I guess it's normal that I pop back here to LJ every 2, 3, 5, or 10 years to post an update. What's happened in the last 7 years?
I've had 3 or 4 jobs, including a stint in ownership
Alex has a little brother
Our dog is old, going blind and deaf, and still chases squirrels with bad arthritis and spondylitis in her back
I'm not a 32x36 in pants any more. Finding my size is still hard, but at least most brands make it now.
My hair is going away quickly, but my new beard isn't so bad at all.
I've had 3 Integras since I sold Dee. 2 were total'd and one was returned because it was such a pile of crap.
Karen and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary at a cool little resort in Costa Maya. Sadly we could only stay 3 days.
I'm in the process of finally buying a toy car. 1991 CRX HF. It's a shell, but it's a florida car so no rust. Also prewired for B series goodness. For stupid cheap.
All in all, not too bad. Life goes on. One more trip around the sun in a few days, and I'm still here. Not too bad.
It's been a long time since I posted. So much has happened!
Alex turned 1!
We took a cruise...without Alex!
I got a new camera!
I moved from contractor to employee
I was assigned minions interns
Life moved pretty fast.
Really, it did.
And right now, since I'm battling the evil rot of the ages that's set up residence in my sinuses, I can't think clearly enough to tie this entry up with a bow. Dear readers, be patient, I'll be back, and more coherant, I promise.
since I updated this blog, and for good reason. I'm a daddy! I'm also pretty busy working, and that doesn't leave a lot of time for introspective navel-gazing online. So what's been going on....um...
Fatherhood
Yup, it's worth it.
Work
If it was fun, we'd do it for free, right?
TnT
I'm signed up for ACC again this year, and want to beat my 7:04:11 (corrected) time from last year.
Car
Dee's speedo is still wonky. I'm no closer to finding the solution. Next step is major wiring investigation.
Home ownership
Almost all the Christmas lights are down...
Alex is the real focus though. He's changed so much in the last 8 weeks it's incredible. Bigger, stronger, and an emerging personality that's wonderful. He's also given us a few bad nights, but that's par for the course when you have a baby. Taking the good with the bad is how you earn the Parenthood badge.
OK, time to head out. Sorry this was short, I'll expound gratuitously at a future date.
At 5:54 in the evening my son was born. Alexander Elliot Paton entered the world at 8 pounds 1.9 ounces and 21.5 inches long. He arrived after only 45 minutes of pushing, a total of 14 triple attempts by his mom, and nothing more than moral support from his dad.
Karen and I arrived at the hospital last night at 5pm for a scheduled induction. Around midnight, they started her on Pitocin to get things going. Things progressed slowly until she got back labor around 8:30 this morning, just after they broke her water. An hour later, she and Mr. Epidural met, and she felt just fine for the rest of the day. About 4pm the doctor came in and told us to get ready to deliver. Karen had progressed from 2cm, 30% and -5 to 10cm, 100% and -2 in a little less than 9 hours. Just before 5, Karen started pushing. 14 contractions and 45 minutes later Alex popped out into the doctor's arms, and she announced that we had a boy.
Typing this now, it seems like it was both forever ago, and an incredibly long experience. I'm sitting in the corner of the postpartum room, staring at my sleeping wife and child, and my brain just gives up. It doesn't know how to handle this particular moment, and I'm happy to let it. This is a magical time...not only the birth of our sun, but of a new family.
It's a long one, so if you want to read about the details, they're after the cut.
Saturday was a nice day. We spent time doing chores, running errands, and generally being productive people. That evening we went to our friends for a dinner and movie party. Films were watched, pizza was eaten, more films were watched, ice cream was eaten, more film watching, and then it was time to head home. About halfway back to the house I commented that my stomach didn't feel right...like I something I ate disagreed with me. After we got home, it got worse. I thought maybe it was some general GI distress, something I'm used to and have come to expect from time to time, but as the night wore on, it got worse, and it was clear this wasn't anything normal. Nausea, fast flips from sweating to fever chills, and ever increasing pain kept me awake and progressively more concerned. ( Collapse ) The last 2 and a half days have been an interesting experience for me. I've learned a lot about my body, pain, and my own limits. I've also learned about things like oxygen cannulas causing bloody noses (I had one for about 12 hours after surgery becauee my pulse ox reading was around 80% without it (anesthesia depresses lung function or soemthing). I learned that once your body wakes up from anesthesia, everything starts happening at once. Boy did I have to pee! I've leanred that if you're nice to the staff, the staff will be nice to you, sometimes returning the favor with interest. I've learned that Norco 5/325 makes me feel kinda funky, and I really don't like it at all. I've learned that I can manage most motions without pain, as long as those motions don't include moving from a sitting to a prone position, laughing too hard, sneezing, coughing, or hiccuping. I've learned how to sleep without moving too much.
Through it all I was never worried about the outcome. Really. I wasn't terribly worried when I went to the treatment center for the initial diagnosis, I wasn't worried when I was admitted to the ER, I wasn't worried when I was sent for the CT scan (though the contrast solution tasted AWFUL!), I wasn't worried when they told me they needed to operate, and I wasn't worried once I was back in recovery. It was about as pleasent an experience as I could have asked for.
I spent some time this morning trying to source a few pairs fo 32x36 flat front dress casual pants, of the chino or similar variety. Something I own a few of, and something I'd like a few more of.
I completely struck out.
The pinnacle came from the nice people at Dockers. I called twice, talked to 2 different departments, and got the exact same answer. Never.
Ok, it wasn't quite that succinct, but it sucked just as much. I was told in no uncertain terms that production is based on demand, and that no further production of 36" inseams was scheduled for any 30-something waist sizes, based on demand. I mentioned that I'd been wearing and buying that size for about 10 years now, and had found it harder and harder to buy, as fewer and fewer places carried that size. I explained the concept of a self fufilling prophecy, and that if Dockers made fewer, they'd push themselves down a spiral leading to the discontinuation of the size. Both people I talked to agreed, thought it was dumb, and promised to forward my requests to the highest possible level, but both also expressed resignation that it was unlikely that anything would change for such a small percent of their total sales volume.
Which leaves me with 2 choices: Find unfinished pants and have a tailor hem them to the proper length, or choose from the ever dwindling and progressively less desirable options from the remaining manufacturers, until they're all gone, and I have to get my pants custom made at an exorbident price.
It's true, I'm still alive. I'm just not LJing much these days. Facebook and Twitter have stolen my soul it seems, and left my beloved LJ out in the cold. Well, maybe not quite like that, but I've definitely been ignoring LJ for FB, and that's a damn shame. So quickly Facebook friends, here's the lowdown on the last few months...
Back in May, I lost my job. Three days earlier, Karen and I got a dog and found out we're going to be parents. To say it was a stressful week would be an understatement.
In July, our basement also got some water in it, and we had to demolish the existing buildout to find the 3 large cracks in the foundation.
The last few months have been a blur of job hunting, unemployment, home repair, car repair, doctor's visits, and worry, among other things.
Recently, things have changed for the better. I'm working for an old friend and a former employer. Not full time either place, but enough to get the bills paid without the assistance of the state, and with the hope that one or the other or both will someday garner me a full time salary.
I've also been busy trying to start up DP Engineering LLC, a not-quite full service engineering house, specializing in electrical engineering, and all the bits needed to make it work in a clients system. Starting a business in an economy this poor is a daunting task, and it'll be no mean feat when I get it complete, but the journey to that end is far from over. I'm still planning, and have yet to get legal with the state or finalize my work infrastructure, mostly due to the basement, which was to be the location of my secret lai...er...workshop.
Also, my fundraising quest for Team In Training is complete, thanks to generous donations from family and friends. I'll be headed to Michigan in a few weeks to ride 100 miles on my bike. Fun huh?
Anyway, that's about all for now, as I have things to do more important than LJ, but I'll keep you posted. Things are getting interesting!
Here it is, a real live announcement. Karen and I are going to be parents! Some time around the 20th of January (give or take 4 or so) our couple will become a family of 3. Exciting!
More pictures and words to come. For now, there are 3 ultrasound images in my Flickr photostream. Enjoy!
A very long while since I last typed here. I'm not ignoring you LJ,I've just been very very busy. Very very busy. More when I get back from a week on Myrtle Beach. Wish me luck!
Well, after many fits and starts, I think I might have finally fixed my speedometer...again...finally?
I swapped in a spare VSS I had and the speedo, which was dead on my ride home, came back to life. We'll see if it lasts.
If not, it's on to the t-stat ground, the ECU ground, and a few other current paths. Then a portable o-scope will be required to further diagnose things if that doesn't do it. Hopefully it won't come to that though.
contemplative