Sunday, December 21, 2008

Insensitive Jackass

Originally posted on the family blog:

How many of you have met an insensitive jackass, or worse, been one? It's no secret that our family has challenges and issues. Our oldest, Hyrum, has been diagnosed as being on the Autism spectrum. To an outsider, he would appear to be a super-active, uncontrollable teenage brat. However, those who know him know that he is not physically able to sit still. He gets his enormous growth pattern from me, his father. He is just the size of a teenager, but just turned 9 on 20 December, which was yesterday as of this writing. Most people who get to know him, love him in spite of his difficulties.

As you can imagine, this leads to occasions where his inability for silence and stillness are a determent to him and his family. Mainly, Church, but especially sacrament meeting. Today was the easiest to have to sit through. The annual Christmas program. No High Councilor talks to put you to sleep. No open-mic travelogues or thankamonies to cringe through. Just Christmas music.

It's a small miracle that we come to church every Sunday. With Hyrum just turning nine and his 4 younger brothers in tow, Sacrament meetings turn into 3-ring circus events, with us as the clowns, or the idiots for even attempting it in the first place. Church is the place where you are supposed to feel the Spirit; to renew and invigorate for the week to come; to be among friends.

Given the emotional week that we had, with the miscarriage, the D&C, me coming home so late on Friday and just this morning, sick kids, Sara stayed home with the three youngest boys. So all I had were the oldest two. The two that most people would think should be able to sit still through the easiest Sacrament meeting of the year. But one of the children was my sweet Hyrum. And as you can imagine, he couldn't just sit still and listen to the off-key singing of songs celebrating the birth of our Savior. He fought with Noah, fidgeted like he was "feeling the spirit" at a southern revival, and got up and left a number of times. I sent him home at one point, only to have him come back in after apparently playing in the snow. He decided to kick the snow off of his shoes at the chair set up right by the doors so the teacher or extra deacon can close them during the sacrament and hand out programs. So in other words, it was a usual Sunday.

Despite all of this, I was really enjoying the meeting, and honestly feeling the Spirit. It was almost over, during the first verse of the closing song, when this old man comes up and tells Hyrum that "[he] disrupted the whole meeting." Hyrum replies, "What's the problem, I'm just a kid?" The old man barks in response, "You're the problem!!" and goes back to his seat.

I couldn't finish the song. It totally punctured a hole in my happy balloon. I looked at Hyrum, and he looked back at me and asked "what?". I couldn't speak or say anything. I was floored. The meeting ended and we came home.

Of course I told Sara about the event, and she made a few calls, and left a message on his machine. He called back, but not to apologize, but to further humiliate us. "I'm not attacking the child, I'm talking about his parents. Your husband was sitting there like a zombie while he disrupted the meeting. After I told him to stop, several people came up to me and said 'I'm so glad you did that. We should have done that sooner.' "

To further stoke the fire: this idiotic cold-hearted jackass used to be the Bishop of our ward. We're glad that he wasn't in charge when we got here. Our current bishop talked to Sara on the phone and was so apologetic and wanted to know if he could do anything to help. We have to wonder how much damage control our bishop has to do from the old man's current remarks or past actions as bishop.

People don't realize the production that goes into a church event for us. They don't realize what has to be done to get five boys nine and under to church every Sunday, or even what it takes to get two boys off to school 5 days a week. Hyrum fights going to Church every Sunday. Every Sunday we have to tell him that no, it's not Conference and yes, he has to go to Church. Once, two years ago, a girl at school told Hyrum that the coat he was wearing made him look fat. He never wore that coat again. This old man doesn't realize that him trying to do my job or "offer constructive criticism" will probably be remembered by don't-forget-anything-Hyrum for years to come, or maybe for the rest of his life.

Don't get me wrong. I want Hyrum to sit still. I did my best to encourage him to do so. It's just not that easy with him.

We're going to keep going to Church here. No words or actions of stupid people are going to affect the salvation of me and my family. One day, all this crap will be worth it. Then we'll look at the young couples struggling and smile. One thing about having these kinds of difficulties is that makes us so much more tolerant to disruptions and for people with disabilities and challenges.

I'm sure in a past fit of rage, I've cursed Hyrum to have 5 just like him. I really don't wish that on him. I would love to have 5 little angels sitting on the row, but that isn't our fate in life.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving

I wanted to wish all 2 of my readers a Happy Thanksgiving. I'm taking a minute while my turkey is in the oven to post a quick message.

For the last month, I have been working on upgrading a tool that we and our customers use. My team rewarded me for my hard work by nominating me for the Most Outstanding Coder award for the month. I was very flattered and glad to be able to get the award. It comes with a $200 gift card, just in time for Christmas, er, I mean Black Friday.

Well, I'm being kicked off the computer by my son, so I must exit. We'll be having Thanksgiving with my niece.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

My extra helpful wife

Being bald isn't so bad. I started to go bald in high school, and by the time I was done with my mission, my hair on top had left for greener pastures (my back). It has the tendency to make me look older than I am. But anyway, who needs hair? It gets in the way.

There are some advantages to being bald, or hair-on-top impaired. You know those hotel samples of shampoo? Those last me about 2 weeks. I could go on a business trip and get enough shampoo to last me a month when I get home. My wife has bought a gallon of shampoo before. That is a lifetime supply for me.

I know it's time for a haircut when I actually have to FIX my hair before I can leave the house. I cut my own hair at home using some clippers that my wife, Sara, got at some beauty supply store or something. I use the 1/4" setting.

Here's where my wife became the extra helpful wife. I asked her very gently if she would be as kind as to trim my neck fur. Even if us guys aren't ashamed of our back hair, we don't want the hair on our heads and the hair on our shoulders and back to be one in the same. We like there to be some separation between the two.

I'm 6'5", and my wife is 5'3", so I had to get down on my knees for her to trim up my neck. She did a wonderful job at making a nice, straight line on my neck. Then she decided to do some serious manscaping. She ran those clippers from my neck, down my back and from side to side. 20 minutes later when she was done, I was 3 pounds lighter and the clippers were hot to the touch.

After I finished washing off the remnant hair in the shower, I was disappointed when I couldn't move the towel on my back at all. Apparently, when you shave a back with hair as thick as mine, it leaves behind velcro in it's place. The towel did not slide or fall off my back. The next day, my shirt wouldn't move. Now I get to look forward to regrowth! My wife suggested that I get it waxed, but I don't think you could pay that little Asian lady in the salon enough money to do that.

Shaving with Joint Compound


In an effort to save money, I got a can of cheapo old man smellin classic Barbasol. My dad used this stuff, and I used to think that his sideburns were white because he got Barbasol shaving cream on them. Nah, he was just old. When you are little, those are the kind of things you think.

The first couple of times I used it, I didn't shake the can. It came out kinda loose and liquididy. So I did the unthinkable. I read the instructions. Isn't is silly to have instructions on a can of shaving cream? Press button, spread on face (or legs if your wife steals your can), shave. Repeat the next day.

In the past, I've never really shook the can of shaving cream when I used it. Either that, or I don't remember doing it. I've always been an Edge man, but when times are tough, everybody has to make sacrifices. Maybe you do have to shake them all. I don't know.

Well, the can says to shake well, so I did. When I pressed the button, it gave me a big glob of "Thick & Rich Shaving Cream." Spreading it on my face reminded me of working on my basement and spreading drywall joint compound on the seams and screw holes. I felt like I was shaving with joint compound. It works pretty well, but my wife doesn't like the scent it leaves behind. Too much like "old man."

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

You know you've hit the snooze too many times when...

There are sometimes when your imagination gets the best of you. It happens to me frequently when I've overslept. My dreams get strange. This one was pretty strange, and I thought I would share before I forget it.

I've hit the snooze at least once by this time when I'm following one/some of my children around the neighborhood. We go towards a house, and as I get to the front door, I can see that there must be a party going on or something, because the house is packed with people. Someone outside the house points to this man near the front door and says, "That's Dale Murphy." I go inside, look at him and walk past. He was talking to someone, and the house is full of people.

Side note. This is significant because as an LDS child of the South in the 80s, we all knew who Dale Murphy was. I had a poster of him wearing a Braves outfit and holding a glow-in-the-dark real size baseball bat. Anyway, he was pretty special to lots of people. My cousin and I have wanted to meet him for years. He lives somewhere here in Utah.

Now the funny part of the dream; the part where you realize you've slept too long. I walk past him and go towards the wall, and I start crying. Here is someone I've wanted to talk to for years ever since I was a child. I respected him greatly. So I'm trying to gain my composure when some unknown older man said, "Something must have moved this man. What is it son?" I want to try to explain it, but seeing that when I talk when crying, it always comes out wrong.

To end the story, when that older guy talked to me, I startled myself awake to see it was light outside. I know, not a good ending, but funny none the less. What makes it really funny is that in no way would I cry to meet anyone living on Earth. What ridiculous nonsense!

Thursday, September 04, 2008

Guitar Hero


My son Daniel is a rockin 4 year old. He is slim and trim with blonde hair that curls at the end. He is rather dashing.

Here he is rocking out.

Look carefully: messy hair, shirtless, Hot Wheels rub-on tattoos, determined look, yeah, he's got it all. He sure looks lots better than I do playing Guitar Hero.

My oldest begs me every day to play Guitar Hero. There are some days that I allow it, but most of the time I don't. Mainly because I'm lazy. He plays on practice mode, and on the slowest setting. It drives me crazy. I think he thinks he has to get a perfect score. That, of course, is not the point of the game.

I have lots of things to do at home besides playing Guitar Hero. My two year old calls me at work and asks me to either take him to Home Depot, or push him on the swings. There are a lot of people that require lots of things from me. But that's the price you pay for being a good dad, I guess. I try to be anyway.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

The Peach Tree

"It grieveth me that I should lose this tree" - Jacob 5:11

Up until I moved into this house, I didn't have a fruit tree in my yard. I always wanted one, and always felt that I would enjoy having fresh fruit off the tree. After reading the long chapter of Jacob 5, I felt that if I had a fruit tree, I would be a good steward of it.

My peach tree is in bad shape. About 4 feet off the ground, it splits into 3 large branches. I looked out the window last Saturday and saw that one of the 3 branches was down. At first, we didn't know what happened. I went out to investigate, and saw that a few feet (about the height of a child) above the break was a small limb that was also broken. Using my highly scientific observations learned from watching CSI, I determined that there was a child in the tree; the big limb that he was standing on broke and he fell, breaking the upper smaller branch. I don't know who it was, but I suspect it was a friend of my one of my sons.

I'm not mad about it, but I am saddened that I lost 1/3 of my tree. Then the other day, my loving, kind, caring, giving, extra-special wife pointed out that another large branch has broken under its own weight. I didn't think that it was extra loaded down with fruit this year, but apparently, it was more than it could take. So now, I'm looking at the prospect of losing 2/3 of my peach tree. The peaches aren't even large yet. They resemble furry walnuts at this point. Maybe we can get enough out of them to make some jam or something. We'll have to see.

Our first September out here, Sara canned some peaches and made peach related products. One messed up attempt at making peach jam turned into peach syrup, which we then, in a brilliant stroke of irony, exported home to Georgia and South Carolina as Christmas gifts for our southern-dwelling families. Word has it that it was a big hit. Not too bad for messing up.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

quick updates and events

Since I have decided to not blog at work, it leaves me very little time to actually write. I wanted to give a quick update of things:

  • St. George Vacation: Last week, we went to St. George, UT for a quick vacation. It was probably the first one we have had as a family. Driving there, my wife was quoted as saying, "We really had a great time. All except the car ride. It was exactly as I remember. Just alot more people in the car than we had. It was a little like hell only louder." Having a vacation always seemed like an excess, or show of wealth. The company I work for owns condos at various locations here in the intermountain west. With housing paid for, all we have to cover is gas, food, and extras. It is the only way we can afford to actually go on vacation. It was a lot of fun and great to get away, even if it was only for 3 days. Before I moved to Utah, I never would have driven 300 miles one way to go on vacation.
  • TV Affiliates: I grew up in Charleston, SC. We had our own local TV stations. My wife grew up in Augusta, GA. She had her own local TV stations. Columbia, SC is 100 miles from Charleston, and 60 miles from Augusta. They have their own local TV stations. Out here, St. George does NOT have it's own local TV stations. Cedar City, which is 60 miles north of St. George does not have it's own local TV. How local can Salt Lake City news be to a city that is 300 miles away? That's like Atlanta local stations serving Charlotte. Unheard of back home, but accepted here. I guess the population density is a whole lot lower here than back home. There are miles and miles of open space in between Stansbury and St. George. St. George is actually closer to Vegas than they are to here. In the South, there were tons of little communities everywhere. I imagine most of them started because some pioneer wife back in the 16 to 1800s put her foot down and said, "I am not going a step further!!"
  • Wife projects: When my wife gets a project in her head, it has to be done right then and there. Come hell or high water, by gosh it's getting done. An example of this would be her recent Twilight obsession reading that started when we went on vacation and didn't end until yesterday (Aug 26, a week later). A previous example was when she wanted the insulation done in the new family room, and required it to be done right then, even though it was a Sunday. But I did it anyway.
  • School: Hyrum and Noah went back to school last week. Hyrum is in 3rd grade and Noah started 1st. Daniel starts his pre-school the day after Labor Day, which was the original start of school back in them olden days. Exciting times in the Lynes home.
  • Looking forward: It should be 75 degrees on Labor Day. I'm looking forward to that. I'm also looking forward to my in-laws coming out to visit in October. I've got something special planned for Sara's birthday (November), but it's such a secret right now that I'm not telling or even giving mention of what it could be. I'm also looking forward to developing in .NET again. For the last few months, I've been fixing bugs in C and Java. Our software does some really neat and great things. It helps public safety groups do their jobs.
  • Keep on rocking: Rest in peace, Leroi Moore. An original founding member and saxophone player of the Dave Matthews Band died last week. Leroi was a vital part of the unique sound of their music. I'm not sure how DMB is going to sound without him.
  • Service Project: I wrote about helping with the Church harvest. I thought I was helping to harvest corn, but it turned out to be wheat. I drove a truck from the field to the silos. As I was dumping my load that was piped up into the silo/grain elevator, I noticed a few Mormon crickets that were trying to escape the bin and get out. We still have the cricket problems around here. The difference is, well, let's just say that the Church's wheat is NOT organic. One of those crickets got lucky, escaped, and jumped on my chest. Yes, I screamed like a little girl. I'm glad no one was around...

Monday, August 04, 2008

Itchy Insulation

I am slowly (some would say very slowly) finishing the basement of my house. On Saturday, I installed insulation in the ceiling of a future room which we haven't decided what it's purpose will be yet. We chose some role for it, then we change our minds. I'm pretty sure we have it narrowed down to either a bedroom or TV room. At one time, we had hoped to have the downstairs as just the sleeping quarters, while the upstairs was the space we are in during the day. We have some plumbing jobs to do first before we can really finish the job downstairs. One day we will have it all finished. Then I'll probably have a new job and we'll move...

One show that my wife and I have started to really get into is a show on HGTV called Extreme Living. I enjoy unusual houses and can't really stand the cookie-cutter, developer-builds-300-houses-using-4-house-plans types of houses, even though I live in one. I grew up in a custom home, and my wife did too, although her's is much more unique than mine was. That house is so different, it deserves it's own blog post. At least it was 100% paid for. Not many people can say that.

I want me some CORN!

I loved the crows in Charlotte's Web. It was really funny to watch them and their pursuit of corn. Corn! Corn! Corn! Oh, how I love thee.

Well, not really. But corn does provide us with grits, tortillas, popcorn, cornbread, and let's not forget the source of what-used-to-be-cheap sweetener that most packaged food manufacturers use instead of the more "costly" "regular" sugar: high fructose corn syrup. Now corn is the enemy to Ammon, as he is allergic to it. I hope he gets over it soon so we can enjoy the bounteous blessings of corn consumption.

For the next few days, we as a stake have the responsibility to harvest the corn growing in Erda on the Church's farm. I'm going to help out. I was told that I'm going to drive a truck on Saturday and to bring my iPod. I'm going to make sure it's charged before I go and work. I haven't worked on this kind of farm before. I worked on a Church grape vineyard before, (we called it a "grape farm" since we don't drink wine) and ended up loosing about 1/2" of my right pointer finger to a piece of machinery used in the processing of grapes. The grapes are used for juice and jams, etc. I'm not exactly sure what the corn is going to be used for, but I know that it will be for a good purpose.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Guilty Pleasures

We all have guilty pleasures. Some involve chocolate. Some involve TV. The one I'm going to write about is my love of a kids cartoon. No, not Tom & Jerry, which I watched a lot when I was "little", which means it was a long time ago. But I'm talking about a cartoon on Nick that just ended called Avatar: The Last Airbender.

It shouldn't be too strange that I like something like Avatar. When I was about 12, I played the original Legend of Zelda, and I loved it. I've grown to really enjoy the fantasy genre. I guess it is because it draws me away from real life, which is demanding and stressful. I'm reading Lord of the Rings for pretty much the same reason. That's about an impossible journey to the heart of evil and how good wins. LOTR has an amazing mythology and incredible backstory to accompany the great writing.

But the funny thing is that I can watch a kids show that the whole premise is that a 12 or 13 year old boy will one day be able to defeat someone who is 3 to 4 times his age, and actually not get bored out of my mind. Yes, it's silly. Yes, it's hokey. I acknowledge that. During the series finale's epic battle between Aang, the hero, and the evil Fire Lord (or Phoenix King), my wife was laughing at the craziness of it all. My kids love the show, and it's something we can bond over. Of course, it's not cool when my kids try to "firebend" on each other. There is a little violence, but it is definitely a PG (or Y7) rated show. It also has a loyal following which includes other adults as well as the usual target demographic.

Watching Avatar reminds me a lot of Star Wars: Small group of good guys fight against the large evil empire. People can manipulate matter by will. Good wins in the end. The hero at one point abandons his training to help his friends that he saw in a vision. Avatar was only 3 seasons long, and the original Star Wars was 3 movies. The second season ended with the heroes re-grouping and making plans.

So, if the idea of an Asian inspired world where a good underdog fights against the evil enemy sounds good to you, don't be ashamed to watch it. And, it's OK to like it too. Just don't take it too seriously.

Concerts

While an automated process runs, I thought I would get in a quick post. When I was coming into work, I looked at a billboard for a local concert venue and it listed a couple of shows I wish I could go and see. James Taylor is coming August 4th and Dave Matthews Band is coming in the end of August. I didn't catch the exact date, because I'm not going. I wish I was.

On second thought, I wish I could go and have a closed in box seat. There aren't any at the amphitheater that they are coming to, and when you go to a DMB concert, you come home smelling like pot. The last time (and first and only time) I went to a DMB concert was back in August of 2003. After the opening act was done, and Dave walked out on stage, everybody else whipped out their fattys and lit up. I got a bad contact high and the munchies. I came home with a vicious headache and stunk so bad I had to take a shower before I could even crawl into bed.


I grew up listening to my family playing guitars and singing James Taylor songs. I don't think I would get a contact high from his show, but I still can't afford to go. I also missed B.B. King when he came to Wendover sometime earlier this year. I love his guitar work, and I really enjoy one of his songs: Paying The Cost To Be The Boss. Its all in jest of course. Sometimes, my kids tell me that I'm not the boss ("No, mom is", which is really true). I tell 'em, "I'm paying for this house, your clothes and your food. That's why I'm the boss." Yep, I'm paying the cost to be the boss, of at least something. I guess my "real" song would be The Man Song.

UPDATE: My wife doesn't want to be labeled as controlling or psychotic. She's not, by any means. But she does have, in her words, "a very strong personality." I call her an Alpha Female. I may wear the pants in the family, but she picks them out for me. I'm an easy going guy, and she has a strong personality. It works well for us. It may not for others. I love her so much!

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Saturday Morning Service Project

Today I actually got up and went to help at a church service project. The Church is all about serving, but for so long, I've only served my family. It felt good to be out and use a weedwacker. The Church maintains a farm in Erda, which is only a few miles away.

They had a "southern country breakfast" there, which included cheesy grits, biscuits and gravy, potatoes, and some bacon. It was mildly authentic, but not quite 100% accurate. Can't expect too much from people that have been raised out here in Utah. One of the cooks used to live in Alabama, but that was years ago. Good people, nonetheless.

So I came home and did more yard work. Suburbia on Saturday hums with the sound of small motors cutting and trimming. Mine was no different, except I added the sound of spraying Round Up on the weeds growing in the rocks, and the terrible Morning Glory in the back of the house. If I had some extra money (yeah, right), then I would redo some of the landscaping at my house. But right now, that's a low priority.

Friday, June 27, 2008

quote to end all quotes

Noah, age 6 and 1/2, provides us this great little gem today that will live on much longer than he will want it to. This (Friday) morning, Sara told him he needed to take a shower and he said,

Noooo!! Today is not Sunday! We take a shower on Sunday!!

Noah, as your father, it is my responsibility to remind you of this saying at the most embarrassing moments possible: Bringing home your prom date, when your teenage friends are over, at your wedding, etc. I look forward to the rite of passage of embarrassment that my father couldn't provide for me.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Hurt and offended

I seem to have a way to make my wife hurt and offended. Yesterday it was about the family blog, and today it was because I forgot to do the dishes (which I told her I would do) and take out the trash. I don't really have an excuse, other than I forgot.

I really don't want to upset my wife. She is everything to me. It's just that watching "So You Think You Can Dance?" made me forget to do what I told her I would do.

She'll probably get upset when she finds out that I had an excellent lunch, paid for by the company, at Applebees. She doesn't get paid lunches. She's lucky to get to eat her lunch without having to share.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Food allergies

I have 5 boys, and they are wonderful, wonderful little guys. My 4th, Ammon, has always (or nearly always) had problems with skin rashes and irritations, especially on his feet.

It started when he started eating "people-food", around the time he weaned himself and started eating solid foods. About this time, he started to scratch his feet and legs. Of course, they started to bleed and get all crusty, etc. He shows signs of excema, which is increased because we live in a desert. We had him allergy tested. I'm glad I wasn't there the first time we did, because holding down a screaming 1 1/2 year old to do skin pricks is not my idea of fun. I was watching the other kids while Sara took him. Anyway, that test came out negative on all substances.

About a month or maybe a month and a half ago, he ate a PB&J on wheat bread. He actually ate the bread too. Usually he just licks the peanut butter off or fingerpaints with it. We knew that he could possibly have a problem with peanuts, because his attitude would change, and he would break out more. He started complaining about his mouth and tongue hurting. Sara took him to the doctor and they did a blood allergy test. They drew his blood then tested it.

The tests came back, and we were very surprised at what they said. Ammon, who is 2, came back with an allergy to wheat, soy, eggs (ok, egg whites, but who is going to separate them for him?), milk, corn and peanuts. Holy crap.

Finally, we had some answers. But now, what the crap do we feed him? It turns out, that if it doesn't have wheat in it, it's going to have corn or some kind of corn product in it. So his sandwhich that he ate carried at least 3 of his known allergens: wheat, peanuts, and high frucose corn syrup. Sara really struggled for a long time. I guess it would be guilt for feeding him, and/or overwhelmed at the prospect of having to feed him food not containing those things. She figured it out, and took him off of those things, and his feet got better. But now he likes to sneak food when nobody's looking. And his feet now show it.

Then we thought that if Ammon had allergies, what about the other 4? We had Hyrum, Noah and Daniel tested. We'll test Sam at about 1 year. Hyrum came back with a milk allergy, Noah came back with a wheat and egg allergy, and Daniel came back with nothing. So now, we have 3 out of 4 tested (3/5 overall) that have food allergies. Noah and Ammon also have outdoor and animal allergies too. Are you going to try to keep a two year old inside during the summer? Especially when his favorite things to do are "push you swing", or "push me at da swing" depending on how he's feeling, and "jump on the tramp" which is short for trampoline. Don't get any ideas...

So Hyrum can have cereal, but he can't have "normal" milk. Noah can have non-wheat cereal and milk. Daniel can have whatever we feed him. Ammon can have Rice Chex and some speciality organic cereal that doesn't have HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) and rice milk. His diet consists mostly of rice-based products. That and meat and potatoes. Good thing he's a carnivore!

Me? I'm allergic to sugar. Not really, but because I'm diabetic, I basically am.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

12:00 hour

Apparently, noon is the poop hour most popular time to use the facilities here at work. We have two floors here at work, and on each floor is one big bathroom each for men and women. Since we men can go to the bathroom standing up 70% of the time, there is usually only 1-3 actual toilets in a typical men's room. I go into the second floor men's room at 12 to visit my other office, and I find the two thrones already in use. So off to the first floor I go. While I'm in there, someone else comes in and takes the other one there. So it was a busy time in the bathroom here at work.

Found my password

I haven't updated this in a long, long time, adding to the blogsphere other useless blogs. I'll try to write more often.

There is so much that I would love to talk about, but I really don't have the time. I work for Spillman Technologies, and I have 5 boys 8 and under at home. That translates into "when I get home from work, I have to be superdad", or something. The problem is that sometimes, you just don't want to. I love my family, and I'm glad that they can't wait for me to come home. Often, I feel like I'm useful just for playing, like I'm a Toy or something.

Oh well. One day, far into the future, when they are dads, hopefully they will look back and say that they were grateful that I did that for them.