Insignifica

Projects, Desk, Baby, Breakfast, Fair Bike Dude, Birthday

Good day, and happy birthday to Luke!

Picture of the day!

Great profile shot of the Girlfriend, from Halloween last year.

Gotta share this story: Dude figures out how to beat the "Shoot out the star" carnival game, then gives away the prizes he wins to needy friends and coworkers, or strangers at the fair. Awesome.

Made a delicious French Toast this morning - it's really a simple food. Breakfast always surprises me in how little effort it takes.

Baby's back at daycare today - feeling better, and hopefully stays that way. Now we just gotta think of a good plan for babysitting for our cocktail party.

Do any of you have a fairly small (yet big enough for a computer monitor) desk that you're looking to get rid of? we're in the process of moving my office back into the bedroom, and need a smaller one. Thanks!

I'm looking for projects. Thoughts? Until then, have a good day!

Creepy Dude, Ubuntu, Laughlin, Baby, Monday

Happy Monday!

Picture of the day!

Churning waters. Point Lobos, 2005.

Busy weekend! Baby's still a little sick, but we think she's getting better. Most of the time, not too bad.

So, Laughlin. Do you wanna go? I'd like everyone to try to make it - I think it'll be as good a time as can be had in 115 degree heat. There'll be gambling, of course, but a lot of non-gambling, too. Join us!

In Linux news, I have successfully installed Ubuntu. I don't care for the name, but I've had it recommended to me by multiple people. Now, I'm geek, and I've been using computers a long time. I love the internets. But I feel like I just caught my own tail...what do I do with it now?

Readers, a question for all of you: Yesterday at Adam's birthday party (hosted at our clubhouse), we had a shirtless older dude walk into the party, try to start conversations and be funny, and have to be walked out when he refused to leave quickly. The first time it happened, sure, maybe it's just some dude curious what we're up to. But after he wandered in again and tried to make himself at home, we got rid of him and knew something was up with the guy. After that, though, it got creepy - we locked all the doors but one (there are like 6), and he stood outside the large windows by that door for well over an hour, just staring at us play poker and clean up, occasionally giving some sort of Star Trek mirror universe chest thump salute, and generally being downright scary in our direction.

What do you do?

We chose to ignore him, mostly - but after an hour of this, I called the community security company just to let them know this guy was hanging out. We ended up leaving (en masse) before they got there, and he followed us out to say goodbye, in a weird kinda "see, you should have talked to me" kinda way. Worse still, I find out this guy actually lives in my complex (one of my neighbors knew immediately who I was talking about), and he's always like this - following people around and generally being creepy.

So what happened in a situation like that? I firmly believe that everyone has a right to live and do their thing, but I also believe we all have a right to not feel intimidated or totally freaked out by our neighbors. I don't think he did anything illegal, though he did scare us standing, staring, and watching us clean up, play poker, and eat. What are your thoughts?

I look forward to your answers, and hope you have a great start to your week!

Weekend, Sysadmin Day, Cops, Installation, Sick, Friday

Hey, it's Friday!

Picture of the day!

Eric and his poker chips.

I'm still kinda sick, baby wasn't feeling well last night, and the girlfriend is tired. Still, we made it to the Veggie Grill in Irvine - yum. There'll be more next week at the LAV blog.

I'm having a lot of trouble getting Ubuntu installed on my new machine - first off, it's super slow running off the CD, and it's still locking up on installation. I also think I broke something - I can't get any boot floppies to work, and Knoppix and DSL both are having troubles formatting the hard drive. Suggestions? I'll make you some lunch if you come over and help.

Another day, another story about a bad cop. I've said it before, I'll say it again - video/audio record EVERYTHING, all the time, just don't let the cops know you're doing it if you're dealing with them. I'm willing to bet that cops will regularly deny any wrongdoing or lie if there isn't a videotape. And I'll second what a Fark poster said - as long as "Good Cops" cover for the bad ones, they're ALL bad ones. This needs to stop.

Today is System Administrator Appreciation Day. Hug someone who fixes your computer today. Then tell them to come to my place and help me install Ubuntu.

My friends, I hope you've got a great weekend planned. Enjoy!

Question, Ubuntu, Early, HP7, Game Shows, Thursday

Happy Thursday, friends!

Picture of the day!

Big winner! Well, not really. Blythe kicked my ass. But still, not bad.

On the game show topic, "Deal or No Deal" and "1 vs. 100" are having open casting calls at the Fair on August 3. This will be busy, but surely easier than sending in a video tape. More info here.

I've finished Harry Potter. I liked the last 6 or 7 chapters very much, but thought the middle of the book took too much time with some stuff, and rushed the rest. Feel free to discuss it with me in comments (and everyone else, be warned there may be spoilers there).

I should be more tired than I am - Katie decided that 6am was a great time to get up, even though she was still tired. I walked her a bit, though, got some coffee, and enjoyed the morning once she fell back to sleep a little before 8.

So, Eric and Ryan were kind enough to let me take their old computers off their hands. Between them, I've put together a machine that rivals my 2-year-old Fry's purchase (except for HD space), but it's gonna be nice. That is, it will be nice one I get Ubuntu to finally install. Luckily, though I'm having what appears to be a common issue. That means it's likely resolvable (I'm thinking I'm going to have to format and partition the old drive myself, instead of letting Ubuntu do it). I'll keep you all informed.

Question of the day for you, my friends: What's your favorite band that almost no one has ever heard of?

Cheers!

Hump Day, Death's Boogie Van, Riled Up, Ron Paul at LAV, Recovering, Back to Work

Happy Wednesday! I'm going back to work today!

Picture of the day!

Bacon box headed baby.

I'm feeling better and I'm better rested. The Girlfriend is still sick, but the baby is getting better too. Hopefully I don't relapse - being sick totally sucks. Illness and time constraints today stopped me from doing any running, though I walked over a mile yesterday.

I've got a new post up at the Liberal Atheist Vegetarian blog, all about Ron Paul, darling of the internet libertarians. Enjoy!

Also enjoy Roxanne's new blog - All Riled Up. It's regularly updated!

I finally got my "Death's Boogie Van" shirt! After the post office lost the first one, Dan Springer was kind enough to send another. I'll show off some pictures when I get them - baby decided the shirt was a good way to whipe her nose and mouth yesterday.

What's new with you on this hump day?

Comiccon, Sick, Tuesday

Tuesday!

Picture of the day!

Baby with her hand in a pelican.

I'm home sick today. Not enough sleep plus baby cold = uhg. I don't think I've taken a sick day for myself in ages (as opposed to for the baby), but still, I hate missing work. That's what happens when you enjoy your job.

It kinda snuck up on me - ComicCon is this weekend, and I had seriously considered going. But I got to see Tori last weekend (which was a major reason I was going), and it's expected to sell out, so I think I'll skip it this year. Maybe we'll make an event of it next time.

That'll be it for today. Hopefully I'll be back in action tomorrow!

Grilled Pizza, Deathly Hallows, Simpsons, Ugly Weather, Monday

Happy Monday!

Picture of the day!

Brandon, Katherine and myself.

It's kinda ugly out there today (humid and drizzly), but that's supposed to clear up by Wednesday. Weirdo July weather. Remember Californians, if you will, that last July saw an insane heat wave with high humidity - and we were carting a 1-month old up and down the state. Good times.

I don't usually plug movie sites, but the site for the upcoming Simpsons Movie has some very cool stuff, including an avatar maker. Enjoyable!

I got "Deathly Hallows", but I'm only about 1/5 of the way through. Good so far - I'm hoping to finish it in the next couple days. In related news, the new book sold 8.3 million copies in the first 24 hours of sales (Just in the US). That's damned impressive.

Inspired by Bobby Flay (that phrase makes me a little ill, but follow me through here), I decided to try cooking a pizza on the BBQ grill yesterday. For a first attempt, it went amazingly well. I used my standard dough and pretty standard toppings (medium amount of sauce, not much cheese, lots of mushrooms, and fresh basil), prepped it all on my peel, and slid it onto the grill. I don't have a gas grill, so I knew I'd get some smoky flavor I didn't necessarily want, but it didn't detract at all from the taste. The only problem I faced was uneven heat distribution on the outside edges (probably due to grill design, I had the charcoal fairly well spaced) - the cooking time was similar to a very hot (550F) oven, and there wasn't any issue with burning (which surprised me). The flavor was smoky, the crust was perfectly crisp, and everything top was melted just right. It's definitely something worth doing again, especially if it means not having to turn on my oven in the summer.

What's new with you, readers?

Happy Weekends, Car Damage, Harry Potter, Fair Food, Al Review

Thank your deity of choice (or lack thereof, or selected personification of nature's fury) it's Friday!

Picture of the day!

The Good Doctor Demento and myself, from Weird Al's 2004 fair show.

Al put on, as usual, an amazing show last night, and while it wasn't 100% unique (I'd guess the show was about 40% previous concert material), the changes, additions and reshuffling made it all worthwhile. The only song I didn't know (it's not on any albums, as far as I know) is "I'm in Love with the Skipper" (apparently a parody of T-Pain's "I'm N Luv Wit A Stripper"), and I laughed the whole way through. He did his usual Song - Al TV - Song - Al TV pattern until about halfway through, when he had a 30-40 minute medley that was easily the highlight of the main part of the show (Trapped in the Drive Thru got a 6-7 minute treatment. Very nice).

"White and Nerdy" got a huge response from the crowd (especially the first timers), as did "(It's all about the) Pentiums" and "Amish Paradise". Amazing the street cred that a white dude in his 40s can earn from the rap world. The show was fairly light on his ballads, though at the beginning of the encore he did a 100% straight version (no parody, no polka) of the Carpenter's "Close to You", before finishing the night with "Albuquerque" - in its glorious 13 minute entirety.

As someone who's now seen Al at least 6 times, I'd give this show a B+ - great song selection, but crowd energy was lower than I've seen before, and I really do think it's time to retire "Fat" (and the suit) and "The Saga Begins/Yoda" (though he had Storm Troopers and Vader come out and dance - that was fun). Otherwise, he did everything you'd expect in Al - and a good time was had.

We didn't get to see much of the fair, but I did enjoy a deep fried peanut butter and banana "sandwich" (more like a donut) - pretty good. The girlfriend also got me some deep fried, battered yam slices to snack on. Pretty tasty. I'm glad we weren't there that long - I just can't eat like I used to.

In other news, I'm going to see the new Harry Potter movie tomorrow night, and hopefully get book 7 in the morning (meaning trying to finish book 6 again today). Good luck to me.

Oh! Yesterday on the way to drop off the beast at daycare, I hit someone's tire (no rim, just a large, broken tire) on the freeway, and it tore up the underside of my car, totally ripping at the plastic part of the front passenger side wheel well. I'll need to take it in to see if there's any other damage. And as of this morning, the tire's still on the 55 North just before Katella, if you'd like to see it.

Happy weekends to you, my friends!

Exercise, Fair and Al, LAV post, Fast Week

note: This is actually being posted Friday morning. But I wrote it yesterday. Enjoy!

Hello my friends, and happy Thursday. This week's been absurdly fast.

Picture of the day!

Another from the Vegas Soda Incident. Taken two years ago today.

I wrote a post about Chipotle today for the LAV blog, so of course that means going there today at lunch to take pictures. Delicious vegetarian pictures.

We're going to see Weird Al Yankovic tonight at the OC Fair. Let me know if you're gonna be there too! We don't have tickets - general admission is good enough for us (and for Al's show is actually better in some regards - it's good to see his whole display/stage). That also means we get to eat some fair food! I can't partake in deep-fried cheesecake or Twinkies, but I'm sure I can find a way to get fat - I've heard rumors of an "Elvis Presley" - deep fried peanut butter, banana and honey sandwich. Oh yes.

Speaking of getting fat, a busy morning and early work day meant no running. I'll have to make sure to allow for a longer walk tomorrow morning and this weekend.

My friends, any big plans this weekend, besides waiting in line for Harry Potter?

Wednesday, Baby Growing up, TNFNS, Scooters, Spoilers, Birthday

Happy Hump Day, and Happy Birthday Adam!

Picture of the day!

Adam, at my birthday in 2004.

The new Harry Potter book comes out this weekend. I'm very excited, but due to an apparent leak of the book and the amazing speed of the internets, I've had to stop reading just about all web forums like Fark, or risk finding out details I may not want to know about before I read the book myself. Come Saturday, I'll have to read that book fast.

Malt-o-meal's "generic" honey nut oat circle cereal, "Scooters", is damn tasty. Just letting you know.

Speaking of spoilers, does anyone else watch "The Next Food Network Star"? I was surprised by JAG's revelation. Feel free to discuss it in comments.

The baby's prowess at climbing is improving daily - she's also started talking, just not in a language I understand (she's gone from babbling to actual words - just not English words). I'm in the very sad process of moving stuff out of my office and rearranging the rooms to create a "baby's room" and a "daddy's corner in his own bedroom, with all the stuff that used to be in the office". It's all part of growing up - at least until we can afford a bigger house.

I hope you're enjoying Wednesday, my friends. What's the good word?

Cocktail Party, Cakes, Regular Schedule, Nudity, Tuesday

Good day, and good Tuesday.

Picture of the day!

Tori and Katherine, taken one year ago today (on our Santa Cruz "show off the baby" trip). Baby was one day short of one month old, and tiny.

Huntington Beach bans nudity! I wrote much more about this today over at the Liberal Atheist Vegetarian blog.

I'm back on my regular schedule. Walked/jogged 1.6 miles today. I should be eating better - we'll start that now (since I've already enjoyed my breakfast sandwich). I have a squash soup to make!

On the food topic, I also got a book on the basics of cake decorating and crafting. Possibly inspired by shows like Ace of Cakes and some local expensive cupcakeries, I think I should be making more delicious cakes. Please help me eat them.

I'm considering a grown-ups only summer cocktail party soon. Please let me know if you're interested. It'd be the second week of August, if it happens.

That's all for today. Cheers!

Monday, DSL Service, Myspace, Google SMS, Vacationing

Happy Monday!

Picture of the day!

Party girl feeds her baby. Taken at the girlfriend's last birthday.

I'm in the last throws of my mini "baby and her mamma are away for the weekend" vacation, so I slept in and didn't jog this morning. But I'm very relaxed and well rested, so that counts for something, too.

On the vacation note, it's very strange being a bachelor again! I stayed up and played poker online, had some beers, made some large meals, went out and read/interneted at a local coffee place for a while, traveled down to the local Indian casino (and broke even), and generally just hung out. Not that I don't love my family, but a change of pace, in your own home, is nice sometimes.

If you haven't used it, check out Google's SMS service. Rob has a very good writeup at his site. I used it yesterday to find a restaurant phone number, and it worked perfectly.

Myspace continues with the features, and debuted "Status and Mood" updates this weekend. Fun, and a very good way to see who's checking their page too often, and who pays attention to the changes.

I used to think all the DSL/Cable/High Speed Internet companies were the same and pretty much offered the same stuff. But Yahoo!/AT&T's DSL has some features I'm lovin' - first, free dialup numbers throughout the country (in case you're traveling), and either free or $1.99/mo (depending on your level of service) wi-fi access at just about all Barnes & Nobles and Coffee Bean locations. Handy, my friends. Handy.

Hopefully Monday ain't kickin' your ass. How's it going?

Weekend Plans, House Stuff, Harry Potter, Tori, Pet Peeve, Friday the 13th Birthday

Happy Friday the 13th! Happy Birthday to Jess!

Picture of the day!

I was going to use the 13th picture of the 13th set in flickr, but it's already been POTD. So I picked another from the set - Eric as Uncle Batman.

Pet Peeve of the day: When Fark allows hundreds of comments on an article (including some by me), then takes it into "Total Fark" again (their paid subscription service) so I can't even read what I wrote. I don't care if it's a repeat, we were chatting there!

I get to see Tori today! Yay!

I started rereading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince last night (book 6), so I'm up to date again when book 7 comes out next week. I'm not usually one to buy a book and make sure I read it right away, but there'll be spoilers, and they'll be all over the place soon. I'd rather enjoy some surprise.

No running or walking today, had some house stuff to do. I walked last night, though, and now the trash has been taken out from all the rooms in my home. Everyone wins!

That's all from me. I'm still looking for stuff to do Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. If you've got ideas, let me know! Enjoy your weekend!

Weekend, Laughlin, Walked, Rested, Thursday

Happy Thursday!

Picture of the day!

Canadian Baby.

I'm much better rested today - got 7 1/2 hours of sleep, though the powerwashing of the shopping center parking lot at 3am was a welcome surprise to hinder my efforts. Still, I'm feelin' fine.

Walked 1.4 miles today. Forgot to mention I did just under a mile yesterday.

This is a reminder about the upcoming road trip to Laughlin. It'd be great if you could attend! There's gambling, fun on the river, cheap hotels, good eats, and a caravan drive out there. Join us!

Also, still looking for recommendations for things to do this weekend (I have some Girlfriend/Baby freedom). Your thoughts and input are welcome.

How's your weekend shaping up, friends?

Short, Game, Tired

Good morning!

Picture of the day!

Tilty.

Katie decided to get up at 6:30 this morning. That's great. Daddy didn't want to sleep or anything. Luckily I've found that a local merchant sells a stimulant infusion made from the beans of a South American plant. Good stuff, that.

I have a new game obsession - Bow Master. Addictive and fun. Crackesque.

I'll keep it short today. Have a good one, friends. What's up in your lives?

Caffeine, OC Atheists, Vitter, Halloween, Birthdays

Happy Tuesday, and Happy Birthday to Shannon and Jennifer!

Picture of the day!

Chris' Halloween tattoo art.

speaking of Halloween, there's already a Halloween store going up near my house, on Chapman. It might be a new permanent location of some sort (It's not a "Spirit" store). We'll see.

Man, it seems like it's almost always the conservative, "family values" Republicans that get caught for stuff like hiring prostitutes. If you want to say that marriage and fidelity and whatever else is paramount, fine, but when you're a hypocrit...that's when we all jump in, and rightfully - especially when you're in a position of power in this country. Screw you, David Vitter.

Remember, the next meeting of the Orange County Atheists will be held Tonight, July 10 at 7:30PM at the International House of Pancakes at 18542 MacArthur Blvd in Irvine. If you consider yourself an atheist, an agnostic, a freethinker, a humanist, or are just curious, check out this month's event. If you're planning on attending please RSVP at our website forums. Hope to see you there!

I've become readdicted to caffeine. It doesn't help that I don't get enough sleep. It's an unfortunate cycle. Also problematic is that in order to get the necessary 8 hours, I have to go to bed at 11:30pm. That's just not cool.

That's that. How's Tuesday going, friends?

LAV, OCA, Al, Adventure!, Walk

Good day, and happy Monday!

Picture of the day!

Baby watches as I point a spatula at her.

Didn't run, but got in a 1.4 mile walk with the baby this morning. Monday's her day off from daycare. Oh, and she can only screw-top bottles now. That's nice.

I'm looking for something to do this weekend; I've got Saturday night and all day Sunday to myself. Suggestions?

Weird Al is in town next week. We should put something together about that.

The next meeting of the Orange County Atheists will be held Tomorrow, Tuesday, July 10 at 7:30PM at the International House of Pancakes at 18542 MacArthur Blvd in Irvine. If you consider yourself an atheist, an agnostic, a freethinker, a humanist, or are just curious, check out this month's event. If you're planning on attending please RSVP at our website forums. Hope to see you there!

Remember to check out my new blog at SqueezeOC, the "Liberal Atheist Vegetarian". It's updated daily, and we're looking for both new readers and news submissions. Come say hello!

Fantastic Day, Hootenanny, Lunch or Dinner, Walked, Terrible Twos, 1900, Late Update

Wow. Doing a late update because it's been an amazingly busy day. Hi there, and happy Friday!

Picture of the day!

My sister Virginia and Katie, Thanksgiving 2006.

This is entry 1900! We'll have a party for 2000. Promise.

Katie must be advanced, as she's begun her terrible twos about a year early. That child is a menace.

Walked .9 miles today. Like I said, short on time. I guess I should have run them, then. But that would have required me to change, taking up even more time. I love excuses.

No plans this weekend, other than some baby proofing of the house. We'd love to have lunch or dinner with you. Call us.

You know, though, if I'd given this any forethought, I totally would have found a way to go to tomorrow's Hootenanny, because that sounds like all kinds of awesome. Next year!

Have a fantastic day, friends. I hope your days, weeks, months and years are awesome.

Adventure!, AC, Stiff and Sore, Parties

Happy 5th of July, friends!

Picture of the day!

Ken, at an angle.

Have a very good time yesterday at the annual VanderYacht 4th of July party, and at our place with the in-laws. My house didn't catch on fire, no one shot any fireworks at me (that I know of), and the sulfur smell should dissipate by tonight. Some picture of my daughter and Nathan swimming can be found here. Good times!

I woke up stiff and sore today, so I didn't run, but I did walk to the store (about .8 mile). I did get 7 hours of sleep, though. That was nice.

Because we knew we'd have people over, that it'd be warm, and that we'd be busy, we ran the air conditioning yesterday. Holy moly, it was a beautiful extravagance.

Next weekend I have Saturday evening, Sunday, and Monday to myself. Time, perhaps, for an Adventure!?

How goes your week?

Happy 4th - I am an American

This is one of my favorite pieces, and today's the right day to repost it. Enjoy, and happy 4th of July.

--

My name is Michael Doss, and I am an American.

I didn't do anything to deserve this title and position; I don't believe in reincarnation, or in a god that would put me here for a purpose. I was born to American parents, in America, and therefore I am what I am.

As we celebrate the symbolic day of independence, I'm reminded how lucky I am to have the rights I do, and I realize the responsibilities that go along with being an American in 2007.

I have the right to free speech. I can say how much I love Michael Moore, how much I hate Pat Robertson, or how bad I think the president's actions are for the government and for the people. I have the responsibility to both listen to you and defend your right to free speech, no matter what you say.

I have the right to burn a flag, just as you have a right to fly it. The symbolism of the flag equally represents both of these rights. You have every right to believe the flag means everything as I do to believe the flag is a piece of cloth.

I have the right to freedom from religion, not just freedom of religion. I have the right to believe whatever I want, and not face undue pressure, persecution or representation from or of your religion.

I have the right to love anyone I want, however I want, as long as they agree. It is neither the government's responsibility or in their best interest to monitor or register personal relationships.

I have a responsibility to question my government and its actions, regardless if I believe in or don't believe in what my government is doing. To be told by a representative of that government that we should not question is both insulting and suspect.

I have a responsibility to involve myself in government, though voting, learning, and discussing, and otherwise participating. No other right or responsibility is greater, because through this one the rest are born.

I have a responsibility to know my place in the world, and be aware of my position. As a middle class American, I have more wealth, rights and power than most everyone else on the planet. With this knowledge, I can choose how I represent myself, and how I choose to help.

I have a responsibility to leave my city, county, state, country and planet in a better way than when I got here. This goes back to my position of power as a middle class American, as well as my position as a human being. This means helping out people who need my help, regardless of how they got into that position, but with consideration of how it will affect me.

These, and many others, are my rights and my responsibilities. It's not the clothes I wear, the car I drive, the flags I wave, or the allegiance I pay that makes me an American, it's my rights, my responsibilities, and my actions.

My name is Michael Doss, and I am an American.

Introducing the Liberal Atheist Vegetarian blog!

www.LiberalAtheistVegetarian.com

When you think of Orange County, "Liberal", "Atheist" and "Vegetarian" might not be the first three things that come to mind, but they're what matters here. The Liberal Atheist Vegetarian blog features news, events, information and happenings about all things Liberal (rallies and civic action), Atheist (meetings and debates), and Vegetarian (reviews and food info) in Orange County, with a little humor thrown in. You can find the blog at lav.freedomblogging.com or www.liberalatheistvegetarian.com, or visit our Myspace page at www.myspace.com/liberalatheistvegetarian. Thanks for reading!

Happy Birthday America, New Blog, Bonds, Fireworks, Ran/Walked, Happy Birthday John

Happy 4th of July eve! Happy Birthday John!

Picture of the day!

Katie pulls out a chair for her great-grandmother.

Ran/walked 1.3 miles today (3 laps around the condos). It's warm out there.

Tomorrow's July 4th. Firework day. I like the idea of fireworks - explosions rule, I'm a big fan of fire, and darn it, they're fun to light and fun to look at. In the last few years, though, I've lost just about all interest in them. The "Safe and Sane" stuff is expensive, usually a letdown, but still dangerous enough to cause injuries. The cities that allow them in OC also see a marked rise in the use of illegal fireworks (cause they're easier to hide), and city services are taxed to the point that unless you've got a real emergency, you won't get help. I think mostly I just don't trust people with fire.

Today's the last day I'll accept online requests to join the Barry Bonds HR pool. Details from last week's post:

While not an addict, I very much enjoy gambling and games of chance (hence my frequent requests for "friendly wagers"). If you've got one, I'm game. If you're looking for one, please join me in a friendly "pool" for choosing the date that Barry Bonds will beat Hank Aaron's home run record. If you'd like to play, let me know, and I'll get you set up.

We've got three players, and I'm expecting considerably more tomorrow when I see a lot of friends. Leave a comment if you'd like more details/info.

My official "new blog" announcement is still forthcoming. But there are hints out there, especially at my Myspace page...

That's it for today! Not sure if I'll get a post in tomorrow, so Happy 4th and Happy Birthday, America!

Date, Walk, Warm, July

Happy Monday, and Happy July!

Picture of the day!

Katie at Labor Day last year. She was tinier.

It's warm out - we spent the day in Riverside and Corona yesterday, and that was a little worse, though there hasn't been much of a breeze here nearer to the coast either. Time to crank up the AC. Also related to the heat, ants have begun their invasion. That's great.

I got in a 1.4 mile walk today - woke up stiff yesterday and today, so I'm taking it easy. This week's got some breaks in the middle with the holiday, so we'll see how we stick to routine.

We got to go on a date yesterday afternoon while my mom and sister watched the baby. It was nice to get out for lunch and a movie - I hadn't been to the theater in over a year. "Ocean's 13" was good and fun, especially if you don't think about it too much. And while I don't say this often, it seems like it was very much edited down - I would have liked to see a longer version to really appreciate the ins and outs thrown in that were kinda glanced over.

That's it for me today. What's new?