicking butt learning Spanish. There have been a few instances where I have mumbled something in Spanish only to have her reply to me. Braniac.

Work is going good, finally getting a hang of all the work involved. At least no two days are alike, keeps it from getting tedious.

I still have not heard from my sister. I have called and left messages, but at this rate I will see her in a few months after the babies are born.

Finally, my computer tech skillz continue to pay off. I spent over an hour on the phone tonight with one of my co-workers, trouble shooting and getting her printer on her home computer to work. She is kind of technology challenged, which is why it took so long, but hearing the excitement in her voice when she finally got her printer to work was rewarding. She insisted on taking me out to dinner Friday night as a thank you. Seafood. Yummy!

Happy Mothers Day

2006-05-14T00:44:00.000-07:00

This goes out to all the moms. You don't need to have given birth to be a mom. From what I understand, if you have a husband that more than qualifies you, (as well as having pets). So thank you to all of the moms in the world.

Happy Mother's Day.

Meet Me Half Way

2006-05-09T23:00:00.000-07:00

They have a saying at my work, "Do it once, it's a favor. Do it twice, it's your job".

Breaking people of the impression that you are in charge, or the "go to" person in some areas is not always easy. I believe in being a 'hands on' kind of guy when it comes to computers. The best way to learn about computers (If you can afford it) is to just roll up your sleeves and dive in. I say if you can afford it because I fried my first two computers within a year of purchasing them, and we gave away our last computer before Anduin and I switched to each having our own laptop. But I digress.

When it comes to simple maintenance of computers, 99% of the department just stare at their monitors like a deer staring at oncoming headlights. They (the staff) seem to think that you need a doctorate in computer science to deal with such things as updating your virus definitions, running the adware/spyware software they have installed, and my personal favorite, getting them to defragment their computers.

One of the staff members came up to me today and said...

Co-worker: Latin, there is something wrong with my computer. It's really slow and when I click on something to run, it sounds like popcorn popping inside my computer. (The popping being the hard drive chugging away at trying to access the files).

Me: Hmmm. When was the last time you defragmented your hard drive?

Co-worker: Well, are we on different servers, or are we all on the same one?

Me: We are all on the same server, but what does that have to do with it?

Co-worker: Well since we share the same server, doesn't that mean that the hard drives are automatically defragmented?

Me: (Thinking to myself while I look around my desk) Where did the Candid Camera people hide the cameras?

To keep my sanity, we went to the computer in question and analyzed the hard drive. Here is what we found:

This is what the computer looked like. Notice all the red showing? Not good. You really want to have blue as the dominant color. The goal is to have as little red as possible. I don't think a computer is 'healthy' if it is more than 2% fragmented. This particular computer was 20% fragmented.

But I guess I really can't blame people, after all I think it has to do with discipline and a willingness to learn what you show them. I guess I have a higher respect for my computer. I take care of it, and it takes care of me. (Well at least it takes care of my files). I have 4 different programs to protect against spyware, adware, and malware. I have an adblocker, and I use my Hosts file to keep banners and ads from interrupting my surfing. My virus definitions are always up to date, I have several little programs to keep my computer running smoothly and my firewall keeps my network traffic in check.

Overkill? Maybe. But I like knowing that if anything should happen, my files are safe. Which reminds me, I need to back up my files. I love technology.

Another Phone Call

2006-05-01T16:46:00.000-07:00

Me: Admissions, how may I help you?

Caller: Ummm...Yeah...Because....Ahhhh....So I want to, like, change my major. (I kid you not, that is exactly what the student said.)

Me (After looking up the student's information in the system): Sir,...I show that your Admissions to the university has been denied since December of last year.

Caller: Ummm...Soooo...Like, because then, can you change that, and then like, change my major??

And that my friends, is why I am thankful for Happy Hour!

A Wedding Tale

2006-04-22T23:46:00.000-07:00

Today Anduin and I went to my cousin's wedding. It was a great wedding, and we had an opportunity to see many family members that we don't get to see on a regular basis. The bride looked beautiful in her gown and the bridesmaids looked lovely in their baby blue dresses. Everything seemed to go according to plan.

Have you ever been to a wedding where there is this one couple who has a noisy baby that just won't shut up? Regardless of what the parents do the baby is a distraction? You can't help but hear the constant "sit down!" or "be quiet", but it's no use, the baby just keeps making noise throughout the whole ceremony, kicking the pews, being a distraction, leaving you annoyed and wondering why the hell they could not get a baby sitter?

Well, today, that couple was....Us.

Jazmin was in rare form today. It got to the point where I was ready to turn to my mom and scream "Would you please control your child!!". I was so uncomfortable with the whole thing. I felt the whole church staring at us. Finally my dad took the baby to the back of the church...Just in time for the priest to give the final benediction and dismiss the church. Great timing.

The reception was a little better (As far as Jazmin's behavior). At one point I turned to Anduin and jokingly asked her "Do we have to sit with my parents?" Her smile let me know that all was going to be OK and just to enjoy myself.

My parents currently have custody of two of the most beautiful little girls you have ever seen. Both of them full of energy. During the reception the girls were very social (They spent most of the time running from table to table and meeting the guests). When the music began, you would of though it was Christmas morning from their excitement. They loved the music. Mostly because it gave them an opportunity to dance. Yes, dance.

Nothing like a 3 and 4 year old being the first ones on the dance floor and showing the world that they are not shy about dancing.

They were adorable though. Anduin and I ended up carrying them in our arms and dancing with them. Packed dance floor, dark room, flashing lights, loud music...Those two were having the time of their lives.

Yeah, life is good.

Happy Easter

2006-04-16T00:12:00.000-07:00

Goodness, I had no idea it had been a week since I last blogged. Certainly did not seem like a week has gone by. Things here are going well, work has kept me pretty busy. Funny thing, I was having trouble sleeping a while back, now I can't wait for my head to hit the pillow when I get home, even if it means skipping dinner. Go figure.

At any rate, Anduin and I would like to wish everyone a Happy Easter, may you all have a fun, pleasant and safe time with friends and family.

I Feel Naked

2006-04-08T01:46:00.000-07:00

Why do you ask?

Well...I lost my cell phone, and it's a terrible feeling. I hate the feeling of panic I felt when I realized that I had misplaced my phone, and was not going to find it. I retraced my steps a few times, searched my car inside and out, checked several departments on the same floor, even called the restaurant where I had lunch to see if anyone had turned it in. No such luck.

Once I had accepted the fact the phone was gone, I realized that there were numbers, pictures, videos and text messages that I was never going to see again. Not that it's a bad or embarrassing thing, it's just inconvenient. Not to mention the mini secure digital card that I purchased for the phone. All of the pictures, videos, and mp3's gone.

If there is a bright side to all of this, it would have to be that none of the people I dealt with in the process of replacing the phone were mean or difficult. Quite the contrary, everyone was sympathetic and eager to help. My phone carrier quickly suspended my cell phone so that unauthorized calls were not made. They gave me all of the information I needed to give to my insurance company, as well as information I should include in the police report that I was going to need to file. The insurance company was quick in taking the claim and getting a replacement sent out. I now have the joy of waiting for the phone to arrive, and the fun and exciting task of remembering all of the numbers that I had.

One thing I wish the phone company could have done is trace my phone. It is GPS enabled, so why they were "unable" to activate and locate it is beyond me. I later found several on-line companies that offered to locate the phone via the GPS, but they wanted a steep price to do so.

All this made me realize just how much I depend on my phone, not just for the convenience of making calls, (we decided a few years back to get rid of the house phone, or LAN line, as they call it and just have cell phones) but as a clock, alarm, and dang do I take a lot of pictures!

Horse Camp

2006-04-03T00:04:00.000-07:00

This weekend Anduin and I sent my niece to horse camp. It seems like every little girl at one point or another falls in love with horses. My sister did, Anduin did, and so has my niece. Last year we took her horseback riding. It was a one hour ride, not much instruction, the horses were well trained to accommodate those with little or no horse riding experience. That means that they only obeyed two commands, go and stop, and knew not to wander off the path we were on. It was nice, but it did not have a lot of depth to the whole experience.

This weekend the equestrian team from my work / school put together a fund-raiser in the form of a 2 day horse camp. Here they learned about horses in both hands on and in a classroom setting. They learned the proper way to walk, groom, saddle, ride horses and much more.

They ended the weekend by putting a show for all of the parents . They split up in two groups and demonstrated what it is that they had learned over the last 2 days. All of the girls were grinning from ear to ear. There was one little mishap where the horse my princess was riding was spooked, he bucked and my niece went flying off the horse. It looked worse than it was, and my princess quickly got back on the horse and continued to ride. It was good practice for her, and I am sure that she will want to attend the 5 day horse camp the team will be putting on during the summer.

So what does a 10 year old look like after 2 days of sitting in a classroom learning about horses, prepping horses, feeding horses, grooming horses, riding horses and putting on an hour horse show? Take a peek for yourself here.

A Joke for you

2006-03-30T22:18:00.000-08:00

Question: What do you get when you cross a car salesman with Dracula?

Answer: An autoexec.bat

LOL - is that not one of the funniest things you've heard??

If you are a techie, you are either laughing or boooing me right now. For anyone out there who may not be tech savy, familiar with techie terminology, or as Anduin would say...if you are 'normal' you may want to go here for an explanation of the term, and get a better understanding of my sense of humor while you are at it.

Our Weekend

2006-03-27T01:46:00.000-08:00

Too much happened this weekend, so I am just going to share some highlights.

A big chunk of the weekend was clearing out our office in preparation for a house guest that we will be having starting tonight. It never ceases to amaze me how much stuff we accumulate in our lives.

Saturday was my dad's birthday. We all got together to celebrate...Well, almost all of us. My sister was nowhere to be found due to her having to work a late shift. We had a great dinner and fun times regardless. I doubt that anyone has broken the news to him on her being pregnant.

On a lighter note, my niece (My brother's daughter, not my sister's) was at the party for my dad and was eager to show me her new cell phone. Her mom put her on the family plan and is enjoying it to it's fullest. Did I mention that she is only 10? Anyway, in the past we have not been in touch as much as we would like to be, but I have a feeling that's about to change. In the last 24 hours she has called me 3 times and sent me 4 text messages. LOL

My nephew turned 15 earlier this month, and had some pictures of him and his girlfriend. Neither one of them looks 15. He could easily pass for 18, maybe even 19. Not sure when that happened, but it made me realize that my nieces are growing up faster than I would like them to, and have maybe a year or two left of being little girls. Someone stop the world. I want to get off.

Funny Cartoon (Nothing More)

2006-03-21T00:06:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer: The preceding cartoon in NO way reflects any accuracy as to the behavior between Anduin and I in 'that department'. It is merely a cartoon and you should NOT try to read anything into it.

Okay honey, I put in the disclaimer...Can we get back to...Ummm...You know..."Surfing the blogs"?

Something Needs to Change

2006-03-19T04:19:00.000-08:00

Am I the only one who is getting frustrated with Blogger?

For the past two days it seemed almost impossible to access my blog, let alone post to it. Turns out that Blogger had to replace a router that was causing the 'unscheduled outages' for the last few weeks. Now granted, I understand the need to upgrade to keep up with the demands of users, but that is not the only thing that I am frustrated with.

I have two blogs with Blogger. This one that you are reading, and one where I do all of my testing when I want to try something new with the template. I use Microsoft FrontPage 2003 to write and modify all of the code for the template and then copy and paste to the test blog to see what it will look like in a real environment. Once I am happy with the finished product, I paste the code on the main template which is what you fine folks see. It seems like an awful lot to go through, but this way I can experiment with several templates at once without having to disturb this blog (and more importantly) drag you through all of the errors and modifications I make. (Believe me, that would get old really fast)

Which brings me to my point of why I am frustrated with Blogger. You would think that the exact same code on two separate blogs from the same provider would yield the same results on what the blog will look like. Nope. The same code on the main blog does not make the template look the same as it does on the test blog, and that is where the frustration comes in. I have checked and double checked everything. Even taking into account the differences between Internet Explorer and Firefox, the same code yields different results in their respective browsers.

Why is this happening? If this had been something that has been occurring since day one, I would be less aggravated, but this just started recently, and I can't pinpoint the problem. Lately I have noticed more and more blogs jumping ship to go elsewhere for their blogging needs, and right now I can't say I blame them. I like Blogger, but I will be looking to move if things don't improve soon.

I was not planning on moving until the end of the year, but it seems like my timetable is being moved forward, and not by my choice. I am doing my research on companies that will host my blog, as well as registering my own domain name...And Anduin's as well. From what I have seen so far, most of the companies allow you to host more than one domain, which would be perfect for the both of us. I am realizing that not only do I want something more reliable, I want something that will allow me to have complete control of my blog.

Double Trouble

2006-03-17T00:02:00.000-08:00

...In a Good Way.

Last December I posted on the possibility that I may be an uncle again. Ever since my sister told me that she may be pregnant, it seems that she has been avoiding me. She missed Christmas dinner with the family, she missed my birthday in January, and she missed our little sisters first birthday party.

A few days ago my mom called and asked if I had heard from my sister. I told her I hadn't, and she proceeded to tell me what she thought was news to me. "Your sister is pregnant...(Me trying to sound surprised at the news)....With twins.

What?!? Holy $&@*!! What?!?

I have to admit, I was NOT expecting to hear that. Twins Y'all. I was speechless. I asked my mom how my sister was going to raise 5 children on her own? To be fair, I don't really know if she will be alone, but until she gets remarried, that is all I have to go on. I am wanting to keep a positive attitude about the news, I mean, how cool will it be to have twin nieces/nephews! I know how difficult it is to raise one baby, let alone two. I am hoping my sister will call and talk to me. I have tried calling her myself, but her phone always goes to voice-mail. I even tried calling her by blocking the caller ID number, but like me, if the number does not show up, I don't answer.

Yesterday was my nephew's 15th birthday, and we called him to wish him a happy birthday. We got the answering machine and left a nice birthday message along with our rendition of the birthday song. My sister had my nephew call to thank me, and conveniently enough she was not home, so I did not get a chance to speak with her.

I am not sure what the deal is with her. I wish I knew what it was the she is afraid of, or why she feels that she can't face me. I know that sooner or later Anduin and I will be expected to step in and offer some kind of help, be it financial or otherwise, and I am sure that may have something to do with her keeping her distance. Mom says that they are going to wait to see what my sister and her boyfriend are going to do before breaking the news to my dad. I'll keep you posted on what develops.

Please Tell Me

2006-03-14T02:19:00.000-08:00

In church we refer to them as the perfect couple. They look good, smell good, they say all the right things,...They are happy. They participate in activities, volunteer when no one else does, laboring in every auxiliary there is, silently working in the background never wanting or asking for the spotlight. The wife supporting her husband in everything he does. Some refer to them as a pillar of the church, grounded in the foundation that helps to support the rest. When you have a question or concern they are part of the 'go to' people. Because of their sincere, trusting demeanor, people confide in them things that no one else knows, sometimes things not even their own spouses know about. They get to see the good and bad sides of people. Despite their wanting to labor in silence, they are drawn into the inner circle, and are asked to serve in a capacity most people never get to serve in. They labor to do "God's work" believing with all of their heart in what they are doing. You want to talk evangelism?, they have led hundreds to the Lord.

When they hit a little speed bump in their lives, people rally around them, offering comfort or encouragement. You grow to love the members of the congregation like your own family.

So tell me...Where are they now? Where are they when "I'll pray for you" is not enough??

We are taught that trials and tribulations will follow you. But fear not, for when those times come, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you"(James 4:7) The implication here being that if you fall from grace, it is due to you not resisting the devil.

And so you fall. And fall hard.

You begin to live with the pain. The everyday pain in knowing that you screwed up, you let down a lot of people, and hurt those closest to you. Especially those closest to you. You begin to loose confidence in yourself, in being the head of your household, your lack of integrity branded on your forehead, and you begin to see your own personal dreams, goals and plans slowly slip away, and you feel helpless to do anything about it. On the rare occasions that you get to see those who you once considered your family...They smile, they are polite and cordial, but you see the look of disappointment in their eyes. And one day you realize that you see the same look of disappointment in your wife's eyes. It's not a conscious look, and she absolutely does not do it on purpose. Quite the contrary, you can tell that she tries very hard not to show it. After all that you both have been through, it's not a fair statement to make, but the look is there nonetheless. And that is the worst pain of all.

Every morning you wake up knowing you have to look yourself in the mirror, and somehow make it through yet another day. You know that you are not where God wants you. You do your best to hide the pain...the guilt. You keep it inside, and it continues to build, day after day. But sometimes it's too much to bare and you break down. Thankfully you usually loose it in the men's room, or driving home from work. You cry often. More than you think is healthy, and more than you will ever admit to. You cry when you are alone. You feel alone. You wish it would go away, but the pain and guilt is with you. Every. Single. Day.

So please tell me...How do you allow God to forgive you, when you can't forgive yourself??

A Funny Story

2006-03-11T01:17:00.000-08:00

Allow me to share a funny story with you from someone who works in a different dept here on campus. This anecdote comes from one of my good F-R-I-E-N-D-S, lets call her 'Ms Green'.

About a year ago Ms Green and her husband broke down and bought their kids a pet cat. Ms Green is not an animal lover at all, and I don't think her husband is either. But the kids really wanted a cat so they got one. Ms Green doesn't pay much attention to the cat, and her husband only picks her up to put her out in the garage (The cat, not Ms Green). All of the love and attention has really been from the kids, and I am sure that the cat had more than she can handle. During this time they have been very careful to keep her inside the house, being extra careful when opening the garage door and not letting her wander the neighborhood. (Again...The cat, not Ms Green). The last thing they ever want is to have a pregnant cat on their hands. However being a cat she managed to sneak away on a few occasions despite their best attempts.

They finally decided to get the cat spayed. They dropped off the cat at the vets in the morning, and later that day the vet called Ms Green to let her know that unfortunately they will not be able to spay her cat. Yep, you guessed it. After all this time, she went and done it. As it turns out, the cat is not really a she after all. She is a he, and will need to be neutered instead!

I'll give you a minute.

I was just as intrigued and dumbfounded as you are. How can you own a cat for a year and not know that she is actually a he?? I don't know either, but knowing Ms Green, that is not a real surprise to me. At any rate I found it to be a funny story. - (Forrest Gump voice) And that's all I have to say about that.

A Sex Post

2006-03-05T03:28:00.000-08:00

Well, not really.

Anduin wrote a draft post on interesting places where we have done the deed. She asked me to read it, and give her the green light to post it.

I read it. You'll notice that it has yet to be posted on her site.

Now you would think that with a name like 'Latin lover' that I would be all gun ho about having a post with such a topic. Normally I would, but we have to consider who reads our blogs. There are family members who read our blogs, and more importantly, there are people from work who read them. Not just her work, my work as well.

There are some things that co-workers in particular aught not need know about our lives. We both have certain co-workers (I am sure that you do as well) that don't know how to draw the line when it comes to this kind of thing. Although they are "adults" they tend to be very immature, extremely nosey, they have an innate need to gossip, and I would just rather not give them the opportunity for them to act the fool. (As a side note, if you are reading this and happen to be one of our co-workers, and you take offense to what I just wrote, chances are you are one of the reasons why the sex post is not being published).

Sorry sweetie, while the post was funny, it shared WAY too much on certain instances, and those stories are better left for people who we are close to and trust.

Could this be right?

2006-03-02T23:24:00.000-08:00

You know it's a slow blogging week when all you have is another personality test. Although a bit lengthily, it is one of the most accurate (At least I think so) tests I have taken.

Animated Architect

My Personal DNA Report

Baby Sister Turns 1

2006-02-25T20:36:00.000-08:00

Today my baby sister turned 1. For those who may be not be familiar with Jazmin, you can read a little about her here.

My parents naturally had a little party for her. It was really nice celebrating her first birthday with a full house of family members. What added a little special touch to the occasion is that tomorrow is my parents 37 year wedding anniversary, so naturally there were smiles everywhere.

I am sure that Anduin will be posting pictures to her Flicker account sometime tomorrow, but until then, here is a picture of me with the birthday girl.