I'm behind. So what?
Thousands of new items from RSS feeds in Google Reader, and I just end up marking them as read. I subscribe to roughly 14 podcasts and have 47 episodes that have not been heard yet. Of those 14 podcasts, I’ve only been listening to one (The Tony Kornheiser Show), and I’m on a show from 2 weeks ago. I get 3 discs a month from Netflix (2 for CL and I, while D gets the 3rd). Both movies have sat in this house for at least 2.5 weeks; D’s movie has been sitting somewhere in his room since September (Feedfliks tells me I’m averaging 15 days per DVD, but I think it’s more than that). I started watching 10 shows at the start of the fall TV season, but I’ve only kept up on 3 of them (sad for someone who has a TiVo). And the last time I posted a real “entry” on this blog? Maybe September? My friend jokingly asks me, “What in the world are you doing with your time?”
I’ve been hanging with this pretty girl…
update 091908
Just trying to get ya up to speed …
Never a dull moment at work. The case management application that I’ve been working on since August goes live next week. We completed the build of the live system this week, and I must say, I’m quite proud at how much we got done in such a short time. This on top of all other requests from lab, respiratory, registration, and administration. And in October, case management gets another system that I’ll be assigned to as well. Surprisingly, I’m taking it all in stride and loving it. Not too many people in my department can say the same thing, and I guess I’m fortunate.
Sophia will be 16 weeks old on Monday (4 months old in October). We believe she has allergies. The recent cool weather has prompted us to have our windows open in the house at night (excluding Sophia’s room). However, she woke up again the other morning with congestion. So we’ve gone back to keeping the windows closed and using the A/C. She seems to be slimming down (her belly isn’t quite there anymore). While awake, she doesn’t like to lay back in your arms anymore; she’ll pull herself in the upright position (and she’ll let you know about it if you try to put her back down). She’s doing well in daycare; teachers say the noise doesn’t bother her as much as it used to when she first started. She’s sleeping all night too, and waking up about the same time each morning (just in time to get ready for school). We haven’t taken very many pictures since Sophia started daycare, but I plan to post what we have this weekend.
And yes, I’m trying a new theme for my blog. It still needs work, but I’ll get to it when I get to it. What I like is the pics page is working and looking better than ever. I still have to come up with new header images.
update 021708
Just to get ya up to speed on what’s going on in my world. After having the doc tap my knee (no infection; just a severe case of bursitis), I was back to work. However, I probably rushed it, in turn prolonging the healing process. I still had slight swelling and stiffness. I spent most of the week limping around. The limp caused me to develop blisters on my toes. While standing, I would put most of my weight on my left leg. So … in a nutshell, I’ve worn myself out. Aside from a wedding and registering at Babies R Us, I’ve tried my best to stay off my feet this weekend. Work has been somewhat depressing. I’ve twittered (or tweeted) about recent changes at my job. To sum up the past week and a half – Corporate pulled the plug on our big project (new clinical system). Due to financial problems in our organization, we won’t be able to work on implementing the new system until a year from now. What does this mean for my department? We’re really not sure. There are other projects that we can work on. I’m not concerned about my position since I have experience with the current system. But the system is an old and crappy one, and it’s discouraging to know that it won’t be for nearly 2 more years until we get to use something bigger and better. Not to mention all the money, time, and effort that has somewhat gone to waste the past 6 weeks. Just a big disappointment.
quickie 020508
What’s going on? We had 8 inches of snow on Friday. It’s all gone thanks to 75 degree weather Monday. Work is hell. I flooded the master bathroom on Super Bowl Sunday (more on that later). I cheered on the Patriots only to see them lose in fantastic fashion to the Giants (kudos to Eli Manning and the Giants D). Work is hell. Aggravated my knee again while working in the bathroom. Collecting Pepsi bottle caps for free music. Work is hell. I don’t have any updated photos of the Tremont because of said plumbing problems; I hope to get them on Friday.
update 012308
Hello again 
Sorry for the lack of posts. I’ve just been too busy. My in-laws are moved in and settled. Progress on their house is moving along quite nicely. At work, I’m still in the midst of data collection; I was hoping to have it done this week, but I hit a lot of road blocks. I’m lucky to be part of 2 teams that get along well and are fun to work with, unlike my fellow analysts who seem to be on teams that are not responsive or cooperative, or just downright idiotic. And, of course, we’re getting ready for baby at home. CL decided on a theme for the nursery, and it’s very cute. I’m prepping myself by reading books for new dads; there’s a lot to this, and I want to be ready when we welcome Baby Jose to our world.
update 010208
Hope everyone had a nice holiday season. It’s been fairly subdued for us. We didn’t travel anywhere nor did anyone come visit us for Christmas. CL worked Christmas Eve, and we both worked the day after. Our Christmas photos can be accessed by clicking on the pic. The new year also came quietly. The news of my grandmother’s passing may have set my mood. We kept busy by working on purging items in the garage and in D’s old playroom.
Resolutions? Looking back at mine from a year ago, I don’t think I did so well. I will probably carry these over into 2008. This year brings lots of change into our world, and it’s all good. A busy year ahead for me at work with the clinical system implementation getting under way next week. My in-laws move back to town in a few weeks as their new house is being built. And, of course, we anxiously await the arrival of Baby Jose in late May/early June!
Finally, I say goodbye to my grandmother. She was a strong woman, strong to the very end. Farewell, Lola; you are greatly missed by all of us who loved you very much. I’m happy to know that you have reunited with those who went before you, especially Lolo and Tito Teddy. And to my Dad, my aunts and uncles, and to my cousins in the Philippines and here in the States – you are in my heart, my thoughts, and my prayers.
update 120807
Christine’s parents were in town for the past week for her mom’s annual cookie bake in St Louis. While they were here, an offer was made on their house back in Charlotte. After several counteroffers back and forth over the weekend, the buyers accepted the final offer on Monday. My in-laws have to be out of the house by the 2nd week of January. So they extended their stay and spent the entire week making arrangements for movers and storage while also customizing every aspect of the house they’re building here in town. Christine and I are working on cleaning out Daniel’s old playroom so her parents can stay with us while their new home is being built (the guest room is being converted into the nursery).
Her parents bought us a new bed for Christmas; the previous mattress was so old it literally was a pain to sleep on it. And with Christine pregnant, it’s not good for her to have sleepless nights and back pain. The new bed is a welcome change; king-size and firm. We still wake up several times at night – she because of the pregnancy, me because of Salem (I’ve been told that the dog is prepping me for the baby).
update 112707
It’s been over a week since my last post. During the work week, I’m pretty exhausted mentally and physically to put in an entry. There’s a lot to talk about, but it gets to the point where I don’t know what to blog about. I know I’m coming off a nice holiday weekend where I had plenty of time to put some thoughts online, but instead I took advantage of it by relaxing and spending time with my wife. Not to mention I spent most of the past week or so rebuilding the laptop. Hopefully things calm down for me with a nice 6-day weekend coming. And maybe it won’t take me 10 days or more to write about something.
update 111807
Sorry for the lack of updates. There seems to be a lot going on, and with the holidays quickly approaching, there’s not a lot of time to do much blogging. My laptop has also been giving me grief for the past week. Windows Media Player has suddenly stopped recognizing the WMV file format, so I’m unable to view videos. There are other media players that I can use offline, but when I want to watch movies on Netflix’s site, it no longer works. I completely uninstalled and reinstalled WMP, but I still get the same result. My friend suggested installing Windows on top of everything, but that didn’t work either. So I’m currently trying to back up all my data so I can do a complete rebuild. This normally wouldn’t be such a task for me, but without an external HD, it’s a challenge (and time-consuming).
Christine and I have started to spread the news of her pregnancy to our friends and co-workers. Those we have told are very excited and happy for us. We had stopped in Babies R Us the other night, and I have to say, it was pretty humbling. I learned …
- about swaddling,
- that Serta makes mattresses for babies,
- and that I can’t hear the baby’s heartbeat unless I have one of these.
I certainly cannot wait for our little peanut to come into our lives!
update 102307
Sorry for the lack of updates. A lot has been going on, but there’s not much to talk about. Lately, time on the computer has been for maintenance, new tools, and multimedia; I learned a few new things this past weekend. Work is steady; I’m trying to enjoy the lapse before the major system implementation kicks off in Dec/Jan. A lot to do around the house. New furnace being put in this week. Fall is upon us, which means cooler weather and leaves. Lots and lots of leaves. I’ll probably update on a weekly basis until the motivation returns.
Oh, and a Happy Belated Birthday to my cousin Ren
update 081307
I’m having probably one of my better weekends, something I haven’t had in a very long time. I’ve read a chapter of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” each night before bed. I got to watch Tiger Woods win his 13th major at Southern Hills. I’ve not only had time to relax and enjoy myself, but I’ve also been productive. I’ve done the dishes everyday, been keeping up on my laundry, taken Salem for a walk each day, and today, I tidied up the kitchen and vacuumed. Christine worked all weekend, and I made her dinner the other night (albeit a ready-made one from the grocery store, but, hey – who’s perfect?). Tuesday will be my Monday as I return to work from my 4-day weekend, and there’s a lot to do. I’m not crazy about going back to work, but at least I’m not dreading it like I did a month ago.
update 072907
The lab system’s go-live was, ummm … fairly successful. I got called in early the day of go-live. Tuesday was surprisingly a quiet one, but day 2 was not. We actually had issues each day right up until 1 PM on Friday. I could have left early, but I had other non-lab-related tasks that I wanted to finish. So I didn’t get out of there until after 4 PM. I really would’ve preferred my normal 4-day weekend, but it wasn’t gonna happen. The way I see it, they owe me a day and a half off for the past 2 weeks. (more…)
good fortune?
The other day, one of my buddies at work stopped at my desk asking if I wanted Chinese for lunch. I explained to him that I had no money, but he insisted and offered to pay. So I was game; I needed to get away anyway. We went to our usual place, a Chinese buffet with very good food at a very good price. After venting about work over crab rangoon and vegetable lo mein, he got the check along with our fortune cookies.
Mine said, “Your financial outlook is excellent.”
His said, “Be generous, and the favor will be returned within the week.”
I bought him lunch the next day.
week in review
With the lab project going live at 0001 on Tuesday, this past week has been a mad dash to the finish. I worked 6 days in a row, accumulating roughly 52 hours in the office. My mind is mush, and I’m tired. Like I said before, I lack the energy and motivation to do much when I’m home. Aside from eat, drink, and sleep, I’ve walked the dog, played golf (on my PlayStation), and watched the British Open, Big Brother, and The Sopranos on TV. Oh yeah, I did do the dishes today. I have a headache now, and I think it’s from anxiety and the anticipation of the go-live on Tuesday. At this point in time, I just want to make it to another Friday.
MIA?
Got an email from my dad yesterday. He noticed the lack of postings on this blog and was wondering how things were going. To be honest with you, it’s been hell. I’ve been so busy at work with the lab project that I’m just mentally and physically drained when I get home. Because of this, I don’t really have much energy to do anything. (more…)
update 062007
Hmm… what’s going on? Busy at work, tired at home. I still have 2 days’ worth of pictures to upload from our vacation. I’m gonna have to better organize my time so I can have this done by the end of this weekend. Daniel returns home next week when my in-laws come to visit. It’s getting hotter outside now that summer’s officially here. I’m feeling the pressure and stress at work as the lab project is almost live (5 weeks away). Maybe once that’s out of the way, I can rest at ease, relax, and get back to some kind of normal in my job. I am happy to say that, today, my new manager announced to me that I would be getting a raise effective next pay period! 
back in black
Well, it’s taken a week for me to transfer my domain and my files to GoDaddy. I pray I don’t have to do this again anytime soon, because it’s not an easy process. I nearly forgot to back up my database; I seriously believed I lost all my original posts and thought I would be starting all over. Then I played the waiting game before my previous registrar would approve my transfer request to GoDaddy. Then I had some issues with installing WordPress; I hadn’t done it since I first established this blog 2 years ago, and I don’t recall it being difficult the first time around. (more…)
update 041507
I’ve got about a week left before it’s time to renew the domain “tenyjr.com”. I also plan to change hosts for my blog. Vizaweb was good the first year, but the 2 day outage last November has me looking elsewhere for better service and support. Right now, GoDaddy is an obvious choice, but I’m still researching it. (more…)
Something new on my sidebar: Twitter. Sort of a mini-blog. I can go here to post what might be going on at any given moment, or simply blog a random thought. Since I haven’t really posted much on my blog lately due to a serious lack of motivation, this kinda comes in handy when I just want to throw something out there with minimal fuss. I can post via Twitter’s website, text from my phone, or through IM. I like it.
long time no blog
And it will be a little while longer til I start posting better entries. I’m lacking motivation right now. Just to give a quick update – I’m stuck in all-day training the next 2 weeks (meaning I won’t get much work done). It was 10 years ago today when I first met CL in person. D has been the typical teenager, prompting his mother and I to be a little more disciplinary to get our point across. Lent is approaching, and I’m still unsure of what I will sacrifice.
Oh, and we got maybe 4 inches of snow. Seems miniscule compared to this. CL wouldn’t mind if they gave us a foot.
pulling teeth
A little health update. I saw the dentist last week, and my bottom two wisdom teeth are decayed and badly positioned. The dentist believes they are the cause of the headaches and pain I’ve been experiencing. There’s inflammation by the left tooth, so he’s put me on antibiotics and more powerful painkillers to deal with the pain; no more ibuprofen for me. I only take the meds as prescribed, so it’s nice not having to take something every 4-6 hours. The pain is not as apparent these days (only when I’m stressed).
(more…)
update 012907
Go figure that after my 4-day weekend, I still haven’t posted anything. So what’s going on? Work has been very crazy for both me and CL. So busy that Ronald McDonald, Little Caesar, and a handful of others have been helping us out with dinner. The weekend was spent catching up on laundry and restoring the hard drive on my laptop.
Just because it’s busy doesn’t mean I haven’t enjoyed some leisure. I recently upgraded to a fifth-generation iPod (took advantage of high-capacity storage and excellent battery life at a fantastic price). CL and I have been trying to catch up on movies and TV (Heroes rocks!). I’m also learning how to be a Guitar Hero; this game is addicting and I enjoy it a lot.
I hope to return to blogging on a regular basis. I’d like to be able to write like I did when I started this nearly 2 years ago. I miss being able to write random thoughts without any worry as to what it is or who’s going to read it. I may be able to relax and have fun, but every now and then, I need to have some release.
too busy
sorry i haven’t posted in a while; too much going on, internet’s been slow, and life’s moving so fast that i hardly have time to stop and think. i have a 4-day weekend coming up, so i hope to post an update on what’s going on.
