Jobs & Pizza

So the reason we went with the new pizza parlor this weekend is that it is owned by J&K's friends. Not only that, AR got a job there (w00t!!!). He starts today at 2 pm. Of course this will bring challenges as well as we only have 2 cars for 3 people (who all have jobs).

With SE working at Big-5 and AR working at the pizza place (I'll post the name for you Ro'vil folk when I can) we have new opportunities for discounts. Maybe JM will post a comment with the name, address and number). The pizza is pretty good, mostly specialty ones. We had BBQ chicken, Ranch, Pesto and a classic combo. The standard is a thick crust but they will do a thin or super thin crust on request.

Birthdays

It was NA's birthday this weekend (as well as mom's - HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!)

We try to celebrate with the kidlets in a personal fashion. As much as NA and I love sushi, buying for the whole group just didn't make it this year (the buffet is closed and Mikuni's is a bit pricey for 10 people). We tried out the new pizza parlor (more on that later). It was pretty good.

BTW, NA is now the latest teenager in the family at 13 years of breathing on this world. Easter weekend the family will recognize NA for his accomplishment :)

Painting

Start the painting this weekend. It is wonderfully freeing to paint when you don't care about the flooring and baseboards. RF and NA helped out with the ceiling on Saturday. E and RF helped me "cut out" the walls on Sunday. Finished all of the edge work except for the bits over the cabinets in the kitchen. I am going to use the trim color inside the insets. We are looking for someone to give us a quote on putting bi-fold doors on the lower inset to use it for storing some of the china. WHY? Well because the china hutch covered one of the windows. We had forgotten how much lighter and open the room looks so we will not be putting the top half back on. So now we need someplace to put the china :)

Stable again

As of 3 pm today, our systems are more or less stable. We will be doing another s/w release tonight but I should be able to handle it from home. This release was in my top 3 ugliest for sure. I know it wasn't the worst but it was the worst since I started working here.

E & SE have been unloading the china hutch today as that has to come out for me to paint. I have to unload the wine rack as well and clear the top of the cabinets (E's teapot collection).

So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall. Hebrews 4:11 (NLT)

Great verse today, don't ya' think? I am definitely looking forward to some rest soon. E is off tonight and AR wants the car to run with his friends. RF, NA & HR are coming up tonight to spend a little time with us this weekend. NO has ball practice tomorrow and then a birthday party for his friend (ad team mate) P.

I'll let you know how the painting goes :)

Happy Pi Day!

Well on this Friday morning things could be better. My boss was here all night (still at his desk as we speak). The s/w deployment went badly. Turns out there was a bug in one of the pieces I wrote and QA looked at it for 2 months without seeing the problem. Niiiiiiiice.

It is donuts and coffee for breakfast.

S/W Push

Getting ready for my first BIG s/w release (push). The task list runs to 2 pages and spans 5 hours. I will put in 13-14 hours today before I make it home. Fortunately I am eligible for OT pay (unlike my former life at The Money Store).

Had a nice lunch with E at Mimi's today. Saved 1/2 of it for my dinner tonight. SE is picking up NO from daycare and taking care of him tonight. She is a treasure!

Overall it has been more or less quiet today. E had a kind of difficult time last night. One of her patients was put on "Comfort Care" while she was there which means to push pain meds to keep them comfortable and wait for them to pass on. She also had a student with her at the time.

Oncology takes a special gift, that's for sure. Part of E's job is to help the family understand what is happening and to do whatever it takes to keep the patient in as little pain as possible. Often this means dispensing medication that would never be permitted under "normal" circumstances. It means holding someone's hand while they die and being a shoulder to cry on for the family.

E is an amazing woman and a phenomenal nurse. After less than 2 months she has already received numerous heartfelt thanks from families and patients including at least one letter to the hospital.

Resting Up

Gonna go to bed early tonight. Tomorrow will be a long day at work. I get to my desk around 8 and probably won't get home before 10. We are releasing new version of our programs to 2 of our systems tomorrow. One of the releases set a record for the number of database changes included. AR just got back from his friend's house (they are hard-core paint ballers).

Dinner was ... adequate. SE and I shared the duty tonight and she will have it solo tomorrow. Her SO came over for dinner as well. He is a really nice guy and a joy to have around. After dinner I took food over to the hospital for E.

This weekend I will start prepping for the painting marathon. S&G delivered the base today which will need to be painted before it goes on the wall.

A few parting thoughts from Walt Henrichsen on control and our lives (from a Christian perspective) that seem particularly relevant to me today:

Nobody controls his own life. The following rhetorical questions reveal this fact: Did you determine when you were born? Your parents? The color of your skin, hair, or eyes? The country in which you were born? Your gifts, abilities and intelligence? The circumstances that flow through your life, such as whether you contract cancer? In all probability, you will have no say over when you die. When asking yourself what it is that you control, you conclude that, by and large, only your attitude over what you cannot control. Most of life you spend deciding how you will respond rather than initiating what you will do. Even the decisions you make set in motion events you can only barely discern before the fact and over which you have no real control.

When Chicken Means Beef

Tonight is Chicken-Fried-Steak. What is chicken-fried anyway? If it is steak why is it called chicken? I am thinking that the easiest side dish (that we haven't had in 3 or more days) is hash browns. NO is at ball practice right now courtesy of P's dad (funny thing is that we actually call him "P" so it isn't just obfuscation).

Looks now like the kids won't be moving back to the area. The step-dad is resigning from his current position and returning to the Fresno office. Guess my dreams of actually attending my children's events is so much dust in the wind, eh? Better schedule the car for a tune up and new tires as I will be back to the driving bit again soon. I have a little over 60K on this set of tires and brakes - not bad for factory installed.

Not Accountable?

An excerpt from today’s Henrichsen devotional

People do not want to fear God because of their commitment to their own autonomy and they do not want to have to give account for their behavior. If you understand that there are eternal consequences for temporal behavior, even for those secure in Christ, you will fear. Grace does not eliminate accountability. The absence of fear indicates a misunderstanding of God's grace.

A very interesting topic and one that is often overlooked by the churches of our generation and ties closely to my post yesterday (Facing the Future). When we recognize that our choices will impact not only our future here on earth but our rewards in heaven we have a much better chance of “choosing wisely.”

The recent scandal involving Governor Spitzer is an excellent example of the failure to consider consequences and accountability. He drove his administration on the platform of reform yet obviously felt he would not be called to account for his OWN actions. He failed to consider the consequences of his choices and committed only to satisfying his own desires.

Revelation 3:3 'So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.

Sproing

Spring has sprung! All the pear trees are blooming as are the plum (all ornamental of course). Some of the trees even have a little green on them. The rose bushes are putting out foliage along with my hydrangea. Of course for all you allergy sufferers none of this is news. The grasses and molds are very high right now. NO's allergist is trying him out on a new inhaler and suggesting we go back to Zyrtec.

SE seems to have gotten a new job at Big 5. They had her fill out paperwork and gave her a handbook. She asked for 25+ hours/week so hopefully she can work enough to pay the bills. Her step-dad took her to dinner last night which was nice. RF might be driving her youngest siblings up for a visit this weekend. It is going to be tough over the next few weeks to keep the house from looking like a war zone. Redecorating is always messy.

Oops

Had mac-n-cheese not cous-cous. NO's little league practice is Wednesday not tomorrow. However, tomorrow E is off so we get to have dinner together, w00t!

AR is upstairs taking a shower and the little boy is in bed. Most of the trash is down to the curb, coffee is made and the filing is done. Need to work on lunches and get something out for dinner tomorrow (thinking beef). SE and I watched the first episode of Tin Man last night (her SO endured it ;). If you have never seen it, check your SciFi channel listings. Think Frank Baum meets Chris Carter. Well off to finish up and on to bed.

G'night all

Snausages

Anyone remember that commercial? I have been told that I have an odd memory (by my wife) as those type of things stick for decades but I can't remember to pick up milk on the way home.

So anyway, it looks like brauts are whats for dinner. Guess we will have cous-cous or something with them. Tonight I well help close out the evangelism conference at church. AR has a dentist appointment at 11 tomorrow morning and I have one on Wednesday. NO and his buddy PJ have RWLL practice tomorrow afternoon at 4.

Facing the Future

There seems to be a fatal flaw in most people. It manifests most strongly in children but seems to exist in many of us (I avoid saying "all" only because I am sure that someone, somewhere does not have this flaw). It is this - we can't see beyond our actions to the consequences. You see this often in the choices teens make. We get so caught up in what we want that we forget that there is a price to pay after the dust settles.

The most stark and compelling example of this in my life is chronicled in sparse detail below (March 5, When Bad Things Happen). When I chose to leave my first wife, dealing with the issues of a blended family were nowhere on my map; nor was the pain of looking my children in the eyes when they sobbed "why." I focused on my own discontent and ignored (or failed to properly consider) the question "now what?" I ignored all who tried to warn me including my God.

Over the course of the last 10 years I have had the answer to the question of "now what" hammered home many times. I love my wife and stepchildren dearly and can not imagine life without them (or NO). At the same time I recognize that the vast majority of the struggles over that same time are as a direct result of that initial decision.

I like to think that I am older and wiser and that I make better choices. The truth is that without constant vigilance (and yes - prayer) I am still in danger of making destructive choices today. Perhaps one of the things that has changed is that I am (a little) more willing to listen to advice from people that have walked down my paths, see where they lead and love me enough to warn me. I work to surround myself with other Christians who will gently (or not) let me know when I am straying from the "safe" paths and correct me. At those time I (mostly) listen - and when I don't, God is standing there waiting when I crawl back to Him broken and bleeding to guide and help me as I deal with the consequences.

Blessings on your day

Can you hear me now?

Had a nice long conversation with my grandson at lunch today. We discussed his day and I heard all about his problems. No idea what is for dinner tonight as I didn't get anything out of the freezer. It does get hard making a menu particularly when I get home so late. Most of my meals have to have short prep times.

We had a speaker at church this weekend talking about evangelism. I have been helping out and will go back tonight at 7. E took AR in complaining of a headache. Doc says he has a severe sinus infection and should probably be screened for allergy in a couple of weeks. NO had HIS first visit with the allergist today as well. The Doc is concerned over his tonsils and may refer him to an ENT.

Down and Dirty

Let’s talk flooring. After 3-4 years of looking, talking and pondering we have chosen (yes and even put down a deposit on) flooring for the down stairs. We bought from S&G Carpets in Rocklin. They are a joy to work with, low pressure and willing to negotiate pricing. In the end we got a better ‘per-square-foot’ price than any of the discount places. Since we are having them do the whole job, the installation is guaranteed for as long as well own the home (the flooring has a life-time warranty on the finish).

S&G uses a line that was developed for them called “Lantern” (can’t find a website describing it). The finish is hand-scraped and the color is weathered-pecan. We will be doing the entire downstairs excluding the bathroom, entry-way and laundry room (to avoid the most likely areas for a serious water spill). They are delivering the base-boards on Wednesday. We considered the vinyl stuff but could not find a dealer that had any laid that we could walk on (another reason that we like S&G, they have large sections of flooring down).

They will be starting on the Tuesday after Easter and will be done by Saturday. E is picking up paint at Sherwin-Williams today (6142 Macadamia for the walls, 6137 Burlap trim) for the dining area and kitchen.

Maybe I will take a picture of the flooring sample and post it later.