Thursday, December 26, 2013
I miss Rebecca
In a fit of niceness, I offered to let Rebecca use my airline miles to go home for the end of the year to see her parents. If the IVF works, she will not be traveling at all in 2014. I have traveled for a good part of October through December for work. Maybe subconsciously I was testing her. I thought I could handle it better. I really miss spending the day after Christmas with her. We had such a lovely buildup to Christmas and Christmas Eve & Christmas Day. And now she is in Petaluma eating fresh dungeness crab with her parents. Humbug!
Monday, December 23, 2013
I hate Windows 8
Just saying, it sucks. Don't put in a half-@$$ Desktop and expect to appease those of us who want the old Start Menu.
Rebecca is downloading the 8.1 patch today, let's see how much better it is.
Rebecca is downloading the 8.1 patch today, let's see how much better it is.
Friday, December 20, 2013
New Year & IVF countdown
Okay, I had to get a pet peeve off my chest this morning. I complained to Men's Wearhouse that their quite large collection of "Big & Tall 'Slim Fit' pants was ridiculous.
Also, the rest of this blog is definitely rated Mature Audiences.
In preparation for the new year's IVF options, on Wednesday morning before work I went in for another semen analysis. The whole experience was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life, and such that I do want to directly tell anyone other than Rebecca. So I will use my hidden open blog to deal with the emotional residue. The end result was an 88 million count, so I am still fertile. However, the process was painful and there was a relatively lot of vibrant red blood in the cup. Shudder...just thinking about it gives me the willies.
At this point, I was quite queasy and I told the receptionist that there was a problem, and she directed me to the conference room where Rebecca and I had been briefed by a nurse on our initial visit. The same nurse came in and told me it happens frequently, do not worry about unless you see it again, sometimes trauma to the kidneys or something can cause temporary blood appearances, etc. She said that they would check for a high white blood cell count in the analysis, but by now I was just nauseated. I asked if I could use the restroom and for the next long while I spread my arms against the walls to hold me up as I fought dry heaves (I had not eaten breakfast). I sometimes go into shock when I give blood for testing, and this was much worse. I turned pale (rather than the normal ruddy hue), and I broke into a cold sweat, which felt like a workout drenching. I ended up sitting on the pot for a long time before I felt strong enough to leave.
I know, I am a wuss, women put up with this monthly. I just started freaking out in my mind about the negative possibilities as the pain & blood had never happened to me before. I was so weak for the rest of the day. I told Rebecca that I never wanted to have anything to do with sex again. I'm still a little freaked out, albeit less so than before, as the tests came back yesterday with no sign of an infection.
Also, the rest of this blog is definitely rated Mature Audiences.
In preparation for the new year's IVF options, on Wednesday morning before work I went in for another semen analysis. The whole experience was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life, and such that I do want to directly tell anyone other than Rebecca. So I will use my hidden open blog to deal with the emotional residue. The end result was an 88 million count, so I am still fertile. However, the process was painful and there was a relatively lot of vibrant red blood in the cup. Shudder...just thinking about it gives me the willies.
At this point, I was quite queasy and I told the receptionist that there was a problem, and she directed me to the conference room where Rebecca and I had been briefed by a nurse on our initial visit. The same nurse came in and told me it happens frequently, do not worry about unless you see it again, sometimes trauma to the kidneys or something can cause temporary blood appearances, etc. She said that they would check for a high white blood cell count in the analysis, but by now I was just nauseated. I asked if I could use the restroom and for the next long while I spread my arms against the walls to hold me up as I fought dry heaves (I had not eaten breakfast). I sometimes go into shock when I give blood for testing, and this was much worse. I turned pale (rather than the normal ruddy hue), and I broke into a cold sweat, which felt like a workout drenching. I ended up sitting on the pot for a long time before I felt strong enough to leave.
I know, I am a wuss, women put up with this monthly. I just started freaking out in my mind about the negative possibilities as the pain & blood had never happened to me before. I was so weak for the rest of the day. I told Rebecca that I never wanted to have anything to do with sex again. I'm still a little freaked out, albeit less so than before, as the tests came back yesterday with no sign of an infection.
Friday, December 13, 2013
New Xmas tradition
I have to admit, I missed our nightly Advent calendar activity when I was in Utah the past week. Rebecca picked up a stocking / package string that is hung on our fireplace mantle, and I enjoy counting down to Christmas every night with her.
Monday, December 9, 2013
The Hills are alive...
Friday night, I was informed, would be Rebecca-time. We started watching the recorded 'Sound of Music LIVE' from the night before, but we both agreed to stop it after the first bit, as the acting was wooden.
We ended up renting the original version through DirecTV PPV, and Rebecca said that she watched it all the way through for the first time (she said she always fell asleep before the end when she was a kid).
I could not help but feel nostalgic as I know almost every song word for word. Growing up, first my Mom would play the 8-track, then the soundtrack cassette all the time. I remember that I felt a bit betrayed when I learned in the internet age that "Edelweiss" is not really an Austrian folk song, but something that Rodgers & Hammerstein made up. Still, I love the scene where they sing it to give the Nazi's an 'up yours' moment. Now I just can't the songs out of my head!
We ended up renting the original version through DirecTV PPV, and Rebecca said that she watched it all the way through for the first time (she said she always fell asleep before the end when she was a kid).
I could not help but feel nostalgic as I know almost every song word for word. Growing up, first my Mom would play the 8-track, then the soundtrack cassette all the time. I remember that I felt a bit betrayed when I learned in the internet age that "Edelweiss" is not really an Austrian folk song, but something that Rodgers & Hammerstein made up. Still, I love the scene where they sing it to give the Nazi's an 'up yours' moment. Now I just can't the songs out of my head!
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Awesome Thanksgiving 2013
I write this with the sad realization that our long-planned Thanksgiving celebration is fully over, but it was such a good time, and as my sister Karen said: "We built a lot of memories."
The Smiths arrived on Tuesday Nov. 26th @6:15 from a windy trip through Wyoming. Kaitlyn said that she hit 100 mph at one point when Sam told her to pass a truck. Karen woke up at the speed increase, and told her to slow down. So Kaitlyn showed that she was ready to progress from Youngling to Padawan later in the week.
After about half an hour of reunion, Sam & I drove to the airport to pick up my brother Steven, who was flying in from Oakland. We managed to maneuver through the Thanksgiving traffic & return home safely for dinner.
I had left work a little early and snagged four loaves of sourdough french bread for our dinner on Tuesday, which included lasagna & craisin salad to compliment the sourdough bread. Once the Smithlings were plugged in, we spoke a bit & I prepared for going into work the next morning (and Rebecca mocked me for going to bed somewhat early).
On Wednesday the Smiths & Rebecca went to the Paul Derda Center for some indoor frolicking & swimming. Steven stayed home & setup his electronics. I worked about five-six hours at the office, then headed home early, to help watch the kids as Karen accompanied Rebecca to Green Leaf Massage (http://www.greenleafmassagecenter.com), where Karen received her first massage. It was funny, she looked dazed for several hours that night after arriving home.
Everyone had eaten a late lunch, so we planned to go to Double D's Pizza (http://mydoubledspizza.com/ at 6:30 pm. We introduced Steven & the Smiths to sourdough pizza. We mistakenly got two extra orders of Olidunks, while Punchy & Little J designed & made their own personal pizza. Trevor ordered his own personal pizza, while the rest of us split a loaded veggie & a loaded pepperoni & salami pizza. Karen said afterward that she didn't think two pizzas was enough, but then this was her first time at Double D's. Unfortunately no deep dishes were available, but we had tons of leftover pizza from the upgraded XL pizzas ordered. Then to overcompensate for the lack of deep dish, we got a free order of cinnamon buns. We had spoke about going to see the new 'Thor' movie afterward, but all the interested adults were too stuffed to want to go.
Instead we went home & watched the first episode of 'Almost Human,' while the younger boys went to bed.
On Thursday, we watched the parade & then later the Raiders vs. Cowboys game, whilst Rebecca and Karen provided one of the most lavish Thanksgiving spreads ever served in the Nelson home (the pics don't even show the turkey & potatoes, etc).
Steven & I also helped Trevor & Ben play Star Wars: The Old Republic on Thursday night, as Sam & Karen and Rebecca hit the Black Friday early sales.
We had planned our big "event" doings on Friday, so Rebecca and the womenfolk went to get pedicures. The menfolk had to leave Sam & Joshua at home, as Joshua was ralphing into a popcorn bowl. Punchy was wired as we went to Toys R Us. He and Trevor "hassled" each other a bit on the way there, but Trevor was strangely quiet as we picked out toys for each of them. He also did not want any candy at the check-out aisle. Trevor was told to stick around Uncle Steven, while I monitored Punchy. After making the purchases (we picked up something for Josh too), we left the store on the right side, having to walk in front of the store toward the left, to get to our car. Punchy was running ahead and then Steven called out to wait, Trevor was sick; where we turned to see Trevor was hurling his first wave onto the pavement. I told him to back up as he then spewed a second burst. I went back around to the exit to see if there were any workers to notify (there weren't), and we made for a planter area where Trevor leaned over for awhile before we could return home. Uncle Steven wisely took toys out of a plastic bag, and told him "if you're going to spew, spew into this!" I had Punchy sit on the opposite side of the car for the ride home.
For the rest of the day, Little J & Trevor sat in the family room with their puke bowls, which we gladly gave to the Smiths afterward (not wanting our future popcorn eating to be blue-cheese flavored). We weren't sure if they had a 12-hour bug or had eaten too much, but they were the only two affected.
Friday afternoon, Kailtyn accompanied me and Karen as she had her first lesson with a manual transmission in the Lowell Stake center parking lot. She was able to get Bully going a couple of times, and Karen drove us home. We told her that manipulating a performance clutch is difficult, so hopefully she will continue to practice & it won't be her last lesson; being able to drive an older car or a car with a stick shift is an important skill to have in the Zombie Apocalypse.
I should also note that Danielle made sure to use of the extra computer to fit in One Direction surfing, Kaitlyn finished a book, and Trevor began reading the Hobbit as well.
Friday evening Danielle, Trevor, & Punchy & Josh watched television, while the adults & Kaitlyn played a couple games of Shadows over Camelot. Steven was the traitor in the first game (after I gave him and everyone hints on how to play the traitor), and before we even revealed himself we had already accused two of the others of being the traitor, so it was easy for him to win, as appropriately enough Rebecca and I died (while I was being played in proxy while I was using the restroom), so Steven won the game while Kaitlyn, Sam & Karen futilely tried to hold him off. Steven announced that he had never lost at this game, and the next morning, when everyone wondered who the "Winner" plastic cup belonged to, he laid claim to the title. We did not have a traitor the next game, and managed to defeat the game. The expansion "Travel" cards really add a new difficulty dimension to the game.
Saturday morning Rebecca prepared breakfast burritos, which all the kids loved. Punchy snagged the last remaining breakfast cookie, as the white and milk chocolate chip cookies that Rebecca had prepared met their end. Then there was the sad farewells as the Smiths began their return trip to Utah. The weather was sunny & mild for them, but oh how I loathe saying goodbye after such a great experience together.
Luckily, Steven was with us through Monday. That Saturday afternoon, Steven and I each got a one hour massage, and I think that Steven was won over to the cause after experiencing his first massage ever. That night we all watched the second episode of 'Almost Human,' which is amazing because it is Sci-Fi that Rebecca likes (she hates anything with aliens). The second episode was a bit racy with the case involving manufactured sexbots, so as that kind of stuff makes Karen uncomfortable, I'm glad it was the second episode and not the first (which everyone over 13 had watched). Then Steven & I watched the Justin Timberlake movie 'In Time,' which turned out to be pretty good.
Sunday, we attended our church meetings, and Rebecca and I watched the Niners game while Steven played SWTOR, then we watched the third episode of 'Almost Human.' Steven & played to finish out the double XP weekend.
On Monday, Steven helped us investigate the new Kindle Fire HDX (I was in the office, so we communicated together via Skype), then I left early so we could go to Snarfs for lunch. Then he packed up, and I drove him to the airport, where after a tearful goodbye (I don't know technically if he teared up, as my vision was a bit blurry for some reason), he headed home.
We appreciated each of their travel efforts and costs to come visit us. One interesting observation that we made last night, was how cold the house seemed without 8 extra bodies providing free heating sources.
It was such a great visit to see everyone and spend time in conversation and play with family. I came home that night & felt a little letdown at truly going back to the grind, but that's just the name of the game...the grind game. So back to the grind of preparing for the next visit opportunity.
The Smiths arrived on Tuesday Nov. 26th @6:15 from a windy trip through Wyoming. Kaitlyn said that she hit 100 mph at one point when Sam told her to pass a truck. Karen woke up at the speed increase, and told her to slow down. So Kaitlyn showed that she was ready to progress from Youngling to Padawan later in the week.
After about half an hour of reunion, Sam & I drove to the airport to pick up my brother Steven, who was flying in from Oakland. We managed to maneuver through the Thanksgiving traffic & return home safely for dinner.
I had left work a little early and snagged four loaves of sourdough french bread for our dinner on Tuesday, which included lasagna & craisin salad to compliment the sourdough bread. Once the Smithlings were plugged in, we spoke a bit & I prepared for going into work the next morning (and Rebecca mocked me for going to bed somewhat early).
On Wednesday the Smiths & Rebecca went to the Paul Derda Center for some indoor frolicking & swimming. Steven stayed home & setup his electronics. I worked about five-six hours at the office, then headed home early, to help watch the kids as Karen accompanied Rebecca to Green Leaf Massage (http://www.greenleafmassagecenter.com), where Karen received her first massage. It was funny, she looked dazed for several hours that night after arriving home.
Everyone had eaten a late lunch, so we planned to go to Double D's Pizza (http://mydoubledspizza.com/ at 6:30 pm. We introduced Steven & the Smiths to sourdough pizza. We mistakenly got two extra orders of Olidunks, while Punchy & Little J designed & made their own personal pizza. Trevor ordered his own personal pizza, while the rest of us split a loaded veggie & a loaded pepperoni & salami pizza. Karen said afterward that she didn't think two pizzas was enough, but then this was her first time at Double D's. Unfortunately no deep dishes were available, but we had tons of leftover pizza from the upgraded XL pizzas ordered. Then to overcompensate for the lack of deep dish, we got a free order of cinnamon buns. We had spoke about going to see the new 'Thor' movie afterward, but all the interested adults were too stuffed to want to go.
Instead we went home & watched the first episode of 'Almost Human,' while the younger boys went to bed.
On Thursday, we watched the parade & then later the Raiders vs. Cowboys game, whilst Rebecca and Karen provided one of the most lavish Thanksgiving spreads ever served in the Nelson home (the pics don't even show the turkey & potatoes, etc).
Steven & I also helped Trevor & Ben play Star Wars: The Old Republic on Thursday night, as Sam & Karen and Rebecca hit the Black Friday early sales.
We had planned our big "event" doings on Friday, so Rebecca and the womenfolk went to get pedicures. The menfolk had to leave Sam & Joshua at home, as Joshua was ralphing into a popcorn bowl. Punchy was wired as we went to Toys R Us. He and Trevor "hassled" each other a bit on the way there, but Trevor was strangely quiet as we picked out toys for each of them. He also did not want any candy at the check-out aisle. Trevor was told to stick around Uncle Steven, while I monitored Punchy. After making the purchases (we picked up something for Josh too), we left the store on the right side, having to walk in front of the store toward the left, to get to our car. Punchy was running ahead and then Steven called out to wait, Trevor was sick; where we turned to see Trevor was hurling his first wave onto the pavement. I told him to back up as he then spewed a second burst. I went back around to the exit to see if there were any workers to notify (there weren't), and we made for a planter area where Trevor leaned over for awhile before we could return home. Uncle Steven wisely took toys out of a plastic bag, and told him "if you're going to spew, spew into this!" I had Punchy sit on the opposite side of the car for the ride home.
For the rest of the day, Little J & Trevor sat in the family room with their puke bowls, which we gladly gave to the Smiths afterward (not wanting our future popcorn eating to be blue-cheese flavored). We weren't sure if they had a 12-hour bug or had eaten too much, but they were the only two affected.
Friday afternoon, Kailtyn accompanied me and Karen as she had her first lesson with a manual transmission in the Lowell Stake center parking lot. She was able to get Bully going a couple of times, and Karen drove us home. We told her that manipulating a performance clutch is difficult, so hopefully she will continue to practice & it won't be her last lesson; being able to drive an older car or a car with a stick shift is an important skill to have in the Zombie Apocalypse.
I should also note that Danielle made sure to use of the extra computer to fit in One Direction surfing, Kaitlyn finished a book, and Trevor began reading the Hobbit as well.
Friday evening Danielle, Trevor, & Punchy & Josh watched television, while the adults & Kaitlyn played a couple games of Shadows over Camelot. Steven was the traitor in the first game (after I gave him and everyone hints on how to play the traitor), and before we even revealed himself we had already accused two of the others of being the traitor, so it was easy for him to win, as appropriately enough Rebecca and I died (while I was being played in proxy while I was using the restroom), so Steven won the game while Kaitlyn, Sam & Karen futilely tried to hold him off. Steven announced that he had never lost at this game, and the next morning, when everyone wondered who the "Winner" plastic cup belonged to, he laid claim to the title. We did not have a traitor the next game, and managed to defeat the game. The expansion "Travel" cards really add a new difficulty dimension to the game.
Saturday morning Rebecca prepared breakfast burritos, which all the kids loved. Punchy snagged the last remaining breakfast cookie, as the white and milk chocolate chip cookies that Rebecca had prepared met their end. Then there was the sad farewells as the Smiths began their return trip to Utah. The weather was sunny & mild for them, but oh how I loathe saying goodbye after such a great experience together.
Luckily, Steven was with us through Monday. That Saturday afternoon, Steven and I each got a one hour massage, and I think that Steven was won over to the cause after experiencing his first massage ever. That night we all watched the second episode of 'Almost Human,' which is amazing because it is Sci-Fi that Rebecca likes (she hates anything with aliens). The second episode was a bit racy with the case involving manufactured sexbots, so as that kind of stuff makes Karen uncomfortable, I'm glad it was the second episode and not the first (which everyone over 13 had watched). Then Steven & I watched the Justin Timberlake movie 'In Time,' which turned out to be pretty good.
Sunday, we attended our church meetings, and Rebecca and I watched the Niners game while Steven played SWTOR, then we watched the third episode of 'Almost Human.' Steven & played to finish out the double XP weekend.
On Monday, Steven helped us investigate the new Kindle Fire HDX (I was in the office, so we communicated together via Skype), then I left early so we could go to Snarfs for lunch. Then he packed up, and I drove him to the airport, where after a tearful goodbye (I don't know technically if he teared up, as my vision was a bit blurry for some reason), he headed home.
We appreciated each of their travel efforts and costs to come visit us. One interesting observation that we made last night, was how cold the house seemed without 8 extra bodies providing free heating sources.
It was such a great visit to see everyone and spend time in conversation and play with family. I came home that night & felt a little letdown at truly going back to the grind, but that's just the name of the game...the grind game. So back to the grind of preparing for the next visit opportunity.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Quick Smith visit
Thanks to a work business trip, I got to see Sam & Karen & family this last weekend. I flew in on Saturday morning, then they dropped me off at the hotel on Sunday night.
I really wish Rebecca could have been here too. It was so nice to hit In-N-Out burger with them, just relax, then go see "Wolverine" on Saturday night at a 2nd run movie theater after their ward Trunk or Treat. It has been years since Rebecca and I went to a Trunk or Treat, so that was interesting.
I got to play a little chess with Trevor, and a got in a game of Shadows Over Camelot while we ate delicious apple crisp. I am so blessed to have been able to see them via a work trip. Let's hope this works again!
I have a bit of a cold, so I hope that I don't end up making them all sick. My own flu shot immunity won't be ramped up until Nov. 2nd.
I really wish Rebecca could have been here too. It was so nice to hit In-N-Out burger with them, just relax, then go see "Wolverine" on Saturday night at a 2nd run movie theater after their ward Trunk or Treat. It has been years since Rebecca and I went to a Trunk or Treat, so that was interesting.
I got to play a little chess with Trevor, and a got in a game of Shadows Over Camelot while we ate delicious apple crisp. I am so blessed to have been able to see them via a work trip. Let's hope this works again!
I have a bit of a cold, so I hope that I don't end up making them all sick. My own flu shot immunity won't be ramped up until Nov. 2nd.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Saturday biathalon
Today Rebecca, Byron & I did a 2 mile walk at the Broomfield Commons. Then I came home & rode my recumbent bike & worked out lats, chest, quads & biceps. Nice. I will probably be unable to move tomorrow.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
October 9th
Well, due to a performance-enhancing drug (Clomid), I am no longer infertile. Rebecca phoned me with the results of my test from last Saturday & I am now over 100 million compared to 700 thousand before. Crazy improvement.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
End of Summer 2013 Update
I was down 36 pounds a few weeks ago, but I gained some in the last fortnight. Since the very end of April, I had lost 26 pounds, but again there is a need to refocus. My shoulder is a bit messed up, so I've been
getting a relatively lot of massages & stretching & doing 5 lb db exercises to help fix it, but I have let it frustrate me more than I should have. My plan was to supplement weight training with cardio, and I can't seem to steer toward a cardio focus with supplemental weight training.
I have had a job since May, so that is nice, although the training program really sux and they pay me a relatively lot of money without giving me any billable training work. I did go out & shadow an integration for a week in Philadelphia/New Jersey in August. I think the highlight of that trip was going to a Bobby Flay burger restaurant & getting Rebecca a t-shirt, as she was so jealous! Microsoft Dynamics AX is a huge program that I feel is overly complicated in a lot of areas. The perks are great, and on Aug 10th we had our company location picnic at a Rockies game.
I got a great deal on a black Louisville Slugger bat. Each attendee got $20 in addition to the ticket. We invited the family across the street to attend as there were extra tickets. They did not respond, so I got to keep an extra ticket with $20 on it ($60 total). During a long lightning delay, we went to the main store to see if we could find anything we liked. Rebecca found some stuff, but neither of us like the Rockies enough to pay $90+ for a sweatshirt, etc. I found a small Louisville Slugger bat like the Steve Garvey I still keep at the head of my bed (it's a nice little billy club). I filled out how I wanted it inscribed, & noted that I wanted a SF Giants logo put on it as well. I believe I applied $30 of our credits to the price. The relatively young man processing the order took a very long time to ring up the sale in the customer service area as he did not know how to process credits from our tickets. Anyway, after all that was done, I told him that I wanted to switch to the $90 full sized bat. He got a panicked look on his face & said that we could settle the difference when I returned. When we returned, there was a shiny black regular sized bat waiting for us, and it showed as paid. I asked the worker there how I should pay and she said it was taken care of, after I mentioned I thought I owed money. Sweet! So now I have a cool black Louisville Slugger with a Giants logo, the date, and the inscription "I love Rebecca," (which is a little private joke that I have with Rebecca, she says all my fantasy teams & characters in games, etc. should be "I love Rebecca"), all essentially gratis. Needless to say that I did not get a hot dog/polish dog in the 9th inning this time.
That wasn't my best deal of the summer though. When we went to CA for our vacation in June, Enterprise totally messed up on the car order, confusing me with another Mark Nelson who flew into SFO on the same day. Essentially, I got his bill for $300 for a one day rental, when we had rented for nine days total. I called to inquire about my missing rental points & incorrect totals, and the representative gave me a credit for the entire rental. 9 days of renting a car for free! That saved us a bill of over $600. It was hard to go back to the ole VUE after driving a new Nissan Maxima. It was a big impetus in getting new brakes & front stabilizer parts put on the VUE in July.
Thusly VUE upgraded, on August 24th, for the first time in 8 years, we went up to the mountains by ourselves to see an attraction mentioned in AAA magazine. We went to the town of Fairplay to see the South Park City 1880's mining town/ghost town. That was pretty cool.
August 24th was also the 3rd anniversary of our dog Louie's passing. He was my first dog. I can't believe that 2010 was three years ago.
Now that school is over & job somewhat solidified, I've been looking to put together a new RPG group. We are meeting this Saturday to solidify the player characters (I will be DMing). We bug "bombed" the basement last night, and I will be cleaning out the basement on Thursday night with help from a teenager from the ward (the same one who house sat for us in June). We last cleaned the basement two years ago, after we had some mice. Rebecca had put out poison and we caught 2 upstairs. So we did a bug bomb below and we found at least two dead mice, so hopefully we'll find none tomorrow night.
I still play a lot of computer games, namely Star Wars the Old Republic. It is my first MMO, and it's cool that I get to play & speak with my brother Steven almost every time that I play.
Anyway, we are pretty much unscathed from the unprecedented storms here in Colorado. Luckily we had a lot of work done on the backyard in the summer, putting in a garden for Rebecca, taking out a lot of shrubs & replacing with rocks, tripling the size of our patio, and most importantly adding dirt & rocks to the base of the house. Only one of the landscapers pointed out how the soil had shifted and more of the cement foundation was showing, leaving it susceptible to flooding in the basement. We hired that guy. The work was finished in mid August, and the rain and floods came in September. Counting our blessings there.
Rebecca has been sewing/starting a new quilt, and we are both loving the start of the NFL season. We will be celebrating our 11th anniversary soon, and decided that we could not afford a weekend in Estes Park after the car repairs & backyard expenses, with Bully still needing new tires & the kitchen countertop being busted up. Estes Park also happens to be under water after the flooding, so while we pray that the town recovers quickly, I'm glad that we did not prepay for an impossible weekend stay as it turns out.
I have had a job since May, so that is nice, although the training program really sux and they pay me a relatively lot of money without giving me any billable training work. I did go out & shadow an integration for a week in Philadelphia/New Jersey in August. I think the highlight of that trip was going to a Bobby Flay burger restaurant & getting Rebecca a t-shirt, as she was so jealous! Microsoft Dynamics AX is a huge program that I feel is overly complicated in a lot of areas. The perks are great, and on Aug 10th we had our company location picnic at a Rockies game.
I got a great deal on a black Louisville Slugger bat. Each attendee got $20 in addition to the ticket. We invited the family across the street to attend as there were extra tickets. They did not respond, so I got to keep an extra ticket with $20 on it ($60 total). During a long lightning delay, we went to the main store to see if we could find anything we liked. Rebecca found some stuff, but neither of us like the Rockies enough to pay $90+ for a sweatshirt, etc. I found a small Louisville Slugger bat like the Steve Garvey I still keep at the head of my bed (it's a nice little billy club). I filled out how I wanted it inscribed, & noted that I wanted a SF Giants logo put on it as well. I believe I applied $30 of our credits to the price. The relatively young man processing the order took a very long time to ring up the sale in the customer service area as he did not know how to process credits from our tickets. Anyway, after all that was done, I told him that I wanted to switch to the $90 full sized bat. He got a panicked look on his face & said that we could settle the difference when I returned. When we returned, there was a shiny black regular sized bat waiting for us, and it showed as paid. I asked the worker there how I should pay and she said it was taken care of, after I mentioned I thought I owed money. Sweet! So now I have a cool black Louisville Slugger with a Giants logo, the date, and the inscription "I love Rebecca," (which is a little private joke that I have with Rebecca, she says all my fantasy teams & characters in games, etc. should be "I love Rebecca"), all essentially gratis. Needless to say that I did not get a hot dog/polish dog in the 9th inning this time.
That wasn't my best deal of the summer though. When we went to CA for our vacation in June, Enterprise totally messed up on the car order, confusing me with another Mark Nelson who flew into SFO on the same day. Essentially, I got his bill for $300 for a one day rental, when we had rented for nine days total. I called to inquire about my missing rental points & incorrect totals, and the representative gave me a credit for the entire rental. 9 days of renting a car for free! That saved us a bill of over $600. It was hard to go back to the ole VUE after driving a new Nissan Maxima. It was a big impetus in getting new brakes & front stabilizer parts put on the VUE in July.
Thusly VUE upgraded, on August 24th, for the first time in 8 years, we went up to the mountains by ourselves to see an attraction mentioned in AAA magazine. We went to the town of Fairplay to see the South Park City 1880's mining town/ghost town. That was pretty cool.
August 24th was also the 3rd anniversary of our dog Louie's passing. He was my first dog. I can't believe that 2010 was three years ago.
Now that school is over & job somewhat solidified, I've been looking to put together a new RPG group. We are meeting this Saturday to solidify the player characters (I will be DMing). We bug "bombed" the basement last night, and I will be cleaning out the basement on Thursday night with help from a teenager from the ward (the same one who house sat for us in June). We last cleaned the basement two years ago, after we had some mice. Rebecca had put out poison and we caught 2 upstairs. So we did a bug bomb below and we found at least two dead mice, so hopefully we'll find none tomorrow night.
I still play a lot of computer games, namely Star Wars the Old Republic. It is my first MMO, and it's cool that I get to play & speak with my brother Steven almost every time that I play.
Anyway, we are pretty much unscathed from the unprecedented storms here in Colorado. Luckily we had a lot of work done on the backyard in the summer, putting in a garden for Rebecca, taking out a lot of shrubs & replacing with rocks, tripling the size of our patio, and most importantly adding dirt & rocks to the base of the house. Only one of the landscapers pointed out how the soil had shifted and more of the cement foundation was showing, leaving it susceptible to flooding in the basement. We hired that guy. The work was finished in mid August, and the rain and floods came in September. Counting our blessings there.
Rebecca has been sewing/starting a new quilt, and we are both loving the start of the NFL season. We will be celebrating our 11th anniversary soon, and decided that we could not afford a weekend in Estes Park after the car repairs & backyard expenses, with Bully still needing new tires & the kitchen countertop being busted up. Estes Park also happens to be under water after the flooding, so while we pray that the town recovers quickly, I'm glad that we did not prepay for an impossible weekend stay as it turns out.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
That's odd
I find it a little odd that with flooding all around us last week, no one from my family called to see if we were affected. However, every single member of Rebecca's family called. Odd.
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