Long Week

It's almost time for the whistle bell and I'm ready for the weekend. We have dance class tomorrow morning, a bike ride in the afternoon, and a half marathon (Yvonne only) on Sunday. That should fill the weekend.

Meanwhile, I haven't picked the book up much since returning to work. But, I'll get some reading time this weekend as well. It certainly is not due to a lack of interest. So far, the book rocks.

Should I pull the image in the last post because it jacks the page layout?

All Good in the Hood

We are finally getting over an illness that spread through our house, starting with the kids. It's nice to almost be back to normal.

I got my new helmet over the weekend. I have a group ride with friends planned for Saturday, but I'm hoping to jump on the bike at least once before that.

Meanwhile, we just received a series of photos a professional photographer took and they turned out nicely. I posted one here, even though it totally jacks up the page layout.

Reading List 2011

Stealing the blog post idea from my wife, and only reader. :)

Dreadnought, Cherie Priest

Build it up and ...

There is a regular lesson and I forget it's high frequency in life. Things always change. Always.

As solid and good as something may seem today, a change can come and knock it down tomorrow.

New Helmet

$22.71 after shipping. Can't beat that. I could only buy blue, which is what I wanted. My old helmet from '97 is gone.

Body Art

When I was 18, I got a tattoo at Miami Beach on my back shoulder. It was a custom ankh and I enjoyed it for a time. When I was 28, I had it touched up and turned it into an eye. The cover-up was OK, but in the end, it wasn't very successful in creating a good looking tattoo.

Here I am at 37 thinking about it again. I have two main goals:

1. I want to like how it looks
2. I don't want to revisit this in another 10 years, or at all

At first, I thought I needed to have it lightened or removed in order for anyone to be able to work with the black blob. But, I heard it was expensive, painful and not guaranteed. So, we looked into other options.

Yvonne gave me a present to readdress the tattoo on my birthday, as well as Christmas. With that, we had a certain budget and scope in mind.

She also found me an artist through a friend of hers and scheduled the first appointment for me. I think since Christmas, I've seen the artist about three times. through the process, I figured out I like the cycle of life. I want to honor the dead and being alive.

The third meeting with the artist was last night. It was somewhat discouraging. Basically, after drawing and trying to make it work for a couple hours, they told me in order to like it I have to embrace it. I have to give more real estate on my back, most likely across both shoulders. Oh, and scrap my idea and go with something different, like an animal (I'm not entirely against the animal idea, it's just a lot to think about). So, from a small tattoo on one shoulder to a full spread across both. Is that who I am?

With that change in plans, we are also looking at about twice the cost and scope we had in mind. My guess is it's comparable to a removal cost, if not more.

Frankly, I'm not sure I'm cool enough to go the distance. I'm overweight with a graying beard and entering middle age. I have a corporate job and two kids. I'm imagining taking them to the pool in the summertime. An experience I'm already self conscious about with the piddly tattoo I have now.

Then again, maybe it's just the empowerment I need to fully enjoy it.

And that's my dilemma. Do I want to go for it and have a big, pretty tattoo across my back? Or, I could live with a scar from the removal and walk away. Or I could do nothing and chalk it up to lesson learned/more proof Nate was a dumb ass as a kid.

Hit the trail

I went on a short bike ride to test out my bike gears, tires and muscles. The gears and tires work great! Strangely, my hands are the most soar. I wore gloves, but my grip must be out of shape.

I also realized I need a new helmet. The one I have I bought in '98 and the straps are disintegrating. The pads are all flat and overall it's time.

The ride was on a trail about 1 minute from my house in Slaughter Creek Greenbelt. It's nice to finally tap into the trails. We moved, had a baby and never got around to the satellite activities--until now!

I'm trying to get in better shape, like I was before the move. Not the move last year--the one 5 months before that. I was on good routine. This time, I want to work on three ways to workout so I can alternate. Biking, treadmill, and what? hmmm

Something I need to figure out.

Dust off the brain

Today I returned to work after a nice long break. You never know what to expect, but so far the return has been nice. I went to lunch with a couple friends and knocking out emails.

I am going to try to ride my bike after work, but the sun may set too soon/it's hard to find time with two kids.

I just finished painting our office a new color. I'm not sure I like the color, but I am holding judgement until I set up the blinds, drapes, etc. We decided we aren't going to make it an office/guest bedroom anymore. It's going to be an office/gym. My belly is too big. Sorry guests! The good news is our fold out couch in the living room is much more comfortable than the inflatable mattresses.

Happy 1-1-11

Today marks a new year and a new stage in life. For the past decade, we've explored. We saw interesting sites, met wonderful people and lived a nomadic life. This new stage is the end of that kind of life. We are ready to settle. Exploring is now a hobby, not a way of life.

With that, I return to the blogosphere after a long hiatus. It's been a tough few months, but the end result is good. We have a new home that we will enjoy for years to come, a new boy in our family and roots in a city we love.

I am thankful for my family, friends, job (even when it's stressful) and of course, Xbox.

2011 Resolutionary Catalog of Incognato Priority

1. Continue to provide a stable home for my kids and wife
2. Start working out again and add diversity to my workouts
3. Finish hanging art in the house
4. Eat healthier and cook more
5. Pay off the Element

Happy New Year!