Thursday, March 4, 2010
a new phase begins ... almost
What is this ride that I am about to take? What is this strange new wonder that is coming my way? A new little person will enter my life, and the life of my wife, some time between tonight and ... well, the next few days. Laura will be induced beginning tonight, and from there who knows when our little baby will arrive. Regardless ... here we go!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Trees! Well, two more anyway.
Left work early last Friday because (1) the back yard had spent two weeks drying out thanks to all the ridiculously nice weather we've been having, (2) the weather people said it would be raining all weekend (suprise, they were wrong), and (3) it occurred to me that I had spent the holiday last Monday working, and I wanted to recoup that time. So I went home and visited with my mom, sister, Laura's mom, and of course Laura (they were all visiting to help stitch together some new curtains), had lunch, and planted a tree. Finally we have some green in the back yard! And yesterday I planted a second one!
I had previously planted one of the Chinese Pistache, but they are deciduous and currently have no leaves (they're just sticks right now). The two fern pines (Podacarpus), by contrast, are evergreen, and add a nice splash of green life to our sad, dull, brown back yard. A quick glance at the other back yards I can see from my back yard shows me that ours is the first to have anything planted. Which is a little sad because the other houses on our side of the street have been inhabited about a year longer than ours. Maybe they all had the same problems I had. Or not.
The most fun I had during the whole process happened at two different times. Friday afternoon I was removing lodgepoles from the first tree I planted because they were too far apart. One came out no problem. The other gave me trouble. I rocked it back and forth in an attempt to loosen it, and on one of the rocks I pulled too hard, causing it to snap near the ground. When it broke loose it whacked my right ear, which hurt ... a bit, but luckily did no visible damage.
The second fun event happened Sunday evening as I was driving lodgepoles into the ground for the second fern pine. I'm up on a ladder, pile driving the pole with this heavy tool that you use by sliding it up, then forcible driving it down. One one up stroke it came off the pole, and on the subsequent down stroke it, of course, struck the top of the pole. Having no where else to go, it rocked sideways, and came to rest on my head. Actually it broke the plastic strap of the earmuffs I was wearing to deaden the sound of the pile driving, and left a pleasant little lump on my nogging. Best part of it all was that I managed to NOT fall off the ladder and break ... something ... following the thump, which did kinda make me feel silly for a half second. Anyway, no sickness or follow-up ill effects, just the realization of stupidity on my part.
Ramble machine off. Sorry about the length of today's post.
I had previously planted one of the Chinese Pistache, but they are deciduous and currently have no leaves (they're just sticks right now). The two fern pines (Podacarpus), by contrast, are evergreen, and add a nice splash of green life to our sad, dull, brown back yard. A quick glance at the other back yards I can see from my back yard shows me that ours is the first to have anything planted. Which is a little sad because the other houses on our side of the street have been inhabited about a year longer than ours. Maybe they all had the same problems I had. Or not.
The most fun I had during the whole process happened at two different times. Friday afternoon I was removing lodgepoles from the first tree I planted because they were too far apart. One came out no problem. The other gave me trouble. I rocked it back and forth in an attempt to loosen it, and on one of the rocks I pulled too hard, causing it to snap near the ground. When it broke loose it whacked my right ear, which hurt ... a bit, but luckily did no visible damage.
The second fun event happened Sunday evening as I was driving lodgepoles into the ground for the second fern pine. I'm up on a ladder, pile driving the pole with this heavy tool that you use by sliding it up, then forcible driving it down. One one up stroke it came off the pole, and on the subsequent down stroke it, of course, struck the top of the pole. Having no where else to go, it rocked sideways, and came to rest on my head. Actually it broke the plastic strap of the earmuffs I was wearing to deaden the sound of the pile driving, and left a pleasant little lump on my nogging. Best part of it all was that I managed to NOT fall off the ladder and break ... something ... following the thump, which did kinda make me feel silly for a half second. Anyway, no sickness or follow-up ill effects, just the realization of stupidity on my part.
Ramble machine off. Sorry about the length of today's post.
Friday, February 19, 2010
New Era ... the Alexander Dennis arrives at Unitrans
Stopped by the Unitrans garage VERY briefly today to take a look at the new Alexander Dennis Enviro double deck bus. I had hoped that Dave Orca or Andy Wyly (the two people I still know well enough to hang out and chat) would be there and I could gab a while about the new bus. They weren't around, but I introduced myself to Sean (a mechanic) and he was more than happy to let me walk around inside the bus and check it out.
Picture the Daimlers, only brand new, awesome, comfortable, with power steering, cameras (everywhere), and (I'm guessing) way more enjoyable to drive. And they are freakin' huge! They seat ... 81 people? The air conditioning system at the rear of the bus is MASSIVE, and it's a tandem rear axle, so this this is ready to do some serious student hauling.
I need to get back out there when one of my people is around, and hopefully, perhaps, maybe they'll let me take it for a spin around the pad.
I've already got visions of a new bus poster in my head ... featuring the new Enviro and 1014. I need to get in touch with Geoff and whether I can set something up.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Family Baby Shower
(Author's Note: This blog entry really should have been posted on Saturday, Jan 30th, right after Laura's baby shower ended. These are the thoughts that I was having at that time, so just assume that the date you see associated with this blog says 1/30/10.)
I honestly feel blessed and lucky. Too often I complain about my back yard or my work or some other nonsense. Today Laura had a baby shower to celebrate the coming of our first child, a boy whose name we honestly not yet determined. We probably had 30 people at our house, friends, family, people all gathered around to celebrate the coming of our kid. I was sitting on the couch much later that evening after everyone had left, and I was washed over with a feeling of wholeness, of hope, and even of love.
I know I'm getting really cheesy here, but in that moment it really sank in ... just how fortunate Laura and I are to have so many wonderful relationships. So many people who care about us, who care about our child to be, and who let us care about them. It it a truely amazing thing to have such good friends and family, and to be able to share our experiences with them all.
I sat there and soaked up the bliss, thinking to myself how it's such a damn shame that so many of life's nuances block the observation of this feeling. I bet that this feeling is always there, but that it's hard for someone like me to really know it and appreciate it when I am most often paying my attention towards so many other psychological debts.
Anyway, the point is just that I wanted to give thanks to everyone for coming. I know that most of them won't read this, but somehow, in some way I wanted to reflect the warmth and humility I felt in that moment back out to the world.
I can't believe I'm about to be a father!
I honestly feel blessed and lucky. Too often I complain about my back yard or my work or some other nonsense. Today Laura had a baby shower to celebrate the coming of our first child, a boy whose name we honestly not yet determined. We probably had 30 people at our house, friends, family, people all gathered around to celebrate the coming of our kid. I was sitting on the couch much later that evening after everyone had left, and I was washed over with a feeling of wholeness, of hope, and even of love.
I know I'm getting really cheesy here, but in that moment it really sank in ... just how fortunate Laura and I are to have so many wonderful relationships. So many people who care about us, who care about our child to be, and who let us care about them. It it a truely amazing thing to have such good friends and family, and to be able to share our experiences with them all.
I sat there and soaked up the bliss, thinking to myself how it's such a damn shame that so many of life's nuances block the observation of this feeling. I bet that this feeling is always there, but that it's hard for someone like me to really know it and appreciate it when I am most often paying my attention towards so many other psychological debts.
Anyway, the point is just that I wanted to give thanks to everyone for coming. I know that most of them won't read this, but somehow, in some way I wanted to reflect the warmth and humility I felt in that moment back out to the world.
I can't believe I'm about to be a father!
aaaaahhhhhh freak out!
I am officially, totally, completely, and truely in freak-out mode right now. And somehow I'm still calm.
My first child is effectively due any day now (Laura is at 36 weeks as of two days ago), and that is the coolest, most important thing that is happening. And knocking at my door every second is my work load, which, after taking another look at my schedule just now, shows me that in order to hit an upcoming milestone, I have ... today ... to do about three weeks of design work before I have to order the fabrication of parts. And of course you have to order parts before you can get them, and you have to get them before you can assemble them, then they have to be tested and deemed okay before they can be installed on the bigger vehicle and tested there.
I'm bothered by the fact that work is so dominating my life right now. And I know that when the kid shows up, it'll be a slap in the face that breaks my mental lock on work and makes me totally put my focus on him, my wife, and the fact that we will have become a family. But right now I'm developing symptoms of hypertension.
My first child is effectively due any day now (Laura is at 36 weeks as of two days ago), and that is the coolest, most important thing that is happening. And knocking at my door every second is my work load, which, after taking another look at my schedule just now, shows me that in order to hit an upcoming milestone, I have ... today ... to do about three weeks of design work before I have to order the fabrication of parts. And of course you have to order parts before you can get them, and you have to get them before you can assemble them, then they have to be tested and deemed okay before they can be installed on the bigger vehicle and tested there.
I'm bothered by the fact that work is so dominating my life right now. And I know that when the kid shows up, it'll be a slap in the face that breaks my mental lock on work and makes me totally put my focus on him, my wife, and the fact that we will have become a family. But right now I'm developing symptoms of hypertension.
Monday, January 18, 2010
same old stuff
After complaining about the rain last time, I did manage to get one tree planted, and fill in one of the holes that I dug in error. The dirt was workable, but still fairly wet which made things difficult and slow. Now it's raining again, and my back yard is a mud pit, and the other five tree holes are once again all filled up with water. I've resolved to just say the hell with it and wait for the spring, which is probably what I should have done last time before I tried to put the first one in.
The kid's room is progressing nicely. Walls and wainscotting are all painted, all the footboards and wainscotting are up on the wall, and I'm about 1/3 of the way done with the chair rail. The tough part is definately turning out to be getting the damn corners to match with the moulding. I'm borrowing my father-in-law's plastic miter box, which as handy as it is, is allowing the cuts to be uneven. Between that and my inexperience, I'm ending up with some joints that look rather poor. So I'll be backfilling with a fair amount of wood puddy and hoping that things turn out well. In the end, I keep telling myself that it doesn't all have to look perfect because (1) nobody is perfect, (2) I'm doing this for the very first time, and (3) I'm going to care a lot more about playing with and getting to know my son than I am about the color, size, or shape of the room.
Work is turning up the pressure on me, and getting crazier. That's true for everyone here, but it turns out we have a major, unshakable design milestone coming up March 8th, and certainly the mood around here will become more and stressful as that date approaches. Oh yeah, and the kid is due that day as well. Fuckin' A! Of course my family comes first, but I have to balance the job out along with the arrival of my child so that I can afford to keep a roof over his new head. Why can't the March milestone be a little one, and why can't the stress ramp up later on, say in August? I guess it just goes to remind me that I have no control over what time has in store for me.
The kid's room is progressing nicely. Walls and wainscotting are all painted, all the footboards and wainscotting are up on the wall, and I'm about 1/3 of the way done with the chair rail. The tough part is definately turning out to be getting the damn corners to match with the moulding. I'm borrowing my father-in-law's plastic miter box, which as handy as it is, is allowing the cuts to be uneven. Between that and my inexperience, I'm ending up with some joints that look rather poor. So I'll be backfilling with a fair amount of wood puddy and hoping that things turn out well. In the end, I keep telling myself that it doesn't all have to look perfect because (1) nobody is perfect, (2) I'm doing this for the very first time, and (3) I'm going to care a lot more about playing with and getting to know my son than I am about the color, size, or shape of the room.
Work is turning up the pressure on me, and getting crazier. That's true for everyone here, but it turns out we have a major, unshakable design milestone coming up March 8th, and certainly the mood around here will become more and stressful as that date approaches. Oh yeah, and the kid is due that day as well. Fuckin' A! Of course my family comes first, but I have to balance the job out along with the arrival of my child so that I can afford to keep a roof over his new head. Why can't the March milestone be a little one, and why can't the stress ramp up later on, say in August? I guess it just goes to remind me that I have no control over what time has in store for me.
Friday, January 8, 2010
don't even know
Why is there water falling from the sky? No rain was supposed to occur at any time this week so that my back yard could dry out, and so I could plant my damn trees tomorrow. Why is it raining right now?
I think it's time I adopt an entirely new outlook on life, before I let all the stress that I carry along with me every day kill me. I think that from now on everything should be about cake. Finding a good cake, and enjoying eating it. Had a fine piece of carrot cake from the Nugget last night, and that just about fixed the day up right. But now it's raining, and I don't know what kind of cake drys out clay soil, so I find myself stuck, and paniced that I'll be in a world of hurt come early march if I don't seriously adjust my attitude.
WTF
See this is why I don't post regularly. I'm not exciting to read, mostly depressing and freaking out and stressed. Nobody is inspired or entertained by that.
I think it's time I adopt an entirely new outlook on life, before I let all the stress that I carry along with me every day kill me. I think that from now on everything should be about cake. Finding a good cake, and enjoying eating it. Had a fine piece of carrot cake from the Nugget last night, and that just about fixed the day up right. But now it's raining, and I don't know what kind of cake drys out clay soil, so I find myself stuck, and paniced that I'll be in a world of hurt come early march if I don't seriously adjust my attitude.
WTF
See this is why I don't post regularly. I'm not exciting to read, mostly depressing and freaking out and stressed. Nobody is inspired or entertained by that.
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