Cancun
We're back after a week in Cancun. The beaches are gorgeous, the sand sublime. Spent a week at the all inclusive Moon Palace, enjoying the huge pools, mini golf and nightly entertainment. Great to see all the cousins bond.
June 25, 2008
April 6, 2007
Katherine: Child Hacker
Waking up early this morning, I stumbled downstairs to find Katherine watching T.V. Not possible. I have the cable box blocked from 5am - 8pm. No password, no dice. No T.V. without parental intervention. Apparently Katherine watched Suzy entering the code one day and noticed that she pressed the same button over and over again. A button near the bottom of the remote. So she tried and entered "0 0 0 0". Lo and behold, it worked.
Needless to say, the password has been changed and it's not the same digit x 4.
March 24, 2007
Vincent Quotes
We've been preparing Vincent for his kindergarten interview for the last few weeks (he got in), and going over letters, numbers, how to spell his name, etc. On his name:
Me: Vince, how do you spell your name?Vince: V -- line with a dot -- N -- C -- E -- N -- T
What do kids learning from watching commercials on television:
Vince: Girls have diets and boys have penises
December 30, 2006
Pygmy Marmoset
As we were looking at some of National Geographic's top photos from 2006, we came upon this green monkey looking thing. Vincent looked over my shoulder and says, that's a pygmy marmoset. I look down, read the description, and find to my surprise that he's right (I've never heard of a pygmy marmoset to begin with). For the next 30 seconds, I think I have a genius on my hand, a four year old who can read. How has he been hiding his reading from us??
Well, Vincent doesn't read. He saw these minute monkeys on Go Diego Go.
Still, pretty good recognition skills.
December 27, 2006
Merry Christmas, Vincent
Vincent finally woke up at 8:30am, but was happy to make his way down to start opening gifts.
Christmas Morning
After waiting a long 90 minutes upstairs, Katherine was finally allowed downstairs to open gifts.
December 25, 2006
Merry Christmas
Happy Christmas
December 23, 2006
Kids Learn Fast
Whenever Vincent cries over a toy taken or milk spilt, I tell him to toughen up -- don't cry like a baby, be a strong boy. Returning home from a rare night out, Vincent told me he cried after Suzy and I left.
Steve: Vincent, you didn't cry like a baby, did you?
Vincent: No Daddy, I cried like a man.
To which I had no reply.
December 16, 2006
Gingerbread Party
Christmas is just around the corner and we celebrated with our fourth(?) annual Gingerbread Party.
November 28, 2006
Dog Days
In the past two days, I've let Ally out 4 times between the hours of 12 midnight and 4am for poopy calls, cleaned up 3 piles of doggy vomit (she got into the chicken bouillon cubes) dry heaving myself, and Bella had a rather nasty incident in the shower yet again.
Looks like I'll be ready to change those diapers again come June.
November 20, 2006
What about the children
Ok, Suzy always reminds to not to just talk about myself. So here's a little story to illuminate Vincent's sweet nature.
In pre-school, the kids were making turkeys for Thanksgiving. Asked what he was thankful for, Vincent responded:
The baby in my mommy's tummy.
Oh, have I mentioned that Suzy is pregnant? Our third is on the way, expecting about June 9th, 2007. Long way to go and lots to do before this happens. Hence the plumbing and car shopping spree below.
August 16, 2006
Katherine's 7th Birthday Party
Katherine's 7th birthday was a fun-filled, sun-filled afternoon pool party. Hula Barbie made an appearance as the cake. Lots of swimming and candy. Good fun!
August 15, 2006
Almost time for school
Katherine and new student Sophia shop for their school uniforms. Summer's almost gone.
May 13, 2006
Owen's 4th Birthday
Owen celebrates his fourth birthday with a swim party.
Slideshow
Sophia & Grace's Birthday Party
Sophia and Grace celebrated their 5th and 3rd birthdays a few weeks ago. The pictures have been sitting in the camera until now.
Slideshow
March 19, 2006
Hide and Seek
When do children understand the concept of hide and seek? Vincent (four in May) still comes out of his hiding place to say find me, then goes right back to his same hiding spot. He's way beyond the stage of covering his eyes and thinking he's hiding, but he still has a little way to go to fully understood hide-and-seek.
October 26, 2005
Katherine's First Math Test
Katherine took her first math test today. Not sure how she did yet, but in the spirit of the moment, I took the 8th grade math test and passed with flying colors. 
| You Passed 8th Grade Math |
 |
September 25, 2005
Katherine's first butterfly
One of Katherine's birthday presents was a butterfly habitat. The first set of (painted lady) catepillars arrived in the mail on a day that saw 108oF temperatures. Needless to say the first butterfly hatched today, from the second set.
July 25, 2005
Sea World
 We made it to Sea World before Katherine turned 6. Yeah. It was a lot of fun, though I do recommend a bathing suit (and water proof backup for the camera gear) if you're going to seat in the splash zone. See all the fun in the Photo Gallery. |
June 26, 2005
Action Shots
The new camera, a Canon 20d, is able to take 5 shots a second. Sounds like a machine gun. Makes it easy to capture sporting shots that the old Powershot, with a second delay, could never hope to.
May 22, 2005
Spring Performance
Katherine's school has two performances each year, one for winter and one for spring. This year's spring performance featured all the classes singing TV theme songs. Katherine's kindergarten class sang Sesame Street, The Muppets and Rubber Ducky. I can tell Katherine's not too fond of getting up on stage, but with 8 more years of performances as this school, I'm sure it will get a lot easier.
April 24, 2005
T.r.o.u.b.l.e.
Vincent is trouble. He was outside tonight when Katherine called him for dinner. A minute later, the doorbell rings. Opening the door, Katherine is drenched with water as Vincent, laughing, opens up the hose on her. Soaked from head to toe, she grabs the hose and sprays him back.
Not even 3 years old and already a prankster. We're in for trouble.
April 18, 2005
End of an Era
After 8 1/2 years at my current job, I've given my resignation. No more telecom/networking software companies for me. I'm moving to a more secure organization. Make that a security organization. Make that a market leading software security organization. Yes, my commute is now 50 feet closer to home. Not much closer, but closer nonetheless.
My last day is Friday. After the weekend, I immediately start at Symantec. You know, the Norton Anti-Virus people. Talk about a growth industry. Especially if you're on a Windows computer.
Lots to learn, lots to learn.
March 14, 2005
Groovy Girls
Katherine started spring soccer this week. Seven games, 5-on-5. No head coaching for me this time around (though I did volunteer to coach 2 games when the head coach is away). Katherine scored the first goal of the game. I think 5-on-5 will be better ... fields are smaller, quarters are shorter and kids get to touch the ball a lot more.
January 1, 2005
New Year Thought
Talk about thoughtful, Vince is one sweet kid. Fried up 8 breakfast sausage the other day, 2 for each. Well, Vince took three, Katherine took three so I took the last 2, as Suzy was still upstairs. I sit down and Vince starts screaming at me. Takes me a second, then I realize he's saying, "No, that's mommy's sausage!" Pretty considerdate for a 2 1/2 year old.
Remember, children teach as much as they're taught.
Happy New Year!
September 4, 2004
Avalon Harbor
May 9, 2004
Boring is Good
That's what my doctor said, "Boring is good." It may very well be good for recovery, but boring is well %boring%. And lonely. Suzy has done her best to keep the kids out of the house so they don't catch pneumonia from me and I think great, I finally can truly relax and get better. You know, watch a movie, no disturbances. And that lasts about two hours, until the movie ends. And then there's nothing more I want to hear than that garage door open and have Katherine and Vincent scream %Daddy, Daddy% like they always do.
Today, I have a long time to wait. They're all off to Zuma Beach for a traditional Mother's Day on the beach with Suzy's whole family. Sun and sand, gentle breeze, dolphins frolicking just out of reach, fried chicken and coleslaw, kids laughing, waves crashing. And me. At home. On this damn computer. Just waiting, waiting. It's going to be a long day.
But at least I'll get to see the pictures.
Pneumonia
For the past four days, I've been locked down at home fighting pneumonia. Not a pleasant disease. Three nights of 103^0F temperatures, and the general malaise that accompanies such fevers -- body aches, dizziness, listlessness. I used to coughing up mucous from colds and bronchitis, but when blood enters the picture, and I mean more blood then phlegm, it makes you ever sicker to your stomach. Then there's the breathing. Breathing is an unconscious action until you can't. Inhalers help, but give you jitters. And you don't know if it's the jitters making you take so many breaths or the diseased lungs lack of capacity for extracting oxygen from the air you breathe.
But I'm on the road to recovery. The fevers have gone, the labor of breath has not. Walk too far, turn to fast, bend over once, and you better sit down. Here come the dizzies. So you sit. And sit. And sit. It's great not lying down 20 hours a day, but there's only so much you can do sitting. There's T.V., books, and the internet. Mind you, the second two aren't options during the fever stage. Once you cook the brain, T.V. is the only form of entertainment, though even that is limited. Want to lose you sense of humor and emotion? A fever takes care of that. You see the picture, you hear the words, but very little connects with the higher level functions of the brain at 102^0F+.
But I'm on the road to recovery. Started reading again last night. ;-)
April 23, 2004
Watcha Lookin' At
Easter
Hi ho, hi ho. It's off to Grandma's house we go.
February 27, 2004
Best Wrong Number Ever
My cell phone rings with an unknown number:
me: Hello? This is Steve.
girl's voice: Umm, is this a tattoo parlor?
February 10, 2004
Mindless Abandon
Now that I've completely stopped watching news on television, I've embraced a number of new shows for pure, mindless bliss. And while the news was entertaining, I'm much more entertained with following:
* American Idol (you can't sing)
* Apprentice (you're fired)
* Fear Factor (never during dinner)
* L-Word (L is for lick)
February 9, 2004
California Winter
[http://www.bigfrog.net/archives/IMG_4386.jpg | http://www.bigfrog.net/gallery/cawinter]
It's February, and 70^0F in Malibu. Time for the beach.
Katherine made a friend on her own -- I usually have to introduce her to the child in question (hi, this is my daughter Katherine and she wants to play with you). I think she would have been swimming if we brought her bathing suit.
Vince is getting older and braver -- stood in the water on his own. Also getting to be like his dad ... his new phrase is %I don't know%.
See [more pictures | http://www.bigfrog.net/gallery/cawinter] in the [Photo Gallery | http://www.bigfrog.net/gallery/].
January 30, 2004
Countries I've Visited
I've visited all the countries shown in red. Once the kids are out of school, I have a lot of globetrotting to do. That shouldn't be long; I'll start booking flights for the year 2025.
States I've Visisted
The states in red are states that I've visited. Airports don't count. Looks like the south is calling.
January 28, 2004
Happy Birthday to Me
35 is finally here. The last few weeks have been rougher than usual on me. Between job worries (no, we don't have to move to San Francisco anymore), family health concerns and life in general, I've had a lot of internal stress that I didn't readily identify. Last week, I figured out I was a news junkie on the downhill slope towards 40.
Every night I'd come home stressed from what I thought was the hour (each way) commute. But last week I realized that I spend way too much time keeping up with the news: 2 hours / day of talk radio in the car, 15 minutes / day reading the newspaper, 1 hour / day watching news on television, 30 minutes browsing the internet, followed by another 30 bedtime minutes of non-fiction reading. That's way too much time to figure out what's happening in the world.
Last Wednesday, I turned it all OFF. I started listening to only music on the commute and practiced deep (diaphragm) breathing in the car. Man, that made a difference. I arrive at work and home totally relaxed. Plus, it gives me much more time to think about life in general, rather than worrying if the current reporter or pundit is properly fair and balanced :-) But there was still something else...
Didn't think about it until I got the news out of my life, but I was almost 35 and what did I know how to do? What was I good at? Was it too late to learn something new? Was I stuck for the rest of my life with my what skills (or lack of) that I currently had?
So I came upon the idea of learning something new -- not programming, not painting, but bass guitar. I've fiddled with the guitar off and on for years, but never really was any good. But with the bass, what's not to like? Two fewer strings, no chords and fewer solos. Plus, I love all the riffs, from Nirvana to Rage Against the Machine. Seems like a much better idea, learning to play a musical instrument rather than overdosing on the news.
So today I'm 35. Drove by Guitar Center on the way home from work last night and picked up an amp and a new bass guitar. A birthday present to my self, to ease my pre mid-life crisis.
P.S. If you're learning a musical instrument, the internet is an invaluable resource. Want to learn how to play your favorite song -- no problem, bass or guitar. Want free lessons with midi examples -- no problem, the internet has you covered.
December 24, 2003
Merry Christmas
December 17, 2003
Vince Plays the Blues
Click on the image above to see Vince playing the blues.
November 23, 2003
Bella Update
Recovery has been slow for Bella. After the prescriptions wore off, she was much more herself. Clear eyes and eager to get out and explore. While she's still unable to move her back legs, her tail's now wagging. We've had to keep her cooped up in a baby play pen, but otherwise she's been happy.
On Friday, she must have come down with something as she didn't eat and threw up once and had other intestinal disorders. All day Saturday, she didn't even drink water and her nose became hotter and drier. She didn't make a single peep (sound) all day, so we knew something was wrong. Early Saturday evening, Suzy brought her to the vet. Turns out, she had a 105^0F fever and a very high white blood cell count. So, she's fighting some type of infection, though the vet still doesn't know what it is. Could be UTI (unary tract infection), or some post-op infection.
Left her overnight on Saturday and Sunday saw the fever break. She's back to normal temperature today, but still not eating. Bella's staying at the vet yet again tonight, still on IV anti-biotics and fluid.
Hoping to hear some better news and pick her up Monday.
November 9, 2003
Bella's Weekend
We had a bit of a scare with Bella this weekend. She woke up Saturday a.m. not able to use her back legs. I made the assumption 
that it was her hip dysphasia acting up so I gave her anti-inflammatory pill and contacted the vet to refill her hip RX. I was told that the anti-inflam. would help her out until Monday's vet appt. The anti-inflam. didn't help at all.
This morning her legs still were not working and I didn't want to wait until Monday morning. I took her to the vet and was told that it was not her hip dysphasia causing the paralysis. After seeing the 1st vet, we went for a 2nd opinion, then Steve, Bella and I headed to West LA to see the surgeon Dr. Somerville. After the exam, it was concluded that she most likely had a ruptured disc and the compression on the spine had to be relieved ASAP. The surgeon gave her a 50% chance of regaining use of her legs if the problem were indeed a rupture disc, but if it was some type of blood clot, or internal spinal issue then she had a 10% chance. We were feeling quite upset when we hugged Bella before she headed off to surgery.
Dr. Somerville called at 4:30 p.m. to let us know that Bella came through surgery great and that the disc was indeed ruptured, but she was able to repair everything. She said Bella was on some morphine type drug for the pain, but that they will know more in the morning with some post-op tests. She has to stay there until Tuesday or Wednesday depending on how well she is feeling. She will have a recovery time of 4 to 6 weeks confined to the baby play pen as she will not be allowed to move around or play with Ally & kids. The doc said that after 4 to 6 weeks she may be walking.
If she is not walking by 3 months, then we will need to think about other options... We will cross that bridge if & when we get there. We are feeling sad, but hoping for all the best for Bella.
November 2, 2003
Happy Halloween
October 26, 2003
Satellite Fire
The red circle is about where I live. We've been lucky, as the smoke is not blowing our way. But the flames are getting closer. Looks like they jumped the major pass and are creeping down to the my valley, San Fernando.
In this satellite image, plumes of smoke caused by wildfires are seen moving off the coast through Southern California on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2003. The fires have grown to more than 208,000 acres, destroying 500 homes in densely populated suburbs and have caused at least 11 deaths. Fires burning are, at left left, Simi Valley and Moorpark; center, the combined Grand Prix and Old Fire, north of San Bernadino and Rancho Cucamonga/Ontario; bottom right, the Scripps Ranch fire in the San Diego area. AP Photo/US Forest Service via NASA (news - web sites))
[Yahoo! News]
Twister
Fire + Twister all rolled into one. Hope that doesn't travel far.
Ventura County firefighters look at a twister of flame from a wildfire, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2003, in Simi Valley, Calif. The fire has destroyed several homes and burned more than 45,000 acres. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
[Yahoo! News]
Where there's smoke
Top of Reseda, Sunday morning.
Simi Updates
Diane's back in the house. The hillside across the road burned, but the house is safe (though smokey).
Bob's neighborhood is now on voluntary evacuation. Don Sr., Don and Uncle Bob are there, just in case the fire gets too close and they have to save valuables.
Bob's heading home.
More Simi Valley Fire
Diane got a knock on her door at 4 am as was informed that a voluntary evacuation has started. She and the kids left and Randy is still there making sure the house stays out of danger.
Bob's on vacation and is coming back with Jacque and the kids. Flames are within a couple of miles of his house but I don't think there's been an evacuation of his neighborhood.
Simi Valley Fire
Southern California is burning. Currently, there are at least three major fires: San Bernardino/Rancho Cucamonga, Crestline and now Simi Valley.
I live 10 miles east of Simi Valley; it's just a valley away. Below is a series of pictures I took starting from my house and then heading west into Simi. I have two in-laws in Simi, so I took a drive out to make sure they were okay.
Simi from my driveway
From the top of Reseda
118 West, just over the hill into Simi
Going to Bob's house
Trail near Bob's house
Diane's house
October 4, 2003
Popcorn and a movie
Washed and ready for bed, Katherine and Vincent enjoy popcorn and a movie.
That's My Boy
Katherine, Vince and I were watching the SC game today when Vince said it for the first time, clear as a bell.
FootballWhat can I say, he makes his daddy proud.
October 3, 2003
Maui
We got back from 8 days in Maui on Sunday. What a trip. The weather was perfect -- the days were bright, the nights were clear. The stars were out, the sun was shining. Woke for sunrise, slept for sunset. We found an empty beach.
See more pictures in the photo gallery.
Incidentally, the above picture is real, though it may not look it. We were in a shaded cabana, so I used the flash. Plus I was lying down, so the horizon is not exactly horizontal.
September 14, 2003
Play Ball
September 8, 2003
Park Day
After a busy Saturday of driving, we decided to spend Sunday around home. So before the heat hit, we headed over to the park and let the kids loose.
After four years of trying, Katherine's finally made it up the catepillar.
All the way up.
While Vincent enjoys smaller slides, he's still not ready to walk the plank.
More Birthday Celebrations
Saturday was double booked with two birthday parties. First, down to Palos Verdes for my mom's "August" birthday celebrations, and then up to Simi Valley for an adult only celebration for my sister-in-law's party. Lots of driving, but both were fun.
While I do love spending my weekends with the chitlins, it sure is fun to get a babysitter and spend some time out. It's too easy to forgot and yourself and your spouse and dedicate your life to the kids when their young, but do yourself a favor and go out once in a while.
September 3, 2003
Katherine's First Day of School
Katherine started school today. She loved it.
August 24, 2003
Out with the old, in with the new
Driving home from work Friday, the transmission in my car failed. Ever try driving up a hill in neutral? (After you lose momentum, you start rolling backwards). Bottom line is that it will cost more to fix the car than it's worth.
Since this is the time of the year car dealers get the "next" model year, I decided to go shopping. And wouldn't you know it, but there are lots of 2003s on sale. So, I went for it and bought my first ever new car, an Infiniti G35:
August 18, 2003
More Alaska Pictures
Randy took a number of pictures in Alaska too. See more pictures in the photo gallery.
Fish Fry
Vincent tickles the ivories at the fish fry. You can't catch 115lbs of fish per man without actually eating it, can you? And man, it was good! See more pictures in the photo gallery.
Lia's 2nd Birthday
Katherine climbs at Lia's 2nd birthday party. See more pictures in the photo gallery.
August 16, 2003
Smiling Cousins
Vincent's First Haircut
Alaska Fishing Trip
Back from Alaska with 115 lbs of Salmon, Halibut and Snapper. Put your request in now. What a great place. Felt like the last American frontier. Only 1 telephone at the resort and was almost stranded due to bad weather. Saw whales (humpback and orca), bald eagles and bears. Caught tons of fish. Saw the sun and saw the rain. Good company and good food. What a great trip. Check out the pictures in the photo gallery.
August 12, 2003
Happy Birthday Katherine
Katherine's 4 today. Celebrated Sunday, when the temperature must have hit 104. The Valley has been unseasonably cool until this week. I'm off to Alaska in 5 hours for a fishing trip, so I'm missing Katherine's actual birthday. I won't miss the heat.
Check out all the pictures in the photo gallery.
August 7, 2003
Vincent's Talking
Vincent's first 2 word sentence ... hey dad.
Vincent's Walking
It's been quiet for a while on BigFrog. Should be lots of pictures coming up, with Katherine's birthday and my Alaska fishing trip coming up.
By the way -- Vincent is officially walking now. He has been for the last 2 weeks. The kid loves his cake (and ice cream). He's also learned to point, so you don't want to be sitting next to him at lunch, especially if you're hungry. Vincent's got some appetite.
July 20, 2003
5/7 Spencer Cousins
July 19, 2003
2 Parties 1 Day
Busy Saturday. Gone from 10am to almost 10pm. 2 parties. Bradley's 4th birthday and Diane and Randy's housewarming. Lots more photos too in the photo gallery.
Bradley Smiles
Diane Dances
July 16, 2003
Cake Time
Vincent at the beach
How the other half live
I spent the day at work, but it's nice to know how the other half live. The gang celebrated Bradley's 4th birthday at Zuma.
July 15, 2003
Growth Spurt
Vincent's been hungry lately. Still loves his fruits and vegetables, but man, can that kid throw back the pizza.
Katherine's Driving
Katherine's a month away from four. Before we know it, she'll be driving.
Vincent Closeup
<<
>>
When not otherwise restrained in a stroller, Vincent is trying his best to go from horizontal to vertical. He's made a few jaunts of 10-15 feet now -- we're no longer counting steps.
Rumor on the street is he's expanded his vocabulary. Said %Bella% twice today.
>>
When not otherwise restrained in a stroller, Vincent is trying his best to go from horizontal to vertical. He's made a few jaunts of 10-15 feet now -- we're no longer counting steps.
Rumor on the street is he's expanded his vocabulary. Said %Bella% twice today.
July 6, 2003
Surprise Visitor
<<
>>
Linda was in town for 14 hours, on a layover between London and Seattle. Gave us just enough time to get her from the airport and introduce her to the kids. It's the first time we've seen her since --Katherine's birth-- her wedding in Ireland ... 3 years ago.
>>
Linda was in town for 14 hours, on a layover between London and Seattle. Gave us just enough time to get her from the airport and introduce her to the kids. It's the first time we've seen her since --Katherine's birth-- her wedding in Ireland ... 3 years ago.
July 5, 2003
4th of July
Fourth of July photos in the new photo gallery.
Anne Geddes Lite
June 30, 2003
Vincent
June 25, 2003
Vincent's First Steps
Always at work, missing out when the good stuff happens... Vincent just took 5 steps. It can't be long now before he's considered a "walker". Here's to you, Vincent.
June 21, 2003
Siblings
Cousins
June 18, 2003
Ballet Recital
Katherine's smiling after her first ballet recital. There were a lot of people watching and Katherine was bold enough to come out and do her routine.
June 8, 2003
Pony Ride
In what seemed like a repeat from Groundhog Day, I drove out to visit Suzy and the girls in Norco twice this weekend. Today, Katherine tagged along and got to ride Jazzy. Katherine loves all the animals at her Aunt Suzy's house. Dogs, birds, goats, horses and a pig and a snake. Who needs a petting zoo when you have all that?
Last night, something must have been in the air, because I brought home a dog from Suzy's house ... Reilly, a recently abandoned Jack Russell terrier. Guess it was fun to dog sit for a night, but we don't need three dogs, especially with Vincent on the floor. So today, I brought her back.
May 29, 2003
Classic Vincent
Vincent's not fond of the camera. Here he gives his "are you talkin' to me" look from his birthday (today) photo shoot.
May 28, 2003
Happy Birthday Vincent
Vincent turns one tomorrow, May 29th. Happy Birthday, Vince.
May 26, 2003
Gary Coleman Impression
Vincent and Grandma Patty give their best impression of each other (and Gary Coleman ??)
Fun Fridays
Friday is still fun day for Bradley and Katherine. This week, they met at the Sesame Street Live show.
May 23, 2003
Vincent's Laughing Movie
Click on the picture above for a movie of Katherine making Vincent laugh. You'll need sound and all the latest video player software to enjoy the movie.
May 18, 2003
4, 3, 2 (almost)
2, 3, 4 (almost)
May 12, 2003
Mother's Day 2003
Couldn't ask for better weather today at Zuma Beach. What a great way to celebrate Mother's Day. Friends, family, food and mothers.
[Mother's Day Pictures | http://www.bigfrog.net/photos/20030511/Images/] here, as always, in the "Photo Gallery". And as this is the second year of the digital camera, don't forget to checkout [Mother's Day 2002 | http://www.bigfrog.net/photos/20020512/Images/].
May 11, 2003
What a difference a year makes
Now that I've had the digital camera for a full year, I'm starting to get pictures from the same event, one year later. For the next event, I might actually look at the previous year's pictures so I can more strangley similar photos (same beach, same sunglasses, same swim suit, same grip on child), but for Mother's Day, I just have these:
2002 - Steve and Katherine
2003 - Steve and Vincent
May 8, 2003
Barberie.net
Though currently busy with their new baby girl, Grace, Don and Jen now have a web site. Just click on over to [barberie.net | http://www.barberie.net/]. When things get less crazy, expect them to update the site.
May 4, 2003
Bouncer Fun
"i(IMG_2251.jpg)"
The cousins stop bouncing long enough for a photo at Owen's first birthday party.
Great party -- catered by [In-N-Out | That's what a hamburger's all about | http://www.in-n-out.com/]. Apparently you can order any of the burgers %protein style%. That's the same great burger wrapped in lettuce rather than a bun. Apparently, there's a number of items on their [secret menu | http://www.zenlemur.com/innout.shtml].
Put Your Three Year Old to Work
"i(IMG_2223.jpg)"
There's no reason your three year old shouldn't be helping out. Unglue them from the T.V. set and put them to work. There's no reason why you shouldn't be able to enjoy your morning coffee and newspaper ;).
Here we see Katherine taking over Vincent's morning feeding. Now, if I could only teach her how to change the morning poops...
We train them young
Vincent, just a month shy of his first birthday, settles down for a long afternoon hack.
April 27, 2003
Double Trouble
[/photos/random/pic9C2tt2.jpg]
Zoom out and what do we see? Double trouble. Katherine's goal in life is to set Vincent free. We have a pretty secure play area for Vincent that combines the kitchen, family room and hallway. Unfortunately, it's not fool-proof. One three year old sister is all it takes. The door is open and Vincent bolts.
[/photos/random/picPx6KUw.jpg]
Water Baby
[/photos/random/piccOFZ9B.jpg]
Vincent's loves water. Whether it's the bath or pool, toilet or jacuzzi, if it has water, Vincent's trying to get in.
[/photos/random/picOSrnWi.jpg]
Luckily, summer's almost here. No more double bundling the wee ones. Time for shorts; shirts optional.
Dizzy
A lot of things came together today and this afternoon I was %feeling% strange. I gave up coffee, started [Atkins | http://www.atkinscenter.com/] and stained the new --french-- freedom [doors | /archives/000324.html]. All of which could make me feel off. So which was it??
* Caffine withdrawal
* Exposure to toxic chemicals
* Meat, meat, meat
Must have been the fumes. Just finished the last coat of polyurethane and my lungs are feeling funny again.
April 25, 2003
Taylor Armstrong
[/photos/random/IMG_2148.jpg]
Congratulations Mark and Janice...
Spring time is here, and so are all the babies. This is Taylor Armstrong. She weights in at 6lbs 2oz, and is 20 inches long.
Kaitlin Elizabeth Harms
[/photos/random/IMG_2086.jpg]
Katherine meets Donica and Eddie's baby girl, Kaitlin Elizabeth. This picture is from two weeks ago when Kaitlin first came home. She was a biggie. 9 lbs 13 oz, 22 inches long.
April 24, 2003
House Work
Work starts on the house. We're replacing the door and window in the kitchen and family room. Small step, but it's the %first% step. After this, we can start thinking about a new floor and kitchen counter.
Out with the old:
[/photos/random/IMG_2140.jpg]
And in with the new:
[/photos/random/IMG_2142.jpg]
April 10, 2003
Danger Danger
Vincent's at the dangerous age now. Loves to climb up the stairs, on the couch, over the dog. And don't get too far behind him because he also rolls down the stairs, falls off the couch and gets licked by the dog.
April 7, 2003
Cousins
We never see Jessica and Jacque together these days. Jessica is off school for a week and is staying with the grandparents. Don't work too hard :-)
Vincent on (the) grass
It was a nice day. Perfect weather to eat outside and enjoy the garden.
Katherine takes off
Katherine loves to jump.
Donica's Ready
We visited Suzy's friend Donica on Saturday. Wanted to quickly see her before she checks in this Monday morning and delivers. Donica was relaxed, glowing and ready.
Good luck Donica.
March 30, 2003
Catalina
Back from a long weekend in Catalina. Self imposed news blackout for three days. Weather was outstanding, water was calm for the boat trip. Vincent stood for the first time. Katherine rode in the "submarine" and played in the arcade for the first time (skeet ball and air hockey). Suzy read. I slept. It was a nice weekend.
March 28, 2003
Baby Blue Eyes
March 18, 2003
So bright I need shades
The trees are trimmed and man, it's bright. They're taking out a couple of trees that shade the living room next, but they were just planted haphazard. Might need curtains.
7+1
Pictures of Tricia's going away (to Rome) party / St. Patrick's Day party in the "Photo Gallery".
March 17, 2003
Timber
Tree trimming time. When we bought the house, we didn't figure this to be an expense. But big full trees are dangerous trees, especially with the high winds in this area. So down they come, topping about 12 feet from each. The trimmers got through all 16 eucalyptus today. It's a bit of a shame they have to be trimmed, as they can grow upwards of 210 feet.
March 16, 2003
Might as well jump
Looks like they're falling out of the sky, but they're just jumping from the brick wall. After a day of rain on Saturday, Sunday was nice but cold. If it wasn't cold, Katherine wouldn't be wearing the jacket. She doesn't like to be encumbered.
March 15, 2003
Vincent's trying to stand
Vincent's starting to pull himself up. Not standing yet, but he's progressing. If I stand him myself, he still up for a bit with my help.
K-A-T-H-E-R-I-N-E
Katherine spells her name, now.
K-A-T-H-E-R-I-N-EGot it right 5 times in a row. We'll see if she remembers tomorrow.
March 8, 2003
Even children get older
Getting ready for work this morning, Katherine came upstairs to keep me company. I had the CD player on, listening to the Dixie Chick's rendition of Landslide. Katherine hopped in bed, under the covers. Now, I don't know how many times she's heard the song, but she told me it's her favorite song and started singing. A video moment for sure, but the camera was downstairs.
Well, I've been afraid of changing
'Cause I've built my life around you
But time makes you get bolder
Even children get older
And I'm getting older too
March 5, 2003
Table Manners
March 3, 2003
Beanbag
Working Lunch
Vincent and Katherine came down to my office last Thursday. It was Vincent's first time, and long overdue for Katherine. We ate lunch at the Watergarden and fed the ducks. What a great break from the mundane for both me and the kids.
You can't handle the tooth!
After nine long months, Vincent has his first tooth. Starting solid foods, including pizza crust, chicken, peas and squash. As you can see from this photo, he still needs work on using his knive and fork
Slide
February 28, 2003
On trial
Not much gets by Katherine. She wakes me up in the morning, after going downstairs on her own, and quizzes me on the contents of the refrigerator.
Katherine: Daddy, who bought the strawberries and the blueberries?
Me: I did Katherine.
Katherine: What was in the empty bag on the counter?
Me: Frozen yogurt.
Katherine: Did you save me any?
Me: (thinking on the spot) No Katherine. Frozen yogurt doesn't keep, you have to eat it right away.
Vincent's inverted
Vincent is 9 months old. Strangley, he's inverted his height and weight stats. At birth, he ranked in the 95% for weight, and 50% for height. Now, he's the 90% for height and 40% for weight. Tall and skinny. Katherine's always tended toward the upper end on both heigth and weight. Check out the growth chart for a graph and numbers (press the Katherine or Vincent button at the bottom of the chart and the numbers will magically fill in).
February 18, 2003
Ouch!
After a few days of rest, I don't think I tore a muscle. While there is some pain in certain weight bearing postions, I pretty much have a full range of motion. It's going to be hard to start bench pressing again, remembering that sound, but I'll hopefully be ready to try again next week.
Rip and Tear?
After a few days of rest, I don't think I tore a muscle. While there is some pain in certain weight bearing postions, I pretty much have a full range of motion. It's going to be hard to start bench pressing again, remembering that sound, but I'll hopefully be ready to try again next week.
Valentine's Chicks
Last Friday was Valentine's day. Ordered Suzy flowers per usual, but thought I'd show some personal touch this time. Stopped by the Wherehouse, and bought a couple country music cds for her -- Shania Twain and the Dixie Chicks. Now here's the kicker. After listening to the Dixie Chicks (they cover Fleetwood Mac's Landslide on this album), it turns out I really like them. Not the typical whiney country (or is that Western??), slide guitar crap. Instead, more fiddle, guitar and bango in the bluegrass vain. There's some really impressive, fast finger-picking bango playing on a few of the tracks. Check it out.
February 17, 2003
Three Arms
This photo freaked me out at first; Katherine has 3 arms. Upon closer examination, it's the sock and leg from another baby.
Oh crap
Katherine's three new phrases from this weekend:
- oh my goodness
- goodness gracious
- oh crap (won't mention who's responsible, but she hails from New York
)
Crawl space
Katherine crawls into the photo, joining 8 "1/2" month old Vincent.
Quality Control (not)
New couch was delivered this week. Gee, aren't those colors different? The store didn't believe us at first. Now, they're making an all new couch.
February 16, 2003
That doesn't sound right
Goal of 300lb bench delayed... There's something to be said for youth. I was working up to besting my personal record of 285lbs (at 17 years of age). Now 34, it turns out the muscles aren't quite so pliant. Today, I heard a popping sound in my left shoulder, as strand by strand of muscle ripped. Like rubber bands under too much strain snapping, my muscles gave way. Don't have full range of motion now, and it hurts to use for most anything, though I can still type ":-)". The full pain is supposed to come tomorrow morning.
February 10, 2003
Lobster Fish
More artwork from Katherine. Notice the fish, octopus and lobster on the upper right-hand side (shown below). This adds to her previous body of work.
Banana a day
Vincent tries his first banana, February 7th. As of last week, he sits himself up and crawls (albeit on his elbows). Still working on the first tooth, though.
February 6, 2003
Houston Passes
 Houston, you were the world's sweetest dog. We'll miss you. |
January 30, 2003
Best years of my life
When I was 17, I could bench press 285lbs. I tried for months, but never reached my goal of 300lb. Now twice that age, I'm going to try to lift 300lbs by years end. Been working out for 4 months now, and tried my max for the first time today. 250 pounds. Fifty to go.
It will feel great to know that my best years are not behind me 
.
January 19, 2003
Katherine's football picks
Katherine's a natural. She picked both the Buccaneers and Raiders. 2 for 2. Not bad for 3 1/2. She even wanted me to "put the football back on" when the first game went to half. Had to explain that the players were resting and the coach was coaching at half.
Oakland Raiders wide receiver Jerry Porter (84) makes a catch.[Yahoo! Photos]
Oakland Raiders wide receiver Jerry Porter (84) makes a catch over the head of Tennessee Titans cornerback Donald Mitchell for a gain of 14 yards in the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2003 in Oakland, Calif. The Raiders beat the Titans, 41-24, to advance to the Super Bowl. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) (Click for Large Photo)
January 15, 2003
bah bah
Vincent's now 7 1/2 months. He said da da for the first time this morning. That brings it up to 4 syllables so far:
- bah
- ah
- mah
- da
January 13, 2003
Don't be a wanker
Don't be a wanker.
December 30, 2002
Classic Mistake
Classic mistake in photography -- note the antlers coming out of my head. The mistake being that I was not wearing antlers. Works for trees and telephone polls too.
Christmas Eve, 2002.Brrrr
Let me tell you -- the beach was cold and windy Sunday, so we only stopped for pictures.
Fight for your right
Starting November 24th, 2003, you can switch cell phone carriers and keep your number. I'm on the verge of switching from Cingular to Verizon, as I get 0 reception bars at my house. But I do love my number... Might have to wait this one out.
[Wired News]
Granda Stan in Chalk
Katherine's sidewalk chalk portrait of Grandpa Stan. Not bad for 3 "1/2".
December 25, 2002
Christmas Cousins
Owen, Bradley, Sophia, Katherine, Vincent
December 23, 2002
Don't look at this chicken
Has science gone too far. Take one look at this bald chicken and you'll know.
December 19, 2002
Santa
Disneyland
Last night, on the way back from <a h
Last night, on the way back from Disneyland, I was once again amazed by the coolness of the iPod and the wife finally agreed. For the holiday season, I have a Christmas music playlist that's kid friendly. After Katherine conked out, I rapidly tired of yuletide cheer and switched over to my other 900 tunes. What a wonder box. Not one commercial in 24 hours+ of original music.
This morning, I went to press play and nothing happened. There was plenty of battery left last night, so what happened? Tried again and again. Just when you get happy with something, it breaks. This is great. Going to have to bring it in, wait a few weeks for repair. Just what I need this holiday season...
Then, I remembered the internet (the thing you're staring at) and the world's greatest search engine. A few clicks later, I arrived on iPodLounge and I saw the light. Also figured out what could have been causing the percieved battery drain -- the alarm clock. Turned that off and I should be getting 10 hours between charges.
Love that internet. Love that iPod.
iPod Crash
The sun, nearing winter solstice, travels low across the sky, from sunrise, at left, to sunset, in this multiple-exposure made at the Marshall Point Light, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2002, in St. George, Maine. The sun's position is recorded at 50-minute intervals during the short nine-hour day. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
I'm the Steve Spencer
I've made it to the big leagues now. I'm the number one entry for Steve Spencer on Google.
December 14, 2002
Turkey Time
6 hours to go
5 hours later
December 10, 2002
Stretch
Katherine shows off an original ballet move.
December 6, 2002
$$ Fast Buck $$
"fries" With all the talk about suing fast food companies, one must keep informed about just how many calories are consumed when super-sizing it. First tobacco, now fast food. If judgement goes against the likes of McDonald's in a class-action, who knows, we may all get a free order of fries.
December 1, 2002
New Baby Growth Chart Web App
Proud parents, want to chart your child's height and weight for the first 3 years? Interested in how they compare with other children? Welcome to the Baby Growth Chart. Enter your child's height and weight measurements from your numerous visits to the Pediatrician and see where they fit in the growth curve. Your child's data is graphed against the standard percentiles -- now when your doctor says your child is in the 95 percentile for height, you'll know what he or she means. More information is available in the "Growth Chart FAQ".
Ballet
Katherine now takes ballet. As a parent, I've never felt prouder than watching her participate in her first class. She was absolutely mortified for the first 10 minutes. She went in the studio, but refused to move or talk. The instructor, Miss Denise, handled it perfectly -- ignored Katherine and taught the class as if Katherine wasn't sitting in the middle of the floor. After a while, Katherine got up and started following the other girls, running, jumping, carrying a bean bag on her head. By the end of the class, Katherine was sitting next to the teacher, hanging on to her every word. I most want a picture of this -- the expression on Katherine's face, with her big blue eyes, looking up to the teacher.
The above picture is from yesterday, her 2nd class.
November 30, 2002
Dust in the wind
A huge dust cloud rolls over the Australian town of Griffith, 400 kilometers (248 miles) southwest of Sydney, Friday, Nov. 29, 2002, after high winds whipped up top soil dried from a prolonged drought. Australia is in the grips of a devestating drought, one of the worst on record, slashing agricultural production across the country. (AP Photo/Jamie Alexander)
November 29, 2002
California is Dangerous
Bees trap customers in L.A. liquor store
Getting to the point where it's too dangerous to go outside in L.A. Think we're leading the country in murders this year (with 15 last weekend) and now this?
...
Make that too dangerous for California in general with this:
Where do I sleep
Katherine after insisting we cover her bed with stuffed animals.
Look at me
Sophia and Vincent enjoying Thanksgiving Night.
November 28, 2002
All Smiles
Vincent is 6 months old. Hair's starting to come in and his eyebrows are now dark enough to notice. He's been able to roll both ways for the last month, but still can't sit-up. No teeth either.
His diet is changing now. Starting the vegetables, though he still much prefers his bottle.
November 27, 2002
Coming Soon: Baby Growth Chart
"soon" The next service on Big Frog -- baby growth chart. Just fill out a form with your baby's height and weight and out pops a chart like this. You can then print the chart or save it for use on your own web site.
November 26, 2002
Visual News Update -- Yahoo! Photos
"new" New addition to Visual News -- Yahoo! Photos. For those of you tired of reading, the worlds' events are just a blink away. RSS syndication provided.
November 24, 2002
Grandpa Stan
Grandpa Stan holds Vincent for the first time??
Jump
There's no shadow under Katherine, so you can't really tell how high up she really is. Need to photoshop this for a good illusion.
Hugs
I wanted to get a better angle of this one, but there's just a second to take a picture. Better to get something than nothing.
No teeth, yet
Vincent's still working on that tooth. Just about 6 months, drooling all over, but still waiting for something to break through.
November 22, 2002
Just say Benedryl
Ellen Feiss, the Apple switcher, is not a stoner, though she was on drugs... Benedryl, for her allergies.
A day at the zoo
The cousins enjoy ice cream at the zoo.
November 18, 2002
Caffeine, Good to the last drop
Caffeine does not raise blood pressure.
Gotta show this to my doctor. No more embarrassment at the coffee line, ordering a non-fat, decafinated cup of cardboard-flavored misery. Throw away the adjectives. I'll have a cappuccino. [Google Top Stories]
Road to Big Bear
[/photos/random/IMG_1257.jpg | /photos/20021117/Images/]
Pictures from [Big Bear | /photos/20021117/Images/] in the "Photo Gallery".
Smile for the Camera
Katherine, Vincent and Luke doing their best not to look at the camera. Another long weekend away, this time in Big Bear. Exhausting traveling with the chitlins. It's good to be back at home, in our own beds, where we don't have to worry about the kids waking one another in the middle of the night.
November 12, 2002
Raiders
Gannon completes 21 straight passes to help Raiders beat Broncos 34-10.
After declaring myself a fan, the Raiders have lost 5 straight. Well, they came back tonight. Gannon went 34-of-38 for 352 yards and Jerry Rice, 40 now, shows he's still one of the best, catching his 200th and 201st touchdowns and breaking Walter Payton's record for total yardage. Just win baby. [Google Top Stories]
November 10, 2002
Seattle Photos
[/photos/random/IMG_1251.jpg | /photos/20021031/Images/]
Pictures from [Seattle | /photos/20021031/Images/] in the "Photo Gallery".
November 8, 2002
Whidbey Island
Some of the best pizza I've ever had can be found in Langley on Whidbey Island. Don't forget to order the pesto pizza. Or the porter. Man, I miss micro brew.
Above, me and the little guy are waiting for pizza place to open for lunch.
Below, the feast.
Jail for the stars
With so many business people and celebrities facing potential jail time, I've come up with a new business plan -- Jail for the Stars. Private jail for the uncommon criminal. The likes of your Marthas, Winonas would pay up to $1,500 a night to stay their term. In return, they get their own room with satellite television, gourmet meals, massages, mud wraps, tennis lessons, you name it. Though their term would be enforced, like Hotel California -- they could check out but never leave.
Rather than building a prison from scratch, the prison could be built out from a failed luxury hotel or country club -- probably not a shortage of those these days.
Celebrity security guards could even be hired. There's no shortage of unemployed childhood actors in Hollywood, either.
November 7, 2002
No Smoking Allowed
I love L.A. The entire city forbids smoking indoors (buildings, restaurant, bars, you name it). Even smoking outdoors in some parks is forbidden. At LAX, they've built terrariums where smokers can get their fix. It's almost like an exhibit at a zoo.
Katherine don't get to close to the glass. You might frighten them.
November 5, 2002
Seattle
Just back from a 4 day trip to Seattle. It was rather exhausting with 2 kids, but a great experience nonetheless. Weather was perfect, not a drop of rain. Huskies lost, but the game had its moments. They almost pulled it off, but for Pickett, the new quarterback who helped UCLA by throwing 4 interceptions (2 for touchdowns including one on the final drive).
November 4, 2002
Fireman
Vincent looking more ready for bed than Trick or Treating
The Thinker
Katherine, with mainland Washington behind her, thinks about how daddy risks her safety for a good picture.
The Pumpkin
Katherine and cousin Sophia on a pumpkin in Langley, Whidbey Island.
October 28, 2002
Sepia, take one
 |  |
| Vincent at 5 months | |
| Original | Photoshop fun - sepia tone, grainy and removed thumb |
October 27, 2002
Angels win the World Series
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The brain is cluttered with baseball memories..
What a great series. I only watch baseball during the World Series these days, and it was well worth it. I was an Angels fan as a kid, routing for the Dodgers in my later years, so it wasn't a stretch to be a fan again. Just an amazing transformation -- they looked so depressed in the dugout the 7th inning in Game 6. One home run and what a remarkable transformation. Never stop believing ":-)"
October 26, 2002
Pumpkin Patch
Big Wave
Now this is a wave. [Google Top Stories]
It's 7am. Do you know where you children are?
Katherine is officially a mischief maker. While Suzy and I were sleeping this morning, she went downstairs to "make a cake". We didn't hear a thing. Luckily, she came upstairs, woke me, and asked if I wanted a bite. Apparently, she pushed the chair to the cupboard and got out cocoa mix, vanilla and icing and mixed it in a bowl. This is Katherine posing after the fact.
October 24, 2002
Not half the man I used to be
| Weight Loss - Photographic Proof | |
 |
 |
|
before Apr 2002 - 254 Pounds |
after Oct 2002 - 222 Pounds |
| incidentally, I didn't start losing weight until July. | |
October 23, 2002
At least act (and look) innocent
DA: Nolte on Date-Rape Drug.
If Nick's such a great actor, shouldn't he at least use his considerable talent to look innocent (and sane)?
[Google Top Stories]October 22, 2002
Getting bigger
October 21, 2002
Katherine after dark
Ever wonder what happens after you put your child to sleep? I always heard footsteps upstairs but I was never quite sure why. What was she doing. Now, caught on film for the first time, Katherine after dark.
October 16, 2002
I wasn't screaming
Classic quote from Katherine, who yells to me to come upstairs:
Katherine: DADDY!
Me: [walk up stairs to attend] Katherine, you have to stop screaming. You're going to wake Vincent and that's not fair to him.
Katherine: Daddy, I wasn't screaming. I was yelling.
Me: [skeptical] What's the difference?
Katherine: Screaming is when I do this. AHHHHHHHH!. Yelling is when I say DADDY!.
Me: [speechless]
Qatar
In case anyone thinks we're not going to war with Iraq, or it's some recent trick by the Republicans before the election, here are satellite photos of the Qatar air base being built (photos show progression from Jan 2002 to June 2002).
Plants are people too, eat mea
Classic. Plants are people too, eat meat.
Milk protest turns sour
POLICE had to break up an animal rights protest yesterday when schoolchildren in Aberdeen pelted activists with cartons of milk.
October 15, 2002
The coverage in the U.S. of the Bali Bom
The coverage in the U.S. of the Bali Bombing has been miserable. Australia has just suffered through their own 9/11, on 10/12. Two bomb blasts destroyed a night club on Bali killing 187 people, mostly Australian, all on vacation. The L.A. Times and New York Times have a couple articles apiece, but you'll find much more comprehensive coverage from Australia and the UK. And since this is the web, it's only a click away.
At 2pm yesterday, Craig Salvatori put his two young daughters on a plane at Bali airport, telling them he had to stay "to look for mummy". Three hours later he found her body in a morgue. Kathy, who would have turned 38 yesterday, was barely recognisable, except for some jewellery, her body so badly charred, her blonde hair blackened... The president of the Maroubra Lions rugby league club, John Costa, said seven families had immediate members missing. "We look like we've lost five mothers, a father and two children ... missing this long after the event, it's not looking good."
Sydney Morning Herald Links
October 13, 2002
Vincent's thumb
Vincent must have his thumb in his mouth 12 hours a day. Here's proof. This shot was just taken at 1:30am, 6 hours into his typical 13 hour slumber. (Yes, he sleeps in the dark. No, he didn't wake from the flash).
October 11, 2002
Mars Invasion
US 'planning occupation of Iraq'.
Now that the invasion of the planet Mars is complete, US sets site on Iraq. [Google Top Stories]
Frog Haven
October 6, 2002
Da Ray Durs
Raiders roll Bills to stay unbeaten.
After something like 8 years without a NFL team to root for, I think I'm coming back to the Raiders. I dropped them after they moved back to Oakland. Watching them play today convinced me to root for them once again. It will feel good to have a NFL team to root for once more. Charlie Garner put them over the top for me. [Google Sports]
October 5, 2002
Luck is more
Lest anyone think I'm bitter for the comparison chart below (1. I'm not, 2. sorry for missing your bachelor party Bart), please observe the following:
Two happy kids with a wave from the wee lad, Vincent. This is what makes me happy.
Incidentally, I had no idea Vincent was waving or even could. He's just 4 months. Timing is everything, but luck is even more.
Santa Fe
This weekend, Suzy, her sisters and mother left for Santa Fe. They're celebrating various birthday's, girls weekend out, etc. I'm at home with the progeny. Took Friday off of work and it went really well. Tomorrow, might actually venture out of the house and stock up on supplies. Since the brood is now asleep and I'm an insomniac, I offer the following.
| Weekend Comparsion Chart | |
|---|---|
| Steve | Suzy |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
October 2, 2002
Vincent's eating
Vincent, now 4 months, is eating. Just a tablespoon of oatmeal twice a day, but it's a start. Though a little run down with a bad cold, he's been in a really good mood lately. Had him laughing for 5 minutes straight the other night, just pretending to sneeze. The laugh on him, deep -- you don't think it's coming from an infant.
September 28, 2002
Vincent rolls
Vincent rolled over yesterday. Suzy called while I was at work. Rolled both directions -- stomach to back and back to stomach. Guess sitting up is next. Then crawling (and walking (and running (and talking))).
"scale" After a few weeks of s
"scale" After a few weeks of stasis, the weight has started dropping again. Down to 225 (3 pounds). Cut out yogurt last week. Yoplait has 27g of sugar, not far behind a soda. There's not too much else to give up. Next time I stop losing, with either have to start eating less at night, or going to the gym more often. Tried to go this Saturday morn, but it was closed. Not sure why either.
September 25, 2002
While I don't get out too much anym
While I don't get out too much anymore with the kids and all, and with L.A. being so big and all, I don't have too many "star" sightings, but I did today. Star may be overreaching in this case, and as this is a family web site, I don't want to say what he stars in. Let's just say he's an "actor" and works in what's called San Fernando Valley's #1 business, said to be a billion dollar industry.... Ron Jeremy, aka The Hedgehog sighted at lunch today.
September 22, 2002
"Photo Gallery" updated with p
"Photo Gallery" updated with pictures of Tricia's 23rd Birthday.
<p align=center><img src="
Big hug for the camera. Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures of Katherine and Bradley dancing. Katherine asked twice and Bradley accepted both times. It's fun watching 3 year olds. Independent and interactive, mom & dad not required.
<p align=center><img src="
Katherine's rendition of Colors of the Wind (Pocahontas).
<p align=center><img src="
Summer's almost gone -- 5 hours before the official end of summer, Bradley and Katherine dry off from their swim. Not that you would know, Northridge hit 105F today.
September 21, 2002
<p align=center><img src="
Well, it's not that hard to get Vincent to smile
<p align=center><a href="/
Tricia wanted a fun cake for her birthday (23). How's this?
"scale" For the last 3 weeks,
"scale" For the last 3 weeks, I've settled at 228 pounds. Still working out though, so the pounds should start coming off again. Just bought size 36 pants and they fit -- down from 40. That's progress.
<p align=center><img src="
Katherine and Bradley are both signed up for Friday field trips. Today was reptile day in the park. Here they're holding lizards for the rest of the class to see.
Note to self: make sure they're not signed up for tiger day (or insect day).
September 11, 2002
I'm watching the rerun of <b>
I'm watching the rerun of The Concert for New York City, the 9/11 tribute that originally aired in October(?), 2001.
A benefit for the victims of the September 11th attack; featuring appearances by Paul McCartney, The Who, Bon Jovi, James Taylor, John Mellencamp, Macy Gray, The Goo Goo Dolls, Melissa Etheridge, India.Arie, Jim Carrey, Jerry Seinfeld, and others.Funny thing is, when I watched it live in 2001, the crowd booed Hillary Clinton. Tonight they cheered.
Shame on you VH1 for altering the soundtrack ":-("
<br><p align=center><img
After a few weeks of trying, Vincent smiling ":-)".
September 10, 2002
<P>"Photo Gallery" updat
"Photo Gallery" updated with pictures from Vincent's Baptism.
The happy family cracks their first smiles after the baptism.
<p align=center><img src="
Vincent was the first of five yesterday to be baptized. The priest, unfortunately, didn't have the best aim and Vincent's not one to hold back.
<p align=center><img src="
| no nap | nap |
September 1, 2002
Vincent is 13 "1/2" weeks old
Vincent is 13 "1/2" weeks old and is getting the boot. Tonight he's in his own room. Painted it last week, neon celery. Sounds brighter than it looks. Still need to accent the room a bit, but it's fine for now. He's been sleeping through the night since 6 weeks old, which must be close to a world record.
"scale" Well the diet, err liv
"scale" Well the diet, err live change program is still working. Down to 228 pounds. Never sure if I can believe the scale, always take my first weight. Problem is that my feet are bigger than the scale. Way back when, I had to buy a snowboard wide enough to accomodate my large feet, it was called Fat Bob. Thinking I might need to investigate something similar in a scale.
<P>"ducks" Labor Day ope
"ducks" Labor Day opens my favorite time of year ... Duck season. Easy win over Mississippi today, new quarterback and all. Currently ranked #15, even though they finished #2 in the polls last year. Sure to move up as Fife proves his stuff (13/24 for 163yds, 3 TDs passing, 1 running).
Wonder if it's a bit depressing for Harrington, last year's start QB. Drafted to one of NFL's worst, Detroit Lions. From the top of the heap to the bottom of the barrel, though $6,000,000 a year must ease the pain.
August 28, 2002
Summer's a great time as there&apos
Summer's a great time as there's nothing on T.V. Get to catch up with the rest of your life. The last few weeks however, I've stumbled onto Travel Sick.
Is there anything Grub Smith won't do?The first time I caught the show, Grub was giving himself a bikini wax for not winning enough challenges (ouch). He's pretty funny and the challenges are pretty bizarre. Makes for an entertaining half-hour.He'll eat Australian roadkill. He'll have sex with a Moroccan watermelon. He'll even cruise for a hot date in the L.A. restroom made famous by George Michael.
That's because Grub Smith is star of Travel Sick, the show that each week takes him to an exotic land, where he either succeeds at a series of degrading, disgusting, and dangerous challenges... or he pays an even worse price.
So don't miss Travel Sick Tuesdays 10:30 PM | 9:30 C. It's the travel show that makes you glad you stayed home.
August 25, 2002
Are girls born with a higher <a href=
Are girls born with a higher EQ then grown men?
Saturday night, I had Suzy drop Katherine and I off about one mile from home. I needed to stretch the aching muscles and Katherine (age 3) wanted to come along. Suzy insisted I take the cell just in case. I refused. But what if something happens. Nothing will happen. Back and forth. I left the car with Katherine and without the phone.
Katherine: Daddy, you were mean to Mommy.
Me: You think so?
Katherine: You should have taken the phone.
Me: Maybe you're right.
(Katherine picks a flower)
Katherine: Daddy, when we get home you say sorry and I will give Mommy the flower.
"scale" Started working out la
"scale" Started working out last week -- 3 times. Nothing to strenuous yet, but the muscles are aching. Not sure how I'm going to start lifting tomorrow morning, can't even hold the phone without pain (lactic acid buildup??).
Weighing in at 232 pounds. Only 3 pounds for the last week. Don't have weekends down perfectly, but I've been bread (rice, pasta and potato) free for 2 weeks. Two birthday cakes tonight I passed on.
"coffee" Coffee. My last rema
"coffee" Coffee. My last remaining vice. Liquid gold. My morning wake up call. Grown high in the hills of Colombia (and Kona). Sun roasted. Brewed to perfection.
Hello. My name is Steve and I've been caffeine free for 5 days.
May you rest in peace.
I hardly knew ye.
":-)"
August 21, 2002
"ipod" The more I use the iPod
"ipod" The more I use the iPod, the more I love it. For the last few years, I've listened to talk radio -- either Howard Stern, Kevin & Beane, or NPR. The music on the radio mostly sucks, and stations like KROQ play the same inane 40 songs in a rotation. Classic rock stations, with thousands of great songs to choose from, stick to the safest 100. My car has a CD player, but it only holds 1 and likes to skip. Plus, I have to remember to feed it or I hear the same 13 songs for a month.
Now, imagine if you suddenly have your favorite 2000 songs whereever you go: in the car, in the gym, in an airplane or even in bed. It's awesome. Seeing how radio stations rotate between about 40 to 100 songs, that's like having 20 radio stations designed just for your personal taste.
The iPod organizes the songs in a number of ways: by artist, album, genre (alternative, country, classic, punk, rock, etc), composer or any arbitrary catalog you care to build. It plays books on tape too. Listen to the songs in the order they appeared on an album, or listen to all 2000 randomly.
I have the 10GB model. Has a 10 hour battery life, and you just recharge by syncing with your computer via firewire. Firewire transfers about 1 ALBUM every 10 seconds, it's amazing (200 times faster than USB which is common on all other mp3 players). Really easy to transfer music -- as soon as you plugin that same firewire cable, it downloads all your new tunes.
The only weakness is the when playing it through your car stereo -- most likely your options are either to hook it up through a cassette adapter (newer model cars have done away with tape decks) or a radio transmitter (which transmits to your car's FM radio). Sound quality suffers with both. The ideal method is to hook it directly through an RCA jack, but most car stereos don't offer the option.
Highly recommended.
August 19, 2002
When you wake up in the morning and your
When you wake up in the morning and your dog is not still sleeping, start wondering. Mischief happened. Found out why Ally was downstairs this morning -- she ate a bar of soap and it didn't agree with her. Luckily, I didn't step in it.
August 18, 2002
I'm now the proud new member of a g
I'm now the proud new member of a gym -- LA Fitness. I'm so proud in fact, that I bought myself a present. First workout (body and ipod) Monday.
August 17, 2002
<P>"scale" I've bee
"scale" I've been on the new doctor mandated weight loss regime for one week now and it's working. Haven't started exercising yet, but by just cutting out the starch (basically no bread, pasta, rice or potatoes) and candy, I'm down to 235 pounds (245 w/ clothes at doctor's office).
Tonight will be a real test. A birthday party dinner at a nice Italian Restaurant. Might have to indulge in a little Capellacci, but will avoid the bread. For the entree, Filet Mignon. It's the leanest cut of beef ":-)"
Tomorrow, it's time for that family membership to the gym.
August 12, 2002
Updated the "Photo Gallery" wi
Updated the "Photo Gallery" with pictures from Lia's 1st Birthday party and Katherine's 3rd Birthday party.
August 11, 2002
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New friends: Katherine and Liam.
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Reading a card at Lia's first birthday party.
August 10, 2002
Under doctors orders, I need to lose 20
Under doctors orders, I need to lose 20 pounds in the next 3 months. Current weight is 245lbs, clothed. So, I'm cutting down on the starches -- breads, pastas and potatoes. Also need to cut down on the coffee -- 1 cup per day or less. Bye to sodas and chocolate too. Moderation, moderation, moderation.
August 5, 2002
<P>Saw the first <A href="
Saw the first Anna Nicole Smith reality show. She's no Ozzy Osbourne. There's nothing to identify with. Out here in L.A., ex-models who are dumb, overweight and high are a dime a dozen.
At least with Ozzy, there's something genuine, likeable even sympathetic. Here's the hardest partying rock start ever, who adores his wife and children. The kids are out of control and I just know I'll be facing a similar situation in 14 years. Also, he reminds me of a number of "dads" I know -- watches the history channel and can't work the remote.
August 3, 2002
July 28, 2002
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Katherine's new bed, complete with 2 dog pillows.
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Spent time on the house today gardening. We're more in the rip out than plant phase, though we added a number of flowers. Never seen more prickly plants before, but they're coming out one by one. There's so much land and potential, just need a plan...
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Vincent, now 8 1/2 weeks, in his favorite hangout: car seat, pacifier in mouth.
The blades came and the fan is up and wo
The blades came and the fan is up and working. Took 3 weeks, but we finally have airflow.
July 24, 2002
In the battle of the witless, the second
In the battle of the witless, the second fan store is making a run for its money. I drove down to Huntington Beach to pick up the fan on Saturday (120 mile round trip) so that I could get the fan up and working before the summer ends. Found out on Monday that they gave us the wrong fan blades. Called them and they promised to ship the correct set, postage paid. Blades arrived today. Wouldn't you know it, but they shipped a different but still incompatible set of blades.
All this makes you wonder what's going on in the world. All you have to do is look at the box and make sure it says B6-11. Two different people could not. Calling again tomorrow. That should be fun...
July 21, 2002
<table><tr><td valign=top
 | It's expensive being handy. Need a new garbage disposal, so went out and bought that. Looking at the instructions, it indicates I need a plumbing wrench. These are not cheap -- $52 for the smallest. Not to mention the plumbing putty. And a hack saw??? Still don't see why I need that. If it takes 30 minute for a professional to install, and they charge $80 per hour, I'm not saving money am I? Also on the docket: dry wall repair, toilet seat, shower head and electrical outlet replacement. Of course, the toilet seats were too big for our toilets, so I'm going to have to return those (or auction them on EBay (for sale, 1 slightly used toilet seat). At least I was successful on the shower head and electrical outlet. Dry wall repair on the smallest holes is in process. Looks like it's drying ok, still need to sand and paint... |
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Morning stroll in Hermosa Beach. Typical weather, June gloom (in July).
July 20, 2002
Drove 120 miles today (roundtrip) to pic
Drove 120 miles today (roundtrip) to pick up the new fan, the Casablanca Bel Air. Apparently, the model with the remote control is hard to come by, as Casablanca is transitioning from one remote control to another. The old one is out of stock and the new one is new yet stocked. Found it though, in Huntington Beach.
Katherine came along for the ride so I could take the car pool lane. We stopped at Dave's house for a trip out to Martha'a for breakfast. Haven't had Eggs Martha in 5 years. She ran in the sand and played on the swings. Jeannette took pictures, will try to get them.
Living by the beach is nice. Lot's of good memories from years back in Hermosa Beach. We'd walk, ride or roller blade everywhere.
July 19, 2002
The aforementioned fan has been returned
The aforementioned fan has been returned (our sixth trip). Apparently, we were sold a incompatible fan and remote control. So, the salesman sold us a fan without blades and the wrong remote. Wouldn't have been so bad if it didn't take so many trips and so much time to get the various pieces:
- buy the fan [45 minutes]
- pick up the fan [1 hour]
- us: we're here to pick up the fan
- them: it hasn't arrived yet
- us: yes it has, the salesman called us
- them: oh yeah, you're right. How do you want to pay for it?
- us: we already did
- them: when you ordered on Monday, you didn't pay
- us: we ordered it on Sunday and paid in full
- them: oh yeah, you're right
- try to pick up the blades that didn't come with the fan (had to be ordered) [1 hour]
- tried to pick up the blades that just came in, but they couldn't be found [30 minutes]
- finally, picked up the blades. Everything is finally ready. Oops. Remote control and fan don't work together.
- return the fan for and get our money back (there's a 21 day return policy -- we were just a few days shy)
We're starting to find out with Kat
We're starting to find out with Katherine that the 2's weren't so terrible after all. It's three that we're worried about. The tyrannical three's?
According to Vickey, it's the theatrical three's and ferocious four's.
Women's day out in Starbucks earlie
Women's day out in Starbucks earlier this morning. One woman couldn't stop telling the other ladies she was waxing her eyebrows today. But this time, she was going to keep up, and pluck, pluck, pluck -- Please, not before my coffee. Might have to find another Starbucks if this keeps up.
July 15, 2002
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Vincent at 6 weeks. He's currently growing at 1/2 pound and 1/2 inch per week. At his 5wk checkup -- 12 lbs 13 oz, 23 inches (up from 10 lbs 2oz, 20 inches)
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Birthday cake
July 14, 2002
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Katherine, ready for a birthday party, poses with Ally.
July 13, 2002
Connected again. Missed the cable guy la
Connected again. Missed the cable guy last Saturday when Suzy was under the knife, finally connected again Friday, though I had to call this morning to get the internet going again. It's been a hell of a week with all sorts of surgeries, viral infections, heart problems but things have settled down and it's not as bad as it appears.
The new house is growing on me. Amazing what a little paint, ceiling and electrical work can do to update a house.
After 5 trips to Lamps Plus Sucks, we finally have the fan and all blades. Never dealt with a less competent bunch. One guy would call and say the blades/fans were in, but when we came in, they couldn't find it. Claimed we hadn't paid yet. Claimed we bought it on a different day. Spent 2 hours in the store waiting for them to figure out that yes, we paid for it, yes, it was on the day we said, yes it was shipped and where did those trick fan blades go. But, it's all in my possession now.
July 4, 2002
Computers are about to be packed. Cable
Computers are about to be packed. Cable modem should be hooked up on Saturday. That's all for now.
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Good luck Suzy. I love you.
It turns out that Suzy needs an operatio
It turns out that Suzy needs an operation before her operation. From blood tests, it appears that a gallstone is stuck in her duct. So, before doctor #1 removes the gallbladder, doctor #2 wants to remove anything clogging the ducts.
New Schedule
| Day | Todo #1 | Todo #2 | Todo #3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday | Movers come at 8am. Move. Overhead fans installed. | Check in at hospital #1, 8am. | Babysit Katherine and Vincent, 6:30am. |
| Saturday | Unpack. Wait for cable guy. | Check in at hospital #2 at 5:30 am. Surgery at 7:30 am. | Babysit Katherine and Vincent, 4:30am. |
| Sunday | Unpack and recover. | Recover | Babysit Suzy ":-)" |
Now I know what was meant by it takes a village. Helps to have a big family on each side for events like these. Thanks all.
July 3, 2002
How you know you're moving into a n
How you know you're moving into a nicer house: there are HAC vents (heating / air conditioning) in the bathroom.
July 2, 2002
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July 1, 2002
Started moving today. Borrowed a Ford F
Started moving today. Borrowed a Ford F250 -- man, I want one. Some romantic cowboy notion -- a guy, his pickup truck and his dog (Ally). Holds a lot of boxes and you feel like you'd survive the crash. Twice as big and wide as most cars. Two gas tanks too. Wouldn't drive it to work, but sure would come in handy on the weekends, hauling wood, bricks and mortar from Home Depot.
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Vincent at one month -- June 29th, 2002.
June 28, 2002
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Katherine and Jacque (after Suzy's attack), Sunday June 23rd.
Now this is great news. Search for <
Now this is great news. Search for big poopy diapers on Google and this site is # 4. Hopefully another reference to big poopy diapers will move me up in the rankings. Read the original big poopy diaper story .
June 27, 2002
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Katherine's a natural, it's just that Vincent's always hungry.
June 26, 2002
Katherine was having a hard time sleepin
Katherine was having a hard time sleeping last night, so didn't get to sleep until midnight. At 2am, Suzy woke up with another gallbladder attack. Two vicodin later, the attack subsided at 3am. At which time, Vincent woke up. An hour later, he was asleep. I got my token 2 hours of sleep, and Vincent woke up at 6am ready for more. So, it's just 4 hours of rest for yours truly, second day in a row. I'm awake now, but this afternoon and freeway driving won't be so kind.
June 25, 2002
Monday, Suzy had another attack, but got
Monday, Suzy had another attack, but got on top of it faster with 2 vicodin. No trips to the ER.
Tuesday was time to face the music. Met with her primary care who referred her to a surgeon. Surgeon says: the gallbladder must come out in the next 1 to 2 weeks. Calling back later, it looks like we have a date. But first, my calendar starting Friday, June 28th (Happy Birthday Linda. Happy Birthday Jack):
Friday: Painters should be finished
Saturday: Diane & Randy's wedding
Sunday: pack for the move
Monday: work & pack
Tuesday: work & pack
Wednesday: take vacation day, carpets to be cleaned at new house, Suzy to get ultrasound before surgery
Thursday: 4th of July holiday & pack
Friday: move
Saturday: Suzy's gallbladder surgery
June 23, 2002
So today, we have some visitors. My par
So today, we have some visitors. My parents come over for an hour, they see Vincent, I show them the new house and they're off to a play. Sister Suzy and Jacque come next. They see the baby, I show them the house. Arriving back, (wife) Suzy is in the throws of another gallbladder attack. Her parent's arrive seconds earlier, ready to take her to the ER. Just in time, I race her there myself.
Doubled over in pain, she's vomiting while I race down the streets. She wants me to run the reds, but I don't get the chance. Had a chance at the final light, but there were 2 cop cars waiting for green in the other direction.
Once there, the ER is uncharacteristically empty. Takes a few minutes to find the triage nurse, though. Suzy's admitted, but it takes another 15 minutes to get a bed. Her pain subsides for a few, but the pain starts in again. Intense. Bring me a bucket intense. The patient in the next curtain is constipated. I try to hurry them along (try a book, always works for me).
I have to go find the nurse in hallway.
Steve: Nurse, my wife is doubled over in pain. She's passing another gallstone.Doctor sees us minutes later. Prescribes the Cure for Pain. Nurse comes back a few minutes later with 1 pill and 5 needles, Suzy still screaming. Unfortunately, nurse has 2 charts. The lady with the blockage is seen first. Suzy's next, and the effect is immediate ":-)"Nurse: She'll have to wait for the doctor.
Steve: Great. I'll tell her to suck it up. That should work.
Pain comes and goes. Gets a little more relief.
By this time, bed A gets filled with it's next victim. Some drunk who got jumped by 2 gangbangers. Fractured jaw, and potential broken ankle. 4 cops in the room, one EMT. We're in the next curtain, listening to the interview. The cops have a sense of humor, they're just not that funny. Does this hurt? And the classic were you jumped by 2 men, or seeing double? Whatever. He's drunk and they don't have the easiest job.
The meds are wearing off, but the searing pain is gone. With a C-section less than a month ago, there's not much they can do. The attack subsided, so we'll just have to wait for the next or hope she can have her gallbladder removed before this happens again. Suzy is released and we head home... Just another day in paradise.
June 22, 2002
The house has new garage doors as of tod
The house has new garage doors as of today. Replace the wood with the modern steel sectional kind, with windows on top. The doors only come in 4 colors; luckily, our old garage door / trim color was one.
Roof repairs, round 1, were finished today too. The repairs fixed some potential leaking. Unfortunately, when the house was tented (before it was ours), the termite people walked on the roof and broke close to a hundred tiles. Of course, they had a no damage waiver that the selling agent signed. Somehow, we get stuck with the bill for this :-( Roofer should come back July 2nd to replace the tiles.
The acoustic ceiling has been completely removed. Texture will be applied Monday, and painting should start Tuesday. For now, the whole interior will basically be white. We can decide on colors in the months ahead.
Finally, we have an electrician (Jen's brother Mike) coming Tuesday to scope out some work. Want to recessed lights downstairs in the family room and maybe fans or overhead lights in the bedrooms upstairs.
On the grill for tonight -- <a href=&
On the grill for tonight -- bbq'd chicken breasts, brined to keep them moist. Brining is a process of soaking chicken in water, salt and sugar. First read about it in Cooks Illustrated. Almost tried the recipe on Amazon, but I don't have the lemons or garlic in the house.
June 21, 2002
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Katherine is still up, and it's aft
Katherine is still up, and it's after 11:00pm. Suzy and Vincent are upstairs sleeping, and I'm heading up too. Not sure what I'm going to do to get Katherine to unwind and fall asleep. Wish we luck, this is not going to be fun.
June 20, 2002
Our 4th anniversary tonight. Just the 2
Our 4th anniversary tonight. Just the 2 of us out for dinner, nice to pop out for a few hours on our own. I'm downstairs right now, hiding from Katherine. If she knows I'm home, she'll stay up another hour.
The <a href="http://www.ggiant.c
The move is scheduled -- Friday, July 5th. It's time to start packing. Will have to change the description above to 2 kids, 2 dogs, 2 computers, 1 house and 1 job.
<i><a href="http://www.the
Cloudmark takes Napster model to spam blocking. And why not? [The Register]
Yesterday did seem especially spam free after installing Cloudmark.
June 19, 2002
Getting ready for bed with Jack and Carl
Getting ready for bed with Jack and Carly, at Mike's 40th birthday.
It's amazing how alert and observan
It's amazing how alert and observant Katherine is. Driving down the 405, she noticed an Apple billboard and said:
Daddy, isn't that your iMac?
Katherine uses these powers of observation for her own benefit. She has me open the freezer and cupboards and gives them a quick once over every day. Yesterday, she saw the cookies on the top shelf, a type she's never seen before, and asked if they were cookies. Confirming it, I had to give her one ":-)"
The scary thing now is she realizes she doesn't need me anymore. She pushes the chair from room to room and climbs up and explores at will.
June 16, 2002
How I've spent my father's day
How I've spent my father's day (went to bed @ 12:30 am)
- 2:30am - heat formula for Vincent, Suzy feeds.
- 3:30am - Katherine wakes up, walks to our room and asks where her blanket is. I carry her back and put her in her own bed, which is where her blanket already is.
- 5:30am - Vincent is hungry again. I heat his formula, feed him, change his diaper. He spits up 3 times. At 6:50am he's still awake.
- 7:20am - Katherine wakes up, Vincent is finally just falling asleep as am I.
- 8:00am - Shower and shave.
- 8:15am - Vincent's cord falls off.
- 8:30am - Go to market with Katherine to buy milk and stuff.
What do I want for father's day? A two hour nap.
June 14, 2002
Putting out the Colorado Fire:
Putting out the Colorado Fire:
Nightfall over Europe:
Nightfall over Europe:
June 13, 2002
June 12, 2002
Congratulations to Linda and Eoin on <
Congratulations to Linda and Eoin on Oscar Jack, June 9th, 2002.
Action items on the house:
Action items on the house:
- replace garage doors - have estimate, waiting for it to be scheduled
- remove acoustic ceiling and repaint interior - have estimate, work should be done before June 30th
- find gardeners - have 2 bids, will probably keep previous crew ($30 less per month)
June 11, 2002
Uh-oh. BigFrog has a competito
Uh-oh. BigFrog has a competitor, similar in name and look -- Curious Frog. Luckily, Curious goes with green, not blue and does not feature pictures of pregnant women ":-)"
June 9, 2002
<A href="/photos/20020608/Images
Lots of visitors yesterday including cousins Bradley, Lia and Owen. <h3>Before - April 28, 2002</h3
Before - April 28, 2002
After - June 8, 2002
Buying a house gets you registered on al
Buying a house gets you registered on all sorts of snail mail spam lists. Picked up mail at the new house yesterday and received the following in the mail:
- 4 offers for mortgage insurance
- 4 postcards from locksmiths
- 3 letters from security companies
Best movie in a long time and it's
Best movie in a long time and it's been sitting on my shelf for a month -- Donnie Darko. Jake Gyllenhaal (Toby McGuire lookalike) is a paranoid schizophrenic who hallucinates about a rabbit named Frank while discovering time travel. Great music and great cinematography complement this deeply disturbing movie. It's a must see. Don't take my word for it, read the reviews.
June 8, 2002
Didn't get my first cup of coffee u
Didn't get my first cup of coffee until noon today. My head is pounding, but with a little kona in my system, that's going away. The lack of sleep doesn't help. Almost fell asleep on the pot last night.
<img src="/photos/random/IMG_040
Katherine and Bradley, kissing cousins.
It started off as a good night. Katheri
It started off as a good night. Katherine was in bed by 8:00. Vincent fed and fell asleep at 11:00. Suzy was asleep minutes later. Friday night, and a few free hours to myself... Not quite. With Suzy fast asleep, Vincent woke up at 11:20 screaming. Hungry again. Well, 90 minutes and 3 poopy diapers later, I'm exhausted and ready for bed. My bottle ran dry and I had to wake Suzy. The best laid plains of mice and men...
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Look into my eyes. You will feed me.
June 7, 2002
Competition on the web front - Steve and
Competition on the web front - Steve and Liz had their baby last Saturday, and their website is up.
3:30am it is, that's 5+ hours. Not
3:30am it is, that's 5+ hours. Not bad, we have a sleeper on our hands (for the second time in a row).
Vincent has been asleep for the last hou
Vincent has been asleep for the last hour. He's a hungry kid, breast milk not always filling him up. We topped him off with an ounce of formula. Should give us a few hours before wake up call -- I'm predicting 2:30am, as he didn't get much sleep today. Which means I've got to get off this computer and into bed...
Katherine has found a new bath time play
Katherine has found a new bath time play partner -- Ally. Her latest is to pretend to make tea and ice cream with her new floating measuring cup set. I had to pretend to drink and eat the food for the first few days. Tonight, Ally was thirsty and started drinking the bath water from the cup. Good dog, Ally. I'm saved from squatting next to the bath and drinking it.
June 6, 2002
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One fun aspect of a new baby is that you get lots of visitors the first few weeks. And
Katherine has been incredible with Vincent so far, sharing her blanket and toys, constantly holding and hugging him. Though she keeps claiming she doesn't know his name (I don't know, she says). Today, she got out his portable changer and practiced on one of her dolls.
Most people complain about customer serv
Most people complain about customer service. Today, I'd like to complement Time Warner Cable on the same. Cable modem out, two lights blinking (no signal). Called it in at 12:00 noon and got through to someone with a short 30 second wait. He scheduled the technician to come between 1:00-5:00, the same day. Tech strung a new cable between electric pole and house, as it had a really weak "return" signal. Unfortunately, that didn't help. First tech put in a call to a second tech, who arrived around 6:30pm the same day and fixed the problem. Two service visits on the same day, the second after standard working hours. Thanks. I'm back online.
June 4, 2002
Tonight, a powerful explosion ripped thr
Tonight, a powerful explosion ripped through Vincent's shorts, out his pajamas and onto my shirt. Nothing like explosive diarrhea to clear your head at 3:00 am. Of course, Suzy was a big help. Started laughing so hard she couldn't get out of bed, probably tearing a stitch or two. This is why men, or at least me, shouldn't be single parents -- it's all fun and games until liquid bowel movements.
It's 2:00 am. Vincent spent the la
It's 2:00 am. Vincent spent the last hour breast-feeding. We lie him down. Ten minutes later, he's awake and looking for more. He's such a big baby, we're supplementing with formula. This should help him sleep for a few hours.
His first doctors appointment is Tuesday morning, which reminds me that I need to resurrect the growth chart...
June 3, 2002
I haven't opened the newspaper or t
I haven't opened the newspaper or turned on the t.v. since Tuesday, and it feels good. To be fair, I have read some headlines online and watched the Lakers, but that aside, I'm news free. Family is more important and I'll let the circus back in when my life becomes boring again (or the news not so repetitive and dull).
<a href="http://www.bigfrog.net/
With home coming, come coming home pictures.
<P>After 4 long days in the hospit
After 4 long days in the hospital, Suzy is finally home. The first few hours were easy enough, but once everyone left and Vincent awoke, chaos ensued. The problem is balancing a new baby needs with Katherine's demands --
Katherine: Daddy, I'm a baby. Pick me up.
Me: Katherine, you're not a baby. I'm feeding the baby.
Katherine: Daddy, pick me up.
Vincent: (now with wet shorts) Waaaaaahhh!!!
Katherine: Daddy!!!
Me: Waaaaahhh!!
Ok, in reality, it's not too bad. Just 2 incidents like that tonight. But as I was reminded tonight, take a step back and look at all there is to be happy about:
-
I have a beautiful new son
-
A daughter that adores me
-
A lovely wife
-
Functional, loving families on both sides
-
Just bought a house
-
A good job
-
(a dog that listens)
So life is good, but I need something to write about.
June 1, 2002
According to one baby book (as reported
According to one baby book (as reported by Jen from back east):
Vincent: (Latin) victor, conqueror. See also Binkentios, Binky.Baby Binky? You must be kidding.
Also, popularity of Vincent over the last 100 years -- always hovering around 100.
Everything is falling into place. Kathe
Everything is falling into place. Katherine's napping on the couch, Vincent does not have jaundice and Suzy is on solid food (should be home tomorrow). I have the keys to the house and we've had our first estimate for removing the acoustic ceiling (cottage cheese) and repainting the interior. The contractor also wants to finish the garage, and at his prices, I almost can't afford not to :-) We'll see if he stays close to his estimate, but I'm almost making money.
May 31, 2002
Called the agent and keys should arrive
Called the agent and keys should arrive within the hour. On the other front, Suzy gets to eat her first solid meal tonight.
Should get the keys to the new house tod
Should get the keys to the new house today. For all that people that said getting a house was the most stressful period in your life, it didn't turn out to be too bad. Sure, there was a few mornings of anxious phone calls, but all-in-all, not too bad.
Suzy is doing well now, but is starving.
Suzy is doing well now, but is starving. Still on a liquid diet, doctor's orders. Hoping Friday for her first solid food. One thing about this hospital is that they have "room service". You pretty much order whatever you want and they will make it -- pizza, pasta, burgers, sandwhiches and more.
<A href="http://www.bigfrog.net/
Katherine met Vincent today. She's the sweetest girl. First she brought mommy and the doctors presents (her idea) - for mommy, a chocolate bar and for the doctors cookies. Next, she asked if she could hold the baby. How can you say no.
May 29, 2002
Memorable quote in surgery today:
Memorable quote in surgery today:
Suzy: Do you smell something burning?
Steve: Yeah, it's you. They're using a laser scalpel.
Memorable quote before surgery (sounding like a commercial endorsement):
Suzy: Steve, if something happens today, promise me one thing.
Steve: Sure babe, what is it?
Suzy: Promise me you'll use Similac w/ Iron
<a href="http://www.bigfrog.net/
Baby Vincent Stephen, born May 29th, 2002 at 1:38pm.
May 28, 2002
Dogs are most uncompromisingly loyal whe
Dogs are most uncompromisingly loyal when you are napping. They may wander off when you're on the computer, even when you're in the kitchen, but if you're lying down, they will be on the floor beside you.
By some miracle, all the loan docs were
By some miracle, all the loan docs were finished today and we signed everything at escrow. Escrow just needs the "big" check and we get the keys. That wasn't as stressful as a lot of people made it out to be. Just a lot of faxing, and a few frantic phone calls.
Coming down to the wire on escrow. ETra
Coming down to the wire on escrow. ETrade waiting on escrow for 2 more docs before they can finish the loan papers. We want to sign the papers this afternoon, before the baby. Time for a few friendly phone calls.
30 hours and counting for the new baby.
30 hours and counting for the new baby. Charging the electronic gear now: cell phone, digital video camera, digital still camera. Not to be left out, bought new batteries and film for the SLR.
May 27, 2002
This is fun -- watch how your name <a
This is fun -- watch how your name varies in popularity over the century.
The closer we get to the baby, the farth
The closer we get to the baby, the farther we get from agreeing upon names. Girls, maybe Madeline, Elizabeth, Natalie. Boys... that's the tough one. Only possible agreement right now is Eric. Think about names is that you don't want to pick the popular ones -- otherwise, there's 50 kids in the class called Emily or Jacob.
My money is on a boy. It's fun to be low-tech in this hi-tech world. Sure we could find out, but it's fun to leave a little to chance.
The baby 50 hours away. So weird knowin
The baby 50 hours away. So weird knowing the delivery date and time. Today, I think I'll make a Costco run to stock up the fridge. Nice to have options without constantly running to the market.
The house is 30 hours away. Hopefully all the loan papers will be ready tomorrow, and we can sign away at escrow tomorrow afternoon.
The move is 30+ days away. Still need to arrange to have the ceilings scraped and the interior painted.
<IMG src="http://www.bigfrog.net
May 24, 2002
I can't tell you how strange it is
I can't tell you how strange it is to plan your baby's birth over your doctor's palm pilot. Talk about invasive technology.
For the past 9 months, I haven't be
For the past 9 months, I haven't been thinking about the consequences of c-sections or second children. Now, the advice is pouring in. First, a second child makes things more than twice as difficult . Like earthquakes, children are on a logarithmic scale. Second, well, I won't even get started on the c-section. Best not the stress the wife at this point.
May 23, 2002
We saw the obstetrician tonight. Suzy&a
We saw the obstetrician tonight. Suzy's 39 weeks, officially due Saturday, June 1st. From the ultra sound, the baby is estimated at 9lbs, 10oz. That's a big baby, approaching turkey size. With all the difficulty of the first, this one will be delivered by c-section. Wednesday, May 29th it is.
Next week will be interesting. Escrow is scheduled to close on Friday. Might have to make a field trip from the Escrow office with notary in tow to the hospital.
Another site that I highly recommend is
Another site that I highly recommend is PayMyBills. For $13 a month, your bills are sent directly to them, scanned in color, and processed according to rules you set up. For example, you can have them automatically pay the cable bill if it's less than $100, the gas bill if it's less than $50, etc. They address the envelopes and lick the stamps from you. For credit cards and such, you can manually select how much to pay each month. Need to pay rent? No problem. Have a check sent to a "payee" month. Easily saves me a hour a month, well worth it.
<i><a name="l02e3df8019f00
NY Times: Netflix IPO Raises $82.5 million. 
[Scripting News]
[Scripting News]
Good, I'm happy for them. It's one of a handful of useful sites that survived the dot.con. I've been using Netflix for over a year now. It all started when I was a day late returning 3 movies to Blockbuster. $23 to rent 3 movies is a tad excessive. Saw Netflix and that would get me a month -- that's 12 movies if your consistent in your movie watching habit.
May 20, 2002
<img src="/myPictures/IMG_0239.J
Rain has made it's way down to SoCal, almost unheard of for this time of the year. The flowers are happy, I can forget to water them again.
Why <a href="http://www.mtv.com/
Why Ozzy Osbourne is like your father -- he can't figure out the remote and his favorite station is the history channel.
May 18, 2002
Time's ticking away. Two weeks bef
Time's ticking away. Two weeks before the baby, two weeks before escrow closes, and we're not packed or fully prepared for the newborn.
Starting to clean out one room at a time. Tonight's the guest room, though it's already 9:30pm and we're out of boxes. It's amazing how much stuff just follows you, never used, shoved inside in some corner. It's good to move every few years. Discover what you haven't unpacked from the last move, what you won't use in the future. The hard part is throwing it away. Once you do, you won't miss it.
<a href="/photos/20020518/Images
Pictures from Tricia's confirmation. The ceremony was long -- close to 2 hours. Katherine got restless early (luckily), so we played outside.
May 16, 2002
<P><A name=l896e1aac2f161dea493
EditLive for Java "empowers business users with an easy-to-use, intuitive interface for creating and publishing web content." [Scripting News]
The problem with EditLive is that it's an applet. No matter what you do, applets are always going to be slower than DHTML. Whenever you edit an article, it takes 5-10 seconds for the page to come up. That's gives the applet a clunky feeling. I'd much rather use the built in IE editor, which is immediate. You feel more in control when the website is responsive.
May 15, 2002
One potential problem with the default &
One potential problem with the default "radio" templates is that all images are served from scripting.com. Is that why some sites seem slow to load. If you have your own server, consider moving the images to your server to speed things up.
I'm still not use to the color diff
I'm still not use to the color difference between my iMac and PC. I wrote the CSS on my pc, with a CRT. On the iMac with flat panel, the colors don't work quite so well. Don't know if the problem is the different type of monitors, or just basic pc/mac color differences.
The "radio" template system is
The "radio" template system isn't quite so intimidating once you separate the wheat from the chaff. In the default template, there's a lot of images in the way. Once you get rid of them, there's not too much to replace. Basically, you will need
title, siteName, description, bodytext and the calendar. I'm still working on this css template, but the calendar is next to go. After that, I'll worry about the main template.
May 12, 2002
Mother's day at Zuma Beach. Beauti
Mother's day at Zuma Beach. Beautiful day, 94 in the valley, 74 at the beach. Perfect. The great thing about digital camera's --no wait for the pictures.
May 10, 2002
<p><b>Uh oh</b>. It
Uh oh. It seems that the new version of iPhoto (1.1.1) is broken. File->Export brings up an empty dialog with 1 blank tab. What happened???
All is well again. Needed to update BetterHTMLExport again.
<img src="http://www.bigfrog.net
Ally, up close. Think Photoshop needs a yellow eye filter for animals.
Right before my parents left on vacation
Right before my parents left on vacation, my mom warned, if Suzy starts having back pain, the baby may be coming. Last night, maybe 4am, Suzy started complaining of lower back pain. Worrying about that and getting in all the loan papers doesn't make for the best night of sleep. Suzy's still asleep, so I think the baby is waiting (official due date, June 1).
May 9, 2002
I don't drink enough. Just added a
I don't drink enough. Just added a splash of Belvedere to my lemonade. I've had the same bottle in the freezer to 2+ years now. 'Bout time to make a dent. Might help in the sleep dept. Buying a house and having baby(#2) doesn't do wonders for sound slumber. Plus, the wife is tossing/turning, getting up for "relief" every 2 hours. Being pregnant is 99% hardship and 1% glow.
<IMG height=328 alt="A picture n
This is too disturbing to pass up. If you don't think there's anything wrong, I have a botox party to invite you too.
May 8, 2002
<IMG height=240 alt="A picture n
<IMG height=240 alt=Katherine hspace=
Katherine, this morning. Finally has enough hair for pony tails. This picture has halved in size -- may need to be sharpened ???
<A href="http://www.adobe.com/pr
Photoshop is too expensive for what I need it for. I'm waiting for the Mac OS X version of Photoshop Elements. To my amateur eyes, the only difference is the 600 dollars you save. Seems to have all the same features, at first glance.
Back on the net just in time ... just in
Back on the net just in time ... just in time for the new iPhoto. Going to try PixelNhance for the new editor, though iPhoto now has brightness/contrast controls built in to their editor.
Back on the net again just in time. Bit
Back on the net again just in time. Bit of a problem with the cable modem for the last week. Signal strength was too low, so cable modem could not connect. Got the cable guy out today and he found a few fault connections outside. Let's hope all is well now.
May 4, 2002
<a href="/photos/20020428/Pages/
First thing I thought after taking this picture... man, that's a lot of fabric.
May 1, 2002
Funny thing happened after work, yesterd
Funny thing happened after work, yesterday. We bought a house. Strange how quick these things can happen.
April 28, 2002
Sophia's <A href="/photos/2
Sophia's first birthday party.
Katherine and cousin Sohpia, <a href=
Katherine and cousin Sohpia, wrestling.
April 27, 2002
Starting to look for homes. I liked <
Starting to look for homes. I liked this one -- 5 bed / 3 bath 2400 square foot house with huge 1/3 acre (15,500 sqft) lot.
April 23, 2002
<P>Katherine's (2yr 8mo) quot
Katherine's (2yr 8mo) quote of the day:
Suzy
Katherine, why are you running around naked?Katherine
Mommy, I'm Pocohantas, the Indian. And Indian's don't wear underwear.
The <a href="http://www.amazon.c
The digital camera is arriving one
piece at a time from Amazon. This is the first electronics item ordered from Amazon. At first glance, their prices suck. But, factor in the free shipping, $25 gift certificate for a memory card, no state taxes, and Amazon doesn't come out too bad.
There's something oddly satisfying
There's something oddly satisfying in talking to your computer and having it respond. Sure, it's a gimmic, but it gives a glimpse to the future. Mac OS X comes with speech recognition software, just turn in on thru the Speech panel in System Preferences. Then, press the escape key (ESC) and say "What time is it". Your mac will respond, in a configurable voice, "It's 11:57".
Haven't watched Ally McBeal in two
Haven't watched Ally McBeal in two years. I think it jumped the shark years ago.
April 9, 2002
<P>Katherine's (2yr 8mo) quot
Katherine's (2yr 8mo) quote of the day:
Suzy
Katherine, why are you running around naked?Katherine
Mommy, I'm Pocohantas, the Indian. And Indian's don't wear underwear.
April 5, 2002
<P>Yahoo has a new <A href=&quo
Yahoo has a new privacy policy that I'm sure gives more of your information away. But, there are a few things you can to do to minimize their tracking:
- Opt out of Yahoo's Web Beacons (ways of tracking you when you're not within yahoo.com): http://pclick.yahoo.com/p?optout
- Opt out of spam, or special offers, here: http://subscribe.yahoo.com/showaccount
- Update your hosts file to map addresses of known advertisting sites to local host -- know, you'll see a white rectangle where most ads used to be and your pages will load much faster: http://www.ecst.csuchico.edu/~atman/spam/adblock.shtml
Ok, I disabled sleep mode. Will try con
Ok, I disabled sleep mode. Will try connecting directly and sending email to make sure radio is awake today.
It seems like Radio is not running when
It seems like Radio is not running when the screensaver is on. My email post, sent from work before noon, didn't appear until I came home and hit the space bar to get rid of the screensaver. Maybe the iMac has some sleep mode which I wasn't aware of?
April 2, 2002
Looking at the source code license for j
Looking at the source code license for java swing set demo code, it appears you can't say Java Sucks:
* Sun grants you ("Licensee") a non-exclusive, royalty free, license to use,
* modify and redistribute this software in source and binary code form,
* provided that i) this copyright notice and license appear on all copies of
* the software; and ii) Licensee does not utilize the software in a manner
* which is disparaging to Sun.
March 30, 2002
Coming into the Mac OS X development env
Coming into the Mac OS X development environment after 5 years of Java, there's a lot that's familar. A lot of the Swing gui components lifted the whole data model concept from the Foundation classes. Don't extend, but provide methods that describe that data to be shown in the display.
Objective C isn't that hard either. The syntax really throws you for a few hours, but as soon as you start coding, it makes sense.
There's a lot of dragging and dropping when building a UI in Interface Builder, but you're really not doing all that much. Just setting the instance methods in the class (this button instance variable points to this button on the screen, called outlets) and telling the button which method to call in the class (actions). Give it a couple of days, no problem.
Like Java, the power (and the time it takes) comes in learning the class library.
If you don't have your own DNS and
If you don't have your own DNS and need to add entries for your local machines, don't add them to
/etc/hosts. OS X uses "lookupd", which looks in all sorts of places, just not in your hosts file. Go to you application/utilities folder and open NetInfo Manager. There, you will need to duplicate an entry in "machines", such as "localhost" and change it to suite your needs. It's really a lot more difficult that adding a value to /etc/hosts ... not sure of the upside yet.
March 29, 2002
<p>In the third trimester of a wom
In the third trimester of a woman's pregnancy, hormones surge and women get the nesting instinct -- they know the baby is on the way and must get the house in order. Need to buy baby clothes, paint the baby room, clean the house, etc. Hormones make swiss cheese of the brain and god help the man who stands in her way. Any small thing can set her off... my wife almost left me during her first pregnancy when I wouldn't drive the old bed in the guest room over to Goodwill at 10:30pm one evening. She was better the next day.
6 1/2 months through her second, she's nesting again. The hormones must of gotten to me too, because I'm nerding. Nerding causes men to go out and buy expensive electronics equipment because they know they're not going to have $$money$$ or time to use the new toys soon. Today's purchases for the iMac:
- 512MB memory card, bringing total to a whopping 768MB. You really have to shop for this -- my usual ChipMerchants want $240 -- luckily I found AppleSolutions who wanted a measly $129.
- iSub -- help iTunes down low, low, low... how low do you go
With Buddy lists and all, Radio I/O is p
With Buddy lists and all, Radio I/O is positioning itself as a more structured IM mechanism. But it's one way. What do I do if I want to respond to a node in someone's outline -- I just want to type something inline, not copy the node into my own outline and then comment.
March 28, 2002
Trouble in paradise. I'm now the p
Trouble in paradise. I'm now the proud owner of a Belkin Cable/DSL Gateway Router. Which means I'm behind both a firewall and NAT. Which means, according to Jake, I can't get updates to outlines.
Actually, I can see other updates (Adam Curry), but not updates from myself. Which means what? Radio I/O must be pinging the external radio site for updates (the opml file itself?), so the whole firewall/nat issue is mute if you are posting to a remote server? Who knows. Brain's too tired to reread and comprehend.
The InstantOutliner beta has been found
The InstantOutliner beta has been found .... here.
<p>You can read about programming
You can read about programming all you want, but until you sit down and code, you won't understand. Back in January, I purchased Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X and read it from cover to cover. But actions, outlets and delegates never stuck. Until now.
Now that I own an iMac and have installed the (included) developer environment, I've made the connection. Nothing like blindly copying code from a text book to your code editor to start understanding. Maybe the act of typing quiets the left brain so the right brain can absorb.
Once I get through Objective-C, and maybe AppleScript, I have to check out the Radio/Frontier scripting language. Just reading about it, I don't understand the "@" and "^" symbols in the langauge. One fun project might be taking local image directories and posting thumbnail pages. Also, I'd love to have some sort of RTF editor for posting ... I miss the Windows DHTML editor...
March 24, 2002
One of the major annoyances switching fr
One of the major annoyances switching from the Apple Pro keyboard to the Microsot Natural is that I lost the hot keys -- eject cd, adjust volume. Well, I found out how to open/shut the cd player -- just press F12.
March 23, 2002
Yes, I saved $100 by buying the iMac on
Yes, I saved $100 by buying the iMac on Monday, but there's been so many other side purchases:
- natuarl keyboard
- 2 button/wheel optical mouse
- firewire cable
- router
- ethernet cables
- blank cds
Plus, I still need to buy a digital camera (with an extra memory card)...
Luckily, I bought the digital video camera a few years ago
Let's see if the navigator links sh
Let's see if the navigator links show up -- think I have to post. Just changing the xml for the links themselves haven't done it.
Russ Lipton: How to Create Navigation Links.
March 22, 2002
Had to install a router to get both the
Had to install a router to get both the PC and iMac attached to my cable modem. It was surprisingly easy. Router is configured through a browser; no software to install. Just poked a whole in the firewall too, so I can post from work :-)
March 21, 2002
<p>Timing is everything. When I w
Timing is everything. When I walked into that Apple Store I Monday, I just had to plop down $1799.
Apple Raises Price of New iMacs. SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Citing an increase in component costs, Apple Computer Inc. has raised the prices of its new iMac computers by $100 each. By The Associated Press. [New York Times: Technology]
<p>I wasn't convinced buying
I wasn't convinced buying a new iMac was the right thing to do until I made my first iMovie. When I bought the computer, making a video was the last thing on my mind. I was more excited by the whole BSD / Cocoa programming framework (yes, I'm a nerd). It was never something I thought I would or could do, but one hour with some footage of Katherine (now 2 1/2) at the Santa Barbara Zoo convinced me.
March 20, 2002
<a href="http://www.ciudadfutura
Oops, I did it again. Stayed up too late. Another 5 hour night. Don't know how I do it.
This is <a href="http://www.to2.
This is unnatural. My 2 BigFrog radio logs now subscribe to one another.
This site is not to be confused with thi
This site is not to be confused with this other BigFrog, which I publish from my PC. Why not start from scratch?
