Holiday Letter? Bah Humbug...I've got a Holiday BLOG!

Well looky here...I am averaging one to two blog entries a month, how.....mundane. Well it is a new year, and what is new year without a Resolution? (Which is 1024 x 768 here on the laptop....you KNOW that you were thinking it somewhere in your brain...come on..admit it....There you go.) So I hereby resolute to write in my blog once a week! Yes..a bold move on my part, but one I think I can manage. I DID just give up World of Warcraft AND City of Heroes. I should have plenty of time to devote to blogging and writing. Oh and that parenting thing too. ; )

So DA and I managed to get a traditional Holiday Card out to folks this year (more DA than me, kudos to her). We did go with the oh so trendy 'photo on a card' card. But I must admit, DA did an amazing job with the photo montage that is on the card. Way better than the "pict-o-the kids' images that seem to be the fad. Not that there is anything wrong with it.....really. Anyways.....we could have included the traditional Holiday Letter, but it was never vs. send...so.....there ya go.

So instead, consider this (and DA's entries) as our Holiday Letter. List of family facts below in no particular order: good, bad, or indifferent.

• Zeeze born 6.11.06
• Beeze turned 2, hooray!
• Beeze is 2! Ohhhh nooooooo!
• I applied for two great district positions, but did not get them. But got fabulous positive feedback about the interviews. (Always good)
• DA began selling some of her gymnastics items and some art, and a whole lot of other stuff on eBay. The store is going great. See my links for a jump.
• Beeze started pre-school at the Synagogue. Was shaky at first, but now is eager to go.
• Had a leak in the roof above our master bedroom. What follows is almost verbatim the conversations that occurred in bed:

DA: "Hey, there is a crack in the ceiling."
ME: "Hmmmm yep. Should have the roof checked."
two - three weeks go by
DA: "Hey, did you notice that crack is way bigger now. We need to have it checked, the ceiling might fall on you."
ME: "Geeze... the ceiling is NOT going to fall on me. But yeah, I'll call someone tomorrow."
2:30AM that night. CRASH!!!! OWWWWWWW!

Yes indeed, the sky did fall...on my foot! We awoke to a hole in our ceiling. Not fun. So we all (DA, Zeeze, and me) moved into the nursery. Cramped..but cozy.

• I read The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield This is a MUST read. I actually listened to the audiobook which was amazing. I can't recommend this book enough.
• I started teaching two new subjects: Robotics (very fun) & AP Computer Science (awful..but great for the resume)
• Since we do not have Cable Television, the only shows we watch are those that can be gained via the Internet or Netflix. Fortunately, I Have stayed totally up to date on my Battlestar Galactica and Doctor Who. Bittorrent is a wonderful thing. PREDICTION: TV as we know it will die in 4 years. All hail Web 2.0 and the new media to come. See Links for a jump to interesting things to come.
• I have made small movement towards work on his novel. Small is the word, but it is movement none-the-less.
• More will be added as I think of them...but right now....I am all done.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and Happy New Year's. And I hope that next year will be better than the last for you and your families.

Please take a second and leave a comment to say hi. Always nice to hear from those reading, if only to say "Kilroy was here". : )

Until next time.....

Happy Birthday World Wide Web!

Monday, November 13th marked the 16th birthday of the World Wide Web. Sweet 16....I wonder if she is driving yet? ; ) Anyways, it got me to thinking about the internet, and how it already seems like it has always been.

For me, I didn't even start using it until the end of grad school (mid 90's). And even then it was just Usenet groups, not real web pages. Then it just happened.....I was using the web. I honestly can't remember when I STARTED, I just remember using it. Very odd not recollecting when it began. But now it is a part of my life, as much as my right hand is to my body.

=> SIDETRACK<= If I could, I would wire a computer into my head so I could read emails, surf the web, and keep my calendar. I am sure I'd do more, but you get the idea. The idea of having a screen readout in my vision or 'mind's eye' Über cool (Nice use of Über, huh? I even got the umlaut in there. Yes, that is what it is called, I even checked with our World Language department, so there!) And to even FURTHER sidetrack this blog, go read the novel FEED by M.T. Anderson. It is about what happens to teens when they DO have a computer in their head. You think they get distracted now? Check out this book. I loved it. The Audiobook is even better, so go out and get it!

=> OK Back to the Bog <=

OK, so the WWW is 16.

I made a comment to the staff yesterday that she is only 16, I wonder what she will grow up to be when she is 30. The web is such a remarkable, beautiful, and still evolving beast. I don' think we can even imagine what it will be like in 15 years, let alone two!

So let's give three cheers to the World Wide Web and wish her a happy birthday!

Saturdays and the Adult Male

I am making a cardinal sin by starting ANYTHING before my first cup of coffee, so please forgive me if I seem a bit less coherent this morning. You have been warned.

OK, so it is Saturday morning, the kids are up (and happy...always good), and I am writing. Now, what I SHOULD be writing is the bible for my Keys novel. Yes, I am quite well aware that you do not know what that is, but bare with me...OK? Thanks.

So as I was saying, it's morning...wait. Coffee is done, be right back. Ok, sorry for that. Oh yeah...that IS better.

Now back to our story.

Saturdays.........As a kid, they were SATURDAY! The day when there was no school, no homework (or at least not yet for us procrastinators), almost no responsibilities, and the day were you were free. As a young adult, this mostly held true. Then adulthood had to sneak up on me. Now don't get me wrong, being grown up and a dad is fabulous. But there is still a part of me that is the kid who is longing to run free on Saturdays.

Which is where the dilemma arises. Now Saturdays are for family and the work that didn't get done during the week. That sense of freedom is gone, replaced with obligations and responsibilities. In order to HAVE fun, there needs to be nothing to be done, wife and kids occupied on their own, and TIME.

Did I mention that the planets need to be aligned in order for that to happen?

So alas, here I am WITH free time and what do I do? Write in my blog..which brings me back to the Keys novel. That is what I really should be doing. As an aspiring writer, I have this great idea (don't we all) for a Young Adult series..it's just that I can't get it out of the ether. It's there...ready to be written, but I can't find the time to write. Args...

Anyways....the natives are restless, my cup runeth empty, and frankly so is my tummy. I foresee pancakes on the horizon.

Until next time.

PS: I think I am finally due some free time in 2438.

So it begins.....

Well...here it is. My very own blog. Alas, the bell has rung, and I am off to class! Ahh the joys of teaching. : ) See you soon.