Coen the Libwawian

So, our last post was a bit depressing. Here's a funny, cute pic of Coen to lighten things up a little! Unfortunately I only have a low resolution version on hand. I might replace it later if I remember...

Canon Rebel XSi

Those of you that pay attention to my twitter or facebook will know that I haven't shut up about the DSLR that I ordered roughly a week ago for the last week. I have always wanted to try my hand at digital photography with a piece of equipment that has enough flexibility to capture the vision in my mind. If you know me you'll know that I'm a little bit artist and a lotta bit geek. Photography allows me to enjoy the artistic composition and visualization of a shot while satisfying my geek side with a shiny piece of electronics that has a ton of tweakable settings.

Kristy also really enjoys photography so the Canon Rebel XSi (a very popular DSLR amongst amatures) is our birthday present to each other.

The box came in right before I got home from work today so I quickly set it up before we went to mom and dad's for supper. There is so much subject matter there, I could shoot for hours. For one, the sun was coming in strongly as it set, which always offers the opportunity for "moody" shots like the one at the top of this post. Their house itself is interesting and it just seemed like every time I turned around there were things to shoot.

I recently set up a gallery site to make it easier for us to share photos. I have posted some of my better shots at a gallery I installed on one of my web servers. You can quickly page through thumbnails or medium images. If you click on a medium size image you will get the full version. I resize them down a little for the web but there is still plenty of detail.

A Name for Baby

Well, our little guy has a name! But first the other details:
He was 7lbs 10oz and 20in long at birth.
He was born on 1/16/2009 at 7:15pm

His name is Coen Duane Johnson.

New Arrival: Husband's Perspective

This post may be a little scattered because it's almost 11:30.

I took a late lunch today and worked out at the gym with my buddy Dako from work. As I was stepping out of the shower (about 2:30) I heard my voicemail chime and then got a text message that said I should probably come home.

We hurried back to work so I could drop Dako off and grab my stuff. Then I headed home.

Wifey and I got some stuff together and went to the hospital. By the time we got to the triage room Wifey was dialated to maybe 6cm. We hung out there for awhile while they got a delivery room ready. When we first arrived they were all full as today was aparently a popular day for babies.

Mom showed up and took our little girl as she was getting a little grouchy that someone had delayed her nap. Mom dropped the little girl off with the Painter's family and had to run home as she was expecting a ton of company tonight (we were supposed to come for dinner too).

By the time she got back we were getting closer. Wifey was having close contractions that were pretty strong. Pharmacousin made it up to our room and stayed for the whole process.

Wifey declined the epidural and any drugs and did really good at managing the pain and pushing the baby out. Things got a little rough for her on the last couple pushes but at least the little guy came a lot faster than our first one.

He was born fiesty and healthy with all the right parts in their correct quantities. I believe the time was around 7:20 but I didn't see the exact time. He turned a healthy pink right away and tried out his little lungs with great effect. He weighs 7lbs and 10oz. I didn't catch his length so we'll have to update on that later.

Pharmacousin brought us some Papa Johns, which was awesome, and the Painter family stopped by so we could introduce our little rascal to the big rascal.

He latched on and fed with gusto on the first attempt. He was pretty much ready to eat as soon as he blew the goo out of his air pipes. We got him washed up and moved from delivery to an actual room and are headed to sleepy land

We don't have a name yet! We had a list but nothing we were super excited about. We have a few final options but standby for another post with a name and the time/length and other details that people always ask about.

In the meantime, check out the pics of the little guy and we may get a little sleep. I got a lot of better pics and video of the bath and stuff on mom's camera but I don't have the means to xfer them at the moment. These shots from our mediocre camera will have to suffice.

38 weeks!

I am actually at 36 or 37 weeks here and it's a horrible picture of me (do I look like a deer caught in headlights, or what?). It is a good documentation of my tummy size, though. You can see that my shirt doesn't fit any longer.

This was taken just last night at this boy's gramma and grampa's house. I am now at 38 weeks. I kinda have a bullet shape going on, but at least this shirt fits. I look like a rosey cheeked Santa Clause, minus the white hair. Put me in a costume at the mall and I'm sure all the little boys and girls would be flocking toward me at the speed of light with questions, concerns and/or thanks for their Christmas gifts.

I am working on a "quilt" here. Maybe I should also say: "working," as I am pretending to work on it. I bought this fantastic pre-quilted material from Hobby Lobby that I thought was really cute and put some batting and a backing on it and, walla! A quilt. To make it more quilt-like I am sewing yarn in swirly designs all over the quilt. It will also help keep it together in the washing machine...A lesson I have learned from previously made "quilts."
Sorry, Punkin' Face, your quilt is one that is messed up from the washing machine. It's pretty bad though, since it was my first attempt at a real-ish quilt and it's just kinda ugly. I'll have to make a new one for her some day.

Now a little about our Punkin' Face. This picture was taken a few weekends ago at Auntie and Uncle's place. She really likes things that rock. Other recent things/updates about our little girl:

She's been doing this downward facing dog pose or, what the people at Stride call, the bear pose. It's pretty cute to see her little tush high up in the air.

Stride gave us this blue booster chair to use for a while and Punkin' Face has been standing up to it and crawling into it, which has been exciting to see. Other things she has stood up to include her crib and some low laundry baskets. Sometimes she pushes just with her arms to get to standing and other times she gets up the same way she does her downward facing dog pose. It's her little funny way of learning, I guess. The other day I walked in to her room after a nap to find her standing in her crib. It was very exciting to see. That excitement faded a little when a few days later I heard a thud and came into her room to find her on the floor, on her back crying next to her crib. I guess it's time to move the mattress down, poor thing.

With therapy we've been working on her disassociating her legs because she would always use them in unison before. For instance, her frog-hop way of crawling. She is getting much better at this and the therapist noticed a big improvement since before the Christmas break. She is crawling more the "normal" way...about 50/50 I would say. She is also crawling up to low things, like the couch cushions and her little, blue booster chair. Sometimes she can even crawl back down from them.

Stairs are another thing she is getting better at, but will not do it on her own. She doesn't get the backward, going down part yet, but on a good day with just a little prompting will crawl up the stairs (she needs prompting at each step).

Still no words...Except the other day I was playing with her with a puppy and kept saying "puppy" and barking. She said "puppy!" clear as a bell and then never again. She did the same thing when Mom was visiting around Thanksgiving with the word "peaches." Clear as a bell and then never again. So, it has me puzzled. Was it just a coincidence? Kinda weird coincidence though. Hmmmm. Makes me wonder if she'll be one of those kids who all of a sudden start speaking in full sentences out of the blue one day. ???

She jabbers and jabbers some times...or most of the time. It's pretty cute. We have these little pet store characters that we don't let her play with because she can fit the entire animal in her mouth (somewhat of a choking hazard). For a while we had them at the top of our 5' dresser. She would spot them and just start talking to them very excitedly. She does that to whatever she can't touch and wants to. At gramma and grampa's they have a ceramic moose with a plant in it that she isn't allowed to touch. She loves it so much though and always heads straight for it to chat with it. As long as we are right next to her saying "No" she doesn't touch it, but I imagine if we weren't there she would have a hay day with it and it would be in pieces all over the tile it rests on. Basically she loves anything with a face. But, she always goes straight for the head/face of these poor creatures and chomps them to show her affection, showering them with drool and bite marks. Makes me a little worried for her soon-to-be brother.

Until next time.... And please pass on the word that we've updated since it is a rare occasion that we do. Next post will likely be the new arrival. I would have liked to post our trip home before then, but I just don't think it's gonna happen that way.

Photo Says It All

Our Plans for Jan 27, 2009

Smiles for Miles

Recent events....Wifey babysat our neice. I was going to give her the nickname Blighthead but I thought my sis might kill me. I'll have to think up a better one. Anyhoo, we have a video of her dancing to the music that Nora's swing makes. Good stuff.

I have a buddy from college (whom I will refer to as Smiles) that has always kept in touch, sending interesting emails and photos of events in his life. He just married a girl that we both went to college with and invited me to their reception. So, we called up The Major and made plans to stay with them for the weekend and attend Smiles' reception.

The traffic was horrible on the way to the Springs but we made it down their safely, if a little later than expected. We got up and went on a brisk little hike in the mountains. It was the perfect distance for a relaxing Saturday excursion. We had a lazy afternoon and then Kristy and I headed out to the reception.

I got to catch up with several people I went to school with and see Smiles again. They had a beautiful wedding on the cliffs of France. A reggae band played at the reception. They were really good, Nora liked the reggae music (seriously, lots of smiles) but we were concerned that the amplitude of the sonic waves might be slightly intense for newly formed ear drums. In other words: kinda loud for a baby.


We had some delicious fajitas for Sunday lunch, I played some quick blues guitar, and then we were off for home again. I sat in back with Nora on the way home. I was reading a book to pass the time (Lawrence Block's "Hit Parade" if you care) and every time I'd look up at her she'd give me a huge smile. I love it when she does that, her little face just lights up.

Anyway, that's about all that's going on here. I know the posts are infrequent and boring but at least I'm getting some pictures up now and then.

Get Rich Quick Scheme #3,654

A quick departure from baby pics for a geeky post:

Are you a slacker? Have you ever wanted to get rich quick but don't like to work for it? Let local children work for you!

Google has just released their Business Referral Program. Here's the summary of the program: Google is trying to increase their business listings on their Maps and Adwords properties with their obviously deep pockets. They will pay you $2 for each business in your local community that you provide information (such as hours and payment methods) about. You also must take a digital photo of the business. They send a postcard to the business asking them to confirm the data. If the business confirms the information you get another $8. So, you can potentially gain $10 per business listing that you supply.

Here's an equation I came up with to describe your potential riches (remember highschool math?):
d = ((n*p)*10) + ((n*(1-p))*2)
where n = business info collected
where d = desired earnings
where p = percentage business response

Here's how you leverage it. Recruit a few hundred kids from your local youth group or school. Create a treasure hunt contest where teams of a few kids go from street to street filling out a form and taking a photo with mommy's digital camera. The kids get one week to get as many sheets filled out as possible. Sheets can be turned in any time during the week. Any duplicate businesses only count on the first sheet to be handed in. Kids do not have to stay in their community. Create a few cheesy prizes based on total business sheets collected to give them a reason to compete.

Entering the data should only take a minute per sheet if you have decent typing skills.

Buy yourself something nice with the resulting treasure. Remember Jump Rope For Heart or those Magazine Subscription deals that elementary schools always sucker parents into? This is like that only you get rich :)


obligatory baby pic:

Write Your Own Caption

Kristy shot this while Nora was in mid yawn. Turned out pretty funny. She looks real mad like.

I'm sure you visitors can come up with some funny captions in the comments section.

Nora Settles In

Here are a few more pictures of our new little treasure. We are being discharged from the hospital today. It's a good thing because we were both getting a little stir-crazy in this little hospital room.

I almost went back to work today but we have a lot of stuff to cart home and get settled. I plan on heading back to work tomorrow. I could take this whole week off but it's hard for me to go a whole week without working when I'm two minutes away from my job. Makes me antsy. Plus, we're hoping to take a trip to visit Wifey's family before the end of the year...gotta save a little vacation.

We had several visitors while we were in the hospital. Thanks to everyone who came and visited. Thanks also for cards, gifts and warm wishes. If anyone is wondering if there's anything we need, yes there is: experience! You should see me trying to figure out how to clean the plumbing on something that's squirming, kicking and (sometimes) crying. Dressing the little squirmer is also a challenge.

Visitors are welcome, let us know you're coming and you don't need to bring anything!

Welcome Nora Larene

Well, this is the post ya'll ladies have been waiting for. Enough of the geekery, let's see some BABIES!

Nora was born Sunday, July 29th at 10:59AM. She weighed 7lbs 12oz at birth and was 20.75 inches long. She's content, complete and healthy as far as we can tell!Kristy got up on Saturday morning and went to the parade with Mom, her mom, Sister and some others. I got up at 6 and helped dad work on his house. We finished up at about noon and I met Bro-in-law (BNL) at my house. We hung out in the basement and were playing some games on the computer. It was pouring rain outside and I suddenly noticed that the window well had filled up halfway in about 5 minutes! Water was beginning to seep into the basement.

BNL and I dashed outside and I jumped into the window well and started bailing water with a ~gallon bucket. The water was coming in faster than I was throwing it out so BNL brought me a trash can to bail with. I kept bailing while he tried to reroute the water. A trashcan full of water has some weight to it and I had to toss the water at least five feet past the edge of the well or it would just run back in, all of this while standing in waist deep water and mud.

Wifey called right before we noticed the window well filling up and said she was in light labor and was coming home. Wifey and Mother-In-Law (MNL) got home right after we had the window well cleaned out and were working on shoveling a trench to drain the water. They went down to the basement and moved some stuff around to avoid the water. Not very much got in.

After we got the situation somewhat under control I went to Dad's and got some flexi-tube to reroute the water from my downspout. I hooked that up and then took a shower in case we had to go to the hospital.

Kristy's labor was picking up but we wanted to wait until it was more serious before going to the hospital. I didn't want to take a nap because I wasn't sure I would wake up for a solid 8 hours.

At around 9PM we checked into the hospital and, after a brief stay in triage, settled in to our labor room. Kristy and I (mostly Kristy, I didn't have much of an opinion as it would be her pain) had decided to try for a natural birth so she declined the preparation for epidural, IV and other medication procedures.

Kristy initially moved through the labor process pretty quickly. By midnight it looked like we would be having a baby within an hour or two. Such was not the case. The hours slid by with Kristy having painful contractions and me trying to stay alert and be whatever support I could. I took quick snoozes here and there, or rather, fell asleep with my face on the bed rail. Mom, Dad, MNL, Sister and BNL were also in the hospital but Dad and BNL went home to get some sleep a little after midnight.

Kristy decided to allow the doctors to start an IV around 6AM, she was dehydrated and getting pretty exhausted. She also agreed to .5mg of Stadol, painkiller, as the contractions were getting excruciating.

Finally by 10AM we were making some progress. They had tried a few test pushes earlier but things just weren't ready. This time, it was for real. With the doctor, nurse and I helping, Kristy brought Nora into the world. It was hard for me to truly appreciate the miracle of birth because I knew how much Kristy was dealing with but it was still pretty amazing.

Nora's cord was wrapped around her foot, which cuts down on the blood supply from the cord, so she needed a little oxygen when she came out. I went down to the nursery with her, so they could monitor her heart and oxygen better, and rocked her for a few hours. I nearly rocked myself to sleep so I started calling people with the news to stay awake...I don't remember any of those conversations! When we were ready to go back they had moved Kristy into the postnatal room.


Anyway, that's pretty much the whole story. The birth was mostly-natural with just a little Stadol and oxygen. I tried to offer enough details (without too much information) to satisfy you ladies, hopefully these pics will hold you over until I can post some more.


PS: Her name: We liked Nora because it's not an unknown name, most people have heard the name but we don't know anyone named Nora...it's unique. I liked Lorraine as the middle name and Kristy liked names that end in -ene because several of her family members have -ene middle names. We combined the two to end up with Larene. The last name was easy.

Perception vs Reality

BertrandTheBold brought some Mountain Biking DVDs to work that show crazy professionals doing 30 ft drops and giant backflips off of jumps. When I looked at the picture of me riding down the rock (see last post) after seeing some of that footage I felt small, weak and scared :P

So I SPICED IT UP with a little photoshop magic. YEEEEEEEEhaw, that's more like it. Click the photo above for a larger image.

Vedavoo and Turtle Rock trail

As mentioned in yesterday's post, BertrandTheBold and I rode Turtle Rock trail at Vedavoo yesterday. Everything was [almost] perfect. We left work at 4, loaded up our bikes and headed out by about 4:30. It had rained at Vedavoo just enough to add some stickiness to the sand. The weather was just right, overcast and cool. The trail was also amazing. It is around 2 miles and loops around the backside of Vedavoo from East to West (or West to East, see, it's a loop). It has little uphill and downhill stretches that are a great balance of uphill cardio and downhill blasting. The trail is easy enough for mildly competent riders but features rock outcroppings that the most advanced riders can enjoy playing on.

The actual ride went very quickly because the loop was so short...we probably completed the two mile track in 35-40 minutes...taking our time. Then we just rode around on the rocks around the parking area for an hour or two: lots of fun stuff to play on. We didn't shoot many pics because we were having to much fun to stop. I have included the pics I took but none are spectacular. None of these images are from Turtle Rock trail. I didn't even take the camera out on that trail. The rocks are a blast for general rompery.

I've never been afraid of getting hurt but now I have a family to consider. I have developed a very bad habit of bailing on stuff I could ride out because these thoughts are in the back of my mind. This is actually worse than just riding it out because you land hard on your ankles, maybe trip and sprain wrists, and invaribly destroy your shins with sharp spinning pedals. It also is very hard on bikes. Case in point: I hopped a little rock yesterday at a pretty good clip. Upon landing, another rock that I didn't see before (blended in with the sand) was suddenly in front of me. This rock was roughly the height of a curb and about two feet across. Not a big deal. I can easily hop up a curb going very fast on a bike. It only requires a slight hop with the front wheel and your back tire will ride over it.

Instead of just riding over the rock I bailed, stepped on my bike as it was sideways on the ground, and smashed the rear dereulier into the rock. The rear shifting mechanism was bent bad enough that the spring-loaded little sprocket was rubbing on the wheel spokes. I was able to bend that part back pretty easily but part of the frame is bent. I need to disassemble the back gear system, reshape it, and then adjust my whole shifting system to accommodate the slightly-altered shape. Fortunately I'm pretty sure I can repair it.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. I have always maintained that a fearful driver is more dangerous than an aggressive driver because indecision causes wrecks. The same thing applies to MTB: and now I have a bad habit of being indecisive on the trail. That's going to have to stop or I will destroy my bike before the summer's over.

Breathlessly Awaited Update

Gentle readers: I apologize that it has been so long since I harangued the masses with a moving diatribe. Rest assured that my torment in light of this failure is complete.

News. Wifey's shower was this last Saturday. We are very grateful to all who planned, executed and attended the event. We received many nice gifts and are very thankful to everyone for their support of our soon-to-be-growing-by-a-member-family.

I have been working 7-5 every day and taking off on Friday at noon, which is nice. I left work at about 1 last Friday and helped dad frame his house until around 8. Then I worked for him on Saturday from about 7-1. I spent a lot of the day building walls so I was bent over with a nailgun, tacking stuff together. My hamstrings are hatin' me for that.

After I left the jobsite on Saturday I hooked up with Bro-in-law (BNL hereafter) and purchased a Ruger 10/22, semi-automatic .22 caliber rifle and a 4x scope. I also bought a bunch of clay targets and shotgun ammo at Wally World. Then we met up with the Painter, babyBrother and shot up some clay. I also sighted in my new gun. Then we went to the races where Dad and bluegrassBrother showed up.

Coincidentally my new boss also showed up. His wifey was due any day and they were hoping that the excitement and intensity of the races would inspire the little one to join this crazy world. Sunday they called and said she had delivered the baby at 9:30 so maybe it worked!

Sunday afternoon BNL and I went out and shot .22s again. We went through an entire brick (550 rounds) of ammo and I now have the 10/22 sighted in enough to nail a quarter at about 40-50 yards. Craig and I both have a quarter with a bullet melted into it and I also have a penny with a hole directly through the middle.




The first week I worked here I went biking with my coworkers over in Happy Jack. It was a beautiful area and I was inspired to camp there. So Memorial Day weekend we went camping with the Painter and their little family on that Sunday night. We all rode in the Xterra and it was packed to the gills. The next day we hiked around the Vedavoo area. Here are some pics of the adventure. Tonight I'm going to ride Turtle Rock trail with a coworker.

Mother's Day and my new job

We did mothers (and mothers-to-be) day in FC this weekend with Mom and Dad and G&G. Above is a pic of us from the weekend. I haven't posted a recent picture in quite awhile so I thought I'd share. Wifey is doing okay but I think she's getting sick of her current dimensions.

Well, I'm leaving my position at STP. It's kinda bittersweet because STP is the only place that I've worked since we've moved here (I've had three different jobs within the company). I have many good friends in my coworkers that I will genuinely miss working with. Despite that, I'm very excited about my new position. My last day with STP is the 18th. I start the new position on the 21st.

The new company is called Local Creative. They are based Locally and do Creative stuff: imagine! Seriously, they do web site design, print design, interactive media design/programming and other creative work. My official title is Digital Fulfillment Manager. That means that I will be handling all of the technology development that powers the websites and other media design that Local Creative produces. Initially it will be lots of hands on work programming in PHP and other languages and working with database design, etc. LC is a small company right now but as we grow I will be responsible for bringing in and supervising new digital technology talent as needed.

It was a hard decision to move out of a large, stable corporation to a small, fairly new company. But looking at the quality of work and dedication that the owner has put into LC convinced me that this will be a fun, flexible and exciting place to work. STP has been a great company to work for. I will actually miss my boss a lot as he was an excellent guy to work for (no, he doesn't read this blog and flattery wouldn't get me anywhere at this point anyway). It's probably rare that you can honestly say you really like your boss. All that being said, I never really made a conscious choice to get into marketing. I found opportunities at STP and took them, which led me into marketing but I am ready to get back to more creative pursuits. I think I will like my new boss too, I already respect him for his demonstrated ability and that goes a long way with me. The other guys I'll be working with seem really cool.

I know you're probably thinking: programming, creative? Yes, web programming and application development requires creative problem solving. Technology without creative regard for usability and efficiency is worthless (ohhhh, M$ Windows anyone?). I enjoy [trying my best to] blend the technology and design elements needed to create a seamless web experience for the user. Since this is a small company, I will probably be getting my hands "dirty" in some of the other design and print jobs that come in. That might be a nice break from lines of code.

The company itself is located in a renovated industrial building. It's an old old redbrick, complete with antique painted signs on the side. It manages to be trendy, historic and quaint all at once. Inside it has hardwood floors and the wonderful hum of dual-core processors and 24" widescreen monitors.I asked my new boss what kind of computer I would have and he said "what do you want?" I said I usually built my own at home so he let me compile a list of components from newegg.com (my fave computer parts company) and he ordered them for me. It's not everyday you get to build your own work computer and yes, I consider that a huge privilege. The goodies came in today and dropped in to assemble it. For my geek friends, here's what I built:

• Coolermaster case (I highly recommend these, built by people with good brains)
  
• Dual core 64 bit AMD proc (built by psionic supermutants, it's the only explanation)
  
• 2GB ram
• 256MB nVidia GeForce 7600GT
• 320GB 7200RPM SATA drive
• ASUS, dual Gigabit ethernet mobo that can handle up to 8GB RAM and 2 GPUs in SLI
• 500W PSU
• Logitech MX518 mouse

I'll be getting a DVD burner, 24" widescreen LCD (I think/hope) and an ergonomic keyboard. Basically this machine will outperform my home machine in just about all categories and that's saying something.

So there's your windy dose of news and nerd. Hope all had a happy mother's day.

Lory Weekend Adventure

(click images for bigger view)


I gave the new bike a run for its money this weekend. Wifey and I met up with Dizzney, one of my coworkers, and drove up to FC with our bikes on Saturday morning. On the way up I leaned out the window of the truck and my hat blew off. We stopped and I jogged back about a quarter mile but couldn't find it anywhere. Then Dizzney noticed it, wedged between the bike spokes in the back of the truck. Good thing, I like that hat!

In FC we met up with another coworker, Sharkdog, and his girlfriend and her friend and set out for the reservoir. We paid our park dues and found a place to park the vehicle and then set off on our adventures. The ladies were going to hike around while we dudes did some biking. Our parking spot is circled in red on the map above. The ladies set off to the West, up the mountain, but we decided to ride down by the shore first (green path going East from the parking spot).
(Sharkdog and Dizzney at the summit, all photos taken with bad cell phone camera...)
We rode along until our trail dead-ended at the reservoir. There was a "slight hill" to our left and we decided to climb over the top and catch the trail (that we imagined) on the other side (first red section of the map above). This took place on foot because there were spiky bushes and cacti that made in unfriendly for riding. Plus it was pretty steep. At about this time we were soaking with sweat and we all got rid of our t-shirts.(View from the summit down to where we started at the reservoir)
When we finally reached the top the other side was a short cliff (10-15 feet?), unsuitable for riding down. Sharkdawg crawled down and then Dizzney and we passed the bikes down (first blue section of the path). We descended into a little gully with a sort of dry creek bed down the middle. We rode part of that out but also had to walk some because of large rocks and cacti (second red section). Keep in mind that there was no trail here. The gully ended in another cliff that we navigated using our previous method (second blue chunk).

From there we were pretty much back on trail. We rode up the coast to a trailhead that went up the mountain. It was a long, hard climb. The trail was thin and had lots of rocks and roots to navigate over. It was steep enough that if you lost momentum you pretty much had to walk to the next switchback so you could get started again (at least at my riding level). Also, I couldn't stand up to pedal much because it took too much weight off my back tire and I would start spinning out. You can see on the map above how steep it gets by looking at the topo lines.
(Me and Dizzney on the summit, Dizzney is just glad to be alive)
Dizzney and I were on our first ride of the summer and neither of us have been training. By the time we hit the top it was all we could do to keep pushing the pedals down. My bike seat came loose and rotated backwards so I couldn't sit down for about a mile until we ran into a guy with a bike tool. I had left my bike tool behind because I decided I didn't want to carry a backpack.At one point I was heading upward and hit a rock that stopped my progress, I tried to put my left foot down but there was nothing to put down on. The mountain dropped off too steeply on that side of the trail. So I ended up sort of falling on my shin in a spiky tree that was growing up the mountain. Kinda tore my shin up and my ankle got a little stiff for the rest of the ride.

Sharkdog stayed pretty much daisy-fresh through the climb. He trains hard almost every day and has a triathlon lined up for pretty much every weekend this summer. I think he also intends to compete in the ironman: 2mi swim, 50mi bike ride and a half marathon at the end. He was our main inspiration to keep going as we weren't sure that the trail we were on would lead us back over the mountain to our parking spot. His curiosity about what lay at the top of the mountain (and apparently infinite energy) kept us motivated.

We finally topped out on an old logging trail and found the summit at Arthur's rock. It was a great view, overlooking the reservoir. After we rested for a bit we started down the other side, a much steeper drop that ended right at our vehicles.
(Climbing up the final rock pile on weary legs)
The ride down was a blast but would have been more fun if I had more energy left. We found out later that it was a walking trail only and there were lots of places where we were riding down nature's equivalent of stairs...large terraces of rocks or logs planted by the parks to stop erosion. We also discovered that it was rated "Moderate to Difficult" as a foot trail. It's important to keep your butt over your back tire and your weight as far back as possible when you're descending stuff like that. I was heading down a really steep rock drop and my front tire dug in at the bottom. My bike threw me as smoothly as any horse but I got my feet over the handle bars and landed painlessly on my feet. Dizzney, who was behind me, and a couple hikers following up were pretty amused by the unconventional dismount. I think my wrecks could have been avoided, not with more skill but with more endurance. My wrecks were the product of slow muscles and slow brain from over-exertion.

Anyway, by that time we were all hallucinating hamburgers and were glad to get to the bottom. The ladies were waiting for us, having walked up the path we just descended to the summit and back down. We did damage to the food supply at Lucky Joe's and then headed back home so Dizzney could make a soccer game that evening. Sharkdog had plans to relax in his hot tub (so jealous...).(Me and the Sharkdog, unaware of how bad the sun is burning us right now)
When we got home I discovered how incredibly sunburned my back was, a joyous discovery to be sure. Sharkdog and Dizzney appear to be equally toasted.

Anyway, it was a blast and a great adventure, if a little more than I planned for my first summer ride. I definitely broke the bike in and got used to riding it. It rides a lot different than my old Giant. It can also withstand some damage, I'll vouch for that!

PS: I found out at work today that Sharkdog rode another 35 miles on Sunday and then ran 5 miles. The guy should get his head checked :)

It's A Girl (we think)

Well, you probably figured out by the title of this post that Wifey got an ultrasound today. Lots of our friends lately have had little baby girls so we were sorta hoping for a boy to mix things up a little. That being said, we were not disappointed to find that Wifey is, most likely, carrying a little girl. I have taken the liberty of posting the poor girl's picture right out here in public, girly bits and all, properly labeled and identified. Sorry kid but there ain't much to see anyway. If you're not offended by murky sonar images of naked babies, then scroll on down.


Below is the first portrait of our baby girl. It's kinda like one of those 3D magic-eye pictures. If you sorta squint at it, cock your head, and back up a few feet, you can almost make out a human-like face.


And the last pic is her foot. They measured a bunch of different bits of anatomy: spine, head, guts, etc. and finally determined that she ought to be a roughly-normalish kid. It's pretty fascinating to see everything where it's supposed to be, heart pumping and all. Miraculous. Speaking of the heart, I got to hear the little ticker on the ultrasound machine. Have you ever taken a two-liter bottle or a milk jug and upended it? The baby's heart sounds pretty much like that "BLUBG-BLUBG" sound that water chugging out of a bottle makes.


After looking at that little foot (not quite an inch long) I shudder to think how many pairs of tiny baby shoes wifey will come home with tomorrow. She was already eyeballing some tiny Puma's at the mall. I admit, they were pretty cute.

Now excuse me while I go talk to my shrink about living with two females in the same house.

Maternity Clothes Shopping

Mom took Wifey to the mall last night to try on some maternity clothes. They have rudely (SHOUTING AT ME) demanded that I interrupt my busy day to post a pic or two from the trip. So, I posted the one above. While they were shopping, Natedawg, Fastlane and I went out for some mexifood and then Fastlane and I did some browsin' at the local B&N.

This AM I had a dentist appt. They usually preach their flossaphies (get it?) at me but today the dentist really gave me what for. He said if I didn't start flossing better I would have to get 6-7 teeth filled within 6 months. That was not happy news. I bought an electric toothbrush (because I don't have enough electronic stuff in my house) and am determined to change my evil ways. Anyway, I suppose I should put down this sugar-loaded energy drink and get back to work. Maybe chew some sugar-free gum or something. Teeth are good.

Just a picture

Some have asked us to post some recent pics. We don't have anything real recent...apparently we didn't even take any pictures on our anniversary. The photo above is the recent-est thing that I could find, taken last November out by BMOC and family's place.

We met a buddy from work and his GF at a mexifood place on Friday and then played ping pong at my house.

Saturday we went on a quick bike ride around Lions. Both bikes can fit in back of the new Xterra but it's not an idea situation. I will be watching ebay for a good deal on a bike rack. Or I might try to manufacture my own. I saw a parts-list pic and they aren't anything that sophisticated. The weather was nice this wkend but a bit on the windy side.

Sunday we met the Painter and his wifey for lunch at the Egg and I. We had them over for spaghetti on Sunday night.

PS: Sister has some pics of the Brookster up that are pretty darn cute. Yeah, shut up I read your blog.