steeleBreeze

test

2008-01-08T15:23:00.001-05:00

http://en.thisbitch.info/?id=3a7a889540521050c6eb14a803307aed

Awake at 2:00 AM

2007-06-20T07:29:00.000-05:00

It's not 2:00AM now - just that I was awake at 2:00am. Probably should have re thought the title. hmmmm Anyway Joshua had an Asthma attack on Monday afternoon/evening. So much so we had to bring him in to the doctors. It was his doctor who stayed late to see and I am grateful for that. She is excellent with our kids. Anyway they took his stats and everything looked good his O2 sat was 94 ~ 95% and his breathing was good. Much better than the last time we took him in with this.

So they gave Josh a Xopenex treatment at the office and she told me every 4 hours - unless he is sleeping. So back home we went - and I, as well as my wife, were feeling much relieved. So we finally get all the kids bed. We go to bed as well were tired (as most parent of 3 under 5 are). Anyway Josh wakes up coughing and crying at 2:00. So I go into his room and after 5 minutes I decide that he needs another round of Xopenex. The only problem is that this stuff "wires" josh and he can't sleep for a while. Come to find out that , while, is like 2 hours. So we laid on his bed, because how dare I leave him, until he falls asleep around 4:30 ish. I get up at 6:00 - good nights sleep.

Oh did I mention that our oldest spent the night in our bed the previous night with a mild fever and neck pains. Seems to be the after effects of having his adenoids removed. And oh yeah our youngest was in the bed as well. So no sleep for 2 nights. But hey its all part of parenting, right?

I really do love my kids - just wish tthey would let me sleep a wee bit more.

later
.mike

C # project

2007-06-01T08:34:00.000-05:00

Ok I found a project to undertake.

I am going to write a commission program. I know, I know there are probably hundreds of those things out there and I'm sure a bunch are free. But my aim to to learn C#.

The original program I wrote was in Quatro Pro Borlands spreadsheet program waaaay back in 1994. That one lasted about a year. The information became to much to deal with in a spreadsheet plus formatting and printing was a pain. So then I moved on to Paradox, Borlands database product. Much easier to deal with. I designed that back in 1995 and I still use it. So I figured that a rewrite would be a good idea. I will be using MS-Access as the database.

The first design was much along the same lines of the Paradox layout. One table named commission to hold all of the information and run the reports off of that. A few problems with that design. One was that if the percentage changed during the year it would change the whole year not just from that time forward. The other problem was reporting. I had to programatically stop the execution of the program to let the report catch up. So I want to avoid those problems. So I quickly realized that I was going to run into some of the same issues. So I came up with a new design.

Design number two. This one is more to my liking. There are two tables once named commission and one named transactions. Now the commission table looks something like this:

policyNumber of type string
policyHolder of type string
printOrder of type integer
salesman1 of type string
percentage1 of type double
salesman2 of type string
percentage2 of type double
(this will continue for six (6) salesmen)

and the transaction table looks something like this:

policyNumber of type string
policyHolder of type string
printOrder of type integer
salesman of type string
percentage of type double
month of type string
year of type string
gross of type double
net of type double

So basically you will have a record on the screen one at a time. You will then click the add a transaction button and another window will open up, which will be the transaction window. All the fields will be populated except for the gross and net amounts. The user will then enter the gross amount and click the post transaction button which will close the window and update the transaction database with the new record - including the net amount. Thus the issue of changinf percentage will be taken care of.

Next hurdle will be the reporting. I have to figure out how to use that. I have created a basic report - but this one will need a bit more functionality. Like a break out of each salesman and a total report. Shouldn't be too bad.

Ok that's all I have for now.

later
.mike

becomming a c # (or is it c sharp ) programmer

2007-05-31T08:55:00.000-05:00

well i'm still trying to pick this up. going ok. you see i went to college for programming - i have a degree in computer science. go figure i actually called it way back when. i knew i liked programming in high school. now i'm 38 soon to be 39 and i still like it. problem is years ago i made a few bad choices, the end result was me taking a job i did not like. it was an IT job and i am still here. i was single - the job was easy and i had no vision for the future. well now i am married and have 3 kids and the job is still the same. no challenge so i have set a goal of learning c# to have a skill that I can use outside of work. hopefully within a few years i will be able to work from home and leave this job behind me.

So my programming background is from command line COBOL, Pascal, Fortran, Basic etc...procedure based stuff. So now moving to the object oriented programming has been a bit of a change but the logic really has not changed. When I learned programming we built apps much the same way. 1 procedure to do 1 job. That's it. It made code manageable and you knew where to look if something broke.

Now with Libraries, classes etc. It all just seems a little to much overhead. I mean most of the work is making the program talk to the OS very little actual programming. Just seems to be alot of work for nothing. But I digress. I have been picking stuff up.

Now I am at a point where I need a project - so I think I will re-write a commission program that I did in Paradox years ago. It still works fine but I think the project would be easy enought to tackle so I will try to post progress on here every once in a while. Hope this does not bore the 1 person reading this.

later
.mike

Lost - 24 - House

2007-05-24T10:48:00.000-05:00

If you look closely these are all shows thatmy wife and I watch regulaly. With Bones thrown in there every once in a while.

We watched the 2 hour season finally of Lose last night. After a so-so season it was nice to see that they can still write a decent episode. Something actually happened. Kinda had to since it was the season finally and you need a cliffhanger.

Couple of thoughts: Nice to see that no one is safe Charlie kicking it old school was a nice touch. Saving his friend and all. But really if Desmond hadn't told him how he would die would he have closed the door from the inside? I was wondering why he did not close the door from the other side? Go figure. My feeling is that he is really dead. Not like Mikahl, Locke or Charlie (the first time with the hanging.)

Jack in the post rescue scene referring to his father. Kinda odd - wondering if they are trying to throw us off the track.

Also Ben telling Jack that Niaomi is not who she pretends to be seems to be off as well. Since when has Ben told the truth. She may not pose the imminent danger that Ben thinks. It may well be that Ben knows his little monarchy is over if "society" finds them.

I like the fact that Jack played hard core with Ben as well. Ben has lost his hold over Jack. Jack out played him.

All in all a good finale -can't wait until next season.

Change of pace to 24.

Not a bad season but they really need to change it up. I heard that the writers are going in a different direction. This weapon of mass destruction plot is getting thin. Although you never know who will live and who won't. Gotta like that. Killed off a bunch of good guys as well as baddies.

I liked the season finale, blowing up stuff is fun. But that scene with Heller at the end was kind of off. Besides that it was good.

Lastly House.

The season finale is next week, thanks American Idol. Anyway still a great show. The whole sub-plot with the cop and the drug issue was a pain and did nothing to advance the characters. Fun show.

later
.mike

still nothing

2007-05-17T15:56:00.000-05:00

Yep still nothing. Doing some stuff here at work. Just can't get into it today. I figured some stuff with c # out so that's a plus. It's just that I've been here 13.5 years and I just do not feel challenged anymore. Plus the fact that I'm taking a riduclous amount of time off for kids doctor visits, michelle's physical therapy and school visits I'm amazed I have not been "talked" to.

Well that's why I am learning C# perhaps a new language will help things along. I'd like to program from home. Just have to figure out a program that people would use. I'm sure there are plenty of good ideas out there. Just have to find one.

Well on the plus side I have a new computer with dual monitors and windows vista. I have no idea what people are complaining about, I like the new interface. Things look neat and what's wrong with that? Plus it's just cool as far as i'm concerned. I was one of the early Windows 95 users as well as 98 and xp. Each upgrade has been better than the last. Granted this one is a huge machine hog but hey i'll take it. I got a brandy new machine as well fun fun fun!! plus i want to stay ahead of the curve when we HAVE to start getting vista. now i can use the machine with out all that fighting to find stuff. xp seems archaic now. with transparent windows and the like. just a much nicer interface to work with. just my 2 cents.

listening to vh1.com radio right now the hair band station - slade's run run away is on. geez have not heard it in quite a while! i guess i'm starting to get old eh? graduated high school in 1986. yep i passed my 20 year reunion last year. i'm so proud of myself - i have not been to any reunion - except for the 5 year one which really does not count. my friends are now turning 40 and it's my turn next year. don't feel like 40. my parents seemed so much older at 40 than I feel. go figure.

ok spinal tap is on - sex farm - great movie!

i guess i have ranted enough

later
.mike

C# or C Sharp

2007-05-17T11:26:00.000-05:00

Either way I am still learning it.

It is interesting to say the least. I went through some tutorials and that helped get used to the development environment. But I still need to learn a bit about the language and .net. Seems like I am not makeing any headway but I am, it is just slow. I just figured out reports, at least one aspect of them anyway. So that is a plus.

I think I set my goals to high so I get frustrated when I can not figure something out. I have programmed in Paradox for a while so I have that dowm. I also have used Visual Basic 6 and some VB.net but I figured a good way to learn would be to pick something completely new to learn. Maybe a mistake going that way but I am plowing ahead. I just get side tracked easily when I get frustrated. Like now I am writing in my blog instead of working out a new problem I have encountered.

Whee.

Anway should ge back to work.

Later
.mike

bang your head

2007-05-10T15:20:00.000-05:00

well i'm an ax grinder
pile driver
mama sez that i never never mind her...

well if these lyrics sound familiar to you - excellent you grew up in the 80's as well.

i am listening to vh1.com radio station - 80's rock

and bang your head by quiet riot came on.

now i owned this CASSETTE back in the day so i may have listened to it a few times
did i mention that i was somewhat of a metal head?

anyway it came on and i remember the lyrics. go figure i have not heard this song for well over 10 years prolly closer to 15 still knew all the words. i can't remember what day it is or what i am doing tonight - but hey i can still lip sync to quiet riot.

rock on dude....rock on

.mike

life goal

2007-05-03T07:44:00.000-05:00

or some such thing.

although it seems like a good idea. michelle gave me an article about reaching your goals and how to attain them. you write down on a piece of paper what you want if money, time, people etc... were of no concern. then you refine it to what you can do and put that at the top of your list. then you put down the item before the goal that would get you there. you work your way backwards until you have a starting point. i am over simplifying (sp?) it but you get the idea. the you give yourself a time table - a realistic one. not like 30 days. review your list frequently with friends family and yourself and keep to your time table. your list may be rewritten several times but keep in mind the big picture. get excited about it. pray about it. and get to it.

my goal job wise anyway is to be able to work from home writing software.

that's the end goal.

to reach that goal i have set up a path, actually two. i am not sure which one i will stick with. perhaps both. i'm not sure if i want to become an independent contractor or release a product(s). either way i will work out of the house.

still in the developmental stages. i'll let you know more as i know more!

later
.mike

i am ninja

2007-04-27T07:47:00.000-05:00

if you haven't already go to the www.askaninja.com .

i have not been in a while.

hilarious.

i watched 4 or 5 podcasts - really good

later
.mike

last 10 songs i listened to

2007-04-26T07:56:00.000-05:00

10. sweating bullets - megadeth
9. barry williams show - peter gabriel
8. master of puppets - metallica
7. surrender - cheap trick
6. brother of mine - anderson, bruford wakeman & howe
5. salin' shoes - hey julia - sneakin' sally through the alley - robert palmer
4. true confessions - blue oyster cult
3. you shook me all night long - ac/dc
2. money that matters - randy newman
1. industrial disease - dire straits

kinda odd mix

that's what happens when you hit random on the mp3 player.

later
.mike

stop complaning

2007-04-23T14:59:00.000-05:00

ok i've been thinking and i'm still sad about the previous post. but it also made me think, i really have to stop complaning about what I don't have and thank God for what I do have. Life could be so so much worse. i have to stop complaning about the bills, the lack of money, kids not listening, late nights, early mornings.

i love my kids i really do. and i never want anything to happen to them like what i read today. i mean really no parent does. but it just made me stop and think. i really have to change my tune. i have to appreciate everything God has graced me with. I have a loving wife, 3 beautiful kids, a home, a job, a great network of family and close friends. most of whom I could call family. i just need to look around and see that.

my job still stinks, but i have so much more. yeah money is tight right now, but it has not always been that way and it won't always be that way. we made some ill advised financial moves and we will recover and learn from our mistakes. the point here is i have to get over myself and my feelings of blah and enjoy life.

i have had some sad times like when ma died of cancer. i have spent a few days in the hospital with my sons. neither one of those times were fun. but if i had to i'd be there all day every day. i'm not gonna leave my kids alone. period. (michelle would not stand for that either). i want to appreciate my family more!!

my thoughts and prayers are with them right now. and thanks for inspiring me to enjoy what i have now more than ever!

God bless.
.mike

i just can't do it

2007-04-23T13:04:00.000-05:00

I was just at a website http://www.pulitzer.org/year/2007/feature-photography/works/index.html. I just can't do it. After having 3 beautiful kids all under the age of 5. I just can't imagine going through this. I know it happens and I have no idea why, but I do not think I could handle it. I am such a softie now that I have kids. I can't handle anything that hurts kids. I just think about my kids going through this and it just kills me.

Sorry just had to share.

later
.mike

finally some sun

2007-04-23T10:37:00.000-05:00

well we made it!

it's sunny and wow it feels good.

i took the boys out for a ride in the jeep yesterday. just nice to be out in the sun.

we got back from mass around 10:30 and Michelle had to do bills. so about 15 minutes into it the boys were just nuts so i decided that we should go out for a ride. michelle also had a confirmation to go to at 2:00. so we took off.

i showed ethan the house that I grew up in as well as granma and grampa ruffings old house in amherst as well. then as we drove i went to an old 4 wheeling spot - a small place with sand. anyway 1 drive through there and the jeep started making a new noise, so i decided to not push it and leave. on the way back home i realized that it was the shocks and i now need to add that to the list of things the tj needs.

but when we got back home they boys were out cold so i played around with the jeep, looking around to make sure that nothing else was about to fall off. after a bit joshua woke up and we played in the back yard. he walked out of his new sandals (new to him, they came out of a bin of shoes) so he was barefoot - and loved every minute of it! after a while i decided that ethan needed to be playing as well. so i woke him up and he had a blast as well. pushing his trucks around. if nothing else it showed me that I should build him a sand box.

anyway it's monday now and i don't want to work. even nicer today than yesterday!

ok back to work.....i guess

later
.mike

Starbucks v. Marines followup

2007-03-08T11:44:00.000-05:00

Well come to find out it's an urban myth - or the e-mail did get spread around by a marine who was misinformed. He retracted his original statement.

But after Starbuck charged $130 for water on 9/11 who had a hard time believing this one.

Oh well my bad.

later
.mike

Starbucks v. Marines

2007-03-08T09:58:00.000-05:00

Got this from my Dad, not sure if it is true. Checking on it at http://www.snopes.com right now.

NO COFFEE FOR THE MARINES

Their coffee is tasting more and more bitter.....STARBUCKS DENIES COFFEE TO MARINES.

Recently Marines in Iraq wrote to Starbucks because they wanted to let them know how much they liked their coffees andto request that they send some of it to the troops there.Starbucks replied, telling the Marines thank you for their support of their business, but that Starbucks does not support the war, nor anyone in it, and that they would not send the troops their brand of coffee.So as not to offend Starbucks, maybe we should not support them by buying any of their products! As a war vet writingto fellow patriots, I feel we should get this out in the open. I know this war might not be very popular with some folks, but that doesn'tmean we don't support the boys on the ground fighting street-to-street and house-to-house for what they and I believe is right.If you feel the same as I do then pass this along, or you can discard it and no one will never know. Thanks very muchfor your support. I know you'll all be there again when I deploy once more."Semper Fidelis."Sgt Howard C. Wright1st Force Recon Co1st Plt PLTPLEASE DON'T DELETE THIS .. ALLOW IT TO BE PASSED TO ALL IN MEMORY OFALL THE TROOPS WHO HAVE DIED SO THAT WE MAY HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE TOSUPPORT THEM OR NOT!!!

hmmm nice eh?

let you know if it is true or not in a bit

later
.mike

Another day another drs appointment

2007-03-08T09:55:00.000-05:00

Joshua, it seems, still has a nasty little (or big) cough. He is on some sort of antibiotic (don't ask me) anyway he is headed back to the drs office. And Ethan is headed here at work. Hopefully he won't get used to it. Daddy has to get some work done.

more later
.mike

drs appointment

2007-03-06T16:38:00.000-05:00

Michelle brought Rebekah to the Drs today for her 2 month check up. Has it been ONLY 2 months? Anyway she is doing fine. While she was there the doctor heard Joshua cough and wanted to listen to his chest. So she did and now he has pnemonia! Lovely. Brought one kid in for a check up and the other comes out with the problem! Seems as if he is on the end of it but she still put him on Amoxocilin or how ever you spell it. Just to make sure he gets rid of it.

Sure makes for a long winter.

At some point I'm sure we will be past it.

later
.mike

kinda cool today

2007-03-06T16:33:00.000-05:00

Yep. Woke up at oh 5:00 or so checked the temp and it was a whopping 0.8 out. Ahhh winter in New Hampster. Actually it is not all that bad. It is winter after all. People are acting like they never had to go out in cold weather before. This is news folks. Really Fox is running with how cold it is. It's winter get over it. I'll never get why people are suprised that it gets cold in the winter.

The kicker is that there is a nasty wind whipping up as well - wind chill is a factor. I actually wore a long sleeve shirt under my shirt today, as well as a vest plus the flannel. Keeps me warm.

Try to keep warm tonight. I know the heater at my house will be working.

later
.mike

Holy Cow am I tired

2007-03-05T14:07:00.000-05:00

After a week of sick kids I am wiped out. Not to mention this weekend was post snow storm, so much shoveling. As well as working on a few house projects. And after all that I had to head to my cousins house to fix her home network. With no visible results. Whee.

Now I am at work it is 2:07 and I am wiped out. Been trying to work and keep falling asleep. Need to get up and do stuff. Ethan will be coming by today for a while. Michelle has a Drs appointment and with Ethan in there Michelle will not be able to concentrate on talking to her doctor. Especially this visit, it's a new doctor, wants to get her point across. With Ethan running around - prolly not.

At least Jack is on tonight.

Let's hope I can stay awake for it!

later
.mike

Carbon Offset

2007-02-28T09:16:00.000-05:00

Well I calculated my carbon footprint. http://www.bp.com. I found out that the average American carbon footprint is 18. So if you are over then you can buy offset points. But what happens if you are under?

Well I have an idea that you can buy carbon upset points. So if you are at 10 then you have to buy 8 upset points. I think I have a winner here. We will match people up who are under with people who are over and the world will be a great place. So if you are at a 26 you pay to match up with someone at a 10. Sounds good to me. Everyone walks away a winner.

How about that.

.mike

Church

2007-02-26T14:46:00.000-05:00

Yesterdays Mass was quite a challenge. Ethan was acting up, Josh was not feeling well, soon to be realized later that night and Rebekah was hungry. Good times I can tell you. But I know I am doing the right thing. As tough as it is and as upset as I get I know it is very important for us to go to Mass as a family. It just seems to tought right now!

Later
.mike

Long night

2007-02-26T14:41:00.000-05:00

Last night was a long night.

Joshua was sick, he woke up aroud 12:30 with a moderate temp and would not be consoled by me. So I traded kids with Michelle and I took Rebekah. I kept her for a while. I can tell you it was a bit crowded in the bed with 2 of us and 2 kids. Evenutually Josh calmed down and fell asleep. So around 3:30 - 4:00 I brought Josh back to bed. I could not leave him in his room alone. So I had to lay in bed with him and of course I fell asleep and woke up around 6:45, I leave for work at 7:15. Quick morning.

So..so tired.

Still have to stay awake for 24 tonight.

later
.mike

It's Friday

2007-02-23T09:19:00.000-05:00

It has been a long week. Today is no different.

We have to bring Ethan to his hearing appointment. He failed his 4 year hearing test. Now I know he does not have a hearing problem. You see I can turn on the TV and DVD player downstairs - with no volume mind you. Open the draw of the DVD player and the boy runs downstairs asking to watch the video of the day (Could be John Deere, Cars, Veggie Tales). So no hearing loss. More like lack of paying attention. Just like his old man, can't be bothered to listen. Go figure.

Also we have a R.O.C.K. NH meeting tonight. (Raising Our Celiac Kids - New Hampshire). It's just a potluck dinner. Just to get together and exchange info etc... Should be fun.

More as I think of it.

Oh yeah we actually got some sleep last night. That is after Ethan came in our bed around 11:00 to 12:00. I was woken up at 5:30 by Ethan to fix "Cranky" and for those of you not in the know "Cranky" is a crane from Thomas the Tank Engine set. I told him that daddy was cranky and would fix it when I got up in a little bit. Which turned out to be 5 minutes because Joshua was crying. Ahhhh sleep.

later
.mike

Smoking ban in New Hampshire

2007-02-22T15:12:00.000-05:00

Today a smoking ban passed the NH Senate and now moves on to the house where it is expected to pass.

This is bad. We do not need more government we need less. Let the market decide. If people do not like the smoking then do not go there. Period. The restaurant/bar will get the hint once people stop going to their restaurant/bar because of the smoke. A law is just one more thing the government has it's hand in.

If cigarettes are so bad for our health then get ride of the all together. But therein lies the rub. The government can't get ride of cigarettes the need the tax revenue. Hmmm. Go figure. Now I used to smoke I don;t anymore but far be it from me to tell smokers that they can't smoke in a bar.

Just ticks me off.

That is all.

later
.mike

Late night / early morning

2007-02-22T10:47:00.000-05:00

As you may or may not know we have a 7 week old baby. She sleeps, like most babies, sporatically through the night. Which in and of itself is not a problem. The problem lies is the 4 year old. He is up anywhere between 4:30 and 5:00AM. Ready to go.

He comes in to our room wanting to see the baby. I tell him that he can give his sister a kiss and then back to bed because the sun is not yet up. So he goes back to his room turns on his light and proceeds to play with his Thomas the Tank Engine tracks and trains. Which is not so bad, he is actually quite good at building tracks and mostly keeps quite. Not this morning.

Apparantly Ethan was bored and wanted someone to play with. He decides his sleeping brother is a perfect chioce. Now we have put the boys in seperate rooms to stop this kind of thing, silly parents they know nothing. Ethan opens up Joshua's door climbs over the gate turns on the light and asks Joshua if he is awake. Now Joshua wakes up crying. Ethan decides the best course of action is to leave the room. Now Joshua is upset because he is alone in his room with no one to play with.

Enter daddy at say oh 5:30. After being awake from 2 ~ 3 with newborn. Michelle has finished feeding her and gave the baby back to me. I tried, in vain, to get her back to sleep , Rebekah not Michelle. So after 45 minutes of trying she finally fell into a somewhat sleep mode. I fell aseep right after her. Only to be woken up at 5:00 by Ethan. so I was in a GREAT mood. I went into Josh's room brought Ethan with me and had them play in there. Whilst I tried to get the last few minutes of sleep in Joshua's bed.

After 10 minutes of "quiet" time, and by quiet I mean noisy, there was a loud "thump" followed by silence. You know the kind just the breathless quiet before a crying wail. But no cry followed. I looked up and Ethan had climbed back over the gate and slipped and fell. But showing wisdom beyond his 4 years he kept quiet. At that point I was up and we headed down staris.

We started our morning routine at 5:45 I got the boys into the back room and turned on a John Deere video. Got their fresh sippie cups and dried cereal, set up the gate, futile I know, and headed to the shower. The rest of the morning was pretty uneventful - just tired. You'd think I would know better. After 3 kids tired is just part of life.

Well back to work.

Later
.mike

Lent

2007-02-20T15:56:00.000-05:00

Well lent starts tomorrow. I still have not decided what to give up. I think it will be deserts. Should be good for the waistline.

Still at work. Really would like to get a new job.

later
.mike

A bit chilly

2007-02-19T15:04:00.000-05:00

I get up at 5:00 AM on Mondays to go to a program that our Church is sponsoring called "That Man is You" it's about becoming a better Catholic Father/Man/Leader. Anyway before I left I took a look at the thermometer and it was 2 out. A bit cold. So I put on my fleece pullover on and then my flannel shirt.

While I was walking to the class the wind was whipping down the street. Reminded me of ice fishing without the beer and snomobiles.

Just thought I'd share that.

later
.mike

Rebekah's Baptism

2007-02-19T14:58:00.000-05:00

Seems like it was just yesterday that Joshua was getting baptised (or bathtised according to Ethan).

So Dennis and Cheryl are the Godparents. We picked the 11:30 Mass because they have 5 kids and take a while to get the clan out of the house and to church. Now they were staying at his parents in Loudon which is about 30 minutes from Manchvegas. So Dennis's parents show up with Luke and Bridgette at about 10:50 telling us that Dennis was stuck in a snow bank but was on his way. Well after a bit of a wait they made it 11:35 - just a bit late.

The whole baptism went off with out a hitch. She did a great job. Took a bunch of pictures. Everyone came back to our place afterwards. Had a good time.

Very busy Sunday plus I had That Man is you at 6:00am this morning. I tell you 5:00am comes early when your youngest has a stuffy nose.

Later
.mike

GI appointment looking back

2007-02-19T14:53:00.000-05:00

Well it's Monday and I have not posted in a few days so first thing first. i had my GI appointment on Friday. Not the Army GI, GastoIntersomethingorother. Anyway the trip was 30 mnutes down to Nashua a 15 minute appointment and 30 minutes back. i really am going to change my doctors to some that are a bit closer to good ol Manchvegas.

Anyway he re-stated that it's fatty liver disease. To make sure they want to do a biopsy. After he told me all of the things that could go wrong, from a bleeding liver to a punctured lung I am going to say no. Not to mention the fact that the treatment would not change one bit. Soooo I am leaning to no biopsy.

Not that I am not concerned about it but loosing weight and working out is something that I can do so I think I'll do that. Thanks.

later
.mike

Nor'Easter 2007

2007-02-15T15:15:00.000-05:00

Well that was a bust. We started hearing the news a week ago. That a storm was-a-brewing. Coming in from the left coast to meet with another system coming the coast (east that is) and give us a bunch of snow. Well here in lovely Manchvegas I started to get excited. You see we have had very very little snow. (must be global warming) So when a storm was predicted I was looking forward to it. But is was for naught.

We got about 8-10 inches. Whee. Not a big storm in my book. I think other parts of the state (NH) got up to about 20 or so. Ski country mostly. Hell we got that much rain last spring.

So I am still waiting for a big storm. Maybe next week.

On the other hand the snow blower still works!

Oh yeah got a GI appointment tommorrow. Whee

later
.mike

Drs Appointment

2007-02-12T15:59:00.000-05:00

Well went to the doctors last Friday. Well it seems all of my worry was fo naught. No real change. Which is good news/bad news. I did not get any worse on the Cholesterol or liver f(x) but I did not get any better either. Dr told me to work out more. Gotta do it.

I'll keep you informed.

later
.mike

That Man is You

2007-02-12T15:50:00.000-05:00

That man is You is a course / study group that I go to at our church. It's aim is to help Catholic men become better leades at home and abroad. It's quite a good program. The only draw back is that it is at 6:00 am in the morning, and here is the kicker on Mondays. Makes for an early Monday morning. The program is that we show up at 6:00AM have coffee and donuts, sit a talk for a bit then the presentation starts, which lasts about 30 minutes. Then we break up into small groups and discuss the topic of the day.

Today I talked about how tough it was to bring my 3 kids (ages 4 years, 19 months and 6 weeks) to Mass. The guys in the group said I was doing what needed to be done by showing my kids that it is important to go to Church. Even though I do not feel that I am getting the most out of the Mass. They all said it is more important that the children get exposed to our faith than me paying attention for the whole Mass. Made me feel kinda good that at least my/our effort is not in vain. Michelle does as much as I do during Mass as well. Come to find out one of the guys in the group sat a few rows behind us and thought our kids behabed well. So I guess fro a few rows away thingd do not seem quite so bad.

later
.mike

SNOW!!

2007-02-12T15:48:00.000-05:00

SNOW!!

Is on the way to New Hampshire. Finally! I can't wait!

This is why I love winter and why this winter has been so boring, no snow. Looks like it will be a good sized storm as well. Hopefully it will be.

More on the storm later

.mike

Cheap Trick Lap of Luxury

2007-02-07T15:04:00.000-05:00

I'm listening to this cd right now. I have a habit of putting concert ticket stubs into the jewel case of my cds. And there are 2 in this cd case. I saw them on August 24 1988 at the Hampton Beach Club Casino. I believe I was with Matt and his "friend" Lana or maybe it was Vicki anyway that was Junior year in college. Then I saw them again on the same tour at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston on February 2, 1989. It was on the Lap of Luxury Tour.

At the Orpheum show Joe Perry and Steven Tyler showed up for the encore with a couple of songs. I just remember Rick Neilson handing Joe Perry a pink Fender Strat with a picture of Bun E Carlos on the back. I think it was Matt, Dennis, Vicki and I but I'm not 100% sure.

Ahhh to be young again. Good times good times.

Am I the only one who does this? It seems that I just listen to these albums and I just think of a more carefree time in my life. Not that I do not like where I am now. I have a beautiful and loving wife 2 great boys and a newborn daughter. I would not have it any other way. It just seems the older I get the more I miss the college years.

Downtime now is almost non-existent. Money is an issue every week and my job is a pain. I guess that's the great part of growing up no responsibilities except to yourself. Now people depend on me and that can be hard at times. Especially with the job situation. I do not know how many times I have wanted to walk out of the office and never come back, but I do every morning. I have a family now and I can not let them down.

Wow this post took a serious turn. Sorry about that. I was just reminiscing and look what happened!

well later got work to do.

.mike

looking for someone

2007-02-07T13:45:00.000-05:00

I'm gonna try this Michael DeSisto aka Rocker and Gene McMahon aka Geno or mean Gene.

They are a couple of college buddies that I have lost touch with. I figure that if I put them in the blog google will pick it up and if they ever do a search they may find this site and email me.

I'd like to talk to them see how things are going.

later
bully

Superbowl XLI or some such thing

2007-02-06T14:26:00.000-05:00

Well Indy won and I'm happy.

You see I live in New Hampshire which is, if you don't know, New England Patriots country. I am NOT a Patriots fan never have been never will be, Philadelphia Eagles here!! Anyway people were all upset that the Pats got knocked off, I was actually kinda psyched. The fans here have become a bit to "oh we desever the championship we are a dynasty" phbbbt! That's what I say. They have become NY Yankees fans, expecting a championship every year. I love to see them fall.

It was really funny there were news reports about how people were not going to bars to watch the superbowl, nobody seemed interested. Funny how this was the second most watched superbowl in history. Seems to me that a few of them watched it. I just get a kick out of it.

I'm glad Payton got his ring - he deserved it. He has worked hard, missed a copupla times. just seemed that Indy wanted it more than Chicago.

later
.mike

I'm Kinda Sore today

2007-02-06T14:12:00.000-05:00

I had to move several tons of files from the basement to the third floor yesterday. All by hand no elevator. Pack the boxes bring them upstairs then unpack them. Repeat until file cabinet is empty, then bring up file cabinet and load back up with said files. Fun fun fun. I don't remember that being in my job description. I'm an IT manager by the way.

Anyway today I'm kinda sore at 38 one does not recover quite as fast as one used to.
Plus I had to move 2 pickup truckfuls to storage just so you know it was about 5 or so below with the wind chill yesterday. Not that I'm complaining, winter is finally here. Now we just need some snow!

People at this place never seem to amaze me. As I am in the middle of this moving project, people have no problem comming up to me, whilst I have 70+ pound boxes in hand stopping me and asking me questions. "No no please continue this box is really empty. I'm just trying to make it LOOK heavy."

Sheesh

Anyway as I stated above just a bit sore today.

Next time I buy a house - I'm hiring movers!

later
.mike

Aqua Teen Hunger Force - Boston Edition

2007-02-02T09:26:00.000-05:00

Living near Boston we watch Boston news. The big story this week was the gorilla ad campaign for the new Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie. In a nut shell an ad company did some gorilla marketing which was a light bright type depiction of Err and they were placed around the city.

In a typical overreaction the authorities went nuts chasing these things down. Arresting the guy who put them up and are charging them with some crime. Anyway the point I am trying to make here is that the authorities got carried away. When they finally realized what they did they had no choice but to go after the people who put these things up. Instead of saying we made a mistake, it was an ad campaign, no harm no foul.

I'm not sure if I am getting my point across but here it is. The authorities overreacted.

That is all.

.mike

So says Ethan

2007-02-02T09:18:00.000-05:00

During the week I get up early to help Michelle. I usually take a shower get dresses then get the boys dressed. Then I bring them downstairs give them each a cup of dry Gorilla Munch or Panda Puffs (or panda pups according to Ethan), along with their water. Then I'll put on a DVD.

Well this morning was business as usual, the video of choice was John Deere - which if you know Ethan is not really suprising. Anyway I put the DVD on and I start to watch it (hey it's tractors after all). After a few minutes Ethan turns around and says to me "You can go now. I don't need you anymore."

Hmmm dismissed like a bad waiter.

Thanks son.

No Snow

2007-01-23T11:14:00.000-05:00

Still no snow and none in the forcast.

Ethan keeps asking when we can build a snowman. We don't have enough snow to cover the ground never mind build a snowman. Must be global warming. Go figure.

Later

.mike

Ha Ha Patriots

2007-01-22T09:01:00.000-05:00

Great game!

Just love to see the Pats loose.

I'd like to see Payton win a ring.

later
.mike

U2 Joshua Tree

2007-01-18T15:35:00.000-05:00

I'm listening to the Joshua Tree right now. Shhhh don't tell my boss I'm writing this on my bleg. Anyway anytime I listen to this cd it reminds me of my freshman year in college. I still vividly remember the day me Geno and Rock went to pick up the cd. There were not any cd burners back then (1987) so we all had to buy a copy, I know horror of horrors actually purchasing music and at a retail store no less. Anyway I just remember listening to it over and over drinking a few beers smoking (cigarettes) and playing cards. Life was so hard back then huh? I really do miss college at times.

.mike

new arrival

2007-01-18T11:18:00.000-05:00

well my wife had a baby december 30 2006.

it was a girl - we have 2 boys.

it will be an adjustment

she's off to a better start than her brothers.

she eats AND sleeps go figure.

now if joshua will just stay in his bed.

.mike

it's about time

2007-01-18T09:41:00.000-05:00

Here is my blog.

My wife's blog is here www.4moose.blogspot.com

I post there as well but mainly it's her's.

I'll post what comes to mind and such as most blogs are wont to do.

So there you have it.

later
.mike