Incognato

Long Week

2011-02-18T16:08:00.003-06:00

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

2011-02-14T13:43:00.005-06:00

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

2011-02-08T10:26:00.002-06:00

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

Dreadnought, Cherie Priest

Build it up and ...

2011-02-02T09:04:00.005-06:00

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

2011-01-27T13:42:00.003-06:00

$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

2011-01-17T09:12:00.003-06:00

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:

I want to like how it looks
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

2011-01-06T16:42:00.002-06:00

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

2011-01-03T15:20:00.003-06:00

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

2011-01-01T08:34:00.003-06:00

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

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

Happy New Year!

Mostly Migrated

2010-02-14T08:23:00.002-06:00

My move off of any incognato.com properties appears to be mostly done. I have a few more accounts to update with the new email, but they aren't very important. Since announcing this migration, my incognato account has filtered 55 spam emails.

Things here have been good and busy. I spent a few hours at Zoe's school digging out a vegetable bed for the coming spring. A group of parents went to the school and spent a few hours working on something. New lights, reinforced picnic tables, new step stones and a few beds in the yard.

It reminded me of the beds I dug out at Ripplewood. I sort of miss the yard work. This rental house just needs mowing for the most part. So we don't do the weekend home depot new plant trips any more. Probably good, considering we have Zoe to keep us busy.

Operation: Migration

2010-01-29T18:20:00.002-06:00

I have alerted my friends and family of the great email migration. Here is the list of accounts I've had to update for you nerds out there. Anyone I'm forgetting?

Need to change email accounts:
-Schwabb
-Symantic
-Tax Peeps

Successfully Changed:
X - Obama
X - Livestrong
X - Apple
X - Discover
X - LinkedIn
X - Fidelity
X - HP
X - Twitter
X - Day Care
X - Financial Planner
X - Bank
X - Netflix
X - Day Care PTO
X - Facebook
X - Landlord
X - last.fm

Simplify

2010-01-25T22:46:00.002-06:00

I decided to let go of my incognato.com domain name. I wasn't updating the pages much and I'm not fully using the server resources. I mainly used it for email, but it's old and I get a lot of spam. It's ok when I'm on my PC with filters, but if I ever wanted a smart phone, it'd be a pita. It became a cost more than a hobby.

Also, as it stands, I have a lot of email accounts:

-incognato
-2 yahoos (one I no longer use)
-hotmail
-gmail
-work

So, I'm dropping incognato and officially ignoring a yahoo in an effort to simplify.

It feels a little strange to let the domain go. I'll mainly miss the grids, I think.

Smiley

2010-01-16T09:38:00.001-06:00

Smiley
Originally uploaded by incognato

How cute is this kid?

2010

2010-01-04T11:13:00.002-06:00

2009 was a rough year for many and we saw a lot of changes. Here are my 2010 resolutions...

Continue to workout and reach 184 lbs (about 5 lbs to lose)
Grow with Zoe
More date nights with Yvonne
Kick ass at work
Continue to learn the guitar and piano
Walk Walker at least 3 times a week
Pay off more debt
Read more (a standing resolution)
Relax when I can (read: xbox 360)
Run/walk in at least one race

For perspective, here are my 2009 resolutions and how I measured up:

Workout more/Lose weight/Eat better [Done. Lost about 10-15 lbs by working out and eating better]
Teach Zoe more words [Done. The little one has a vast 100+ word vocabulary, including "Superman" and "Star Wars"]
Keep the marriage strong [Feeling good here]
Keep a roof over our heads and a pantry full of "grain" (i.e. succeed at work during this economy) [So far, so good.]
Pay off more debt [Paid a lot off, still a ways to go.]
Improve my poker skillz. Try to compete. [Essentially, I failed this one.]
Read more (I have books, just not the time to read figured out) [eh, I read a few books.]
Find a place to live with a yard/second bedroom and get Walker back [Mission Accomplished.]
Learn more than two guitar chords [Done.]
Maintain a steady stream of Xbox Live achievement points [Done.]

Dad and Daughter

2009-12-02T21:01:00.001-06:00

Dad and Daughter
Originally uploaded by incognato

Turkey Day parade!

Installing worms

2009-11-13T14:24:00.003-06:00

We have discovered fleas love our new house, particularly the dog. Tomorrow, I'm taking him to the vet to renew his scripts and an organic pest control company will install nematodes in the yard to eat flea larva. In the meantime, Walker's wearing a flea collar and getting a bath soon.

We are mostly settled now and finding a routine. I think it's safe to say, "The move from Dallas to Austin is complete."

Man, that felt good.

A new cool thing about this move is the upcoming Thanksgiving, where my brother and I are cooking dinner. More details to come!

Taking a break from unpacking

2009-10-25T08:15:00.005-06:00

We have three rooms left: my office, Yvonne's office and the third bedroom.

For now, that third bedroom will be a closet/sewing room once it's not filled with boxes and miscellaneous furniture (two empty fish tanks, coffee table and a stool).

I'd say Yvonne's office has the most potential for completion, but she sorting a lot of old paperwork and stuff, which is tedious and takes time.

In my office, I'm sorting things like my old high school yearbooks (that head photographer my senior year really knew his stuff...), camping gear (do I really need an authentic Boy Scout canteen from the '60s?) and miscellaneous stuff like bar stools (we ain't got no bar, Sgt. Dan), shelves, and old copies of the "Lake Travis View".

Oktoberfest
We went to the Austin Oktoberfest yesterday. Yvonne put it best: It was a typical Austin festival with live blues, kid rides and beer and food, but it's not German Centric. There was one brat offering--the rest was corny dogs, pizza and nachos. There was no umpah, but plenty of booths to buy rasta (??!?) gear.

My conclusion is the Oktoberfest in Addison was better. Next year, we are going to try to go to Fredricksberg.

Livestrong
We also did the Livestrong Challenge 5k yesterday. I didn't run it as planned, but I'm about to restart my running training. There is the Turkey Tro 5k on thanksgiving that I might be ready for.

Meanwhile, enjoy the videos:

Rock Zoe from Nathan Stull on Vimeo.

Sliding Z from Nathan Stull on Vimeo.

Found the iPod

2009-10-19T16:49:00.005-06:00

We just moved into a house here in Austin and the one thing I thought was completely lost was my iPod. Even Yvonne looked for it in my car, where I thought I left it. This morning on my way to work, I gave it one more look (almost out of habit). And, I found it wrapped in a receipt in a console we all looked in multiple times. Good stuff.

The move was a challenge and I'm glad it's over. We had a few hiccups along the way:

Moving date was pushed back
Kitchen was almost left as is (bad)
Moving date was pushed back again
Moving date was pushed back again--this time to ACL weekend (we used to live next to Zilker)
We had free three-day passes to ACL with parking (apartment)
It was someone's birthday?
On the day of big moving truck, street work closed one half of our new road
Rained on third moving day
Our first week was sans city garbage cans and required a few stealth runs in the cover of night
The new kitchen sink was clogged upon move-in and required our first repair request
The AC stopped working after 5 days--second repair request
Our dryer from storage stopped getting hot (repairman coming Friday)
Still can't find my leaf blower
The move was just enough interruption that I probably won't run the full 5k this weekend

I'm sure I missed a few...

Now, so I don't sound like a total whiner, a few good things:

Zoe and Walker are good buddies again
Two moving days began in the morning with the "Star Wars" theme played at Zilker by ACL
Nothing was broken until unpacked
We have already gotten rid of a lot of crap we don't need
New TV from Old Skool rocks
The house is a nice change from the apartment. It's a 5 bedroom, 3 bath near a Central Market. Jackpot!
All the emergency repairs were addressed quickly and easily. I hope to say the same for the non emergency requests currently in limbo
I found the iPod and will start working out again

And just to add to the fun, Zoe started a new school one week after the move. That has been a good experience and no real hiccups have occurred.

So, with that, I return to the blogosphere after a long vacation. Frankly, if I posted during that time, you would have been bored with all my complaining. Things were rough for couple months there and stress was high. It's a good day now that we can close that chapter and start a new one.

And now a video of the most patient dog on the street and a future blues singer/costume designer.

Bedtime for Walker from Nathan Stull on Vimeo.

Return of the Living Normal

2009-10-14T16:45:00.002-06:00

We've moved into a house and things are returning to normal. I'm at this point with the blog where I don't really know what to say anymore. I'm not sure anyone is really following along?

Comment if you do and maybe I'll figure this out.

Summertime Fun

2009-07-12T07:23:00.002-06:00

We've been busy this summer. Last week, Zoe started her first swim lessons.So far she seems to be doing well, but still likes to cling on to the nearest parent in the deeper water.

I had to have my car fixed from a wreck in Dallas. It was a minor fender bender and took about a week to fix. During that time, I had a Nissan Altima. A very fun car, but like most V6 cars, it drank a lot of gas.

We started and think we've finished the search for a house to rent in Austin. This would be the last step in the move from Dallas. For a year, the majority of our belongings have sat in a storage unit. We both think we'll get a lot of that stuff out and have enough for a garage sale. We'll wee.

Yvonne heads to Chicago for a conference this week. It should be fun to see all the old friends.

We will all go to Port Aransas next week. Lazy time sounds good to me.

Playing the the Tent

2009-06-28T06:33:00.001-06:00

Playing in the Tent from Nathan Stull on Vimeo.

WEeeeeee!

2009-06-28T06:32:00.001-06:00

Zip Lining from Nathan Stull on Vimeo.

Ode to a Superhero

2009-06-16T15:14:00.001-06:00

I wish I was a superhero, mainly for the fortress...

Guest Blogger

2009-06-11T13:02:00.001-06:00

I've been pretty busy lately, but my good friend The Bard has a couple fun things to share:

Color me fooled

2009-05-08T09:57:00.000-06:00

Thanks Bard for the link. Looks like I was a shoot from the hip reactionary.

Goodbye Liberty

2009-05-06T15:39:00.000-06:00

Patriot Act's next step: torture?

100 Days of American Pride

2009-04-29T16:57:00.002-06:00

I'm happy with the direction things are going after the first 100 days with Obama. Yvonne and I both feel like we've seen small signs that things aren't getting worse.

A lot of tough decisions have had to be made in Washington, just like in our home and most likely yours. Speaking for my home decisions, I feel like we've made very few mistakes. I also feel this way about the administration.

It's only one of three branches in the government and he's sticking to the role and not rewriting the constitution of the United States, like Bush.

I feel like Obama understands his role and has an honest presentation of his power to fix things. he needs cooperation from the financial district. Don't we all? He needs cooperation from all his endeavors to fix what has been destroyed the last eight years. Things like our place in the global community (we provide back support, not back rubs) and the definition of torture is not a legal fuzzy line.

Unfortunately, some folks need to be reminded of the alternative to these moral choices. And that's when they accuse us of not letting go of the Bush Legacy. Don't they see that the last 100 days and much of Obama's time is being spent to fix that which is broken?

I am highly amused by Fox network's version of the last 100 days. It's funny how they didn't see any of these rhetorical threats when the government was given the green light to spy on citizens, torture, protect the top 1 percent and essentially put our economic status in the crapper.

The sad thing is in my eyes, all of these descriptions they offer about Obama actually describe President Cheney and Vice President Bush.

OOooooo, I went there.

I prefer this version:

Mellow Morning

2009-04-19T07:48:00.002-06:00

I'm sitting on the back patio looking at the new foliage in the greenbelt and listening to the birds. The coffee is nice and fresh. Yvonne is writing on her journal, while Zoe catches a morning episode of Mickey's Playhouse. Looks like it's talking about shapes and sizes today.

I went to bed early and feel well rested.

Zoe just came out to say she's hungry. So there you go :)

Life in the Cave

2009-04-16T16:32:00.003-06:00

We've enjoyed the location of our apartment tremendously. Being able to walk to Barton Springs, Zilker Park and the area has been a real joy. The only real problem is we are in a small apartment. Same old story. We move in September.

I feel two ways about it. First, I can't wait. Can't. Wait. Second, I feel like that time will blaze by without feeling like a long time. If the last four months are any indication, time is wizzing by. I wish i could hit pause from time to time and use that break to catch up on a few things.

We managed to get our tax work done. Like everyone else, it hurt to see the final tab. Now that the tax work is out of the way and we've sent a check, I want to find a lawyer or financal expert to help get our wills, beneficiary stuff and overall plan figured out.

I also need to find a doctor. Not for any reason, so all the more reason. If that makes sense.

We miss having a critter around. But, not enough to get a new one. We have a dog, he's just at extended summer camp. A cat that lives upstairs has been trying to sneak into our apartment through the back door. Zoe loves it. Mom and Dad, not so much. He's an orange tabby ...

We bought a bike trailer for Zoe. It's pretty cool to haul her around on the trail. She seems to enjoy it. We load her up with some juice and goldfish. It's the on board snack for her flight. The family rides have been nice.

Great Clip

2009-04-07T15:44:00.001-06:00

For lack of blog entries, enjoy:

Austinio

2009-03-25T21:33:00.003-06:00

The new Austin grid seems to be a more efficient design. If you find a bug, please let me know. I think I'll use this as a template for Dallas and the others.

Question to those who use these grids: Do I need to find a slot for the current temp, or is forecast enough? It's a matter real time images along with real time stats. But, i feel like a forecast is also nice. should I figure out how to fit both? I only ask because, look how well it is without current temp...

How's the weather up there?

2009-03-20T21:16:00.002-06:00

I'm going to revamp a few of my weather grids soon. any suggestions are welcome in the comments.

Peachy Green

2009-03-17T17:20:00.004-06:00

I have to say I love St. Patty's Day. We go way back.

It's been very busy lately and my updates aren't great, I know. It all comes down to priorities. I'll give you an example while being a lazy blogger.

It's time for a New year's resolution update:

Workout more/Lose weight/Eat better: I've jumped on the bike a few times, hit the gym @ work, lost about 6 pounds and started a vitamin routine (thanks Yvonne).
Teach Zoe more words: Since the new year, she has learned to say many words. I think I've taught her: Zoe, dog, mama, and probably a few more I'm forgetting.
Keep the marriage strong: Anyone will tell you this is hard, but I feel like the communication level is good. Right, baby?
Keep a roof over our heads and a pantry full of "grain" (i.e. succeed at work during this economy): So far, so good.
Pay off more debt: Staying on target.
Improve my poker skillz. Try to compete: We had one tourney among friends so far. Hoping for more. Um yeah, I was second to tap out. lol
Read more (I have books, just not the time to read figured out): I started a book. Need to do more in this one.
Find a place to live with a yard/second bedroom and get Walker back: This comes into play at the end of our lease, August.
Learn more than two guitar chords: I am very strong in those two chords.
Maintain a steady stream of Xbox Live achievement points: Steady, not so much. But, the number is now 8777. I want to say I was around 8000 or so at the new year?

Zoe Update Referal

2009-03-11T08:54:00.004-06:00

I know I have a lot of politics on here and I've swayed from updates on my personal life.

For a full update on Zoe, click here on Yvonne's blog.

Careful: There is logic involved here

2009-03-09T15:22:00.002-06:00

"We moved from a period when the Republicans represented something you could agree or disagree with to a period where it represents a kind of a Fundamentalist Christianity on one side and a view of the world which sees everyone who is other--whether that is black, white, Arab, Muslim, a different country, gay--as the enemy. And, basically that's a very dangerous position."--Frank Schaeffer, author of "Crazy for God"

Why I'm not conservative

2009-03-03T16:22:00.001-06:00

CPAC=Room full of douches that love to hate anything, anyone

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

CPAC After Party

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Joke of the Day

Great Literal Video

2009-02-27T10:52:00.000-06:00

White Wedding: Literal Video Version - watch more funny videos

Sound of the Man Working on the Chain

2009-02-16T10:53:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, I broke my bike chain. I tried to fix it, but the pieces are too bent to click back in place. The cool thing is I figured out how to use the chain tool. The bad thing is I figured it out enough to know my chain was a goner.

So, hopefully tonight, I'll take the bike in for a new chain.

We are watching the Race of California. Stage 3 today. Some jerk stole Lance's time trail bike.

Farewells can be fun

2009-02-09T17:45:00.002-06:00

I sent this letter and they posted it here.

Dear Dallas (and pegasusnews),

I moved to Austin. I know this is sudden and we haven’t finished painting the living room, but what’s done is done. I moved out. We can talk about your sweater later.

With that, please cancel my account.

While I enjoyed your community and writers very much during our relationship, I’m not keeping up with your news as much as I should. Blame my new location, new job and family, but not me. I did everything I could for you. Remember Valentine’s Day? That special stroll along White Rock? That was me.

Also, you’re showing up in my online search results and it might give the false impression I’m still living with you. My mom asked me about that and I had to explain the whole sweater thing and why we moved. She understood , of course. She’s my mom. But, she also told me she just had sprinklers installed and she’s quite committed to her relationship with Dallas. So she’s cool with you.

Anyway, we will always have the sunsets,

Nathan S.
incognato

Reading and Sirens

2009-01-28T20:12:00.000-06:00

A little dark...

Zoe Plays

2009-01-28T20:03:00.001-06:00

Slide!

2009-01-28T19:56:00.001-06:00

Our new favorite.

Video Zoe

2009-01-28T19:54:00.000-06:00

25 Random Things about N8

2009-01-26T15:53:00.002-06:00

I posted this on Facebook and realized it makes a good blog entry. Sorry for those who've seen it before.

1.) I've played a few musical instruments: Alto and tenor saxophone, piano, guitar (still learning, but took classical in college)
2.) I try to use the Force when looking for a parking spot in a busy lot; also when finding a place for the first time.
3.) I like to make sound effects for things like car doors opening (think hydraulic noises) and tickling Zoe (chk chk chk)
4.) To relax in bed and fall asleep, I design my ultimate space craft. It's sort of a manta ray shape with a glass top and retracting cover. my quarters are on the bottom near my shuttle bay. there is a water fall in the forest (glass top). And you thought you were a geek.
5.) I do not like black liquorish, Sam I am. I will not eat black liquorish, Sam I am.
6.) I don't mind movie and television show spoilers and often seek them out. I feel it's like watching the show twice and retaining more detail.
7.) My first computer was an Apple ][ Plus. My family went to the Apple store (Midway Rd. and LBJ in Dallas at the time) to undergo computer training. While there, a local television news program shot a segment about personal home computers becoming a trend and we were all on TV.
8.) I marched the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland with the Tenor Saxophone.
9.) I and every male on my father's side of the family is an Eagle Scout.
10.) I'm pretty good at training dog obedience. Always could be better of course, but pretty good. At least with Sophie and Walker.
11.) I often find myself planning ahead tactically for the zombie outbreak.
12.) My first "grown up" job was writing the police blotter and obituaries while shooting photography for a small town newspaper. I was no Clark Kent. There is a history of newspaper work in the family on my mother's side.
13.) My first job ever (not including mowing lawns) was "Courtesy Clerk" at Tom Thumb. Would you like help with that to your car? Wet cleanup on Isle 4.
14.) I drink my coffee black. I think adding anything is frivolous because coffee is so good alone, but I don't judge.
15.) My motto is Zen like a motherfucker. It's hard, but I try to stick to it.
16.) I was born in Davis, California. Other cities I've lived in: San Diego (4 years), Dallas (17 years accumulative, ugh), Miami (4 years), Houston (6 months), El Campo (1 year), Austin (3-4 years accumulative, here to stay!), Chicago (3 years)
17.) My full name is Nathaniel Donald Stull. Donald was my grandfather's name. I was almost named Alexander--LEX! These days, I mostly go by Nate. In comics, there is Nate Grey (X-Man) and Nathaniel Essex (Sinister).
18.) I am a textbook case for the Zodiac sign Libra.
19.) I find Superman to be a tragic character. It's sad, really. Poor guy.
20.) Sometimes, I talk to myself. So what.
21.) For me, one path that leads to the Dark Side is Monopoly.
22.) I prefer thin crust pizza. And when ordering Chinese, I usually get Sesame Chicken. Is that two?
23.) I was hired for a job to replace my wife, who took a transfer/promotion.
24.) I only listen to NPR or XM Radio. But my brother Travis just gave me an eight disk set of CDs with some awesome music. To the point that I might let go of XM.
25.) Some say I'm intuitive. I think it's mostly observation.

Book of Changes

2009-01-20T14:13:00.003-06:00

Today marks a new president in the White House; the second president I've voted for to make the move (my first election to vote was 1992). Barack is the first of many things and I look forward to seeing what else he does first in his time.

A few random thoughts:

I watched the inauguration in the work cafeteria on the big screen. The A/C was on, even though it was about 50 degrees outside. I ate chili.
Our work network servers have been spotty at best due to the high volume of streaming video emplyees are apparently running today.
With all this refreshing hope, I hope The People don't expect miracles. Even his economic plan won't see a huge impact for a year or so.
I hope we really do harness our leadership in science and technology.
I'm not too upset to take the 10 % pay cut announced last week at work because I believe.

Fuzzy Thoughts

2009-01-18T09:08:00.002-06:00

Today, we are going to Cicada Oaks to see my brother and his family. We're going to celebrate a birthday for one of the girls. And, we get to see our dog, Walker. He's been out there since we moved to Austin and I really miss him--or any fuzzy animal for that matter. We plan to rent a house or duplex after the lease is up on this apartment. That will help us take Walker back. And depending on all that, there is beagle mix discussion for our future.

I also need to take him to a vet here in Austin, which i think I'll do next week. He's due for some shots.

Side Note: I don't miss Roscoe as much as the dog, but that's probably because I've always been a dog person. Yvonne and I aren't really interested in another cat ever. Roscoe sort of traumatized us and we haven't healed, lol.

Side Note II: I just scanned my files for photos of Walker and don't have any up to date! Will be fixed today.

Want

2009-01-05T19:27:00.004-06:00

2008 in Review

2009-01-05T15:20:00.003-06:00

I don't think I could have said it better myself. Thanks to Crystal Eye for the linky.

2009 New Year Resolutions

2009-01-03T22:02:00.005-06:00

Workout more/Lose weight/Eat better
Teach Zoe more words
Keep the marriage strong
Keep a roof over our heads and a pantry full of "grain" (i.e. succeed at work during this economy)
Pay off more debt
Improve my poker skillz. Try to compete.
Read more (I have books, just not the time to read figured out)
Find a place to live with a yard/second bedroom and get Walker back
Learn more than two guitar chords
Maintain a steady stream of Xbox Live achievement points

Back at It

2008-12-30T09:57:00.004-06:00

We had a nice trip to Dallas for the holidays. With four families all converging for four days, there was no boredom. Unfortunately, Yvonne was pretty sick most the time with coughing and congestion. And I got it late in the trip. But, that didn't stop me from taking Zoe to see King Tut with Grandma at the DMA and the ICE! exhibit with Papa at the Gaylord Texan. Zoe also spent lots of time with her cousins and had a great time. They are great with her.

Part of our gifts was photos. The picture at top is one from a photo shoot we did with shutterflykisses.com about a month ago. We printed a few and shared those with a few photos taken at day care (school pics).

Overall, Christmas was good. Yvonne got a Kindle and lots of chocolate. I got a computer, Ipod Nano and lots of chocolate. Zoe got an Elmo chair, lots of toys and clothes.

The only bummer was Yvonne and I both had a few friends we would have liked to of seen. She was too sick to visit her friends and time just got away from me. Before we knew it, we were packing the car for the trip home. Oh, the trip home was brutal! Lots of accidents. I-35 is the biggest joke in modern transportation.

Holiday parties and lights

2008-12-16T09:52:00.002-06:00

The holiday season is in full swing here. Both our work holiday parties were last night. Unfortunately, Yvonne is sick and had to skip them. Zoe is borderline sick, so we decided to keep her home just in case. The last thing we want is to let her play with a bunch of kids and get them sick.

The last couple days, I've had a sore throat. Yesterday was the worst day and now I'm starting to feel better. I took a half-dose of NyQuil last night that seemed to help. This morning, the throat was much better, but I can't seem to clear the fog in my head. And no it's not from the holiday party last night, hehe

Last Friday, we babysat a 2-year-old for friends while they went to their holiday party. We bundled both kids in blankets in the strollers and walked to the Zilker tree (which we can see from our patio by the way). We bought a pretzel and watched the people play around. It was fun. By the time we walked back, Zoe was ready to sleep. Overall it was a good time.

I've completed most of my shopping. I need to buy about three more presents. We are driving up to Dallas next Monday for the week. My bro and his clan are driving up as well and it should be a nice family time. We are even going to check out King Tut.

The new computer is great. It's nice to push the power button and it comes on. The old computer needs a lot of hand holding in order to power up. Sometimes I have to power down all the accessories (Printers, USB router, etc.) and it works. When that doesn't work, I unplug the USB router from the computer (I suspect the computer is powering the router when i unplug the accessories and it might affect the computer's power up). And sometimes, I hit the power button and walk away in disgust only to find the computer powers up about 30 minutes later. Definitely a power issue of some sort. Might need a new power supply. Or, a good box...

Technical difficulties

2008-12-13T10:01:00.001-06:00

I have a new computer! I'm transferring data from my old computer. It's mostly going well, except importing my old email messages.

The old computer is having trouble turning on. It's about 6 years old and starting to clunk up.

Set Phasers on Vacation

2008-11-21T10:33:00.002-06:00

Work has a mandatory shutdown next week and I'm looking forward to real time off. I didn't take much time off between jobs, so it's been a while since I've had a real vacation--last Christmas? I don't even know.

As a result of the shutdown, work has been busy. Not in a bad way, but in a steady, wow it's already 4:30pm, kind of way.

We are going to Midland for the holiday, so I probably won't update.

Be merry and thankful.

"World War Z" Movie?? Hell Yeah

2008-11-14T11:50:00.000-06:00

Dark Horizons reports:

Marc Forster is moving from action spy territory to an apocalypse of the undead.

The "Quantum of Solace" director is set to helm "World War Z", the film adaptation of Max Brooks's best-selling and politically charged novel about a worldwide infestation of flesh-eating zombies reports Variety.

The book is a collection of first person accounts of various survivors from around the globe a decade after a zombie pandemic first emerged from the Three Gorges Dam area in China in the 2010s and proceeded to decimate the globe.

The accounts involve not just some diverse stories of battles for survival, but the religious, geo-political, and environmental implications that came with the plague.

"Changeling" scribe and "Babylon 5" creator J. Michael Straczynski is writing the screenplay, and Brad Pitt's Plan B is producing.

I'd be in detention too

2008-11-12T15:16:00.003-06:00

What i don't get is -10 character points ...Click for full image

New Trek

2008-11-12T11:14:00.001-06:00

I'm a huge "Lost" fan and was pretty excited to hear J.J. Abrams is revamping Star Trek. I've been quietly checking out photos and such, but today they show the new Enterprise. I think it looks good, don't you?

New Day, new era

2008-11-05T12:54:00.003-06:00

After the historical results of yesterday's election, it's a time for change.

And to follow that momentum, I canceled my Myspace account today. It's been an idea I've been bouncing around for a while, since I don't get anything out of the site anymore. And I wasn't getting any good updates/notes on MS anymore. Facebook seems more my speed.

Dallas House is Sold

2008-11-04T11:09:00.004-06:00

We closed today on the Dallas house. It was a good run and an expensive lesson in property ownership. We can finally say we are done with Dallas and face news lives in Austin. Zoe changed rooms yesterday and today is election day. A day of changes!

Maybe to emphasize why we wanted to move, or maybe just out of coincidence, I got this email today from the old Dallas neighborhood crime watch:

ALERT: Be aware that the following incidents have taken place in our neighborhood in the past few days:

DOOR KNOCKING: 2 residents on Rambling had someone knocking on their doors between 4 - 4:30 A.M. on Saturday, Nov 1st. These may have been attempted burglaries.

GUNSHOTS: We are once again experiencing an increase in hearing gunshots. Please try to isolate the area where the shots are coming from and report those to 9-1-1 immediately.

TAGGING: 2 residents on Rambling had their garage doors tagged (marked with graffiti) on Monday, Nov 3rd.

We are all bogged down with news of the economy and elections. Don't lose sight of the progress our Neighborhood Association has made in our community and the security we can provide for our families, neighbors and property.

Family Music Festival fun

2008-10-13T20:27:00.006-06:00

Zoe Dancing from Nathan Stull on Vimeo.

Under Contract

2008-10-06T18:04:00.001-06:00

It's official. They want us out by November. Woot!

Send Us Mojo

2008-10-02T10:19:00.002-06:00

I don't want to brag, but I guess my blog is kind of a big deal. The potential buyer MUST have read my post yesterday because late in the day we heard from our realtor that they withdrew their bid on the other house and plan to make an offer on ours sometime today.

So, if you read this, send us mojo!

Second Place?

2008-10-01T08:51:00.000-06:00

Word from our Dallas realtor is that someone was very serious about our house. Upon further investigation, she discovered it was their second choice. Apparently, the buyer is going to try to work out a price on another house first. IF that falls through, they will come to us.

So close, yet so far. A perfect birthday present would a bid on our Dallas house.

Moved and Grooved

2008-09-22T13:49:00.002-06:00

We are in our new apartment and the move was relatively painless. Of course, all our stuff is still in Dallas. It's been a rough few days, but we are surviving.

With the move comes an added desire to sell the house in Dallas even more. Paying rent and mortgage together blows chunks. We're lucky we are only starting both now, but the prospect of doing it over a long period of time will be hard. I might need to get a second j-o-b or something.

I just ended a contract for freelance work, so I could concentrate on the new j-o-b I'm working. It would have helped, but it didn't pay much, or often (every three months). So, if I take on extra work now, it'll be faster cash and less cerebrial.

Zoe seems to like the new apartment and has already managed to escape the back porch. She just walked through the railing bars. That was a fun moment ...

Yesterday morning around 7:45a.m., we went for a walk and saw an armadillo scrounging around in the parking lot. Zoe reacts to animals and birds with excitement these days and we watched the 'dillo for a while. She also squeaks in the car when she sees a bird.

The Old 'Hood

2008-09-08T15:10:00.004-06:00

We have had a very nice stroke of luck becoming friends with one I dub Old Skool and his familia. Case and point, we've been living at their house in Austin the entire time we've been down here. They have been extremely generous and without that, our transition would be much less smooth.

But, the truth of the matter is we can't live there forever, or even until our house sells someday. We don't even know when the house will sell, so we made the decision to rent an apartment for a year.

One of the only negatives to this decision falls on the house in Dallas and when that will sell. Obviously, we're still paying a mortgage up there. The second negative is also a positive: while we won't get to enjoy our generous friends' company, we will be out of their way.

Actually, I just thought of one more negative that is unrelated: we rented a no-pet apartment. Walker will have to remain at Cicada Oaks for the time being and I'm still figuring out how to make that work well. Roscoe, well, I just don't know. The house-sitter is talking about how he loves the cat and might want to keep him and I'm inclined to let him.

Now for the good part; positives.

We will live within walking distance of Zilker Park, Barton Springs, and Barton Springs Road (Shady Grove, Chuy's etc.).
We will live closer to work and day care.
Our generous friends (see above) are also giving us some old furniture (some to keep, some to borrow), so we won't need to take too much out of the Dallas house (which is staged)
This one is personal: I will feel more "at home" in Austin, and less of a visitor--maybe I will even feel like an Austinite again.
ACL for free off the back patio.
Greenbelt is 20 feet behind the back patio.
Pool!

Living Strong, Living in A-Town

2008-09-03T17:34:00.004-06:00

It has been pretty busy around here. We've had something planned every weekend for the past few weeks. And there are at least two more weekends ahead that are booked.

Things we've done:

Babysat for my bro and sister in-law so they could enhoy a "date night".

Looked at Austin homes

Visited with family from out of town (Dallas, hehe)

Voluneered for the Lance Armstrong Foundation's Human Race

Things we are about to do:

Drive up to the Dallas house to gather various items

Drive to Midland for a fun baby shower

Meet with a mortgage broker to line everything up for when the Dallas property sells

Funny Observation

2008-08-20T09:30:00.002-06:00

At my previous job in Dallas, I covered new restaurants, bars, etc. There were often times, I had to compose a list of top burgers, or layout pages with food shots. After a few hours in the morning of doing this work, I usually began to crave a burger, Mexican food or something that I just finished working on (sushi, too).

These days at my new job, I work for a tech company. Instead of burgers, it's computer components. And the funny thing is now instead of craving a burger, I find myself thinking, "Ooooo, my next computer will have one of those."

Feeling Better

2008-08-12T15:55:00.004-06:00

I must have gotten a 24-hour bug or something. Sunday afternoon, I started feeling woozy. Then, the feeling just got worse and worse until I went to bed at nine. If you know me, you know I don't normally do that. I stayed in bed for about an hour under two covers shivering until I fell asleep.

All day yesterday, I felt pretty out of it. Dizzy, hot and cold spells, and headaches. I had a hard time focusing at work. But since I'm still pretty new around the office, I didn't feel comfortable taking a sick day. Funny, I'd rather be comfortable about the appearance of my work ethic, than, well, just be comfortable.

I went to bed at 9:30 p.m. last night and today I feel great. I'm able to focus and no headaches, chills, etc.

So there you go. Sickness is hopefully gone. I say hopefully because as soon as I say it's gone for sure, I'll start to shiver or something; Murphy's Law.

I guess that was before Murphy became Robocop...

That one's for all you nerds out there.

Happy Hour?

2008-08-04T10:19:00.004-06:00

I have wife clearance for a happy hour this week, any days but Tuesday and Wednesday.

Any takers?

Situation Report

2008-07-31T10:35:00.005-06:00

After being in Austin one full week, I thought a sit rep would be good. Basically, the state of the union is good.

Living at a buddy's house hasn't been as cramped as I expected. Yvonne and I try to step up and do things around the house when possible. Zoe is very mobile, but well contained. hehe. She likes people, so she's developing special bonds with the people in the house. She seems to be going through a rough teething spell, that's been waking us all up a few nights for a couple hours. Sleep levels were low until I got a full seven hours last night.

Work has been interesting. I haven't completed a full week yet, and things are still catching up. I'm waiting on various elements: computer, security tag, etc. I've eaten in the cafeteria everyday and that's not a problem at all. The views are nice and I even ate outside yesterday.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to catch up on other things in life. I have some freelance work that's piling up. While I was living in Dallas alone, I was pushing a lot of my nerdy stuff to the top of the Netflix queue. Now, I need to watch those so new movies arrive. I am also reading book 8 of "The Walking Dead" and the two people I've spoken to about it (they both read it already) are excited to talk to me when I'm done. I'm about half-way now.

Walker is at Cicada Oaks and from initial reports he is doing well. The house sitter in Dallas is watching Roscoe.

This weekend is our five year anniversary. We are staying at the hotel we were married at. Funny how easy that is to do when you're in the same city. It's amazing we planned that whole darn wedding from Chicago.

Foundation, The Movie?

2008-07-29T21:52:00.002-06:00

I thought this was encouraging. If they can actually get around to "Watchmen", then "Foundation" can't be completely out of the scope of reality ... so to speak.

New Project

2008-07-29T16:07:00.003-06:00

For fun, me and a buddy are figuring out how to organize a poker game. Legal, of course. In the meantime, I made this resource site for us as we figure it out.

In Austin

2008-07-25T08:51:00.002-06:00

Well folks, here I am. The trip down was hectic, but once I got here and saw Yvonne and Zoe things smoothed out. I think they both appreciate me around.

Walker is being boarded until Sunday. Then, I'll take him out to Cicada Oaks to stay until further notice (we sell the Dallas house). We seem to be hovering in a good holding pattern for now.

Austin is much different. Every interaction you have, the person is nice. From the check out line at the grocery store, to the gas station attendants, to the random person in the elevator. It's refreshing. Not that Dallas is grumpy, but people aren't as warm.

I might buy some work clothes today and catch up on some other work.

This looks good

2008-07-20T19:13:00.000-06:00

P.S. Batman Dark Knight was awesome

Memed Copy

2008-07-17T09:56:00.004-06:00

What I was Doing Ten Years Ago
I was working for a local weekly newspaper. I had just become the editor after working as the staff writer for a year. My ulcer was beginning to develop.

Five Snacks I Enjoy
1. Chicken wings
2. Take Five
3. Pizza
4. BBQ Chips
5. Cheese and crackers

Five Things On My To-do List Today
1. Try to rehome our cat
2. Laundry
3. Call insurance about a cracked windshield
4. Freelance work
5. Clean house

Five Favorite Recipes
1. BBQ (anything)
2. Lasagna
3. Fried chicken
4. Breakfast tacos
5. Queso

Five Jobs I’ve Had
1. Writer
2. Editor
3. Sales rep
4. Chemical waste treatment
5. Bag boy (first job!)

Five Bad Habits
1. Worrying
2. Beer, etc.
3. Eating bad food
4. Not working out
5. Being too social

All The Places I’ve Lived
1. Davis, CA
2. San Diego, CA
3. Dallas, TX
4. Miami, FL
5. Houston, TX
6. El Campo, TX
7. Austin, TX
8. Chicago, IL

Five Random Things About Me
1. I like fly fishing.
2. I'm a sci-fi nerd.
3. When I get motion sickness, I close my eyes are pretend I'm in the Millennium Falcon.
4. I'm relatively good at training mutts
5. I can be intuitive, sometimes.

Five People I’m Tagging
Nobody. But, I was tagged by Katy. So was Yvonne.

Moving to Austin

2008-07-15T07:55:00.002-06:00

Some of you may read my wife's blog where she mentioned she and Zoe are living in Austin. I've had a couple friends ask me if everything is OK and what is going on?

We are all moving to Austin. If we could have done it at the same time, that would have been great. But, it takes a while to iron out details and find opportunity.

So, next Wednesday, I'm moving down there to join them. I'm looking forward to living down there again. It's a great town with great people.

So, that's the big news. :)

Police State

2008-07-13T17:05:00.002-06:00

If you don't know we live in a police state, you aren't paying attention.

Imagine full (gilly) camo Marines watching you 200 yards from your home and determining you were a hostile that needed to be "neutralized."

Major Change

2008-07-10T20:39:00.002-06:00

Most people know big change is on the way for me and mine. Some of us have already seen it. And, soon so will I. If this sounds like I'm talking in code, it's only because I need to handle the situation delicately. It's the main reason my blog has been kind of silent the past few months. Soon, I will reveal the bunny in the hat.

Yayyyy!!

2008-06-28T11:31:00.001-06:00

Grillin' Season

2008-06-23T21:42:00.003-06:00

On a recent visit to my brother's house, Yvonne shot this photo. That was a good day.

And Zoe is awesome (Yvonne says I'm biased).

Hide and Seek With Da from Nathan Stull on Vimeo.

A couple new videos

2008-06-10T08:05:00.002-06:00

Lots of crazy things are happening here. Life-changing things that I hope to write about soon.

In the meantime, enjoy the show.

Dog Play from Nathan Stull on Vimeo.

I'm mailing a check to Yoko as we speak. It's in the mail!

Frog Feet Go for a Walk from Nathan Stull on Vimeo.

A Year in Review

2008-05-19T19:52:00.003-06:00

A year ago, I ran red lights in front of my mother-in-law and she encouraged me.

Yvonne was in labor, it close to 36 hours and little did we know she was 8 centimeters. We left they house because she had the "urge to push." Hence, running red lights.

Since that morning at 4am, Zoe has tripled in size. She's gone from smiling to smiling with five teeth. She's gone from not being able to hold up her head to running.

Breastfeeding to cupcake.

Year 1: Zoe D

2008-05-18T18:44:00.002-06:00

Good little Zoe will be 1 year old tomorrow. She's tripled her size and gone from not being able to hold up her head to running on the floor. From breast feeding to eating a hole Sprinkles cupcake on her birthday.

Has My Vote

2008-05-13T20:35:00.000-06:00

Surviving

2008-05-09T09:40:00.004-06:00

Yvonne and I decided to finish up our house. That involves painting our den and kitchen, as well as a bathroom. Right now, I'm in the garage with a foot on a bag of mulch because the fumes are hard core. They closed the rooms off with plastic sheets because they are spraying everything.

So, all our kitchen stuff is spread throughout the front room. We watched "Lost" in the guest bedroom and there's paper or plastic covering the majority of the house. We opened the windows last night and that was a huge help.

Last weekend, I had 115 bags of mulch delivered. I estimate about 18 are left and about three beds outside. Then the outside is done, other than some planting in two beds.

We are getting the house in ship-shape and it's nice.

Poor little Zoe had strep last week and has been recovering. Today was the first day where she seemed her usual cheerful self. It's nice to have her back.

Testing Video

2008-05-05T12:22:00.000-06:00

Does this seem a littler clearer to you?

Untitled from Nathan Stull on Vimeo.

Good joke

2008-04-30T09:20:00.001-06:00

What did the buddhist say to the hot dog vendor?

Make me one with everything.

Update of the Living Dead

2008-04-28T15:06:00.004-06:00

We had a garage sale this past Saturday. We accomplished both our goals: make a little cash and get rid of a lot of stuff. We still have some leftover items (clothes, table, crib, etc.), but it shouldn't be too hard to donate. Yvonne and I are still recovering. Our legs and backs were sore.

I know just doing videos is a little lame like the last post I did, so I'm mixing it up by also typing something. Here's a video of Zoe helping at the garage sale (before customers arrived).

And, here's a photo of all our stuff:

We've also been adapting to life with an almost-walker. Zoe can take about 10 steps before falling, but that's enough mobility to change the game. We added a baby pin to our living room that seems to do the trick pretty well.

Yesterday, we had a couple friends come over for burgers and Rock Band. We downloaded "Heroes" by David Bowie, "Truckin'" by the Grateful Dead and "Roxanne" by the Police. Yvonne sang "Roxanne" and I sang the Dead. It was fun and the burgers ended up putting everyone into a coma.

And in my effort to keep things mixed, check out this video of Zoe dancing to "Still Alive" from the game Portal. She gets into it. This is the second time I played the song. The first time, she hopped over to the TV to dance. I think that's why she mellows out a little here.

Learning to Walk

2008-04-13T18:20:00.000-06:00

Sci-Fi actors' guild?

2008-03-14T09:51:00.007-06:00

Anyone who really knows me, knows I'm into Sci-Fi. This is a post about a recent observation in the TV shows.

The other day I was talking to a friend about the show "Stargate: SG1". If you don't know the show, Richard Dean Anderson ("Macgayver") played the lead character for most of the show's existence. Yeah, that show. Yvonne calls it "The show with the guy with gold silly putty on his forehead."

Indeed.

Most people don't really pay attention to the show, but I like it. The dialogue between the characters is funny and the special effects aren't too bad. And I like it's spin-off show too, "Stargate: Atlantis".

Anyway, my friend and I were discussing how SG seems to absorb other sci-fi shows' actors. For example, after "Farscape" ended, two of the main characters joined the SG team.

Farscape, check.

Then, we started breaking it down. OK, the hologram doctor from "Voyager" plays a government suit in a few episodes.

Star Trek, check.

It started to get funny. In fact, I noticed a wraith on Atlantis that looked a lot like Trip, from "Star Trek: Enterprise" after that show was cancelled. Yup.

Star Trek, double check.

When "Firefly" cancelled, the "Stargate: Atlantis" team found themselves with a new doctor. She went from being a natural mechanic to a full blown doctor. Only in Sci-Fi, baby.

Firefly, check.

So I was asking my friend, what other Sci-Fi shows were there? Who else can we include? We were stumped and the conversation ended.

Then I caught an episode last night of SG1 (Daniel Jackson was kidnapped by "Shaka" for a right of passage ceremony) and noticed a guard looked a lot like a Nietzchean from "Andromeda". I was right, but I can't find the actor's name. Then I remembered, another character of that cancelled show also became the new doctor in the SG1 series.

Andromeda, double check.

Editor's note: Major Coburn was played by Steve Bacic. See comments for all the hot nerdy details.

So, I ask you: What other shows are there?

Friday Night Party

2008-03-03T22:45:00.000-06:00

The girls enjoy a dance around the fire.

Sychronize

2008-02-25T21:06:00.005-06:00

It was early, approximately 5:45am, like every morning. First program begins to run: is the alarm set so we get up on time? I could sleep four more days and never wake up. What would work think? I check the radio volume and turn it up.

The baby was still sleeping, so I want as much sleep as I can get. I think I got up at 3am and made a bottle?

I knew the pending alarm was on the way. At 6am, it begins to play classical music at a loud volume.

I hit snooze and adjust the volume lower. I typically hit snooze during the work week three times until 6:30am, when the next program initiates. The snooze is like a warning system for me.

At 6:30am, the next program begins to run. Who is taking the baby? Do I need to get up or can I sleep in? Yvonne is taking her on Monday. That's right. OK. Does she remember?

Tap tap. "It's 6:30."

"Wha? zzzzz"

Sleep resumes all around.

Fast forward 10 minutes. The snooze returns. 101.1 FM plays softly.

Tap tap. "It's 6:40."

"Huh? zzzz"

New program begins to run. If integer Y doesn't get up by time index B (A defined by initial alarm), what action does integer N need to take?

Processing. Resume sleeping until information is ready.

Ten minutes later, the strings and brass return with a light march on the clock. I hit the button turning the alarm off once and for all and sit up.

"I better get up so the house is running and we can get to day care and work on time," I think to myself, a little annoyed at the light snoring in the room. I want to go back to bed.

I head to the bathroom and run the shower. About halfway through this shower, I realize it's Sunday.

Oh well, now I'm awake. What level am I on in Guitar Hero?

First Crawl?

2008-02-15T10:11:00.001-06:00

Odd occurences

2008-02-13T10:18:00.005-06:00

I took the element to the dealership today for some routine work and a few additions. After dropping it off, I signed up for the shuttle service to take me to work, which was only about 3 miles away. One other person was riding the shuttle with me and I was a little worried when it was in the opposite direction. But, I was more surprised when the shuttle dropped him off at the Porsche dealership.

So a dude drives a Honda van (he was talking about his Odyssey), but works for Porsche? Now, I’ve seen everything. Dallas, you threw me a curve ball.

But that's not as odd as the RSS crop of my last entry's photo. It totally focuses on my belly! WTF? Look at those abs, man ...

On a side note, my grandfather made that belt buckle and it's my favorite.

Trek at the Lake

2008-02-10T13:24:00.000-06:00

Today, we went over to White Rock for a nice walk along the shore. There were many people riding bikes, jogging or even fishing. It was a nice day for it. Walker behaved on the leash pretty well and we managed to take a few photos.

I'm officially a block captain now. My first duty is to collect the names of the neighbors on my street. So at some point, I'll be getting about 25 names--most likely next weekend. This weekend was about tackling a much-needed leaf issue in the front yard. Only eight bags or so, but it had to be broken down into two phases, due to baby time.

Howdy neighbors

2008-02-04T19:38:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow night I'm going to the neighborhood watch meeting and debut as one of the block captains. I don't think they hand out badges, but we'll see. ha ha

SUUUUPERRRRRR TUESSSSSSDAYYYYYY!

Hello 2008

2008-01-28T09:54:00.000-06:00

Nearly a month after the new year, I'll post my resolutions here.

First, the regulars:

Workout/ride my bike more/lose 10 pounds
Eat better
Read more
Let go of idle B.S.

Then, a few new ones:

Be a good dad
Help with the neighborhood association more
Explore existential being and inner peace

I have a couple more, but I don't think I'll post them up here. They are secret missions for only the few.

Playtime

2008-01-21T09:58:00.000-06:00

All in!

2008-01-18T09:16:00.000-06:00

I've been playing World Series of Poker '08 on the 360. So far, it's the best poker game created for the console--if not ever--I've found. I have a buddy in Austin who plays, too. So it has the same social feel to it. My friend found several tournaments and might even win one or two. I haven't had the chance to get too serious with them myself, but I did catch a game last night.

Usually, when I play this group, I do fairly well. I think I got 6 or 7 out of 21 last night. The tourney started late, so i was nodding off. Suddenly, I stirred from a brief slumber to discover I went all in with an off-suit 6-3. Someone called my bullshit and that was the end of me. I was in bed asleep within 3 minutes. If I wasn't so tired, who knows how well I could have done.

Anyone up for playing it in real life?

Improvements

2008-01-16T16:35:00.000-06:00

Sorry I haven't updated recently. My heart hasn't been into it.

We had our trees trimmed for the first time ever this week. It was a hefty bill, but apparently one of the costs of owning huge trees. Go fig. I think they look pretty good--and more importantly, they're not touching the house anymore. The next big project is replacing a sliding glass door with a French door (custom size, no less).

Meanwhile, things are moving right along. Zoe is doing well. The house is in good shape.

The only thing in the air is where I'll be working in about a month an a half. Not, who I will be working for (hopefully, that stays the same), but where. They first told me I'd be going back to working from home. Then, the building peeps mentioned I might stay/be moved in with the sales team (dread). Then, for good measure, my work added another option to the table of working in an entirely different building. "All of these are options," is the most solid statement I'm getting. I'm trying to be a good sport about it, but it's hard when you don't know what the drive will be taking your kid to day care. And it's hard when your opinion is really not considered, even though you've been the only one actually going to the office everyday for the past year.

It is what it is. I will bend like the willow. I have some faith that good people will make good decisions.

And I miss Sophie.

Wonder Bouncer

2007-12-31T14:03:00.001-06:00