Wheres my Coffee?!?!

Yup Busy Busy Busy

Some many things..

Still not a black belt. After our 3rd adoption, not having enough classes yet, and some scheduling conflicts I most likely will be testing in August. Though I will need to ask permission of my instructor and our School Master to be added list of CANDIDATES to be eligible to test.

Still running websites here, and lots of work there. Family is doing great and busy busy as well with activities, especially this coming summer.

Just really don't have time to blog much anymore with life to be leaved and spending enough time with my job on computer and other hobbies..

Another Test another Promotion

Well not quite..

That is, this will be my LAST lower belt test. I am currently a 1st Temp Brown belt. I will be promoting to 1st Permanent brown belt or 1st Gup. After that, I will be in the waiting period for testing for Temperary Black Belt. I'm going to need all the time I can get, to study, as well I need the time to get enough classes to qualify to TEST!

I need 300+ classes minimum to test, which includes at least 40 special brown belt classes.. I'm about 70 classes short right now, hoping to make it by April of 2008 to test, but its going to be close.

RSDC 2007

Here i am without my family, 1000 miles away on conference to orlando. I miss them so much, and wish that they would have been able to join me here, though they would have gotten more of the parks then I, because of the sessions that I need to attend to get information.

I still do not know if I will have time to catch a park, I thought today after 2pm, but a few sessions turned out to be good, and they have a few birds of a feather (similar roles/industry) get togethers tonight I actually pertain to my area so I feel I need to go to them.

IBM as usual throws a great conference, keeping us well fed and hydrated. Good reception last night, and this mornings keynote ended with the guy on youTube that did the "History/Revolution of Dance" Just harilous!.

I will say that the wifi for me this year has been pretty bad, I have not been able to get on the free wifi to work at all in the conference, so i have found a few moments to get some not free in the room just to be able to have a stable enough connect to post and let my wife know that I love her very much, and I miss everyone. I might even be able to check my work mail once in a while.

*: [ ]

*peeks around the corner*

Wow.. i think tis been a while..

So much stuff happens on a daily basis around here its hard to keep it all straight. Lets see if I can recap any.. Still head over heels in love with my wife. We are great together, we are sometimes tired together, we play together we do yoga together. Yes, I am doing yoga as well as TKD now.. Building up that core, and enjoying the company of my wife doing it as well. Though she has been doing it for a good year+ longer.

Having so much fun being a father, even when those times of the kids are being whiney, buzzy, annoying, and just not listening double what they usually can. *Most* of the time though they are loving and well-behaved..

Always changing environment, me and la end up juggling so much, and we are always trying to keep connected and follow each other hand in hand so that we can do it together and not grow apart.

I love my kids, I love the mother of my kids, they all are growing, and learning so much. My little bixiu is getting so big and getting such a mind of her own, with now the muscles and determination to do it herself rather than just say she wants to do it herself. And SHQ you can be so stubborn, and defensive, I know you are just a kid, and I can see a lot of the way i probably was when i was your age in you. We are there for you, we love you, its so hard to explain how what we do is truthly trying to help and prepare you for all the challenges and joys you get to face in your life.

I think more and more as I go older it gets hard to really stop and just be, just enjoy the now, the outdoors, just sit and enjoy your lover, your partner in crime. Like ireland is to my wife (as me), the Quetico National Park (or boundary waters) is to me. Just wish to go back and just be with nature, camping and canoeing.. I hope the whole family can do some trips.

New discovery per say.. I seem to have grown to like coconut now a days. Go figure I never use to like it. I don't know if its just my taste buds dying or what..

(bare with me, just spewing thoughts)
Sometimes I wonder, as you go older you start to lose the crispness of eye sight, or preception to smell, or hear. Sometimes I wonder if I can't smell as good as I use to (especially with my poor slits for nostrils..) and that make me sad. I want to be able experience as much of this life as i can, since we really don't know for sure whats beyond, only god does. I know woman are suppose to have better sense of smell than men, but sometimes I think I should smells things that i don't. I have always had some nysgatisum in my eyes and my muscles, have always been able to squeeze and compensate, someday they might not to as well, and I will need to try glassess out. Right know I could probably where a mini-mini-rx of glasses, but I'm always afraid that if I do, then those muscles that are working to maintain the refocusing ability will lax and my eyes would get worst faster than forcing my eyes to work by themselves.. Though I am sure I would look smashing in glasses..

I'm getting a new physical, its been ~2 years.. La and I are working on another project among are many that wants me to get a physical again. I like to know how i am doing. Cholestrol of course I sure, so hard to really just eat oatmeal evermorning, especially when i sometimes eat a little with the kids in the morning to get me to work, and then get a little snacky at 10am after my well saved up potty break (I know too much info). Since I have been doing TKD, I may elect for a xray to see if have bruised or fractured bone, or made a bone spur, etc from trying to do knife-hand breaks and getting the force of the board bounced back. (Still about 1 year away from testing for black belt) a good 4 -5 breaks left to figure out and not hurt myself.

Other new stuff, just turned in my order for a new phone (2 year free deal), for a motorola Mint Chocolate. I am taking a business trip to orlando (miss my wife and kids dearly). My wife is going to take upcoming 2 huge trips. We got new smashing sunroom media center furniture, though the 2nd half of the order for SHQ new bunk-bed had to be cancelled for lack of ability build and deliver it in a timely manner(ie in under 3 months). We cut a huge tree down and might have the area for a sweet garden. Its summer and we can do more outdoors and lawn work. Oh and i enjoying the time I get to spend with my awesome kids and my beautiful, inteligent, and hot looking wife more and more as the days pass..

Thats enough of a catsup for all of yew.

daddy got a new toy

Test is coming up saturday. I know my steps, I remember most of my others. I need a little work on my break, but should be able to get it done. This time around is a reverse hooking kick. Just need a little better aim :)

Just as tax season winds done, our dividends from REI come through. With that we get a little treat to the catalog to get a little something for each other, the girls, ourselves. This year I got a new watch since my other one just stopped, a new battery did nothing. I thank momma so much for buying me that one, I appreciated it, and wore it 24/7 practically. The new one is pulling even more duty. This time around i got one with a way to track my TKD workouts. Heart rate, training effort, etc. Of course there is always something more, need to get a PC pod, to let me download my logs of training to the pc, see how well I am doing physically as well as art wise :)

next up, finally managed to pick up mp3 player as well...

Long over due!

I admit its been a while for a post.Almost made it 2 belt tests since last post. Saturday will mark 2 stripes for brown, with 4 left to go before the big test.

Lots happing around here. B is still waiting for her turn at ear tubes. We got a new entertainment center, waiting for our new furniture to be delivered. SHQ is getting a bunk bed. We are getting ready for a family trip to Pittsburgh to get SHQ eyes checked, then get her new glasses. Oh and dangerkitten is fully recovered from her snip, as well as Ilish is getting better from her major oral surgery.

Oh and B's (as well as Mya's) birthday is just around the corner She will be the big 4 candles, and Mya will be 5.

Its getting to spring and the birds are chirping, momma and daddy are tryiing to adjust after the early DST change, and our oncall stints, and just plain need some more play time if you what I mean.

and Finally got rid of our trim mill, months and months later..

Being 35!

I would like to get back to blogging at least weekly, this monthly stuff doesn't let me get down things in my head from day to day so that someday i can look back and see what my life as been like, or help explain to my children better my life..

With that, since that last time, I have had a birthday, be doing better and better at TKD BB class, and otherwise having a pretty good year..

With that I wanted to jot down some of the things that make it good, and things like just like or would like to do in general.. It is not an exhaustive list, more so it is a on going list I would like to continue to expand!!

with that:

Things I like

.to take walks with my wife and my daughters
.snuggle up to my wife in the mornings, especially holidays and before the kids are awake.
.snuggle the kids in the morning when they are awake on the weekends
.surprize my wife, by being home early, and before we pick up the kids
.snuggle my wife on the couch with some tea, popcorn, and a good movie
.snuggle my wife and talk.
.snuggle my wife anytime
.touch my wife any chance i think, anywhere, anytime, just to let her know I'm there
.stand behind my wife, and hold her by her hips
.caress her back as we are standing in a line
.hold my wifes hand when we are walking around
.take pictures of my wife and kids
.when my wife spoons me
.when my wife sneaks up behind me and pounces
.when my wife scrumbles :)
.when my wife has a hot or cold drink waiting for me when I come inside from exercising or doing something outside
.when my wife gives me neck/back rubs
.when my wife make lunch or chooses recipes for me to cook
.when my wife helps me cook
.when my children are patient enough to listen to me, and i see a gleemer/twinkle in their eye and I see the wheels of understanding and learning reveal themselves.
.when i can teach anyone anything, and pass along what little knowledge I have about a whole lot of little things
.when i can just BE with my wife.
.when a new form I have learned in TKD finally clicks!
.when i know i have nailed it at a TKD test
.when i have did something to make children, my wife, and of course myself proud of me!
.when i feel the soreness of muscles days after a good workout from exercise/tkd/etc or a new physical activity

Things I would like to do
.take my family on more trips(europe, disney, camping, canoing
.rock climb small runs, or boulder
.become a black belt and be a to teach decently
.finish general house projects
.finish the crawl-space to make a wine cellar/storage areas..
.adopt more

BROWN Belt

I am officially a brown belt (3rd temp brown to be exact, I think that means Temporary 3rd GUP).

I took my test last Saturday, and got through it pretty good. I only missed a few spots in one form, out of the 4 or so we did, it was very minor, and got through my break. It took me 3 tries to get my break only because the first 2 I choose to start the break higher than I had practiced before to see if I could stretch it a bit. I choose an Axe kick (Outside-Inside), through 2 boards.

On to whole another chapter in my quest to become a black Belt and beyond. On becoming a brown and up belts we are required to take an another class during the week specifically for those upper belts. It faster paced, and pretty aggressive, and just smashing good time too. I felt like a white belt all over again, so many new techniques and combinations. I think I did pretty well for my first class.

SSSS

We were bitten by the SSSS flag!!

It was for a united/US Airways Express flight, and we had tried to change/go StandBy on earlier flights. It wasn't on our original flight passes but it should up on our stand-by.

I didn't realize this had happened until My wife, my oldest daughter, and I were shuffled into the last queue at the security area in the Pittsburgh airport. The guy at the front of the set of queues circled our tickets and directed us down to the end of short line. That line had a huge picture booth looking thing, that you had to walk into, stand there for 10 seconds, then walk out. While your in there it blows air on you, and then sniffs to find powders, and residue of explosives.

AFter that, if was the typical stuff on x-ray machine, of course shoes. Then they were going to expect us to leave our child aside while they frisked each of us, and swabbed/searched our bags. We put a cabash on leaving our child ANYWHERE but beside us! and then we were on our way, with no frisking. Plus I think we managed to get through security in a few moments faster than a normal line.

When in rome...

Do like the romans do...

I've always been a relatively healthy bloke. I mean growing up I had my share of some illness, but since teenage I have only had the occasion sick days. I have had some flu in the last couple of years, more so then previous years past since college for want ever reasons. I suppose being more around peoples like my wife and kids. So since everyone else in the house got flue shots this year, and their wasn't major shortage of the stuff-though you never know what strain they have gambled to include in the slurpie from year to year you supposely have a lesser change of catching something with one that with out one. What I am trying to spit out is I got one too. : ]

Yup surprised.. My wife and her sister were first in line, and try to be most years, and I thought I have a few minutes and the place they got theirs was all brand spanking new and spiffy so I thought I would go check the place out and get my very own daffy duck cover for my pet owwiee :)

This was my very first flu shot ever, and if it works pretty good, I may do it next year ;)

cheers..

Anniversays

Nope.. Not our marriage anniversary or when we met.

I have worked at the same company for 12 years now. It was the only company to offer me a job a few months after I graduated from college. I must have sent out about 4-5 resumes a week. I got interviews, either the job didn't fit what I was looking for for a challenge, or the I didn't fit the company I guess. I still remember I was interviewing in Minneapolis and had stopped at Mall in one of the West side burbs on my way home. I happen to check my messages from there and found out my company had left a message. When I called back it was a person from HR that had was offering me the job in the 2nd or 3rd area that I had interview for that day.

The other anniversary of sorts this week was that I have been in TKD for 1 year now. I have made it to High-Blue.. Now its on to another 1.5 years and 6 sessions of brown (3rd,2nd,1st temp and permaent brown) then the big black! Woo Woo. We just had a new person start, and as we were doing our floor movements I was just thinking that it really wasn't that long ago that I was right were he was at myself.

Almost half-way

Starting next week it will have been exactly 1 year since I started Tae Kwon Do. Specifically I am taking ITF side of things. After this weekend I will be with in 1 promotion to Brown belt. Currently I am a Blue-belt, and will be testing for my High Blue this weekend. I know my 1 steps, my self-defense techniques, and my forms Yul-gok, as well as Palgwe 4 (High-Green). With High Blue I will learn Palgwe 5.

Blue has really been a honing of what I have learned so far in the lower belts, and assume High-blue will be as well. I continue to train and practice all what I ahve learned, and more and more I am starting to trust my body. I will still tend to panic now and again, and over think a form, or 1-step and then have it just dissappear from my mind, otherwise I think I am doing pretty good. Also working on more power will each technique, during forms, and floor movements.

I am proud of myself for what I have accomplished so far, and like the school (through where I work) and the other students in class. My wife has been so supportive of my efforts and is proud of me too :) I love yew baby!

I am just itching to get to brown, then starts the long haul!!. Where some other TKD schools have purple/red and the like belts, we have brown.. Well 3 sets of browns (each with its own TEMP). So its taken me a year to get to high blue, it is going to take be another 1.5 years just to get through all the browns, then I need to have had enough classes, as well as know my stuff to be able to test for Temp Black. Of course first things first.

Welcome again

Kick the tires and look around, hopefully my new template is up and running.. I still have some banner/header things to update, but otherwise the switch over worked pretty good. Oh and update some links on the archive pages.

Alls

well in the world again.

Getting back to the groove of things. Work is busy and fun--lots of scripting, and ugh lots of documentation so that I can get a few others that a loooonger over do up to speed to help admin. Trying to take more time to for everyone to listen, remember and follow up on all things!

Oh, I'm a blue belt, I'm a blue belt. yes in around 2 more session I will down to the long haul that is the hell of BROWN belt. I continue to hear stories what it will be like to be a brown, what you need to learn, and what the additional class will be like. Being brown will last a good 16-18 months if I'm lucky. You need so many classes, standard as well as B/B class to test for temp Black. I'm sitting at around 1/5 of what I need over all for black. I think thats average but have haven't set down and figured it out. Always learning, always messing up, always thankful that my wife encouraged me to go out and try it. Stupity stubborn as I might have been, its been wonderful and I am so glad to be where I'm at in the process and stoked to continue to Black and beyond.

Things are good, TV is holding out, fridge is over its fit, A/C and styling. We have small jaunt planned for the east in Nov. The weather has been just wonderful as well. Its been tops maybe mid eighties, and lows in the upper 50's.

Whats wrong with me

I swear there is something wrong with me. My wife comes down from her nap, just after the girls had. We all feel a little better afer our naps. I myself even collasped into a small one. Once the after nap achey wore off from mine, then I started to feel better. This is why i don't usually take nap.

Anyhow, I would like to know whats wrong with me that I can't go 5 minutes without remembering what someone said, especially my wife. We were in an embrace, I was focused on her, and she told me what she wanted for dinner, and dessert. It sounded good. It wasn't a couple minutes, and I ask her what we were going to have for dinner. My stomach just dropped, and it came back to me what we were going to have. Why do I do that?!?! WTF.. I mean I love my wife, and would walk from hell to high water to do anything for her. I value my wifes opinion more beyond what she realizes, especially financially, and child-rearing. I just wish my mouth would show it.

All I have managed to do is put my foot in my mouth and hop around like an ass making my wife feel lower than dirt, it just makes things worst when the kids are especially uncoorporative, and it make for one unhappy spouse. I don't blame her, I think growing up I didn't have much a voice in the family being the youngest. Though that I no excuse for my behavior now, and I just want to die. I want a fricken life rewind button. I know I could have been so much better husband in that last 5 days let alone probably the last 5 months. Been more attentive to my wife, tried more to inticipate her thoughts and her actions, so that I could be more like her and juggle so much stuff talking to people to get Shae better off at school, and in her future life with her eyes. I don't really know what I would do with out her, I have grown to rely on her for so many things.

She makes sure the bills get paid on time, and appropriately.
She makes sure no one screws with any of the kids, and me
She remembers so very many things, and trys to remind me which happens way to often, and that frustrates her to no end.
She makes sure all the kids, and pets are healthy on a daily bases.
She looks out for ever opportunity to increase the benefits of the children either learning or acquiring the means to be better now and into the future.
She takes care me. Fixes my hair, clothes, reminds me to put on sunscreen, and my hat.
She helps suggest daily meals, because I might be able to make it, but I don't seem to have that much imagination to think of things to fix in a week to help everyone get their pyramid of food items, fruit, veggy, meat, etc..

Right now I think all i really do is keep the dail tone, doing some cleaning, preparing the meal the pets and kids, and she does the rest. I WANT to be a better huband and better in this family. Right now it seems a bit like 70/30 rather than 50/50.

But still why do i do it, all I ever want to do is try to be a strong provider to my family, and do anything for my kids and my wife. Do what ever it takes to keep them health and happy. But ALL i end up doing is misunderstanding my kids, and totally putting off my wife. I just want to crawl into a hole, and be the damn dog/pig that i am.

:(